This week I have discovered and will be examining three more
post on Instagram by users that have used the hash tag Dalai Lama. These three
users also, like the previous six users’ post that I have analyzed, vary in the
way they use this social media platform to convey their thoughts, beliefs, and
experiences surrounding the teaching of the leader of the Buddhist faith, the
Dalai Lama. These users represent different ways to live out religion by using
the teaching of the Dalai Lama. These users follow a trend of using Instagram
not only to post quotes and written interpretations of religious texts and
teachings, but also to share visual expressions of religious beliefs and
practices by use of personal images.
All of these individuals take advantage of this virtual medium on which
they profess their beliefs and display how their religion ties into their
everyday lives. Most users in this week’s and the previous weeks’ examples used
commentary of a religious leader to help better their personal lives. The
principal message is that one cannot profit from religion by only reading or
hearing religious knowledge; but that a person must also apply the acquired
religious knowledge to their life. These posts also serve as a teaching medium
and inspiration source for others that happen to view their pages.
Example #1
Time: 10/8/2013
User Name: pretty_outcasts
Picture: This picture consists a bracelet on a black
surface. The bracelet looks to be made out of yellow wooden beads and yellow
string.
Caption: "Never give up No matter what is going on
Never give up Develop the heart Too much energy in your country is spent
developing the mind instead of the heart Develop the heart Be compassionate Not
just to your friends but to everyone Work for peace and I say again Never give
up No matter what is happening No matter what is going on around you Never give
up" -His Holiness The XIVth Dalai Lama My mom sat in on some talks by the
Dalai Lama today and brought me back some hand made Tibetan monk prayer beads.
I couldn't love them
more. #dalailama #dalai #lama #prayerbeads #prayer#tibetan #monks #monk #tibetanmonks #buddah #Buddhism
Comments: NONE
Likes:5
The user pretty_outcasts’ post focuses on a bracelet that is
used in the religious practice of prayer. She relates these beads back to the
Dalai Lama by including a quote by this religious leader in the caption of her
post and acknowledges that her mother received these beads of prayer at an
event at which the Dalai Lama spoke. This photo and the information gained from
the caption suggest that the user lives out her religious beliefs by practicing
prayer rituals of this religion.
Example #2
Time: 10/8/2013
User Name: semperfigirlfriend20
Picture: This consists a girl sitting in a white and purple
hammock holding an open book. The girl is making what she calls a blowfish face
and seems to be wearing a blanket. She seems to be reading what is a copy of
“My Spiritual Journey” by the Dalai Lama.
Caption: #BlowfishFace #Reading #I'veAlwaysSecretlyLovedReading#ReadingIsMyGetAway #MySpritualJourney #TheDalaiLama#DalaiLama #Buddhism
Comments: None
Likes: 29
The user semperfigirlfriend20 is displays religious focused
text in her Instagram post. The book featured in her photo is written by the
head monk of Tibetan Buddhism who is the Dalai Lama. This photo suggests that
the user is taking a break from living out her religious beliefs by the
practice of reading and learning through secondary religious texts Other users
on this social media platform, like gabyduque9 from a previous blog, also post
pictures of books or themselves reading books that have been written by or
about the life and teachings of the 14th Dalai Lama.
Example #3
Time: 10/8/2013
User Name: blastscott
Picture: This picture consists two abstract painting of
the face of the Dalai Lama from the nose upward. The background of one painting
is blue with the Dalai Lama’s face in pink and the other painting’s background
is pink with the Dalai Lama’s face in blue. These paintings are both resting
upwards on top of newspaper on a table. In the background of this photo there
seems to be another unrelated piece of artwork on the wall.
Caption: Lama for Miles & Lama for Lena #art #painting #dalailama #buddhism
Comments: none
Likes: 9
blastscott is using this post on their social media page to
display their artwork and to advertise a product that will allow others to
display their religious thoughts. This is the second user I have seen to use
this social media platform and the hash tag Dalai Lama in this manner,
pathoutfitters t-shirt picture, which is featured on a previous post, was the
first. The paintings give idolization to the religious leader and show his
followers that they can display their faith not only through actions but also
through religious artwork.
Each of these users chose different but similar ways to
display their narrative of and to live out religion by using the teaching of
the Dalai Lama. The nine examples selected and featured on this blog over the
past four weeks and the performance of religion by these Instagram users have
been examined. After analyzing similarities and contrasting them with the
idiosyncrasies in these posts, they all seem to follow a trend. The trend of
these examples studied are that the users share the central aim of displaying
to others how they are personally, and how other can, live out their religious
beliefs through practices. By reading and learning more form the religious
teachings of the Dalai Lama, displaying their belief and to encourage others to
openly display theirs also, and capturing moments living out their religion by
following a teaching of a religious leader. The common message from these users
continues to be to learn the teachings of the religious leader of Buddhism, the
Dalai Lama and to apply these learning’s to one’s life. While performing
religion in a various amount of ways, all the users seem to believe that
religion should be shown through some sort of action.
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