Both of the articles assigned for this week were extremely insightful. In response to Edward Said’s article regarding the study of Islam in a post 9/11 world, I also agree that a clash of civilizations (Huntington) will dominate global politics. North American and Western media consistently boost the paradigm of ‘the West vs. the Rest’ which has become a concept that unfortunately we are extremely familiar with in our present day, especially since the events of 9/11. This radical phenomenon of Islamist fundamentalism has truly “distorted religion, debased tradition and has twisted various political developments.”
Although I was only twelve when 9/11 took place in New York, I specifically remember that day and the many days that followed in its aftermath. I also remember being completely shocked as to the portrayal of treatment of Afghani women. However, I did not know at the time that the Taliban decree to ban girls and women from schools affected only a tiny minority of urban dwellers as the majority of the population reside in rural areas where approximately 90% of women and 60% of men in Afghanistan are illiterate. The media conveyed biases upon its audience in order to gain mass assumptions, anxieties and prejudices regarding the notion not of fundamental Islam, but more so Islam as a whole. Islamic fundamentalism evoke images and fears in the West’s imagination including, “women wearing burqas, the cutting off of hands and heads, massive crowds praying in unison, a rejection and hatred of the west and the quick response to violence against those who are different.”
After 9/11, a drastic increase in hate speech as well as discriminatory actions were directed against Arabs and Muslims and were apparent in many countries. Said and Hirschkind’s articles have emphasized how fanatic Islamists have used the mobilization of people for political purposes and how Afghanistan has been entirely transformed by the role it was recruited to play during the Cold War conflict specifically the American backing of radical militants. I thoroughly enjoyed reading these articles and will be suggesting them to my friends.
Portions of this article reflected what Professor Goodman teaches weekly in class, that it- is vital to not compare Buddhism in various regions with a capital ‘B’ but more so realizing the plurality of Buddhism in the dynamic processes of interaction within various Buddhist communities; thus it is importance of contextualizing the practices and traditions of Buddhism in various Buddhist communities.
The written history of Buddhism occurred in Sri Lanka some 400 years after the Buddha’s death. Little certainty as to which words were actually belonging to Buddha and debate pertaining to which language the Buddha actually spoke. I learned that Southern Buddhism to describe the Buddhism of Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, Burma, Laos and parts of Vietnam and the Term ‘Northern Buddhism’ used in reference to China, Japan, Korea, Tibet and Mongolia. Before the Buddha passed away, it is said that he was asked who would succeed him as a leader of the community. He answered that his teaching should be the teacher. The Jatakas are Birth Stories of which there are over 500, they represent the recollection of one of his former lives.
I also enjoyed reading about Monks from a variety of social backgrounds. Throughout the Buddhist world, monks, and laypeople have lived in a symbolic relationship: the laity provide material support for the monks while monks provide a locus for the layperson’ accumulation of merit.
Two words: ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL! The Dunhuang caves located in the present-day Gansu province of Western China are SO magnificent that they leave me speechless! I am fascinated with the site’s two thousand year history of originally being established as a military garrison by the Chinese empire with the earliest caves at Dunhuang built in the mid-fourth century as meditation retreats for monks seeking to escape the bustle of the town. The caves’ decorations, sculptures, artifacts, the Buddhist Library at Cave 17 and Sogdian Letters are extensive, ornate and delicate. So far the Dunhuang caves have been one of my very favourite sites on the Silk Road thus far. They give one an extensive and illuminating insight into the Buddhist culture that thrived in this area. It is incomprehensible how they built such marvelous creations as some constructions are so intricate and large that it is impossible to see them fully–what was its original purpose? It is a shame that vatious the caves has been defaced and destroyed over the years, yet I cannot wait to one day visit the Dunhuang Caves!
The important thing to realize is that there is a large distinction and significance between the study of religion and the practicing of a religion. What is religion? A simple definition would be that religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to scarce things.
I believe that religion is socially constructed, and for that reason it is a very complex and interesting topic to pursue academically. Throughout history, much of the strife between civilizations has directly or indirectly been linked to religion. Culture influences religion and religion influences culture. Religious doctrines are the same across the world, yet the way that each society interprets them vary from region to region and nation to nation. It becomes even more complicated when religion is deeply affiliated with one’s ethnicity ex: in relation to the Uyghurs.
There are infinite amounts of questions and debates regarding religion in every issue of society. Trying to have a civil conversation with someone is sometimes complicated enough as it is without adding the dynamic of religion into it. Each person rightfully has their own beliefs, yet when it comes to religion, these beliefs are so deeply enshrined in an individual that the following question comes to mind: Can harmony actually exist between nations and furthermore nations while we have religion? As humans, we have an innate curiosity, yet why then do we question everything else other than religion? Why except such answers to life that different religions seem to pose? What drives humans to believe in religion, is it fear, hope…?
Christianity flourished in Medieval China. While the Nestorian sect thrived in Syria in the 6th century; missionaries were sent broadly over Asia. It sent missionaries widely over Asia, evidence of this being Marco Polo’s records of encountering such churches in China.
An extremely valuable object of which enlightens us further on the journey of Nestorian Christianity in the Far East is the Nestorian tablet which was constructed in 781 AD.
The Nestorian tablet tells of how the Nestorian monks arrived to China and presented the Nestorian religion to Chinese officials. It also illustrates how Chinese officials concurred with the monks regarding the excellent principles of the religion; making it known as the ‘Illustrious Religion.’
