Liberal Arts Blog — Framing the Basic Units of Life — Days, Activities, Breaths
Liberal Arts Blog — Tuesday is the Joy of Literature, Language, Religion, and Culture Day
Today’s Topic: Framing the Basic Units of Life — Days, Activities, Breaths
We live day to day. We live activity to activity. We live breath to breath. Different religions have different ways of framing each with expressions of gratitude. Today, a few notes on three such traditions — the “Modeh Ani” of Judaism, the “Bismillah and Alhamdullilah of Islam, and the “Gayatri Mantra” of Hinduism. Experts — please chime in. Correct, elaborate, elucidate.
THE MODEH ANI: TO BE SAID BEFORE YOU GET OUT OF BED IN THE MORNING
1. You live life day to day.
2. The most important thing in life is to get out of bed on the right foot.
3. The right foot is the foot of gratitude.
NB: “I give thanks before you, King living and eternal, for You have returned within me my soul with compassion; abundant is Your faithfulness!” (translation of Modeh Ani from first link below) Favorite recording?
THE BISMILLAH AND THE ALHAMDULILLAH SHOULD FRAME EVERY ACTIVITY
1. Just as Christians are taught to say grace before every meal, Muslims are taught to say the Bismillah before initiating any activity.
2. Plus when the activity is complete, the Alhamdullilah is the closing prayer. Both are prayers of thanks.
3. So every activity is dedicated to God. Not coincidentally every prayer but one in the Quran begins with the Bismillah.
NB: Bismillah: “In the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful.” Alhamdulillah: “Praise be to God” or “Thank God.” Do you have a favorite recording?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basmala
THE GAYATRI MANTRA — TO BE SAID 108X PER DAY
1. It’s so easy to forget what matters.
2. Pepper your day with little reminders of the importance of gratitude.
3. Is 108 X too many? or too few? Assuming you sleep for eight hours, your waking hours number 16, and waking minutes 960. I have known students who can say the Gayatri Mantra 108X in four minutes, others in 15. How many is too fast?
NB: “We meditate on the glory of that Being who has produced this universe; may She enlighten our minds.” (Gayatri Mantra translation — from Wikipedia link below) Do you have favorite recording?
Gayatri Mantra 108 Times With Lyrics — Chanting By Brahmins — गायत्री मंत्र Peaceful Chant
A LINK TO THE LAST THREE YEARS OF POSTS ORGANIZED BY THEME:
PDF with headlines — Google Drive
YOUR TURN
Please share the coolest thing you learned this week related to words, language, literature, religion, culture. Or, even better, the coolest or most important thing you learned in your life related to Words, Language, Literature (eg. quotes, poetry, vocabulary) that you have not yet shared.
This is your chance to make someone else’s day. Or to cement in your own mind something that you might otherwise forget. Or to think more deeply than otherwise about something dear to your heart. Continuity is key to depth of thought.
