Pete Mancilla
Dr. Andre Antokhin
THRS 360
31 July 2018
Religious Site Visit Reports – Brahma Kumaris San Francisco Meditation Center
Brahma Kumaris Meditation Center is located at 401 Baker Street in the North of the Panhandle neighborhood in San Francisco. On the outside, the center looks like a big white house on a street corner. It is a very attractive location and serves their mission of being a peace haven justice. A black gate is passed and on display is a beautiful garden that leads to the front doors of the center. Brahma Kumaris Meditation Center represents the religious tradition of, what they call, Soul Consciousness in Hinduism.
Hinduism is a religion practiced originally by the people in India, but is now more widespread. The Vedas are the five original texts that are believed in and it is said that the text was given directly to the humans from god into the mind. The Upanishads is the most important of all of the texts. In them we find complex philosophical speculations about the nature of reality and the goal of human life. There are two philosophical systems related to ideas found in the Vedas. Samkhya, a dualistic system of two states of reality; and Advaita Vendats, a monistic system of thought saying that one is actually god or reality itself. In Hinduism, Yoga is the most common way to practice the faith. There are four different types, but the most common one to practice is Bhakli yoga because it is simply a way of devotion and it more accessible to do on a regular basis. However, Raja yoga or “Royal yoga” was what was practiced at Brahma Kumaris Center. One meditates in that kind of yoga. The goal of the meditation is to let go of the receptacle that is our bodies and eventually let our souls become one with Brahma.
According to the center’s history page on their website, Brahma Kumaris was founded in 1937 in Pakistan by a retired Indian business man named Dada Lekhraj Kripalani. His spiritual name is Prajapita Brahma, but as we were taught in the center, he is more frequently known and referred to as Brahma Baba. He was inspired to build a place where he could show his teachings to his followers after having some visions and thus Brahma Kumaris was born. They began devoting their time to rigorous studies of rituals, meditating and what they refer to as self-transformation.
One of the main things about the basis of Brahma Baba that we were taught is that he put women in the forefront as a part of his beliefs. That meaning more of a female energy rather than women themselves. After all, the goal is to focus on the soul rather than the flesh. Putting a female energy in the front was done so in order to bring back the balance within the human soul to an otherwise patriarchal system. He focused on the qualities of the energies to find that the balance brings back prosperity into the world.
It is believed that the Supreme light revealed this knowledge to the human founder by coming to his to his head as a message and said to him that its eternal light is Shiva and our bodies are us. Our body caries the name and the Supreme light carries Shiva.
The site branch of this tradition manifests these teachings by practicing and giving meditation sessions. Brama Kumaris Meditation Center provides several initiatives that allow one to unplug and find their true selves and inner peace. They hold events like their regular meditation sessions, courses and workshops like “Peace in the Park,” “Youth Peace Retreat,” environmental initiatives, women empowerment sessions, and even retreats.
During our session there we were greeted and told to remove our shoes. As we were seated is was easy to observe our surroundings. The initial foyer was floored with dark wood and accompanied by a staircase. We entered into a big white room that was covered with photos of gods on the bright white walls. There was a small stage at the front of the room with a big picture of their leader. We moved the rows of chairs that were facing the stage into a circle so that we could have an open conversation that prompted us to greet one another once our guide introduced herself. as We had only practiced meditation once before this visit because it took place on the second day of class. It was something that we had still been getting used to, but it was exciting to see it was going to be practiced in person.
As typical Hindu meditation goes, we were prompted to close our eyes and relax our bodies at the sound of a bell. Music was played in the background by an assistant. We were guided through the entire experience by her as we began to relax and dive deeper and deeper into our meditation. The calm music was of aid as so was she by telling us certain things to imagine with a very soft voice. After that ended, we began a Q&A and were taught about the history behind Brahma Kumaris, as well as why the photos on the walls were on the walls were there. Suddenly music came back on and though it didn’t mean a lot to us, we quickly had to pause and find out what it actually meant. We were prompted to take a minute to relax and meditate for a small amount of time. It is called “traffic control” and it happens at the start of every hour and lasts for a minute. One is supposed to abide by it regardless of what they’re doing. The goal is for it to center a person in order to be able to better think and almost reset the brain for a moment.
The most significant photo shown to us was the staircase. It shows gods at the very top, which can also be said to be the eternal light. As one goes down the steps other gods are seen, and more material items are beginning to be shown. Reaching the very bottom, one can see money, cars, and even a man with big muscles. Accompanying those things are different ways of worshipping from top to bottom. It seems as if as one reaches the top, the more they become the god itself. When it comes to the material things, they represent the things that matter more to the typical human being. In its entirety it is a way to show the path one tends to originate at in our world and what we gradually become as we become one with Shiva. In a way, that perfectly represents the goal of the Brahma Kumaris.
