Works Cited and Link to SlideShare!

Westernization of Yoga

Works Cited

Christopher Muther, "Downward Facing Dude," Boston Globe, 11/10/11 (http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/articles/2011/11/10/how_two_broga_enthusiasts_hope_to_make_yoga_more_accessible_for_men/?page=1)
Donald S. Lopez Jr., The Story of Buddhism
Unknown Author, "The Health Benefits of Yoga," WebMD, 8/17/11 (http://www.webmd.com/balance/the-health-benefits-of-yoga).
Website references (for pictures and minor details):
http://www.victoriassecret.com/clothing/yoga-pants-and-tops?pageAt=all

·         http://www.exoticindiaart.com/book/details/being-as-consciousness-yogacara-philosophy-of-buddhism-IDD982/

·         http://www.iep.utm.edu/b-madhya/

·         http://www.satcenterusa.com/partners.html

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Simon Denyer, "Dispute exposes India-China contest over Buddhism," The Washington Post, 11/30/11, (http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/dispute-exposes-india-china-contest-over-buddhism/2011/11/30/gIQAJ8KeDO_story.html)

 Dispute exposes India-China contest over Buddhism

This article talks about the on-going competition that India and China have with each other over Buddhism. What sparked this article was the recently designated location of the headquarters of a new international Buddhist organization, the International Buddhist Confederation. All around the world, Buddhists chose India as the location of this organization over China. A plausible reason for this is the fact that Chinese officials do not agree with the Dalai Lama, nor do they welcome him to speak. A spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Hong Lei, says, "The Dalai Lama is not a purely religious figure but one who has been engaged in separatist activities for a long time, under the pretext of religion. We oppose any country that provides a platform for his anti-China activities in any form." However, this does not mean that China is against Buddhism. China is the leading country for number of Buddhists, they have hosted two major international Buddhist forums in the past four years, and they are planning on spending close to three billion dollars on building a major tourist complex at Buddha’s birthplace in Lumbini, Nepal. The article goes on to talk about how India is where the Dalai Lama spent five decades and where the Buddha gained enlightenment, taught and achieved complete nirvana. I find this article really interesting because it shows how different each countries' views are on Buddhism. They would rather compete than come together through their religion.

Final Project Proposal

For my final project, I am going to explain why I believe that the Westernization of practicing yoga has gone too far. Specially in America, I feel that the goal of yoga, the fashion of yoga, and the things that happen while people practice yoga are totally twisted from what they really should be according to Buddhist beliefs from the school of Yogacara. I think that it is wrong the way that American perceive yoga and I am aiming to prove why I think it is wrong.

One of the sources I will be analyzing is an article from  WebMD that explains what they believe are the main benefits of yoga ( http://www.webmd.com/balance/the-health-benefits-of-yoga). Another source i will be analyzing is an article from the Boston Globe that writes about a pair of men who have started teaching "Broga" classes (  http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/articles/2011/11/10/how_two_broga_enthusiasts_hope_to_make_yoga_more_accessible_for_men/?page=1). A source I will look at which supports yoga in the eye of Buddhism, is a website, http://iyengaryoga.asia//index.php?option=com_content&task=section&id=1&Itemid=2, which describes a specific class of yoga based out of South East and East Asia.

I will be using Microsoft Power Point to present my project. I will play it on a loop with my voice recorded over each slide it so it is more like a video than a slideshow. This will help to keep it fluid and I will also use visual effects to keep my audience interested and also to support what I will be saying.

Victor S. Navasky, "Why Are Political Cartoons Incendiary?," New York Times, 11/12/11, (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/13/opinion/sunday/why-are-political-cartoons-incendiary.html?_r=1&ref=islam)

Why Are Political Cartoons Incendiary?

This article focuses on the problem that society, but mainly cultures, have against political cartoons. Navasky talks about many examples in which a political cartoon ended with an assault on the cartoonist. In one example, in 1987, Palestinian Naji al-Ali was assassinated outside of the newspaper's building for which he drew political cartoons for. Navasky makes a point that cartoons are "silly," "trivial," and "irrelevant." He states that Muslims are a special case because of their strong opposition of people depicting Muhammad as something he's not. Neuroscientists and Freudians believe that Muslims, as other religions and cultures, become so upset over these political cartoons because there is no equal retaliation. A cartoon is something out there for everyone to see, for everyone to interpret. Of course, you can email the newspaper and complain, but it's not like making a statement with a rude drawing. I find this article very interesting because we see political cartoons all over the news, the internet, and in newspapers but we never really think about the effects they have on other people, or at least I don't. The writer of this article didn't center the piece around Muslims but rather was trying to make a point that the way they view Muhammad is very sacred to them therefore being a reason as to why they would be upset if someone interpreted him differently than what he actually was.

