Trip #5

The Zen center was interesting. The space inside the center was really small. We were warned that it was very plain, but I was actually expecting it to be plainer than it was. The meditation room was an average sized room that had a small altar on the left wall. The altar had a Buddha figure on it, with some candles and incense. It also had some little jars on it. There were some pictures on the walls that had Buddhist significance. When we sat down for meditation, we sat on a thick pillow on top of a cushion. I thought they were going to have us at least try to sit in the lotus position and also meditate for twenty five-minutes. I was not looking forward to meditating for twenty-five minutes. We only meditated for ten minutes, but it only seemed like five. The time surprisingly went by really fast.
The teacher told us not to close our eyes; however I found that it was easier with my eyes closed. I can now understand how the characters in the book we read fell asleep a lot. I also thought the chanting was interesting because I did not know that they would have us chant as well. I also thought it was interesting how most of the chants were in a different language. I figured they would be in English since we are in America, and in a different language depending on where you are in the world. Overall, I thought the experience was positive.

Trip #4

I really thought the Hindu temple was really interesting. The outside of the building was cool because I liked how it was sculpted. The inside had kind of a dual purpose I thought. When you walk in there is a common area with a “café” type thing where you can buy food. Basically anyone can come here whenever they want to and eat which I thought was kind of weird. When we went upstairs it was different. There were statues all over that were actually made in India, and all of the statues of the gods were made out of black marble which I thought was really cool. All of the statues were really pretty also.
As we talked about in class, each temple is based on a certain god. This temple was based on Vishnu, the god of protection. There were statues of other important gods as well. Each god was put into its own little “cave” type thing. One thing I thought was really interesting was that they bathe the gods every day, week, or month. The bath consists of room temperature milk, fruit juices, honey and other things.
Since the temple was based on Vishnu, he was the largest statue and had the largest “cave.” The statue was really pretty. It was made of black marble. The crown that he wore was made out of pure gold by someone specifically for this temple. The doors to all of the “caves” had gold plating on them which made them more special. I thought it was really cool how one of the priests was blessing some of the visitors that came, and he invited us to join. The experience was really cool. Overall, this was my favorite place we visited so far.

Trip #3

The visit to the mosque today was very interesting. It was nothing like I thought it would be. In my mind, the mosque would be an elaborate building with a big worship space that had a lot of detail. The mosque was completely different from what I imagined. From the outside, the building looked big however, the inside was much smaller. There was the room that we met in and they had a gym, which I found kind of odd, some classrooms, and a worship area. The whole building was very simplistic.
The worship area very much surprised me because like I said earlier, I imagined it to be a large room that was very detailed. On the contrast, the worship room was right as you walked in the door and it was very plain and very small. The walls were white, there was carpet, and in the most northeast corner, I believe, was the “altar.” It was in that specific corner because that is the corner that points the most towards Mecca.
Another thing that really interested me was all of the art that was hanging on the walls. Most of the art had some picture in it, but there were also writings within the picture. There was one picture in particular, it was of someone kneeling and praying. The outline of the person was made out of brass, but what was really cool was that the outline of the person was made from words. The part of the face and the hands, I think, said the Muslim’s “Lord’s Prayer.” The rest of the outline of the person told some other story or saying that dealt with the praying.

Trip #2

The trip to the synagogue today was very interesting, and I liked it a lot. I thought the overall tour was good, and the whole building was very simple. I really liked the area where they keep the Torahs and the Torahs themselves. I did not realize how many Torahs they could have. I liked how ornate the Torahs were decorated, and I still cannot understand how they can learn to read the Hebrew. I also found it interesting how they do not read facing the congregation. I really thought the kitchen was interesting because they have to keep everything Kosher. I do not understand why they are Kosher whatsoever, but I think it is outstanding how they can abide by such strict rules. I myself could never do this because I love milk and I could not just skip having it at a meal. I also thought the library was interesting because it was so crammed. They just kind of jammed all of the books in there, and they were all in a certain order that the Jewish people invented. It is also the biggest Jewish library in the Midwest.

Trip #1

The Basilica in Dyersville was like a normal church. It had high ceilings and stain glass windows. When you walk inside the church, the alter is the first thing that is noticed. The inside was very ornate. There were decorations all over, mostly from Christmas of course, but there was so much detail on everything. The walls, ceilings, and alters were all so carefully painted. The Monastery at New Mellery was completely the opposite. It was very dull looking, there were not many decorations at all. It was just very plain and simple, which is how the Monks live of course. Both religions worship God, but in a slightly different way, and they each have similar items. There were crosses and pictures in both churches.
I do not know if I could choose between the two churches. I liked the first one because I am used to a church. It was also pretty and it seemed more welcoming to me. I also liked the second one because it is something that I am not used to. I have to admit, I was not looking forward to visiting the Monks and the Monastery. Once I got there I realized it was not that bad. It was actually very pretty there, from the inside and the outside, especially the original limestone walls. I thought the walls were very unique. In the end, I was glad I got to visit the Monastery because it is something I am not used to and I got to see a little bit how other people live.