Week 4 Reading Diary: The Ramayana Part D

Part D of The Ramayana begins with a storyline that once again brings me back to the parallels between this Indian epic and the Bible. The Bridge reads “The earth and the sea were immediately convulsed, and darkness covered the heavens; lightning flashed and thunder bellowed aloud; the mountains began to break in pieces.” This scene is so powerful due to the intense imagery provided by the author – this in depth description is so beneficial to the reader. Next, an incredible bridge is built to allow the armies to cross the ocean. This story is so similar to that of Moses’ parting of the red sea. In both of these stories, it is the divine as well as the trust in the divine, which enables the miracles. 

Crossing of the Red Sea. Source: DeviantArt

I thought that the introduction of the “magic herb” in Indrajit was sort of abrupt in that nothing like it had been present in the Ramayana up to this point, at least that I had noticed. It is again mentioned in Hanuman and the Mountain as the "four medicinal herbs.". For this reason, I would like to follow the given links to research the Milky Ocean as well as the Wind-God in order to find out the role that such herbs play in Indian culture and Indian literature. The idea of Kumbhakarna being summoned to sleep for six month period and being allotted only one day to awake and feast reminds me of the sleeping giant character in fairytales – what a curse! I wish that his humorous character had lasted longer.

Poster Tech Tip: AutoMotivator

For this Tech Tip, I chose to make an AutoMotivator poster out of a quote that I recently came across and have been reminding myself of lately:

This was fun to make and turned out so well! The image is from Wigflip's AutoMotivator generator and the quote is by an unknown author.

Brainstorming Storybook Styles

Topic: My Storybook will be about turtles as well as the idea of karma! Kurma is actually the turtle avatar of Vishnu, so I really liked the idea that my professor Dr. Laura Gibbs gave me of a storybook about "Kurma and Karma". I would like to incorporate the Indian tale about karma, The Turtle Who Couldn't Stop Talking. I had not made the connection of Rama and Sita in the movie A Little Princess until looking at the books for class site but now the movie makes a lot more sense to me! I would like to incorporate this story into my storybook because A Little Princess is most definitely a story about karma where the good are rewarded in the end and the bad are punished. My professor mentioned that karma is a theme in every story because every action has a consequence, which means that my storytelling style is going to be especially important.

Bibliography:
1. The Turtle Who Couldn't Stop Talking by Ellen C. Babbitt
2. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Possible Styles: 

Under The Sea: I really liked this idea of creating a story set beneath sea level. People are always fascinated by this seemingly infinite and mysterious place, so a storybook here could be fun for me to create. A turtle would also fit well in this environment especially because sea turtles are known for living SO long and also associated with being extremely wise, probably because of their old age.

Sea Turtles are so cool - makes me excited for this project! Image Source: Pixabay

Wisdom Tale: Given this wise character of the turtle, I think a wisdom tale would be a perfect way to tell my storybook. Although the turtle in The Turtle Who Couldn't Stop Talking wasn't so wise, I could that a wise turtle would make more sense than this chatty turtle.

Story of a Name: Telling a story about how Kurma got his name would be perfect! I could explain the concept of Karma in a story of how the turtle Kurma got his name. 

Characters Grown Old: I could also tell my storybook as a reflection of someone looking back on their life. I was thinking that it could be Kurma or even Kurma's parents reflecting on how he got his name. 

At this point, I think that I could incorporate all four of these ideas into my Storybook together. Also, I am actually really glad that we took the time to think about styles for our storybook. I am now feeling a lot more confident about this assignment.

Learning Challenge: Deserted Island Books

1. The Bible: A necessity for me and also a book that I don't think I could ever study enough.

2. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling: I am one of those people who has trouble reading the same book twice but Harry Potter never gets old to me.

3. Switch On Your Brain by Dr. Caroline Leaf: This self-help book is revolutionary. I think it would be a valuable read for anyone. Dr. Leaf explains how you can make real changes by simply changing your mindset.

4. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller: A go-to book for me when I need some inspiration.

5. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson: A fascinating biography.

6. American Sniper by Chris Kyle: Although I normally wouldn't like a book about war, this book is very moving.

7. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo: Long and complex but such a beautiful book.

8. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky: I just love this book and also the movie.

9. The Giver by Lois Lowry: I am a sucker for sci fi or anything that can capture my imagination, and this book really sparks a lot of thought!

10. Not That Kind Of Girl by Lena Dunham: Just a very honest memoir that left me laughing out loud!

Books. Source: Wikipedia

Tech Tip: Embed SoundCloud

This week I decided to embed a song from SoundCloud into my blog. I love music because it is so powerful and can change the mood, at least mine, quickly. I listen to almost all genres of music and am always looking for new music, so please share! Here is a song I have had on repeat all week:

Storytelling for Week 3: The Great Banyan Tree

First up on the divine’s agenda was Solomon. 

Solomon spent much of his days meditating, preparing himself for the judgment he would face in the afterlife. Finally, it was time for Solomon to say goodbye to his family. Solomon could feel death approaching like an old friend. It was comfortable, and he wasn’t scared. Upon his arrival, Solomon was greeted by a divine being of obvious enlightenment who he assumed to be God. In a blindingly white room, the two individuals were accompanied only by a great banyan tree. 

Banyan Tree. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Breaking the silence, Solomon asked, “How many deaths must I die until I reach enlightenment?” 

“As many deaths as there are leaves in that tree,” the divine responded. 

Solomon couldn’t believe this answer! He begrudgingly complained, “I am never going to reach enlightenment. I wasted away an entire life meditating and this is what I get in return!” 

And back to Earth Solomon was sent to be reborn. 

Next up on the divine’s agenda was Tiny. 

Tiny was always content. He enjoyed the small things in life. For example, Tiny had to work very hard for much of his life, but even after a long day, Tiny would skip home merrily to greet his wife and children with a smile. Tiny hadn’t expected to meet death so early, yet he wasn’t scared of it either. Upon his arrival, Tiny was greeted by the divine and the great banyan tree in the same white room as Solomon and all of the other mortals who had passed through death. 

Tiny curiously asked, “How many lives must I live until I reach enlightenment?” 

“As many lives as there are leaves in that tree,” the divine responded. 

Tiny’s face lit up in delight. 

The divine inquired, “Tiny, why does this answer give you so much relief?” 

Tiny responded, “Because there are only so many leaves in that tree, which means I am well on my way!” 

With this, Tiny reached his enlightenment!

Author’s Note: I heard this story in my yoga teacher’s training a few weeks ago, and really loved it! The story itself is very old and has been passed down by word of mouth so I am not sure of the original source. When I heard the prompt “Trial in the Afterlife” for this week’s storytelling post, I instantly thought of this story and wanted to create an adaptation. I like this story because I think it’s meant to encourage gratefulness. If we are grateful and content rather than searching for something, we can live much more fulfilling lives whether we believe in the afterlife and reincarnation or not. 

Bibliography: I found a blogger's version of this story, which I referred to, called The Bodhisattva and the Two Aspirants by Doug O'Brien posted on June 25, 2014.

Week 3 Reading Diary: The Ramayana Part C

I really enjoyed the character of the monkey-king in Sugriva and Hanuman, especially because the human characters are still present rather than a story based entirely on animal characters. Likewise, I found the details in King Sugriva about the high officials of the monkey kingdom, or the mahamatras, and the vanars very interesting; maybe because it reminded me of a favorite scene from The Wizard of Oz. 

Flying Monkeys. Source: Wikimedia Commons

I love the depiction of Rama in Sugriva and Vali, which reads “To his foes resistless Rama is a lightning from above, To his friends a tree of shelter, soul of tenderness and love, Dearer than his love of glory is his love to heal and bless…” I can see where some readers have a problem with Rama’s controversial tactics of guerrilla warfare in Vali’s Death; many people don’t find the strategies of guerrilla warfare fair or honest. Especially with Rama’s saint-like portrayal, these sneaky tactics don’t exactly match up with his character. I was so surprised by Rama’s display of impatience in The Rainy Season! I feel like this is so out of character for him, and especially after his display of unfair combat, I feel like this change in character is leading up to something important. I like the idea of having to wait until a rainy season is over; I think it creates a really beautiful picture. I would like to learn more about this rainy season specific to India and how it affects life there.