Taoism Blog

Benjamin Hoff wrote the Tao of Pooh to try to explain the essence of Taoism through "Winnie the Pooh". By observing the actions of Eeyore, Piglet, Rabbit, Owl, Tigger, and Pooh, he decides that the action of the character Pooh best describes Taoism. After reading this book I have a much better understanding of the fundamentals of Taoism. This book is very educational and  it makes you wonder if the whole story of Pooh and his friends was constructed around this Taoist outlook on life. Each character reflects an aspect of society.  I found this book a very enjoyable read with very good examples pulled from the works of A.A. Milne that correlated to Taoist theory.

I completely agree with the way Hoff critiques American Culture. The Taoist believes that always being is not a good thing. He uses Rabbit to explain this theory. Rabbit is always in a hurry, being a bisy backson.  "Bisy Backson" confuses exercise with work and activity with creativity. "The Bisy Backson is almost desperately active," (p. 93) says Benjamin Hoff. He adds, "Let's put it this way: if you want to be healthy, relaxed, and contented, just watch what a Bisy Backson does and then do the opposite." Often, in Western Society, we focus on the final product before we have begun the journey. When Pooh considers what he likes best in the world, he decides the "...moment ..." I think it is very important to not worry so much and take time to enjoy your surroundings. We get so consumed in our work that being busy is stressful and its important to stay content in the present moment.  When we take the time to enjoy our surroundings and appreciate being alive, we find that we have no time to be Bisy Backsons anymore. But that’s all right, because being Bisy Backsons is a tremendous waste of time (p. 113). 

I think by using the Taoist beliefs as a solution could really help our culture. I think it would do everyone some good to slow down and take in the present moment. By not being so busy all the time it can truly help people’s character and how they interact with others. Life can be more positive for everyone with a little Taoist insight.

Buddhism Blog

(cartoonstock.com)

This cartoon is misrepresenting the concept of enlightenment. First off there are several stereotypes illustrated above. It is easy to point out the Buddhist monks are in traditional robes, shaved heads, surrounding by mountains and naturally in the lotus position while trying to achieve enlightenment. How much more stereotypical can you get? The picture depicts The "cartoonlike figure invented by pop culture" version of Buddhist masters, and the corresponding supernatural view of Buddhism in general. It also misrepresents the idea of enlightenment with the quote underneath it, giving you the reason to believe enlightenment is something easily achieved and happens more than once.

Many people today think that an experience they have had has made them 'enlightened' but as Brad Warner describes in Zen Karma dipped in Chocolate it is no easy path to reach one with the universe.  He explains "Buddhist practice is difficult and takes a lot of time, effort, and energy. I know no one likes hearing that. But tough titty if you don’t. There are no shortcuts. There are no easy ways to circumvent the pain and difficulty of practice any more than there are ways to develop a hot bod without working out for years. But you know what? It’s not really that painful or difficult. You just sit on a cushion and stay still for a little while every day. If you can’t handle that much effort, I feel pretty bad for you." As the cartoon depicts and what Brad Warner argues is that enlightenment does not happen over time and is not an easy process. Enlightenment is not a specific thing that happens to you but rather a process over time. Warner also goes on to describe how there are many people out there who are frauds trying to appeal to you to help you achieve this so called enlightenment. "As Buddhism becomes more widely accepted, guys trying to make a fast buck on people’s misconceptions about it are going to keep crawling out of the manure". People who really want to explore Buddhism and not feed into this main stream idea of Buddhism can achieve enlightenment over time not over night that is what Warner writes about in his book. "If you’re ready to face reality, the real practice is there, and the real teachers are more plentiful than you can imagine."

