I'm Blue (Daba De Daba Di)

Backtracking to the Gita, I was initially confused about the "forms" of  Sri Krishna. What was his true form? Was he a human, a vision, etc? While reading about him in the Gita, I wasn't sure how to picture him. When he talked to Arjuna, what did he look like? 


In class, I learned that Sri Krishna is everything and nothing at the same time; he is an avatar, a shapeshifter and hologram; Arjuna's good friend in human form. He is not real because the world isn't real! And best of all, he is Blue! Take that, Eiffel 65!  


Since the class has finished the Gita and we have moved on to learning about Jesus in Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography, I wondered if there could possibly be a connection between Sri Krishna and Jesus. Do you think that if both Sri Krishna and Jesus actually existed, would they have ever met? What a clash of religions!


While researching my thoughts, I found this very interesting article: 


Is Jesus Christ derived from Lord Krishna?


http://www.hinduisminfo.com/2011/02/christ-krishna-christianity-hinduism.html


Whoah! What a mind boggle! Do you think this could be true? This article genuinely interests me and is opening my mind up to something that I had never thought about before. Before taking this class, I didn't even know what Hinduism was! And now it could possibly be related to the religion that I have grown up on for the past nineteen years? Cool!

Who is Jesus to Me?

"Who and what was Jesus and what (if anything) does this mean for our own lives? Thus, perhaps ironically, we must go outside particular theological interpretations, and behind traditional narratives, to find what we can reasonably know about Jesus' life, work, and death before we are in a position to decide how, or whether, to respond."

In response to Professor Matt's post: Christianity as a Response to Jesus, I started thinking, Who is Jesus to me? Honestly, I do not know. Growing up as a Catholic all my life, I am used to attending Church services. I have realized that I have become so accustomed to the routine of church, with the readings from the Bible and the recitation of prayers, that I do not actually pay attention to the words and messages that are being said. Like a lot of teenagers, I feel like I am zoning out and I am not truly understanding the purpose what attending church is about.

Like Professor Matt pointed out, each person must comes to terms with who they think Jesus was. It is up to each and every person to decide.  Jesus, as the priests have preached, is my savior. He died a horrendous death out of love for his people, and he will one day come again "in glory to judge the living and the dead." 

Reflecting on this, Jesus, in my opinion, is my safety net.  I feel that when times are tough, I turn to Him to ask for guidance. Even though I do not receive an answer, I feel comfort in my attempt to seek answers to my problems and unanswered questions. Maybe I do receive an answer, who knows? It is said that he works in mysterious ways....

Take a chance and see

If anyone is interested in listening to my favorite Catholic song, In Christ Alone, here is the youtube link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8lhlOkLhJc


Even if you are not Catholic and do not agree with the lyrics, I think that you will enjoy the music itself. Take a chance and see!

For those of you who do decide to listen to it, what do you think of the song? Do you agree with the lyrics even if you are not religious or Catholic? Does this inspire you to stretch outside your comfort zone and listen to more religious music?

Exhausting the waters

Immerse yourself in the following quote:   

"Our accounts of God are likely stories, but all the same legendary. Not one of them is full and final. We are like little children on the seashore trying to fill our shells with water from the sea. While we cannot exhaust the waters of the deep by means of our shells, every drop that we attempt to gather into our tiny shells is a part of the authentic waters" (page 27).

I think this quote, from Chapter II of The Hindu View of Life by S. Radhakrishnan, is tastefully simply and beautiful. From this quote, I think that Radhakrishnan is saying that every person's vision and idea of God varies due to their beliefs. Even though there may be no "proof" as to if God is real or not, people rely on their beliefs. Like the imagery of children on the seashore, people gather what belief they do have into their seashells, which makes their religion all the more special and meaningful. 

By comparing religion to the authenticity of water in seashells, Radhakrishnan is presenting the point that religions have their own interpretations of what life should be like. However, they are not "full and final." We do not know for sure if there is one or many Gods, but people make a choice to follow a religion and assume that this is the way. 


 Even though the accounts of God may be written down, that does not mean that they should be taken literally. For example, in class the other day we talked about how The Bhagavad Gita is a story; treat it seriously, but not literally. That may be the same case with other religions. In the Bible, the Catholic religion states that all the accounts provided were real, but maybe it is just in the figurative sense, not in the literary sense. Maybe people are "exhausting the waters" by being too literal in their religions.  I had never thought about it this way before..... 

