2010 February Announcements

2010 February Announcements Dae Yen Sa International Buddhist Temple and Meditation Center Listen with your giraffe ears! Giraffe ears are the memory cue about our personal hearing technology. Giraffe ears is sophisticated device translating what we hear into needs. Contents: 1. Events and Announcements 2. Dharma School Series 3. Buddha Thought 4. Volunteer! 5. Saturday Schedule Reminder 6. Dae Yen Sa Video Events and Announcements WEATHER CANCELS THIS WEDNESDAY'S PRACTICE! Inclement weather is expected for February 24, 2010. This Wednesday's Dharma School is canceled. We will resume practice next week weather permitting. Continue reviewing Chapters 20 "The Path" and 21 "Miscellaneous" from the Dhammapada for the next class. The temple email is updated. To make sure Dae Yen Sa can email you successfully, please add the new email daeyensatemple@gmail.com to your address book. Remember to check your spam folder if an email you are expecting does not arrive. For those wishing to receive regular email announcements, please send your email address with a brief request to be added to the list. 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 02/24/10: The Dhammapada, Chapter 20 - The Way or The Path For those with Books please read Chapter 20: The Way or The Path For those without books please read Chapter 20: The Way or The Path The Path I recently heard a lecture given by Walt Hampton, a photographer who climbed Mount Denali in Alaska. The Mountain is tens of thousands of feet high. While his preparation included serious physical training, he spoke of his preference for both being warm, and surprisingly, being uncomfortable with heights! You can imagine there was more than one chuckle in the audience. Later on, in the question and answer period, a woman asked how the climber did not become overwhelmed by it all. The response was that while on the mountain he is focused on the task at hand, one step at a time, paying attention to the climber in front, mindful of the climber behind. In our spiritual adventure we can become overwhelmed by the seemingly monumental task of being free of our defilements and striving toward the summit of Nirvana. We do our best to walk a noble path, like the climber, step by step with concentration and wisdom. Sometimes we may question what this practice is all about, where it is leading, and if we'll ever reach our destination. The instruction from the Buddha in chapter 20 is clear — that death is ever present and none escapes this reality, and so we must courageously begin the journey of Life this very moment while we are able, and that while the Buddha and other holy men and women have transmitted the 4 noble truths, and the 8-fold path to help us reach to a higher levels of awareness, no one can do the climbing for us. It is our responsibility to both study and apply the dharma. The image of the climber reminds us that to truly live the adventure of our lives, we must proceed skillfully and courageously, not letting fear hold us back from attaining a clearer vision and experiencing more expansive perspective. We can get there one step at a time remaining focused and committed to our meditation, on and off the cushion. On his website, hamptonphoto(dot)com, Walt has a quote that helps explain the reason why he chooses to climb... "You cannot stay on the summit forever. You have to come down again, so why bother in the first place? Just this. What is above knows what is below, but what is below does not know what is above. One climbs and one sees; one descends and one sees no longer, but one has seen. There is an art of conducting oneself in the lower region by the memory of what one saw higher up. When one no longer sees, one can at least still know." What have you seen on your own little mountain-top moments of awareness, and how has this realization changed your experience of life? 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 5 Ways to Start your Day Like a Buddhist Monk Excerpt from THE DAILY MIND 4. Drink Tea. If you take a look at the benefits of tea you will see that it really is a good idea to drink a cup or two first thing in the morning. Tea has many antioxidants in it which help your body find disease and infection. It also has caffeine which helps to wake you up and get you focused. Traditional Tibetan Medicine also tells us that the hot water is a good way to remove some toxins from your body. 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. Nonviolent Communication (NVC) Competition, Revenge and Silence 2 Joe Brummer, presenting more information on modes of communication in his non-violent communication workshop. This section includes thoughts on competition, revenge and silence modes. Rosenberg has used concepts of nonviolent communication in peace programs including Rwanda, Burundi, Nigeria, Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Serbia, Croatia, Ireland, and the Middle East. This includes the Occupied Palestinian Territories. 19 Kinsey Road New Hartford, CT 06057 Telephone: (860) 489-3254 Cell: (860) 459-6255 Fax: (860) 489-5760 daeyensatemple@gmail.com Donations greatly appreciated! VISIT DAE YEN SA ON FACEBOOK!