I stand by the fire
In the center of our village
I look to my right and the woman are preparing clothes
I look to my left and the men are sharpening knives
The season creeps closer
As the leaves turn brown
And our hearts are filled with hope
Of more food this season
We pray daily
To the sun
For the hunt to be plump
And for no rain
Disease must not plague our men
As we travel through plains
Last year my brother died
And only food was carried home
I wish him peace in the afterlife
Reflection
"I am a Muslim, and a Hindu, and a Christian and a Jew; and so are you." I believe Gandhi justified this statement by not discriminating against any one religion. He had grown up with a Hindu, which is a religion open to a great variety of other Gods. Also, his primary purpose of defying the British government was to gain home rule by the Indians. He wanted to unite the Muslims, Hindus, Christians, and Jews of India since religious conflict would only cause internal problems for the revolution. With internal problems, the revolution would not be as efficient as possible and could possibly fail.
"A religion that takes no account of practical affairs and does not help to solve them is no religion." Gandhi demonstrated throughout the movie, very strong Hindu values as he had been raised as a Hindu which led him to lead peaceful, non-violent protests against the British. He also believed that everyone should set religious differences aside so that they could unite as one nation rather than being separated into the groups of different religious backgrounds. I believe that was one key factor that really led the British out of India and allowed Indians to have their "home rule".
Yoga was a very interesting experience for me. Prior to the in-class yoga activity, I had always thought yoga was something that GIRLS did to keep their bodies flexible. Therefore, while walking into the Blackbox theater, I was not expecting to get anything out of this experience. However, my thoughts quickly changed as the yoga instructor explained that yoga was used to help the mind. One thing I've been having trouble with recently is hardships that face me. Things seem too hard to do and I felt like giving up on several assignments. Yoga really changed that for me. After taking full control of my body after the simple yoga exercises, I found that determination was taking a much more dominant presence in my life. What really amazed me during the yoga instruction was how the instructor made so many of my classmates fall asleep in such a short manner of time. It is definitely something I want to do again! :)
Buddhism Reflection
The Eightfold Path meditation was certainly a new experience for me. The meditation exercises in the classroom were certainly quite hard for me because I was wearing jeans that compressed my legs when I sat down. However, when we went outside, I felt much better because we were doing simple things such as walking around and I could also sit down with my legs straight. The strange thing is that rather than being alert and feeling energetic while meditating, I felt very tired and was about to fall asleep perhaps due to the lack of sleep I had the previous night. However, for the last meditation, I tried to free my mind of all thoughts and I ended up thinking of nothing at all. I guess this could be a great way for me to relieve myself of stress in situations before I have several projects due, however, it did not have me thinking about the meaning of life too much.
On our hike to Bongwonsa, we walked for around 15 minutes on a mountain path. The reason why I think visitors must pass a mountain is for them to think about life and be one with nature while having nothing else to do but walk for a quarter of an hour. Perhaps it was positioned so that people would forget about all their desires on their path to the Buddhist temple. Also, it was very peaceful and you could not hear the city sounds which would definitely help anyone there to meditate. The temples were also decorated with drawings telling a story. The stories usually had animals as their main characters and they would contain lessons on enlightenment. It was a very peaceful class, when I just sat down and tried to enjoy life and get rid of all the stress in my body. I respect Buddhists and their way of thinking because they strive to live a good, peaceful, meaningful life rather than splitting up into several dozens of different churches and arguing about who is more right about certain things.
Sorry some of my posts got deleted due to a glitch~ I had to redo my Christmas reflection post and shema!!! :(
My Shema
3 Characteristics of my God:
Almighty
Loving
Everywhere
An experience that shaped this understanding:
In 8th grade, I lost my tooth while playing basketball on a slippery court a rainy day. I was told there was no solution for me, other than to get an implant. However, getting an implant would ruin the shape of my mouth and make my teeth uneven. Several days later, the doctor called and told me he thought of a solution that might work. I prayed and prayed for it to work and it did. Now I can wait until i'm 18 to get an implant and it won't mess up my teeth.
