Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #4: Buddhist Meditation: "Spend 20 mintues in a silent meditation; a place you won't be disturbed, your own 'fig tree' as was Buddha's inspiration. In those 20 mintue..."
Meditating for 20 whole minutes was probably one of the hardest assignments I've received. Being a person that can't sit in one position for too long, I was already having trouble staying still in my cross-legged position after just a few minutes. Additionally, I was already exhausted from school so I was worried that I might accidentally doze off. First, I tried to focus on my breathing and make sure that it was going at a steady pace. I closed my eyes and tried to find peace amidst the crazy day I was having. Although I knew I was supposed to empty my mind and immerse myself in "right thoughts", "right mindfulness", and "right concentration", I couldn't stop thinking about the huge test I have tomorrow. "How am I going to cram a unit's worth of information tonight? How late am I going to stay up? I should go get some coffee." Irrelevant thoughts like these took over my brain and prevented me from trying to think about anything else or receive inspiration. Any inspiration in relation to meditation, that is. And quite frankly, it made me sad that I couldn't simply relax for a mere 20 minutes without thinking about everything in my life I'm worried or stressed about. The fact that Buddhists perform meditations every day awes me. Their ability to concentrate seems so hard to attain. But hopefully, I will be able to find a time in the future when I don't have such a load on my shoulders to just be able to relax and focus on my inner thoughts.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #3- Gandhi: Hindu and Activist
Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #3- Gandhi: Hindu and Activist: "In class, your small groups went over movie questions about the content in Gandhi. You should know who each of the main characters are and t..."
Mahatma Ghandi was a man that changed the world of Hinduism. He was a spiritual leader who went out of his way to make a statement for the world to hear. Being a Hindu himself, Ghandi believed in achieving peace without violence and acceptance of anyone and everyone. The biographical movie that we watched in class depicted many defining moments in the history of Hinduism through Ghandi’s life. By watching this film, we were able to identify with Ghandi’s mission. One example that supports my position is when Ghandi was beaten by the policemen in the beginning of the movie. Watching him get clubbed with a bat proved how painful the beating must have been. Nonetheless, Ghandi maintained his composure and did not retaliate. Another example is when Ghandi chose to fast during India’s civil war as a message to the people that starving to death is what he would do if the war had continued. These examples are just two of the many more that epitomize the lengths Ghandi had gone to prove a point about Hinduism.
Every word that Ghandi spoke was about his strong faith towards Hinduism. His teachings influenced millions to strive to be at most half the man he was. In my opinion, I think that this quote: “An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind,” is the best example of the majority of what Ghandi spent his life preaching. This quote means that if everyone in the world were to take revenge on others for each petty little conflict, people would lose sight of the big picture. The reason why I think this is the best quote is because the foundation of all of Ghandi’s principles lied on nonviolence. Like mentioned in the previous paragraph, Ghandi himself experienced violence upon him but always maintained calmness and never chose to fight back.
Mahatma Ghandi was a man that changed the world of Hinduism. He was a spiritual leader who went out of his way to make a statement for the world to hear. Being a Hindu himself, Ghandi believed in achieving peace without violence and acceptance of anyone and everyone. The biographical movie that we watched in class depicted many defining moments in the history of Hinduism through Ghandi’s life. By watching this film, we were able to identify with Ghandi’s mission. One example that supports my position is when Ghandi was beaten by the policemen in the beginning of the movie. Watching him get clubbed with a bat proved how painful the beating must have been. Nonetheless, Ghandi maintained his composure and did not retaliate. Another example is when Ghandi chose to fast during India’s civil war as a message to the people that starving to death is what he would do if the war had continued. These examples are just two of the many more that epitomize the lengths Ghandi had gone to prove a point about Hinduism.
Every word that Ghandi spoke was about his strong faith towards Hinduism. His teachings influenced millions to strive to be at most half the man he was. In my opinion, I think that this quote: “An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind,” is the best example of the majority of what Ghandi spent his life preaching. This quote means that if everyone in the world were to take revenge on others for each petty little conflict, people would lose sight of the big picture. The reason why I think this is the best quote is because the foundation of all of Ghandi’s principles lied on nonviolence. Like mentioned in the previous paragraph, Ghandi himself experienced violence upon him but always maintained calmness and never chose to fight back.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Modern Religious Experience: Assignment #2- Sacred Poetry
Egyptian Ankh
Created in fine gold
Shaped in a beautiful knot
It is to you I pay tribute
It is to you I pay homage
Whether hung around our necks as we pray
Or kept in our pockets as we farm
We depend on you for strength
We depend on you for prosperity
Like many others
You will be buried with me
When I bid farewell to the world
As I carry you with me to my afterlife
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