Angela's Humanities Story

Part I

Hawley, Jack. Bhagavad Gita - a Walkthrough for Westerners. New World Library, 2011.

• I read this book as a requirement for Asian Humanities 320. This text is about the great warrior Arjuna and his good friend Krishna who will guide Arjuna to find his dharma. The text was interesting to begin with. Towards the middle to the end of the first part, it was honestly pretty boring to me. Although that part of the text came off as boring, the story of Arjuna and Krishna was very interesting to me. What made it so interesting was the things that I was learning while reading the text and what the ending was going to be like. I encountered some meaningful sentences and verses, which made me reflect on my life where I can learn from these sentences and verses to make my life better. I'm always trying to find ways on how to improve my life, my personality, how to get along with others, and being able to have compassion for others. So going back to the story of Arjuna and Krishna, I was glued to the second part. It was actually hard for me to stop reading the text during this part. Overall, I'm really happy that Professor Moore chose this text as a requirement for this class because if it wasn't a requirement, I would have never come across this text. 

Ignatavicius, Donna D., and Chris Winkelman. Clinical Companion for Medical-Surgical Nursing: Patient-Centered Collaborative Care. Elsevier Health Science, 2016.

Medical-Surgical Nursing 8th Edition

• Medical-Surgical Nursing or what my nursing professor would call it, "The Iggy Book" because of the author's last name, which looks difficult to pronounce. This textbook was a requirement for all four of the nursing semesters during nursing school. This textbook is about 2.25 inches thick with every medical diagnosis in it and it guarantee will make you cry (if you're in nursing school). There are so many emotions that I had when I was reading this text. Thinking back to when I had to read this text, I would read it not just once, but sometimes twice or three times in order to understand what (tf) I was reading and having to comprehend what I just read. Some days if I'm lucky and my brain is working, I'll only have to read it once. But thinking about when I had to read and learn about the diagnosis, its signs and symptoms, and the nursing interventions, as well as reading, re-reading, and re-reading it again until I understood the materials for exams, my heart aches. But I learned most of the adult medical diagnosis and its nursing interventions from this text, which really helped me be prepare to care for adult patients. (But my goal is to be a labor and delivery nurse one day.)

Part II

The theme that I worked on for the group project was What is the Role of Religion? What I like best about the project was the repetition of the materials learned. Through that I am able to remember the information that was being taught. I believe this class provided information that's useful for my career because I encounter many different kinds of culture. In the beginning of the project, I was putting in a lot of time. The first week, I remembered putting in six hours into the project. However, as time goes on and depending on which week it was, the hours were less than six. Here is the project that I worked really hard on.

Part III

Hori Ichiro - Glazed Stoneware
Japanese, born 1952
 Located at the Crocker Art Museum

When I decided to take this class, I didn't have much expectations of it. I was just hoping that this class wasn't going to be hard and that I would be able to gain some insight about Asian Humanities. My goal coming into this class was to take this class so that I can be a step closer to applying to a RN to BSN program. I hope that I completed the goal of passing this class. Reading The Bhagavad Gita and attending Crocker Art Museum was the most interesting thing about this class. The picture to the left is a glazed stoneware from Japan called Hori Ichiro. The picture doesn't do it justice, but it was a beautiful stoneware that was glistening hues of light purple, pink, and white. For The Bhagavad Gita, I really like some of the sentences and verses from this text. I will share one sentence below that I really liked and underline in my book.

Know that you can achieve this by first uniting your heart with God and only then pursuing worldly things. (Hawley, 22)

I learned so many aspects of different religions in this class and how each religion came about and how it is practice. Coming into this class, I didn't know much about each religion, but I enjoyed learning about it. 

Works Cited

Hawley, Jack. Bhagavad Gita - a Walkthrough for Westerners. New World Library, 2011.

Buddha Calling for Rain

Standing next to the Buddha Calling for Rain

On a rainy Sunday, my daughter and I visited Crocker Art Museum. It was not crowded at all and we were helped immediately upon arriving. I paid the college student price and my daughter was free because she’s five years old. Although I made the trip to the museum, I did not have very much time to explore the whole museum. We spent about 1.5 hours in the Asian section looking at every piece of art work, and did a very quick walkthrough in the Europe section.

