2010 December Announcements

2010 December Announcements Dae Yen Sa International Buddhist Temple and Meditation Center Sue Yen Sunim watching the fire burn at the Memory Ceremony. 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 Thursday evening yoga is being canceled until further notice. It may be resumed in the spring if there is enough interest. You may still attend our Saturday morning Yoga / Qi Gong at 9:00 AM every Saturday, followed by meditation, chanting and Korean vegetarian lunch. Thanks for understanding. Namu! View a few photos from the Fall Retreat, November 6, 2010! Click this link to view the slideshow! Wednesday evening dharma school! This 20-week "Introduction to Buddhism" dharma study series is designed to provide a broad overview of Buddhism and Zen. While this course is provided for free, donations in support of temple efforts are welcome and appreciated. Check the schedule of classes and share the brochure with your friends! Click this link to see the online form. Buddha Tour! The Buddha brochures, describing each Buddha and their hand gestures are now available online. Print one out for your next visit to the temple and visit each Buddha! Brochure Front Brochure Back The Dharma School Series Chanting & Meditation 7 pm - 7:45 pm Dae Yen Sa Dharma School 7:45 pm - 8:30 pm Please join us on Wednesday, December 1 at 7PM for meditation, dharma study, tea and fruit party. Individuals of all paths and beliefs are welcome; the only requirement is an open heart and mind. Dharma study is free; donations supporting temple efforts are appreciated. This week's topic is Women in Buddhism, a subject with so many facets and complexities that an entire college course (or even a specialization within a Religion or Women's Studies major) could easily be devoted to it. As an introduction we will briefly cover the early history of women in the Buddha's sangha, followed by women's evolving roles in modern Buddhism. The Buddha's teachings can be viewed and interpreted from different perspectives, and this holds the potential for controversy. Historically and from a feminist viewpoint, Buddhism has not been free from charges of sexism and even misogyny. However, modern Buddhism -- especially in the West -- seems acclimated and inclusive toward women's ordination and spiritual equality. We will explore what this means to/for women in our lay sangha, and how the Buddha's teachings support women's practice today. Recommended Readings: For an overview, Wikipedia's entry "Women in Buddhism": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_Buddhism For more detail, Buddhanet offers a number of articles related to women in Buddhism: http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/history/women.htm ...including a highly recommended Q&A: http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/history/wbqcontents.htm Much Metta. Buddhist Thought: American filmmaker finds a way around 'Buddhism fatigue' Bombay News.Net Wednesday 24th November, 2010 (IANS) Done-to-death stereotypes have given rise to 'Buddhism fatigue' in the United States, which is a tough challenge in movie making, according to California-based filmmaker Heather Kessinger who has made a film on Buddhist nuns. 'In the Shadow of Buddha', focusing on the nuns in Buddhism and shot in the highlands of Tibet, is being screened at the Short Film Centre (SFC) of the 41st International Film Festival of India (IFFI) here. Kessinger told IANS that there was a general disinterest in films on Buddhism in the US, which accentuated the same old stereotype, i.e., 'beautiful, soft, open - but not always interesting'. 'This film deals with the subject of nuns in Buddhism - a subject never handled before. I want to see if I can break through to a broader US audience with this attempt,' said Kessinger, who is a still photographer-turned-short-film maker... To read the story above, visit this link: http://www.bombaynews.net/story/711686 Women in Buddhism has a comprehensive collection of links and resources. To visit the site, click this link! http://www.kokunevents.com/blogs/Women-In-Buddhism.html Schedule Reminders! Wednesday Dharma School 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM Meditation and Dharma Study 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 The life of the Buddha - 2. The Annual Ploughing Festival Subtitles and music. Support your local temple and meditation center! A special thanks goes out to volunteers and supporters of 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 for everyone! Help build a lending library. The East gives us thousands upon thousands of Buddhist sacred texts. 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! Offer a talk or workshop! 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 special book! Aerim Kim, the author of this lovely book of poetry is a frequent visitor at Dae Yen Sa Temple. Her poetry style is free, fresh, heartfelt, 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 Sunim 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 and Aaron leading the Dharma talks on Wednesday night at Dae Yen Sa. Also thanks to Robin for the Thursday night Yoga class! 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.

