Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #5: Bongwonsa Temple and Nature Walk

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #5: Bongwonsa Temple and Nature Walk: "After visiting the Zen Buddhist Temple, Bongwonsa and attempting to see nature as a Taoist, answer this question: What is it about creation,..."

It is the mystery of life that makes people rely on religions. All the people who depend on religions follow it because they want to find out the mysteries of life, and truth of the beginning of nature. I think it is the mystery and the uncertain fact of nature and creation interests people to seek answers for. Some of these matters can be had to understand. So I think that people turn towards religions, which answer some of these questions. The Hindu law of Karma tell us that people are reborn into a lower or higher level of goodness. This partially explains where we go after death. I think people are willing to spend their time worshipping creations, like the Buddhist temples because they know by meditation they are clearing their minds. The Buddhists would worship their creations, the Buddha halls and the statue of the Bodhisattva so they could learn that they actually impact their lives. Like the monk in the temple told us, some people cured their cancer by praying to the Buddha. The worshiping of the creations would be for reaching Nirvana, and for worshipping the Buddha that would help you achieve your desires.

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #4: Buddhist Meditation

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..."

I practiced the silent meditation when everyone was asleep in the morning. I started meditating in my room, my own ‘fig tree’. While I was meditating, I kept my posture in a cross-legged form with my hands resting above my knees. There was nothing going on outside, because everyone was asleep. At first it was easy to concentrate because my room was silent. It felt as though my mind was like a black chalkboard. I could see nothing. I could only hear the sound of my steady breathing. After I started to hear the cars below on the streets,  I honestly started to think of concentrating, 'Tetris', completing the online portfolio, my shoulders and back hurting, Hagwon, and homework. It was harder to clear my mind once something entered it. This was because one thought lead to another continuously. When my ‘fig tree’ had complete silence, I could keep my mind blank from the world. I was able to clear my mind. But as a distraction reached me I would immediately turn my attention or thoughts to that particular subject. The meditation itself inspired me to calm myself down, play ‘Tetris’, complete my MRE homework, and to concentrate on one thing at a time. I’m guessing I attained right thoughts because I didn’t think of negative things, but the things that helped me in life. Right concentration was with me only for the first half of the meditation. However, the meditation inspired me to stay focused and concentrated. While meditating I was able to be aware of what I heard, for example the environment around me and birds tweeting. I think I was able to get a little of the right mindfulness. It’s true that I was able to realize the right thoughts, mindfulness, and concentration. But even though I could empty my mind at one point I couldn’t do it so that I could seek life’s truth. My mind was empty but there was no life’s truth in it. Although meditation was a hard process, I do believe it helps you achieve right thoughts, mindfulness, and concentration.

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..."

                    Throughout the movie, “Gandhi”, Gandhi’s idea or definition of Hinduism was mostly focused around self sacrifice and not taking sides. Although he shows the other aspects of Hinduism, for example, being a spiritual leader, guru, for all the Hindus and Muslims. But then his main ideas of Hinduism were self sacrifice. Self sacrifice was seen many times during the movie. Gandhi had sacrificed his marriage with his wife. Although they did not divorce or separate, he took a vow of chastity. For his religion, he demands his wife to clean out the toilets because it is a job for everyone. However, as his wife rebels against the demand saying it is a job for the untouchables, he takes her out of the house. This particular event shows that religion is before personal relationships. Gandhi also sacrificed his relationship with his son. This was known to be Mohandas Gandhi’s greatest failure. Beyond the sacrifices in his relationships, he also gave up his personal health by fasting for long periods of time, and by creating his own clothes with the wheel. This process was to rebel against the British. By wearing his own clothes, he was saying ‘I shall not wear the clothes of the country I am fighting for’. Not taking sides, or being unbiased was another one of his ideas. He was a man who did not take sides. He tried his best by staying in the middle with peace. We can see this idea by recalling the scene wear his Muslim friend tries to tell him that the Muslim-Hindu relationship won’t work. Although the friend tries to say that it’s either going to be Pakistan alone from India or a civil war. The Muslims wanted freedom from the Indian Hindu’s but they didn’t want the Hindu’s to rule over them. Gandhi said that he would let his Muslim friend run the government with Muslim traditions over the whole of India. So, by this act he was sort of taking the Muslim’s side, however, he wanted both the Muslims and the Hindus to be one.

                    The quote that summarizes how Gandhi had lived his life is “A man who was completely innocent, offered himself as a sacrifice for the good of others, including his enemies, and became the ransom of the world. It was a perfect act.” While watching Gandhi throughout the movie, I thought that Gandhi was both innocent and sacrificing. This directly relates to the quote because it says that a man is a innocent and is a sacrifice for the goods of others. This is true, because Gandhi sacrificed a lot for the independence of India. He also sacrifices for the good of his enemies by risking his religion and people to find the freedom for the Muslims. Although they weren’t really enemies he was still sacrificing for them. He was also doing this for the British, as well as he was finding the independence for the Indians he wanted to remain friends with the British. And by his grateful acts he became the sky for the Indians. His acts made the Indians think that he was going to go through the state of Nirvana, ending the endless cycle of reincarnation, because he had accomplished so much for the Indians. Gandhi lived his life worthy enough for the fellow Indians to make him think he was capable of Nirvana.

Sacred Poem

Hanuman, Our God

In the midst of the Hanuman temple,

We stand to worship the almighty, 

The avatar of Lord Shiva, 

Hanuman, Our God.

Oh Hanuman, Our Monkey-God,

Give our people your strength,

Perseverance and devotion.

For us to stay healthy, survive, and live.

Hero,

We fast in honor of you,

We give offerings to you,

We chant in name of you.

Our God, Hanuman,

Our Hero, we worship you.

Information:

http://hinduism.about.com/od/lordhanuman/a/hanuman.htm

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection Question #1

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection Question #1: "According to Mircea Eliade religion has 'not vanished without a trace; [it] has contributed toward making us what we are today and so, after..." In what ways has religion contributed toward your personal history?

Religion is what shaped me into what I am right now. It was the monotheistic religion, Christianity which introduced my family and I to the world we know. We all believe a belief of a spiritual-force like the prehistoric people, but for us it would be God. No one knows who I would be for if I had not met God earlier in my life. Who would I be?

All I know is that Christianity made our family believe in the values we do. This is one way religion contributed to me. My religion helped me find my values, which are honesty, integrety, love, hope, peers, and putting God first. I think it was also my religion that created taboos, the restrictions for me. The things I can't do and I can do, they all have to do with christianity. Some of them would be ending my own life and disobeying laws. I think religion makes my family morally connected. It was also religion that forgave me for my sins. I was able to pray at our place of worship, which is the church, to ask for foriveness in the wrong I had committed. For example, regretting something awful I had said to my friend and wanting a peaceful relationship with her again.