2009 October Announcements

2009 October Announcements Dae Yen Sa International Buddhist Temple and Meditation Center Lotus root served at the Memory Ceremony and at other important celebrations. Contents: 1. Field Trip! 2. Dharma School Series 3. Buddha Thought 4. Saturday Schedule Reminder 5. Dae Yen Sa Video FIELD TRIP TO CHUANG YEN MONASTERY! Participans will leave from DAE YEN SA IN NEW HARTFORD BY 8AM on Saturday, October 10th. All sangha members and friends are inviated to attend a field trip to Chuang Yen Monastery in Carmel, NY. Visit Chuang Yen Monasteries site at http://www.baus.org/bfc/sps/baus/baus_ce.html for more information about the monastary and the workshop. On the 10th the Monastery has scheduled a Sati Meditation workshop. The fee is $10 which we believe includes a vegetarian lunch. The day begins at 10 am and goes until 4 pm. The drive is about 1-1/2 hours from Dae Yen Sa in New Hartford. Since we do not have a Dae Yen Sa Buddha Bus(yet !) we will have to car pool. Please email if you are interested in going and indicate if you would also be willing to be a "driver". The Dharma School Series Chanting & Meditation 7 pm - 7:30 pm Dae Yen Sa Dharma School & Tea 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm We welcome individuals of all paths and understandings to participate in weekly gatherings consisting of meditation, meditative reading and review along with group reflection on Buddhist principles and practices or Dharma. The only requirement is an open mind and open heart. Study Topic for Wednesday, October 7, 2009: STUDY TOPIC: THE 5 PRECEPTS Last Wednesday we finished covering the Noble Eightfold Path with a discussion on Wisdom. The Noble Eightfold Path was the summary of principles or skills we develop to achieve the end suffering. This Wednesday we will be discussing the Five Precepts, the most basic and practical code of conduct to which Buddhist laypeople subscribe. In their most concise form the Five Precepts can be expressed as: 1) To refrain from killing 2) To refrain from taking that which is not given 3) To refrain from sexual or sensual misconduct 4) To refrain from incorrect speech 5) To refrain from intoxicants These five principles have been expressed in many other ways and using different terms. Thich Nhat Hanh calls them the Five Mindfulness Trainings, and our Dae Yen Sa Temple recites his version on many Saturday mornings (the text is in the blue folders at the temple). He has transformed the wording of "refraining from 'negative' actions" into more positive wording, or tools for developing awareness and cultivating beneficial practices and relationships. Although the precepts are thousands of years old they continue to generate discussion in their interpretation and application (especially numbers 1 and 5). You can read Thich Nhat Hanh's Five Mindfulness Trainings at the Plum Village website. The English word "precept," which is the almost universally accepted translation from Pali (the language first used to put the Buddha's teachings into writing), comes from the Latin "praeceptum," meaning advice, rule, or direction taken beforehand. Most teachers distinguish precepts from laws and commandments by pointing out that they are principles one evaluates and chooses to adopt and live by, as opposed to being ordered by a higher authority under threat of some penalty. The precepts come from the Buddha -- an authority figure, it's true -- but they are presented as "The Five Faultless Gifts" that are "original... and unadulterated from the beginning" in the Abhisanda Sutra (the Buddha's original teaching). Buddha does not claim to have invented them; he just discovered them and is presenting them as faultless gifts: beneficial principles to live by. This presentation clearly differs from most other rule systems. You can read the actual Abhisanda Sutra verse (less than two pages if printed) at this link. As preparation for Wednesday's discussion please also read the Five Precepts Q&A in Buddhanet located at http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/qanda04.htm. Thinking of all and wishing peace and light. NAMU! Buddha Thought "The crucial question in the practice of morality in Buddhism is not 'Is this action right or wrong?' but 'Does this action come from attention or reaction?" ---Ken McLeod, Wake Up to Your Life, p. 32. Saturday Temple Regular Schedule: 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM Yoga 10:00 AM to 10:20 AM Tea Break 10:20 AM to 11:00 AM Silent Meditation 11:00 AM to 11:10 AM Walking Meditation 11:10 AM to 11:30 AM Chanting 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM Korean Vegetarian Lunch The first Saturday of each month, Dae Yen Sa has a retreat day with a revised schedule. Call or contact the temple for the schedule and activities for that day. Footage of the Memory Ceremony at Dae Yen Sa with Master Dae San chanting in the background. Sue Yen Sunim is shown giving those remembered the ceremonial bathing. 19 Kinsey Road New Hartford, CT 06057 Telephone: (860) 489-3254 Cell: (860) 459-6255 Fax: (860) 489-5760 Donations greatly appreciated! VISIT DAE YEN SA ON FACEBOOK!