Response to Success and Liberation Aim

I felt the aim that was more popular between the Hinduism aim of success and liberation was the aim of success.  I felt it was easier to find songs related to success because in today’s society people strive to become rich and successful. Many people dream of fame and fortune, so it’s easy to put their dreams of making it big in a song. Many singers have achieved their goal in making it big and reaching the top and they want to tell everyone about how successful they are. Because many artists today can be egotistical their songs reflect that by broadcasting their achievements of fortune.  What surprised me while I was looking for songs on liberation was that most fell under the alternative/rock category. Most songs about success fell under pop or hip-hop. I think because of their genre of music, the alternative/rock artists tend to write more low key songs involving being set free and letting go. I also found that some artists who did write about success had a tough road to get there and express that in their music. They also talk about how even though they are rich and famous; they are still real no matter their social status. This contradicts my earlier thoughts of celebrities wanting to brag about their wealth. I do believe that is still the case in many songs especially in the world of hip-hop but many of those songs talk about the hardships it took to get them there. The difference between the aim of success and liberation in Hinduism and that represented in music is that the ultimate goal of Hindus is to reach moksha or liberation and the goal of most Americans today is to be successful. Hinduism recognizes the importance of material wealth for the overall happiness and well being of an individual. A house holder requires wealth, because he has to perform many duties to uphold dharma and ensure the welfare and progress of his family and society. Although in today’s society one does require wealth to support ones family, their success does not correlate with dharma. People today what success and to be wealthy for many selfish reasons and in Hinduism their goals are completely unselfish and are just to ultimately reach liberation.

Liberation Aim

1. Jimmy Eat World, "Hear You Me", Alternative Rock 2001
2. Carolina Liar, "Show Me What I'm Looking For", Alternative Rock 2009
3. Switchfoot, "Learning To Breathe", Alternative Rock 2000
4. Creed, "Higher", Rock 1999
5.The Used "The Taste Of Ink", Alternative Rock 2002

Success Aim

1. Kanye West ft T-Pain, "Good Life", Hip-Hop 2007
2. Nickleback, "Rockstar", Rock 2007
3.Fergie ft Ludacris, "Glamorous", Pop 2007
4.Lupe Fiasco,"Superstar", Hip-Hop 2007
5. T.I , "Hell Of A Life", Hip-Hop 2009

Response to Pleasure and Community Service Aim

The aim that was most prevalent was the Hindu aim of pleasure. This was evidently more prominent because today's culture is so obsessed with sex,drugs and alcohol which all fall under the pleasure aim. It is much easier to write a song about something that satisfies you then writing about helping others. Artists want to appeal  to their audience and their audience wants to hear about sex. Everywhere you look in  magazines, TV, billboards the media paints this picture of sexuality and that being associated with glitz and glamour. As a society we want to be fantasized by that idea so that's why we would rather listen to songs about promiscuity that then ones about giving to others. What I was surprised to find while searching for songs for the pleasure aim just how explicit the lyrics were to some of the songs. Although swear words our bleeped out on the radio, when you really listen to the lyrics to some songs they are very descriptive in describing sex. It is truly surprising to see what is socially acceptable now compared to the songs that used to be on the radio. It's amazing what artists get away with when talking about sex in their songs and they gain such popularity. It was very hard to find songs related to community service which was very disappointing because artists have such influence on society and with more songs about giving back and helping others it could really inspire people to do the same. The difference between the pleasure aim and what is discussed in popular music is that Hindu belief states that pleasure should always be done within the realm of dharma. It is not to be done in excess and self pleasure should be done in a virtuous matter. Another big difference is that what is virtuous depends on the person's cast system.  Every individual in a society is expected to achieve the four aims in Hinduism and seek fulfillment in his or her  life before departing from here. That is very different then what is portrayed in popular music because it seems to focus on one aim more than another without any balance.

Pleasure Aim

1. J.Holiday, "Bed", R&B, 2007
2.Chris Brown, "Take You Down", R&B, 2008
3. Mike Posner, "Bow Chicka Wow Wow", Hip Hop/Pop, 2010
4. Kings of Leon, "Sex On Fire", Rock, 2008
5. Mariah Carey, "Touch My Body" R&B/Pop, 2008