The purpose of this project was to learn about Buddhism and Monasticism, specifically Thai Buddhism and the woman’s role. This Portfolio begins with a relatively concise explanation of the fundamental ideas and history of Hinduism and Buddhism, including Upanishadic Monism, Buddha’s life and influence, the theory Samsara, the theory of All Suffering, the theory of Emptiness, and the three main types of modern Buddhism: Theravada, Mahayana and Tantra. 

The second part of this portfolio contains information on the current status of women in Thailand. It examines the differences between Bhikkhuni and Mae-Ji and explains the political and social repercussions. Finally, it discusses, without conclusion, the possible factors of these differences. 

The third part of this portfolio deals with my own personal experience imitating the Monastic lifestyle of a Bhikkhuni and the experiences of the students in Professor McDaniel’s class (a class on the monastic lifestyle in a University setting).

Also included is a timeline of important events starting from Buddhas birth, a glossary of words, and examples of Thai-Tantra Buddhist sites with pictures that I took during my year abroad.

All information in this Portfolio should be understandable to someone who has never studied Buddhism before. With this portfolio I hope to educate and interest my reader, and I challenge him or her to consider how what they learned here might apply to their own life. 

For my capstone, I made a short film, entitled, Splintered Wood. It’s a drama piece about a boy who tries to bridge the gap between two beloved family members who don’t like each other, while maintaining his own strong relationship with the two of them. The questions the necessity of familial love, and also wrestles with themes of the unit versus the individual. 

I chose this as my capstone because ever since my freshman year, I knew I wanted to make a short film, I just had no idea as to how I was going to pull it off, or what the short would even be about. 

Then  around my junior year, I wrote a script, and took a real liking to it. So much so, that I actually shared it with another breathing person. When I shared my script with others, they seemed to like it too, further solidifying the idea in my head that this was what I wanted to do.

I implemented the core values through spending two years in Digital Video inquiring and researching how short films are made. I had to collaborate with actors, and the presentation was the actual film. 

After preproduction, each step overlapped. After the script was written, I was doing script readings with one actor while shooting with another. Also, the entire time we were shooting I was editing, so production and postproduction were happening all at the same time. 

The biggest obstacle was scheduling. One of the actors had graduated high school, while the other two were still students, one of which was a junior who was always busy. Scheduling was very complicated, but when the stars would align, it turned out alright. 

The process was very stressful, mainly because I was doing this all on my own. I was directing, producing, editing, casting, working with the sound recordings, and scheduling all of the shootings. Sure, I had two years of experience with this, but when you’re truly on your own, it’s a different kind of ball game. 

I’m really proud of the work that was accomplished. Save for the actors, I did this all on my own. I’m really impressed with myself that I was able to do it because there were definitely times where I thought I couldn’t. 

I learned a lot about film production, with the biggest lesson being that a crew is as important to have than a cast. One person cannot do all of the work on the crew side of things. 

I think I would have taken some students from entry-level dig vid to have as a crew so that they could learn what it’s like to be a part of one, because that’s not necessarily something that we practiced all the time in dig vid. 

When I interviewed to become a student at SLA, I promised that I would bring people together, and I think I’ve done that through various projects that I’ve managed to pull off during my time as a student here. There are very view students that currently attend SLA that haven’t seen me do something weird or tell someone else to do something weird in the name of a film project. There are many ways to unify a community. Film was just my way of doing it. 

Student: Cecelia Baez

Mentor: Patricia Pingitore

Topic Summary:

For my senior graduation project, my goal was to create a community event that invited the public to explore the idea of spirituality. To widen and open the perspective of the average America's focal point, and bring them deeper into themselves for internal happiness. Which leads to infinite happiness. 

Project Abstract:

When thinking of what to do, when to do it, how to do it, and feel the ability to do it. You have to feel inside of yourself. What does your core say? It says to be inspired. Be inspired with multiple perspectives. My project was an inspiration of a woman I met 4 years ago. She invoked my interest of feeling deep, but not deep into religion. After meeting her, I met a multitude of interesting teachers and spiritual beings that changed my life! This feeling of sitting for 10 minutes and emptying your thoughts. The emotion of knowing that your have control of your emotions. That there is so much more than this physical world, but a spiritual world deep inside of you. That we are not a soul that inhabits a body, but a body that inhabits a soul. This is our Earth journey. This is the Earth journey I wanted to make open and available for the public. So I reached out to professional teachers. People who have been studying a specific topic their entire life. It has been their lives journey to explore the depths of this. For I know plenty, but they are wiser. I then brought them together to fill class rooms with interest Adults, teens, and children. The vibrational energy was amazing, and it did so much good for many Philadelphian citizens. I was told afterwards to some day create another exhibit like this. For what I offered to the Public needs to be given more often. 

