Freshman Seminar

Coming from a mostly Catholic community in the Caribbean, it is always refreshing to be exposed to new cultures and lifestyles. I feel enlightened following our trip to the museum because I was exposed to the beautiful Religion of Buddhism and the amazing levels of spirituality present in their beliefs and practices. Apart from that, the artifacts and art that we saw was absolutely mind blowing. I caught myself in awe of one painting in particular that our guide told us we weren’t supposed to stare at because legend has it that it would send someone crazy if they gazed for too long. So far so good though! Unless  I have been missing a screw this whole time! I have alot of respect for the religion and I look at their culture as graceful, beautiful and one with the universe. I am catholic but I believe in the power of energy and putting out there what you want to get back which is similar to a lot of their principles.

I think living in a place like New York, it is important for me to be exposed to these kinds of experiences to be prepared for all the new people I will interact with throughout my academic and professional journey.

In total honesty, I enjoyed the trip to the museum very much so. Learning about other peoples’ religions has always been something that I have been interested and that’s exactly what that was. Seeing the culture from a whole different perspective was very insightful. My favorite part of the whole thing was the huge mural of all the gods on the wall. Understanding their culture was something that I always wanted to look into, and that is exactly what the trip did for me.

I would say it was kinda annoying having to go to the museum by myself since I was not able to go with all you guys last week. Usually I find museums very boring but I happened to find this one interesting. Although I did not get a tour like the rest of you guys, I found some of the Himlalyan artifacts and pictures to be very interesting and captivating. My friends also told me about the Dali Lama exhibit and how they have some sort of artwork that only he is supposed to see, although I did not have time to go visit that exhibit. I heard he is coming to New York soon so I am guessing that is a big deal to people. I am not really sure what is role is, but I am very interested in learning more about what he does.

I liked the class trip to the museum. I learned a lot a bout Buddhism that I didn’t know.  In class we usually  speed through it because we re-learn it every year.  But there’s so much more to cover, that was shown in displays around the Museum.  My least favorite part of the trip was walking there. BLAH… I walk enough in my day. I didn’t need to journey over there. when there was a subway in front. My favorite part was walking in to the spiraling staircase, and looking up.  I thought I was really nice and I sort of always wanted that in my future house, if I lived in a mansion. But it was even more significant when we learned that it represented ones journey to the top of the mountain.  I think following the beliefs of Buddhism would be a good choice because, to me it represents a calmer, relaxed life.

Thomas Ye

The trip we went to last Thursday gave me a good insight about Buddhism. We learned that there are many principles and beliefs in Buddhism. The favorite part of the trip for me was watching all the drawings on the wall. The color was really vibrant, and every single picture had a moral behind it. Another thing I liked about the museum is that all the rooms were related to each other. Each room complemented all the drawings in the wall. The museum was relatively clean and quiet. The guy explained the Eightfold path really well. There were many drawings that explained the concept. After the trip Buddhism is a really interesting religion. The trip was really interesting, and it was a well spent time.

It was a great experience that we went to Rueben museum as class. I didn’t really know much about Buddhism before. After going to the Rueben Museum of Art, I learned a lot Buddhism. I learned that Buddhism was originated from Tibet and there are many different gods in Buddhism. I learned how humans have to go through different life forms before getting to nirvana. I also learned how the next Dalai Lama is chosen; they test all the babies that are born the next day when the current Dalai Lama dies. The best part for me in the museum is the shrine room; where they display how the traditional Tibetan shrine room looks like. I’m really glad that we can visit the museum as a class because I know I wouldn’t have visited on my own and I learned a lot from this experience.

By Jayden

The trip to the Rubin Museum of Art is a good learning experience; we learn about different culture and religion.  We explore Himalayan art and their culture.  My favorite part of the museum is the Tibetan Buddhist shrine room, the museum recreating the aesthetics and spirituality of the traditional Tibetan Buddhist shrine room.   Also, I like the room display the Lukhang Murals.  I enjoy the trip with my classmates to the Rubin Museum of Art, it’s a wonderful memory.

