2009 December Announcements

2009 December Announcements Dae Yen Sa International Buddhist Temple and Meditation Center The snake in the sand mandala. Contents: 1. Upcoming Events 2. Dharma School Series 3. Buddha Thought 4. Volunteer! 5. Saturday Schedule Reminder 6. Dae Yen Sa Video Upcoming Events Candlelight Walking Meditation Evening Candlelight Walking Meditation and Chanting for an End to Violence is planned as an evening of mindful walking and chanting for peace within us and within the world. This evening service will take place in the Main Hall that will be lit by (battery operated) candles. As part of the service we are asking Sangha members, friends and guests to offer a short written or impromptu prayer for peace. This special evening promises to be beautiful and powerful. We will keep you posted on specific date. Nonviolent Communication Workshop Learn how to live more peacefully and compassionately practicing Right Speech and Right Action. Scheduled for January 18, 2010, 6:30 - 9:30 PM in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The snow date is January 19, 2010. Teachings presented with guest NVC teacher Joe Brummer! Joe spent years exploring why people commit acts of violence against others. He studied nonviolence, conflict resolution and worked with the Institute for Study and Practice of Nonviolence to bring teaching to schools, and serves on the Community Mediation Center of Rhode Islands Juvenile Restorative Justice Advisory Board. He has recently attended International Intensive Training on Nonviolent Communication. Joe is the Connecticut representative for New England NVC. Visit the link http://www.cnvc.org for more information on the course. In this course you will learn how to: Express yourself in ways that can be heard. Truly hear what others are expressing regardless of the words used. Connect with the universal needs driving all human behavior. Express gratitude without the use of praise and moral judgments. Use language as a tool of connection rather than control. This important course is free to the general public. Please share the information with your friends! 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 12/09/09: The Dhammapada, Chapter 9 - Evil For those with Books please read Chapter 9: Evil For those without books please read Chapter 9: Evil Remember that phrase, "It must have been my evil twin....". We've all said it, thought or heard it from others, usually in jest. But there always is a bit of truth to it, because it emerges often when we become aware of our own non-virtuous words or actions. What is evil? The opposite of mindfulness and compassion. Evil is extreme attachment and even devotion to greed, anger and ignorance. One who practices evil relishes in the seeming joy that comes from causing extreme pain and suffering to others. Evil separates rather than unites. The disconcerting aspect is, that as humans, we are all capable of evil. None of us is exempt. And the Buddha warns that we can become evil little by little. Evil is insidious. If we go mindlessly through life, we can accumulate this energy, like drops of water in a bucket, until we are full and spilling over. This is why the Buddha exhorts us to "Make haste in doing good; check your mind from evil..." Dhammapada ch9 v.1. Now is the time to transform our non-virtuous inclinations, into virtuous intentions. The karmic principle teaches that our actions, and even our intentions, will ultimately bear fruit. We reap what we sow. So what will be your harvest? Namu. Nobody is condemned in Buddhism, for greatness is latent even in the seemingly lowliest, just as lotuses spring from muddy ponds. Invite someone new to experience the warmth of the sangha. Buddha Thought The Elephant Parable: A bunch of smarty-people were discussing deeply philosophical matters using really huge words. You know... the kind no one else outside of the argument wants to read or listen to because they have to look everything up. The philosophers get pretty heated up though and Buddha gets called in. I like Buddha a great deal. Wouldn't you know, he is a storyteller too! I guess those great master types call the tales parables though. So Buddha listens to the problem and decides it is story time or parable party hour. Buddha tells about how once upon a time there was this king who had some pretty odd ideas about entertainment. I am not sure how far that goes, but it was apparently well before the days of television and YouTube. This day's entertainment involves bringing in an elephant and then assembling local blind men to tell him what this large thing is. The king proclaimed more than stated the question, "What is this?" Each blind man went about the task depending upon where they were relative to the elephant. The first man declared