Week 3

From this weeks readings I enjoyed chapter four, culture and religion in Eurasia/North Africa. I have always been fond of Greek Mythology and to learn that many Greek intellectuals wanted to dismiss all the myths and focus on ruling by natural laws that complement an ethical way of life based on ones morals. Although many people wanted to change the influence of Greek culture in terms of mythology, many people lived by examples of the Gods as told in stories, dance, and songs.

Another topic  I was drawn to was Buddhism. As a child my father always encouraged keeping an open mind to all religions. While training for the Olympic sport of Taekwondo I often turned to the teachings of Buddha from Tibet. It was nice to read about the origin of Buddha, which is from India. Siddhartha Gautama is the first to take a spiritual revelation because he was disenchanted with his sheltered upbringing. He left his wife and new born child to take on a forty-nine-day journey through meditation.

It was interesting that the human form of buddha had not surfaced until the first century C.E.  in what is known today as Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan. Many of the buddha's from India, Japan, China, and Tibet are pictured with his or her disciples, multiple heads or hands. A buddha pictured with multiple heads represents buddha trying to listen to everyones cry for help and guidance, while a buddha with multiple arms represents buddha trying to help all in need.