Maple Grove: A Feminist Perspective

All service can practice their religious beliefs in the manner they wish-staff remove their shoes before they enter into the temple too.√

Within these temples, religious ceremonies were not held as we hold mass in a church. Instead, the temple for each god and goddess were considered the living place of whoever it was built in honor to. The most notable would the be the temple to Athena which is showcased in the photo to the left . In each temple, a statue of the god was placed for worshipers to live

“If I were asked to define the Hindu creed, I should simply say: Search after truth through non-violent means. A man may not believe in God and still call himself a Hindu. Hinduism is a relentless pursuit after truth... Hinduism is the religion of truth. Truth is God.”

Temples were based off the post and lintel system. They were made out stone and marble and consisted of tall, defined columns which were lined up around the entire temple. Temples were originally painted and usually carved with leaves, flowers, scenes of battles, mythological creatures, and narratives. They served as homes for gods and goddesses who protected and sustained the community. There was typically a statue of a god or goddess standing or sitting in the center of the temple. Greek designers sought perfection; the temples had to be ideal aesthetically and they had to appeal to the gods and goddesses. Only priests were usually allowed in the temple to contribute to the upkeep and perform rituals on behalf of the community. Public participation was limited to taking part in religious festivals and

However, it is hard to practice religion due to judgment from other races and the location of the temple is further from home. Another reason is the person might not have the items needed for the rituals. One thing that I observed about my Vietnamese and Chinese communities is that the temple is a safe place for the community to practice their religious beliefs. However, it is exclusive with other communities due to religions are not a melting pot, where it might accept and possibly absorb some ideas, but language and ignorance become a barrier that some could not overcome. There is a quote in the narrative by Elk that I found relevant to the present culture; Elk wrote, “Indeed, he observed the way in which we fearfully, anxiously, shape our whole lives by religious, political, cultural, and personal labels and names – all of which function as a buffer zone of security between ourselves and the experience of life” (8). From what I gather from the quote is we form our identity around our religion and political and cultural

Hinduism is a major religion in India as well as Nepal and a few other Asian countries. It has more than 900 million followers throughout the world but interestingly, this religion has no single founder, no single scripture and no single set of teachings that are uniformly believed and followed by all Hindus. Hinduism is said to exist as a supreme being while both Buddhism and Confucianism are based on the teachings of a man while Taoism revolves around a concept.1 (Kokemuller, J.) All of them have similarities and differences to a great extent.

Hinduism is a polytheistic religion that is very much a part of the people in India and Nepal. It has over 900 million followers worldwide and it is considered one of the oldest religions in the world, dating back many thousands of years. This religion is split into many different branches because of their belief in many gods and goddesses. Each branch worships a different god that they view as “supreme above all others.” Granted that they had a great leader, Mahatma Gandhi, they were able to change the world, and more specifically the United States. His philosophical ideas inspired our country to fight for equality. But in order to understand this better, it is important to have a deeper understanding of the Hinduism beliefs.

Rd 145 soon became an integral part of everyday life in Birdseye, Indiana. Home to multiple general stores, a variety of hometown restaurants,and a hall for the Modern Woodmen of America (Huff 1), this edifice served as a gathering place for all residents, past and present, throughout its 123 year lifetime. Now nearing the end of its lifecycle once again, this unique building awaits the chance to undergo an extensive restoration to reveal its former grandeur, because as Helmut Jahn once said, “Every building is a prototype. No two are alike,” (Demakis 12). Preserving this crumbling Italianate gem will not only provide a cultural hotspot for the town of Birdseye; it will give residents the opportunity to learn about the structure’s illustrious past and the history of the town itself while also telling the stories of many past residents and the challenges they

Southern India used wealth to build hundreds of elaborate Hindu temples, which organized agricultural activities coordinated work on irrigation systems and maintained reserves of surplus production

Hinduism is a religion practiced all over the world and has gained a large following. Hinduism got its start in the Indus Valley civilization and since then has evolved into a open and tolerant religion upon which every and anybody from all walks of life are welcome. In Hinduism there is a divine reality which can best be described as all reality is ultimately one for monistic Hindus or that there is no distinction between the divine reality and the rest of reality for dualistic Hindus. Either way it is put Hindus try to understand divine reality through their different gods, images, nature, and avatars.