In addition to the Nestorian tablet (which is impressively ten feet tall), twenty-seven sacred books were also given to the Imperial Library in China by the Nestorian monks. These books have allowed scholars to observe rules of admission such as baptism as well as daily rituals of Neophytes including praying seven times a day. However, the Nestorian Church slowly lost popularity due to various occurrences of superstition and changing political affairs in the region. 
Zoroastrianism, which originated in 1200 BCE, is known to many as the mysterious ‘religion of fire.’
However, Mary Boyce’s writings have clarified many myths surrounding this religion. To be quite honest, I only had a very slight idea of what the main core of Zoroastrianism consisted of prior to examining the required readings.
Boyce emphasized that the ultimate aim of all individuals should be to bring about the salvation of this world by good triumphing over evil.
Although Zoroastrians continue to suffer discrimination in education and careers in Iran, there is a significant Diaspora of Zoroastrians to London, England (1861), Eastern Africa (1870’s) as well as to North America (1960’s). Some interesting facts regarding Zoroastrianism are that the religion originated as an oral tradition and that it was the first state religion of the Persian Empire.
Zoroastrians pray five times daily and uses its holy texts which are an assemblage of twenty-one books called Avesta. The presence of fire in Zoroastrianism is a symbol of righteousness. Uncleanliness is viewed as evil thus followers make offerings consisting of wood or incenses to feed the fire. Important ceremonies celebrated in Zoroastrianism are birth, initiation into the faith and death.
Interesting facts I learned from this reading are that non-believers are not permitted to be present at Zoroastrian acts of worship, priests and laymen may inter-marry and bread is usually given to dogs before a family eats a meal.
After reading the Ancient Sogdian Letters, I realized how often we take communication technology for granted. I cannot imagine writing a letter filled with all of my hopes and fears just to wait anxiously for its arrival to its recipient.
Upon reading the letters, I was not surprised at its formality of routinely wishing the receiver health and good tidings; yet I was shocked to read the brutal sincerity of their emotions portrayed in the later parts of their letters. They felt so isolated that among their emotions they considered themselves “dead” and would rather be an animal’s wife than their husbands. Wow!
In our present day and society, technology has greatly aided narrowing the gap of distance and of time when it comes to communicating with others. I cannot fathom what it must of been like to not only have to battle the harshness of mother nature, but to have a barely existent support network where distance among other elements was not on one’s side.
The Xiongnu of China were nomadic shepherds inhabiting Chinese north-west borders of whom constantly provoked raids on their neighboring Chinese counterparts leading to the construction of the first Great Wall in Gansu, China.
Surprisingly enough, this wall was not effective and thus the Chinese used a tribute relationship with the Xiongnu which led to a 10% drain on the Han’s state revenue in order to control Han diplomacy.
Although these nomads managed a thriving trade in donkeys, the Xiongnu invasions of China led to an immense demand in acquiring large Arab steeds (Heavenly horses) as the horses from Mongolia were very small.
Fascinating contemporary Chinese accounts of the Xiongnu (in Francis Wood’s book) state that they did not have any houses and that they drank blood. Remarkably, a complex trading system was set up as the Chinese government set up custom posts by use of a passport system in order to control the flow of trade of objects such as iron tools and pearls as well as the movement of people.
I must admit that prior to selecting this course; I had the romanticized misconception that the Silk Road was solely a luxurious transport network of adventure and trade. I was intrigued by the interaction of different people and the share of not only goods but knowledge of various languages and methods of communication. However, what I lacked to take into consideration were the misfortunes and hardships that pilgrims, merchants, travelers and explorers endured. It was not until chapters 1-3 of ‘The Silk Road’ by Frances Wood that I came to the understanding that many factors contributed bearing either success of failure of one’s journey along the Silk Road; specifically the variance of the extremity of climates, lack of vegetation, scarcity of animals as well as efficient/inefficient water systems. According to Wood, oases were located on the outer rims of the deserts and thus few travelers ventured out into the desolated wilderness of these areas (including the Lop and the Gobi Deserts). Thus, pertaining to desert areas, other hardships that travelers endured were bandits who would randomly attack travelers’ caravans, desert sprits which would call to men at night as well as the fact that men had to carry an abundance of their own provisions as areas were extremely isolated and lack of preparation could be the equivilant of death. Hence, oases were viewed as welcoming sites.
Prior to reading Wood’s readings, another misconception that I had believed regarding the Silk Road was that individuals who embarked on journeying the Silk Road would travel the entire extent of it from the Far East to Europe and vice versa. Yet this as Wood illustrates, was not the case as the number of agents who travelled the full distance of the routes was in reality quite small.
I was intrigued to read that Romans referred to the Chinese as ‘Serens’ as China produced silk as early as 1,000 BC. The process of taking care of silk worms was a great and tidious one. Silk was in fact a controversial commodity in Rome (due to the transparency it brought to a woman’s figure) as well as a problematic factor to the Roman economy (as it was in such high demand and ever-so popular). Furthermore, the profusion of diversity and the concept of unity during Alexander the Great’s reign from ‘Gilbraltar to Punjab’ was incredible as there existed a single coinage system throughout the lands as well as the use of Greek as the lingua-franca which enhanced communication.
Overall, the comparison and contrast between the Rome and China was helpful as it aided me in comprehending how complex and productive both entities were in regard to power, trade and innovation.
