Extra Credit: Yoga

I attended an hour long yoga class at the VCU Cary St gym. It was my first time trying yoga and was a lot more intense that I had anticipated. I would consider myself to be pretty flexible but some of the positions were hard for me to hold steadily. Although it was a little bit difficult, it also made me feel pretty relaxed towards the end.  I became more aware of my body but mostly how I hold my spine, neck, legs, arms, and torso. The slow movement is relaxing. The soft music and soft-spoken instructions also help the relaxation. I also found the breathing exercises to rather comforting. At the end, I felt that I could breathe better and my muscles were more relaxed and not so tense.

I also did zazen with the teaching assistant of my Zen Buddhism class and found it to be even more difficult although it was less movement. In the yoga class, every few seconds we would switch positions and I found some difficult due to insufficient flexibility. Zazen on the other hand was difficult because I needed to clear my mind and remain in one position. Both classes were less than an hour long and were difficult in their own ways but I felt that zazen was more of a spiritual exercise while the yoga class was intended more to relax the muscles of the body. It is now quite evident to me that yoga has become an exercise for merely fitness in this country rather than for spiritual improvement. In our class and in the articles assigned, we were taught that “underlying all forms of yoga is the understanding that the human being is more than the physical body, and that through the course of discipline, it is possible to discover what this more is.” I felt that zazen tried to reach out more for our atman, or our true identity through mediation and wiping clear obstacles and selfish desires. Yoga on the other hand, I felt didn’t try to aim for this at all.

Shinto

I watched The Peach Orchard section of Kurosawa’s film Dreams. I found many aspects of Shinto in these two clips. This section was about a little boy who sees a little girl in his house and then follows her outside to the field. He then sees kami which look like humans with white painted faces. They are angry with him and his family for cutting down the peach trees in the field. He starts to cry and tells them that he really loved the peach trees so they forgive him and allow the peach trees to grow once more. At the end, it seems that each kami was an individual tree that was cut down. This demonstrates that the trees are part of nature and therefore are one with the kami. As we learned in class, everything is spiritual and therefore there is continuity between humanity, nature, and the spirits/gods. The kami even say “We are the spirits of the trees, the life of the blossoms. Those vanished trees are weeping in their sorrow.” This proves that they represent the spirit of nature. We were in class that the gravest sins are sins against sacred objects or places. The problem that presents itself in these clips is that the boy’s family cut down a sacred peach tree field. The only difference between this and the story of a kami who destroyed a sacred rice field is that the boy and his family were forgiven unlike the kami who was punished in the myth. This section says that Doll day is a celebration that is for the Peach blossoms arrival and the dolls say that they personify the peach trees and they will no longer go to their house again because the peach trees were cut down. They ask the boy how he and his family are to celebrate doll day if the peach trees are no longer there. This harvest festival is an example of a large Shinto worship festival.

The Tao of Pooh

“Everything has its own Inner Nature. Unlike other forms of life, though, people are easily led away from what’s right for them, because people have Brain, and Brain can be fooled. Inner Nature, when relied on, cannot be fooled. But many people do not look at it or listen to it, and consequently do not understand themselves very much. Having little understanding of themselves, they have little respect for themselves, are therefore easily influenced by others.” (p. 57)

I actually agree with this portion of the book but honestly found most of it unfitting for myself especially the bisy backson chapter.

In the Bisy Backson chapter, Hoff explains “Let’s put it this way: if you want to be healthy, relaxed, and contented, just watch what a Bisy Backson does and then do the opposite.” He is implying that the “American” way of doing things or the “Bisy Backson” way is unhealthy and won’t bring us happiness. Earlier in the chapter, he also talks about how we work all the time even when we play and exercise. I don’t agree with this at all. I believe if you don’t work out then you really will be unhealthy and that is why it’s good to keep fit, so that we can prevent physical problems associated with being overweight. I also believe that everyone is different and has different desires. Some are happy staying busy and having skydiving as a hobby while others enjoy a more relaxed lifestyle in which they never desire to travel.

I feel that we do need to be in touch with our own inner nature so that we can be in control of our lives. We need to know who we are and what will work best for us. Only we know what we should change about ourselves and what would be best to retain about ourselves. The best example I can relate this to is when we’re choosing a career path, we need to pick something that will suit us as individuals for we are all different and offer different characteristics.