2010 November Announcements

2010 November Announcements Dae Yen Sa International Buddhist Temple and Meditation Center Sue Yen Sunim partaking in the yoga class. 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 Thursday evening yoga is being canceled until further notice due to low attendance. It may be resumed in the spring if there is enough interest. You may still attend our Saturday morning Yoga / Qi Gong at 9:00 AM every Saturday, followed by meditation, chanting and Korean vegetarian lunch. Thanks for understanding. Namu! View a few photos from the Fall Retreat, November 6, 2010! Click this link to view the slideshow! Wednesday evening dharma school! This 20-week "Introduction to Buddhism" dharma study series is designed to provide a broad overview of Buddhism and Zen. While this course is provided for free, donations in support of temple efforts are welcome and appreciated. Check the schedule of classes and share the brochure with your friends! Click this link to see the online form. Buddha Tour! The Buddha brochures, describing each Buddha and their hand gestures are now available online. Print one out for your next visit to the temple and visit each Buddha! Brochure Front Brochure Back The Dharma School Series Chanting & Meditation 7 pm - 7:45 pm Dae Yen Sa Dharma School 7:45 pm - 8:30 pm Please join us on Wednesday, November 10 at 7PM for meditation, dharma study, tea and fruit party. Individuals of all paths and beliefs are welcome; the only requirement is an open heart and mind. Dharma study is free; donations supporting temple efforts are appreciated. 2008 Pew Forum Survey ranked Buddhism the third most practiced major religion in America (http://religions.pewforum.org/affiliations). Buddhism came to the West, and particularly to the United States, from cultures as various as Sri Lanka, Japan, Tibet, Korea and Thailand, and nearly every place around and in between. By now most Buddhist lineages and schools have some presence in North America and Europe. This offers a richness and diversity not found in many traditional Buddhist cultures, but lacks the community cohesiveness a single local or regional tradition can provide. For the next gathering all are invited (optional - no pressure) to share what drew their interest to Buddhism and/or what maintains it. Is it a particular principle, aim, teaching or teacher? What traditions or practices interest you most and why? Do you pursue Buddhism as a practice, as a religion, as a science, as a lifestyle, or is it an intellectual inquiry? Is it something else to you? There are no wrong answers to these admittedly personal questions because a discussion on Buddhism in the West is as much about all of us as it is about Buddhism. In this discussion we are the observers and the observed. Let's gently look at what we've learned on our unique paths and see how it fits with our views of Western culture. Sharing our insights and motivations in a safe, respectful and compassionate environment can be nourishing for the whole group. To stimulate thought, please read the concise and illuminating essay, "The Future of Buddhism in the West" by David Nichtern: www.huffingtonpost.com/david-nichtern/the-future-of-buddhism-in_b_682408.html Much Metta. Buddhist Thought A few years ago French-born Tibetan Buddhist monk and former geneticist Matthieu Ricard was famously and humorously dubbed "The Happiest Person in the World" after MRI scans showed the regions of his brain associated with sustained happiness (not temporary pleasure) were abnormally developed and active. Similar results were found in scans of other highly experienced meditators (10,000+ hours), but not in scans of hundreds of non-meditators. This article shares his insights: www.tricycle.com/feature/why-meditate?ref=nf Schedule Reminders! Wednesday Dharma School 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM Meditation and Dharma Study 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 The life of the Buddha - 1. The Birth of Prince Siddharta Gautama Subtitles and music. Support your local temple and meditation center! A special thanks goes out to volunteers and supporters of 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 for everyone! Help build a lending library. The East gives us thousands upon thousands of Buddhist sacred texts. 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! Offer a talk or workshop! 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 special book! Aerim Kim, the author of this lovely book of poetry is a frequent visitor at Dae Yen Sa Temple. Her poetry style is free, fresh, heartfelt, 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 Sunim 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 and Aaron leading the Dharma talks on Wednesday night at Dae Yen Sa. Also thanks to Robin for the Thursday night Yoga class! 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.

