#ugc111

[psyalcy-blog]

Description:

This artefact from Cambodia was created c. 1000 CE, and was “placed on terraces and stairways to guard the central pyramidal structure that represented Mount Meru, the residence of the gods at the centre of the Hindu world”. “The characteristic full, frontal pose and upright stance lend the figure a composed regal air, while the elaborately carved demonic head and patterned chest shows the Javanese influence so important in Khmer culture.”

It seems that there is a huge significance for the Cambodians to think of lions as sacred guardians to guard their sacred religious places and perhaps ward off evil. Perhaps lions being known as the king of the jungle and are also very fierce animals made them two possible reasons that the people chose lions to be the guardians of their gods since they would be able to ward off any evil beings. It may also be used to show how divine their gods are, and how much reverence the people have for their gods, as lions are symbols of power and might. Then this would mean that their gods are so powerful and mighty that even lions are their guardians. This can also show how their religion is respected by the people there , and how much it has been incorporated in their lives. 

[psyalcy-blog]

"Thus disposed, and strengthened by the Holy Ghost, the blessed servant [Francis] of the Most High [God] (for that the time appointed was come) followed that blessed impulse of his soul through which, by trampling on worldly things, the highest good is attained."

Response:

Worldly possessions are often talked about as something that should not be so sought after in most religions due to desires. But in this text, they brought this rejection of possessions to an extreme level where Francis is one who 'tramples' on and sees wordly possessions as something so negative that it is not only not to be sought after, but it is to fully deplete yourself of all worldly possessions then are you doing good in life. Possessions are seen to be a 'disease' here, where people should never attempt to hold possessions with them.

It is very intriguing as to why they viewed possessions to be so negative to almost a full extent. Although it may also be possible that Thomas was exaggerating on this, it also represent their views that one can only live well when they do not own anything other than their holy and sacred materials. 

[psyalcy-blog]

"Let your speech be gentle towards those you meet, and your greetings kind; be modest towards women, and let your glance be turned to the ground." -Clement of Alexandria

Response:

This quote is interesting as this quote has included women, which is something that is a little rare, as this was a period where women were not given much respect and place in the society. But in this quote, it has mentioned that people should be modest towards women, this is a way of showing respect towards women in that period.

This quote is also interesting where it mentioned 'let your glance be turned to the ground'. It may be possible that this quote is about Clement telling his fellow Christians that one way to live in that world of persecution (against Christians) is to live modestly and humbly, as this can be a way of hiding themselves from their persecutors and thus protect their own lives in that time period?

[vintage-addict]

Letter to the newly Baptized (Clement of Alexandria)

“Take care never to speak what you have not weighed and pondered beforehand; nor interject your own words on the spur of the moment and in the midst of another’s; for you must listen and converse in turns, with set times for speech and silence.” “ Let everything you do be done for God, both deeds and words; and refer all that is yours to Christ;.... And often by day communicate your thoughts to men, but most of all to God night as well as by day; for let not much sleep prevail to keep you from your prayers and hymns to God, since long sleep is a rival of death.”

Importance: Since the author, Clement was writing this text after a series of mass trials and executions of Christians in Rome, he could have been briefly answering the question of ‘how shall we live during chaotic times?” Clement emphasizes on the themes of wisdom and faith.  He encourages the newly converted Christians to pray regularly (may have been viewed as a means of communication between god and his followers) and to maintain absolute faith in God; he sees God as the supreme being. He could have possibly viewed prayer to God as a solution to the problems Christians were facing at that time in Rome.  Clement also highlights the importance of having wisdom; he asks his readers to have rational thinking. He tells them to think before performing any particular action and to use one’s knowledge only when necessary. 

[psyalcy-blog]

"Realizing that which is indestructible, eternal, unborn, and unchanging, how can you slay or cause another to slay?"

Response:

From this sentence, it is quite interesting as this shows the idea of eternal atman for the Vedic religion. 

