2010 August Announcements

2010 August Announcements Dae Yen Sa International Buddhist Temple and Meditation Center Remembering Ancestors. The names of dearly departed family members are listed on the sheet. The memory ceremony is to remember loved ones and to assist them through higher levels of the heavens. 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. Photos of the Memory Ceremony! Visit the photo album here! 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. The dharma study topic on Wednesday, August 25 is "History of Buddhism." Please read according to how deeply you wish to study: Required Reading: The History of Buddhism buddhist-tourism.com/buddhism-information/history-of-buddhism.html The Spread of Buddhism Outside India buddhist-tourism.com/buddhism-information/spread-of-buddhism.html Recommended Reading: Spread of Buddhism - Read all five sections buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhistworld/spread.htm Optional Further Reading: A Concise History of Buddhism, by Andrew Skilton. Windhorse Publications 2nd ed., 2004, 272 pages. ISBN 978-0904766929 [Available from Amazon for $14 used or $17 new.] An ideal introduction to the history of Buddhism. Andrew Skilton - a writer on and practitioner of Buddhism - explains the development of the basic concepts of Buddhism during its 2,500 years of history and describes its varied developments in India, Buddhism homeland, as well as its spread across Asia, from Mongolia to Sri Lanka and from Japan to the Middle East. A fascinating insight into the historical progress of one of the world's great religions. Optional Video: EURASIA: BUDDHISM youtube.com/watch?v=SXf56fPTJy8 [The video is in five parts of ten minutes each. At the end of each part, click the link to the next part.] This is a well-made video describing Buddhism and its history. Note: The introduction is a bit long 2.5 minutes so please be patient getting to the story (or skip ahead). Namu. Buddhist Thought Rebirth Buddhists hold that the retributive process of karma can span more than one lifetime. Rebirth has always been an important tenet in Buddhism; and it is often referred to as walking the wheel of life (samsara). It is the process of being born over and over again in different times and different situations, possibly for many thousand times. As long as there is delusion, greed, and aversion, and as long as passions are not extinguished, we generate karma. Because we eventually accumulate unmaterialised karma, there is a next lifetime in which the accumulated karma will take form. Only when all accumulated karma is realised and the generation of new karma is calmed, one can enter the stream that leads to Nirvana. This process continues until Nirvana is reached, which signifies the cessation of rebirth and, hence, the end of suffering. It is notable that this also entails the avoidance of "good karma". Once the stream that leads to Nirvana is entered, creating wholesome karma is not an object anymore. Although wholesome karma leads to entering the stream, it does not necessarily lead to Nirvana, only the extinguishment of all karma leads to Nirvana. ---To read more visit http://thebigview.com/buddhism/karma.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 6 of the film, different levels of prison and driven to search for the answer to the wheel of life and death. 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! 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.