Mughal Dynasty

In our conversations about Indian history, we came across the Mughal Dynasty. Here are some images/links about Mughal culture and art.

A PBS site on world treasures, including the Taj Mahal (left), built by a Mughal emperor

British Museum page on their Mughal collection



A really nice site from Skidmore on women in the Mughal dynasty, including some excellent images and historical context.

An extensive site on Mughal contributions to Islamic art and architecture.

And my favorite site of all time, the Internet Indian History Sourcebook.

Hindu Concepts Response Paper

This week, students were asked to write on one of the following topics:

1.Rituals are formalized actions that give meaning to different moments in life. The Emma Willard community has many different rituals that mark significant moments in the course of the year. Describe these rituals and what they mean to the community. Alternately, you can write about a ritual in your family, your religious community or in your personal daily routine.

2. A pilgrimage is a journey undertaken for religious reasons, often with the idea that the traveler will be transformed and changed by the journey. Describe a journey you have taken, or wish to take, to a place that holds a special meaning for you and describe what impact that journey had on you.

3. Some Hindus, especially as they get older, choose to become sadhus- solitary ascetic holy men who beg for their food and other necessities. Giving food and other goods to sadhus creates good karma for the giver. Reflect on what might motivate people to adopt this lifestyle. Are there considerations or circumstances other than religious devotion that might make someone become a sadhu? What role might they play in Indian society? Can you think of a corresponding kind of person in American society?

Posts tagged as "Hindu Concepts Response Papers" are their responses.

Sadhus

Sadhus
Sadhus are the “holy” men or women in Indian society, who have given up the first three goals of life— kama, artha, and dharma— or have already achieved them. The ultimate goal of the sadhus is to meditate in depth and free themselves from the worldly desires in order to reach moksha, liberation from samsara. As the Hindus wish to free themselves from samsara, becoming a sadhu might seem a desirable way to achieve moksha. However, in reality, living a life of a sadhu is not a practical way and therefore poses challenges such as poverty and no secure living environment.
Nevertheless, many Indians become sadhus for many reasons. Some decide to become one solely for the reason of religious experience, while others become sadhus to actually sustain their lives. As devout devotees of Shiva or Vishnu (or reincarnations of Vishnu), some dedicate rest of their lives to practice religion, meditate, or adopt extreme ascetic style of living to achieve moksha. Others, on the other hand, become sadhus to sustain their lives as they are unable to support themselves. The second reason more likely attracts people from the lower castes, those who are not able to make enough money from working in a strictly restricted caste society of India. This type of sadhus is the ones more dependent on the good-givings of the people than the religiously devout sadhus.
Although people equivalent to sadhus are seen as “beggars” or “homeless” in other societies, sadhus play an important role in the Indian society. As practitioners of devout religious activites, sadhus are often invited to wedding or ceremonies to bless the people. Helping sadhus by aiding them with food or necessary needs, Indian people believe to gain “good karma”, through practice of Karma marga –parth of works, dharma, and action. Such belief in gaining good karma by aiding sadhus is an efficient way of taking care of the poor and moreover, incorporating them into the society.
People who are similar to sadhus existed and still exist in a small number in the Korean society. During the Chosun dynasty, “tak bal seung”, people with grudge against the ruling class, bankrupt noble class, or monks would spread false rumors that would make people insecure. Consequently, people would pay tal bal seungs in order to prevent any form of disaster that might affect them. However, most tal bal seungs would visit different household and ask people for rice or necessary items and give blessings in return. These days, there are less tak bal seungs as people are more hostile to strangers visiting their house asking for good-givings.

Sadhus

There are two extremes to the type of people who would become a Sadhu: those who want to show their religious devotion by giving up all except the necessities to live and those who have no other means of supporting themselves and are incapable of doing anything else.

For those who are trying to follow the Bhakti Marga, becoming a sadhu seems to be one of the most intense ways of showing your total devotion to a god. Sadhus literally have nothing; they must be given food and other necessities by those around them. When one is completely absorbed in a god they do not desire anything more than these bare necessities. Living with so little makes the sadhu even less attached to the world and therefore closer to realizing that the differences in the universe are merely an illusion. The lifestyle of the Sadhu sounds like the one of a person in their final stage of life, the Sannyasin or wanderer. They are to remain detached from the world after returning from their solitary time in the forest to sever most ties that bind them to the physical world. Sadhus hardly interact with other people they are being given food or are blessing a person.

