Brad's Indian Epics Blog

From Rama to Lotus Position Rock cut sculpture depicting Mahavira in Lotus position at Samanar Hills, Tamil Nadu, India, Wikicommons My journey started at Rama  as I was reading up on him for a potential project in the future. This lead to the interesting in Buddhism  and what role he played. The major parts of Buddhism is mediation will lead directly to Zen . Reading up on Zen proposed the different ways and steps to potentially reach the Zen state. One of the positions was the Lotus Position . Wanting to visualize this I clicked on the link and now it is the header image.

Feedback Thoughts Feedback, Pixbay As outlined in the post " 5 Tips For Taking Feedback Like a Champ ", it states that feel uncomfortable is healthy. Being uncomfortable is how we grow and that it is one of the only ways to truly improve ourselves. It also brings out a good point of using your weaknesses as strengths, for instance it states that being shy may mean that you are just conscientious. I think this is correct to an extent, but at some point we have to push ourselves outside of our comfort zone, which is what this article states right off the bat. This is what makes it a good articles, because it comes full circle. The second article worth noting is " Why rejection hurts so much — and what to do about it ". I really liked this article. In short it cites that the biggest critic is our self. This is very true, because typically an argument takes place between two or more people. However, when it is only yourself you begin to hype up these ideas and ...

Topic Brainstorm Krishna with Cows, herdsmen, and Gopis, Wikicommons Swayamvara: The concept of Swayamvara was one that I was not familiar with and did not know it existed. It is very intriguing because it allows for the woman to choose the man that she sees best fit for her. My understanding of ancient royalties was typical European practice of marriage for alliance and/or power. Swayamvara altogether is something completely different and much more romantic in my opinion because it is a willed by both parties. I can already think of a few stories I could tell about the trails and tribulations the potential suitors would have to go through to be deemed fit. It also appears that honor and class played a heavy role in the decision as there was instances of self-disqualification which adds another layer to the story. Krishna: Much like Rama, Krishna is an avatar of Vishnu. In fact Rama is the incarnation right before Krishna! Krishna was also born into a distressful situation...

Goblin Tricksters Rakshasa as depicted in Yakshagana, an art form of coastal Karnataka, Wikicommons The island of Ceylon is infamous for its deadly Rakshasa, or goblin, inhabitants. What most adventurers failed to learn was that one of the neighboring islands, Nolyec, is far more dangerous despite having very similar inhabitants. What differentiated the two creatures from the neighboring islands was their wit or lack of. The goblins on Ceylon were able to live off a steady supply of foolish sailors and only really had to rely on their disguise and simple lies. The goblins of Nolyec were far more cunning and thrived with a virtually endless supply of food and part of their success was the fact that nobody had escaped once landing. An exhibition was held by a group of villagers from the mainland. This journey consisted of a crew of 100 warriors and 10 skilled sailors. All of which pledged their life to the cause at hand, and swore to not desert. The primary functi...

Turtle falling to his death from The Turtle and the Geese , Story Source Notes: The Foolish, Timid Rabbit: I really liked this story and the moral. I think the intended message was that everything should be investigated and not be taken at face value without evidence. I think this story directly relates to the current state of the world where there seems to be a constant of he said she said fear-mongering that ultimately causes more grief than the base problem itself would. Two Turtle Jatakas: The two turtle Jatakas read very differently. The first one has a good sense of a message in that things aren't as always as you perceive them, but then shifts to how the turtle's wit and deception is a tool in saving his life. The second story has a stronger message that I believe reads as: Don't concern yourself too greatly with other's opinions of yourself or it might be at your own expense. The Cunning Crane and the Crab: This story is more detailed then the ...

Image from the Story book/webpage The Indian Story Book: Rama's Quest This story immediately grabbed as it was a story of a powerful being exiled only to have his wife and close family become personally invested. I look forward to reading this story. Ravana Ravana is an interesting character as he appears throughout Hindu stories as the primary antagonist, and I look forward to learning more about him and to find out what makes him evil. The Ramayana The Ramayana links today these two characters I have listed above, and it is largest ancient in the world. This book has remained important through many ages and must be a good read.