Example
#1: good personal reflection:
In
the case of the Jains, it is very
easy to dismiss their radical non-violence as
ridiculously
extreme and dangerously naïve.
But I am persuaded by
the success of
the
non-violence approach in both ending British rule in India and securing civil
rights
for black people in America. Clearly,
there can be enormous power in non-violence and that in many cases it actually
is the best choice of strategy. (I can’t
help
but wonder, for instance, what might have happened had the Palestinians
adopted
non-violence as their strategy long ago and suspect that they might have
achieved
their aims of an independent state had they done so. That’s unoriginal
speculation
on my part, but something I wonder about.) The fact that Jains go so
far
in avoiding harm even to insects and to plants is not
simply laughable to me
either.
There’s something very
admirable about people who follow the logic of
their
beliefs about not harming others and respecting the life of other creatures,
not
just humans. Even though
I don’t personally agree with them, I feel
tremendous
respect
for them nonetheless.
Example
#2: too much fact, no real personal reflection:
Like
in Hinduism, some of the spiritual vows are easy to connect with because it
relates to everyday life experiences. For
example, the vow of non-violence (ahimsa) has influenced
human rights activists such as Ghandi and Martin Luther King, Jr. Both sought
liberation of the underclass. But in Jainism, non-violence is extended to idea
of protecting all life forms, including minute organisms. In some cases, Jains
go through great length to avoid the possibility of harming or killing unseen
organisms. One example is covering of the mouth while eating or not eating at
night because of the inability to see very small insects or other organisms
Interestingly,
both of these examples focus on the virtue of non-violence in Jainism.
However, they do so in very different ways. The first example reflects
on the value and virtue of non-violence and the degree to which the
writer can identify with it. The second example simply
identifies examples of non-violence practices and some recent, well known
examples of people who have used it successfully. It is clear how the first
student feels about the value and practice and she even makes a valiant
effort to find some appreciation for a practice that she does feel may
sometimes go too far. I have no idea how the second student feels or what she
thinks about it – merely stating facts fails to reveal personal response
and reflection.
What
the second student might have done to make this more focused on her
personal perspective would have been to follow-up on the observation in her
first sentence: just how does she "connect with" the
"spiritual vows" of Jainism? How do these vows relate to her own
"everyday life experiences"?
In
addition, while the first example actually starts out on a negative note, she quickly moves to acknowledging the positive
as well and then remains more focused on the positive as a counter to her
initially negative response. She successfully overcomes the temptation to be
overly critical by thinking deeper and second guessing herself.
I
enjoyed learning about the Dharma as well.
I thought the goals of life defined by the religion were important.
Personally, I feel like I have worked more closely to meeting my Dharma
goal to fulfill my familial responsibilities than any of the others.
It is hard to find that balance and work on all of them: Kama, Artha,
Dharma and Moksha. I am beginning
to work on Artha more now that I am getting older and more in-tune with my
career. The yogis were interesting
as well regarding the Moksha. I
think I relate most to the Karma yogi because I am very focused on service for
others.
OR:
I like the eightfold plan to liberation.
I went through this plan to see where I stand and this is what I discovered:
(1) I’ve never been one to believe materialism brings happiness. (2) I need
to practice right thoughts. (3) Right speech is another. I’m very quick to
be negative, again mostly with myself. (4) I’m
guilty of lying and intoxicants, I’m assuming that means eating and drinking
things that are bad for me. (5)I’m not working so I’m good. (6) Is my
biggest challenge, I do not take care of myself because I’m miserable and
depressed.(7) I’m never in the moment and always on to my list of things to
do.(8) My mind is never quiet. I have insomnia because I lie in bed and think
a million thoughts. I need to work on these so I can realize liberation. Lord
knows I long to be happy and free of the thoughts that bind me.
OR:
According to the text, the study of Buddhism is fully
focused on relieving personal suffering. “The
search for permanence in any experience leads to dukkha.
Those who seek permanence of the self suffer, for no self exists.”
This statement helped to create a colossal revelation for me.
I began to ponder how life would be if I was ever able to come to the
realization that nothing was permanent and was also able to fully accept it.
I began to realize that the mourning that I feel at the death of a
loved one is because I desire for that individual to always be with me.
In the workplace, I make myself nervous and anxious regarding my
performance because I have a desire to create a financially comfortable
lifestyle for myself and my family. I
began to chip away with my thoughts at the giant iceberg that is this concept
of dukkha, suffering. I now
understand where much of my suffering is self inflicted because I desire to
keep or make permanent those things that just cannot be.
OR:
I
think it would be really interesting and helpful to sit down one day and
review the eight-fold path and think about how I can incorporate some of the
bigger “right” ways of thinking or acting into my life.
Such as evaluating how “right” my understanding or knowledge is or
how “right” my motivations are. I
think it would be an incredibly insightful activity, especially during the
school year when I often just put my head down and plow through the semester,
not necessarily thinking about how I’m acting or the things that I say to
other people.
OR:
The
principle of aparigraha is fascinating, because Jains try to remain unattached
to both material possessions and people, which sound incredibly challenging.
I consider myself to be very close to my family, and cannot imagine
cutting all ties to them. At the
same time, I understand that my attachment to my family does prevent me from
thinking beyond my personal life, which if I were a Jain would prevent me from
achieving higher consciousness and therefore escaping samsara.
I think a more relaxed sense of aparigraha is applicable to society
today, especially in the United States where there is a problem of
overconsumption, because aparigraha encourages Jains to limit their
possessions and consumption. If
Americans embraced these ideas there would be a decline in obesity and waste.
Less consumption might also allow resources to be directed to areas
where people really need the food and clothing that we waste or rarely use.
...I
have always considered myself an accepting person, but studying Jainism
reminded me to continue to evaluate my actions and thoughts and try to be more
open and upbeat.
I also plan on reminding myself of the ascetic qualities of Jainism in
hopes that I can limit my attachment to my possessions.
OR:
The most valuable thing I’ve
learned about Shinto is basically its core, the appreciation of the immediate.
Many religions focus on the afterlife, but like Buddhism Shinto focuses on
right now.
I think the fact that the major
religions of Japan have such a focus on the present has shaped the culture in
an interesting way and I wonder what the western world would be like if we
weren’t predominantly goal-oriented.
I will definitely be applying some
of the philosophy from these religions into my life, as I have with the other
religions we have studied. I think we often lose sight of the “now” when
following most mainstream religions. It seems like you’re just in a rush to
be somewhere else, when life on earth is so miraculous in and of itself that I
wonder that people are looking past it at the next thing. Human lives might be
brief, but as the saying goes, living is the longest thing you’ll ever do!
I’ll also continue to try my best at humility. Sometimes it’s difficult to
admit that I don’t know everything, but sometimes admitting you don’t know
actually makes you look smarter.