2010 November Announcements

2010 November Announcements Dae Yen Sa International Buddhist Temple and Meditation Center Chou-chou's picture at the podium of the Temple. 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 View a few photos from the Fall Retreat, November 6, 2010! Click this link to view the slideshow! Wednesday evening dharma school! This 20-week "Introduction to Buddhism" dharma study series is designed to provide a broad overview of Buddhism and Zen. While this course is provided for free, donations in support of temple efforts are welcome and appreciated. Check the schedule of classes and share the brochure with your friends! Click this link to see the online form. Buddha Tour! The Buddha brochures, describing each Buddha and their hand gestures are now available online. Print one out for your next visit to the temple and visit each Buddha! Brochure Front Brochure Back The Dharma School Series Chanting & Meditation 7 pm - 7:45 pm Dae Yen Sa Dharma School 7:45 pm - 8:30 pm Please join us on Wednesday, November 10 at 7PM for meditation, dharma study, tea and fruit party. Individuals of all paths and beliefs are welcome; the only requirement is an open heart and mind. Dharma study is free; donations supporting temple efforts are appreciated. This week's study topic is Zen. Zen is a school of Buddhism that traces its roots and lineage of masters all the way back to the Buddha, but it has evolved along the way. It is said that Zen was first formally established when an Indian monk named Bodhidharma brought the Buddha's teachings to China. His own lineage and training was derived from the Buddha's famous Flower Sermon, in which the Buddha said nothing but simply held up a flower for all to see. The audience was perplexed with the exception of a monk named Mahakasyapa, who saw this and smiled in understanding and enlightenment, and Buddha recognized him as the heir to dharma transmission outside scriptures and not founded on words or letters. The term "Zen" itself evolved from the Sanskrit root "dhyana," which means "meditation" or "meditative state." Dhyana (pronounced "djanna") became "Chan" in China, "Son" in Korea and "Zen" in Japan, but it's all part of the same lineage with cultural influences imparted in each region. The main practice in Zen is zazen, or sitting meditation. While sitting meditation is honored and practiced in all Buddhist traditions, Zen arguably emphasizes its importance to a higher degree, respecting that the Buddha himself became enlightened through its practice. Zen is about practice, attitude and understanding (more than scriptures or study of concepts). Probably the most widely read English text on Zen is Shunryu Suzuki's masterpiece, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. This week's recommended reading is pages 99-110, which are the first twelve pages of Part 3, Right Understanding. While the whole book is well worth buying in print and reading over and over, a PDF file is available free online, so please read according to how deeply you wish to study: http://storage.worldispnetwork.com/books/zen_mind_beginners_mind.pdf You can also buy used copies at Amazon for around $1 + shipping http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0834800799/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&qid=1289547663&sr=8-1&condition=used Namu! Buddhist Thought Chao-chou A monk once asked master Chao-chou, "Does a dog have Buddha-nature?" Chao-chou answered, "Mu" To read more about this koan, visit the link: http://sped2work.tripod.com/chao-chou.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 Life of Buddha Part 5 of the BBC documentary. Buddhism has come home to the Bodhi tree. Support your local temple and meditation center! A special thanks goes out to volunteers and supporters of 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 for everyone! Help build a lending library. The East gives us thousands upon thousands of Buddhist sacred texts. 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! Offer a talk or workshop! 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 special book! Aerim Kim, the author of this lovely book of poetry is a frequent visitor at Dae Yen Sa Temple. Her poetry style is free, fresh, heartfelt, 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 Sunim 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 and Aaron leading the Dharma talks on Wednesday night at Dae Yen Sa. Also thanks to Robin for the Thursday night Yoga class! 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.