There were a lot of beautiful art pieces that I encountered, but the one that stood out to me the most was the Buddha Calling for Rain. It just felt right choosing this statue since it was raining. Per the information provided by Crocker Art Museum, the artist to this statue is unknown and its location is either in Northern Thailand or Laos from the 19^th century. In this region, their religious belief is Theravada Buddhism, which is the basic doctrines of early Buddhism.

Buddha Calling of Rain
from the 19th century
located at Crocker Art Museum

It was hard to find resources about Buddha Calling for Rain. However, the text Cultures of the World Laos stated that the Buddha Calling for Rain is rarely found outside of Laos. As stated by Crocker Art Museum, “This pose does not reference any specific event in the Buddha’s life. It is unique to the region.” The mudra has its fingers pointed down towards the ground. Because of the concern for the crops and the crops inability to stay alive without water, the purpose of this mudra is to call for rain, thus was made for the people living in Northern Thailand or Laos region. According to Trade Wind Statue, “The “calling for rain” mudra was one of the miracles in the story and life of Lord Buddha when after years of drought, Buddha stood in meditation and summoned the rain, ended the drought, and created a rainfall that brought nourishment to the rice fields.”

Information provided by Crocker Art Museum
regarding the Buddha Calling for Rain

The material used for this statue is wood and covered with gold gilt. This material was often used during the 19^th century as it is also the material used for other statues. I was able to find another standing Buddha made in the 19^th Century from Laos, and its material is also gilt wood. Therefore, the Buddha Calling for Rain represents the 19^th century fairly well because craved wood was one of the common material used for sculptures or art pieces during this era. The Buddha Calling for Rain differs from other Buddha statue because it is standing with its arms straight down. While there are other standing Buddha, its hand gesture is different.

In the future, when I have more free time, I definitely want to visit Crocker Art Museum again and be able to explore the whole museum. Through Asian Humanities and Introduction to Humanities, I no longer think narrowly when it comes to looking at art. I’m not an expert yet, but I appreciate art more and am able to see the importance of the art piece and its details.

Works Cited

“6ft Rare Big STANDING BUDDHA Statue Laos Rain Mudra GOLD GILDED Teak Wood.” Www.tradewindstatues.com, www.tradewindstatues.com/6ft-Rare-STANDING-BUDDHA-Statue-Laos-Rain-mudra-p/623-i.htm.

Crocker Art Museum. 216 O Street, Sacramento. 1 Dec 2019. Place

Mansfield, Stephen, and Magdalene Koh. Laos. Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2009.

The Journey of Buddhism to China

Sutra in Chinese

Buddhism was not a religion that was favored in China during this era as Confucians held all important government posts. Eventually China started translating the Buddhism scripture. Because the Mahayana sutras were translated from Sanskrit to Chinese, schools of Buddhism were able to grow. According to Bresnan, “In the aftermath of the fall of Han, Buddhism in China grew rapidly.” (Bresnan 333).

Zen Buddhism

Zhiyi, a monk who lived and practiced on Mount Tiantai founded Tiantai Buddhism. “Tiantai Buddhism became something of a syncretic school in which all of the elements of Buddhist teaching could be in harmony.” (Bresnan 335) Among Tiantai Buddhism, there was other Buddhism that emerged in China such as Huayan Buddhism, Pure Land Buddhism, and Chan Buddhism. Although Buddhism was spreading in China, the Daoists and Confucians feared and hated the intrusion of this powerful new institution.  (Bresnan 342). Chan Buddhism is what we now know as Zen Buddhism spread to Japan. 

The Route that's centered around the Silk Road

The Silk Road made it possible for ideas such as Buddhism to spread to various countries. According to the video The Silk Road: Where East Met West, “The Silk Road ran all the way from China’s ancient capital through central Asia.” (Silk, 1:00-1:07). The Silk Road is one of the first trade routes in the world. Because of the Silk Road, the spread of ideas and innovations were made possible. 

