Monday, April 20, 2015

Field Trip Reflection

The first stop on our trip was the Islamic Center of Raleigh. While I didn't learn much new information about the religion here, I did learn about the Al Iman School and the "Three Winners". I thought the Al Iman school was an interesting concept, as it tried to teach its students good character traits both in and out of the context of their religion. We also learned about the "Three Winners" who I had heard of before, but never understood how they got that name. I thought it was interesting to see the young children recite the Qur'an in person, and also the design of the building as well. I thought the tour guide was slightly defensive, however after learning some of the comments some of the geography kids made I can understand why.
The second religious site was the Buddhist Center, which was not what I had imagined it would look like. The variation of Buddhism they practiced, Tibetan Buddhism, was different from the main sects we looked at like Mahayana and Theravada. The concept of different Buddhas for different purposes was strange to me, and seemed to connect to Hinduism with the different reincarnations of each god. I enjoyed learning about the Dali Lamas reincarnation and how a two year old knows they are him.
The third site was the Hindu temple, which more elaborate than all of the other sites in terms of architecture. It seemed very distinct from the surrounding buildings in Raleigh, and the different deities surrounding the temple were interesting. I learned more about Hindu prayer at the temple after being able to see first hand both practitioners and a Hindu priest pray to each deity. I found the plaque stating "There is no ritual more noble than donation" to be interesting, but clearly demonstrated by the board outside showing benefactors who donated almost a half a million dollars each.
The last site was the Synagogue, which was the most familiar to me as it was set up in a similar fashion to a church. The Rabbi was very knowledgeable, and his comparison of the preservation of the Hebrew tradition and the similar problem that outcast Tibetan Buddhists face was great because it provided an example that was easily understood and relevant. The different translations of the Torah were interesting as well, especially the change from "in the beginning" to "in a beginning".

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