Yesterday we took our last trip and it was to a Buddhist Zen Center. I thought that it was a really cool place. The first thing we did as we enter the center was to take off our shoes and coats. Another place where you have to do that, I like walking around in my socks and found it quite fun. Then we enter a small room that looked like it was a classroom in a basement.
In this small room where floor mats and pillows on them and always chairs surrounding the floor mats. We all took a place on either the mats or chairs and waited for farther instruction. I decided to sit on the floor mats. It was comfortable for about 5 minutes and then my foot started to fall asleep as the two people who ran the center talked. Right before we started the actually mediation part the lady offer as pillows which we could place under ours kneels as we sat. Surprisingly the pillows worked amazingly and my foot did not fall asleep as fast as the first time although it did fall asleep again.
For the mediation part we used the Korean method of mediation. We started off by one person opening the alter and then one of the head people got up and did a solo chant. After the solo chant we all did a chant in English. After that we started the actually mediation part. One of the head guys hit a wooden stick to start us off. We did not have to sit in the locus position, but we did have to keep our eyes open and stare at a 45 degree angle. We were to mediation on the question “What am I?” which I found my mind wondering far from the question many times. All together I did found the mediation part really fun. We only mediated for 10 minutes instead of the regular 25 minutes. It was a quick 10 minutes too. I really was not ready for him to hit the wooden stick again.
I though going to the center was really cool and found it really fun to mediate. I think I am going to have to try it again sometime!
Catherine!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Friday, January 16, 2009
Hindu Temple
After a three hour drive to Aurora, Illinois, we made it to the Hindu Temple. The first thing the tour guide talked about was about how India is different how the United States, not only by religion, but how they are set up. Each of India’s states has its own language and has different ways of how their women dress. You can tell which state a women is from by the clothes she wears. Also, our guide went on to discuss that we were in a South temple, there is a different in a North temple and a South temple, but he really didn’t get much into details about it.
After the tour guide talked for a little bit, he took us to get some food. The choice was spicy or yogurt and both had rice. I tried the spicy, but could only get a little bit down. The spicy and I did not agree as much as I thought we would. I did not try the yogurt food because the texture did not look that great. Oh well, at least I tried something new!
When we finished with the food, we then went upstairs into the actually temple part. Before we could go upstairs we had to remove our shoes. They do not wear shoes in the temple because they need to keep it very clean up there and they also do not have chairs to sit down in. So, they sit on the carpet. I thought that was a pretty neat way to pray and have a temple!
Once we got up to the temple our tour showed as around a bit. He talked about the different gods and how even though they worshiped and prayed to different gods, they still believe in only one god. I never knew that and I thought that was pretty cool information. After he talked about the different gods, our tour guide let us wander about the temple.
This is where it starts to get neat. One of the priests allowed us to get blessed by the god Vishnu. This involved the priest brings around a flame and we cuffed our hands and brought our hands to our heads. Then we put out our hands and received holy water, which we then had to drink and not let touch the ground. By the way it did not taste the greatest, I believe it was made of water and incent. Then the priest touch our head with a golden hat thing and this was Vishnu blessing us, since the god could not leave where he/she was. Then we received a gift from the god, which were two almonds.
I know a lot of this probably does not make sense if you were not there, but I would suggest to anyone to go to a Hindu Temple sometime in their life. It was completely worth the three hour drive!
Catherine :)
After the tour guide talked for a little bit, he took us to get some food. The choice was spicy or yogurt and both had rice. I tried the spicy, but could only get a little bit down. The spicy and I did not agree as much as I thought we would. I did not try the yogurt food because the texture did not look that great. Oh well, at least I tried something new!
When we finished with the food, we then went upstairs into the actually temple part. Before we could go upstairs we had to remove our shoes. They do not wear shoes in the temple because they need to keep it very clean up there and they also do not have chairs to sit down in. So, they sit on the carpet. I thought that was a pretty neat way to pray and have a temple!
Once we got up to the temple our tour showed as around a bit. He talked about the different gods and how even though they worshiped and prayed to different gods, they still believe in only one god. I never knew that and I thought that was pretty cool information. After he talked about the different gods, our tour guide let us wander about the temple.
This is where it starts to get neat. One of the priests allowed us to get blessed by the god Vishnu. This involved the priest brings around a flame and we cuffed our hands and brought our hands to our heads. Then we put out our hands and received holy water, which we then had to drink and not let touch the ground. By the way it did not taste the greatest, I believe it was made of water and incent. Then the priest touch our head with a golden hat thing and this was Vishnu blessing us, since the god could not leave where he/she was. Then we received a gift from the god, which were two almonds.
I know a lot of this probably does not make sense if you were not there, but I would suggest to anyone to go to a Hindu Temple sometime in their life. It was completely worth the three hour drive!
Catherine :)
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Mosque
I really did not know what to except when we arrive at the Mosque. I found some ideas in my head of what I would see, but really nothing to what the Mosque actually was. The Mosque in Cedar Rapids was really simple. Our tour started with us gathering into a room and we listened to the tour guide talk about the religion. He gave us a brief history of the religion and he answered some of our questions. I thought he did a really good job with explain the religion. He pointed out some of the stereotypes of the Muslims and help show that they are about peace and not violence. He also was kind enough to read some of the Qur’an in Arabic.
