JS 318 Reading questions week 4 PDF

Preview

Summary

Professor Jennifer Thompson...

Description

21 February 2016 1. What is Musar? Where did it originate? Musar is a spiritual practice that originated in Vilna Lithuania. It originally came from Judaism and is also known to be a Yoga practice. 2. Who was the original leader of Musar? Why did he develop Musar? Salanter was a religious scholar who believed in “infusing the heart with virtue and cultivating habits of goodness”. The Enlightenment highly influenced Salanter’s development of Mussar and eventually spread throughout Germany and Russia (Edith Brotman 2014). 3. What practices does Musar entail? Mussar yoga practices entail exercises that focus on living by 13 traits: truth, humility, courage, order, non judgement, zeal, simplicity, equanimity, generosity, silence, gratitude, loving-kindness, and truth. The practice is depended on an individual’s needs to satisfy the belief of 13 traits. Yoga positions and meditation help reveal the necessities of an individual. For example, if I were living more in gratitude than generosity, I’d find ways to be more generous. The overall practice is to live by each trait and balance each one within our daily habits.

4. Why are these practices seen as necessary? Mussar is a practice of self improvement and incorporating good habits into daily life. The more we practice self improvement, the closer we are in finding purpose. Everyone is bound to be curious about why and what our purpose is in this lifetime. Mussar is a way of approaching that goal of self discovery and growth in search for something more meaningful.

5. How did the Holocaust affect Musar? Unfortunately, the masters and students of Mussar didn’t survive the Holocaust. 6. How do contemporary versions of Musar compare to the older original version? Contemporary practices of Mussar are now influencing the different groups within Judaism. Unlike before, the newer version of Mussar has expanded throughout Judaism. Not only has it expanded, secular Jews are incorporating Eastern practices into Mussar today.

7. How does Musar differ from other contemporary religious ideas, according to Claussen?

Applied Ethics eText: Chapter 3, Section 3.4: Virtue Ethics (p. 56-60, 62.) 1. What are the similarities between Musar and virtue ethics? Mussar and virtue ethics approach life practicing good habits. Both require incorporating habits into daily lives and developing good character. The overall goal for both practices is striving to be the best we can be as people. 2. What are the differences between Musar and virtue ethics? Unlike virtue ethics, Mussar approaches practices through specific steps and meditation methods such as poses or the 13 traits to live by. Mussar also emphasizes on improving weaknesses. Virtue ethics forms morality through experience instead of step by step methods.

Morinis, Everyday Holiness, p. 253-275; 295-297 Chap. 26: The Stages of Mussar Practice 1. Describe the three stages of Mussar practice. Sensitivity: The first stage to understanding and practicing Mussar is to sensitize yourself. Sensitizing the heart brings awareness to actions and our surroundings. “The ear that hears the reproof of life will abide among the wise,” (Morinis 2007), goes along with the meaning of being aware and how we aren’t in control of other’s actions but our own. We may not be capable of controlling other’s behaviors, but we can choose how we react to them. Self-Restraint: Self restraint is overcoming temptations or bad habits to transform an inner self. To successfully practice Mussar is to conquer urges that may have a negative impact on our well being. “Whoever restrains his lips is wise,” (pg. 256), meaning one who is wise, don't let emotions cloud judgement. This goes along with being aware of our own actions. Transformation: The act of transformation is to embed good habits into your own character. Instead of committing good habits as a duty into daily living, it becomes apart of you. Giving good deeds works into self development subconsciously and generates genuine character. Chap. 27: Identifying Your Spiritual Curriculum