However, the reality is that there are some in the population who are deceptive and dishonest. People also become sadhus because there is no other choice. They are too poor to support themselves other than begging for food and necessities. Under the guise of being very holy, these people are able to beg with society’s approval. It also gives them opportunity to catch people unawares and steal from them as they are blessing them. This doesn’t necessarily mean the sadhus are harmful for the society. Those who give food to the sadhus get good karma which gives them a good feeling and gives the sadhu something to eat when he or she might have gone hungry instead. In this way the poor are taken care of with the other member of the community receiving spiritual benefit in return.

Pilgrimage, Hye Ji

A place that would transform my life is not yet available to go. This place has a special meaning both in personal and religious ways to me. I have always dreamed a journey of this place. My pilgrimage is the journey to the universe.
Universe. Why does it have special meaning to me? I am not a mathematician or a scientist who is smart enough to work for NASA. However, I have my own belief and theory about the universe. Last year, I was randomly thinking about the weather. Then I have realized that the earth and the universe both have seasons, and so do human minds. There are winter, summer, fall and spring both in my mind and the universe.
Furthermore, I also realized that we are actually as big as the universe. As we cannot measure the infinite size of the universe, our mind also cannot be measured. The universe and our minds are both infinitely big and infinitely small at the same time. From the point of view of universe, humans are one of the small atoms in our bodies. However, from the point of view of the small atom in our body, human is the universe.
This way, I made a conclusion that very small but very big universe exists in our minds. I am very curious about my own potential ability and my mind. However, it is so hard to see and explore the things that we cannot see. Thus, I decided to go to the universe, which is the bigger version of human minds. By actually going to the universe and exploring it, I have a strong belief that my life will be transformed.

A pilgrimage to Costa Rica (summer of '07)

“Este trabajo es muy feo y duro pero hay que aprenderlo.” Over this past summer vacation, I participated in GYLI leadership program which took place in Costa Rica with Nikki and Ms.Miklavcic. Among considerable number of wonderful things we experienced such as camping out underneath trees where numerous monkeys inhabited, working with the local farmers, visiting an elementary school to help them repaint their wall, the highlight of our trip is encountering and interacting with poor yet hardworking and cheerful people. I had an opportunity to cut sugarcanes down with a local farmer called Pamama.
Although it was quite early in the morning, around eight o’clock, the sun had risen very high already and was glaring down on us. Being a little nervous and excited at the same time, I began attempting to chop the sugarcanes. It seemed very easy and simple when Pamama demonstrated how to do it. However, I soon realized that it was not as facile and painless as I had imagined in my mind at all. I had to use all of my energy and muscle to cut down even one thin yet tall and firm sugarcane. After finally managing to chop only one sugarcane down for the first time in my life, my clothes were drenched in sweat and I felt as if I had just finished running several miles. I looked at Pamama who was working right besides me and could not believe my eyes for a while. Next to him, there was an enormous pile of sugarcanes that he had already chopped down while I was struggling with just one sugarcane. Thinking “Wow, a long time must have passed already since we began”, I looked at my watch. As shocking and hard as it was for me to remind myself that I was not dreaming, only about ten minutes had gone by. Despite my tiredness, seeing Pamama working diligently got me inspired and I continued to take on a challenge to cut more sugarcanes down.
As I got a little bit used to doing it, my curiosity to learn about this middle-aged Costa Rican man increased gradually. I tried my best to communicate in Spanish since he did not speak any English. “This is very hard”, I said. Pamama stopped doing the work, looked at me and said “Este trabajo es muy feo y duro pero hay que aprenderlo.” “This work is very ugly and hard but one has to learn to do it”. Among many memorable and fun conversations I had with the people in Costa Rica, this one phrase is particularly stuck in my mind deeply. I was too strongly inspired for a moment that I took some time to let that phrase sink in my mind because I knew by heart that it was something I could and had to take back home with me and always keep in mind. I asked him how long he has been working at this plantation that was owned by Earth university. “since after I finished my sixth grade”, said Pamama. This time, I could not believe my ears and went “what? Really?” He continued talking; “Si Yukiko, I had to help my family after six years of elementary school because we barely had enough money to eat something every day. I had more than ten brothers but more than half of them passed away in their childhood since our living condition was bad and we could not afford to get a doctor to take care of them. Though I now work on the field from six to two when it is not too hot and at home making traditional handmade crafts in the afternoon and at night, my salary is just enough to purchase food and a few things that are necessary for daily life for myself, my wife and three children. I really wanted to have an opportunity to study and can only imagine myself loving and appreciating being able to study if I had the opportunity. Yukiko, I cannot express with any words how fortunate I think you are for being able to not only learn but also study abroad. Tienes que apreciar a tus padres, no? You have to appreciate to your parents, right?”
After talking with him, I felt as if I had just been given the most significant and valuable lesson from an immortal god. Soon, I began to reflect upon my life in Japan and at Emma and soon became aware of how I tend to take everything that has been provided from my parents. Pamama taught me the importance of being responsible and appreciative to everything I have. He also taught me there are many people, even young children, who have no choice other than to sacrifice their time to work instead of going to school regardless of how much they want to study. I knew about this fact from reading newspapers and magazines from long time ago, but after talking with Pamama, I had a knot in my stomach and even felt a little ashamed of sometimes not putting full effort into my schoolwork and of always wanting to buy more things such as clothes though I have more than enough already. Over this summer, I took two SAT prep courses: one before my trip to Costa Rica and another right after returning home from this trip. One thing that was remarkably different was my attitude towards taking these courses. Encountering and working on the field with Pamama definitely changed the attitude of doing things grudgingly and lazily that I sometimes had. In other words, I have always been given a simple responsibility as a “student” but did not want it and take it seriously because of my laziness and being too used to live in a luxury life. I cannot thank Pamama enough and respect him significantly. I would like to apply the lesson I learned from him from now on when I am given a responsibility, facing it with positive and grateful mind.
I firmly believe that it is not an exaggeration to say that my travel to Costa Rica was a pilgrimage, a journey undertaken for many meaningful reasons, with the idea that the traveler, I, was transformed and changed significantly by the journey.

