The Pluralism Project at Harvard University

Bridgette Hajduk

Annie Wright School,Tacoma, WA
Comparative World Religions

 

Student Questions/Observations from Fieldtrips

Below are some questions that the students generated to guide their research as they visited different sites. Following each set of research questions are samples of the students' observations from their research templates.

1. Sakya Monastery: (Tibetan Buddhist community in Seattle, WA)

Questions students prepared to ask prior to visit:

1. Do you think it is challenging living as a monk in American society? If so, how?

2. What sort (if any) prejudices do you face?

3. How does the Sakya monastery differ from a Tibetan monastery found in Tibet?

4. How did the tradition of butter lamps get started?

5. What is a monk's daily routine at the Sakya monastery?

6. How does the monastery support itself?

7. What is the most important time of the year in terms of Buddhist celebrations?

8. What language(s) do you perform your services in?

9. How do you choose a site in America to start a monastery?

10. Has Tibetan Buddhist philosophy changed or adapted to modern American society?

Observations after visit:

•  "It was very interesting to visit the temple and it brought a lot of what we learned in class to life. The wheel of life painting on the back wall of the monastery was really cool." ­Ashley Fuson

•  "There were many statues of deities that I have seen in Japanese temples." ­Nobuko Nakamure

•  "It surprised me that the practitioners are almost all whites, or Americans, instead of Asian-Americans." -Nobuko Nakamura

•  "It is interesting to learn that the monastery mixes with the nearby church to do activities because I would think the church would not like them." ­Keola Kwong

•  "The triple jewel image is obviously very important because it appeared in almost every picture and image." ­Ran Tao

•  "I could feel that the monastery was a really sacred place, but it is kind of weird because it is located among normal houses." ­Ran Tao

•  "I'm really curious about the congregation and how they have interpreted Buddhism because it seemed the monastery looked a lot like a traditional church structure." ­Katy Smith

•  "The artwork was really amazing and I thought the use of color within the temple made it very lively and welcoming. And, the little pillows were really comfortable." ­Carrie Lorenson

•  "I think it was amazing what people at the monastery offered food to the Buddha statues at the shrine. I think it is very interesting that people sacrifice chocolate chip cookies to the Buddha." ­Sayaka Ninomiya

2. Vedic classes (Hindu Temple and Community Center in Bellevue, WA)

Questions students prepared to ask prior to visit:

1. How do Hindus in America practice their faith?

2. What is the definition of dharma because I have heard so many different definitions?

3. How do you adapt the old Vedic religion to modern, every-day life?

4. As a community, what do you hope to accomplish in the upcoming years? What are your community's aspirations? Do you want to expand?

5. Why do you consider it important to learn about the Vedas as opposed to more modern texts?

6. Is worship or understanding more important in Hinduism?

7. Are there separate Vedic classes for older or more educated practitioners?

8. Do a lot of visitors come to visit your community?

Observations after visit:

•  "The class was a combination of story telling and teaching. There was little discussion between the students and the teacher. I enjoyed seeing a different type of religious service. I liked the family style and relaxed atmosphere which made me feel comfortable even as an outsider." ­ Ashley Fuson

•  "I thought it was interesting that the teacher called Brahman "the god". And he explained that there is neither one god or many gods, but simply "god". ­Ashlen Anderson

•  "It was very much geared toward children and seemed a lot like Sunday school. It was a very different experience than what I was expecting, but it was a great experience." -Saba Siddiki

•  "I found it interesting that the Vedic classes were for the whole family and there were mostly mothers who wore traditional clothing and small children with only a few fathers who did not wear traditional clothing." ­Virginia Philbrook

3. Temple Beth El (Jewish Synagogue in Tacoma, WA)

Questions students prepared to ask prior to visit:

1. Do all men have to wear the skull cap on their heads?

2. Is there any conflict in this community between Orthodox, Conservative and Reform Jews?

3. Are there any female rabbis?

4. Is there any significance in the temple's architectural structure?

5. What rituals or celebrations are most emphasized in this community?

6. How are "American Jews" accepted by "Israeli Jews"?

7. I¹ve heard that Temple Beth El is very liberal. What makes people say that

8. How does the Temple Beth El community feel about homosexuality?

9. Is there a hierarchial system of rabbis like leaders in Christianity?

10. Why is there only one Reform/conservative synagogue in Tacoma?

11. What language do you perform your services in, Hebrew or English?

Observations after visit:

•  "I felt like I was outside the United States when I was in the temple because there were lots of Hebrew characters and much beautiful art." ­Sayaka Ninomiya

•  "The fieldtrip was wonderful and the rabbi answered a lot of our questions. The temple seemed so warm and welcoming and I really liked the Biblical garden." ­Saba Siddiki

•  "The Biblical garden was amazing because it was made all from plants that grow in Washington state." ­Nobuko Nakamura

•  "The tour of temple Beth El was really interesting and I was amazed to find out that the people can only read the torah in Hebrew, not in English." ­Phoebe Lin

•  "I thought it was very unique that the temple's structure was symbolically representative of Mt. Sinai." ­Ran Tao

•  "The coolest thing about this fieldtrip was our discussion about the purpose of the sanctuary and the differences in Jewish and Christian worship spaces." ­Carrie Lorenson

•  "I thought the Jewish gift shop inside the building was a very interesting mix of commercialism/economics with a worship place." ­Carolyn Speidel