2010 November Announcements

2010 November Announcements Dae Yen Sa International Buddhist Temple and Meditation Center Yoga Robin, leading the yoga class, is shown holding a peaceful position during the November retreat. Robin's class is very gentle and meditational and can hold a pleasant surprise for the participants. This class ended with Robin sharing a beautiful frankincense fragrance with the participants. Most people should be able to participate in this class at their own level including those wishing to hold easier or more difficult stances. Each class is also a little different. As Robin says, "...What comes out, comes out!" Robin leads the Thursday night yoga gathering each week. 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 View a few photos from the Fall Retreat, November 6, 2010! Click this link to view the slideshow! Wednesday evening dharma school! This 20-week "Introduction to Buddhism" dharma study series is designed to provide a broad overview of Buddhism and Zen. While this course is provided for free, donations in support of temple efforts are welcome and appreciated. Check the schedule of classes and share the brochure with your friends! Click this link to see the online form. Buddha Tour! The Buddha brochures, describing each Buddha and their hand gestures are now available online. Print one out for your next visit to the temple and visit each Buddha! Brochure Front Brochure Back The Dharma School Series Chanting & Meditation 7 pm - 7:45 pm Dae Yen Sa Dharma School 7:45 pm - 8:30 pm Please join us on Wednesday, November 10 at 7PM for meditation, dharma study, tea and fruit party. Individuals of all paths and beliefs are welcome; the only requirement is an open heart and mind. Dharma study is free; donations supporting temple efforts are appreciated. The originally planned topic for next Wednesday was "Schools of Buddhism." It seems we've covered that incidentally and quite well in our discussions on the history of Buddhism and meditation methods, so there's no need to be redundant. I'm thinking we can probably benefit more by a shared study of The Diamond Sutra, so named because the teachings it contains are said to be able to instantly cut through all defilements and bring one to awakening (and aren't we all ready for that!). A couple of things make The Diamond Sutra stand out: 1) The oldest surviving dated printed book in the world (from 868 CE -- that's 587 years earlier than the earliest Gutenberg Bible!) is a copy of The Diamond Sutra; and 2) After the Heart Sutra it is the 2nd most studied and recited sutra in Mahayana Buddhism. The Diamond sutra is relatively short and can be read aloud in 40-50 minutes, so it is often memorized and chanted in many monasteries. It bears reading several times throughout one's life, as new insights tend to be discovered with each successive reading. Please read the sutra in its entirety if you have enough time. Since we usually sit in a circle, it would be neat if we could have a colloquium-style discussion, in which everyone who wants has an opportunity to contribute. The linked text is a so-called 'translation of translations,' for which the author studied several translations and synthesized a new, clarified version intended to be easier to read and comprehend than a single direct translation from the original Chinese. There are 32 extremely short "chapters," each one amounting to a few lines or short paragraphs, but please don't feel intimidated: it totals just 14 pages printed if you copy and paste into one document. Please click the links at the bottom of each chapter to be taken to the next chapter. http://www.diamond-sutra.com/diamond_sutra_text/page1.html Namu! Buddhist Thought The Diamond Cutter History Buddha once dwelt in Anathapindika's Park, in the Jeta Grove at Sravasti, with 1,250 monks and many Bodhisattvas. Near dawn, Buddha clothed himself, took up his bowl and entered the great city of Sravasti to collect food offered as alms. Having returned and eaten, Buddha put away his bowl and cloak, bathed his feet, and sat with legs crossed and body upright upon the seat arranged for him, mindfully fixing attention in front of himself. Many monks approached Buddha, showing great reverence, and seated themselves about him. A monk called Subhuti arose from his seat in the midst of the monks and, showing great respect for Buddha, said: "It is wonderful how much Buddha has helped the Bodhisattvas. How should men and women who set out on the Bodhisattva Path progress, and how should they control their thoughts?" Lead all beings to nirvana Buddha replied: "Listen carefully. All Bodhisattvas should hold this thought: Every kind of created being which can be called a 'being', egg-born, formed in a womb, born from moisture or produced by metamorphosis, or with form or without, all these I guide towards Nirvana even though no being at all has been led to Nirvana. "Why? If in a Bodhisattva the conception of 'being', 'egotistic entity', 'personality' or 'separate existence' should take place, this Bodhisattva would not be an authentic being of wisdom and compassion. Practice virtue "A Bodhisattva should practice virtue without regard to appearances, unsupported by sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations or mental attachments. A Bodhisattva should practice virtue without attachment to externals. Why? This is the way to being Buddha." Tathagata's phenomenal attributes Buddha then asked Subhuti, "But what do you think? Can the Tathagata be recognized by any phenomenal attribute?" "No, Buddha. Why? Because the Tathagata has taught that the possession of phenomenal attributes is in fact non-possession of any phenomenal attributes." Buddha elaborated: "Where there is possession of phenomenal attributes, there is delusion; where there is non-possession of any phenomenal attributes, there is no delusion. The Tathagata is therefore recognized by the attribute of having no phenomenal attributes." To read more, visit the link: http://www.io.com/~snewton/zen/diamond.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 Life of Buddha Part 4 of the BBC documentary. "...think of how life works." Support your local temple and meditation center! A special thanks goes out to volunteers and supporters of 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 for everyone! Help build a lending library. The East gives us thousands upon thousands of Buddhist sacred texts. 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! Offer a talk or workshop! 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 special book! Aerim Kim, the author of this lovely book of poetry is a frequent visitor at Dae Yen Sa Temple. Her poetry style is free, fresh, heartfelt, 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 Sunim 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 and Aaron leading the Dharma talks on Wednesday night at Dae Yen Sa. Also thanks to Robin for the Thursday night Yoga class! 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.