A way I remember my God
I go to church on Sundays and pray to him for my blessings or whenever I am in need of help. He is always there for me.
Shema.
My God is almighty. All bow down to him and worship his great power. He is everywhere yet I cannot see him. However, that does not make me doubt him for I know that he is the greatest. He loves me with unconditional love and I love him just as much. He is my leader, my creator, and my father.
Merry Christmas!!!
This Christmas, I went to the sunday service at a church in Yongsan. :) The pastor was very friendly and I met a lot of my friends there. We sang many Christmas carols and the particular one I chose to research was "Angels We Have Heard on High" because of the latin phrases used in it.
Lyrics:
- Angels we have heard on high
- Sweetly singing o’er the plains
- And the mountains in reply
- Echoing their joyous strains
Me in front of the church after
eating dinner with some friends. :)
CHORUS:
- Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
- Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
- Shepherds, why this jubilee?
- Why your joyous strains prolong?
- What the gladsome tidings be
- Which inspire your heavenly song? Chorus
- Come to Bethlehem and see
- Him Whose birth the angels sing;
- Come, adore on bended knee,
Church at 11 PM... Everyone left :(
Christ the Lord, the newborn King. Chorus
- See Him in a manger laid
- Jesus Lord of heaven and earth;
- Mary, Joseph, lend your aid,
- With us sing our Savior's birth. Chorus
Song Research:
This song was translated into English in 1862 by James Chadwick who translated it from an old traditional French carol. The song was popularized in churches across the US as the lyrics were about the coming of Christ and emphasized the coming of Jesus rather than decorations such as "Jingle Bells" or "O Christmas Tree". Although most of the song was translated into modern English, the phrase "Gloria, in Excelsis Deo!" is latin and means "Glory to God in the highest". I believe this song is the true song of Christmas, as it is a holiday meant to celebrate the birth of the Christian lord, Jesus Christ and there is no other song with lyrics as dedicated to it as this one.
Fun thought...
While I was listening to the pastor, he talked about how long it's been since Jesus Christ has walked on the earth. 2012 years. It made me wonder why Christmas is on December 25th then, rather than January 1st.
Reflection
"I am a Muslim, and a Hindu, and a Christian and a Jew; and so are you." I believe Gandhi justified this statement by not discriminating against any one religion. He had grown up with a Hindu, which is a religion open to a great variety of other Gods. Also, his primary purpose of defying the British government was to gain home rule by the Indians. He wanted to unite the Muslims, Hindus, Christians, and Jews of India since religious conflict would only cause internal problems for the revolution. With internal problems, the revolution would not be as efficient as possible and could possibly fail.
"A religion that takes no account of practical affairs and does not help to solve them is no religion." Gandhi demonstrated throughout the movie, very strong Hindu values as he had been raised as a Hindu which led him to lead peaceful, non-violent protests against the British. He also believed that everyone should set religious differences aside so that they could unite as one nation rather than being separated into the groups of different religious backgrounds. I believe that was one key factor that really led the British out of India and allowed Indians to have their "home rule".
Yoga was a very interesting experience for me. Prior to the in-class yoga activity, I had always thought yoga was something that GIRLS did to keep their bodies flexible. Therefore, while walking into the Blackbox theater, I was not expecting to get anything out of this experience. However, my thoughts quickly changed as the yoga instructor explained that yoga was used to help the mind. One thing I've been having trouble with recently is hardships that face me. Things seem too hard to do and I felt like giving up on several assignments. Yoga really changed that for me. After taking full control of my body after the simple yoga exercises, I found that determination was taking a much more dominant presence in my life. What really amazed me during the yoga instruction was how the instructor made so many of my classmates fall asleep in such a short manner of time. It is definitely something I want to do again! :)
Buddhism Reflection
The Eightfold Path meditation was certainly a new experience for me. The meditation exercises in the classroom were certainly quite hard for me because I was wearing jeans that compressed my legs when I sat down. However, when we went outside, I felt much better because we were doing simple things such as walking around and I could also sit down with my legs straight. The strange thing is that rather than being alert and feeling energetic while meditating, I felt very tired and was about to fall asleep perhaps due to the lack of sleep I had the previous night. However, for the last meditation, I tried to free my mind of all thoughts and I ended up thinking of nothing at all. I guess this could be a great way for me to relieve myself of stress in situations before I have several projects due, however, it did not have me thinking about the meaning of life too much.
