Purification :: essays research papers fc

On an excavation of the Mohenjo-Daro and Dholavira, in modern day Pakistan, archeologist stumbled upon a civilization, thriving in the Indus Valley from 2500 BCE to 1500 BC. They named the civilization, Harappan. Though archeologists found little conclusive evidence of temples in the Harappan cities, the assumed advanced, ancient Sanatana Dharma (preferred term of people commonly referred to as Hindu, meaning â€Å"ageless way of moral order, duty, and natural law of cosmos.† (Fisher 61)) had plumbing and irrigation systems. Bathing rooms, wells, and built in latrines equipped houses, and brick drains carried away waste. However the most striking discovery was the â€Å"Great Bath,† a large lined tank, 39 feet long, 23 feet wide, and 8 feet deep. Today, this is assumed to be a ritualistic purification center for the people. From the time of the Harappans, up to today, purification is essential part of Sanatana Dharma life. Purification is an essential part of worship. Before starting the puja, the honor, respect, or worship of a deity, the murti, a statue of the deity in the home, must be bathed in running water. However to show purity, the worshipper must sip a little water, three times. Washing the murti is important, because as a royal guest (the worshipper considers the murti a royal guest) after arriving from a long journey, wherever the god or goddess comes from, a bath is needed. The feet, face, and teeth receive special attention, considering the dustiness of Indian streets. Sometimes this washing is symbolic, a flower dipped gently in the water is lightly touched to the deity’s face. The act of bathing the deity both purifies and shows servitude. In another aspect of worship, worship at the temple, the worshiper must be pure to enter. That means the worshiper must remove their shoes, because â€Å"leather is a highly polluting material, as is the street dust attached to them† (Fo wler 48). Worshipers also must not be menstruating or dalits, the untouchable caste. An additional aspect of worship is a pilgrimage to a sacred body of water. The most famous, Benares is at the tributary where the Ganges and Yamuna Rivers join, because of the asrams, the homes of famous sages, and the belief that the god, Siva lived there as an ascetic. Prayers are also considered a form of purification, because prayer helps to absolve the soul, giving better samsara. Worship for Sanatana Dharmas deeply embodies purification.

The Corner and Good Job Opportunities

Looking Out for Yourself It's sad but true that â€Å"If you don't look out for yourself, no one else will. † For example, some people have a false idea about the power of a college degree, they think that once they possesses the degree, the world will be waiting on their doorstep. In fact, nobody is likely to be on their doorstep unless, through advance planning, they has prepared themselves for a career. The kind in which good job opportunities exist. Even after a person has landed a job, owever, a healthy amount of self-interest is needed. People who hide in corners or with hesitation to let others know about their skills doesn't get promotions or raises. Its important to take credit for a job well-done, whether it involves writing a report, organized the office filing system, or calming down an angry customer. Also, people should feel free to ask the boss for a raise. If they work hard and really deserve it. Those who look out for themselves get the ewards, people who depe nd on others to help them along get left behind. Why I Didn't Go to Church I almost never attended church in my boyhood years. There was an unwritten code that the guys on the corner was not to be seen in churches'. Although there was many days when I wanted to attend a church, I felt I had no choice but to stay away. If the guys had heard I had gone to church, they would have said things like, â€Å"hey, angel, when are you going to fly? With y group of friends, its amazing that I developed any religious feeling at all. Another reason for not going to church was my father. When he was around the house he told my mother, â€Å"Mike's not going to church. No boy of mine is a sissy. † My mother and sister went to church, I sat with my father and read the Sunday paper or watching television. I did not start going to church until years later. bnWhen I no longer hung around with the guys on the corner or let my father have power over me.

