Other Religions
What are the major differences or similarities between the ethos of the creation story you are familiar with and the story King tells in The Truth About Stories ?
This question caught my attention, particularly because I had not put much thought into the ethos of different religions in the past.
I am not exactly sure what religion my Japanese father and Canadian mother identify with, if any at all, and they would probably be considered atheists. Yet, I lived in Japan during my early childhood, and I was exposed to Buddhism & Shintoism, though I was not really aware or schooled in any religion . Reminiscing on my time in Japan, I remember we had Buddhist monks come to my grandmother’s house to pray for the deceased. A couple of times a year we would also go to temples and pray for health and prosperity. We visited the local cemetery to put flowers and incense on the headstones of family who had passed. Yet, nobody ever told me I was Buddhist, and these were just customs our family practised.I did not think much of these religious activities until coming to Canada.
I remember being asked on the first or second day of fifth grade in Canada, If I were Christian, by a fellow classmate. As I responded “No” I remember getting a sympathetic look and an explanation as to why I should be Christian, this was the first time I was told the creation story of Adam and Eve.
It is interesting to think that, while I have been exposed to Buddhism more than any other religion, I do not know the Buddhist creation story or if there is one at all, however, I am familiar with the story of Adam and Eve.
With that being said, the biggest differences I noticed, between Genesis and the story of Charm would be the individualism demonstrated in Genesis and the sense of collectivism and cooperation that appears in the story of Charm.
Perhaps this has something to do with, how individualism that is commonly celebrated and encouraged in western cultures, opposed to collectivism and cooperation which is often promoted in Asian cultures.
References:
“What Buddhists Believe – The Origin of the World.” What Buddhists Believe – The Origin of the World. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2014.
King, Thomas. “”You’ll Never Believe What Happened” Is Always A Great Way To Start.” The Truth about Stories: A Native Narrative. Toronto: House of Anansi, 2003. 1-29. Print.
Paterson, Erika. ““ENGL 470 Canadian Studies ;Canadian Literary Genres.”University of British Columbia. UBC Blogs. 2014. Web. Web. 15 Mar. 2014.https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl470/unit-1/lesson-12/
Hi Maya,
To be honest until I read up on the link you provided, ignorantly enough, I never even really thought or even recognized the Buddhist approach or ethos of the creation story. This is probably most likely because both my parents are avid christians and it was all I knew as a child, but I do have much different views as a young adult. What I gained from what really stuck with me from the link you provided was the Buddha’s reason for not addressing the phenomenon. Explaining that he need not waste time on such a matter as the issue has no religious value for gaining spiritual value and that the explanation of the origin of the universe is not the concern of religion. That is really a profound statement and a message I feel many religious people need to hear it. It’s so refreshing, and doesn’t take anything away from (religions), instead it places emphasis on people living a righteous life, which it seems many religious people often lose sight of. Thanks for the post!