Daniel Choi

              Meditation Experience.
                  
         So during the meditation during class was an experience I will not forget. Being able to meditate completely without any distractions was really hard. During the first step all I thought about was finishing my English homework. During the second step I was just really hungry. When we were meditating during the right speech part I just thought of being positive. When we got to the right conduct it was talking about the right actions we should take so I thought of helping others. During right livelihood just being happy was on my mind. The right effort we were walking around and after I was tired so I thought it was a good workout. Right mindfulness I could not think of anything and was really distracted. The last step right concentration I was pretty much dancing to party rock anthem in my head and was not concentrated at all. In the end I was really distracted not being able to concentrate on the meditation but just thinking of whatever was in my head.


                Bongwonsa Temple Experiences.
    
        When we went to the the temple I was able to see a new view on Buddhism. The temple was just amazing with the 3000 Buddhas. At the temple there were people visiting and praying. When I saw the people pray I noticed what was going while they were praying. One of the monks would be playing the drums playing softly at first and then gradually getting louder and louder then slowly start to play really softly. The experience was interesting also because of the stories they had on the temple around. Showing what lessons can be learned from not doing the right thing.

  Hinduism in Action. Reflection #2

"I am a Muslim, Christian, and a Jew; and so are you"
When Gandhi says this when everyones together and they were talking about what should happen between the Muslims and the Hindus. One side was arguing that there should be a Pakistan land for the Muslims and then India land for the Hindus. Then Gandhi comes in and then tells them that he is a Muslim, Christian, and a Jew, which he meant that everyone was equal and everyone was the same. We were all made by God the same way and he does not say that he likes a another person more than someone else. We are all equal and all the races are equal.

"A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks; he becomes"
Gandhi is talking about how the people thinks is the way the person acts. When the Hindus were rebelling against the police and the British, they acted like people who were just killers. Gandhi wanted to make people fight with peaceful thoughts and peaceful actions. He did not want anyone to hurt the people they were rebelling against. When the people were acting violent he fasted for them to stop. When he did the people stopped acting violent and praying that Gandhi would stop because if he went any further with the fasting he would have had died. So he wanted to have people think the right way and peacefully because he did not want people to become corrupt.

Yoga.
 While I was doing yoga, I was able to feel very relaxed and i was able to feel safe while doing yoga. The experience was surprising because it was also my very first time doing yoga and it also felt like I was able to feel like I was in a different world. I was able to find out that yoga in Hinduism was important because the Hindus would have to concentrate and be to connect with the inner self. It is also important because it is able to relax them and help them achieve Nirvana.                   

 The Moais of Easter Island

                                                        By: Daniel Choi

               
                                                          Long long ago
                                                           Far far away
                                                         In Easter Island
                                                      Lived the Polynesians

                                               Honor the dead honor the dead
                                             By offering them tuna and lobster
                                                           Help us Help us
                                         Live out our lives the the best we can

                                                          Moais! Moais!
                                               Walking up the mountains
                                                 To the place of your rest
                                                   Standing on the sides
                                            Staying cool and resting forever
               
                                                         Moais! Moais!
                                                      Tell us your secrets
                                                      Tell us your secrets
               
                                                                    My Shema

Characteristics of God
I believe that he is helpful, he is almighty, and he is trust worthy.
The reason he has the 3 characteristics in my view is because I knew someone who was sick and it seemed like there was no hope on that person in living. Soon a few days later the doctor came in and told that that the person will be able to live because the thing that was making the person die just disappeared.
 This showed me that there is some great power out there. This also showed that he can be trust worthy because we trusted in him on helping the person out and he kept that trust. Lastly he is helpful because he was able to help the friend become healthy again. These are the main reasons i believe that there is someone out there.


Jesus in the Carols 
O Holy Night was written by Adolphe Adam in 1847 based on the French poem Minuit, chrétiens" (Midnight, Christians) by Placide Cappeau (1808-1877). Jesus in this song is portrayed as "God as man descended unto us." Also in the song this is when Jesus was born into this world from Mary and then is out into the manger to sleep. He is to erase the stain of original sin. He is the one who God has sent down from heaven to wash away all the sins and bad things we have done from us by being our sacrifice and dying on the cross for us. Also this experience was a new one for me because even though I am a pastors son and i go to church every Sunday, I was able to go deeper into the songs that we sang from the Christmas service. I did not know that the songs we sang had more meaning to songs that were about Jesus Christ. I was able to understand more about Jesus Christ than I did before because I was able to learn more about him through the Carols. I also brought Yong Choi over to my church to come to the Christmas service. This was also one thing that made this project fun was at my church there is no SFS people there because it is a Korean-Speaking church. So being able to have a friend from school over to my church was also one very fun thing I was able to experience. 

Midnight, Christians, it is the solemn hour,

When God as man descended unto us

To erase the stain of original sin

And to end the wrath of His Father.

The entire world thrills with hope

On this night that gives it a Savior.

People kneel down, wait for your deliverance.

Christmas, Christmas, here is the Redeemer,

Christmas, Christmas, here is the Redeemer!

May the ardent light of our Faith

Guide us all to the cradle of the infant,

As in ancient times a brilliant star

Guided the Oriental kings there.

The King of Kings was born in a humble manger;

O mighty ones of today, proud of your greatness,

It is to your pride that God preaches.

Bow your heads before the Redeemer!

Bow your heads before the Redeemer!

The Redeemer has broken every bond:

The Earth is free, and Heaven is open.

He sees a brother where there was only a slave,

Love unites those that iron had chained.

Who will tell Him of our gratitude,

For all of us He is born, He suffers and dies.

People stand up! Sing of your deliverance,

Christmas, Christmas, sing of the Redeemer,

Christmas, Christmas, sing of the Redeemer!

(Literal Translation of the Poem)