The Story of the Turban: Sikhism

Here's an excellent BBC documentary about the significance of the turban to Sikhs and the controversy it creates today in western countries.  The 39 minute documentary traces Sikh history back to the Mughal Empire.

And here is a link to a story today about the humiliation Sikhs face at airport security, by Arjun Sethi in an editorial for the Washington Post called, "To the TSA, a Sikh man is a target in a turban."

Top Posts for November

• Great Prezi introducing Sunni Shia Split 
• Mighty Muslim and Marvel Comics
• Jews In Iraq: The Remnants of a Culture’s Heart and Soul

10 Questions for the Dalai Lama

Looking for a good documentary on Tibetan Buddhism and the Dalia Lama?  10 Questions is one of the best and most engaging.  Filmmaker Rick Ray gains an interview with the Dali Lama and must prepare ten questions for him. In the process, we learn a lot about the history of Buddhism, biographical details of the Dalai Lama, the invasion of Tibet, and much more. I show it to my religion class every year.

Four Places of Buddhist Pilgrimage

Do you know the four most important  Buddhist pilgrimage sites? Here's s a great slideshare about each of the sites.  And here's a summary from the Victoria  and Albert Museum.

• Lumbini - the Buddha's birthplace 
• Bodhgaya - where the Buddha sat in deep meditation beneath a pipal (bodhi) tree until he achieved enlightenment 
• Sarnath - a deer park where the Buddha gave his first sermon and set the wheel of law into motion
• Kusinagara - where the Buddha passed away (parinirvana)  

Gap's Ad With Sikh Model Defaced, Gap Responds

Someone defaced a Gap subway advertisement featuring a Sikh model with the caption, "Make love," with the words, "make bombs," and "please stop driving taxis."  A senior editor for Islamic Monthly posted the defaced ad on his Twitter and Facebook accounts because, he said,  he wanted the world " to see how millions of brown people are viewed in America today." (see the photo below)

Gap saw the ad and immediately changed it's Twitter background to show the Sikh model (photo below)

According to the story in the Huffington Post, some in the Sikh community started a Twitter Thank You, Gap campaign. 

Students might find this story interesting on a couple of levels. It shows that some Americans still misunderstand and fear other religions. And on another level, it shows the power of social media.

The story is all over the internet. Here's  a link to Adweek's story and here is the story from CBC News.

Historic Footage of Bamiyan Statues

Take a tour of the Bamiyan statutes with Hal, Halla and David Linker's 1973 television travelogue series, "The Wild, the Weird, and the Wonderful." Here, they start out showing us the yurts in which they lived while exploring the Bamiyan Valley. But soon after that, they take us on a fascinating tour of the caves.  They show us the remains of perhaps the largest Buddha at 175 feet.

The film clip is from the Human Studies Film Archives, Smithsonian Institution collection of historical moving images. I found it on the You Tube. Here's another , shorter clip about the statutes.

 

The statutes were destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban. The leader, Mullah Omar, believed the statutes represented idolatry. The Buddhas were all carved into the sandstone cliff of the Bamiyan Valley in central Afghanistan. Some wonder if the Buddhas should be rebuilt.

In 2006, NPR visited the Bamiyan Valley  to see how things had changed since  the caves were destroyed.  The reporters discovered archaeologists examining the left over fragments of the destroyed Buddha, like a foot.

New Shrine Questions Buddha's Date of Birth.

The Buddha may have been born earlier than most historians believe, according to the National Geographic. Archaeologists believe they have found evidence of a Buddhist shrine dating to around 550 BCE. The shrine is in Nepal at the Lumbini pilgrimage center where the Buddha was supposedly born and is the oldest ever found.

Here's another article about the discovery from CNN.

Egypt's First Veiled Rapper

Mayam Mahmoud, who made the semifinals of Arab's Got talent, explains why she thinks it important to express herself.  She says that her parents supported her as long as she sang  about things that had value.

University Capella Group Sings "Royals"

Florida State University’s AcaBelles cappella group has already gotten more than 5 million views on You Tube as it performs Lourdes "Royals." .

