Extra Credit!!!

   Last Friday I attended Zen Meditation with one of my friends and it was an interesting a pleasant experience.  I didnt know what to expect when I walked into the temple.  I wasn't shocked when I walked in because I  was told before that it looks like a regular house, but I was expecting a little more Buddhist artwork in the main meditation area.  When I first arrived one of the regular attendees explained my classmates and I the best techniques of meditating.  He told us how to sit correctly while meditating.  He said that your legs are supposed to be folded but knees are supposed to be pointed downward.  He told us to sit up straight because good posture is very important while trying to stay focused.  He told us to focus on our breathing.  Or if we start to feel some sort of pain while in our meditating positions, focus on it and we will notice that it will probably start to move.
    After a few minutes of preparing us, we went into the main room and meditated with the rest of the group.  The meditation was about 30 minutes long.  For me, it was a peaceful time.  When I first started the noises outside disturbed me.  Then I realized, Im supposed to be focused on my breathing.  Next I thought, I wouldnt be able to focuse on the noise if I wasn't breathing so be thankful for the fact that I am able to breathe at all.  From that point on, I became peaceful.  The noise was not an issue and I felt untouchable and set apart from the chaotic world around me.  I can't believe how peaceful I felt.  It is definitely something I would do again.  It was a great experience.

Shinto...Sunshine through the Rain!!

The clip was very interesting.  The lady in the clip told her son that the procession of foxes take place in the rain and he should come inside.  Instead, he went into the woods to see what was taking place.   The boy witnessed a ceremony in the woods and his mother was so upset that she didnt let him back into the house until he apologized.  I interpreted this video as emphasizing the importance of harmony between the religious kami and the shinto followers.  The woman thought in order to live peacefully she could not let her son back into the house until he apologized because he interrupted a sacred ceremony.