Learning Challange: Toiling And Time

(Picture Of a Mouth Screaming Something About Time. Created using Cheezburger)

I thought that this quote (author unknown) pertains very well to not only the extra credit reading option for this week, but also in everyday life. The harder we work, the better off we are and the higher the benefits. People and religions view time as differing concepts and that is what makes it so unique. I will definitely take this saying to heart, especially for the upcoming week, to remind myself that if I work hard and complete my obligations in a timely manner, I will be able to have more time for myself and my family over the weekend.  

Growth Mindset: Training The Brain

(Training The Brain. Source: created using Cheezburger) 

I decided to use this image, because it literally represents the power of growth and creating memes only a weekly basis is another useful tool for inspiration and positive reinforcement. I view the brain as a plant; the more we nourish it with good nutrients (water, sunlight, air, etc) the more it will grow. Same goes for our minds. The more positive words and thinking strategies we have, the more we develop our brains to be smart which in turn results in positive behavior, actions, results. It is a gigantic snowball effect! 

Famous Last Words: A Week Gone By Fast

A Week Gone By Fast 

This week went  by so fast and the fact that we had a grace period with no homework due, really helped me to focus on other aspects of my weekly duties. I enjoyed this week's reading and found the stories to flow very well, but I am still stuck on the extra credit reading; Pattanaik's Narayan, part B- What Dies Is Always Reborn.

I think part of the reason why I am stuck on this, is because Pattanaik mentions in the article that "the Greeks did not believe in rebirth. Neither do Christians and Muslims". This is true and it is stated in the Bible that the human body decays to dust but that one's soul and spirit will continue on in either of two ways; Heaven or hell. Hindus believe in a cycle, known as Samara, which is like reincarnation, where an individual's soul is reincarnated into another body (all due to karma). It is the idea that souls last forever - they never die. Is this because they are scared of death? Or is it the fact that their souls have nowhere to go after death? Are they rebelling death? Who came up with the idea of reincarnation and karma? Are there some Hindus who believe otherwise? I have so many questions and it will be interesting to find out what the answers are. Am I trying to overthink this story? I personally do not believe in karma, because God is the ultimate decider of my outcomes. I find it so so interesting and the more I read the weekly stories, the more I try to comprehend the Hindu / Buddhist religion, while keeping an open mind.

1. This week I did better with catching up on assignments and I am all caught up with business related tasks that had to be completed in a timely manner. I am proud of myself that I am able to take on so many tasks, while being a mother.

2. I still find that I am procrastinating a little bit on assignments that is lengthier. I will try to work on this. I will be making a checklist for myself in order to stay on track with personal obligations.

Week 3 Review: Setsubun

An important note; I need to email Laura and let her know that she please needs to manually sign my declaration for week 3 (Monday reading).

I do not always get time to read through the class announcements for each week - I only look to see if something important regarding work due is posted. Going through the past seven week's announcements was very fun. I found quite a few interesting topics that grabbed my attention, but I specifically like the February 3rd  post; "Setsubun"

Setsubun is a religious festival / holiday among the Shinto (Japanese) religion. I found a very cool video on vimeo about it. I would love to be able to experience this for myself and be a part of this rich, fun culture.

A few interesting facts that I found about the festival:
*Children and adults shout: Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uch! Which menas Oni out! Happiness in!

* "Oni! refers to ugly, mean "ogre-like" creatures who brings bad luck.

* The beans are sold in chip bags, known as "happiness beans" and are thrown to chase away any bad spirits.

(Masked man celebrating Setsubun. Source: Vimeo) 

Reading Notes: Part B- Narayan

What Dies Is Always Reborn

Bhuddists view regarding death, is the idea that all of us will pass away when our time comes, but it is the flesh that dies - not the spirit. the spirit is the one thing that will remain and continue to grow. where the spirit goes off to, is all determined by karma. 

This is the first time that I decided to read the story and listen to the Youtube video, which made it much more interesting. The story reminds me of sleeping beauty and I can incorporate a few elements from it, to rewrite the Ganesha story.  We are all made by the same God, the creator of heaven and earth, but yet, this notion that the Greeks and Christians did not belief in rebirth and that it does not exist for Hindus, still remains true today. 

A few pointers that I will mention, that stood out to me is the following:

* Sleep on milk. What does it signify? I would love to look more into it

* the word entropies is something that I have never heard of. I looked the word up and it is something related to physics or "gradual decline into order"

In the video they talk about time. Again time, life and death are interconnected here and all play an important role. I found an interesting article about time importance in the Hindu religion.

* I can not stop thinking about what was mentioned in the video: "Does our world exist when we are asleep". This will make a fun story. Maybe i can create a dream story about this??

(The Concept of Time In Hindu Religion. Source: Hindu website)

Bibliography: reading link to Devdutt Pattanaik  Part B:Narayan

Story Planning Week 3: The Monkey Man

The Monkey Man

 I was really inspired to write my story plan based off of Sugriva and Hanuman. After reading the story it made me realize how important animals and their presence is in the Hindu culture. Animals represents power and growth and it intrigued me. Below are a few guidelines as to how I can approach my story.