Sikhism: BBC Documentary

Teaching Sikhism? Here's a 1997 BBC documentary along with a student worksheet for the first 20 minutes of the video.

Taoism: Great Overview

Here's a great 13 minute radio broadcast about Taoism with religion professor and author, Stephen Prothero.

Scoring Africa

How do the countries of Africa compare to each other on issues like education, health, rights, infrastructure, or HIV, to name just a few of the issues?  PolicMic has this awesome interactive map that allows you to click on any country and see its comparative stats. You can also view a scatterplot for each issue which allows you to see possible relationships between indicators.

Thanks to Danielle Demarest for tweeting the link.

The Tao Te Ching: An Introduction

Did you know that only the Bible has been translated more than the Tao Te Ching? Find out more about it in this 14 minute clip

Taoism & Confucianism: Huston Smith Introduces

Huston Smith, the religious scholar and author of the widely read book, "The World's Religion," discusses Taoism and Confucianism in this 1996 Bill Moyers Special called "The Wisdom of Faith."   He eloquently explains how the teachings--Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism influence the daily lives of the Chinese. For example, Smith notes that all Chinese call on Confucianism for state occasions and parades, on Toaism for illness because Taoists masters know about potions, and on the Buddhist tradition to prepare them for death.

This is the first part of a six part series. Here is the link to part 2, to part 3, to part 4, and to 5 and 6.

Jainism: A Great Introduction

Here's an entertaining video about the teachings of Vardhamana Mahavira and the spread of Jainism.

• Find out more about Jainism at the Victoria and Albert Museum, which has "one of the most important permanent collections of Jain art in the UK."  It's online material is awesome.
• BBC Religion also has a good site for information about basic beliefs and customs.

And here's an interesting clip from PBS's Religion and Ethics Newwekly about modern Jains in India today.

Hasidic Jews: Style & Lifestyle

Upworthy posted this fascinating video about the way Hasidic Jews dress and identify themselves.  At 4 minutes in,  you'll find them talking about how looking the same makes you more individual. And toward the end of the video, you'll find some Hasidic ideas on feminism and sex.

Shintoism: Origins and History

Teaching Shintoism?  Here's a good documentary clip about its origins and history from "Religions of the World." Another clip, below, explains a Japanese shrine. 

Confucianism Today: Tu Wei Ming

Confucianism is a scholarly tradition in which education is crucial. In fact, according to Harvard professor Tu Wei Ming, learning to be human is an ultimate concern.

These are some of the ideas about Confucianism that Dr. Ming discusses with Bill Moyers in this 1988 clip form Moyer's series called "A World of Ideas."  Dr. Ming believes that the humanism of Confucius can help us cope with issues today.

Born in China 1940, Ming's family fled to Taiwan when the Communist took power. He came to America for his education and studied at Harvard where he is a professor of Chinese intellectual history.

The Story of Tibetan Buddhism

If you want to understand the history of Tibetan Buddhism, you might watch this 55 minute documentary produced by France 3. It is mostly black and white and somewhat dry.  But if you want to learn more about the Dalai Lama,  why the Chinese first invaded Tibet or why the Dalai Lama fled to India, then this video is worth watching.

Summary of the 5 Major Religions

Here is an excellent summary of the five universal religions by John Bellaimey on Ted Talks. Bellaimy summarizes each in about 2 minutes. Ken Halla posted this video on our World History blog which you can access here. And here is Bellaimey discussing the hidden meaning of yin and yang.

 

What is Nirvana?

Teaching Buddhism?  Here's a 6 minute clip about the meaning of Nirvana from Thich Nhat Hanh, the Vietnamese Buddhist monk.

Bay Psalm Book to Go on Sale: $30 to $50 Millon

The Bay Psalm Book (A little history and religion)

• First book printed in the colonies in 1640
• First  book printed in English in the New World
• Only 11 copies left in the world
• Could bring $30 to $50 million at Sotheby’s

The Old South Church in Boston is selling the rare book in order to raise its endowment. The church, according to this interesting New York Times story, baptized Benjamin Franklin and was a meeting place for upset colonists.

