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. 1. Events and Announcements Events and Announcements View a few photos from the Fall Retreat, November 6, 2010! Wednesday evening dharma school! This 20-week "Introduction to Buddhism" dharma study series is designed to provide a broad overview of Buddhism and Zen. 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. Namu! Buddhist Thought HistoryBuddha 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 nirvanaBuddha 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. "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 attributesBuddha 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 Saturday Temple Regular Schedule: 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM Yoga or Qi Gong 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!
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! 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 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. |
Sunday, November 7, 2010
2010 November Announcements
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