Tai Chi Chuan

I’ve been involved with martial arts my whole life, so to try something new like Tai Chi Chuan was a learning experience. I went back home to Northern Virginia last weekend and went to visit my old Hapmudo instructor. I asked for his personal opinion of Tai Chi Chuan and if he could recommend me to any studio that properly teach Tai Chi. although he only took a handful of classes, he found it to be very relaxing and great to stretch your muscles. I was referred to a friend of his who taught in a martial arts studio in Annandale. When I went to the class, there were about 10 other people there. The first thing I realized was that everyone was in their regular clothes except the instructor. The instructor was relatively young and had a long white silk uniform. We began the class with a few stretching exercises. While we were stretching, he emphasized that this art is to relax the mind and that we need to focus from a defensive stand point. I couldn’t really understand everything he said (his English wasn’t that good and some of the stuff he said made no sense). Once we were warmed up, we started with some “beginner” movements. I don’t recall name of all the movements but the exercises were harder than I thought and everything was from a defense stance. Thankfully the instructor took his time to show us step by step on how to do it correctly while constantly reminding us to “take our time”. The movements were extremely slow but the hard thing about it was getting the technique right. Getting your hands and feet coordinated correctly was a pain for me. We did a few more movements (around 5 of them) then did some more stretching to end the class. Being used to more offensive styles (Tae Kwon Do, Hapkido, etc.), I found Tai Chi Chuan to be extremely boring. However it was really relaxing and my body felt better overall.  I can see why this traditional Chinese martial art is popular between old people (my classmates were all around 40-70 years old). If I had to compare it to something, it would be yoga…unfortunately haha.

Peach Orchad

The Peach Orchard section in Kurosawa’s film “Dreams”, demonstrates how important Kami is in the Shinto belief. Not only does it emphasize on Kami but also on the notion that nature is ‘alive’. In Shinto, the word kami is a powerful, important spirit/force that lives in certain things. Everything (spirit and matter) is somewhat connected so if this connection is broken or separated then there becomes an imbalance. It starts with a boy being lured out by a ‘spirit’ girl to a cut down peach orchard near his home. When he gets there, the boy encounters Kami from the peach tree orchard that once blossomed there.

 The Kami tell the boy that they are very upset for being cut down and that his family is responsible. The boy replies by saying that he was sad and cried when he realized what had happened. Although the boy wasn’t responsible for the cutting of those trees, his family was. The Kami of the trees realized that boy indeed cared about them and not just for their peaches. The Kami see him as a good boy however they explain to him that they won’t watch/visit over his home ever again. In the Shinto belief, this is the worst thing that could happen to anyone. In class Prof. Rasnic talked about how one of the worst sins in the Shinto belief is to do anything against something sacred. Since his family cut down the trees, this is their punishment.

Tao of Pooh

First of all, I wasn’t familiar with the character Winnie the Pooh but the book itself was quite easy to understand and follow. I was actually hooked on the book when I started reading because of the interesting points it made regarding the Taoist point of view on life. Unfortunately I also realized that I was ‘Busy Backson’ and that I was living the practical way of life. One thing I learned was that planning everything for the future can actually affect you negatively and leave you more stressful. This book not only provided me with simple steps and POVs as to how to simplify my life but it also made me realize what mistakes I was making.  

 I was raised in Bolivia but when I came here to the United States in 2000, I was told to reach for the ‘American Dream’. To succeed here in the U.S, I would have to concentrate on profession that would get me a lot of money and guarantee me and my family a good life. I was told PICK something and concentrate on it till I graduate from college. So from middle till college, I lived my life trying to become a doctor and it was miserable. School was a pain and sometimes I would lose track of my objective. Planning things ahead of time never turn out to happen like you want it to because there isn’t a way to guarantee anything from happening. Unfortunately I was living my life as a Busy Backson brainwashed by the American Society when in reality, I should have lived life as it came.

 Here in the U.S., we are raised to believe that we should make our own premade path in life in order to feel like we are going the ‘right’ way. What the Tao of Pooh taught me was that there isn’t a certain path that everyone can take. We should live our lives according to what happens to us at that moment. We have to live everyday as a new day. And if we make mistakes, we learn from them and become better human beings. This not only makes us more prepared for the real world but it also diminishes the possibility of stress and disappointment in our lives. Through this ideology, we can think clearer, appreciate things better, and live a happier life.

Buddhist Assignment

This video is a commercial that came out a few years ago for Mountain Dew. It begins with a guy who was traveling and sees a Buddhist Temple up in the mountains. He walks up the trail and encounters several Shaolin Buddhists training their ‘hand-slapping techniques’.  He then joins them to improve his skills. After months/maybe years of enduring tiresome and painful training, he reaches a point where is given the ‘ok/nod’ from the sensei. He then opens a can of Mountain Dew to reward himself after all his hard work until his instructor comes into the scene. The ‘American’ places the open mountain dew in on top of palm and faces his sensei. The sensei goes to grab it but is hand slapped before he can touch the can. The American believing that he ‘out slapped’ his sensei soon notices that his instructor drank the mountain dew so fast that he realized at first.    

