Alexander de Bruin

Christmas Carols

The First Noel

The First Noel is a traditional christmas carol which is thought to have originated in the seventeenth century in England. It speaks of the Shepards to whom angels appeared to, the three wise men who came to see Jesus, Jesus himelf lying in the manger, and the star which could be seen above Bethlehem. The final verse of the carol talks about the sacrifice of Jesus for which we celebrate easter. Jesus, in this carol, is protrayed as the Heavenly Lord whom has come to save us all.

My Shema

3 Characteristics:There is one god,He engages in a relationship,He works in indirect ways.

Experience:Observation of the world

Remembrance:Prayer

Shema:

There is one god who engages with us in a relationship. I respond to this with prayer and he responds back in an indirect manner. Because of this, I will observe the world to learn more about the one god.

Buddhist reflection.

During our meditation, I found it difficult to concentrate on certain things due to all the outside distractions. This included people playing football on the field and the rest of us who were not participating. The mantras, however, really helped me to concentrate. I feel as though Buddhism  required deep concentration, and that helps one get to enlightenment, or the freedom from distractions.

Our trip to the monastery was amazing. The buildings we saw just took my breath away. The quiet up in the mountains was astounding. It seemed to me that up in Bongwonsa, the buddhists were of the Mahayana kind. While we were there, I found that those temples were the kinds of things that I find fascinating to learn about, (even though that is contrary to buddhist belief).

REFLECTION

“An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.”

Throughout the movie, Gandhi constantly sought after peace and nonviolence. His views on violence are reflected in both this quote and the several instances where Gandhi decided to fast in protest to violence on both sides of conflict. This was done for when Hindu's were fighting the Muslims during non-cooperation and later, when there was a massive conflict between Hindus and Muslims after Indian independence.

“’Love they neighbor as thyself’ is not something we Hindus prescribe to, but it is something we could learn from.”

During the Movie, there are many conflicts that involve the Hindus being violent. For example, during non-cooperation, Hindus on march began beating Muslims, and, when they earn independence, they end up in a state of massacring and violence. This leads to Gandhi to be shameful of this and therefore the quote. This quote points out how Hindus need to learn how to share India with those they may hate. i.e: The Muslims.

YOGA REFLECTION

While doing the Yoga, the main thing I felt was being relaxed. I felt so relaxed, that I just didn’t think at all. The peace of mind, maybe after lots of Yoga, could lead to a mature self-understanding. This is probably because it peels off all the layers of ones thoughts and therefore reveals what is left; "possibly a true-self."

Alexander de Bruin

BULLROARER

We cut from your tree,

Where your spirit resides.

Your voice will be heard,

Through the instruments we create.

Son of the creator,

Sky and moon for us all,

We sing for you,

To open young minds.

He who bring us rain,

To the desert in which we live.

Defender of dead spirits,

Who brings us life.

We offer you our song,

Along with all we have done.