I enjoyed reading this book. I thought it offered a great and easy way to learn about Taoism by using such a beloved character like Pooh.

Although I can agree with some of the ideals and beliefs in the book and Taoism, I honestly don’t agree with most of it because in my opinion things don’t happen a “natural way” but rather in the way that you choose. I believe in our own will to make things happen and sometimes dealing with things as you go rather than having some sort of plan doesn’t really work out especially in the society we live in.  

Buddhism blog #1

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYC49pS4rAo

This video is positive because it talks about common stereotypes to reaching enlightenment but is obviously sarcastic and therefore disagreeing with these stereotypes. These stereotypes include growing a long beard, not cutting or washing one’s hair and waiting for food handouts while meditating quietly.

Brad Warner talks about these quick enlightenment scams in his book.

“There are, unfortunately, a lot of guys out there hawking instant enlightenment scams. According to one of these people, his trademarked technique will give you an authentic kensho or satori experience in which you realize your True Nature just like Buddha did under the Bodhi Tree in a single half-day session. I am not exaggerating, I swear.”

It should be more than obvious that if it took the Buddha several lifetimes and much practice and time to reach nirvana, these “quick strategies” are only scams.

Brad Warner explains, “there is no way to get it without years of practice. That’s just the way it is. And nothing will ever change that. No miracle drug. No miracle process. Nothing. Imagining you could get enlightenment quickly would be like imagining you could do fifteen minutes of sit-ups and get a bod like one of the chicks from America’s Next Top Model, or thinking you could take a single guitar lesson and emerge playing Eddie Van Halen’s ‘Eruption,’ or believing you could take one yoga class and be able to bend your leg around the back of your head afterward. It just doesn’t happen that way. Never can. Never will.”  
Americans seem to be confused as to what meditation, enlightenment, and pretty much everything that pertains to Buddhism is really all about. Warner explains that this is why these scams appeal to Americans. He says “but since there’s no real understanding among the general public of what this enlightenment stuff is, anyone can claim that just about anything is enlightenment and a lot of people will believe it.” He also explains that there are no shortcuts to enlightenment. It takes years of zazen practice to gather bits of understanding that gradually come together to form a “deeper intuitive knowledge.” He explains that a feeling of change occurs during enlightenment but “that doesn’t mean everything gets fixed forever.” He sums up his description of enlightenment in the next few sentences: “You still have to live, with all the hassles you had before. You just have a better idea about what it is you’re living and how to deal with it. That doesn’t mean you’ll always do what you should, though. Enlightenment has to be practiced.” I think practice was highly emphasized in this book. Warner wants us to understand that enlightenment is not a moment of realization as these scam artists want to convince Americans but rather a lifetime of realization that shapes the life of a Buddhist through the practice of zazen.

Success and Liberation

Finding songs about success was a lot easier than finding songs for liberation in mainstream music. Most Americans would probably define success as being famous, rich, having many cars and houses, having many girlfriends, and many other things that have nothing to do with love. When I thought about liberation, I kept thinking of Christian songs that talk about feeling liberated from the world and finally realizing that there’s something bigger than them which is God. The songs I picked for success dealt with fame and money and the liberation songs I picked discussed leaving the past life behind and starting anew to dedicate their life to God. I believe that the American sense of success and liberation is highly different from what the Hindu understanding is.

Liberation

Liberation

Mercy Me, “So Long Self,” Christian, 2006 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJtKdjaH2nY

Newsboys, “Born Again,” 2010 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHcCBtIcxhQ

Casting Crowns, “To know you,” 2009 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rciWoJODu2k

Starfield, “Revolution,” 2004 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imIuXqQ26nU

Starfield, “Alive in this moment,” 2004 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehgCYO2sUI4

Success

Lady Gaga, “Paparazzi,” pop, 2009 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2smz_1L2_0

Counting Crows, “Mr. Jones,” 1993 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oqAU5VxFWs

Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show, “The Cover of the Rolling Stone,” 1972 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH_npzCeg30

Metallica, “The Memory Remains,” 1997 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5rZmUPDHCk

The Smiths “Frankly, Mr. Shankly,” 1993 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9l_zAypP7Q