Reading #4

The Meditation Collection Space:

Why do we collect things? I thought this article was interesting and posed good questions for me to consider. The article said that people and things have always had a relationship, and this is true since the beginning of time. Collections can be a way of dealing with the world and all of its complexities besides just being a hobby. The first person I thought of was my Grandmother in-law. She has collected rocks from significant places since as long as anyone can remember.

She has so many rocks, that they fill a large rock garden in her back yard as well as being displayed on every flat surface in her living room, kitchen, and bedroom. On the bottom of every rock, she writes in sharpie where it's from and when she picked it up. She does this for multiple reasons, one being that rocks are free and as a thrifty person she can always get free souvenirs wherever she goes. Second, it helps her hold on to her memories. Her rock garden is like a physical journal, and if you ask her about any particular rock she can tell you that day she found it, who she was with, and when it was. People give her rocks as gifts too because they know she loves them so much. My husband brought her back a rock from Portugal and she was so excited. A quote from the article says, "The possesion of the collection can fend off the chaos of the infinite material world, the loss of memory, the passage of time and the passing of objects into oblivion" (pg 52). This is true in Grandma Welch's case, and in any other collector's case.

Tibetan Mandalas and the Art of the Sacred:

Many teachers do not want to talk about religion or spirituality for fear of offending their students, getting in trouble, not knowing how to do so tactfully, and for fear of imposing their own beliefs. However, talking about these things provide an essential part of cultural education and provide opportunities for students to understand others different than themselves. The mandala is a way for teachers to begin those conversations and also allow students to find purpose, reflect on themselves and the world around them, and find inner peace.

"How can students learn about a religious tradition and its artwork in ways that do not trivialize or distort them? How can someone understand the power and meaning of sacred art without believing in the precepts from which it arose? How can teachers consider important spiritual questions while allowing room for divergent beliefs and ideas? What kinds of issues need to be considered when appropriating cultural or religious symbols and ideas into art-making?"