the elephant a parking meter and began to immediately feed it peanuts. Parking was peanuts in those days. Considering what you were actually parking, peanuts would probably give you a few minutes to run into the store for a blue Slurpie. (Blue is for the throat chakra which is the center of knowledge.) The second man felt the elephants leg and declared the beast an all terrain vehicle. The man on the other side, feeling a different leg and the neck too, said that it was obviously a sturdy gardening tool for pulling up those large weed-like trees. The last man was standing in a less fortunate spot, downwind from the beast, and felt the tail. He decided that this really large thing was obviously a garden enhancement tool, producing materials that can be aged and added to the garden. This way a gardener can grow healthier plants with higher yields. He also decided that he ought not pull on the little rope again. Of course the King and everyone in the gallery were looking on from their own points of view, believing they know exactly what the subject of the examination is. But the elephant changed all that when he suddenly dropped to a lotus position, put his hands in meditation posture, and said, "Who am I?" Maybe it was a white elephant. ---E. T. Storyteller Volunteer Requests Assistance with preparation for special events, weekends and teaching nights is always greatly appreciated. This includes assistance in the kitchen, setting up, taking down and any other donation of talent or effort that can assist the temple. You are always greatly appreciated! The temple does have some special requests from time to time as well. Sati Meditation Recently, a small group from Dae Yen Sa enjoyed a field trip to Chuang Yen Temple in Carmel, NY. We participated in a retreat day, where we learned a new form of meditation practice called Sati. In Sati Meditation the practitioner uses mindful movements of the hands to bring about greater awareness.This practice was introduced by Luangpor Teean Jittasubho (1911-1988) of Thailand and taught to us by Dr. Dwight Chien. It is our intention to make Sati meditation sessions available at DaeYen Sa. If any member who participated in our Sati retreat in NY is interested in leading Sati meditation please see Eduardo. For those wishing to experience the Sati retreat day at Chuang Yen, the next session is December 12, 2009. Calling all TV Techies! The temple is seeking a volunteer(s) to help us find or purchase a big screen TV for the Main Temple that we could also connect to a computer. There are so many great teachings and wisdom available in multimedia now that would add to study experiences. In addition the temple is considering offering occasional "movie nights" for families. Maybe our first Movie night could be "MULAN" in honor of dear little Sasha! Of course, we are also seeking donations for the purchase of the TV, or, of a TV itself. Thank you in advance for your kindness in achieving this goal for the benefit of the sangha. Please see Su Yen Sunim to help with this endeavor. Lending Library The East gives us thousands upon thousands of Buddhist sacred texts. And here in the West we have access to many books and articles from teachers like Jack Kornfield, Pema Chodron and other well-known teachers. It is our goal to begin a small lending library of Buddhist texts that would be open to Sangha members. The idea has been approved by Su Yen Sunim and Master, so we'll keep you posted on the logistics. In the meantime consider donating your books of wisdom to the temple. Make it a practice in letting go! Talks and Workshops While we have the Wisdom of the Triple Gem we also recognize the network of members and friends with wisdom to share with Dae Yen Sa. If you, or anyone you know, has an interest in presenting a workshop/lecture/training that is relevant and appropriate to Buddhist principles and practice, please speak with Eduardo. At present, the Temple does not have funds for lecturers. Any presentation would be considered a donation would be very much appreciated. Thank you in advance. SPECIAL MENTION! Nirvana Juice Bar, Torrington One of our Sangha members, Rosie, invites us to visit her juice bar in Downtown Torrington. Rosie offers many wonderful health and energy drinks and foods as well as aromatic incenses and products sangha members would appreciate. In addition Rosie hosts guest lectures and open mike nights. Visit her website for more information and then visit her store for some "chill" time. http://nirvanahealthbar.com/ Nirvana is a healthy, fun and informative place to visit! 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. Attachments Tinder to the Fiery Flames Edwardo reading from The Way of the Bodhisattva by Shantideva. 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!