Middle East!

Hello everyone!

Last week we took a trip to the Middle East and talked about Islam and tried some yummy Middle Eastern food!

Islamic symbol

Islam

The Islam religion is the second biggest in the world with over 1.3 billion followers. Islam practices the belief in only one god named the "Allah" in Arabic. Islam is said to have originated when an angel named Gabriel, was sent from god to approach Muhammad, a merchant living in Mecca. Muhammad was told that he was the last of the prophets and that he must spread the word of god to the people. While he began to preach the word of god, he gathered many followers but many enemies as well.Many Meccans feared that Muhammad's teachings of a monotheism would affect the value of the pilgrimage center and would lead people to stop believing in the traditional Arab gods. After violence erupted, Muhammad and his followers then traveled to a city later named Medina. The journey to the city became known as Hijra. After eight years, Muhammad and his followers were able to gain control of Mecca again and help spread their religion even farther.  

Beliefs 

The daily lives of a Muslim are determined through their practices. Islam teaches that each individual is responsible for his or her actions. In order to be a Muslim, you must follow the Five Pillars (or five duties). Following the five pillars ensures that the Muslims will rightly serve their community and religion. Muslims are not allowed to eat pork or drink alcohol. Muslims must pray together each Friday afternoon towards Mecca directly to Allah. Shortly after Muhammad's death, the words of god were written together in a holy book called the Qur'an. The Qur'an is only written in Arabic because Muslims believed that the true word of the Allah was spoken in Arabic. 

Five Pillars 

• Faith- There is no other god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. 

• Prayer- Muslims must pray towards Mecca at a mosque (mahsk) fives times a day, everyday. 
• Alms- All Muslims have a responsibility to provide for the less fortunate or the poor, therefore, they must give alms, or money through a religious tax. 
• Fasting- Muslims must fast from dawn to sunset during the holy month of Ramadan. Only a small meal is eaten at the end of the day. This is done to remind Muslims that their spiritual needs are greater than their physical needs. 
• Pilgrimage- All Muslims that are physically and financially capable, must perform the hajj, a pilgrimage to Mecca and wear identical garments to represent equality for Allah. 

Conflicts in the expansion of the Islam religion and shortly after the death of Muhammad, resulted in two different types of Muslims to rise; the Sunni and the Shi'a Muslims. Sunni Muslims believe that the first four successors were chosen by god to continue the spread of god's words. However, Shi'a Muslims believe that Muhammad's son in law should have followed after Muhammad.  

Whoops! Turn the camels around!

Hello everyone! Last week we made an unexpected turn on our way to India and ended up in Thailand! Needless to say, we made out trip be worth the while by trying some of Thailand's famous cuisine! Like Pi Thai and Curry! We also discussed the Hinduism and its connection to Buddhism.

Map of Thailand

Map of India

Pi Thai Dish

Hinduism Religion

Hinduism can be viewed as a religion by many because of its expanding number of followers. However, Hinduism itself does not have a founder with a single set of ideas because it is a set of beliefs that developed slowly over time. Between 750 and 550 B.C., Hindu teachers shared their knowledge behind the Vedic Hymns and their interpretations were later written down and were known as Upanishads. Upanishads discussed how a person can achieve enlightenment  or Moksha and were written in a dialogue form between a teacher and student conversation. This is similar to the set of beliefs in Buddhism, where both religions believe that all of life is suffering and suffering is caused by desire; and in the end, by getting rid of desire, you reach a piece of mind within yourself and nature. Otherwise known as enlightenment or Moksha in Hinduism. 

Hinduism Symbol

Hinduism describes each person to have an individual soul of the living being also known  as Atman that is united with other souls through Brahman (world soul that unites Atmans). Understanding the relationship between Atman and Brahman is critical for each person in order to reach Moksha (or enlightenment). Because Moksha is often not achieved in one lifetime, Hindus believe in reincarnation (rebirth of your soul in another form or body). Hindus also believe in Karma, a cause and effect belief; for every good deed you perform, you will receive good fortune, and for every bad deed you perform, you will receive good fortune. Thus leading us the caste system; a class into which you are born into that reflects upon your Karma. If you were born into an upper-caste, you have had good karma and have performed good deeds throughout your previous life. If you were born into a lower-caste, you have had bad Karma and have performed bad deeds in your previous lifetime. These set of beliefs determined why and how the followers of Hinduism live today; affecting everything from daily life, to how one was allowed to socialize with others. Hinduism today has over 900 million followers; making it the third largest "religion" in the world. 

Hindu Caste system

China Town

Hello Everyone! 

