Reading Notes: Shedlock Eastern Stories and Legends, Part D

For this reading I read more Jataka Tales from Shedlock Eastern Stories and Legends. From the part D selection, I really enjoyed the story "The Dreamer in the Wood." This is the story of a reincarnation of Buddha living alone in the forest. He lived in peace with all of his surroundings, making sure not to harm any creature for his own well being. He ate fruit when it grew on trees, leaves when there was no fruit, and bark when there were no leaves. One day Sakka, the King of Gods, came to test the man. Sakka asked the man what he wanted for himself. The man asked to be free of hatred, malice, and greed. Sakka was surprised that the man didn't ask for anything related to food and gave him another request. The man asked that no creature ever be harmed for him, body or mind. These requests were granted because they were all selfless acts.

Bibliography: Shedlock Eastern Stories and Legends (Link)

Forest (Source)

Reading Notes: Shedlock Eastern Stories and Legends, Part C

For this weeks readings I chose to read more Jataka Tales. I read a selection from Shedlock Eastern Stories and Legends for extra credit last week and decided I would read some more for week 14. From these stories I particularly liked one titled "How the Antelope Was Caught." This is the story of a gardener who works for a king. Every day an antelope wanders into the garden and eventually is gains confidence and is no longer scared of the gardener. The king asks the gardener about the garden and he tells the king about the antelope and says he could get the antelope into the palace. The king tells him to do it. The gardener starts by putting honey on the grass that the antelope eats. The antelope loves the taste and eventually has no fear of the gardener at all. The gardener then makes a trail of honey soaked grass that leads into the palace. The antelope follows it because he lusts for the taste and wanders right into the palace. The king speaks about how the antelope would never have come near the palace, but his lust for taste took over and he did. This story has a moral against lust and I enjoyed it very much.

Bibliography: Shedlock Eastern Stories and Legends (Link)

Antelope (Source)

Wikipedia Trail: Krishna to Royal Canadian Mounted Police

I started this trail by learning more about Krishna. Krishna is a major deity in Hinduism, one of the avatars of Vishnu. He is the god of compassions, tenderness, and love. I then moved on to Jambul which is a a fruit that comes from a tropical tree commonly found in the India subcontinent. I was lead here because some Indian texts describe Krishna's skin as being the color of Jambul. From here I went on to read about Crimson which I chose for fairly obvious reasons (Boomer). Crimson is a strong read color that originally came from dye produced from the kermes insects. Lastly, I found my way to Royal Canadian Mounted Police because their uniforms are crimson. Very interesting trail.

Krishna (Source )

Learning Challenge: Sleep

I chose this learning challenge because my sleep cycle is not where I want it to be. I tend to stay up late and sleep in and I would rather be able to the fall asleep earlier and wake up earlier to be productive. I read an article that compared the importance of studying compared to a good nights rest. I chose this one because when I study for exams I usually study late into the night before the test and don't get much sleep and I have heard that this is not a good way to prepare for an exam. I learned that when you don't get a good nights sleep, your brain can't repair itself enough and that makes it hard to retain info and learn more. The article recommends that students not sacrifice sleep in order to study because that will actually backfire and have the opposite of the desired effect.

Bibliography: Why Sleeping May Be More Important Than Studying by Katrina Schwartz (Link)

Sleep (Source)

Growth Mindset

For this Growth Mindset extra credit I decided to look at the growth mindset cats. The first image that I really liked was one that said to study hard, then take a break. I related to this one because when I study I tend to just study hard for hours and not take a break. I often realize that I am just cramming and not actually retaining the information. I think taking breaks will help with that.

Source

Another that I liked was one that said failure teaches you to deal with disappointment. I like this one because there are too many people who have never really had to fail and deal with what comes from it but I think that failing and dealing with the disappointment is important to maturing and becoming a successful adult.

Source

Tech Tip: Canvas Mobile App

I downloaded the Canvas mobile app on my iPhone and it was very simple, just like any other app. After it is downloaded you just sign in and use it the same as the website. I have used the app for a while and I really enjoy what it offers. I like having it from times when I want to see what I have due soon or when a grade gets entered but I don't have my computer on hand. It is a great tool for planning and reminders at the tip of your fingers.

