Symbols and signs are very important, but also sometimes very difficult for an outsider to understand. In Mormon culture we have all kinds of symbols: the statue of Angel Moroni on top of our temples, the bread and water of the sacrament, the way we dress, and much of our artwork and what is written in the scriptures can be symbolic. There are probably some other really obvious things that I am missing as well, but I am not as prone to notice them as an outsider might be because I have grown up with them all my life. Yet, I understand what these symbols mean, and the outsider most likely will not.
Buddhism and Hinduism as I have already begun to see, are full of symbols and signs, and as of now I have only learned what a few of them mean. For instance, in Hinduism, Gods are often depicted with multiple arms. This isn't to say that that God literally has that many arms, but that that is the number of powers which that God holds. In another case I read of, there was a figure with three heads looking three different directions - again, not saying that the God literally has that many heads, but symbolizing that the God can see the past, the present, and the future.
I still have a lot of learning to do about Buddhist and Hindi symbols, and I hope that when we are in India people will be willing to explain them to me, because I'm sure there will be many that I do not understand.
Symbols are very important in our world, and I think we use them more than we realize. Symbols are also important in the world of film. They are often difficult to use, but when used become very powerful. Symbols in film can be things that are symbols in real life, or they can be things specific to, or invented for the film. This will be something for me to consider as I make my film in India, but it most likely will not be something I can prepare for. Instead it will probably be something I have to discover while I'm there. But I should be intent on looking for it or else I may not notice it.
Showing posts with label Religion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Religion. Show all posts
Monday, March 7, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
Learning about Buddhism
I feel like in most cases the best way to learn about another religion is to ask someone pertaining to that religion to explain it to you. Books on religion (and by books I'm not including scriptures) can try to give you the "facts" of what different religions believe, but when you ask a person what they believe I feel like you find more truth in that answer because they explain it more with feelings than with facts.
So it was in our Tibetan class on Wednesday when TJ told us about Buddhism. Thanks go to Megan for asking him to tell us about his religion. And then once we got into the subject most of us joined in with more questions. He probably only talked about it for 10 or 15 minutes, but I learned a lot in that time.
At times Buddhism can seem very different from Mormonism or Christianity, but at other times it is extremely close. This is how I felt when TJ summed up his religion by explaining that basically he believes that you should be a good, compassionate person, and that you should do things to better yourself as well as love and help the people around you. And in the end I think that's what most religions believe in. The doctrines will always have differences, some greater than others, but when it comes down to it, most people feel and believe in "doing good".
This is something that the Dalai Lama also expresses in his book, "Toward a True Kinship of Faiths: How the World's Religions Can Come Together". There is so much misunderstanding, mistrust, and - in some cases - even hate between the religions of the world, but the Dalai Lama explains that all religions believe in being compassionate and urges us to be compassionate to all, no matter what their religion. He says that by getting out of our comfort zone and learning about other religions we will strengthen our own faith as well as our love for others in different religious cultures.
I am looking forward to learning more about Buddhism as well as Hinduism, and I feel that the faith that people have in these religions will play a large role in my project when it comes down to the question of why people are so willing to serve one another.
So it was in our Tibetan class on Wednesday when TJ told us about Buddhism. Thanks go to Megan for asking him to tell us about his religion. And then once we got into the subject most of us joined in with more questions. He probably only talked about it for 10 or 15 minutes, but I learned a lot in that time.
At times Buddhism can seem very different from Mormonism or Christianity, but at other times it is extremely close. This is how I felt when TJ summed up his religion by explaining that basically he believes that you should be a good, compassionate person, and that you should do things to better yourself as well as love and help the people around you. And in the end I think that's what most religions believe in. The doctrines will always have differences, some greater than others, but when it comes down to it, most people feel and believe in "doing good".
This is something that the Dalai Lama also expresses in his book, "Toward a True Kinship of Faiths: How the World's Religions Can Come Together". There is so much misunderstanding, mistrust, and - in some cases - even hate between the religions of the world, but the Dalai Lama explains that all religions believe in being compassionate and urges us to be compassionate to all, no matter what their religion. He says that by getting out of our comfort zone and learning about other religions we will strengthen our own faith as well as our love for others in different religious cultures.
I am looking forward to learning more about Buddhism as well as Hinduism, and I feel that the faith that people have in these religions will play a large role in my project when it comes down to the question of why people are so willing to serve one another.
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