[Ray Clark]

Hi Cheryl, one thing I like about being in this seminar is not only learning so much, but seeing other people's ideas, and thining of ways I can incorporate them into my own lessons.  I have discussed Christian televangelists (and lavish lifestyles) in my classes, but I have never thought about Buddhists in that way, although I am aware of a scandal a few years ago among Buddhists living posh lifestyles and even a whole organized gang "war" in Korea a couple of decades ago in which monks were involved.   Thanks for giving me other ideas to make this more exciting and relatable for my students, since Buddhism is probably the most "foreign" of the major religions that I teach , given my student population.

[Ray Clark]

Wow Marina, 

I envy your experience going on that trip through Yale especially. I agree with Joseph that you must have quite a unique experience as you approach various parts of this seminar.  I have not been very successful with meditation in the past, but I did register for a session, so at least I am sure it will be interesting.  Thanks for the link and the info! 

[Ray Clark]

Hi Marina,

I think you are correct.  I still want to find out more information about this, but I am really happy that Professor Meeks gave us more information than I have gotten before, even when talking to people from China, Cambodia etc, or traveling in India, Thailand etc. 

Spacibah (One of the few Russian words I remember, but I do not have the Cyrillac keyboard)!

[Ray Clark]

Is it possible for someone to expound a little on the questions that the historical Buddha refused to answer?  A few of them are mentioned, but maybe I missed where they are discussed further. I think these might be interesting to have students ponder why he might not answer those questions; see if they fit into certain categories, etc.

[Ray Clark]

Thanks for mentioning that again. Being raised largely in Germany, I have vague recollections of hearing about the origins of the swastika having to do with Buddhism, but somehow it was relegated to the attic of my mind.  With you mentioning cultural appropriation here, it gives me a whole other jumping off point, as I strive to make my lessons relevant & exciting in this new educational model.  I appreciate the nudge in a new line of thinking.

 

[Ray Clark]

Thanks for mentioning that again. Being raised largely in Germany, I have vague recollections of hearing about the origins of the swastika having to do with Buddhism, but somehow it was relegated to the attic of my mind.  With you mentioning cultural appropriation here, it gives me a whole other jumping off point, as I strive to make my lessons relevant & exciting in this new educational model.  I appreciate the nudge in a new line of thinking.

 

[Ray Clark]

I appreciate Professor Meeks introducing the "austerity Buddha"  early on, as I've seen mostly the large-bellied Buddhas throughout the world, but have also occasionally seen thinner ones, and no one has ever given me any convincing explanation for the difference.  Now I finally know the reason for the two depictions.

The Lopez reading was lengthy,  although as a historian, it was suitably  informative, since I am particularly  interested in diffusion of religion & culture, and it expounded on several topics brought up in the lectures so that I got a better understanding.  It's also ironic that even though Buddhism originated in India, arguably there are more Buddhists in Western countries now than in India itself.  

[Ray Clark]

The numbers in Korea (of foreigners gaining citizenship are nothing like countries such as Canada, or the US, etc, but they are letting more people acquire citizenship & residency.  When I was last there in the late '90s, there was one guy (I believe Irish) who was very famous for a while because he spoke beautiful Korean, and became a citizen, but around 2001 or so , they changed some laws, and I had an acquaintance who was going through the process.  I don't know how it is at present, and I lost track of my former collegue, but I think these trends change as Korea becomes even more globally-conscious.

 

[Ray Clark]

As I read your comment, you gaave me a good idea for connecting current events in the US & the world together with protest movements, but also bringing in the historical context  (i.e. BLM w/ the civil rights movement, but also groups like BTS & their stans being largely responsible for Tiktok fans getting tickets for Tulsa.  I also like the categories that you mentioned, such as gun violence, LGBTQ etc.  I took notes of the artists that you said were your students favorites, and I think you gave me a good base to work with as I work on a unit.  I was not aware of the Escape the Corset movement until this class, but I am going to investigate this more as well.

[Ray Clark]

Cheryl, 

I appreciate your remarks on this topic and in the Zoom discussion today.  When I was working on my first job for one of the giant Chaboel (Korean mega-corporations), one executive in his mid-50s came up to me when he found out that I was the consultant, and not an assistant.  I was in my late 20s at the time, and  I will never forget what he said.  "How can you tell us anything?  You are not Asian, you are Westerner, and you are not even White!  You are too young.  The only two things that you have [going for me] are that you are a man, and you are tall"!  I must admit, I was shocked, since I was fairly new to Korea, but fortunately I had 2 secret weapons that he didn't know about:  I grew  up as a Spanish-speaking Brown-skinned child in small Central European towns, so since kindergarten I was used to being around people who didn't speak the language used at home, or looking like me.  The second weapon is that I had started learning Korean, even before I arrived, after I found out that I would be moving to Korea. I didn't know a lot by that time, but even all these years later, Koreans are often amazed at my accent.  When I started my presentation, I greeted everyone in virtually flawless Korean!  (And I was very prepared (thankfully), for my presentation.  That same guy came up after, and said "I didn't know you were a genius". I, along with the others gathered around laughed, but the apology I was hoping for never came.  On the other hand, I got many lucrative job offers after that.  Not that it excuses the overt racism, sexism, etc., but honestly, this is part of the legacy of  global imperialism, and is  a much larger problem than only Korea.  Plus, in my experience, even in large hotels, on more than one occasion when I accompanied friends from places such as Hong Kong or Japan, even though I spoke in Korean,  the clerk would turn to the Asian person (non-Korean speaking) as I would  smile and wait.  Hopefully this has evolved a  bit.  On the other hand, we have to remember that historically S. Korea has developed more in the last 30 years than in at least the previous century.  Deeply held beliefs and attitudes are among the hardest & last things to change, hence well-educated "Karens" still calling the police on birdwatchers in public parks, & faking attacks in the "melting pot" of the US.

[Ray Clark]

Greetings.

My name is Ray & I teach World History and AP US history at West Adams HS.  I lived and worked in Asia in the past and look forward to gaining new knowledge, as well as getting some insights on making this increasingly important part of the world relevant to my students.

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