For our first destination, Ms. Myers and I started our journey in China! (China Town). Where we saw some very beautiful Chinese products and creations and tasted some good and...interesting food! We began by first visiting a Chinese store that sold a variety of products; from swords to wood carved pencils, to bamboo plants and mini Buddhas and of course..Silk! We then visited an "outside" mall where the stores and restaurants are all outside but in a closed area. It was very interesting to see the similar foods that many of the restaurants offered and the different kinds of stores-including a store that only sold spices! We proceeded to discuss about the Buddhism religion and its origin as well as the diffusion of Buddhism along the Silk Road. Below is an explanation on Buddhism and its story, beliefs, and origin. 

Great Wall of China 

China Town in Chicago

Buddhism 

Buddhism is said to have developed as an offspring of Hinduism from India. For many, it is considered a religion, though others can describe it to be a philosophy and "way of life." Over 300 million people around the world practice the Buddhism religion and its origin dates back to over 2,500 years ago when Siddharta Gautama reached enlightenment at the age of twenty nine. Siddharta was born to a wealthy royal family in Lumbini (modern day Nepal). His father, King Suddhodana, was the commander of a large clan called the Shakya and his mother was Queen Maya, who died shortly after giving birth to Siddharta. Siddharta's father had kept his son inside the palace; enclosed and unaware of the knowledge and suffering from outside the palace like religion and human affliction. His father also kept Siddharta's wife and family enclosed in the palace as well. Siddharta had grown curious over the years, and at the age of twenty nine, he decided to explore the outside of the palace. He was shocked to find aging elderly people, sick people, and the dead as well. When he returned to the palace, he was no longer delighted by the luxury that was presented to him in the palace, and so he decided to leave the palace including his family, and search for the answers to his questions that he had developed upon discovering the outside world. Siddharta then began his journey by obtaining research of the different religions, asking others, and thinking thoroughly for long periods of time. However, he still did not understand his main question-"Why is there suffering?" But to him, suffering was seeing the things that we wanted to be right, actually be wrong. He then began meditating for many years under a Bodhi Tree until he reached enlightenment. He taught others how to reach enlightenment until his death at the age of 85. 

Buddhist Beliefs

Buddhism helps others reach enlightenment by obtaining a piece of mind and understanding and accepting the true nature of things and reality. You reach enlightenment by realizing that life is suffering and by following a path, you can reach nirvana (referred to as enlightenment). You reach nirvana when you have freedom over worldly concerns like hate, ignorance, greed and worry. The basic concepts of the Buddhist beliefs can be briefly explained through the four noble truths and the noble eight-fold path. 

Four Noble Truths

• First- Accept that life is suffering; both including physical and physiological suffering. Pain, aging, disease, death, disappointment, anger, frustration, loneliness, fear and desire are examples of both physiological and physical suffering. 

• Second- Suffering is caused by dissatisfaction and desire. Wanting and expecting things and people turn out in your favor constantly causes suffering. Instead of wanting many things and searching for the things that you want, learn to not want things that will make you unhappy because of the process you have to go to to obtain what you want. 

• Third- Suffering can be avoided and overcome while still acquiring happiness. Learning to let go of desires and not dwell on events or actions that have happened in the past or will happen in the future and focusing only on one day at a time, helps you obtain more energy and time. Energy and time that can be used to help others and become happy and free (Nirvana). 

• Fourth- The fourth truth is that the Noble 8-fold Path is the path which leads to the end of suffering.

Noble Eight-Fold Path

The Noble Eight-Fold Path helps an individual come to the realization that greed and selfishness cause all suffering. When following the Eight-fold path, one's suffering ends; they serve as moral principles in which all Buddhists should practice; morality, meditation, and wisdom. 

1. Right Knowledge
2. Right Thinking
3. Right Speech
4. Right Conduct
5. Right Livelihood
6. Right Effort
7. Right Mindfulness
8. Right Concentration

Following the Noble Eight-fold Path helps a person realize that greed and selfishness cause all earthly suffering. With this new understanding, one’s suffering may end.

Siddharta Gautama

Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya, India

Check out the cool stuff! 

Top photo: Me trying on a Chinese mini hat
Next photo: Ms. Myers and SILK dress!
Next photo:Bamboo plants
Next photo: Chinese tea cup with filter
Next photo: Shrimp dumplings
Next photo: Mini smiling Buddha
Next photo: Ms. Myers with Chinese restaurant menu. Food items; crab Rangoon and another Chinese dish

Silk Road Info!