Brahma Kumaris was very unique and useful for seeing how a particular branch of Hinduism thought about certain things within the religion based on what we had previously been taught. Since the room we were in was originally set up in more typical row seating, I expected us to have to sit through a different kind of service more typical of what I would expect in a church setting. When we moved into a circle and began to mediate, I thought it was going to be different. It was short and sweet, but it kept our attention. I was still curious to know more about how they typically go about their services, but obviously that is someone one would specifically experience when actually attending their scheduled services.
References
“Introduction ¬- Brahma Kumaris Meditation Center.” Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual, 1995-2018, https://www.bksanfrancisco.org/about.php.
Pete Mancilla
Dr. Andre Antokhin
THRS 360
31 July 2018
Religious Site Visit Reports – The Asian Art Museum
The Asian Art Museum is located at Civic Center/United Nations Plaza in San Francisco. According to the museum’s webpage, a Chicago industrialist named Avery Brundage donated the first pieces to San Francisco as long as they were able to build a place to host them. A few years later, in 1966, a new wing of the DeYoung Museum at Golden Gate Park was built to hold the collection and rapidly grew. As the collection grew, so did their need for space and after years of planning, in 2003 they made it into their new location that is now currently at Civic Center.
I had attended the Asian Art Museum before, but I was excited to go through a guided tour of the museum because it would teach me to see the objects and exhibits in new ways. Our tour guide, Mary, was extremely lively and wonderful to tour with. We were first shown through the Divine Bodies Exhibit. According to Asian Art Museum’s description (2018), Divine Bodies brought historical paintings and sculpture from Hindu and Buddhist traditions with modern day prints. It was easy to easy to distinguish the first objects we were shown because it was Jesus being crucified on the cross. Interestingly enough, the Jesus that was being displayed with more, stereotypically speaking, Asian features. That is something that was quickly clarified to us—Jesus is shown in various ways across different cultures to better represent the culture and in that way Jesus’ followers will be more able to relate to him. Jesus had an obviously painful look in his face, covered in blood, and a very somber tone that is generally expected. This Crucified Christ came from the Philippines, which definitely explains the reason that his features looked the way they did. With that being said, not all gods’ deaths look like Jesus’ did. In fact, there weren’t many Jesus figure seen, but it honestly didn’t make a whole lot of sense why Jesus was being shown other than being a great comparison for the next.
Moving forward, Buddha was on display. There was a very important distinction that was brought up to us: Buddha lying on his right side means it is his death and on the left side he is simply resting. What was special about the various Buddha figures that we were being shown was that I particularly enjoyed that he had an almost joyful look regardless of the figures showing his death. Along with Buddha, were displayed many other forms of Buddha that similarly to Jesus showed many different features on their face, clothes, and accessories. It is for the same reason that they look different because people from certain regions like Thailand, Indonesia, China, and other smaller locations want to see their god in them. I believe that is the simplest way one can more easily identify with their god because as humans we are extremely visual people. However, there were 32 characteristics that are used to identify a Buddha with some being the long earlobes, the same camp facial expression, and some of the hairstyles. People want their deities to look like them and it was only natural for that to happen after symbols became human depictions.
Buddha’s other various figurines that were on display definitely spoke to the origins of the story of Buddha and how Buddhism began and there was even a Boddhi tree photo. Perhaps I missed it, but I would have loved to been able to see more artwork that represented the four noble truths and the eightfold path. Yes, the many dieties can help one free from Samsara and find Nirvana, but seeing more visuals about the path to achieving Nirvana would’ve been great for us to see the full circle. However, it was still an extremely valuable experience. With that said, there were many other things I enjoyed.
My absolute favorite piece shown was the Buddhist deity, Vajra Tara, 1075-1200. I enjoyed the aspect of female empowerment to her. She came from a Buddhst background so her practices all tie into the concept of Karma and the next lives we live in order to get to Brahman. There was so much to look at in this one piece that it was overwhelming to find all of the meaning within it. Her multiple arms gave her the ability to do much more than the typical woman. She represents compassionate action and can even see the past present and future with her multiple faces. In that way, she can see compassion of her followers or worshipers in the present, past and future. All of top of her throne one can almost feel the power she holds and what that means to so many people. With her being able to see the past, present, and future, and having many hands she is able to remove obstacles to enlightenment and thus those who meditate to her can use those qualities that she symbolizes.