Christopher Muther, "Downward facing dude," Boston Globe, 11/10/11, (http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/articles/2011/11/10/how_two_broga_enthusiasts_hope_to_make_yoga_more_accessible_for_men/?page=2)

 Downward facing dude

This article got my attention at first because of it's funny-looking title. But, the more I read, the more intrigued I was. The writer talks about a pair of men, Adam O'Neill and Robert Sidoti, who have started yoga classes called "Broga." This name is the combination of "bro" and "yoga." Their main goal in starting these programs is to allow men to feel comfortable while doing their yoga versus being intimidated by doing a class with a bunch of women. In the article, Muther writes, "This is a slightly more aggressive and physical incarnation of yoga; Sanskrit terms are avoided as much as possible, and poses are carefully explained." I find this very interesting because, we as a class, know that yoga is not just something people originally did for exercise. I think this article is a good example of just how far Western views reinterpret aspects from all over the world.

Jung-yoon Choi, "South Korean pastor tends to flock of abused children," Los Angeles Times, 11/1/11, (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2011/10/south-korea-child-abuse-counseling-vicitms-psychiatric-care.html)

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2011/10/south-korea-child-abuse-counseling-vicitms-psychiatric-care.html

This article is about a minister, Hwang Chum-go, who runs a group called,  Open Center Youth Foundation, "which rescues South Korean children abused by their parents and other relatives." Hwang has been running this foundation for over two decades and has a series of nationwide centers to help house and guide over 500 abused children. He does not try to push any type of religion or belief into their minds, instead he tries to help them understand that they can relax and enjoy life. The writer also mentions some scary facts about parental abuse in South Korea. In a study, two-thirds of parents admitted to whipping their children and 45 percent admitted to beating them in some way or another. I think that Minister Hwang's centers are definitely a helping hand to these children. It's shocking to know the details of just how widespread parental abuse is in South Korea. 

Edward Wong, "Ninth Tibetan, a Nun, Immolates Herself in Anti-China Protest," The New York Times, 10/23/11, (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/18/world/asia/ninth-tibetan-a-nun-immolates-herself-in-anti-china-protest.html?_r=1&ref=buddhism).

This article is about yet another self-immolation in protest of China. This time though, it was a nun, the first in this series of events. Tenzin, the 20 year old nun, was the ninth Tibetan to commit self-immolation since March and the fifth one to die. Tenzin's nunnery is close to Kirti where a lot of the Chinese repression has happened. I think these self-immolations are saying a lot but also too much. I don't think that a person or organization needs to die in order to be heard. The writer of this article does a nice job of simply reporting and not taking any personal stance however.

Sandra Yi, "Vietnamese Buddhist group evicted from Utah temple," Desecret News, 10/9/11, (http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705392184/Vietnamese-Buddhist-group-evicted-from-Utah-temple.html)

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705392184/Vietnamese-Buddhist-group-evicted-from-Utah-temple.html

This article is about a congregation of Vietnamese Buddhists who were evicted from their temple due to an unsettled misunderstanding. This specific group of Vietnamese Buddhists belong to the Vietnamese Unified Buddhist Association of Utah. "About 10 years ago, the Utah organization agreed to donate the property to the American-Vietnamese Unified Buddhist Congress in the USA." The issue is that a year ago, the deed was transferred to Thich Tri Lang, a Buddhist Monk, without the Utah group knowing. Lang had the group evicted and now uses the temple for his followers. I think this is not very fair, the association should have been notified about it since they worship there daily. I also don't understand why the temple can't be shared. The writer definitely plays up that Lang is the bad guy in this situation which isn't very fair.

Nonprofit Accounting News, "Ho Foundation donates $5.2 million to study of Buddhism," Sage Nonprofit Solutions, 10/6/11, (http://www.sagenonprofit.com/Newsroom/IndustryDetails?title=Ho-Foundation-donates-%25245.2-million-to-study-of-Buddhism&id=85667470-f442-4ddc-9b00-4b1cab0dd1ac)

http://www.sagenonprofit.com/Newsroom/IndustryDetails?title=Ho-Foundation-donates-%25245.2-million-to-study-of-Buddhism&id=85667470-f442-4ddc-9b00-4b1cab0dd1ac

This article may be brief but I was very happy after I read it. It's about a donor giving 5.2 million dollars to Harvard and Stanford universities,"to increase the level of awareness in the U.S. when it comes to the ancient religion first started by Siddhartha Gautama." I think it's great that these schools will be able to devote more towards learning about Buddhism. From taking this class, I now know that there is a lot more to Buddhism than what the majority of people may think. I like this article because it has nothing but positivity and speaks about teaching more people about Buddhism in a more in-depth way.