Due to this idea of having an eternal atman, therefore, from the quote above, even slaying or be slayed are actually not something that is significant as compared to one's own responsibilities and duties (Dharma) in their social division. This sentence shows exactly their ideals and why would Krishna tell Arjuna to just do his duties even if he is bad at them, or even if it is against his own personal emotions at the beginnning, as comapred to not fulfilling his Dharma.

However, this also makes me curious, because since they also believe in the idea of karma, would such duties, especially of warriors, be counted towards their karma as good or bad, even though they may just be fulfilling their Dharma, but they still may be killing people? Or as how the quote above goes, slaying or even to be slayed, may not be even considered as a deed (due to having an eternal atman, therefore one is never truly killed?), but rather, it is fulfilling their Dharma that is the 'deed' that their karma would be counted towards?

[psyalcy-blog]

"Do you want to improve the world? I don't think it can be done."

Response:

This is a very interesting quote as it shows Laozi's ideals to be very different from the other ancient ideals that we have learnt thus far or even when compared to Confucianism.

This quote shows how Laozi thinks that the world is formed by nature, and only nature can gradually make changes in this world, but not by any men themselves, unlike what the leaders or ideals of other civilizations think. This is because they are more towards this idea that their kings or leaders or even their deities are what that shaped the world to be what it was that time, and they are the ones who has the rights and power to shape or change the world. 

By using the word 'improve', it also shows an interesting side about the ideals of Laozi as it could possibly mean that men cannot even do, or attempt to do anything to the world, and the leaders or kings or deities do not have the right to do anything that may change the world as it was, regardless of whether the world is in a good or bad state. Instead, it has to reach an equilibium by itself and then, things will finally fall properly into shape and then things will get better by itself. 

[vintage-addict]

Letter to Menoeceus (Epicurus) & The Enchirdion (Epictetus)

Letter to Menoeceus

“For no man can ever find the time unsuitable or too late to study the health of his soul.” “For there can be nothing terrible in living for man who rightly comprehends that there is nothing terrible in ceasing to live.” 

The Enchirdion (Epictetus)

“The things in our control are by nature free, unrestrained, unhindered; but those not in our control are weak, slavish, restrained, belonging to others.” “Sickness is a hindrance to the body, but not to your ability to choose.”

Importance: The purpose of these two text could be to teach people the path to lead a happy and peaceful life, free of unnecessary woes.  Keeping in mind that these texts were written during a politically and economically stable period, where people had time to experiment and schools were being established (as we discussed in the lecture), the possible audience of these texts could be scholars and students. 

The common theme of these two texts are the body and death, but their approach to this context is different. Epicurean philosophy believes that the soul is similar to the body and dies after we cease to live; whereas Stoicism believes that the soul is different from the body and its performance shouldn’t be hindered because of an injury to the body.  Epicurus emphasizes that our soul dies too when we cease to live, hence we need not worry about afterlife so we don’t have to worry about it while we are alive; he also encourages his readers to conquer the fear of death to lead a happy life.  Whereas, Epictetus focuses more on the elements we can and cannot control; his philosophy is being able to let go of things we cannot control (one of them being death), to lead a happy and quality life.  Ref: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/epicurus/

[psyalcy-blog]

“I will not do it, let the war go on.”

This sentence by Cleonice is very interesting and intriguing as the moment Lysistrata suggested to other women to go on a ‘sex-strike’ to force the men to stop the war, they immediately walked away in disapproval as if she had said something that is unimaginable to them. Cleonice even mentioned how she is willing to do anything in the world but go on a sex-strike.

In this sense, women had been depicted to place the highest importance on their sexual desires rather than having the desire to stop the war and have a peaceful society. This is something that is very intriguing as it feels very bizarre to imagine one to find one’s own sexual desires to be more important than anything else in the world. Therefore, this sentence has demonstrated a very unusual characteristic and role of women in the society of ancient Greece, depicted by a man (Aristophanes) in this same era.