Projects

When I began the search for my information on the Taj Mahal, I started to discover some really interesting information. I didnt even know that it was considered as one of the seven wonders of the world! I understand now why it is. The Taj is an amazing structure, not just of beauty but also of mystery. Back in the 16th century, many important things happened. Emperor Shah Jahan was named "King of the World" and Mumtaz Mahal was given her title as the Kings wife. She promised him many children and to his behalf, they had 14 kids! Soon after the 14th child was born, Mumtaz passed away; this tragedy tore the kings heart apart, and left him grieving for a little over two years. The only way he could gain back his strength and be at rest, was to build the Taj Mahal, in memory of his beautiful wife, Mumtaz Mahal. I learned about the characteristics of the Taj, and it's importance today in Hindu and Islamic faith, and why so many people take pilgrimages there. One pilgrimage that I found interesting was the Taj Marathon. In September 2008, the Taj will be hosting it's marathon for peopel who want to experience the Taj run. This is not your average marathon run, because temperatures are so high in the heat index, you have to be in good shape to be able to keep up! I enjoyed researching and learning about this sacred site, and gained knowledge about this beautiful structure. I would love to travel and take my own pilgrimage to this site and experience the mystery of the Taj

Hindu Gods: which god would you be?

After discussing Hindu theology last week, I began to think a little more about the terms “Monism” and “Polytheism”. Monism is basically referring to one god and Polytheism is referring to many gods. Within the context of Hindu theology, we discussed a variety of gods, (polytheism). We learned a new term; Hindu trimurti, which is the idea of having three gods which order the universe: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. The creator is Brahma; he has four heads that see all directions, which mean he can see everything, all the time! He also has four hands; which makes working easier and faster. His consort is Saraswati (learning).
The next god is Vishnu; the preserver and the giver of order. This god holds certain criteria including the lotus (happiness and renewal), the conch shell, which resembles a spiral of infinite space, the Chakra (cycles of life & death), and displays open hands (blessing). Vishnu’s consort is Lakshmi which resembles wealth. He also displays several avatars, which is a symbol or character that exemplifies incarnation or revealing, such as compassion, power, Lord Krishna, the Buddha, a tortoise, and a boar.
The last god we discussed was Shiva, the destroyer. This god can be seen displayed as dancing on a dwarf, in a ring fire. We are not sure why the god is displayed this way but we have learned that Shiva represents death and sexuality. Shiva is usually not displayed in temples, but represented with a lingam. Its consort includes Kali; the child is Ganesha.
I really enjoyed learning about the different types of Gods in Hindu theology and Polytheism, meaning “many gods”. If you could be any of the three different gods, which one would you rather be and why would you want to be this god?!

The City of Light

As I was reading the article “Banaras” I began to understand why they call it the “City of Light.” I learned that it was formerly called Kashi, and reveals an incredible sense of purity, and holiness. During a daily ceremony, some people discover at dawn, when the people perform their ritual, they find it wild, grotesque, unnatural, or forbidding. Many pilgrims are drawn to this city of Banaras that seems to be full of life and worship. Some of the descriptions the article gives on the city atmosphere seems a bit chaotic, but interesting as well. For example, on walls of some dwellings, there might be “bold designs of monkeys, elephants, and horses with festive trappings, or grandly dressed swordsman.” I found it comforting when the author described “Occasionally, through and open door, you can catch a glimpse of a sunny courtyard and the everyday life of the family within.” I think it would be an interesting experience to be able to travel to this city, and learn about a way of life that is unfamiliar to us. The author says that he could never explain his first experience in the city or even the surfaces of the city with such a diverse and complex nature. I was surprised when I learned that it was important for a Hindu to die in Banaras, which is where you are promised release from the cycle of birth, death and reincarnation; which is the ultimate goal for a Hindu to experience when one dies. I found that this city is filled with enlightenment and learning; what every pilgrims dreams of; in a place with the highest sanctity, rich soil and infinite temples. It almost seems like a magical kingdom!

