2012 January Announcements

2012 January Announcements Dae Yen Sa International Buddhist Temple and Meditation Center Dae Yen Sa's new brown, long-sleeved t-shirt available now! Happy and Prosperous New Year! May every living being, Our minds as one and radiant with light, Share the fruits of peace, With hearts of goodness, luminous and bright. If people hear and see, How hands and hearts can find in giving, unity, May their minds awake, To Great Compassion, wisdom and to joy. May kindness find reward,â May all who sorrow leave their grief and pain; May this boundless light, Break the darkness of their endless night. Because our hearts are one This world of pain turns into Paradise May all become compassionate and wise, May all become compassionate and wise. 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! Greetings! Master Dae San Sunim, Su Yen Sunim, and Brother Bo Kyung, extends well wishes for a Happy New Year and a BIG thank you to those sangha Sisters and Brothers who have so generously contributed their time, energy, spirit and resources with the Dae Yen Sa community in 2011. And to all sangha friends, known and yet to be known, we bow in respect, and in gratitude. New Course Beginning ! Wednesday 1/4/12 marks the end of our 27-week Study led by Bo Kyung (Aaron). We are all so very grateful for Bo Kyung's teaching over these past weeks. The course has engaged us in a variety of different ways. NEXT STUDY...5 PRECEPTS: A PATH OF TRANSFORMATION Beginning on Wednesday 1/11/12 at 7pm we begin a study on the 5 Wonderful Precepts. The 5 precepts are the fundamental teachings of Buddhist morality and are guidelines from which we can live. Thich Nhat Hanh refers to these precepts as the 5 Mindfulness Trainings, since personal transformation is an ongoing event that requires continuous practice. One need not take formal 5 precept vows in order to practice these virtuous principles. In addition, by practicing the 5 precepts, one is not joining a religious order or converting from one religion to another, but rather committing, with honest intention and right action, to live mindfully eliminating suffering, engendering compassion, and sharing happiness. This study is offered at the beginning of the new year to help us realign ourselves with virtue principles and practices that lead to transformation. Study text used is "For a Future to be Possible: Buddhist Ethics for Everyday Life" by Thich Nhat Hanh. For all seeking to make positive life changes in 2012, we invite you to attend this Dharma study course and to take refuge in a welcoming and supportive sangha. A Syllabus/Order of Practice is attached. Read and print syllabus here! (Any questions, please email us along with your contact information. Please make subject line "Bo Gak - 5 Precepts"). A freewill donation for the 6-week course is greatly appreciated. Special Event! Day of Mindfulness Retreats! Every First Saturday of the month, 9am-5pm Give yourself time to rest and reflect. Life can get busy and stressful. It's so easy for each of us to lose perspective as we juggle it all. That's why it's so important to make time specifically for you. A mindful- ness retreat allows you to unplug from distractions and recharge your spiritual batteries. All are welcomed. Full-day retreat donation is $45, which includes vegetarian lunch and tea. FREE for Seniors and Students Saturday Dates: 1/7/12 retreat brochure here! Future dates: 2/4/12, 3/3/12, 4/7/12, 5/5/12, 6/2/12, 7/7/12, 8/4/12, 9/1/12, 10/6/12, 11/3/12, 12/1/12. Retreat Schedule: 9-10:00 am...Yoga/Qi Gong 10:15...Tea Break and Introduction 10:15-11...Meditation Session 11-11:45...Recitation & Chanting 12-1pm...Vegetarian Lunch 1-1:45...Walking Meditation 2-3:15...Dharma Talk/ Recitation/Q&a 3:30-4:30...Yoga/Qi Gong and/or Group Activity 4:30-5:00 Meditation, Closing Recitation Sutra of Loving-Kindness and Om Amoga chant Print and share the brochure at this link. Special Request WINTER APPEAL. PLEASE HELP. A Buddhist Parable of the Lady and the Lamp One day on the street the old woman encountered a long procession of carts carrying a large quantity of flax oil. Upon asking, she learned that the oil was a donation which the king of the country, was sending to the Buddha. Deeply moved, the old woman also longed to make an offering, but she had no money whatsoever. She decided to cut off her own hair and sell it. With that money she bought a small amount of flax oil and went to offer it to the Buddha. She thought: With so little oil a lamp will only burn half a night. However, if the Buddha recognizes my faith and feels