Source

Extra Credit Reading: Shedlock Eastern Stories and Lengends

For this extra credit reading I read more Jataka tales. From this selection I particularly enjoyed the story of "The Mallard Who Asked for Too Much." This story tells the tale of a man who dies and is reincarnated as a golden mallard. In an attempt to care from his family, he gives them one of his golden feathers every so often so they can sell it and have money. This worked for a while until the mother got too greedy and decided to pluck all of the feathers at once instead of receiving one at at time. As she plucked them, the feathers turned to normal bird feathers and were no longer worth anything. This story warns against greed and selfishness and I really enjoyed it.

Bibliography: Shedlock Eastern Stories and Legends (Link)

Mallard Ducks (Source)

Reading Notes: Francis and Thomas Jataka Tales, Part B

For this weeks part b reading I continued with the Jataka Tales that I have been reading for the past few weeks. I read the part b selection of the Jataka Tales by Francis and Thomas. Of this selection, I really enjoyed the story The Foolish Friend. This is the story of two men. A mosquito lands on one of the men's head and stings him. The man asks his friend to kill the bug and his friend attempts to do that with an axe. He hits the mosquito and splits the mans head open, killing him. The Bodhissata was watching and after seeing what happened speaks about it. He says that is it worse to have friends with no sense than to have enemies with sense. I thought this story was very interesting and the end really surprised me.

Bibliography: Francis and Thomas. Jataka Tales (Link)

Mosquito (Source)

Reading Notes: Francis and Thomas Jataka Tales, Part A

For this weeks reading I decided to continue with the different versions of the Jataka tales like have I have for the past couple of weeks. This week i read a collection by Francis and Thomas which focus on the Jataka tales of the most general interest. Of these stories I particularly liked the story "The Cold Half of the Month." This story is very short, only about half of a page, and tells an odd but interesting story. A lion and a tiger live together in a cave and are arguing about when the "cold half" of the month is the "dark half" or the "light half." I assume they are talking about day and night. Their argument is settled by the Bodhissata that also lives in the cave who tells them that the wind is what causes the cold. So whenever the wind blows is the cold half of the month, whether day or night. The Bodhassita declares them both to be right and "makes peace between those friends." I'm not sure why this story stuck out to me but I enjoyed the read.

Bibliography: Francis and Thomas. Jataka Tales (Link)

Lion and Tiger (Source)

Reading Notes: Inayat Jataka Tales, Part B

This week I read more of the Jataka tales. Of the selection I had for this week, I liked the story The Patient Buffalo. The is the story of a very large buffalo and a monkey that is constantly trying to make him angry. The monkey jumps on his back, swings from his horns, stomps on the grass he is eating, and hits his ears all in an effort to make the buffalo angry. The buffalo remains calm the whole time and never reacts to the monkey. A fairy appears and asks why he never got angry and the buffalo says it is because he is big and could easily hurt the monkey but the monkey is not very smart so he sees no reason in hurting him. The fairy gets rid of the monkey and gives the buffalo a charm that will make sure no one could ever make him suffer again. This story teaches the lesson of patience and composure and I really enjoyed it.

Bibliography: Twenty Jataka Tales by Noor Inayat (Link)

Buffalo (Source)

Reading Notes: Inayat Jataka Tales, Part A

For this weeks reading I decided to read more Jataka tales. I have really enjoyed these stories so far and the new ones I found for this week are just as good. I particularly liked The Master's Test. This is the story of a man and his young pupils. The master asks his pupils to go steal money from someone for him. As the young pupils admire their master, they all go out to steal except one. The one who does not go says he will not steal even if no one is watching because he will see himself do it. This is the answer to the master's test that none of the other men see. The master was essentially teaching his pupils integrity and to be good people. I really enjoyed this story and it's moral.