Throughout the exhibit there were many pieces that contained the lotus flower and we came to learn that the lotus flower is an important symbol because they grow in dirty water. It represents Hinduism and Buddhism because they have been able to withstand the dirt they grow in. It is symbol of purity and also speaks a lot to the religion itself because water is easily able to slide off the petals. That could be a way to show one’s way to devotion.
Continuing in the direction of Divine Bodies, the last section of it contained a lot more displays pertaining to sexuality, which took me by surprise because it isn’t something we had studies too much in Hinduism or Buddhism. There were many figures showing what are called Lingas. What was interesting about the Lingas is that they represent a male reproductive organ, or a phallus as they call it. Many of them simply look like a phallus with a face of Shiva on the top. We were told that the association between the phallus and Shiva is simply his asceticism. Usually ascetics were believed to have a certain power because of a life of so much restraint to have a true and full devotion to their god. In the case of ascetics being celibate they hold rewards ahead and the rewards include escaping the cycle that they are held to in life and finally become one with god. I liked how the lingas represented restraint and reward in an unconventional manner.
Last, but not least, we toured one of the major exhibits in the Asian Art Museum, A Guided Tour of Hell. The exhibit began its exhibition in April and will soon end in September. I’m very lucky to have gotten the chance to see it because it showed us an extremely different and unusual perspective of hell through the eyes of Buddhism. Buddhist teacher Sam Bercholz told his story to artist Pema Namdol Thaye about his brief encounter with hell after a complication with a surgery in the hospital. Those stories turned into over 20 paintings that we were shown.
Certain paintings represent negative habits: materialism, disdain, hate, greed, and envy. They each came with an extremely vivid story about what the subject’s decisions and thoughts were, why they were thinking them, and what “section” of their own personal hell they ended up in. The entire concept is based on the Buddhist beliefs of karma and based on the actions we make as humans our own version of hell is curated for us. Inner hell was one example; a man committed suicide. Since he was trying to escape something and chose to end it by killing himself he succeeded in escaping it in the material world, but the samsara followed him over to the next place. What happens next is a never-ending cycle of being in the pattern of the life he was trying to escape. Among the rest of the paintings was a murder, a conceded elite, a scientist who made the doomsday bomb, and even a suicide bomber. I thought the Guided Tour of Hell was an extremely pleasing and creative way to show how Karma and hell can actually come into play in Buddhism regardless of varied beliefs.
References
“Divine Bodies: Exhibition Highlights.” Asian Art Museum Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture, 2018, http://www.asianart.org/regular/divine-bodies-exhibition-highlights.
Pete Mancilla
Dr. Andre Antokhin
THRS 360
31 July 2018
Religious Site Visit Reports – San Francisco Zen Center
The San Francisco Zen center is located at 300 Page Street in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley. Their Beginner’s Mind Temple, or City Center, was established in 1969 as a training center for their Soto Zen. The building was designed by famous architect and San Francisco native Julia Morgan, who is also known for designing Hearst Castle in San Simeon. The center looks almost like any ordinary brick building that one may find on the corner of a street in San Francisco, but a soon as one steps inside it doesn’t look like every ordinary building. In the foyer theres a big round table and looking to the left one can see a huge room with a big matt to mediate on. There are long hallways after long hallways, and an extremely divine common area and kitchen. As soon as we stepped into the courtyard, we were able to get a true sense of the type of feeling one is supposed to have while being at the center. A true calm is felt around.
The center aims to hold up the true core of the original Zen practices by keeping up with being able to successfully train new Zen teachers and enhance their ability to make a training are where one could also reside. That way they can keep the feeling of Buddha alive and also carry Suzuki Roshi’s Zen practice on for everyone’s benefit. They built on about 50 years of instruction by listening to the way the world is moving and changing with it. They believe they can continue to be a powerful source for a more zen world. They aim to continue to find ways to continue their teachers with their growth and to do so in a better and more supportive manner for a long time.
According to their vision page (2018), the center has five more specific goals: 1) Clarify Zen Center’s Teacher Training Program, 2) Create an Inclusive, Effective and Sustainable Employee and Residential Environment, 3) Enhance their ability to give Zen Buddhist Practice to a wider audience, 4) Secure long-term financial well-being of the center, and 5) Steward their land, building, facility infrastructure, and IT systems in harmony with the earth and their environmental values. Their main purpose to more specifically hold the Buddha’s wisdom and his compassion. Their central value is to demonstrate the non-duality of practice and awakening through Zen ad the 16 Bodhisattva Precepts. The Bodhisattva Precepts reminded me, in a sense, of the Nicene Creed in Christianity. They even host people at times and have many of the people that are currently practicing there live there. We were told that it is not the only center and that another local one even does gardening and long term stays in order to really dig into their practices.
