2005-10-09

Yoga & Racism

Yoga & Sound

Went to a Yoga class yesterday paid for my my dept. head. Nice Perks! $40 bucks for my research in Sound, Movement Healing. It was more like a meditation relaxation session with tribute to the White & Green Tara and Quan Yin (Chin.) (Avalokiteshvara (Skt.) or Eleven Faced Kannon Bodisattva (Jpn.)

Now I'm not a Tibetean Buddhist so I'm not all that familliar with the tradition. Even though a couple of years ago I did receive the Green Tara initiation. Ok.. for all you Who are the Tara's.. let me try to clue you in.

Tara is the Bodhisattva who represents the miraculous activity of all the Buddhas of the past, present, and future. Tara means "star" in the Hindu language.

White Tara

White Tara's nature is to offer peace, prosperity, long life, health, and good fortune. She has a third eye on her forehead, symbolizing her direct vision of the unity of ultimate reality simultaneous with her two eyes seeing the dualistic relative world of beings.

Avalokiteshvara, the Lord of the World, was looking down from his heaven on the world of suffering beings, and he wept to see that more and more of them were in pain no matter how many he delivered. From the tears streaming down his face two Taras were born, a peaceful white one from the left and a fierce green one from the right.

Green Tara

1) lions and pride
2) wild elephants and delusions
3) forest fires and hatred
4) snakes and envy
5) robbers and fanatical views
6) prisons and avarice
7) floods and lust
8) demons and doubt

Perday Kewl huh

So.. While I was meditating, without me knowing I envisioned a brilliant rainbow encircling my entire being. I later read that the rainbow was a healing element of the White Tara. I'm told she also grants wishes. Here's wishing you all Great Success in Completing all your tasks this year.

Now back to our story

Came across this website last night: Rent a Negro

In Performance History Class we got into this big discussion about the "N" word today. Oprah had it in her show this week. We are also viewing different ethnic performances regarding race and gender. Kinda tramatic in that one video was of these two people who traveled around the world in tribal costumes posing as indigenous people in a cage.

Interesting how they video taped the whole tour and the juxtaposition of the Barnum side shows that displayed freaks and fantastics. Also how cross cultural views relate to racism and injustice.

There are more than a couple of cross-cultural peeps in my class, not to mention the endearing upper middle class of priviledged peeps who were afraid to get in the discussion. I later went around the room hugging people saying things like "I LOVE my Queers" and "I LOVE White People." But the mixed kids were beside themselves as I very much understand being a light skinned Black woman. They are just being met with how people view them and they absolutly hate it. This one poor girl looks white and she gets all sorts of comments as people say things when shes around not knowing that shes 1/2 Black.

We also view a video of a woman who looks White. She hands out a card saying things like. "I know what you said was out of ignorance and I forgive you. As I may not look it, but I am Black. Yeah.. things like that. Then there was this other video about a Gay Black Man who showed what his lifestyle is about. The kinds of being left out of family discussions and gender issues and jokes people make. Disgusting and degrading.

BTW.. My Queer Friends would RATHER be called "Queer" here than Gay.. Get it Straight Folks. And that there is a NEW Term called "GAYZ" for Older White Males who write the sitcoms and dictate how people of "Color" should be viewed in the Media.

Ok.. Nuf said bout that topic. Not an easy one for people to comment on. Sorry to my "Honky's" tee hee.. in my BEST Richard Pryor Voice. I LOVE YOU!!!! I would rather live in a society that accepted people for who they are, not for the color of they're skin. Thank You Martin Luther King Jr.

What's inside is the essence of importance. Live a Life of Harmony and Compassion such as the Tara.

Now for the Bebe Question I picked up from Nerdette's page:

1. Bebe Needs a Home
2. Bebe Needs to Keep the Peace
3. Everything the Chic Bebe Needs
4. Bebe Needs It
5. Bebe Needs Someone to Love and Spoil Her
6. Bebe Needs a Backyard
7. Bebe needs to convince customers that it's the place to shop
8. Bebe needs a diaper!!
9. Bebe needs a good scream
10. Bebe needs volunteers for the World Space Congress

Ok.. Nuf Said... Hugz n Lub, Bebe da FairyGodMum