Travel to the Holy Land Movie

When we watched the movie "Battle of the holy land" I noticed how scary it must seem to have people all around you with guns, and it seem like there were always people watching your every move. I found it sad how the men just went into people homes and attacked people. When the little boy was killed it seemed unfair and unjust. I never really understood why the kids got killed. I thought the movie was interesting because in our culture thats not something we undergo and see every day, but to these people, having men carry around guns is typical. To travel to the holy land would be a scary experience but to some people it is something they have always wanted to do, and fight for this sacred land. I can't imagine how those women felt having their loved ones go on this journey, to battle for the land, and know that their loved ones might never come back. I liked how the women seemed to have a particular bond between them, and it seemed that they prayed for each other's loved ones; whether it be for their sons or for their husbands.

Some parts of the movie seemed like a nightmare that you could have, where you wake up afterwards and realized it never happend; but this was not a nightmare, and this stuff does really happen.

Judaism

Last week we discussed the basic concept of Judaism, which includes the four covenants. Growing up, I went to church & Sunday school every week, but I never seemed to really have a good grasp on some of the topics we discussed from the bible in Sunday school. Of course I remember some of them, but as a college student taking this religion course, I wish I would have taken things more seriously and really paid attention to what my Sunday school teacher was saying. With that, I found the four covenants to be interesting because I never really remembered these stories from the Old Testament or Jewish bible; in fact, I didn’t even know that they were interrelated! My lack of knowledge about the bible is sometimes embarrassing, so bear with me. First we learned about the Noachite Covenant. To my surprise, this one was about Noah and his family, to promise never to destroy earth again by floods. The rainbow is his way of reminding others that he will not destroy earth again by floods. The second covenant the Abramic Covenant, promises land and descendants, with Abraham and his wife Sarah. This is a conditional covenant. The Mosaic Covenant, the third covenant deals with Moses and the Israelites. They explained that if God is going to be your God, then you will be his people. The 10 commandments derived from Moses, and he believed that if we follow all these commandments, then God will be our God. The last Covenant is the Davidic Covenant, which came from David and his people. God’s promise was that David’s Line will be on the throne, and his son will build God a temple. This temple becomes The House of David, and rules forever; the Zion becomes the covenant.
I like this first covenant the best, probably because it is the most known and easiest to remember. I learned that the third covenant (mosaic covenant) is where Moses develops the 10 commandments. I never knew that and found it interesting that if God says if we follow all of them that he will be our God no matter what. I found all these covenants very interesting, and hope to continue learning about Judaism

Siddhartha

When I first began reading Siddhartha, I was skeptical on whether or not I would be able to relate it to real life situations. I think many people have a hard time reading a book they are unfamiliar with. Before I read Siddhartha, I had no idea what Pilgrimage was, or how it related to religion. I just finished reading the book on Saturday, and I was very pleased with the novel, and found myself thinking about how Siddhartha’s life was shaped due to his experiences in finding his own self. If he never pushed his dad to understand that he needed to go on his own, what would have happened? Siddhartha proved to himself in order to get what you want in life, you have to be willing to work hard and sacrifice things important to you. His experience in finding love, living with the wealthy, and being admired by many people, proved to him that he could be whatever type of person he wanted to be; as long as he fulfilled his goal of finding the ultimate happiness in himself. Govinda, a childhood friend of Siddhartha’s, sought his advice and wanted his perspective on life and happiness towards the end of the book. Siddhartha was able to speak to his friend as if he was Buddha or Gotama himself. As I began to understand what pilgrimage meant, I tried to relate it to real life situations. People can go on any type of pilgrimage, whether it’s on vacation, spring break, etc, as long as it becomes a life changing experience. Siddhartha made the decision to leave his father and take a journey to find nirvana, and along the way, he encountered lover and a friend (Kamala and the Ferryman), which helped him discover who he really was.

Consequentialist Theories: What would you do?

When I began reading the handout on Moral Philosophy, I came across two interesting aspects on consequential theories ( a chosen outcome based on our decisions of our own actions). One is Egoism, which is basically performing an action that will benefit oneself; versus Utilitarianism, which means performing an action that will benefit the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Both theories have good intentions, but when it comes down to the question of right or wrong, what does one believe? How does one's morals shape decisions to be made in a given situation, such as peer pressure or sex? Everyone has different morals and aspects on life, but how often do we base our most important decisions on these consequential theories?