Reflection on South Asia Assignment and RELG 2300 World Religions

By Kaitlin Kelsch
Up until a while ago, I hadnt really given a tremendous amount of though towards
religious beliefs.

I think with a very rationalistic and logical mindset and so, historically, its

been difficult for me to have total unwavering faith in any one particular God or deity. Recent
events, however, have led me to realize just how important spirituality is to a person and so
unlike whats Ive done in the past, (which was just to put God in the corner, so to speak, and
figure out my religious beliefs later), I took this class in the hopes that it would help me to decide
which religious values I ought to stand for and believe.
Im now happy to say that I am tremendously glad that I took the course, not only
because it provides me with some very important points for me to think about on my own
spiritual journey but because it has also helped me to have a renewed appreciation for both
religious beliefs and religion in general. Im better able to appreciate the functions of religion in
society, Im better able to appreciate how integral religious beliefs are in the formation of
different cultures and I also learned an AMAZING amount of information about the five
different global religions that I never knew before, information that Im sure Ill take with me for
years to come.
Take what I learned about Hinduism, for instance. Although I had studied Buddhism and
other Eastern philosophies quite extensively before the course and were really rather well versed
in them, I was always kind of reluctant to dig too deep into Hinduism because I was convinced
that the exotic and mystic nature of the religion wouldnt be too much of a great match for my
personality. I also freely admit that I was gravely misinformed when it came to Indias caste
system, thinking that it was a tool of oppression created by Indias elite rather than, as I know

now, a byproduct of Hindu religious beliefs. But now that I know more about Indias rich and
varied history, I realize that Hinduism is an amazingly vibrant and nuanced religion that has
managed to survive an incredible about of historical change. I look forward to studying more
aspects of Hindu religion, particularly raja yoga, the Chakras, and the stories of Hinduisms
Gods, and while I dont particularly think that I would convert to the religion, itself, the course
has helped to have a better understanding and connection to the Hindu people and it has helped
me to discover that I am actually much more compatible with Hinduism than I wouldve
previously thought.
It was also extremely beneficial for me to actually get to go to these places of worship
and experience these rituals firsthand. Each of us had to visit an Eastern place of worship and a
Western place of worship as a required part of our grade for class and for the Eastern place of
worship I visited a Buddhist Tibetan temple named Urgyen Samten Ling Gonpa and for the
Western place of worship I visited a Jewish Synagogue named Congregation Kol Ami.
Getting to go to a Buddhist temple was an especially great treat for me since Im such a
huge admirer of Buddhist philosophy. I love how inclusive the philosophy is towards other
people, I love how the Buddha recognized that the path to enlightenment would be different for
everyone, and I love the wise insights he provided into the true state of the human condition,
being so thoughtful as to write down all the major tenants of the religion down in list format so
his followers could easily understand the message he was trying to convey. The worship space
definitely had a calming atmosphere of peace to it and I could feel so much love and energy
present in the room and we were doing the ritual. There were also so many colorful things to
look at around the room that my mind went dizzy trying to absorb it all!

The service was dedicated to the Bodhisattva Chenrezig and we prayed to relive the
suffering not just of human beings and the people in the room, but all sentient human beings that
might be suffering across each of the six Buddhist realms. It really highlighted the Buddhist
believe that all life, no matter what kind of life it might be, is sacred, special, and connected,
interwoven because of the never ending cycle of birth and rebirth we all share. Its pointless,
therefore, to try and make distinctions between any sort of being - all beings experience suffering
in one capacity or another, even beings as great as Demigods and Gods who suffer from petty
jealousies and the inevitability that one day their great fortune will be taken away from them
upon their death, and what we really should be doing is remembering what we all have in
common with each other instead of the things that make us different.
I also got to go to a Jewish worship service as part of the class and I loved seeing the
level of unity and solidarity the people in the congregation all have with each other as they
gather in the synagogue every Saturday and sing praises to God. You could definitely tell from
the congregation that the Jewish people are 100% committed to following and keeping the
commandments which God has laid out for them. Everyone had such bright and cheerful smiles
as the Torah was paraded around the room and the level of happiness and gratitude that was
present even throughout the rest of the service was so palatable and alive that I nearly cried. I
was just so impressed by the outstanding show of faith! Finally, the singing was FANTASTIC!
Not only do I think that Hebrew is quite possibly one of the most beautiful-sounding languages
in the entire world, but it was so hauntingly beautiful and gorgeous that Im not even really quite
sure where to begin describing just how much the music really resonated within my soul!
Overall, having taken this course, I feel much more connected to the people of earth. I
feel as if I understand the cultures and nations that these religions shaped so much more than I

did before the course and I cant help but sit here and marvel in awe as I am writing this about
how grateful I am that the world is such a diverse and unique place! Some human beings might
seem alien and foreign to us at first, but if we try to see things from the other persons
perspective and try to understand what makes a human being do the things that they do, youll
find that all human beings have the same essential needs, dreams, hopes, and goals at their core.
Most of all, we all have the same types of basic questions that we all struggle with, sooner or
later, in life, questions like Why am I here? How can I impart meaning onto life? and Is
there life after death? And although there have been many creative ways humans have attempted
to answer questions like these, religion stands out completely inimitable and distinctive from the
rest.