2009-2010 discussion
Philosophy Books
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Questions_Being Peace_ by Thich Nhat Hanh
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Evaluation question- On page 30 when he was talking about the plant verse, why do you think he said herself instead of himself?Synthesis question- could you write a song about how the author was feeling when he was talking about the Budah sitting under the tree and the lady walked up and gave him some milk and rice?
Grammar question- What does the author do to maintain a consistent tone?
Analysis- can you explain when the author states that human beings are composed of five aggregates ?Evaluation- Do you agree with the authors definiton of meditation? Why or why not?
Application- Do you know anyone that meditates?
Application- Have you ever done or considered meditation? How has this book changed your perception about meditaion? Analysis- What do you think the author means when he says on page 56: "For things to reveal themselves to us, we need to be ready to abandon our views about them."
Evaluation: Do you agree with the author's ideas on pages 56-58 about perception and understanding?
Analysis- What did the author mean when he said,"Do we need to make a special effort to enjoy the beauty of the blue sky?","Do we have to practice to be able to enjoy it?"?Grammar- How does the author begin and end a chapter?
Have you ever tried applying meditation to any of your own experience?
Analysis-What do you think would've happened if the girl with the milk would've never came along with the milk?Application-Do you or anyone you know have the type of relationship with someone where what the other person does have an affect on them weather it's negative or positive?
Grammar-Does the author use any figurative language?
Kristina wrote:Do you know anyone that meditates?I honestly don't know antone personally who meditates. I do have a nephew that self soothes himself in a way so that might be a form of meditation. Meditation might mean something different to different people. So really I believe i do know someone that meditates,my nephew, that's his way from getting too mad.
Darion wrote: Do you agree with the author when he says every on has a little buddha in them?I do think everyone has a little Buddha in them. My reason being is because based off of who I know, a lot of them tend to wind down and just be calm and happy. They tend to be more relaxed then what they usually are through the day. I even do that so maybe I have a little Buddha in me. Buddha can aslo be in other things instead of just humans.
1.Grammar: What does the author do to maintain a consistent tone?
2.Evaluation:
How would you have handled your friends abandoning you like Siddhartha's friends (the three other monks) did when he drank milk and ate rice?
3.Application:
Do you know another famous buddha in history who used mediatation to find inner peace?
Darion wrote: "Evaluate Question- Do you agree with the author when he says every on has a little buddha in them?" Yes i do agree with the author when he says everyone has a little buddah in their life. I wouldn't necessarily call it buddah though. I personally believe that everybody has a kind heart. They may not show it but every now and then it comes out. Nodody is mean hearted. I also believe that eveybody is "awaken" in other words they know what's going on in their life and they know that everything in their life is not perfect but they an make something good out of it. So again I agree that everybody is in a way kind and understands, that is what the author the author describes as having Buddah in them.
Alexandra wrote: "Application- Have you ever done or considered meditation? How has this book changed your perception about meditaion?"Yes,I do meditate.I thought that meditation was sitting with your legs crossed, closing your eyes and just thinking, or reading the bible or the Qu'ran ect. When I read the part about meditation, I realized that you can do those things to meditate, but you can also just realize what your God has given to you, such as: the earth itself, the trees, a house, a family,the sun etc. It doesn't limit to those things, but just to realize and think about what you have.So in reading this section I think I need to start meditating a little more. That is what I got from the book when he was talking about meditation.
Stephanie wrote - "What would you rate this book from 1-10?"I think that this book was about a 6.Because i think and my fellow teenager are really not really into or can relate to meditation or buddha, althought the author claims that theirs a little buddha in everyone. Their was also some good thing i really like about this book, like it is easy to get in to this book because the author makes it easy to understand what she talking about. I was in and out the book but overall the book is o.k.
Erin wrote- What did the author mean when he said,"Do we need to make a special effort to enjoy the beauty of the blue sky?","Do we have to practice to be able to enjoy it?"? I think the aauthor was just stressing the fact that we need to enjoy life and relax sometime. People who do not have time to relax are making a big mistake and should change that. The author thinks that you should have a little time to relax a day. Just as me and my fellow christians believe that you should give at least a little time of your day to God. This author really is behind this big time, and he is not the only one.
Kristina wrote: Evaluation- Do you agree with the authors definition of meditation? Why or why not?The author describes meditation as a way to re-enter into society. I agree with him because it makes perfect sense to me why he describes meditation like this. Most people think meditation is a way to be alone and get away from the things around you, but it's not. It's a way to clear your head and rethink things. The author uses society as an example lets say you're upset about the things that are happening in society. You could meditate for a while and when you're done meditating you'd have a clear head and you probably wouldn't be upset about the things that are happening in society anymore so it's like you're re-entering society with a different view of things.
Stephanie R wrote: What would you rate this book from 1-10?I would give this book a 8. Because I like this book and I like the whole philosophy thing. Also because one of my friends is a Buddhist and I wanted to learn more about Buddhism, and this book is giving me all the information i need to know about Buddhism. And because, this book isn't hard to understand and it's not boring. The stories the author tells keeps me interested. But overall this is just a great book.