The journey

I believe that the most influential journey I have ever taken is the one I’ve been taking right now. When I was in 9th grade, I had a strong desire of being different environment since I knew that I would be a huge slacker if I went to the high school where I was supposed to go. Therefore I decided to come to the school in the U.S.. It was inexplicably hard at the beginning, but the community had taught me so many things. First of all, I learned English. Learning language is crucial to communicate with others and also to be confident, so as I learned English, I overcame my shyness. That learning of English experience have provided me the most important opportunities of life; meeting with people from all over the world and get to know them. Because of this diverse country, I was able to witness so many unique traditions of different countries. There are so many times when I was amazed by their traditional dances and songs, shocked by unequal rights of males and females, and confused by weird-looking smelly foods. All these experiences have allowed me to gain alternate perspectives in politic, religion, and social. The more I witnessed was the more I absorbed. Now I can see the world totally different than I did before I came here. The interaction with people from different backgrounds also made me realize the others perspectives on Japan. Just like I was ignorant to the other cultures, I’ve noticed a lot of misconceptions about Japan and Asian countries existing in the U.S., which is sometimes understandable but sometimes offensive. Prejudice interfere people from learning actual faces of the cultures around the world and the only way is to do that is by experiencing with myself. This is what I learned in this journey and I am sure that this has given and will give me significant moments in my life.

Traditions: Midnight Mass

A lengthy, leg-stiffening, crowded, choral service that endures into the early morning wouldn’t usually be the ideal church scenario I would picture myself in. The average service elaborated into a three-hour-long choral cavalcade, complete with each priest warbling in drooping voices every word to the extensive service, and small infants and toddlers screeching along with the choir, would absolutely not be my favorite service. But on Christmas Eve, there is no other place I’d rather be than here, at my church’s Midnight Mass.

The incomparable music composed specifically for this holiday is no doubt one huge pull that attracts the largest congregation of the year to gather at Midnight Mass. The old, classic Christian hymns like “Away in a Manger” and “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” keep the children and less frequent church-goer’s engaged and excited, as the more seasoned members hum along to the choir’s traditional anthems, such as “Shepherd‘s Pipe Carol” and “What Sweeter Music.”
However, the universal appeal of this holiday is what makes it my favorite; everybody can join in some part at Midnight Mass. Other traditions that have been popularized, like leaving gifts at the crêche, are revealed in their original forms, uniting the first-timer’s and the old veterans in a night of celebration and good cheer. It’s a joy to watch other families see perhaps for the first time the origins of the fables and traditions that everyone hears of, but few of us truly understand today. All voices can be raised together in the well-known “Adeste Fidelis", and all can watch as the priest blesses the Child at the heart of the nativity scene, whether it’s a person’s first time at Midnight Mass or not.

However, the pivotal moment of this service lasts only a few minutes, at the very end of the night. As all the lights are turned out after communion, the choir begins to sing “Silent Night” from the choir loft, and only the candles remain to light the stone church. Crowded together in rows of wooden pews, in a small, candle-lit church, all can share an evening of generosity and good-will. The quiet flood of peace that ripples over the congregation with each word of the hymn sparks in everyone a hope for peace, and maybe for one moment all year, everyone understands the truth of Christmas together.

