Sidartha Part 1

Quote
" I called the world of phenomena an illusion, I called my eyes and my tongue an accident, valueless phenomena. No, that is all over; I have awakened, I have really awakened and I have just been born today."

Response
Siddhartha is saying that he used to believe that all the wonders and extraordinary things in the world were merely illusions. He believed that vision, speech and eating, were extraordinary accidents that had no propose. Because if no one saw from the start, then no one would desire sight. And if no one spoke then no one would desire speech, like the samanas, who spoke to each other through silence. He also believed the eating was an extraordinary accident because if we had no mouths, we would not desire food. He practiced these beliefs through meditation while becoming and being a samana. But after meeting and hearing the Buddhas words and beliefs, he realized that this was not true. He reread the book of the world and of himself and realized that these were not still his thoughts and that he needed to find the path that would lead him to complete knowledge of the world and of himself. I can apply this to my life by thinking before I act or talk. This will allow me, like Siddhartha, to realize what I actually want to do or say.

Quote
" You speak thus, O friend, and yet you know that Siddhartha is not a drover, and a samana is not a drunkard. Yes, the drinker is numbed for a while; yes he finds a brief escape and rest, but he comes out of his delusion and finds that everything is still the same; he has not grown wiser, he has not gathered knowledge, he has not risen a few steps higher."

Response
In this passage, Govinda is telling Siddhartha that he is not dumb, and neither is concentration, fasting, the numbing of the mind and all the other ways of the samanas. He is telling him that samanas are becoming wiser and rising above when they meditate and escape. They are not like drunkards who drink and become numb for a while but when they come out of their delusion they are at the same place if not lower. This applies to the world today because there are so many alcoholics and drug addicts who numb their mind, not for knowledge but merely for the feeling itself.

Feng Shui room makeover

Feng shui has been practiced in Asian cultures for millions of years. It is believed to direct and balance the Chi of your home and life and lead to harmony, prosperity and happiness. There are five elements to Feng Shui; water, wood, earth, metal and fire. These elements represent every aspect of daily life. I did a Feng Shui make over to my dining room. I added Living plants to represent wood, I also added a crystal which represents earth and helps disperse Chi into smaller portions. I added a vase of water to represent water and attract chi wealth and prosperity. I also added a wind chime to represent metal and connect the wind and bring the chi into the

room. I also added a mirror to move the chi around the room. By adding Feng Shui to your home, you will lead a more relaxed and rejuvenated lifestyle.

Before Feng Shui




After Feng Shui

Socratic Seminar 1 Reflection

Today was the first time that I have participated in a socratic
seminar and I think it went well. Although my group made some
mistakes, overall we had a good conversation and different ideas
flowing. I feel as though I contributed to the conversation and made
it grow. I was in the first group and we dicussed page 48:
In the pursuit of learning, every day, something is acquired.
In the pursuit of Tao, every day something is dropped.

Less and less is done
Until non-action is achieved.
When nothing is done, nothing is left undone.

The world is ruled by letting things take their course.
It cannot be ruled by interfering.

My thoughts on this are connected to present day. I believe that Lao
Tse is saying that if Humans never interfered with the way of the
earth, with our technology and constant building of new skyscrapers
and freeways, the world would be a more pure and truthful place. One
idea that was brought up a lot in our seminar was natural disasters
and if we dropped our gained knowledge of how to react to them, we
wouldn't know how to react, and our communities would be wrecked. I
feel that Lao Tse isn't saying that we need to drop that knowledge,
but not even obtain the knowledge of fancy houses and technologies.
Because if you didn't have a house to start with, there would be
nothing to wreck. Along with if there were no cars, there would be no
reason for streets or gas, therefor there wouldn't be global warming
and the earth would continue on how it was supposed to with out the
interruption of humans.

The five element theory reflection

Fire, water, wood, earth and metal are the five elements in the
Five Element theory. They all signify different views in our world,
personalities, self image, colors and organs. My element is Fire. Fire
signifies angular designs like fireplaces and barbecues, these
buildings generate ideas and are commonly found in libraries and
churches. Fire people, like me, are usually willowy, have bright eyes
and big smiles. There charming, fun, mischievous, easily excitable and
love change and bright colors. Red, orange pastel pink, purple and
peach are the fire colors. Fires organs are the heart, eyes and hands.
On both the tests I took, fire was my highest percent. Following
close behind was wood. Wood symbolizes the connection between earth
and heaven. People who are wood are ether tall and angular like a
tree, or short and energetic like bushes, they are direct, aggressive
and assertive. The color of wood is green and the organs are the
liver, tendons and upper back. I think that Fire describes me,
although I can be wood at some points. Looking at the other elements,
I feel that these two describe who I am and what my feelings are the
best.

Qigong Relection

(fix lead and end)
Todays Qigong workshop was my first time doing any sort of martial arts. I found Qigong very relaxing. While we did the tree stance, I felt as though I was part of the floor, and couldn't move. All of the sounds and movements around me, didn't seem present; I was strictly focused on myself, my body and my breathing. I also enjoyed the energy ball. At first I couldn't feel it, but when we did the movements that went along with it, I could feel energy flowing through my hands and fingers. My hands felt very heavy and warm. Besides just being relaxing, Qigong has other meanings. Unlike our methods of medicine, pills and doctors, Asia and other places around the world practice Qigong as a form of medicine. They believe that the more Qi you have the more energy and youth you will have in your body. Qi will prevent future illnesses

Vocabulary Quiz week 1

Having enough fuel and energy is a world wide crisis. Scientist believe that a solution to this problem is vertical farming. Vertical farming is domesticating plants on the side of a building in a busy city. They came to this conclusion because of the lack of farm space and the abundance of skyscrapers. They also believe that it will be a great vision for the nomadic people of the city. So whats holding them back from cultivating the buildings? There are many problems holding back the creation of vertical farming. How would they get fertile soil on the side of the building and will they be able to have enough water to irrigate a 30 story farm. Money is also a determinant to whether or not vertical farming will be created. It will cost 40 thousand dollars to create, but will vertical farming make or lose profit?

I don't think vertical farming will work in our society, there are to many sedentary people to make this grand idea become a reality. We have allowed technology to take over the primitive world it was before. This is just another idea that will take money away from things that can be helped by it instantly. I don't think that people today will change the ways that there accustomed to for this drastic change. Al tough it may help the energy crisis, I dont think it will be enough to solve it.