On our hike to Bongwonsa, we walked for around 15 minutes on a mountain path. The reason why I think visitors must pass a mountain is for them to think about life and be one with nature while having nothing else to do but walk for a quarter of an hour. Perhaps it was positioned so that people would forget about all their desires on their path to the Buddhist temple. Also, it was very peaceful and you could not hear the city sounds which would definitely help anyone there to meditate. The temples were also decorated with drawings telling a story. The stories usually had animals as their main characters and they would contain lessons on enlightenment. It was a very peaceful class, when I just sat down and tried to enjoy life and get rid of all the stress in my body. I respect Buddhists and their way of thinking because they strive to live a good, peaceful, meaningful life rather than splitting up into several dozens of different churches and arguing about who is more right about certain things.
Sorry some of my posts got deleted due to a glitch~ I had to redo my Christmas reflection post and shema!!! :(
My Shema
3 Characteristics of my God:
Almighty
Loving
Everywhere
An experience that shaped this understanding:
In 8th grade, I lost my tooth while playing basketball on a slippery court a rainy day. I was told there was no solution for me, other than to get an implant. However, getting an implant would ruin the shape of my mouth and make my teeth uneven. Several days later, the doctor called and told me he thought of a solution that might work. I prayed and prayed for it to work and it did. Now I can wait until i'm 18 to get an implant and it won't mess up my teeth.
A way I remember my God
I go to church on Sundays and pray to him for my blessings or whenever I am in need of help. He is always there for me.
Shema.
My God is almighty. All bow down to him and worship his great power. He is everywhere yet I cannot see him. However, that does not make me doubt him for I know that he is the greatest. He loves me with unconditional love and I love him just as much. He is my leader, my creator, and my father.
This Christmas, I went to the sunday service at a church in Yongsan. :) The pastor was very friendly and I met a lot of my friends there. We sang many Christmas carols and the particular one I chose to research was "Angels We Have Heard on High" because of the latin phrases used in it.
Lyrics:
 |
| Me in front of the church after eating dinner with some friends. :) |
 |
| Church at 11 PM... Everyone left :( |
Song Research:
This song was translated into English in 1862 by James Chadwick who translated it from an old traditional French carol. The song was popularized in churches across the US as the lyrics were about the coming of Christ and emphasized the coming of Jesus rather than decorations such as "Jingle Bells" or "O Christmas Tree". Although most of the song was translated into modern English, the phrase "Gloria, in Excelsis Deo!" is latin and means "Glory to God in the highest". I believe this song is the true song of Christmas, as it is a holiday meant to celebrate the birth of the Christian lord, Jesus Christ and there is no other song with lyrics as dedicated to it as this one.
Fun thought...
While I was listening to the pastor, he talked about how long it's been since Jesus Christ has walked on the earth. 2012 years. It made me wonder why Christmas is on December 25th then, rather than January 1st.
Won Hee,
ReplyDeleteGood perspective for the poem. Good use of vocabulary, but I couldn't see the picture.
Won Hee,
ReplyDeleteGood job connecting the principles of Hinduism with Gandhi's choices. I wanted a little more specificity when explaining the context of the quotes within the movie, but OK.
yes, yoga is very helpful for focus. Why is this a Hindu worship ritual?
I'm sorry the picture was available at the time I uploaded it but it seems to have been taken down. :(
ReplyDeleteAnd perhaps by doing yoga, you could become more open minded and be more accepting of other religions, which is one of the key points of Hinduism.
Won Hee,
ReplyDeleteGood general insights, but what did you learn about the respect for Buddhism and their peaceful existence? How can that peace translate to you?
Wonhee,
ReplyDeleteExcellent Shema and description of your God.
For the Carols- what did Jesus bring to the world? I'm glad you had a good experience- fun thought about Jan.1st. Haha