The Journey Matters Most

When I was little I loved to play with Barbies. While many of my other Barbie adoring friends would have their Barbies play house with Ken or play big sister with Skipper, I had my Barbies go on adventures. My Barbies would climb Mt. Everest or go dog sledding at the North Pole (mainly to visit Santa). Even when I was little I was fascinated with discovering new things and new places. When I was a bit older I was greatly disappointed to realize that there was more or less no new land to discover. I decided not to let that stop me from loving new places so I try to take advantage of every available opportunity to explore.
Every year I go to New Mexico to ski. The first place I go to the moment I arrive at the mountain is the beginning of the Honeysuckle trail, at the top of the mountain. A few years ago I climbed a hidden trail on the back of the mountain. This supposedly led to some more difficult trails and a great view. The trail itself was about 1 foot wide and was made up of minuscule indents in a mountain of ice that had been chipped into existence by the hard toes of ski boots. In order to get to the top of this trail one had to figure out a way to hold a pair of ski’s while holding two ski poles (which were entirely necessary due to sharp drop-offs, scattered with boulders and trees, on either side of the trail) while wearing ski boots and dressed in binding ski wear. Needless to say it was insanely difficult and terrifying. When I made it to the top though, it was worth it. Not only was I standing on top of a huge mountain looking out over an ineffable sight, I had just climbed a beast of a mountain. The destination wasn’t what mattered. The trip was what made the end worthwhile.
I no longer play with Barbies but I still wish I were able to be one of the first explorers of any new place. To see a sight that has never been seen before is one my goals and while I probably won’t discover a new continent I have already realized that while the destination is often what people focus on, it’s really the trip itself that matters.

Emma Willard Rituals

Some of the rituals that are observed at Emma Willard are an acknowledgment of the talents or abilities of the seniors. Others are simply a sign of thanks for the hard work that is put in by community members. Some examples of rituals at Emma are Principal’s Play Day, the use of the Senior Triangle and the celebration of Revels. Unlike many religious rituals that are meant to help one understand their religion or to provide proof of their devotion, Emma rituals are truly statements to the mutual respect between members of the community.
Principal’s Play Day is an annual tradition at Emma. Once each year, the head of school will announce a Principal’s Play Day during which classes will not be held. Students and faculty, therefore, have the day to rest and relax. When this ritual is announced each year, it is often precluded by a short speech by the head of school, acknowledging the hard work that has been put in by the community up to that point in the year. The purpose of the play day is to help people relax and revive. The day is always relished as rejuvenating and thoughtful. Everyone appreciates the opportunity that this day gives, and is grateful for being acknowledged for their work. This tradition promotes mutual respect between the head of school and the community members.
The use of the senior triangle is one of Emma’s greatest rituals. The use of this lush and inviting triangle of grass is enjoyed only by Emma Willard seniors and alumni. Each year prior to obtaining the rights of the triangle, students are forced to use alternate, and often less convenient routes around campus. While this may seem like senior class hazing, it is undoubtedly one of the most standard forms of respect that is given to seniors at Emma. The consequences for underclasswomen and faculty who walk on the triangle are all in good fun. The main purpose of the triangle is not to haze the younger students, but to acknowledge the time and work that the seniors have invested in the school. If the younger students respect the rights to the triangle, seniors will often invite underclasswomen onto the triangle to illustrate their appreciation of the respect given to them.
By far the most important ritual at Emma is the celebration of Revels. Revels is a holiday play put on by the senior class for the enjoyment of the rest of the community. The casting of the play is kept a secret to enhance the anticipation of the show. Classes are cancelled the week before Revels for all seniors. This week is the only time when lines are learned and rehearsals are scheduled. The seniors look forward to spending that week bonding with their classmates, and appreciate the much deserved hiatus from academic commitments. The rest of the community works hard during that week, as all the seniors have before them, and anxiously await the Friday night performance of Revels. While it may seem as though this production is really for the seniors, it is put on for the benefit of the rest of the community and is seen as one of the greatest gifts the senior class gives to the school.
Rituals at Emma Willard are important in forming a strong community. Many of the rituals or traditions are a great display of the mutual respect between all the members of the community. Principal’s Play Day, the use of the senior triangle, and the celebration of Revels are just a few examples of the rituals that help bring the school together and acknowledge all the hard work that is put into the community on a daily basis. As is the case with most religious rituals, the traditions at Emma are a chance to prove a devotion to and love for the school, which is an honor that most Emma students greatly appreciate.

