Welcome
Every Wednesday
Weekly Meditation Services (WMS) are on Wednesday evenings. They begin at 6 PM with a discussion or talk (see below for this month's discussion topics). At about 7 PM there is a meditation service followed at 8 PM by a potluck dinner. All of Wednesday evening's events are open to the public. There is no fee and reservations are not required.
August Wednesday Meditations and Discussions
3 Buddhism Along the Silk Road – Most of us are aware that the Silk Road provided a conduit for new ideas and lead to the expansion of Buddhism from Northern India to north and west Asia and subsequently into the Chinese provinces. We will look at this phenomenon through recent research as to how this actually occurred, and how the Silk Road may have altered the Buddhadharma.
10 Coping with the Political Campaigns from a Buddhist Perspective – Religion should stay out of partisan politics. We can address specific situations which have political implications. At the same time, we should
17 Dengyo Daishi – on the anniversary of Saicho's birthdate (767 CE) we will explore the founder of Japanese Tendai. Not merely as a seminal figure in Japanese Buddhism and culture, but also as a controversial figure.
24 Contribution of Beats to Buddhism in the West – You asked for it and you get it. The Beats, literary luminaries from post-war America, were influential as counter-cultural figures, but also in their exploration of Buddhism. We will examine these fascinating figures and their contributions to Buddhism in the West.
31 Interpenetration and the Varied Faces of America – We will discuss the ramifications of racism in the U.S. from the African-American perspective and how the concept of interpenetration might be used to reduce the damaging effects of this scourge. A recent short article from the New York Times Magazine section, 'The Grief that White Americans Can't Share', by Nikole Hannah-Jones, is available to inform our discussion. Pick it when at Tendai Buddhist Institutel.
Other Events in August:
6 Sutra Class and Morning Service, 8:30 – 10:30 AM – The Maha Prajna Paramita Hridaya Sutra (Heart Sutra) is the most often chanted, cited and best known sutras in the Mahayana canon. We will read and discuss two different translations and commentaries (Mu Soeng's and Red Pine's) as a set throughout the classes.
7 Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma at Tanglewood – With its artistic director Yo-Yo Ma, the Silk Road Ensemble returns to Tanglewood for another fascinating and wide-ranging traversal of music both traditional and new, suggesting a modern-day equivalent to the sort of cultural exchange that characterized the old trade routes in centuries long gone. Sign up for this fascinating evening (on the announcement board in the main house). We will purchase tickets separately so people may sit where they wish. We will meet for a picnic dinner before the performance.
20 The Diamond Way – An evening of Baseball at 'The Joe' in Troy, New York. The Tri-city Valley Cats will be playing the Hudson Valley Renegades. This year we will sign up for the best seats in the house for less than $10 a ticket with our group discount. Sign up for this evening of baseball (on the announcement board in the main house). We have thirty tickets. We may still have one or two tickets available
Upcoming September Events
23-25 Autumn O-Higan Retreat –This retreat will focus on Pure Land teachings and practices. More about specifics next month.
Food Pantry at Jiunzan Tendai-ji – Summertime is especially difficult for those who are need of the very basic necessities. Gratitude is best shown by extending to others the thoughtfulness we have received. Please bring non-perishable food items to the Tendai Buddhist Institute on Wednesday's. We contribute these items to the Chatham Silent Food Pantry
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Jushokus’ Thoughts
There is a paradox in Buddhism. There are systems within systems, philosophies galore and subtleties upon subtleties in Buddhist practice and life. At the same time a Buddhist life is one of simplicity be the result.
When starting on the Buddhist path, which often means reading a few books (lent you by a friend who thought you might be interested) and attempting to sit meditation (often self-consciously by yourself in a dark room with a candle), we have great intentions. We approach the path like we undertake many activities with intensity, great visions and thoughts of instant rewards. If we are lucky we might go to a retreat weekend where we are given at least a modicum of structure.
Soon we realize that this meditation stuff is not as easy as it appears and we are not "enlightened" after sitting for thirty minutes. We might give up and try a new age guru, bodybuilding, or wine tasting if the Buddhism stuff is just a phase. Or . . . we are like the blind turtle who finds the driftwood floating in the ocean. We seek and find a teacher and begin practicing in a sincere fashion and we start to live our life in a committed way.
We might also discover that practice means more than just meditation. We begin to explore the myriad ways in which the Buddhist teachings come alive through a variety of practices, sutra study, kyodo, chanting, devotional practices, etc.. We go back and look at those systems upon systems again, the Eightfold Path, Six Perfections, the Four Brahma Viharas. Living simply also means living with intensity and purpose.
Practice becomes a journey. Days of tranquility, times of tragedy, moments of profound insight, and many hours of so-what. The systems and philosophies are a means of exploring some of the insights we gain through our practice. The practice becomes a moveable concept - we are aware of more when at work or with our families. We begin to live simply, at the same time through the teachings, we seek to understand the experiences of others who have gone before us.
Many of you have heard me say that at its core Buddhism is a search into the nature of reality. When I look back at my life I realize that I sought reality on two levels. One level was through science, and devoted myself to natural science and its meaning in order to understand what I once thought was an objective reality. At the same time, I was looking at reality through the Buddhist lens, recognizing that reality is not objective, even reality is impermanent, sometimes changing moment to moment. That does not mean there is no objective reality, nor is there only an impermanent reality.
Reality is reality, it is a form which is empty. This awareness comes not through pure intellect, nor through the many practices. It is through body, speech and mind, through the intellect, practice, and intention.
This takes place over time, not in a sudden brilliance. Proceed with an open mind, a serene mind, a questioning mind, with purpose, and faith. Be patient and practice with vigor. In so doing you will gain a greater sense of loving kindness that permeates your core. That becomes your reality. This is why you started practicing Buddhism.
Love and Gassho . . . Monshin
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