After doing the readings and watching my lecture and the short youtube clips, reflect on all the mat ...

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After doing the readings and watching my lecture and the short youtube clips, reflect on all the material we went over and write a response to it – your reactions, new information you may have learned, were surprised by or felt was significant, critiques, revelations (did the video change your previously held views or perceptions?), etc. Do any of these ideas relate to your own life or beliefs? Be specific rather than general (e.g. use examples from videos/readings in your discussion). You will be graded on grammar/spelling as well, so please write them as professional and academic papers. These should be 400 words minimum (no maximum) and uploaded to Canvas as a word doc, pdf, or txt file. For this week, answer the following question: Discuss in your own words and understanding how Shiva & Shakti represent the union and transcending of all dualities - feel free to give examples from the readings, mythologies (including youtube clips), images, as well as taking into consideration what you learned from my video lecture. Take into account some of the polarities/binaries such as Nirguna vs. Saguna Brahman, Consciousness vs. Matter, Male vs. Female, Absolute vs. Relative Reality, Renunciant vs. Householder etc. Why is Shiva considered the god of paradoxes and ambiguous by some? Do you think this is an accurate representation of Brahman or the Supreme Being? Why or why not? Feel free to discuss any other aspect you found interesting about Shiva or Shaivism.