My Journey/Pilgrimage

A pilgrimage is traditionally a journey embarked upon to a specific place for religious reasons. When a young person embarks on a journey, it is not always to an actual place, but still holds special meaning for people. Regardless of the fact that ones journey or pilgrimage may be religious, to all people a journey is usually life changing and holds immense meaning. Whether it is personal or religious, journeys have a great impact on people. A journey and a pilgrimage are both very special to those who set out on them.

One of the most transforming journeys in my life was my Bat Mitzvah. It symbolizes the transformation from a child to an adult in the Jewish community. This is important for many reasons; it marks ones obligation to observe the commandments given by God, to form binding contracts, to testify before religious courts and to marry, and the Bar or Bat Mitzvah is now counted in minyan (the minimum number of those needed to perform the religious services).

At the age of eleven my journey began, at least that is what I thought. My journey began with lessons to learn my haftorah once a week, as well as the promise to practice for at least an hour every day. In order to master one’s haftorah and other parts of the service one will be leading, it is necessary to start one’s study a year in advance. One has to learn not only to read the Hebrew, but the proper way to chant each word. Also one has to prepare a speech describing what has taken place in the Torah reading. All of my hard work would culminate on January 4, 2003, a day much anticipated. I had gone to Hebrew school about twice a week for 6 or so years, I have discovered now that this was actually the beginning of my journey. I felt I was definitely ready to take on the responsibility as a Jewish adult. By studying hard and observing my Rabbi, my parents, my sister and my congregation, I grew to learn everything that entailed becoming a Bat Mitzvah. It is hard to describe the impact my Bat Mitzvah had on me, the feelings and emotions that I encountered were intense, a feeling I had never felt before. Sometimes I wish that I could experience that day over and over again.

Although my journey has not physically taken me anywhere, it took me to new levels of spirituality and belief. By becoming a Bat Mitzvah I have been transformed into a Jewish adult, someone who is respected in the Jewish community. I have been taken to a higher level of religious belief and can now study and understand more about Hebrew and the Jewish religion than before. I hope someday to actually physically make a pilgrimage to Israel to complete my transformation. I believe that this pilgrimage will give me a more heightened sense of religion than I have already attained

falling stars

Growing up in a unitarian household we didn't have many rituals or typically religious traditions , but what we did have helped to define many of my future beliefs. When I was five my family moved into a small rural village, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. The one amazing part of living ten miles away from the closest town was how beautiful everything around us was, especially the stars. The first night in our new house my mom called me down from my half unpacked room and told me to follow her outside. As we stood in our back field I followed my mothers gaze attempting to figure out why I was standing outside at midnight, and what I saw stunned me, there were tons of shooting stars, the Perseid.
Over the years we made it a tradition to go outside for every meteor shower, every eclipse, and even every time one of the planets was really bright. It started as only standing outside watching until we became cold; but eventually we found that the meteor showers could change dramatically throughout the night, and we didn't want to miss a thing. As time went on we began bringing fold up chairs, blankets and most importantly a nice big mug of hot coco. Many meteor showers started later on in the night so we would all go to bed early, and my dad would set an alarm for around one the next morning. we would all wake up roll out of bed, put on our many layers of cloths, grab blankets, the chairs, and the coco. As my brother and I got older we could occasionally add some coffee to our hot chocolate, though it sounds gross it is amazing, and we were always happy to get our coffee/coco. On occasion if it was really cold out I would put on these huge wool socks and try to make my feet big enough to fit into my dads boots, they always seemed warmer than my shoes. The blankets we took outside were the biggest we owned and usually either my mom or dad would be loaded down with a stack of ten, sometimes more. As we sat down to watch the show we would place our chairs in a circle so we could each watch part of the sky, and eventually we would all turn to the direction that seemed to have the most.
I remember one meteor shower in particular because it was the most active one I had ever seen, usually meteor showers don't last too long and we have time to go back inside while its still dark and try to get some more sleep, but this shower seemed to just keep going. We were so impressed by the intensity of the shower that my dad decided to get the camcorder and record it. we didn't realize until later that taping a meteor shower is near impossible and you usually end up with a lot of random voices. Another year after I had gotten my trampoline for a birthday we thought that the typical chairs were boring, so we all piled on my trampoline and lay there watching the show for the night. These events did not happen too often, and
I did sometimes wish they could occur every night, but the fact that they were sparse made them all the more exciting.
Though meteor showers and hot coco do not seem like they could add up to a belief system, for me, along with a general respect for nature, they did. As I grew older I began to think about all those fundamental questions that many children are curious about, what is outer space really?, where does it end?, how did it start? I wanted an answer for everything, so in my early teens I began to think about what I believed in. The respect and love I acquired for the natural world as a child came into play, and I found Wicca, it just seemed to fit into my life. It was a religion that focused on the seasons, on astronomy, and on everything I loved about living (literally) in the middle of nowhere.

