2010 August Announcements

2010 August Announcements Dae Yen Sa International Buddhist Temple and Meditation Center Kwan Yin, the Buddha of Compassion. Each hand gesture of the Buddha, as well as the postures have meaning. The Buddha figures contain many symbols that enhance the meanings. Contents: 1. Events and Announcements 2. Dharma School Series 3. Buddha Thought 4. Schedule Reminders 5. Dae Yen Sa Video 6. Volunteers Events and Announcements Announcing the start of a new course of study in our Wednesday evening dharma school! This 20-week "Introduction to Buddhism" dharma study series is designed to provide a broad overview of Buddhism and Zen (see topics below). Upon completion participants will have a grasp of the history and major principles of Buddhism. Individuals of all paths and understandings are welcome; the only requirement is an open and friendly mind/heart. The program is flexible: Participants determine for themselves how deeply they wish to study each topic. Required readings will generally be short overviews; recommended readings will be more in depth and support active participation in discussions; and suggestions will be made for optional more extensive reading. This can be as rich and rigorous as a college course or as relaxed as a series of mindful discussions between friends. Active participation is encouraged. Please invite your friends! Schedule of class topics (subject to change): 8/18 Buddha's Life 8/25 History of Buddhism 9/1 Karma, Dependent Origination & Impermanence 9/8 Rebirth / Reincarnation 9/15 Shunyata: Emptiness 9/22 Metta: Loving Kindness & Karuna: Compassion 9/29 Sati: Mindfulness 10/6 Buddhist Morality 10/13 Purification Practices 10/20 Nirvana: Enlightenment 10/27 Meditation Method at Dae Yen Sa and Elsewhere 11/3 Refuge 11/10 Schools of Buddhism 11/17 Zen 11/24 Buddhism in the West 12/1 Women in Buddhism 12/8 Numerology in Buddhism 12/15 Heart Sutra 12/22 TBD 12/29 TBD Every attempt will be made to ensure reading materials are accessible for free, usually online, and e-mails will be sent containing links to reading materials, so please be sure to add your e-mail address to our list. Many public libraries provide free access to the internet. If you do not have access to the internet, limited printouts may be available; please let the facilitator know if you expect to require assistance. While this course is provided for free, donations in support of temple efforts are welcome and appreciated. Share the brochure with your friends! Click this link for the online form. The Dharma School Series Chanting & Meditation 7 pm - 7:45 pm Dae Yen Sa Dharma School 7:45 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 08/18/10: The dharma study topic on Wednesday, August 18 will be "Buddha's Life." Please read according to how deeply you wish to study: Required Reading A brief biographical overview (2 pages): http://www.katinkahesselink.net/tibet/buddha.html Recommended Reading for Active Participation “The Buddha His Life and Teaching Ven. Piyadassi, Thera. http://www.buddhistelibrary.org/cpg1420/albums/asst/ebook/lifebuddha.pdf Optional Further Reading Old Path White Clouds, by Thich Nhat Hanh. Parallax Press, 1991, 600 pages. ISBN 978-0938077268 [Available from Amazon for as low as $9 used or $18 new.] Drawn from original sources, Old Path White Clouds is the beautiful classic recounting of the life and teachings of Gautama Buddha over the course of eighty years. It is retold alternately through the eyes of Svasti, the buffalo boy who provided kusa grass for the Buddha's enlightenment cushion, and the Buddha himself. This is not a scholarly study but rather a heartfelt interpretation that draws on important sources. Optional Video BBC's The Life of Buddha is an excellent secular biopic of Sakyamuni Buddha http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZQ9OZ_JACA Video is approximately 50 minutes, divided into five 10-minute parts. At the end of each part, click the link to view the next part. We look forward to sharing this wisdom next Wednesday. Namu. Buddhist Thought Mudras Images of the Buddha were produced from the fifth century onwards. The sacred nature of the representation is reflected in the artistic goal of creating an aura of equanimity, perfection, and holiness. The large number of rules governing the execution of a portrayal or a statue require an erudite understanding of Buddhist symbolism. Any Buddha figure made by a skilled artist exhibits a multitude of characteristics that communicate subtle meanings and intentions to the viewer. The most important of these characteristics are perhaps the mudras, or hand gestures, of the Buddha. These well-defined gestures have a fixed meaning throughout all styles and periods of Buddha images. ---To read more and see the symbols visit http://thebigview.com/buddhism/mudra.html Schedule Reminders! Wednesday Dharma School 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM Meditation and Dharma Study Thursday Night Yoga 7:00 PM to 8:15 PM Saturday Temple Regular Schedule: 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM Yoga or Qi Gong 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 Dae Yen Sa offers retreat days throughout the year. Contact the temple to find out about upcoming retreat days, schedules, and activities for those days. Watch the newsletter for announcements! Dae Yen Sa Video Scene from "Little Buddha". Part 5 of the film, Discovering Compassion. Volunteer! A special thanks goes out to volunteers at the temple! There are many ways to support your temple including donations. If you have something special to contribute, please let us know! Volunteer Your Skills! 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. Thank you to all the people who make the wonderful experience at the temple possible! Sati Meditation 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. Buy a Book! Aerim Kim, the author of this lovely book of poetry is a frequent visitor at Dae Yen Sa Temple. Her poetry style is very free, fresh in a heartfelt way, and full of a joyful sparkle of emotion. The late Zen Master Seung Shang described Aerim's poetry as "zen poems". The Kim's have supplied the temple with many copies of this book in order to help support the printing needs of the temple. Please contact Sue Yen Sumim to purchase copies of the book for your personal library. You can help build an important network! Please let the temple and the Kim's know of any valuable networking connections to continue keeping this wonderful book in the public's eyes and hearts! Dae Yen Sa plans on binding several of their prayer books together into one volume for members to use during prayer and ceremonies. Special Mentions! A very special thanks goes out to Ms. Grace Kim of Blooming Ridgefield who provides many of the beautiful flower arrangements at the temple. Please visit her site at http://bloomingridgefield.com/ A big thank you to Eduardo who leads the Dharma talks every Wednesday at Dae Yen Sa. Please consider donating to the temple! Your assistance, no matter what amount, is greatly appreciated! 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! Mission Statement: Dae Yen Sa International Buddhist Temple and Meditation Center is a non-profit religious organization serving the spiritual needs of a diverse and dedicated community of lay practitioners. We offer instruction and participation in Buddhist religion, meditation forms, devotional chanting and worship, dharma principles and practices, yoga and other relevant programs. We welcome all who seek enlightenment of mind and freedom from suffering caused by human greed, hatred and delusion. Dae Yen Sa International Buddhist Temple and Meditation Center is a non-profit 501(c)(3) religious organization. Charitable contributions are tax exempt. Thank you in advance for your generosity. Namu.