The Silk Road began during the First Golden Era which was from the Second Century BCE to Second Century CE after Alexander the Great's empire fell to new powers. A Chinese general and representative of China became the first man to travel to Central Asia. Thus allowing his reports to serve as a guide for China to extend it's influences to the far west all the way to Sogdiana (modern day Uzbekistan) which was the easternmost boundary of Alexander's empire. Chinese ruling over the region lasted a short time but created the official trade routes for Silk and other products.

Alexander The Great

Some items that were traded along the Silk Road were fabrics, spices, and stones (from India). Fragrances, jewelry, spices and silk were traded to Rome in return for European pictures and luxury goods. Furs, skins, honey, and slaves were exported from eastern and northern Europe to China and central Asia. Silk was traded by the Chinese to the Parthians who traded it to the Romans in exchange for gold during the first century BCE. Because silk was very valuable due to it being a beautiful, strong, lightweight fabric that could be used for clothing, China controlled the trade by keeping the secret of making silk hidden from other countries. The diffusion of culture and exchanges occurred as part of the trading through the Silk Road. Between the second and seventh centuries BCE, Central Asia discovered the secret behind how to make silk after China had kept it a secret in order to maintain their global monopoly on Silk. In the Second Golden Era, (Seventh Century to tenth century) during the seventh century, China was very powerful under the Tang Dynasty while the Islam religion began to dominate Central Asia as Arab arms made conquests and unified from Arabia in the west to Kashgar and China in the east.

Animal Furs

Indian Fabric

Gold

Honey

Silk

Spices

Contact with the Silk Road helped spread different types of religions, customs, traditions, foods, and ideas. For example, during the first century CE, Buddhist missionaries introduced Buddhism to China from Central Asia. The Islam religion began to spread to Central Asia during the seventh century as well, many Muslim merchants proceeded through different regions sharing their wares and beliefs with others. A Buddhist monk named Xuang Zang, also traveled from China to India and back introducing new Buddhist schools along the way. 

Buddhist Monks

Islam Religion Symbol

The Silk Road trade declined after the Mongol empire fell because of differences that developed among the Mongol rulers of Russia, Central Asia, and China. Soon after, many European powers tried to develop an alternative route to reach the Silk Road through the Sea to more accurately predict costs and profits of goods. After a  Portuguese sailor named Vasco da Gama sailed successfully from Europe to India from 1497 to 1499, sea trade became the new established way of trading goods. As Silk Roads began to be used less, China completely stopped their silk trade during he 1400's because many parts of Central Asia and Europe had already known how to make it. When trading abstained, cities like Samarkand and Chang'an, and Antioch shrank in size, were ruined by war, or lost value.

Silk Road Map including Sea Routes

Renewed interests has inclined many archaeologists, explorers, travelers, adventures and tourists to visit the once flourishing Silk Road since the beginning of the nineteenth century. Many of these people travel to find lost treasures and find evidence of the once diffused cultures that existed among the silk roads like manuscripts, statues,temples, and murals. Travelers can actually travel along the roads and see where civilizations once used to thrive. Recent conflicts have made it a challenge for travelers to complete the journey across Eurasia (full extent of the Silk Road). 

Tourist attractions/destinations along the Silk Road

Anticipated Adventure Awaits!

Adventure is Exciting! 

Throughout the course of this journey through, "The Silk Road" in Chicago, a new perspective and gain in knowledge through experiences awaits for Ms. Myers and I. We are hoping to indulge in the unique cultures that existed throughout the Silk Road and further expand this idea of being open-minded to new things that surround us and influence the lives we have today. I look forward to experiencing the history that we carry with us and that others do as well through visits at museums, temples, and restaurants! Food...yum! However the importance behind this journey is not only to recognize the change in our history and the history of others, but to be able to connect with that information and ideas in our modern day life and share the knowledge we gain with others as well. With that, I present to you the beginning of an exciting adventure! Ms. Myers and I will start this journey out with an optimistic thumbs up and curiosity for a great journey! (:  

Me

What is The Silk Road?

So what is "The Silk Road" ?

The Silk Road is an ancient trade route that was used during the 6th-14th century by the Roman and Han Empires. When Silk was discovered and eventually traded through the western parts of Asia all the way to Rome, silk began to be more high-valued by many for its beauty, lightweight, and strength. The Romans would trade their gold in return for the Chinese silk. However, these were not the only goods that were traded. Romans also traded Ivory and food such as pomegranates and carrots while the Chinese would trade silk, spices, pottery, and different animals. 

The Roman Empire Map

The Han Empire Map

Silk