Sadhus' Role in Society

Adopting the lifestyle of a Sadhu is both desirable and undesirable; however there is more than simply the religious component that draws people to it. Throughout Indian society, Sadhus are regarded as important and respected people, though they depend on other classes to support them. Sadhus’ qualities of both spirituality and thievery contradict each other, and this contradiction lessens the importance of their role; however the Sadhu’s role is very important to the rest of Indian society and may also eliminate the struggles of the homeless.

A Sadhu is a devotee of Shiva, but also a casteless, nomadic, beggar. Giving a Sadhu money or food is good Karma in Indian society. This clever way of aiding casteless people in Indian society is one which other countries may have a right mind to follow. Many Sadhus are genuinely spiritual and devoted to their worship of Shiva, though many are beggars and some are thieves. Regardless, they have given up three of the four goals of life: enjoyment, material success, and the duty of good actions (kama, artha, and dharma). To give up these three goals is to sacrifice the life they would lead for themselves and instead, live for Shiva. While some without a doubt take advantage of this noble role in society, such is true in every role, in any culture. There is always someone reaping the benefits of something they falsely practice. Generally, false devotees are found in popular pilgrimage cities. Devout Sadhus live in caves, forests, and temples across India and live for Shiva to achieve moksha.

Sadhus are a walking contradiction, one might say. While they are known as very disciplined, spiritual people, they are not independent. This dependency on all other castes for food and money can also be seen as a solution to the equivalent of the homeless in another country. However, this solution is not a negative explanation for the existence of Sadhus, for many countries do not help their homeless to such an extent. This theory as possible solution to homelessness, while its explanation is not for the pursuit of the soul’s freedom from samsara, is nevertheless useful to and has a positive impact on Indian society.

For whatever purpose people believe the role of the Sadhu to exist, it is positive in either sense. If the Sadhu class was created to aid the homeless, it is still much better than how the homeless is dealt with in the United States. If the class was created truly for the devotion to Shiva and the quest for moksha, this moves the Sadhu one step closer to moksha and passes good karma onto other castes.

Pilgrimage

Often times, a pilgrimage is a long journey that one chooses to take on for a distinct or special reason. The reason doesn’t always necessarily have to be in a religious context, but rather it can be a personal mission or goal one wishes to attain. The reasoning behind pilgrimages is usually based upon one’s desire to travel to a certain place because it holds a special meaning to them. Whether or not a pilgrimage will have much of an impact or change a person’s life, the action of the pilgrimage itself may sometimes be a comfort to a person, and leave them satisfied. The pilgrimage that I desire to take isn’t necessarily based on the idea of changing myself or becoming a better person; instead, the journey is one I wish to take in the hope that I will come to peace with something that has occurred in my past.
I was seven years old when my father died. He was an avionics technician who repaired airplanes. On December 23, 1996, my father decided to go with some of his friends (one of whom was a pilot) to test a plane they had been working on. The plane was in perfect condition when they took off, but unfortunately the pilot alcoholically impaired. Needless to say, the pilot crashed into a mountain and all the men on the plane including my dad didn’t survive. Because I was seven at the time, my mom didn’t feel comfortable bringing my brother and me with her to the crash site for the memorial service. I believe that was a wise decision on her part because of how emotional the time was for my brother and me, and especially because of the tenderness of our age.
However now, eleven years later, I often think about the crash site and the memorial service I couldn’t go to. The plane crashed into a mountain range located in West Virginia, and because I now live in New York, the site isn’t easily accessible. I’ve reached the age now where I have a strong desire to go see the site, and I feel that it is a journey I must take in order for me to come to peace with what has happened to my dad.
My mother and I plan on taking this trip next summer when I’m getting ready to head off to college. We have come to the agreement that when we arrive to West Virginia, I will go by myself to the site. The decision to go alone is a personal preference of mine. All my life I have struggled with my father’s death, and I know that going to the crash site has to be something that I take on by myself because it is only me who can end the constant struggle I’ve had for years. Since I have yet to go on this pilgrimage though, I can’t know what my exact reaction will be or what outcome the journey will hold for me. My idea is that when I get there, I will go through a series of various emotions. I know for a fact that I will be struck by grief, anger, and remorse, but I also know that upon further reflection and investigation of the site, I will develop the feeling of a close connection with my father. I think that just standing on the same ground and being in the area of where my father’s place crashed will have a great impact on me. My hope is that finally being at the site, I will be able to close that chapter of my life and try to move on to a different mindset concerning my dad’s death. I no longer want to mourn his loss, and worry about the pain and fear he may or may not have endured during his last moments; but rather, I wish to celebrate his life and keep his memory alive.
Although this pilgrimage is not for a religious purpose, it holds a very special and symbolic meaning for me. Each and every person has their individual reasons to go on a pilgrimage therefore; a journey for one person will be different from that of another. Also, pilgrimages are done for many different reasons and the outcome of these journeys will not be the same for everyone. I know that if another daughter of one of the men who died on the plane goes to visit the site, she will not have the same reaction as me, and her reasoning to go to the site will be different from mine, and that is exactly why pilgrimages are so special.

