Toby or not Toby (Toby Kim)

 Christmas Carol hi

 At my church, we had our adult choir sing some Christmas carols.  One of the songs that they sang, that I particularly enjoyed was "O Holy Night".  The beginning to "O Holy Night" begins with

O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices, 

 

 These lyrics in the song describe the night in which Jesus Christ was born to Virgin Mary, and how the people (wise men, shepherds, etc.) gathered and how they rejoiced at his coming.  The song was composed by Adolphe Adam in 1847, for a french poem.  However the songs well known lyrics, are actually attributed to John Sullivan Dwight, who created the new lyrics in 1855.  The story spoken of in the song, is actually told in Luke 2:1-20.  In the song, Jesus is portrayed as a baby, in which they cry out calling him "King" and refer to Jesus as "He" and "Him".  Then the story tells us that he taught us to love each other and tells us of how he will break our chains. 

-->                                                                    Shema: Other

  The characteristics of my God are as follows; He is a personal God, he is saving, and at the same time, he is above all.  My experience with him that solidified my faith was in 2008, when my little brother was in an accident, praying to God was the only comfort I had, as my parents were with my little brother, leaving me in the house alone.  The idea that God was listening to my prayers comforted me. Because of this, I remember God, through song and praise.  At home and at church I sing and praise his holy name.  

Shema: My God is all-powerful and all-knowing.  There is only one God, and he is caring, gentle, and understanding.  He is a personal god, who shares a personal connection with each individual.  He forgives when asked for forgiveness, and he judges, when asked to be judged. 

  

Buddhism: Following the path to Enlightenment

I found that our meditation was quite difficult as we did this at school and there were so many distractions.  Some of those distractions included classmates, nature, and the everyday pressures of life that stress people out.  I also found that when I was meditating, it was relaxing, but not as relaxing as our yoga.  I found that repeating the mantras we had learned helped me focus and try to get rid of those distractions from my head.  

When we went to the Bongwonsa temple there were only a few people there meditating and praying. However, I did notice that they were very focused and held positions for very long periods of time.  When I tried to do the same, I found that it was very hard to keep the position, regardless of the mats.  Even though I am a Christian, I have a new found respect for Buddhist due to their ability to hold positions and at the same time, focus very well. 

Hinduism In Action

“A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks; he becomes.” I believe that this is most effectively shown in the movie when Gandhi moves to the Ashram so that he can not only represent the people in the countryside, but also live like them and think like them.

“An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.” Means that if you take revenge, you end up getting nowhere, and I believe that this was most effectively displayed when Gandhi refused to allow violence, and when, during the Salt March, Nehru was attacked but he refused to fight back.

Today, our yoga experience for me personally was only best received, at the end, because at that point, I felt most "in tune" with my body. I believe that yoga is important to the Hindus because it forces them to control their body so that they can be tolerant and kind, and reach Nirvana.

 

Cave Painting poem

As the great rock looms over
We gather as one
in the hole of divinity
to gather in prayer

We pray for our survival
we pray for our hunt
our shaman gives offering
in sacrifice to the spirits

we write it on the walls
in paintings and designs
if we are lucky they will give us advice
we propitiate to them