Reflections on the Zen Center

In class I was informed that the Zen Center was not going to be anything spectacular or anything pretty to look at. It was almost as if it was a normal old house which was still something I unexpected. There were business offices upstairs and a lady who quilted downstairs. It was definitely different that all the other places we have visited as the building was not organized solely to the religion, but rather as a place to gather a couple nights a week.

The meditation session was a brand new experience to me. The explanation of how to meditate I found to be really interesting. When he said there would be a question to focus I thought that the whole meditation would revolved around focusing and answering the question. But instead we were told to let the mind drift to whatever was coming in and let information go and not chase it. Once information goes, it was then time to repeat the question and try again. It made the ten minutes go by fast as it was interesting to see where my mind would go after thinking about the question for bit.

The main focus of the whole night seemed to be about not to over think and figure out how the mind works. The meditation was all about letting the mind do what it wanted and not trying to force it to think about things, especially the future. Studying Buddhism has actually influenced me to stop giving too much thought into small problems and to clear my mind more. I am not sure if this is a phase or if I will ignore Buddhism in a few weeks, but it e.still very nice being able to learn new ways to think about things and life.

The trip to the Hindu Temple was a brand new experience for me. Once again, there were the features of the temple that appeared in some of the other places we have taken trips to. The downstairs was a social area which we have seen a social area in all the visits except the basilica. There were people there who came to pray and worship just as in all the other visits. The thing that really separated the temple from the other places was the upstairs where all the worshipping and statues of the gods were kept. Walking up the stairs and seeing the statues full of decoration and all the golden color around just shocked me. I was definitely not expecting to see so much color or the statues being so decorated and dressed up.

The statues of the gods and how they treat them amazed me as well. That they bathe some of them weekly or once a month really struck me as how they treat them almost as being a real person. They dress them up, change the clothes, use jewelry, and give them baths. It is not like other religious traditions where statues are placed as just decoration and are not meant to be worshipped. It almost seemed as if it was the exact opposite of the other religious traditions we have studied. It seemed the only major similarity was they believed in one God as well.

Finding out that Hindus only believed in one God was the biggest piece of knowledge that I learned at the temple. With all the names of the gods I assumed they were all seperate, not that they are all different forms of what the one true God could take or has taken. It made me curious to think about if the Hindu God was the same God that Jews, Catholics, and Muslims believe in. Until this trip, I believe that Hindus believed in many gods and I was glad to find out that I was wrong before keep going on with my life having wrong information.

Mosque Surprises

The trip to the Mosque was very insightful and it gave me a better understanding of the Islamic faith. What I liked the most was that the information received was it was more of a person to person experience that one would not typically be able to find by reading a book or textbook. I was able to learn more about the Islamic faith than what I already knew. What I was really in awe of is how closely related Islam is to Christianity and Judaism. The past two days has really allowed me to get a grasp on how Jesus is an important figure in Islam, just as he is for Catholics in a different way that is still closely related. Not only Jesus, but as well as others as Moses and Abraham are also important in Islam. Also, learning that Muslims do not look at Jews and Christians as the enemy, but rather as fellow worshipers of the same God has changed the way I view Muslims and Jews themselves. The information about typical stereotypes that Muslims receive from others and why it was all false was probably the most interesting topic of discussion for me. Just knowing they are all people worshiping in the same God that I do and wanting the same peace and goodness on earths that Christians and Jews do gives me a better understanding of Muslims. I no longer have the possible stereotypes that I had going into learning about Islam.

The two biggest surprises that I found in the Mosque on the trip was the wide open prayer room as well as normal school rooms with a gymnasium. I figured that the prayer room would be more like the traditional seating like the synagogue or basilica. I did not tend to think about the space and flooring needed for bowing down to the floor in prayer. It was also very plain with no decorations. I believe it is a sign that any decorations, pictures, or statues in the room gives them the opportunity to get as close to Allah as they can. They do not want any distractions to interfere with their prayers to Him.

The second surprise was the fact that the Mosque serves as a community center as well as their place of worship. The class rooms I expected once knowing it was more of a community place, but seeing the gymnasium was a big surprise. It helped me to realize that Muslims are not all about prayer in helping their children, but they also want to help them develop through games and activities. I just did not realize before that Muslims did not just want to push there children to prayer, but they want to show them to have some fun when not in prayer.

Interesting Things of the Synagogue

The tour of the synagogue was very insightful and interesting. It was my first visit to a synagogue and this one was smaller more plain than I pictured synagogues, but some of the seating was closed off which would make the synagogue bigger. The fact it was so small was the first thing that really stood out and surprised me. I fount the attendance of the synagogue to be small, but the amazing part was the amount of people who do attend the holy days. The kitchen was the second thing that really caught me by surprise. It was very interesting to learn not only what they eat, but how the meals have to be prepared and eaten. I had no knowledge of the separation of the dairy and meat in the kitchen and was really stunned when I found out the information. The third thing happens to be the most interesting to me, and that is the size and treatment of the scrolls and their cost. I did not expect the scroll to be that long or the wording to be that big. The wording of the scroll with no vowels left me in awe but helped me realize why only certain people are able to participate in the readings. With the scrolls being as sacred as they are, I was also surprised to find out one could be taken out and shown to us. Overall I found the tour and information learned at the synagogue to be very interesting and informative. I am glad i was able to take a tour to a place that was very unknown to me.

Dyersville/New Melleray

The Dyresville Basilica was a very nicely decorated church. Decorations, symbols, paintings, and other artifacts help make it stand out from all the other churches in the area. The New Melleray Abbey had very plain and mostly empty rooms. Everything was old except for the parts that had to be restored. That it did not use any decorations, paintings, or artifacts keys the biggest difference between it and the basilica. The only major thing in common is they were both built and are used to facilitate prayer and honor to God.

If I was giving a tour of both places, I would explain how each was different in the way it looks as well as explain the purpose of each building. Describing the purpose of each building shows that each is for the Christian faith to pray and celebrate mass with God. Although the set up and decorations or lack there of are different, the people who occupy each are there for the same purpose.

I would prefer the basilica because I am used to having decorations and color. I think it makes it even more special celebrating mass with a beautiful and bright atmosphere. There are more objects and hidden symbols to look at preventing the eyes and mind from ever getting tired of looking at the same things.