I had the opportunity to visit both the Eugene Islamic Center, and the Eugene Zendo Butsugenji, both for the purpose of comparison to my faith practice of United Methodism and in general sense, Christianity. The Eugene Islamic Center and the Eugene Zendo were both very similar in appearance and location, in that they seemed to be built in what was once a large house, and that they were both tucked into residential neighborhoods. The Eugene Islamic Center was much more like a traditional Christian church in outward appearance than the Eugene Zendo, which could've passed as a house if it didn’t have it’s sign. The Zendo had no stained glass, but it didn’t stray away from windows. The space was very open on the inside, which was a point made even more clear by the lack of furniture or anything but mats and books and religious objects. The Islamic center was very similar in that it had little furniture, but it was much more carpeted and cozy feeling, which makes sense, as Buddhism is a religion with a principle of meditation, which requires posture of an inanimate object. …show more content…
Prayers, chanting/hymns, community, some sort of bowing movement. I have seen it all at Christian, Buddhist, and Islamic services. Meditation is what set the Buddhist service apart from the rest. The posture of the body, breath, and mind, are all something you are told to focus on. It was snowing and I was looking straight out of a window, so I think I had a better experience than I would have otherwise. The amount of movement is what set the Islamic service apart to me. The way they pray is like I have never seen before. I have never felt I was really seeing someone communicate with a higher up, but for some reason, the determination in the eyes of the women doing the movements of their prayers... I could really tell there was something else there. (I’m not saying it was God. It was just a Passion that I capitalize with the same emphasis as
As the sunrises over the crisp fall horizon, followers begin to surround the sacred space in anticipation for what is about to take place. The sacred space is soon surrounded by people who are dressed in the sacred colors, some wearing necklaces of their totem, while others wear headdresses that adorn with their sacred symbol. People begin to drink, play music, and prepare a banquet feast for each other, creating a festival atmosphere in hope that today’s ritual will be a success. As the ritual gets set to begin followers begin to crowd into the sacred space, surrounded with pictures and names of those who have reached greatness. As the ritual begins, music is played in order to bring everyone together and prepare for the events that are about to unfold. It is now that the followers have a very simple focus, to aid in the success of the ritual. Those who celebrate the ritual take there places in the middle of the sacred space, with the followers surrounding them; now that the ritual has begun the celebrants begin to perform and focus on certain actions in order connect themselves with the transcendent sacred. The followers who look on begin to aid by chanting, allowing themselves to also transcend. In hopes that the ritual was a success, everyone does their part until the last second of the ritual is completed, it is only then that it can be decided if the ritual was a success and they can either celebrate or grieve by signing in their most sacred song, bonding them once again with each other.
Therefore, I would use deep listening in my intercultural spiritual care conversation. “Deep listening, as a relational practice, is the ongoing dripline “of suspending self-orientated, reactive thinking and opening one’s awareness to the unknown and unexpected” (Bidwell, p.5) I believe it is important to pay attention to nonverbal cues. Therefore, I would use mindfulness in my intercultural spiritual care conversation. “Mindfulness and deep listening each evoke a “peaceful abiding” that facilitates awareness of subtleties of body, speech, and mind”. (Bidwell, p.5) I believe it is important to meet people right where they are. Therefore, I would try chanting in my intercultural spiritual care conversation. “Chanting certain sutras is believed to have a calming effect on the mind of the dying person.” (Grefe, p.122) I value self-awareness as it relates my intercultural spiritual care conversation. Therefore, I would be aware of my personal feelings and assumptions. “When I am providing spiritual care to a person of a different culture, my effectiveness is directly related to my awareness of my personal feelings and assumptions”. (Grefe, p.128) I believe we need to nurture relationships. As a result, in my intercultural spiritual care conversations “we need to develop ways to understand and nurture relationships, not just to exchange beliefs.” (Grefe, p.188). I value the difference between what some call their relationship with God and for others
The word Zen was foreign to the Western world a while ago. But because of the realization that Zen plays a major role in Asian arts such as the Japanese tea ceremony, Japanese poetry (haiku), flower arrangement, calligraphy and landscaping, Zen’s influence has become familiar to them. As a result, anyone has at least once heard the word Zen these days, but not many people can explain what that means despite its increasing popularity. The mystical nature is as strong as ever. One of the reasons is that Zen is not supposed to be explained in words, but rather to be experienced by individuals. For instance, if someone does not know what pasta is, it is difficult to explain pasta to that person no matter how good you are at describing it. In the end, you have to experience it by yourself if you want to know what it really like. It is like “experiencing is believing.” In addition, Zen is not an action but it is an attitude of mind. You do not need to learn anything new because the answers are already inside you. You just need to become one with nature and be aware. Now, what is the origin of Zen and what impact Zen is having on our culture and health?
However, this is where one major difference regarding Buddhism and Christianity is, it is their overall way to conduct ritual practices. Buddhism uses a variety of rituals and practices in order to aid their parishioners on the path to enlightenment while helping others along the way. They do this through practice of mediation, bowling, chanting, lighting incense at various celebrations and holy days, and they also use altar offerings as worshippers come to temples to pay homage. On the other hand, Christianity practices vary due to different denominations but there are various common elements used such as Sunday masses, private and group prayer, reading of Scriptures and religious
The actual building itself appears similar to a castle. The architecture had royal features due to the triangular points on the top of the building. There were three open doors; one big main entrance in front, two small side doors, and all the guests entered through the main entrance. Once I walked in, a big gold Buddha was centered in the back surrounding multiple iconic religious statues. There seemed to be about a hundred religious statues highly dazzled in silver or good.