 Long ago in a land far, far away lived a couple in a city known as Mumbai. The couple had two sons, named Vali and Sugriva who were very nice, well-mannered boys. They were well known among community members and was always willing to help other people with tasks. Sugriva was the younger brother and always looked up to Sugriva as a role model, a confidant and a leader. He wanted to be just like his brother when he grew up, but little did he know that things will turn out very badly. Many years passed and Vali and Sugriva’s parents passed away. Vali became possessed by the evil goddess named Kali (literally meaning demon) when she promised him that he could have all the powers he wanted, only if he would help her out with a few chores. Of course, Vali, being a kind-hearted person, agreed to help Kali. It is at this point in time that things turned out for the worse. Kali convinced the older brother to kidnap Sugriva’s fiancé, because she had a sacred Hindu gemstone that Kali needed desperately. Sugriva realized the brother’s evil plan and took his fiancé to flee to the forest where he knew he would be protected. Unfortunately Sugriva was not able to protect Yamai (his fiancé) and she was soon captured by the evil demon’s slaves.

One day, Vali roamed through the forest and heard the voice of two men. He was scared that it was the demon’s slaves who came back to find him, and having many powers, he quickly turned himself into a monkey. I can go into detail to describe the monkey – four feet tall, dark, long, brown hair and big eyes. Two more characters will now be introduced and it is these two characters who is in search of Vali to lead them to the monkey chief to help them with their problems. The reader’s attention can now be turned to a different scene in the story. Possibly a beautiful, gold castle, where they will meet chief Hanuman.  

I can end the story on a happy ending where both parties involved found what they were looking for. They remained friends for life and visited with one another quite often. I am not quite sure how I want to end my story, so more focus will have to be placed on this.  

                                   People gathered around Sugriva. Source: Wikipedia


Link to Ramayana Public Domain Part C

Author's Note: My story is based off of the Ramayana PDE- Sugriva and Hanuman. I decided to change the story line and start it off as a sweet family who lived happily in a town and then one of the brothers turned out to be a bad person. Character names and roles were also reversed and their forms of power has changed as well.

Wikipedia Trail: From Batu Caves To Monks

1. Batu Caves
Wow! This picture definitely caught my attention and that is why I decided to choose this as my Wikipedia trail name is derived from the Batu River, which flows past the hill. Batu Caves is also named after the villages that is close to it. It is dedicated to a lord who is named Murugan.

2.  Murugan
Murugan also goes by the name Skanda, among others. He is an indigenous war god. He has six shrines, which literally means "six warhouses". An account of his birth can be found in Mahabharata. There is a lot of information regarding his birth which was very long and I would have to spend more time on this.

3. Tonsure
Latin word meaning to cut or shave some or all of the hair on a scalp. This religious sign is shows devotion and humility. It is very common in Hinduism and Buddhism and represents something meaningful in both religions. It is however banned in Islam.

4. Monks
Monks are sometimes referred to as Bhikkhu. Anyone who is younger may not become a monk, but they may become a śrāmaṇera. The word Bhikkhu means beggar. The Wikipedia article that I read was very interesting and gave so much detail, that it was almost overwhelming.

(Bhikkhu sitting on a bench. Source:freegreatpicture)

Reading Notes: Ramayana Public Domain , Part C

Sugriva and Hanuman:

I am so glad that I chose this version to read. It is very interesting how these stories / epics are unfolding and it is amazing how all these characters intertwine with one another. For this week's note taking I decided to only focus on one story instead of two or three.

This story is probably by far the most interesting one that I have read thus far. I like how Sugriva disguised himself -very clever. I could use this part of the story and change it. Maybe he changed himself into another animal? A bird that follows them deep into a forest and to keep an eye on them?


* Sugriva- younger brother of Vali, whom he succeeded as ruler of the monkey kingdom of Kishkindha. Rumā was his wife. He was son of Surya, the Hindu deity of sun.

* Hanuman - ardent devotee of Rama

* Pampa - lake

* Wind god - AKA Vayu. Lord of the winds, the father of Bhima and the spiritual father of Hanuman.

(Man ripping his chest open. Source: Wikipedia)

Bibliography:Ramayana Public Domain Edition. Link to reading part C

Reading Notes: Ramayana Public Domain , Part D

1. The Bridge:
* God of ocean - AKA Varun & god of law of underwater world
* Vanar - group of people living in forest
* Nala - Son of Vishwakarma
* Vishwakarma - maker of all-doer
Rama's bride - AKA Adam's bridge
Linga - abstract of Shiva / used to worship in temples
Rameshwaram - town / municipality
Lanka - fortress

Upon reading the Ramayana version of The Bridge, I could not help but wonder why the sacrifice was unsuccessful? How would the story have unfolded if it was indeed successful? "Into the bosom of the deep" sounded so proper to me and I really like how they worded this sentence and the way the author described certain aspects came forth as very interesting to me. If I have to re-write the story, I might be able to describe the king of the ocean with a more descriptive style. As I have mentioned before, I learn and read better with pictures and describing characters. I can also describe how the bridge will be built. Ravana seems to be a very short -tempered character.

2. Battle of Rama And Ravana:
* It was kind of intense when I read this. Who was going to win the fight? Which power proved to be superior and stronger? Could they have used other powers for this battle?
* Auspicious? Never heard of this word. I will have to look it up
* Heads that keep coming back sounds scary. It reminds me of a horror movie


3. Sita and Rama:
* It made me sad when Sita threw herself in the fire in order to prove her love and or purity to her lover.  Why did she have to do this? Did he not trust her? If he has so many powers, could he not use some kind of power to read her mind and feelings? I am glad, however, that it turned out to be a love story and that they ended up together again.

(Rama and Ravana fighting. Source: Wikipedia Commons)

Bibliography: Ramayana Online Public Domain Edition. Part D.