Italy HS – Lessons From Buddhism by Karissa Barrera

Today we learned about Buddhism- or about as much as one can learn about Buddhism in half an hour… We listened to the story of how Siddhartha Gautama reached enlightenment. We learned about the basic structure and principles of Buddhism, of desire and the self. And finally, we had an excellent conversation about only experiencing the present and being in the moment which sounds very idealistic and airy when spoken aloud or written out on paper, but is a different thing entirely in practice. I like to think that I can accomplish this sometimes, and almost always when I practice it with intention, so I resolved myself to try it today.

After our brief class meeting we visited the Embassy of the U.S. to the Holy See on Aventine Hill and gained a lot of really intriguing information about the embassy, the Holy See, and career options. I found myself soaking in everything our diplomat host had to say, and I was left with the impression that being a diplomat can be really exciting, luxurious, and a great cultural experience as much as it could be stressful, dangerous, and daunting. Though the idea of living abroad, cultural immersion, and taking an active role in global affairs appeals to me a lot, I’m not sure I have it in me to have such an important role in government.

After our meeting at the embassy we crossed the street for a view of the Circus Maximus, or rather, a large overgrown ditch that is now used to host concerts. The only thing that remains of the Circus Maximus is its size, so large we weren’t exactly how many miles a circuit would be.

A short walk from the large overgrown field took us to the famous mouth of truth, and the lovely smallish Basilica di Santa Maria in Cosmedin. I satisfied my curiosity of the place by peeking through the bars at the Mouth of Truth and looking at the skull of Saint Valentine in the basilica for a few minutes before realizing exactly how stifling it was. As everyone took waited in line to take pictures with their hand in the mouth I grabbed a soda and some Pringles with our guide and we returned just in time for the bus.

When the sun started to set we headed down to the night market around the Castel San’Angelo once again to see the shows of Michelangelo’s fireworks over the Castel. After some haggling and petting other people’s dogs it finally grew dark and I settled down in an un-crowded location behind the Castel. When the show began I took out my camera and began to snap some pictures, but soon I remembered my resolve to just enjoy the experience for what is was. I put my camera away, lay down in some grass on the hill and silently enjoyed the company of my close friends, Michelangelo’s fireworks, and the yelps of a frightened Beagle pup. I’ve never been so calm in the presence of tortured animals and explosives. It was divine.