The opening lines of the Bay Psalm are a little different than the current version. “The Lord to mee a shepheard is, want therefore shall not I. Hee in the folds of tender-grasse, doth cause mee downe to lie.”

Here's a link to the Sotheby's site with more pictures and here is a clip about the sales of the book.

Famous Buddhist Temple: A Dome of Gold?

The Mahabodhi Temple, pictured above, is one of four holy sites related to the life of the Buddha. It's located in Bodh Gaya in India where the Buddha attained enlightenment. Emperor Asoka built the first temple at this site in the 3rd century,CE and this temple was built in the 5th or 6th century. 

Now a group of people, including the king of Thailand, want to cover the dome with 660 pounds of gold that they plan to donate. What would would the Buddha think?  That's what many Buddhists, including the Dalai Llama, are now asking, according this article in the Huffington Post.

It might be interesting to see how students respond to this story.  

Swami Vivekananda Chicago Speech:1893

Here is the audio recording of Vivekananda's famous speech at the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago in 1893. Vivekananda was a Hindu monk and disciple of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. He was the first of a number of Indian gurus who began to travel to the West in the late 1800's. In the speech above, Vivekananda introduced the West to Hinduism  and called for tolerance and an end to fanaticism.

Vivekananda also set up Vedanta Societies and  Ramakrishna missions across Europe, India, and the United States. According to the Pluralism Project, "he explained that the Vedanta teachings of Ramakrishna must be applied to life, which became known as Practical Vedanta: the worshipping of the divine through the abandonment of selfish desires by serving humanity."

Doing Time, Doing Vipassana

In this 52 minute documentary,  prisoners in one of India's most notorious prisons use an ancient Buddhist meditation technique, called Vipassana, to quiet their nerves and improve their behavior. It was so successful when it was first introduced in 1997 that authorities expanded the program the next year.

Vipassana meditation is a little like Zen, though not identical. Practitioners focus their attention on their breath which helps them to develop control over the "unruly mind."

I usually show parts of it to my religion classes when we study Buddhism.

Young Nation Under God: America and Religion

Two radio shows, On Being, hosted by Krista Tippet and The Takeaway, hosted by John Hockenberry, put together a series last month called "Young Nation Under God."

The purpose of the series was to explore the shifting landscape with four groups: "secular Jews, Christians-turned-humanists, American-born Muslims experiencing a clash of cultures, and African-American millennials who remain as committed to their faith as their parents’ generation."

The broadcast above is the first in the series and is about millennials.  Here  is a link to the 2010 survey by the  Pew Research on Religion and Public Life about millennials.  They are the generation born after 1980  and came of age around the year 2000. According to Pew research, one fourth are not affiliated with any particular faith.

Other titles in the series include:

• What does it mean to be Jewish
• First Generation Muslim-Americans Navigate Challenges of Faith and Country
• Christians Turned Atheists Discuss Decision to Leave Family Faith Behind
• Krista Tippett on Millennials Losing Their Religion
• Faith Leaders Respond to Religion's Changing Role

A Touching Transformation for Veteran's Day

Jews In Iraq: The Remnants of a Culture’s Heart and Soul

• A 1793 volume of the Babylonian Talmud
• An 1815 copy of the mystical Zohar
• A 16th-century Hebrew Bible

These are some of the Jewish books and manuscripts that were found in the flooded basement of Saddam Hussein’s secret police headquarter's in 2003.  Most had terrible water damage and required years of restoration work.

Now the National Archives is  launching an exhibition called, "Discovery and Recovery: Preserving Iraqi Jewish Heritage."  It includes 24 artifacts which, according to the New York Times, span five centuries of  Jewish life.  The 24 artifacts represent a small fraction of the total number of documents discovered. Many are now online here.

One photograph included in the exhibition is this 1959 photograph of a family on the Tigris river.