1. What is the role of the journal in Mussar practice? How should the journal be used? The journal is to be used to record our own actions. Whether we feel angry, upset, thankful etc. Our duty is to record these emotions, actions or events that happen every day. After recording these actions and emotions, we are bound to pinpoint certain traits that we can improve on. 2. Does Morinis recommend focusing on positive traits or negative traits? Why? Morinis recommends focusing on negative traits. The more we focus on our negative traits, the easier it will be to reveal traits we need to personally work on. Focusing on our positive traits doesn’t need to be recorded in our journal but is also important. Acknowledging our positive traits is a way of being self aware. Chap. 28: Daily Practice 1. Which of the daily mussar practices listed in this chapter do you find most interesting? Why? Meditation was a practice that stood out to me the most. The most challenging part about being a millennial is staying focused and present. There are many things and ways of being distracted. Especially living in the city, having a cell phone and an excessive schedule makes it difficult to be present and focused on one thing. Sitting quietly to focus, being present and awareness of my surroundings brings interest to the lifestyle I live. Appendix: A Soul-Trait Inventory 1. Which three traits from the ones listed here are most important or interesting, in your view? Why? Faith: Faith plays an important role in my life. I’ve always believed in the power of prayer and daily practicing. Faith is personally a self fulfilling trait that I’d become empty without. If gives me a sense of belief in work, school, and life itself. Passion: Passion is another trait that is significant to me. Finding purpose, being 22, is one of the biggest confusions I’m experiencing. I think finding passion is a difficult trait for most college students. Our lives are young and continuously obligated to adjust to life circumstances. Awareness: As said above, awareness seems to be the most difficult challenge but important. There are so many things and temptations that distract us from being present. Time is lost without being aware of our surroundings. Mussar Yoga, Foreword (p. ix-x), Introduction (p. 1-8), “How to practice Mussar yoga,”

(9-17). 1. Do Musar and yoga traditionally go together? No, Mussar traditionally came from Judaism while yoga came from Brahamism, the spiritual antecedent of Hinduism and Buddhism (pg. 2).

2. Why do Brotman and Morinis believe that yoga and Musar work well together? Yoga and Mussar focus on being “whole”. They both bring inner peace and positive mentality to focus on good habits. The practices organize methods from feeling “partial” or “broken” to growing and being whole (foreword x).

Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning 1. Briefly describe Frankl's life story. Who was he, when did he live, where, what happened in his life? Frankl was a director of therapy in a mental hospital in Vienna. Frankl and his family were brought to a concentration camp during World War II. While in concentration camp, the manuscript of his book was burned and his wife, father and mother died. While being put in prison for 3 years, he wrote another book obtaining human behavior within those poor living conditions (pg. 6). 2. Explain what logotherapy is. Logotherapy is a form of therapy that focuses on striving to find a meaning in one’s life. It makes the patient aware of his or her life to help overcome neurosis (pg. 14). 3. Claussen discusses the use of psychology as a way to teach morality without imposing values from outside the self: "American schools increasingly teach moral character using a framework borrowed from the nonjudgmental, inoffensive science of psychology, encouraging the selection of values in accord with one's feelings, and avoiding language that might threaten individual self-esteem or autonomy. There is, in this model, a desire "not to impose external standards," increasing disdain for "propagating some objective moral content," and a sense that "there is nothing to which the self is obligated to submit."" (A) Do you think this is true? Why or why not?

I think it’s true to veer away from political situations. Schools are cautious about what is spoken about in the classroom because of the mass diversity within public schools. (B) Do you think Frankl's psychotherapeutic and existential approach to morality is likely to consistently produce ethical actions and values in people who use it? Why or why not? Yes, because the simple act of awareness can change the perception of a person. One may not be aware of their wrongdoing until it is pointed out to them. When someone there’s self awareness, actions and emotions can be controlled. (C) Do you think people who use Frankl's approach to morality are likely to come up with the same answers to their ethical questions? Why or why not? (In other words, would we be able to have shared values as a society if everyone operated according to Frankl's ideas?) Not everyone would share the same values even if we were all self aware. Everyone grows up in different circumstances, religions and beliefs. Being self aware takes a great amount of consciousness to develop morality yet fit the mold of society’s standards.

4. Do you think Frankl could have come up with logotherapy if he had not had the experiences he did in the Holocaust? Why or why not? I don’t think Frankl would have developed logotherapy if he weren’t involved in the Holocaust. That traumatic experience, and experiences in general, changes a person’s perception of life, values and morality. If he hadn’t been in the Holocaust, he would’ve probably published the manuscript that was burned in the concentration camp.

5. Do you see any Jewish ideas or resonances in Frankl's work? If so, what are they? How do you see them resonate? Frankl’s work definitely resonates with Jewish ideas. Like Mussar, logotherapy focuses on self awareness and being whole. Self awareness plays a the main role in both practices but expect different outcomes. Unlike Mussar practices, logotherapy expects the outcome of overcoming neurosis (pg. 14)....