Edward Wong, "Two Tibetan Monks Set Themselves on Fire in Protest," New York Times, 9/26/11, (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/27/world/asia/two-tibetan-monks-set-themselves-on-fire-in-protest.html?_r=1&ref=buddhism)

Two Tibetan Monks Set Themselves on Fire

In this article, Edward Wong writes about two Tibetan monks setting themselves on fire outside of a monastery in Western China. This is not the first time that monks have done this to themselves outside of this Kirti monastery. A total of four self-immolations by monks have taken place outside of this monastery due to disagreements with Chinese policies in the area. The two most-recent monks reportedly said, "Long live the Dalai Lama!" before setting themselves on fire. I think this article speaks negatively about the monks indirectly. It's hard for us to understand why someone would do that to themselves, especially someone that is a spiritually figure such as a monk. In the eyes of the public, this action seems barbaric and idiotic. But, in the eyes of the monks associated with this monastery, it probably holds an entirely different meaning.

Ani, "Ganesh vs. Hitler play upsets Hindus," Hindustantimes, 9/19/11, (http://www.hindustantimes.com/Ganesh-vs-Hitler-play-upsets-Hindus/Article1-747494.aspx)

In this article, we read about a play titled "Ganesh Versus the Third Reich." This is a newly produced play directed by Australian artist, Bruce Galdwin. This play has been taking on some heat because it depicts this Hindu God of associating itself with Hitler in some fashion or another. This article starts off by talking about how this play has upset some Hindus, like Hindu statesman Rajan Zed. Zed is President of the Universal Society of Hinduism in Nevada and says that Ganesh is not meant to become a mockery on the stage of theatre. Although, at the end of the article, the writer forgets about the negatives of the play and gives information regarding its showing times and location. The article ends with information about Ganesh and what the specific god represents. I think this article shows the negative effect of portraying a Hindu God but then explains nicely how the God is really meant to be portrayed as. 

Linda K. Wertheimer, "Test of Faith," The Boston Globe, 9/8/11, (http://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2011/09/08/test-faith/tHJoFiiHL1MW7FKSrKViWL/story.xml)

In this article, Wertheimer writes about an annual field trip that students of Wesslesley Middle School take to a mosque in Boston as part of their world religions requirement at school. It shows positive points from both the Islamic side and the non-Islamic side. Joshua Frank, the school's principal at the time, is quoted, "'I felt it was important to establish we can teach about religion. There is nothing like being inside a mosque, inside a temple. These experiences are powerful for kids. They are going to remember them long after they forget Mohammed was born in 570 AD.'" Although the school's intentions were in the right places, it all went down-hill when a parent chaperone video-recorded one of the fields trips and uploaded it to YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7-I9Qp3d4Y). During this specific field trip, a few of the boys from the class were invited by one of the worshipers to pray with them. The boys may not have known what the motions meant, but to many other parents, it was wrong by all means. The man who runs the mosque, M. Bilal Kaleem, is quoted saying, "'As a mosque, we didn't invite them to pray. It is our clear policy not to invite visitors to pray. This was a learning experience. Once you take kids out of the school, there are challenges. They're curious." Even after this fiasco, the school still takes their kids to see temples and mosques. They believe that the risks of teaching about world religions is less than what can be achieved by it. I think this article is very controversial although not towards Islamic and Muslim culture. The writer speaks respectfully about the culture and religion and is merely stating how difficult it all can be when dealing with specific people or groups of people. The YouTube video really puts into perspective just how hateful people can be towards topics they know rarely of.

Sam Dolnick, "Offerings to the Hindu Gods End Up as Jamaica Bay Trash," The New York Times, 4/22/11, (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C04E7D91138F931A15757C0A9679D8B63&ref=hinduism&pagewanted=1)

This article speaks about Hindu rituals that are respected by most but are also challenged by the same people. During rituals and offerings made for the goddess of the river, Ganga, followers put a variety of objects including coconuts, other fruits and foods, flowers, cremated ashes, flags, coins, and more into a bay near Queens. This bay leads into the Jamaican Bay and the objects not only have been polluting the waters but have also increased the risk of changing food chains due to the food being added to the waters. When I first started reading the article, I thought it was going to about how enraged people were about the water being polluted. As I read on, it became an article about how members of authority and members of the Hindu culture have been trying to work together to improve the situation. "'Pandit B. Rishi Misir, a Brooklyn priest who leads a Hindu group, USA Pandits' Parishad," is quoted saying, "They [Hindu followers] should understand we are in a different country now. Our scripture does mention that we should follow the country's rules and regulations. But some people are very stubborn.'" I think the article reflects not only positively to the authorities of the area but also upon the respect people do have for the Hindu traditions and rituals.