In Christ Alone

The other day I came across one of my favorite Catholic songs, In Christ Alone. I am a Catholic, and whenever I listen to this song, I feel a strong sense of power and emotion pouring through the lyrics. Here are my favorite verses:

And as He stands in victory

Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me

For I am His and He is mine

Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death

This is the power of Christ in me

From a life’s first cry to final breath

Jesus commands my destiny

No power of hell, no scheme of man

Could ever pluck me from His hand

Til He returns or calls me home

Here in the power of Christ I stand

The line, 'No guilt in life, no fear in death' reminds me of my last blog. In my last blog, I quoted Sri Krishna in chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita: “Death is inevitable for the living; birth is inevitable for the dead. Since these are unavoidable, you should not sorrow” (91).

I believe this song correlates to Sri Krishna's words. In Christ Alone gently reminds me that with the power of Christ, I should have no guilt in my life or be fearful of death. Of course, other religions will have their own opinions about the matter, but I feel strongly that "the power of Christ" is in me.

The point I am trying to prove is that even though I have brought together two different religious views, Hinduism and Catholicism, the two religions still carry the same message about being fearless and to live life to the fullest. 

Inevitable Death

During chapter 2: Self Realization, in The Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna tells Arjuna that "Death is inevitable for the living; birth is inevitable for the dead. Since these are unavoidable, you should not sorrow." On the battlefield standing before his relatives, Arjuna is distraught with emotions over the deaths of his family that are about to take place. Why does death have to be the answer? Why does his family's blood have to suffer as a result of hatred between the relatives? Can't there be any other option? Sri Krishna's response to Arjuna's fears struck a chord with me, because like Arjuna, I have worried about death.
           
The topic of death is brought up constantly in life, whether it be the result of a funeral, reading the obituaries in the local newspaper, or a passionate discussion in World Religions class. And truthfully, the idea of death scares me. I am afraid because the outcome is unknown. What really lies beyond the life of a human? Will I follow a light in the darkness like the ghosts on the television show Ghost Whisperer have said? Will I stand floating over the earth as a spirit? What will become of me after I am finished here? The human beings on this earth are not indestructable and will not live on this planet forever. However, as an adolescent, this fact seems too incomprehensible and far away.

Sri Krishna's statement brings peace to my worried mind, for he simply speaks the truth. In life, birth and death both occur, and they can't be stopped. So why be sad when there is nothing that a person can do about them? Just like the tautology, "whatever will be, will be," I cannot let the truth get to me. There is no point dwelling in sorrow and letting negative thoughts of the subject dwell in my mind. Humans need to realize, and many have, that death will happen eventually, so why not go after their dreams and the paths that they were meant to travel on? Today is the day to accomplish my goals in my life. Thank you, Sri Krishna, for putting that gentle reminder into my mind. Maybe reading this novel was a sign....

As-salam alaykum!

As-salam alaykum! (Hello in Arabic)


My name is Lauren Feeney, and I am a freshman at MCLA. I live in historic Duxbury, MA, which is sandwiched between Pilgrim Rock Plymouth and tourist-loving Cape Cod. My nickname is "Feeney", due to the namesake Principle Mr. Feeny in the popular 90's television show, Boy Meets World. Due to my bubbly personality and endless energy, I have been known as the anti-Mr. Feeny, who is more concerned with bagging students Cory and Eric Matthews than walking around MCLA singing showtunes. Why is this bubbly, song-loving eighteen-year-old interested in World Religions, you may ask?? The answer is due to a once-in-a-lifetime adventure I experienced last semester. Last October, I was on a reality television show entitled Trading Places, where an American and an Arab switched places. For a week, I traveled to Egypt with a film crew to live with the Egyptian teenager's family and to experience the culture and customs of the beautiful country. After coming back to America, I realized how unaware I was of the world around me. My Egyptian trip inspired me to learn more about other countries, and hence, World Religions was added to my course schedule for Spring 2012. I am looking forward to taking this class and being challenged to become more knowledgeable about the world. 


Shokran! (Thank you)




~Lauren Feeney




Sawra Sawra hata el nasr
(Revolution, Revolution until Victory)