Wise, Edwin. "Chladni Plate." MAKE: Projects. Makezine.com, July 2012. Web. Jan. 2013.I found this source helpful because it was primary instructions onto how I will be building my Chlandi Plate. I used these materials and instructions to build a device that was able to visibly show the vibrations in sound frequency. It taught me that when place a set vibration, such as 12Hz, and placing fine sand on a metal vibration plate, it would form beautiful designs that is similar to what happens in our brains when listening to sound frequency during meditation. This was needed for the section of Sound Frequency that is being spoke about in my exhibit. Instead of speaking, I'd much rather show the audience what it looks like, since, seeing.. is believing. These vibrations put our mind into a trance. &This site did a very well job at making how to do so, possible.

"Astral Projection." YouTube. Ed. Spirit Science. YouTube.com, 18 Jan. 2012. Web. Jan. 2013.This source was very helpful because, it was the key source needed in order to explain Astral Projection. This blue figure really goes into depth about different ways, sources, findings on how to Astral Project. The difference between lucid dreaming and astral project. I feel it's a lot more productive to watch someone teach you, than to read about it in an article with hundreds of words. He makes spirituality and science so much fun! I also used videos of meditation, thought forms, and chakras from him.

"Interdependence." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 28 May 2013. Web. Jan. 2013.This source, not being the MOST reliable did set off a foundation of what I would be working with. Spirituality is not about the connection outside of the body, and looking out of yourself. It's not even about just YOU. It's about looking deeper INTO yourself, and connecting with the people around you. The world isn't a selfish, to yourself community. But an interdependent society that needs each other spiritually to go on intelligently. To begin this project, I needed some sort of foundation on what I believed interdependence is. Either way, the quotes and sources that even came from this one source really gave me some grave insight.

My events site for tickets:

http://eventful.com/philadelphia_pa/events/spirituality-exhibit-/E0-001-056489627-2 (I had about 5 different ones of these!)

Sullivan, John. "A Look At The 7 Chakras." 7chakras. FactStaff.elon.edu, 15 Aug. 2003. Web. 0 Jan. 2013.This source was a HUGE help to me knowing how to define Chakras. I already was very knowledge on Chakras and their duties. But how would I have explained it? It's more a feeling than an explanation. I love this way this man explained each Chakras ability, it's number, where to find it, and how to heal it. I used this source in my project as MY topic of speaking and how I benefit from healthy, well balanced chakras. It's hard to balance a Chakra. But it's only as hard as you allow it to be. I love simple definitions.

LaBate, Anette. "What Is Reiki Healing?" Reiki Spiritual Healing. Healingwithinu.org, n.d. Web. Jan. 2013.This site is not an article, but a website for services. I found this helpful because of the experience this woman provides for people. I used her knowledge in her pieces of blog and her explanation of healing with Reiki. I have had Reiki done to me before and I loved it. It was amazing and I felt everyone should have their own room for their own experience. I actually wanted this woman to speak at my exhibit, but she lived too far away and I ended up finding someone just as amazing! I didn't personally need much research on Reiki, because my teacher that I hired did it all, BUT, I did need to have an idea of how it was done and the things needed to measure Energy. For example I learned through her crystals and spinning a windmill with your hands through energy. Not through motions. It was magical! Just some things I'll be presenting.

The picture is just other of my project, I didn't physically make an object, so I just have a powerpoint I'll be presenting. 

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/2205990/application.macosx.zip

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/2205990/Spacey.zip

This project was inspired by my love for bikes. Biking as a youth helps provide a safe, fun, and relatively cheap ways of venting and getting around your city! Initially, I wanted to make a club in SLA where kids can come to learn about bikes and possibly even help build one! After realizing the cost and equipment we would need, I had to figure out another way I could promote biking. When a freshmen told me about the Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby, I just had to learn more. A week later it was my new plan to enter the club into the derby and figure out what we would create on our bikes. This process taught me a lot about leadership and how important it is to lead by example and provide direction for the group. I learned this the hard way in many cases. I forgot that any participant 17 or younger would need a parent or guardian. After I realized, it was already too late to get the signature and mail in the form. That is when I got motivated to bring the competition to SLA. By hosting SLA Bike Week, it encouraged kids to safely ride to school instead of taking public transportation or getting a ride by car. This sets a positive tone on exercise and well being.