Sacred Communication/Journey 2019

Even though I grew up Catholic, I have always been fascinated by the religions of the East.  I think the architecture is strikingly beautiful, which uniquely interesting ideas and practices.  The temple above is the Haeinsa Temple belonging to the Buddhist religion, and it is located in South Korea.  This temple houses the Tripitaka Koreana, the scriptures of this religion.  The set that is housed here is said to be the oldest and most complete.  They are printed on wooden blocks.  This temple is also still an active worship site!  Despite being on the opposite side of the world, I find this destination so intriguing.  I think this style of worship place is so different from the brick cathedrals and church's I am used to, I love the color and liveliness of some of the eastern religions. 

Although I am not shy to admit my devotion as a faithful Christian, I have always been interested in Buddhism just because of the stout devotion and beauty of the faith itself. Along with the beauty of their faith comes the absolute beauty of the architecture. This can be seen through the structure know as The Tiger's Nest Monastery which sits nearly ten thousand feet above sea level in Paro, Bhutan. The Monastery isn't accessible by vehicle, but the at the end of the long hike is a display undeniably like no other. It was built by Gyalse Tenzin Rabgye, one of the earliest secular rulers of Bhutan (fourth to be exact), and finished in 1692, and it is said that early Buddhist leader/enthusiast, Guru Rimpoche, meditated there in 7th Century AD. It is still actively utilized by Buddhists and is a tourist attraction to many. Also, many Buddhists travel to the site to practice their religion as well. Although it is a difficult sacred journey to make, it is a beautiful one none the l

Welcome to the Fall 2019 Sacred Communication/Journey blog page. As I have done with this post, enter your name and a subject for the title of each post. Blog entries will be considered informal writing assignments and as such will be graded more in relation to content than style. Blog entries will contain questions and answers to questions, as well as reflections that relate to daily classroom discussions, completion of exercises, and reading assignments. Any questions the student has while reading or completing assignments should be written in their blog. Reflections may relate to connections the student makes between discussions in this class and those in other classes, between arguments raised in the readings in this class and those raised in other classes or from informal conversations. Students are encouraged to apply the ideas learned in this class to activities that take place outside of the class. These applications make great reflections. The student should bring qu