Dun Huang

An example of the spread of great inventions from one country to another is the invention of paper, which traveled along the routes of the Silk Road reaching Europe in the 12^th century. However, the most valuable item on the trade route was Silk. Zhang Qian “exchanged silk for these heavenly horses.” (Silk, 19:49-19:52). The horses were needed to help China defend and extend its borders.  Zhang Qian’s journey took him to Dun Huang where it was “a vibrant focus for Buddhist culture.” (Silk, 28:24-28:27). Because of the constant change, Buddhism was introduced to China.



Works Cited

“All About Zen Gardens.” The Art of Zen Gardens in Zen Buddhism, 27 Nov. 2014, zenbuddhismandgardens.wordpress.com/iconography/.

Bresnan, Patrick. “Chapter 16.” Awakening: an Introduction to the History of Eastern Thought. 5th ed., Pearson. 2013.

“Dunhuang.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 26 Sept. 2012, www.britannica.com/place/Dunhuang.

Harvard. “From the Harvard Art Museums' Collections Buddhist Sutra: Hwaŏm Kyŏng (Chinese, Huayan Jing; Sanskrit, Avatamsaka Sutra), Chapter 77, with Frontispiece.” From the Harvard Art Museums' Collections Buddhist Sutra: Hwaŏm Kyŏng (Chinese, Huayan Jing; Sanskrit, Avatamsaka Sutra), Chapter 77, with Frontispiece, www.harvardartmuseums.org/art/201534.

“Silk Road.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 16 Sept. 2019, www.britannica.com/topic/Silk-Road-trade-route.

 The Silk Road: Where East Met West. 2016.

Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism

What was happening to Theravada Buddhism that opened the way for a revolutionary new movement, ultimately to be known as Mahayana?
What was it about the character of the Theravada tradition that opened the way for the rise of Mahayana? Why did Mahayanist refer to the Theravada tradition as "Hinayana"?

Buddhist Statue

In chapter 11 of Awakening: Introduction to the History of Eastern Thought, Buddha became a master of yoga meditation. There were two forms of meditation practice that the Theravada Buddhism were taught, which were as Bresnan stated, "one leading to samadhi and the other leading to right understanding of the self." (Bresnan 226) Until the first type of mediation is succeed, that is only when the second type of meditation may be ready for one to take up. Samatha meditation is the first type, which is the traditional yoga meditation that leads to a state of stillness and focuses on a single object. The second type of meditation is vippasana, also known as Mindfulness Meditation or Insight Meditation, which is when one focuses on "whatever is happening in consciousness at the present moment." (Bresnan 227)

In the early eras of Buddhism, Theravada represented the views of what Buddhism was. Most Buddhists who practice Theravada were from the better-educated upper class, and each monk selfishly directed all the attention to its own personal need of achieving nirvana. As Bresnan mentioned, "Theravada had become far too self-centered." (Bresnan 231) Therefore, this opened the way for Mahayana Buddhism to rise.

Mahayana Buddhists

In chapter 12 of Awakening: Introduction to the History of Eastern Thought, Bresnan disclose "Mahayana regard to be a new and deeper interpretation of the meaning of his teaching." (Bresnan 233) Mahayana became a "great vehicle" for which Buddha used as a metaphor for his teachings. A raft, which was a common form of transportation during this era was being compared to as a great vehicle, which Buddha used to compare as his teachings and that the raft "could ferry a person across the river of ignorance." (Bresnan 232) Therefore, this raft had a large enough space to carry everyone unlike the Theravadins who were only able to carry oneself.

Hinayanists was a term used by the Mahayana, to which they referred the Theravadins. Because the Theravadins selfishly were only able to make room for the elite ones, Mahayana felt the need to refer Theravadins as Hiniyana, which is "simply a lesser, and therefore inferior, vehicle." (Bresnan 232) Theravada criticized the sutras of Mahayana, claiming that it was not authentic teachings of Buddha. Mahayana argued that "most of the world simply was not ready to receive this teaching at the time of Buddha's death." (Bresnan 233)

Monks studying Mahayana Sutras

Sutras of Mayahana appeared in the first and second century C.E. and "provided the spiritual and philosophical underpinning to Mahayana." (Bresnan 235) As stated on the website Learn Religions, Mahayana is the dominant form of Buddhism in China, Japan, Korea, Tibet, Vietnam, and several other nations.