The Fate of Egypt's John Stewart

This summer John Stewart appeared on Egypt's political satire show called Al Bernameg. It's absolutely hilarious and as Max Fisher observes in his story about the appearance, only John Stewart can make a Jewish joke in Egypt and get a lot of laughs.

Since Stewart's appearance in June, Egyptian authorities have taken  the show off the air presumably because the show's anchor, Bassem Youssef, has made a few jokes about Egypt's military leadership. The New York Times has an excellent clip about the decision.

And here's a clip from ABC News about the decision to take Youseef off the air.

Kristallnacht 75th Anniversary

Anniversaries of historical events offer great teaching opportunities because of all the attention in the press and social media. 

Today, November 9, is the 75th anniversary of Kristallnacht — The Night of Broken Glass — "the violent pogrom that saw Nazi-coordinated attacks on thousands of synagogues and Jewish businesses."

Here are some links to stories and clips about the event.

• NPR: Bearing Witness To Nazis' Life-Shattering Kristallnacht
• Holocaust Encyclopedia:  Kristallnacht, a nationwide pogrom, November 9-10, 1938
• Fox News: Kristallnacht anniversary -- 75 years later incitement against Jews continues 
• Excellent Photos from the Huffington Post that recall the horror of the event
• US Holocaust Museum: Pinterest Board on Kristallnacht

Below is a short video clip along with two audio broadcast from NPR. The video clip is from Jewish News Online and reviews what happened. The second is an audio broadcasts from NPR called "Bearing Witness To Nazis' Life-Shattering Kristallnacht." The third is from All Things considered and called "75 Years Ago, Kristallnacht Presaged The Holocaust."

Zen Buddhism: The 10 Ox Herding Pictures

Studying Zen Buddhism?  Here's a clip in which Shinzen Young, an American meditation teacher, explains the 10 Ox Herding pictures. The story of the ox and the oxherd come from an old Taoist story and according to Columbia University " the ox symbolizes the ultimate, undivided reality, the Buddha-nature, which is the ground of all existence."  The oxherd symbolizes the self.  Here is Part 2 and Part 3 of Shinzen Young's video clips.

Columbia University has a great site about the Ox Herding pictures with a great power point, which you can see below.  Buddanet also has a nice interactive site for the pictures worth investigating.

Issue of Prayer Returns

Teaching an elective in religion?  Here's a good issue to debate.

The Supreme Court is deciding the limits of prayer and the First Amendment based on a case that started in Greece, New York. Does prayer have any role at government meetings? The plaintiff, Galloway, says no. The Court is hearing arguments now and many think their decision "could shape the legal landscape on this issue for decades to come."

In addition to the clip above from PBS Religion & Ethics, you can read a good background story about the issue from the New York Times. And Adam Liptak also has good story in the New York Times here.

Here is another background story from the PBS News Hour and below that a news story from Newsy.

Mighty Muslim and Marvel Comics

Studying Islam?  Check out Islam in popular American culture like Marvel Comics.

In February, according to the New York Times, Marvel Comics will begin a new series with a lead character called Karmala Khan. She's a teenage girl living in, believe it or not, Jersey City. Karmala's family comes from Pakistan and the teenager follows Carol Danvers, the blond blue-eyed girl who calls herself Captain Marvel. Karmela discovers her powers like her ability to change shape and soon takes on the code name, Ms. Marvel.

The comic book writer, G. Willow Wilson, told the New York Times, “Captain Marvel represents an ideal that Kamala pines for. She is strong, beautiful and doesn’t have any of the baggage of being Pakistani and ‘different.’ ”

The Huffinton Post also has a short story about the comic here and AP News has one here. And here is a story from NPR's Marketplace:

Great Prezi introducing Sunni Shia Split

Here's another great Prezi, from the same person who did the Buddhism Prezi below, about the Sunni Shia split. It's excellent and worth showing when teaching the rise and spread of Islam in World History or even teaching an elective religion course.

