Field Experience #6- Subculture Exploration A New Perspective Tori Hernandez

November 17th, 2011

The last field experience that I did was last for a reason. I was really skeptical about just showing up at some gathering place from a difference ethnic group and trying to find a way to blend in or look like I had a reason to be there. Thats why I was so glad when a friend of mine said that she had to visit a Buddhist service for her religion class. We went to Bindu in Cornelius, only about thirty minutes away. The whole way there I was nervous yet excited. Ive grown up in church, and Ive visited a Jewish temple before, so I was really looking forward to venturing out of my norm for this experience. I really know very about the Buddhist religion, but Lindsey filled me in as much as she could before and after. One thing that she said she found unusual and was startle by was that it cost us eight dollars to participate. She didnt expect a charge because she said that they really focused less on money and the external factors of life and turned their attention internally. She said it was a little ironic that they focused on non materialistic things as a religion yet made you pay to experience it. In our meditation session there was a monk and a few other middle aged women. I really expected to feel like more of an outsider and sort of lost in the whole process, but I was shortly proved wrong. The whole process went meditation, discussion, then more meditation. During meditation, the monk told us to close our eyes and picture a river and then it was completely silent. The meditation was extremely relaxing. There was no music or anything playing, we were just left completely alone with our thoughts. At first I was worried I would doze off or that my mind would wander. But surprisingly I was able to stay focused, I was really interested in experiencing this

thoroughly. The point was just to clear your mind and focus, I suppose, which is what I really tried to do. I found meditation very enjoyable. After meditation the monk would lead the whole discussion and no one else really talked. He focused on what Lindsey informed me were the major topics of Buddhism, like death, past and future lives, emptiness, and how we affect others. The discussion was completely from his head, he never referenced anything like notes. I thought that his discussion was really interesting. He compared our lives and actions as planting a seed, and when the seeds ripen is when good or bad things will happen. He also talked a lot about our minds and also focused on the idea that we all need to accept death. He said everyone will die, so we need to live life as if it could happen any day. When he talked about our minds, he said something about how our bodies were helping our minds pass through life. It was definitely a new perspective and way to look at life. Like the text mentions, those who grow up Christian, like I have, believe that salvation is attainable only through Christ [while others, like Buddhists] hold their own beliefs about salvation [and] what happens to the human spirit when the body dies (Samovar 2007 p. 188). Knowing these two major differences is what makes experiencing someone elses culture so thrilling and exciting. I think its best to acknowledge the differences and experience everyones point of view. Its exciting and enriching to look at things through a different perspective, and while being in meditation and hearing the discussion I thought it was a great way to see what Buddhists believe, even more so than just reading online or a book. I really enjoyed this experience. Though I may have been nervous and excited as I entered Bindu, I was much more calm and relaxed as I left. Lindsey also enjoyed the trip, and she said it was a lot like what they talked about in her class. I thought it was a great experience and I loved being able to venture out of my comfort zone.

Reference Page Samovar, L. (2007). Communication between cultures. (7th ed., p. 463). Boston: Wadsworth.