A P By John Updike - 914 Words

Living in California we see women in swimsuits quite often, maybe too often. Still we have those people that find the need to objectify women, even the ones they have seen many times. Although that is what Sammy does in John Updike’s â€Å"AP†. The way â€Å"AP† depicts the young girls is objectifying: from how the main character describes the young women, how he disrespects the older lady he was checking out, the manager kicking the girls out of the store because of what they are wearing, and how the girls dress the way they do even though they are not close to the beach. Even after all the trouble women go through to look according to society’s norms, people still catch every small thing that is not perfect to society. According to Lois Tyson, â€Å"she is objectified†¦defined only by her difference from male norms and values, defined by what she (allegedly) lacks†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (92). Women are unmistakably different from men biologically; so why is it such a shock when she has a small part of her skin showing, just because it is her breast or any other ‘forbidden’ areas? If a woman shows her butt cheeks it is disgraceful, but if a man shows his butt cheeks, it is hot. It is the same body part just of difference sexes, yet society has labeled it differently for each sex. Women objectification should not be seen as her fault, because like every woman around her, she is doing what she has to to stay comfortable. Sammy, the story’s narrator and main character, notices the girls right away, and whenShow MoreRelatedA P By John Updike982 Words   |  4 PagesThe story that this research paper is being written over is â€Å"AP† by John Updike. This story is filled with good grammar and has a well written plot and good transition. A person reading the story â€Å"AP† could see it as an interesting story filled with good symbolism. The main character, Sammy, uses a great deal of symbolism when descri bing the three girls in bathing suits who walked into the store he works in. the three girls in bathing suits that walked into the store where the center of the wholeRead MoreA P By John Updike1190 Words   |  5 PagesA P is a story of Sammy who is a 19 year old boy working as a clerk at a grocery store in a small town in New England. Published back in 1961 narrative defining A P is the popular mythology of 1960s basically where youthful rebellion powers took over the soulless system. (Sustana) Therefore Updike has written a story that includes key elements of myth along with the background of postwar prosperity and the attendant consumer culture. Where there is a strong hint of the Cold War as hero characterRead MoreA P By John Updike1704 Words   |  7 PagesIn the story AP by John Updike a young cashier by the name of Sammy learns about the power of desire and the mystery of others minds when working at an AP supermarket in a small town north of Boston in the 1960’s , where there was a lot of social norms and many people didn’t step out of them. The young nineteen-year-old Sammy wasn’t expecting his Thursday shift at AP to go the way it did when income three young girls but, these are not your socially normal teenagers who come walking in the doorRead MoreA P By John Updike1160 Words   |  5 Pagesthe girls’ exit and regret fills him. What he thinks is noble and just becomes a changed, regretful soul. In â€Å"AP† by John Updike, the symbolism portrays the theme of the desire for change. The girls’ immodesty is a symbol of rebellion, revealing the theme of the desire for change. As Sammy acknowledges in the short story, the story takes place â€Å"north of Boston† (Updike 360). The estimated time period is the 1960s. At this time, most of the younger generation longed for change, whichRead MoreA P, By John Updike1019 Words   |  5 Pagespsychoanalytical lens can be used to analyze AP, a short story by John Updike, lone, a piece of art by John William Godward, and â€Å"To My Best Friend - Short Film†. Through this lens, readers can draw the theme that all humans have basic instincts and urges that lie in the unconscious mind. Throughout Updike’s AP, it stands clear that we are always being influenced by fundamental human desires. AP is told from the perspective of Sammy, a teenage cashier at AP. In the beginning of the story, three teenageRead MoreA P By John Updike843 Words   |  4 Pageshelp establish the uniqueness of his or her use of speech through the story’s title, structure, punctuation, setting and the communication between characters. In the story A P by John Updike, the author sets the story in a very ordinary place where everyday people go shopping for their groceries, in a market known as A P. Updike’s style within the story shows many aspects of ordinary life. For example, in the first sentence of the story, the narrator Sammy uses incorrectly the word walks, â€Å"InRead MoreA P By John Updike1441 Words   |  6 PagesJohn Updike is considered one of the greatest writers in modern American history. He is known for the idea that seemingly ordinary aspects of American life are actually quite fascinating. He wanted readers to see the beauty and magic of life, so he tried to describe everyday things using the most clear but beautiful language possible. Many of Updike’s pieces are drawn from his own life such as his marriage and his boyhood, as shown in three of his short stories: â€Å"AP†, â€Å"Ace in the Hole†, and â€Å"PigeonRead MoreA P By John Updike765 Words   |   4 PagesJohn Updike wrote, â€Å"A P† in 1961. In this era of the 1950s and early 1960s, conservative dress mirrored conservative social values. Conformity was the measure of popularity as well as a measure of moral rightness. During this time, people were more afraid of being labeled outsiders than they were afraid of the outsiders themselves (â€Å"A P†). Gender issues and the emergence of feminist consciousness are represented when Lengel states the rules that proclaim the girls are decently dressed-codingRead MoreAP by John Updike512 Words   |  2 Pages â€Å"AP† by John Updike is a story about a boy who learns that all actions have consequences. In â€Å"AP† three girls walk in to the store AP in nothing but their bathing suits. Sammy one of the stores cashiers describes what the girls are wearing and what they do throughout the story. The girls walk up and down the aisles catching the attention of many of the other customers. The girls then get in line at Sammy’s checkout, the manager Lengel walks up and tells the girls they will have to leave thisRead MoreA P By John Updike1033 Words   |  5 Pageshow we face these decisions will have an impact in our lives, and sometimes the ones that seem to be small are the most important ones. John Updike understood how making decision affects people’s life, and he develops it in his short story â€Å"A P,† which is the story of an unhappy boy who quits his job for a pretty girl. In order to develop this theme, John Updike takes Sammy, the main charac ter of the story, through three different stages. In the beginning stage, Sammy is just a boy who is not happy