The first stereotype I noticed was that every one of the Buddhists were ‘training’ to hand slap all night and day as if it was their only priority to reach enlighment. Another thing I noticed about this video was the fact that there was a teacher/sensei teaching everyone to practice their hand slapping abilities. When I going over what Warner said in his book Zen wrapped in Karma Dipped in Chocolate, he mentioned that ‘sensei’ doesn’t necessarily mean teacher or master and can be said to anyone who is respected or well known. He says we ( Westerners) have, “this idea seemed to suggest that the teacher was supposed to be an example of a Christ like spiritual creature…spiritual superman”.  I was unaware of this before it really made me realize how ignorant I was about the meaning of the word itself. Plus he also says that “…Zen practice and philosophy provide the only truly rational and realistic way to live a balanced and happy life”. Which reminds me about a point I made before, I don’t think any kind of Buddhist would ‘train’ (physical martial arts) hoping they will reach enlighment through such acts.

Success and Liberation

Success

Clipse, I'm Good, Rap, 2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXIAaKN3bT4
Drake, Fear Success, Rap, 2009(explicit)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZI8FoS7K3a8
Money, Pink Floyd, Rock, 1973
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkhX5W7JoWI
Biggie Smalls, Mo Money Mo Problems, 1997(explicit)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twkh0YiInPM
J. Cole, Til' Infinity, Rap, 2009(explicit)

Liberation

Nas, The World is Yours, Rap, 1994(explicit)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_srvHOu75vM
Rebelution, Courage to Grow, Reggae, 2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5PESJgUHx4
Bob Marley, Get up Stand up, Reggae, 1973
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuMlHdxiIZ8
Led Zeppelin, Ramble On, Rock, 1969
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3HemKGDavw
Common, Be, Rap, 2005

Finding songs about liberation and success is split between many genres. Funny thing was that I found many more songs about success in hip-hop/rap and more songs about liberation in rock and reggae. In the United States, the people in and outside the music industry tend to take Liberation and freedom for granted. When it comes to the Hindu aims, success and liberation in the American pop culture do not hold the same concept.

First we may see liberation as being able to do what you want, while in Hindu aims, it is the road to Moksha. Moksha is the ultimate sign of liberation as it may take many lifetimes for someone to achieve separation from the cycle of rebirth. Success is also seen differently between the American culture and Hinduism. To many people here in the United States being successful means being wealthy, having what you want, and being known(famous).  Ironically in Hinduism, liberation and success can be somewhat associated with each other because if you achieve liberation, you have reached your goal in life which then makes you successful.

 Like I said before, being successful means to be wealthy or famous which don’t actually tend to make a person happy. In Hinduism both roads come together in the end while in the American pop culture, both roads aren’t even associated with each other. I even believe the American pop culture exploits the American public into being more materialistic. This may give certain people limited happiness but it still doesn’t mean you spiritually successful (like it says in the Hindu aims). With so materials and good, people tend to forgot about self-realization which is so key in the Hindu aim.   

In the end, liberation is taken for granted while success is based on how much money you have in your pocket. Materials and objects can also be seen as a way to show off how wealthy you are thus making you “successful”.

RLS 311 Pop Culture/Hinduism Assignment 1

Pleasure Songs

J. Cole, "In the Morning", Hip-Hop, 2010(R-rated)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e37zRkmZys
Rolling Stones "(I can get no)Satisfaction" Rock, 1965
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3a7cHPy04s8
Drake "Show me a Good Time" 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6q5RlduNLg
Led Zepplin "Whole lotta love" Rock, 1969
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_-k8A9aAlE&feature=related
Miguel "Sure Thing" Hip-Hop, 2010

Duty/Community Service

Bob Marley"One Love" 1977
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdB-8eLEW8g

Black Eyed Peas,"Where is the Love" Hip Hop, 2003

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpYeekQkAdc
John Lennon, "Imagine" Rock, 1971
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoC86l3SQL4

Michael Jackson, "Earth Song" Pop, 1995.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAi3VTSdTxU
Rebelution "Bright side of Life" Reggae, 2009

This first blog assignment is about the two Hindu aims: Pleasure and Duty/Community Service. As I began looking into the two, I realized that Duty/Community is the most desirable by Hindus. Although both aims are very important, not only does your “duty” take more effort but it also shows your community that you are willing to time off your day to help others. On the other hand, pleasure is much easier to achieve and more enjoyable. It just takes more will to achieve your duty and some people even spend their whole life serving their community knowing that in the end, they are doing what’s most important.

Even when I began searching for songs regarding the two aims, pleasure was the easiest to the find. I believe there are more songs about pleasure because it is the easiest to achieve. I also think there are fewer things (songs, items, etc.) regarding duty/community service because it requires a person to take his or her time off to help someone else thus making it undesirable for many people.

     What surprised me the most was how much harder it was to find a song regarding duty/community service compared to songs about pleasure. I never realized how pleasure oriented this country’s music was. In Hinduism, they ask Hindus to seek their pleasure intelligently unlike the message many pop artists do today. What I also found interesting was that many pleasure songs talked about achieving his or her pleasure by whatever means regardless of what other people think. It’s as if they sing about what they desire without thinking of the consequences that can lie due to over-pleasuring oneself.

 In American Pop Music, pleasure is the number one emphasis for artists today. Not only is it easier to talk about in this culture but it is also what the American public tends to want. I also believe that in this country, we tend to be more selfish than other people thus explaining why Americans might be uninterested in songs regarding duty/community service. While on the other hand, pleasure is something that will always be looked for, requested, and desirable by the American public.