Works Cited 

“Chapter 11 and 12.” Awakening: an Introduction to the History of Eastern Thought, by Patrick Bresnan, Pearson, 2013, pp. 226–235.

O'Brien, Barbara. “What Is Mahayana Buddhism? How Does It Differ From Theravada Buddhism?” Learn Religions, Learn Religions, 27 Apr. 2019, www.learnreligions.com/mahayana-buddhism-overview-450004.

The Bhagavad Gita: Timeless Lessons

The Bhagavad Gita by Jack Hawley

The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners by Jack Hawley is part of Indian’s most sacred literature Mahabharata. The Bhagavad Gita is a story about the great warrior Arjuna who is struggling to follow his dharma and he does not want to go into battle with his cousins – The Kauravas, uncles, and teachers over land. On the battle field, Arjuna seeks advice from his dear friend Krishna. Through the guidance, advices, and knowledge provided by Krishna, Arjuna is able to find his atma, and integrate the newfound knowledge and spiritual beliefs in which enable him to come to the realization that going into war is part of his dharma. Arjuna put all his worries aside and devotes everything to god. As a warrior he must fight against evildoers.

Krishna reveals his god form to Arjuna

In the Bhagavad Gita, there were some meaningful sentences and verses that made me reflect on life. Essentially, it provided timeless lessons one can take from this story. In the beginning of the story, Krishna is advising Arjuna to seek his atma and that the atma is eternal. Throughout the story, I learned that one would need to follow the path of right action of duty in order to have a a better rebirth on your next life cycle. Therefore, the lesson is that one should always do the right thing.

"It is far better to do your own dharma, even if you do it imperfectly, than to try to master the work of another." (Bresnan 161-162) This quote really speaks to me because everyone has their own path in life. Everyone's path is created only for them, and that is what makes it beautiful. When someone tries to do what others are doing, it no longer holds meaning.

Lord Krishna

The Bhagavad Gita is the story of Arjuna's uncertainty of going into battle with his family. Once in a while, we have uncertainties in life, and may even be faced with difficult situations. This story is an eye-opener that will help you find hope that good things will come your way; therefore, you should put all your worries aside. Knowing that your intentions are good, you will be faced with good karma. Whether if you believe in god or not, this story will lead you to the path of knowledge.

The Vedas and the Four Pathways to God

The Vedas - Sacred Scriptures of Hinduism

Veda comes from the Sanskrit root vid, meaning “to know”, which ultimately is to have knowledge of truth; God-given truth that is. Yoga is not just a form of exercise, but it is a way of spiritual practice or a method of training designed to lead to integration or union with god. The Vedas consist of four collections with the Rig Veda being one of the four Vedas that contain ancient suktas (hymns) that is dedicated to the Aryan Gods. In Bresnan chapter two, it focuses on the Vedas, the multitude of gods and goddesses, and their responsibilities. In the video Hindu Spiritual Pathway, it focuses on the four pathways to God.

Bresnan mentioned that, "The Vedas provided the Brahmin priests with all the sacred verses they needed to properly conduct the great rituals of the Vedic sacrifice." (Bresnan, p. 21). The Brahmins recited out loud the hymns in the Rig Veda in order to link to the gods. Whereas, Hindu Spiritual Pathway mentioned the four pathways of yoga one can take to find god. Both sources have similarities in that their main emphasis is to have a connection to god. However, the difference between the two sources is their way to connect to god. 

Worshiping God

In Hindu Spiritual Pathway, Sonia indicated “By living a good life, service to others is a way of worshiping god.” (3:33-3:36) In comparison, Bresnan stated “They worshiped the gods in order to maximize the good things in life.” (Bresnan, p. 21) Therefore, both sources worship god, but in different ways.  