Erin wrote : have u ever tried applying meditation to any of your own experieces? i honestly have not. This book clearly points out the true meaning of meditation. I would consider trying it. I do know some people that meditate but i always thought they were just overreacting or something but to once again i have not tried it but i wouldnt mind to
Jaiterra wrote: "Evaluation question- On page 30 when he was talking about the plant verse, why do you think he said herself instead of himself?I think he (the monk) said "himself" instead of "herself" because he was probably referring to the Buddha as a type of "motherland." When he was explaining how to recite the verse when you are planting something he said the Buddha takes refuge in the earth itself therefore connecting the Buddha to everything that grows and has life and the "motherland" (earth) gives life.
Erin wrote: "Analysis- What did the author mean when he said,"Do we need to make a special effort to enjoy the beauty of the blue sky?","Do we have to practice to be able to enjoy it?"?I believe Hanh meant people should take the time to appreciate things. Some claim to not have time or energy to admire the good and bad aspects of life. Others that do meditate find and make time to absorb all life has to offer. In closing, this book has really influenced me to pause when i feel pressured or stressed, and collect myself.
Grammar- How does the..."
Kristina wrote: "Analysis- can you explain when the author states that human beings are composed of five aggregates ?
Evaluation- Do you agree with the authors definiton of meditation? Why or why not?
Applica..."
Stephanie wrote : How would you rate Being Peace on a scale of 1-10 ?I would rate it a 6 or 7. I would rate it that because it started off very good and I was very interested. As i continued to read I started to loose interest but when they started to describe meditation.I started to really get intersted but another reason i would rate it that way is because the chapters are weird. They are weird to me because they dont intertwine with each other.
Sharmi wrote: "1.Grammar: What does the author do to maintain a consistent tone?
Hanh maintains a constant tone by including gentle, descriptive, and soothing words. His purpose is to inform audiences of self-reflection. By reflecting on yourself, you discover old and new things happening in your life.
2.Evaluation:
How would you have handled your friends abandoning you like Siddhartha's friends (the three other monks) did ..."
Alexandra wrote: Analysis- What do you think the author means when he says on page 56: "For things to reveal themselves to us, we need to be ready to abandon our views about them."
I think the author is trying to say that basically things aren't always as they seem. Our beliefs and outlooks on things are very different from each other and sometimes that makes it hard for us to understand each other. If we could learn to abandon what we strongly believe at times maybe we could understand the "bigger picture" and stop being so selfish. I think the author is trying to make us understand that to truly understand anything you have to have a open mind and not be egotistic and come to a conclusion that it's okay to be wrong.
Stephanie wrote: "Sharmi" wrote:
1.Grammar: What does the author do to maintain a consistent tone?
Hanh maintains a constant tone by including gentle, descriptive, and soothing words. His purpose is to inform audiences of self-reflection. By reflecting on yourself, you discover old and new things happening in your life.
Stephanie, I agree with your statement. I also think the author is trying to make us realize what is happening around us as well us knowing and understanding who we are inside. When we reflect on ourselves we can discover our strengths and weaknesses and become happy. He does include calming words to try to alleviate our worries and create a sense of peace and refelct the book's title "Being Peace."
Erin wrote: Grammar- How does the author begin and end a chapter?I think the author does a good job organizing each chapter. He starts each with an introduction of a topic such as meditation or smiling. He states its common misconceptions and pre-conceived notions. Then he futher explains the idea in relation to a Buddhist stand point. By the end of the chapter the reader is left with a different view on the certain subject. The author is generally consistent with this format throughout the book.
Stephanie wrote: APPLICATION: If teenagers knew how much smiling could benefit their body and mind, would they do it in the worst of situations?I believe most teenagers already know the general benefits of smiling. The way it gives a peace of mind and makes everyone in higher spirits. Some teenagers might try to smile even in bad situations but it would take a lot of practice. For any person, they have to be at peace with themselves to overcome the power of the anger which takes understanding. That is the only way one can truly smile on the inside and out. A teenager just can't decide to smile when times get rough they have to feel the peace.
Alexandra wrote: "Application- Have you ever done or considered meditation? How has this book changed your perception about meditaion?"Jaiterra wrote: "Yes,I do meditate.I thought that meditation was sitting with your legs crossed, closing your eyes and just thinking, or reading the bible or the Qu'ran ect. When I read the part about meditation, I realized that you can do those things to meditate, but you can also just realize what your God has given to you, such as: the earth itself, the trees, a house, a family,the sun etc. It doesn't limit to those things, but just to realize and think about what you have.So in reading this section I think I need to start meditating a little more. That is what I got from the book when he was talking about meditation."
This book also changed my view on meditaion. I had the same perception of trying to become one with yourself. But the author's idea makes much better sense. It is important to reintegrate back into society because we are not individuals but one. We effect our society and the society effects us.
Application Question- Do you know anyone whose needs to smile more or practice understanding other, if you do how would that help them?
Analysis Question- What do you think the meaning of the author dwelling on the pass?