While we were receiving our tour, not much was done in terms of explaining their faith. It was better of her to more easily show us and explain the reasoning then than to speak of it. We were able to walk through the actual kitchen, we were demonstrated how the bells in the basement were rung and for what each specific reason was, and then we finally walked into a very big room many hallways underground. Even the way in which we had to enter the room was unique to me. We stepped in with one of our feet (I cannot recall which one) and we bowed and continued our way down. We had talked a lot about yoga and meditations and how doing so is how one reached the ultimate goal of becoming one with god. The name I can most associate with the type of yoga we were practicing was Hatha Yoga in which one practiced physical poses devoted to finding our true selves towards god. We practiced Zazen, which is believed to allow us to try to reach our truest selves through our mind through intense concentration.
Once we were given a brief explanation on the way that Zazen works, we were able to attempt it for our-selves. The room has to be a good temperature in order for us not to be too cold or too hot nor too dark or too bright. There are many ways in which we can practice Zazen. Usually the lotus or half lotus positions are used along with the zafu, which is a thick round cushion so that the body has less pressure on it and is more stable. Of course, one is sitting on a matt also. Our backs and necks are to remain straight in perfect posture along with our necks pushing our heads up. There is even a direction for teeth to stay together and our hands must be in the “cosmic mudra” position. There are many specific directions to Zazen, but once they were all nailed down, I began to notice that it was for a reason.
As we crossed our feet or kneeled in a position that was most comfortable to us, we were advised to simply concentrate on the sounds going on around us that prevent from true silence. To my surprise, finding out that focusing on noise actually blocks it out was very helpful. Our guide walked around and showed us how to properly be posturing our bodies in order to feel most comfortable as possible. The point is to be so comfortable that we forget about the receptacle that is our bodies and focus on simply our minds. It was an enriching experience that truly helped show how useful it is to take a moment to center one’s self. It was a very different than what we had practiced at our previous site, Brahma Kumaris. However, essentially we were trying to achieve the same goal and it is to become one.
Once we finished our Zazen, we moved onto our next activity and stepped out of the room almost as if we were in a peeling line and then we stepped out with the same foot we did when we entered the room. We entered a new room that is one of their more used worship rooms. It, to me, looked almost like a traditional worship center with candles in the front and photos of icons, but except there were no seats. Just the pillows and mats to sit on. We had a question and answer session and were told about some of their teachings and other offered classes.
The Zen Center’s mission is simple, but it has so much to offer. The space was truly welcoming and calm. It was interesting to see how they practiced their own branch of Buddhist beliefs compared to what we had learned and what we had observed in our other visit. I loved how their practices followed certain things we had learned before like something as simple as the “middle way” in terms of them eating mostly vegetarian in order for that not to reflect onto the earth. Zen Buddhism was definitely characterized by my expectations of long sitting meditation and Koan. Although Id didn’t hear about things like Pure Land Buddhism, I would imagine that not all branched of Buddhist practice the exact same thing.
The San Francisco Zen Center offers other classes outside of what we learned like Queer Dharma, Women’s study groups, and even Young Urban Zen and Zen en Español. It’s great to see a great deal of diversity within their groups and teachings and refreshing to be able to maintain such a refreshing lifestyle at a Zen place. I found their stays intriguing and their values really do seem to reflet the Noble Eightfold Path. I did notice a huge absence of many Buddhist terms, but I think that since they follow Suzuki Roshi’s ways, not all of the traditional teachings remain the same. The center definitely represents Zen within San Francisco in a perfect manner.
References
“Vision | San Francisco Zen Center.” San Francisco Zen Center, 2018, http://sfzc.org/about-zen-center/principles-governance/vision.
Pete Mancilla
Dr. Andre Antokhin
THRS 360
31 July 2018
Religious Site Visit Reports – Serith Israel
Sherith Israel is located at 2266 California Street in San Francisco in the Lower Pacific Heights neighborhood. Sherith Israel was by far the most fascinating place to be in because of it being so visually appealing. The entrance of the huge building looked as if it was a big music venue or even a theatre. Mary, our guide, began by having us all in the entrance of the building and telling us about the building’s fascinating history.