After our tour guide got done, he took us on a tour of the Mosque. He should as the kitchen, which wasn’t as big as the one in the Jewish Synagogue, but the Islam doesn’t have to kosher like the Jews. He showed as small pray rooms and classrooms. They have a gym in the newer part of the Mosque, because they had to expand. They had expanded because they have more Islam families in Cedar Rapids since they started. The last part of the Mosque our tour showed us was the large pray room. In this pray room they can fit 150 men. I thought it was a very simple room and couldn’t believe that so many people could fit in to that room.
Over all I had a good experience at the Mosque.
Catherine
After our tour guide got done, he took us on a tour of the Mosque. He should as the kitchen, which wasn’t as big as the one in the Jewish Synagogue, but the Islam doesn’t have to kosher like the Jews. He showed as small pray rooms and classrooms. They have a gym in the newer part of the Mosque, because they had to expand. They had expanded because they have more Islam families in Cedar Rapids since they started. The last part of the Mosque our tour showed us was the large pray room. In this pray room they can fit 150 men. I thought it was a very simple room and couldn’t believe that so many people could fit in to that room.
Over all I had a good experience at the Mosque.
Catherine
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Synagogue
The first thing that I found that was interesting was where they store the Torahs. The curtain that there are stored behind is a beautiful clothe with the names of the twelve sons of Jacob. I liked the symbols of the brothers. Also I liked the fact that they had more than one Torah and that they use them at different times if they need a certain pray, instead of looking for it every time that they needed it. I really like that we actually got to see a Torah and hear it be read. I thought it was interesting to actually see one.
Another part of the synagogue that I found interesting was the kitchen. I know that they had to keep things kosher, but didn’t know how they went about doing that. I really liked how our tour guide explained that it isn’t just in the church that they keep things separate, but actually in their own homes how they have to keep things separated. I also found it very interesting when our tour guide said that if you to cook a dairy in a meat pot you could not eat the food and also you had to throw the pot away. That would really make you never want to mess that up. Also in the kitchen how they had it written on the pots which were dairy and which were meat. The tour guide expanded on that farther by saying that blue towels where for dairy and that red towels were for meat, which is a tradition that has been pasted down.
A different part of the synagogue that I found really interesting was that the synagogue really wasn’t that dressed up like the basilica we saw. The synagogue was very plain and simple. It did have its little dressed things, like the Torahs and the curtain that the Torahs were behind, another then that I didn’t find the place to be overly dressed up. I know that the tour guide said that they could be even less than they already were, but had very small and simple things that set off those, such as the candle above the ark and the roof where the natural night came from.
All in all I found the synagogue a very nice place.
Catherine
Another part of the synagogue that I found interesting was the kitchen. I know that they had to keep things kosher, but didn’t know how they went about doing that. I really liked how our tour guide explained that it isn’t just in the church that they keep things separate, but actually in their own homes how they have to keep things separated. I also found it very interesting when our tour guide said that if you to cook a dairy in a meat pot you could not eat the food and also you had to throw the pot away. That would really make you never want to mess that up. Also in the kitchen how they had it written on the pots which were dairy and which were meat. The tour guide expanded on that farther by saying that blue towels where for dairy and that red towels were for meat, which is a tradition that has been pasted down.
A different part of the synagogue that I found really interesting was that the synagogue really wasn’t that dressed up like the basilica we saw. The synagogue was very plain and simple. It did have its little dressed things, like the Torahs and the curtain that the Torahs were behind, another then that I didn’t find the place to be overly dressed up. I know that the tour guide said that they could be even less than they already were, but had very small and simple things that set off those, such as the candle above the ark and the roof where the natural night came from.
All in all I found the synagogue a very nice place.
Catherine
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Basilica Vs. Monastery
Compare and contrast the sacred spaces at both Dyersville and New Melleray. If you had to give a your of both spaces to someone who was not Christian, how would you explain that both are Christian? If that person asked you which space you preferred, what would you answer and why?
The basilica in Dyersville and the monastery in New Melleray had many similarities and differences. The similarities, which also make it Christian, include they both have the tabernacle. It is very important for a Christian church to have a tabernacle because this is where the bread that has been blessed is stored. Christian churches also have an alter, which is raised higher up by a few feet, given it more importance and being closer to heaven. Christian churches have a cross somewhere within the church. Christian churches use the Holy Bible, the Holy Bible that the Christians use the Old Testaments and the New Testaments can be found. If the Bible contains the Old and New Testaments it makes it a Christian Bible because only Christians use both Testaments.
The difference between the basilica and the monastery is pretty simple. In the monastery you could tell that they like things to be very simple, noncomplex. While in the basilica the decoration is intense, very complex. In the monastery they do not have any stain glasses and statutes. The monastery is allowed to have only portrait of the Blessed Mother holding the child. In the basilica there are many pictures, statues and stain glasses and these portraits can be on really anyone who is involved with the church. In the basilica that we visited the Rector was painted into one of the paints on the ceiling. That would never be found in monastery. There many differences between the basilica and the monastery, but it all comes down to the monastery likes things to be simpler then the basilica.
If I had to choose between the two places I visited I would choose the basilica. Even though it’s decorated very elaborate. I personally would love to go visit the basilica again, because there is so much more there to see. I’m a very visually person and love to see the detail work that is put into the creation of such a beautiful place. In that particularly basilica anyone could tell that there is so much history behind it. I love to read about history, so when there are stories about how certain places get chosen it usually gets my attention rather quickly. Not only did our tour guide give us information about the basilica, but he also added things about other basilicas. Our tour guides stories may have been a bit winded, but he typically get to the point eventually.
My experiences today were amazing and I can’t wait to go to the next place!
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