The Four Paths of Yoga

The four pathways of yoga are karma, jnana, bhakti, and raja, which all take different route to god. I've always thought that I only needed to have a spiritual connectivity with a higher power, but never had the knowledge that there's a specific pathway one would need to take in order to reach God. I've always thought that as long as I'm a good person, god will see the good in me, thus bringing good karma to me. Therefore, I was very amazed of learning about the four pathways of yoga.

Praying

Of the four pathways, I’m not sure which pathway I will take yet, but for now, I can definitely say that I’m not raja. My mind is too busy to remain still, which will prevent me from controlling my body and mind. I believe my parents are taking the bhakti pathway because they listen to Christian music and read the bible daily. In the video Hindu Spiritual Pathway, it stated that the path of devotion or bhakti "involves worship and adoration of a personal form through reading scriptures, singing, and praying." (6:59-7:04) Whenever my mom hears a verse from a Christian song that really speaks to her, she would dissect the verse and explain its meaning to me.

In Hindu Spiritual Pathway, they asked which pathway is the best, and Meera perfectly stated “You can’t choose which is the best, but you can choose which one is the best for yourself.” (13:22-13:25) I agree with Meera because everyone is different. Hopefully we will all be able to choose the best pathway for us to find god.





Bresnan, Patrick. "Chapter 2." Awakening: an Introduction to the History of Eastern Thought. 5th ed., Pearson, 2013, pp. 21.

Hindu Spiritual Pathways. 2006. 

Painuly, Ashish. “4Paths of Yoga – Karma, Jnana, Bhakti, & Raja Yoga.” Fitsri, 2 May 2019. https://fitsri.com/yoga/4-paths-of-yoga

Caste System: Social Classes in India

Harappa in 3D by artist Chris Sloan

Harappa civilization was a significant prehistory of northwestern India. Located along the River Indus, it is one of the urban excavation site uncovered by archaeologists in the 1920's. As mentioned in both Bresnan chapter one: India before the Vedas and the video Indus: The Unvoiced Civilization, these people left very little behind about their culture. Harappa along with other cities within the Indus Valley Civilization was as mentioned by Ancient History, "in its prime, but also of preceding and succeeding culture."

Not much is known about the people of Harappa. As indicated by Bresnan, the people of Harappa "eventually declined and almost entirely died out." Similarly, the video Indus: The Unvoiced Civilization, stated "when the water dried up, the cities were abandoned." From these two sources, the theory as to why the city of Harappa no longer exists may be due to the Sarasvati River drying out, which may have been their source of life.

Caste System - highest to lowest ranking from top to bottom

Although Harappa is known to be one of the earliest form of urbanization in India, India flourished into its own nation and carried on historical rituals, traditions, and social life learned from generation after generation. Varna, the caste system, or social classes divides Hindus into five categories. This determination is based on their birth, wealth, or profession. Ranked from most important to least, there are the Brahman, Ksatriya, Vaisya, Sudra, and Dalit. 

Caste system is something new to me and I have never been informed of such social class existing in India. Even though caste system was never mentioned in the Indus: The Unvoiced Civilization, it is considered to be an important aspect of India. Caste system may have been brought into India's society after the declined of Harappa. Brensnan mentioned that "the caste system was formally renounced in the Indian constitution of 1949"; however, the video India's Dalit: Twist of Faith showcased that social classes still exist. So, is caste system still practiced in India? 

Dalit in India

Having been able to get a glimpse of how the way caste system work in India, it helped me better understand Indian culture and tradition. Most Indians are in the dalit social class. They have a lot of hardship because of having to work in sewers and being exposed to dangerous gases and bacteria, which is an unhealthy occupation. It's very saddening that most of them are illiterate, even writing their own name is difficult to do. In spite of the fact that caste system was renounced, it may be challenging to discard of what's been carried on from generation after generation. 

Bresnan, Patrick. "Chapter 1." Awakening: an Introduction to the History of Eastern Thought. 5th ed., Pearson, 2013, pp. 7–7.

India’s Dalits: Twist if Faith. 2009.

Indus: The Unvoiced Civilization. Princeton, NJ, 2003.