Throughout the early years in many East Asian countries, there were many people who were looking for answers to this world’s, and otherworldly, questions. When Gotama became enlightened, and began preaching the practices of Buddhism, it came at such a time when the Han dynasty was collapsing, citizens were tired of Confucianism and looking for a new ideology that they could put there hearts and souls into. Over the years, Buddhism proved to be much more than just a religion; it became a way of life. But over time, the powerful orthodoxy transformed, and many different Buddhist sects emerged. One of the more popular sects, Ch’an, or Zen, Buddhism, has become one of the most influential religions in China and Japan, and is still flourishing today.
The first cultural immersion activity that I participated in was going to St. Charles Catholic Church on Ash Wednesday (March 5, 2014). I had a friend who was catholic attend the church with me so I would have a better understanding of what to do and not stand out so much. In addition, I asked my friend to attend with me so I would not do anything in church that was disrespectful. Before going to the church, I thought that I would have to dress up in dress clothes but my friend told me that it is not necessary to dress up for a catholic church, which surprised me. When we first got there, my friend used the holy water and kneeled before entering the pew. I did not do these things because I felt like I would mess up and it would be disrespectful to the religion to mess up those things. Another thing I noticed was when everyone was entering after they have found their seats they would kneel and pray. Later I asked my friend what everyone was doing and she said it was praying to catch up and talk to God about things that has happened since the last time you talked to him.
Meditation is an age-old practice that has renewed itself in many different cultures and times. Despite its age, however, there remains a mystery and some ambiguity as to what it is, or even how one performs it. The practice and tradition of meditation dates back thousands of years having appeared in many eastern traditions. Meditation’s ancient roots cloud its origins from being attributed to a sole inventor or religion, though Bon, Hindu, Shinto, Dao, and later, Buddhism are responsible for its development. Its practice has permeated almost all major world religions, but under different names. It has become a practice without borders, influencing millions with its tranquil and healing effects.
Driving along the highway, all eyes are drawn as a magnet to the unique building with its golden dome and unusual architecture. The Islamic Center is located at the base of a residential street in a small neighborhood. The center houses an Islamic school, a community center, an international school and the Mosque, which is the place of worship for Muslims.
In conclusion, I find that these two religions are very interesting. I really have learned a lot about these two different religions. I could have gone on and on about all the similarities and differences of these two religions. It was very informative to look at two completely different religions than mine and made me think about how little I actually know about my own.
The essence of Zen is to see into the nature of one’s being. Due to the egotistical nature of humans, achieving this is not as simple as it seems. Humans also constantly go into new situations or events with predispositions and concepts that cloud the mind and prevent it from being open. The mind is also generally imbued with thoughts of the self. All day, humans are constantly talking to themselves, thinking about how a certain situation will affect them or what they need to do next in order to benefit themselves. Instead, Zen teaches to strip away this egotistical bondage with the self in order to see the raw nature of one’s being‒it is in this that one consummates a true open mind. This then relates to many Christian traditions, including Jesus’ core teaching of giving up everything and following him. Humans must give up their egos in order to follow the teachings of Christ and find their true natures.
This variety has come from a long tradition of meditation, stretching back thousands of years. As these traditions grow and develop and come into the modern era, there have been increased variations and alterations to make them more accessible to modern audiences, but the basic system has not changed.
We live in a world full of different religions and all of them have, for the most part, a lot of similarities between them. Some of said similarities include beliefs or practices, art, statuary and architecture or buildings such as temples or churches. They serve as reminders of teachings or beliefs and also a place to gather and worship. The architecture or structures are so revered by the people who build them that they themselves become intricate works of art. Another form in use is statues. Most religions use some form of statuary as shrines to visit or pray to, also as a representation of the image portrayed by their chosen religion. A religion with a strong representation of this practice is Buddhism. Today, Buddhism is recognized as one of the world’s major religions.
It is argued that Sufism creates an opportunity for believers to meet the demands of Allah through their hearts. Proponents of this concept argue that it is only through Sufism that one gets to increase their spiritual connection with others and with Allah. While religion teaches rules of Islam such as time of prayer and movements of prayer, Sufism teaches the consecration of the heart in prayer (Murata and Chittick 269). It expands to teaching people how to connect with Allah in prayer and other religious practices. The surrender of one’s heart and soul to Allah is the core purpose of Sufism. In this perspective, Sufism is at the core of Islamic worship as it lines up the spiritual development of
Religions explore a variety of methods that may bring insiders closer to the sacred. Whether it is an action, or the recitation of words, there are deliberate ways that help to bring the sacred and profane worlds together. In Hinduism, that would be a mantra. Mantras are defined as “a sacred utterance, incantation, or invocation repeated aloud or in meditation in order to bring about a prescribed effect, such as the calming of the mind or a vision of a deity (“Mantra”).” Mantras are carefully formulated in order to create these visions and the state of consciousness an insider resides in. Mantras can vary in different aspects, being one single word or phrase, or being recited by one or more Brahmins. The particular mantra that was interpreted