Bibliography: Twenty Jataka Tales by Noor Inayat (Link)

Thief (Source)

Wikipedia Trail: Jataka Tales to Samsara

For this trail I started with the Jataka Tales, which have been my favorite readings from this class. I learned that these stories were originally written as tales about the previous lives of Buddha and the virtues he exhibits. Next, I read about stupas. Stupas are mound-like structures that contain relics and tombs and are used as places of meditation in Buddhist cultures. This led me to an article about Karma. Karma is the idea that actions will have future consequences. These actions are believed to be the determining factor in the next rebirth of that person. Karma led me to samsara. This is the Buddhist concept of the beginning-less cycle of rebirth, life, and death.

Bibliography:
Jataka Tales (Link)
Stupa (Link)
Karma (Link)
Samsara (Link)

Stupa (Source)

Learning Challenge: Health

For this learning challenge, I read an article on deskercise. Deskersice is the name given to small exercises you can do at your desk to help keep you comfortable and focused. I chose this because I have always had a hard time sitting down and staying still. I think these exercises could really help me with that issue. Most of the ideas that I liked from this article were small stretches and movements that would help keep my muscles relaxed and comfortable. Things like neck and shoulder stretches, arm stretches, and back workouts. These are the areas that usually cause me some discomfort and I think the ideas in the article could really help.

Bibliography: Deskercise: 17 Exercises You Can Do At or Near Your Desk by JoAnn McFarland (Link)

My life (Source)

Growth Mindset: Learning From Other Students

For this Growth Mindset post, I chose the Learning From Other Students challenge. The first quote that caught my attention was "Enjoy the Ride." It talks about enjoying your journey through the semester, even though sometimes it is going to get a little rough. The first thing that came to my head when reading this was the idea of "don's sweat the small stuff." I tend to get very stressed out over assignments and tests, especially when they pile up in a short period of time. This quote got me to the realization that, although those things are important, what's more important is enjoying life and not letting these things control my happiness. The second quote I liked was "The Learning Process." It kind of relates to my thoughts on the first quote. Yes, results are important, but not the most important thing.

Source

Tech Tip: Canvas Calendar

The Canvas calendar has been an awesome resource for me this year. Now that all of my classes use Canvas instead of D2L, I love being able to see all of my assignments for each week in one place. The way I use it is I go to the calendar at the beginning of every month and then make a list of all of my assignments in order of due dates. I put that list on a sticky note on the home screen of my computer so it is very easily accessed and always the first thing I see when I log in. This tool has really helped me develop better time management because it allows me too see what assignments I have each day from all of my classes. So instead of having to jump from class schedule to class schedule I just take a look at the calendar. It is a great resource for planning out your day as well as your week. You can see what days you have a heavy work load and spread out that work to days when you don't have much to do. I highly recommend using the Canvas calendar.

Calendar (Source)

Extra Reading: Twenty Jataka Tales

For this extra credit reading I decided to stick with the Jataka tales that I read for the assigned readings this week. I have really enjoyed these stories more than any of the other readings for this class. From this selection I specifically liked the story The Empty Lake. This story told the tale of fish in a lake that was almost completely dried up. the king of the fish prayed to the Queen of Rain and she answered with enough rain to completely refill their lake. The story used great personification of the fish as well as the elements with characters like Queen Rain and King Thunder. I really enjoyed this reading just as I have enjoyed all of the Jataka Tales I have read. 

Bibliography: Twenty Jataka Tales by Noor Inayat (Link)

Thunder Storm (Source)

Reading Notes: More Jataka Tales, Part B

For part B I stuck with Babbitt More Jataka Tales. I enjoyed the story of The Wise Goat and The Wolf. This tale tells the story of a herd of goats that is picked off one by one by a pair of wolves. The wolves are able to kill ad eat all of the goats except for one who is wiser than the others. They try to trick her a couple times but both times the goat outsmarts them and is able to escape. I also enjoyed the story Beauty and Brownie. I found it fairly interesting because it is kind of dark and has a not-so-happy ending of Brownie's entire herd of deer being killed. I really enjoy these Jataka tales. I like how they are short and to the point and how they mostly focus on animals.

Bibliography: More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt (Link)

Deer (Source)