compassion for me, then the lamp will burn throughout the night. Her wish was fulfilled and the lamp continued to burn throughout the night, while all the other lamps went out in the strong winds which blew from the direction of Mount Sumeru. When day broke, people tried to blow it out, but, on the contrary, her lamp continued to glow all the more, so brightly as to almost illuminate the entire world. We are reaching out to you to ask for financial support to keep our Temple "lamps" on throughout the winter. The operating costs for Dae Yen Sa Temple, especially heat, electricity and food are considerable. The Temple does not charge membership fees. Programs such as Saturday Yoga/QiGong, Meditation, Vegetarian Lunch; Wednesday Dharma School; Movie Nights and other special events are led by volunteers and depend entirely on individual contributions. Dae Yen Sa's mission is to welcome all, and in order to keep these programs alive, the Temple is counting on your financial support. While we are mindful that the present economy has affected many, we hope you will make a contribution today that is right for you. Like the story of the Lady and the Lamp, even modest offerings are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. Dae Yen Sa is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit religious organization as such, your donation is tax deductible. Please make your check payable to: Dae Yen Sa International Buddhist Temple You may hand your offering directly to Su Yen Sunim at the Temple or mail to: Dae Yen Sa International Buddhist Temple c/o Su Yen Sunim 19 Kinsey Road, New Hartford Connecticut, 06057 Thank you in advance for your generosity and care. May you be Peaceful, Happy and Well. Namu. Bo Gak (eduardo) 13th Annual Open Mountain Ceremony Jason sitting on the steps of one of the beautiful temples at Bak Lim Sa during the 13th Annual Open Mountain Ceremony. ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME HISTORIC EVENT. Enlightened Seon (Zen) Master Jinje , the 79th Patriarch in the Korean lineage of the Buddha, traveled to the West for the first, and perhaps only, time. For those that were not able to see the event in person, a film of the event is available online. www.jinje.us/Jinje.us/Home.html Go to the link above and click LIVE to watch! Temple merchandise is now available including the WHO ARE YOU t-shirt! BUDDHIST THOUGHT: The 5 Wonderful Precepts: I undertake the training to abstain from taking life I undertake the training to abstain from taking what is not given I undertake the training to abstain from sexual misconduct I undertake the training to abstain from false speech I undertake the training to abstain from substances which cause intoxication and heedlessness "There are more precepts that a Buddhist could be expected to follow but it is all according to your area of practice. For example as an ordained Lay Buddhist you are expected to follow at least seven of the ten Monk ordained monastic monk precepts. Ordained monastics are expected to follow ten precepts although there are those lay Buddhists that will also choose to follow the ten precepts themselves. As a fully ordained monk who lives the monastic life and lives in the temple of monastery you could be expected to follow 250 precepts or more or less depending on your school and temple." Read more here: http://www.examiner.com/zen-buddhism-in-national/living-the-five-precepts 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 Dalai Lama speaks about his past and also about Buddha Bodhicitta -- a state of completely open heart and mind. The state of a Bodhisattva. Enjoy this heartwarming teaching... VOLUNTEERS! Thanks for supporting your local temple and meditation center! There are many ways to support your temple including donations. If you have something special to contribute, please let us know! Please volunteer your skills. Offer a talk or workshop, Assistance with preparations 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! A big thank you to Eduardo and Aaron leading the Dharma talks on Wednesday night at Dae Yen Sa and so many others that volunteer their time and attention. There are many reasons to visit the temple! Here are just a few: Participate in beneficial shopping! The temple now has available a selection of great merchandise! Please stop by to purchase a temple t-shirt or the favorite "WHO AM I?" koan t-shirt. Your shopping benefits the temple! 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 generously 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. 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.