Ever since the dawn of the civilization, one of the most profound undertakings for the human kind has been the mission of discovering and understanding our bond with a divine power, a creator. Such knowledge would reveal us the purpose of our existence. Every one of the major religions of the world offers rules and recommendations that need to be followed in order for the worshiper to become enlightened, or one with God. And almost all of them use temples as sacred places that offer a connection between our world and the heavens. A place that allows our senses to get close to God.

Eck states, “Christians not only have a witness to bear, but a witness to hear (19).” Eck understands that in many cases judgement is quick to happen when one party only wants to speak. The manner in which Eck speaks about Hinduism and those whom she has met along her journey shows the reader that she has not only spoken her beliefs, but also has heard the beliefs of others. Hindus share their faith with others, but they also accept the faith of those who do not agree with how they think. Eck speak of an instance where she was invited to attend an event where a murdi of Jesus was to be placed in a Hindu temple. The placing of this murdi in their temple is an action which could be taken in a variety of sentiments. Where many might find the place of an image of Jesus as disturbing, others might take it as a form of respect. Of course the placing of the murdi was not meant to be an offense to others. The placing of the murdi of Jesus in their temple is an action which shows their acknowledgment of Jesus Christ. Throughout the reading Eck reiterates the Hindus acceptance of the many forms in which they see

Hinduism is the name given to a family of religions and cultures that began and still flourish in India. The word “Hindu,” comes from the name of the river Indus, which flows from Tibet through Kashmir and Pakistan to the sea. It originally referred to the people living in that particular region of the world, regardless of their faith. Hinduism has no original founder and is one of the world’s largest religions following Christianity and Islam, with approximately a billion adherents. Hinduism is henotheistic, which is the devotion to a single god while accepting the existence of other gods. Their god is present in everything, and they believe that their soul repeatedly goes through a cycle of being born into a body, dying, and then becoming reborn into another body, whether it is human, animal or spirit. Hindu’s also strongly believe in karma, which is a force that determines the quality of each life, depending on how well one behaved in a past life. Hindu’s do not separate religion from other aspects of their life. Hinduism in India dictates Hindu’s lives in that it involves a caste system which controls their position in society, assists them in earning a living, helps manage how they raise their a family and controls their diets. Hindu’s believe that freedom or liberation is the true goal in life. True freedom is the freedom from all external conditioning influences, whether of body or mind. This is the freedom of Self-realization,

For example, Christians retreat to Churches, Muslims worship in mosques, Jews pray in temples, etc. But the significance of Hindu temples is the fact that there are only four “holy places”: “…[they] correspond to the four points of the compass and near which…Shankara established his four main centers” (Holy Places).

My interviewee Tony Khanna, a fellow co-worker, took me to his temple he goes to worship, on a Sunday evening. He took me to the Sri Meenakshi Devasthanam located in Pearland, Texas. The first thing I noticed upon arrival at the temple is the beautiful architectural building design outside. I was in amazement of how beautiful the temple was. I had not seen something so beautiful in quite awhile. The temple is visible from a quite a distance away and has two stunning white towers. When coming up to the temple from the parking lot Tony indicated to me that the temple was established in 1977 and was a replica of a famous temple in India. There was a huge white gate we had to walk through to get to the main temple. Once inside I was greeted by many Hindu's that were quite pleasant and talkative towards this outsider that I was. Before the visit one of my questions to Tony was if Hindu's welcomed outsiders within their temples. He indicated that Hindu's are very open and that I would be welcomed. I was quite surprised for this to be so true. With in the confines of the temple there were many different kinds of symbols that I was not quite familiar with. A couple that I noted was a Diya, Om, and Swastika. There were