Mahipaul Sathu

From the enrichment program I took away the value religion plays on humans. The plentiful amounts of paintings shows the dedication groups of people have with staying connected to religion. Coming from a religious family, the paintings and stories behind the deities in Hinduism is nothing new, but a refresher. I remember the amount of time I spent in church as a kid, learning the ways of god and how they can change a person’s life. I was taught many things in church, but did not know the reason for it or how it was applicable to my life. Entering my teenage years my separation from religion took place. I questioned everything taught in church rather than accepting what is said. This led me to slowly leave behind my traditional cultural values in favor of more individual beliefs.

Comparing my adolescent years to my teenage years reveals the massive change with my mindset. Today I personally do not believe most of what is described through paintings and stories as I am skeptical. However my parents constantly remind of the importance with staying in touch with religious beliefs. They insist that everything said is factual and push me to start attending church on a frequent schedule. I find that there is no use to learn about religious stories or myths as they provide no use to my hectic life.

Even with my skeptic mindset I believe the enrichment day was important, as it taught outsiders what Hinduism is and how it can be compared to other religions. The museum was able to take me back to simpler time in my life and connected me with my original roots. I am glad to be in a school that cares for its students and to be in a diverse educational environment.

I am really glad to see the art I had never seen before here in United States. In my opinion, what makes Tibet so special among all the cultural provinces in China is its true understanding in Buddhism. And for the first time, I had the pleasure to see these marvelous paintings and sculptures. When I was still a high school student back in China, all the information around Tibet I received was the rebellions there. I had never get the chance to experience the culture there in person.  After I visited the Ruben Museum of Art, I got a brand new perspective of both what Tibet really looks like and what does it feel to live there. Tibet is not just about all the natural wonders, but also about  its history, its culture and its beliefs.

Written by Zirui Ge

The trip to the museum was very interesting. It was nice to learn about a different culture and understand the meaning of another religion. The museum enlightened many of us about Hinduism and the different gods or beliefs  that they worshipped.  It definitely was very enriching and I enjoyed the visit. Neither did it take a lot of time, but it allowed many of us to experience a new environment, especially in the shrine.

Considering I don’t know much about Buddhism, this trip was quite interesting. I had a general knowledge about the Dalai Lama and reincarnation, but I didn’t know about the different levels that one must go through after the regular human world before finally reaching nirvana. I already knew a little bit about how the next Dalai Lama is chosen immediately after the previous Dalai Lama dies, but I didn’t know that they tested every child born the next day. I thought that the museum was tranquil and beautiful. The artifacts were so intricate; almost everything required a long, close look. I found the display of a shrine room to be very calming. Just being there looking at it felt almost like meditating. I’m not a religious person but I appreciated how interesting the stories were. The notion of different reincarnations is interesting, and I thought the diagrams of the different steps was both beautiful and informative. In terms of aesthetics, I really liked the eye at the top of the stairs and that it’s at the very center of the museum. What I found to be most interesting was the room with paintings that only the Dalai Lama is supposed to see. It’s interesting how although normal people have obviously looked at the paintings without going insane, that notion is probably still an integral part of the religion. I think that the core beliefs of Buddhism are pretty universal, but it’s interesting to see how there are still parts of religion are rather mystical.

-Kiana Eng

Prior to visiting the museum I really had no idea what the Dali lama did or how he was chosen or even what he meant to society. I was clueless about the culture of Tibet and I thought this was one of the most interesting cultures I learned about. I only had a broad understanding of what Buddhist were and truly only knew what it looked like. Learning that the head got expanded from knowledge made everything I knew make more sense. Just hearing what the tour guide had to say it sparked my interest in the religion and I came home to Google more about it. It was also pretty cool to see the images that were only supposed to be viewed by the Dali Lama and what was really freaky is when everyone left I decided that the warning about not staring too intensely to those pictures was b.s and thought I would try to decipher a part, so when I was walking closer to the image and the second I learned in I bumped into something on the floor that took me off balance and I took it as a sign from the heavens…that maybe I shouldn’t try to decipher anything. I still want to continue learning more about Buddhist because their religion is so far from what most other religions are based only one god, one higher being. I’m glad we went to visit this museum because it’s exposed to a new culture I only had a vague understanding about!