A Pilgramage is a Journey

A pilgrimage is a journey undertaken for religious reasons, often with the idea that the traveler will be transformed and changed by the journey taken. Hindu pilgrimages usually consist of taking journey’s to sacred holy places. This is often done through acts of faith and devotion in accumulating merit or to atone for sins. There have been many journeys taken, whether it is for religious reasons or not. One major religious journey that was taken was my Bat Mitzvah. A Bar/Bat Mitzvah is a religious transformation in a Jewish boy/girl’s life that is remembered. Another pilgrimage not having to do with religion is Emma Willard. Hopefully, when my high school days are over a pilgrimage will be taken to the promise land – Israel.

A Bar/Bat Mitzvah is like a “pilgrimage” to a Jewish boy/girl. No, it does not consist of any traveling, but a transformation takes place. It is a time when a Jewish person becomes a Man/Women. It is a coming of age for a boy/girl. After about four years of Hebrew study they become leaders. They lead their friends, family and congregation in a Friday and Saturday Shabbat service. This leadership resembles their change in maturity. They now become responsible for their own actions. The celebration of a Bar/Bat Mitzvah also coincides with physical puberty. This is when the children bear their own responsibility for Jewish ritual, law, and tradition. They are now the only ones accountable for their continuation to practice Judaism. I consider this pilgrimage one of the best celebrations in my life that changed and transformed me.

I feel as if not only high school in general, but Emma Willard has been a Pilgrimage. No it is not religious, but some consider the Emma Willard community to be a “religion.” The main point is that during these four years a young adult is learning about themselves and the ones around them as they travel through time. They are deciding what they want to do with their lives and how they are going to approach their dreams. It’s a time when they truly decide their ethics and morals. A time when they break off from their parents and venture out on their own. I feel as if usually it would be college, but attending Emma Willard is different. It gives you a completely different outlook on life about equality and an early outlook on independence. These four years at Emma Willard have been a time of transformation for me, and I now feel ready and confident to venture out to the complicated world surrounding me.

My Bat Mitzvah and Emma Willard are two pilgrimages that I consider journeys. During these Journeys I have come to learn what is truly important in life and I am continuing to transform myself into the person I want to be. In the near future a trip to Israel will be necessary. This trip is important to me as well as other Jews. It is where our nationalism lies. Traveling to Israel will give me a different perspective and outlook on the Jewish religion, which may in turn transform my beliefs. Israel is a sacred holy place that I someday hope to visit.

Ukrainian Christmas Eve

My family of Ukrainian Catholics follows many old national traditions, almost all of which are likely rooted in paganism, and often draw from the traditions of other religions as well. As happened in many cultures the world around, even after they were dominated by Christianity, old practices remained, modified to fit the restrictions of the new religion. Symbolism was reworked, but ultimately, the traditions endured. Christmas Eve is one of our most intricate rituals.

The main component of the day is focused around preparing the dinner, and no food is eaten at all until it is ready. As Christmas Eve is a fasting day, our meal is assembled completely without meat or, in some cases, dairy. Specific cooking gear is used to prepare it, special pots and pans that have never been touched by these things. The majority of the specifics of the ritual focus around this meal. The actual food has always been cooked primarily by my uncle and grandparents, which is somewhat of a tradition in itself. At dark my parents and I make the trek across the yard to my grandparents’ house next door.

Once there, it’s customary for the eldest male in the house, my grandfather, to offer everybody a piece of mediunyk, honeyed bread, while proclaiming to everyone xrystos razdayetsha (Christ is born), to which they reply slavyte yoho (glorify him). No food can be eaten until this is done. Once everybody has had their mediunyk and given the proper response (even if it’s pronounced badly by non-speakers like my father), we sit. Beneath the table is a small sheaf of straw to represent the floor of the manger that Jesus was born in, and on top of it is an extra place setting, always one more than necessary to seat everyone present, in anticipation of an unexpected visitor. The importance behind this is taken from the story of the holy family and how they could find no place to stop and stay as they traveled through Bethlehem. Not wanting a repeat of events brought about by any other travelers in a position like theirs, we prepare the extra place setting in advance for just such a circumstance.