China to Mute Dalai Lama's Voice in Tibet

China says it will stamp out the Dalai Lama's image and voice in Tibet. They will  look for illegal satellite dishes,  and monitor the internet  in an attempt to stop his "propaganda."  According to Yahoo News, Tibet's Communist party chief wrote, "strike hard against the reactionary propaganda of the splittists from entering Tibet."  The New York Times says that the Communist Party sees the Dalai Lama as a "wolf in sheep's clothing."

In the clip above, the Dalai Lama speaks to "CBS This Morning" co-host Norah O'Donnell about a lot of issues including Tibet's relationship with China.

Happy Diwali: Hindu Festival of Lights 2013

Happy Diwali! The Hindu festival of Lights, which is celebrated all over the world, begins today. It lasts five days and Hindus celebrate it with food, dancing, parties and lots of lights.The International Business Times says that "the festival symbolizes the victory of light over dark, good over evil, and knowledge over darkness, and honors of the return of Hindu god Rama to his kingdom after years of exile." The Times also has an excellent slide show of Diwali celebrations.

BuzzFeed also has some great images in a story called "30 Wonderful Things that Happen Every Diwali."  One of the things that happen, according to BuzzFeed,  is that doorsteps are "decorated with beautiful, colorful rangoli" like the one below.

Here are some other Diwali resources.

• BBC religion
• BBC News, Diwali celebrations 2013: Your pictures
• Diwali/Deepavali in United States
• 14 Beautiful Images of Hindu Festival Diwali fromBuzzFeed

And here is an NPR news story about the holiday.

 

Great Prezi Introducing Buddhism

Teaching Buddhism? Here's a great Prezi introduction to Buddhism with several short video clips. I showed it to my World History students last week when we started classical India and they seemed to like it.

50 "Stunning" Synagogues

Here are 50 "stunning" synagogues, according to the Huffington Post, who recently posted 50 "amazing"  mosques. The synagogue above is the Hechal Yehuda Synagogue in Tel Aviv, Israel and the synagogue below is the The Cymbalista Synagogue and Jewish Heritage Center also in Tel Aviv. There are more traditional synagogues such as the one below this one. It's called Grand Synagogue of Paris and it's in France, of course. The slide show at at the Huffington Post does indeed include some stunning synagogues.

Turkey's 'Rockin' Imam

Teaching Islam?  Here's a great story about a Turkish Iman, Ahmet Muhsin Tuzer, who is attempting to soften the image of Islam with music, combining Sufi mysticism and psychedelic rock, according to this fascinating NPR story. He plays in a rock band called FiRock at night while in the daytime he leads his village in prayer.  The clip above is a short report about the Iman from the European Journal.

Many people support his part-time venture into music but some in the establishment think he should be investigated and cannot make money on commercial ventures. Although he assured an NPR reporter that he makes no money from his music, the government has opened an investigation. Nonetheless, Tuzer has become quite famous.

Tuzer said that he is not sure what the future holds but, according to NPR, "he'd like to record a duet with Madonna, known for her interest in the mystical side of Judaism." Listen to the NPR story here or below and watch group play in the clip below.

Here's the NPR audio story.

Oprah Talks with Thich Nhat Hanh

Teaching Buddhism? Here's a great introduction to the Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat from Oprah Winfrey.

Martin Luther King nominated Thich Nhat Hahn for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967 for his work trying to reconcile north and south Vietnam. Denied permission to return to Viet Nam after the Paris Peace Accords, he founded a Buddhist retreat in 1982 in southern France called Plum Village. It is a monastery for both Buddhist monks and nuns. He has spent much of his time trying to spread Buddhist thought around the world.

The Buddha in the World:

Want to learn more about Buddhism? Here's a very readable book by Pankaj Mishra. His book is called "An end to Suffering: The Buddha in the World," It is more than just a biography.  As one reviewer noted, it "is part biography, part history, part travel book, part philosophic treatise."

Mishra is not a Buddhist himself. He could not sit long enough to meditate but he did live in a small Himalayan village where he researched and wrote much of the book.  Mishra's Buddha was not a prophet or religious figure, writes a NY Times reviewer, but a secular one.

Listen to Mishra's short interview with Krista Tippet on her show, On Being.