Narrative Essay On Religion
Immersed and Enlightened
Mitch Graf
Comp. Religion 2370
Amy Picknell
September 24, 2012
Prelude: Originally I had my TA, Amy Picknell sign me up for the KTC visit on Sunday September 16th. However, I unfortunately had to go to an unexpected funeral on that Saturday and Sunday so I wasn’t able to go to the KTC meditation. I ended up leaving Columbus Friday night and on my way down I kept looking and looking for places to visit and couldn’t find anything. Then, out of nowhere I noticed some of the places listed on carmen and one of the places was a Buddhist temple in Yellow Springs, Ohio. The funeral was in Dayton and Yellow Springs was no more than 35 minutes away. So me being the angelic student I am, got up on Saturday at 6:00AM …show more content…
As everyone entered shoeless, they began to bow before a golden Buddha at the front of the room so I did the same out of respect for their religion and to get the most out of this experience. After I had paid my respects to the Buddha I sat down on my cushion and waited for the teacher to arrive. The teacher walked in the room at exactly 7:30AM. Everyone else in the room crossed their legs “indian” style (later on I found out that the correct position name is referred to as lotus position) and began what it looked like to be a silent meditation. I saw them doing this so I joined in too and began my meditation. The meditating lasted roughly 25 minutes. After we were done meditating we all stood and began walking and meditating at the same time. This cycle of sitting was called zazen and the walking was called kinhin. We did that three times and then ended with the entire group sitting and repeating a sutra (sermon of Buddha). Once the sutra was finished, everyone thanked the teacher by saying, “Namaste”. I later looked that term up and found out that that word translates into “I bow to you”. The term is regarded as a sign of respect and reverence. We returned our cushions and many of the people (mostly Buddhists) bowed to, or touched the feet of the Buddha once more before leaving the …show more content…
I think Buddhism is a very deep religion. What I mean by that is that Buddhism is about seeking a spiritual peace and acquiring internal knowledge. Through this, Buddhism encourages nonviolence and living life simply. The experience was something that was very peaceful and relaxing. I was calm and just at ease the entire time I was there. While I could have meditated at home just as easily, there was something about being around all the Buddhists that helped me focus and broaden my mind. During the two hours I was there, I was able to clear my mind and feel relaxed and walk out of that center with a refreshed feeling. The funeral was supposed to be a time of mourning but the whole time I was there I felt no need to cry or even be sad. I was a very happy and content person the rest of the day. I really enjoyed my visit to the Yellow Springs Dharma Center and I would definitely not be against doing it
Mitch Graf
Comp. Religion 2370
Amy Picknell
September 24, 2012
Prelude: Originally I had my TA, Amy Picknell sign me up for the KTC visit on Sunday September 16th. However, I unfortunately had to go to an unexpected funeral on that Saturday and Sunday so I wasn’t able to go to the KTC meditation. I ended up leaving Columbus Friday night and on my way down I kept looking and looking for places to visit and couldn’t find anything. Then, out of nowhere I noticed some of the places listed on carmen and one of the places was a Buddhist temple in Yellow Springs, Ohio. The funeral was in Dayton and Yellow Springs was no more than 35 minutes away. So me being the angelic student I am, got up on Saturday at 6:00AM …show more content…
As everyone entered shoeless, they began to bow before a golden Buddha at the front of the room so I did the same out of respect for their religion and to get the most out of this experience. After I had paid my respects to the Buddha I sat down on my cushion and waited for the teacher to arrive. The teacher walked in the room at exactly 7:30AM. Everyone else in the room crossed their legs “indian” style (later on I found out that the correct position name is referred to as lotus position) and began what it looked like to be a silent meditation. I saw them doing this so I joined in too and began my meditation. The meditating lasted roughly 25 minutes. After we were done meditating we all stood and began walking and meditating at the same time. This cycle of sitting was called zazen and the walking was called kinhin. We did that three times and then ended with the entire group sitting and repeating a sutra (sermon of Buddha). Once the sutra was finished, everyone thanked the teacher by saying, “Namaste”. I later looked that term up and found out that that word translates into “I bow to you”. The term is regarded as a sign of respect and reverence. We returned our cushions and many of the people (mostly Buddhists) bowed to, or touched the feet of the Buddha once more before leaving the …show more content…
I think Buddhism is a very deep religion. What I mean by that is that Buddhism is about seeking a spiritual peace and acquiring internal knowledge. Through this, Buddhism encourages nonviolence and living life simply. The experience was something that was very peaceful and relaxing. I was calm and just at ease the entire time I was there. While I could have meditated at home just as easily, there was something about being around all the Buddhists that helped me focus and broaden my mind. During the two hours I was there, I was able to clear my mind and feel relaxed and walk out of that center with a refreshed feeling. The funeral was supposed to be a time of mourning but the whole time I was there I felt no need to cry or even be sad. I was a very happy and content person the rest of the day. I really enjoyed my visit to the Yellow Springs Dharma Center and I would definitely not be against doing it