In accordance with tradition, we wait for the first star to come out in the sky before we start to eat. In the meantime, we light the three beeswax candles that sit in the middle of the table and say a short prayer. The second ‘course’ of the meal is an ancient dish called kutya, a mixture of honey, boiled wheat berries, and poppyseeds, although some recipes add raisins, figs, and walnuts as well. At this time, the head of the house would fling a spoonful of this mixture up at the ceiling, and, according to superstition, if it stuck and didn’t fall back down, the next year would be a good harvest. Thankfully, my family doesn’t follow this particular practice.

The next course served is borsch, a beet soup. Borsch is only made once a year – at Christmas Eve, and is therefore a very special part of the meal. Included in this soup are vushky, mushroom-filled dumplings whose name translates to ‘ears’, because of their vaguely ear-shaped appearance. Following this comes zultz – jellied fish – and then meatless stuffed cabbages called holobtsi. Their name means ‘little dove’, because they supposedly resemble roasted doves. Then there are the almost universally known and loved perogies (actually pronounced perohy, at least in Ukrainian). Despite their popularity elsewhere, they are also a favorite part of our dinner, and one of the only dishes in which the use of dairy is allowed. They can be filled either with potatoes or with cheese, and topped with fried onion or sour cream. Following this is fried fish with tochke, potato pancakes, similar to Jewish latkes.

Dessert includes a compote of dried fruits often including apples, pears, apricots, and plum, as well as pampushky, small pastries similar to jelly-doughnuts filled with rose preserves and topped with powdered sugar. In recent years, my mom has also started making crescent-moon shaped cookies called rohalky that are filled with walnuts and cinnamon and also dusted with powdered sugar.

When dinner is done, all of us attend a midnight church-service that usually lasts until around one. Upon returning home, every member of the family who wishes to do so is allowed to open one present before Christmas morning… and while I originally think that this particular tradition was only added because of my childhood impatience, it’s not a practice that I have the least bit of a problem with, and I will gladly continue it for as long as my parents let me.

Hindu Deities

Saraswati, also called Vak Devi, is the godess of creative arts, knowledge and speech. She is Brahma's "divine consort", and Brahma is believed to have endowed her with all of his own creative thought. Her name 'Saraswati' derives from the Sanskrit words 'sara' for essence, and 'swa' for self.
The palmleaf scroll and mala she is holding and her white dress stand for knowledge. The white lotus Saraswati sits in also is a symbol of true knowledge, and her position indicates that she herself is rooted in true knowledge. Saraswati's veena indicates her power in creative arts, but also the person's duty to "tune his mind and intellect in order to find true harmony with the world."
The left side of her body is meant to symbolize aspects of the heart, and her right side, actions of the mind. The pile of books to the left tell onlookers that to find balance, and use their knowledge with temperence of emotion. The swan is said to be able to tell good milk from a mixture of milk and water with its beak. Having a swan often as her carrier and usually in pictures of her indicates the value of learning right from wrong, and using that knowledge to serve others. The peacock waiting to carry Saraswati supports the values symbolized by the swan, but also promotes determination in the quest for true knowledge. A peacock is known to be unpredictable and fickle, two traits not valued in Hinduism.
Saraswati is also usually shown with four arms instead of two. The front two arms stand for Saraswati's presence on Earth, and the back two stand for her presence in the spiritual world. The four hands each represent a different aspect of the human character; the mind, intellect, consciousness and ego. The placement of each objects Saraswati holds can display different messages depending on which hand she holds them in. For instance, if the mala is in her back right hand, that image symbolizes the mergeance of true knowledge earned with love and devotion with the ego, which amounts to moksha.
Mantras performed to Saraswati are believed to help in studying and concentration; Saraswati is often admired by teachers and students.

Sources
http://www.sanatansociety.org/hindu_gods_and_goddesses/saraswati.htm
All quotes from: http://www.vedic-arts.com/golden-pic/picure-thumb/saraswati.jpg
Image: http://www.vedic-arts.com

Brahma

Buddha

Durga

Goddess Kali

Muruga

Chandra/Rajanipati (God of the Moon/Lord of Night)

Ganga

Ganga with Shiva

Hinduism God

Saraswati