Sherith Israel looked something like a Jewish Church. It was founded in 1851. One of the first things we were told was that there are three things that the Jewish do when they move: 1) have a house of study, 2) have a cemetery, and 3) have a school. They have Gold Rush roots meaning that in 1849 during the California Gold Rush, a small group of Jewish Pioneers gathered and wanted to celebrate Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur with the scrolls they carried with them. They came from various places in Europe and the east of the United States. They met together again in 1851 to form a permanent congregation. They had two different beliefs and split into two different synagogues that still exist to this day and they are definitely able to coexist.
The congregation had been though various buildings and disasters before becoming what it is today, but it has now turned into a great work of art and tradition that lives strong. They went from Orthodox to Reform to now offering a wide and diverse community welcoming people in non-traditional ways. There has been changes in the community becoming broader and even welcomed interfaith people and families.
Usually Synagogues do not have stained glass windows, especially ones where the icons show faces. That belief comes from god originally not wanting people to worship another person—he would rather people worship god as a way of keeping faith without materialism. The stained-glass windows were all over the Synagogue. The first ones we were shown had the faces of gods perfectly etched. It almost looked like a real photo of a face. The bodies were pained like typical stained-glass windows. Once we walked into the main part of the Synagogue, where the worshipping takes place, we were all in complete awe. The room is huge and is covered with red velvety carpeting and every single pillar has lightbulbs lining it. It was an extraordinary view to look at and it easily showed us why people love to practice their religion in a room like that. Now, not all Synagogues look that way, but they were able to acquire and build a space like that because of their history.
Mary explained to us that they don’t believe in the afterlife, in fact, they don’t believe that what you do will save you. However, they do believe that how we treat people when we’re alive improves the world and that is part of their mission. They want to continue making the world better in order to pass that on. The stained-glass windows followed us into the room: they were on the two side walls. One receiving direct sunlight, one facing another building. These were the biggest one’s we had seen in the synagogue and they were absolutely stunning to look at. I found that the church was very modern in the sense that they took from their surroundings and personality and showcased that in their décor. On one of the stained glass windows the artist had taken a view from 16th Street and Dolores Street here in San Francisco and made it the background of the scene. There were also small messages that reflected their values like feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and shelter the homeless. It even has the face of certain people the artist knew. The next major window had Moses at Mount Sanai where god gave him the 10 commandments, which we came to learn were actually 613 commandments. Even El Capital at Yosemite National Park was in the scene. For the Jews that came to San Francisco, this was their Sanai. There were even men with flags showing the 12 tribes of Israel even though they didn’t exist before. The stained-glass works are meant to show the history in a very modern and curated way to the artist’s belief and it is a great way of bringing those beliefs into the 21st century.
I quickly found out that they don’t necessarily care about one sitting in a worshipping center all day and praying. While of course it is part of the practice it really does go to show that they are more action oriented in this place. They would much rather support one doing community service rather than sitting there with a prayer book because, after all, they are all about improving the world. So individual interpretation is actually encouraged by the center and that is something that I extremely admire when it comes to religion. That is part of what makes it a reform synagogue. It encourages their traditions while innovating and allowing for diversity, not rejecting doubt, and by being able to actually have faith in the texts without having to tell someone that the Torah’s word is the only way to worship. Regardless of the beauty and elegance of Sherith Israel, all places should be using their center to make the service the same.
We were taken up to the stage in the big room and shown the Torah. The big scroll is actually made with sheepskin and the pages are written by hand. They also must use a pointer in order to prevent damage to the specially made pages. Above us we could clearly see huge organ pipes. An organ is not traditional to a Synagogue, but it goes to show that they interpret things in their own way. There were many messages laying around in the room also. On the gigantic dome resting on top of us there were 12 circles that were displayed and we were told that they represent the 12 key symbols. There were also about 6 menorahs in the room. Some being painted around, others on display at the front of the room. There were even gas lamps still hanging on the sides of the stage, which they ignite for services. It was a great mix of old and new and that really reflected on how the “church” carries their beliefs and practices.
It was very special to get insight on a place like this. It was extremely beautiful and awe-inspiring. I also thought that their space reflecting their beliefs was one of the most inspiring things about the center. It Is almost, hypothetically speaking, how the Misha interprets the Torah. Although the house of worship has many of their own personal interpretations, they still believe in all the parts of the Torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The constant migrations in Jewish history definitely went into effect here also because of their frequent moves in San Francisco before finding their place now. Finally, the story of Judaism and how it restored their relation with God by a series of covenants or agreements with humanity is definitely what I enjoyed learning the most in this center. It was important how they can be a lot more action oriented, but still do their traditional practices in their house of worship.
References
“Congregation Sherith Israel: Pioneering since 1851.” Congregation Sherith Israel, 2018. https://www.sherithisrael.org/history.html