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on May 30, 2012 at 1:27 am | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 5/29/12 meditation group

Hello,
Hope you are all enjoying this glorious weekend! Brenda, Carrie and Tim will be away tomorrow, so I have been given the task of sending this reminder. The meditation group will be meeting tomorrow night at First Parish and I will be leading the practice. Hope to see you there.
Just one message to share with you this week and that is about the Conference Call with Sylvia Boorstein and Larry Yang on “Clarifying Intentions: What is the Point of Your Practice? More specific information on this is below.
Hope you enjoy your day,
Sue

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Spirit Rock Meditation Center
Date: Tue, May 22, 2012 at 10:51 PM
Subject: Free Conference Call May 30th with Sylvia and Larry!

“Clarifying Intentions: What is the Point of Your Practice?” with Sylvia Boorstein and co-host Larry Yang.
Tuning Your Instrument: The Buddha, The Brain, and Bach.
June 9th, 9:30am – 5pm

Join Sylvia Boorstein and Larry Yang
for a free conference call to explore the question:

What is the point of your practice?

Wednesday, May 30th, 2012 from 12 noon-1pm PT*

Following the call, there will be an opportunity to connect with other callers to discuss dharma topics.

To register, click on this link:
STB Free Conference Call, May 30th
Please email your practice/dharma questions to: sylviab@spiritrock.org
*This call will be recorded – visit our website for details.Long distance charges may apply, depending upon your calling plan.

Complimentary event for STB members!

This is a Spirit Rock benefit daylong. The sliding scale is $150 – $90. We are offering this event free – as our gift – to all Sangha of Thousands of Buddhas (STB) members!

Pre-registration is required. To register as an STB member or to become an STB member, please call (415) 488-0164 x237 or email sangha@spiritrock.org.

For more information, please visit Tuning Your Instrument on the Spirit Rock website.
on May 21, 2012 at 5:59 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 5/22/12 meditation group

Good afternoon; the Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Gabriela will lead the practice.

Just a very short e-mail from me this week:

On Saturday, May 26, George Mumford will be at CIMC to offer a day-long workshop on “Self-Integrity: The Practice and Commitment to Truth and Honesty in Relation to Self, Other and Life”.

For registration and more information, please visit https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ASP/home.asp?studioid=11692

Mumford — described as “the most famous meditation teacher in the world that no one’s ever heard of” — was the subject of the brief “This Buddhist Life” column of the Spring 2010 issue of Tricycle, which you can read here:

http://www.tricycle.com/-life/buddhist-life-george-mumford

He was also the subject of a slightly longer interview by Soren Gordhammer over at Mindful.org:

http://www.mindful.org/in-your-life/sports-and-recreation/the-lakers-meditate

Also, stay tuned for more details — hopefully out later this week — on the day-long retreat we’ll be offering at First Parish on Saturday, June 9.

That’s all for now; I hope to see everyone tomorrow!

Metta,

Tim
on May 14, 2012 at 4:22 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 5/15/12 meditation group

Good afternoon! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. I’ll lead the practice this week.

To start off, in honor of Mothers’ Day I want to share a Subha Srinivasan’s short “Under 35 Project” blog post from back in November: “A Mom’s Perspective on Metta”

http://www.under35project.com/submissions/a-mom%e2%80%99s-perspective-on-metta/

As some of you may already know, the Aung San Suu Kyi biopic “The Lady” was released internationally last fall. Danny Fisher was on hand at a special Los Angeles screening, and offers this review (including the movie’s trailer) via SunSpace:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=26105

Michelle Yeoh, who portrays Daw Suu in the film, was also recently interviewed on NPR:

http://www.npr.org/2012/04/28/151525678/michelle-yeoh-portraying-an-icon-in-the-lady

Shifting gears, a couple of interesting e-mails arrived in my inbox recently:

First, Buddhist Geeks cofounder Vincent Horn and his wife Emily are embarking upon a new project dubbed the “Life Retreat”.

Vincent and Emily write:

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After the last couple years of teaching meditation — mostly online — [we] have discovered (time and again) that it’s possible to make significant progress in one’s meditation practice without abandoning a busy modern life, and without necessarily having to do intensive retreat practice. That is, it’s possible with a regular committed practice, good information, support, and regular feedback to wake up. With this in mind we’re embarking on a new project that we’re calling a “Life Retreat.”

In the process of creating this new delivery model for awakening we want to learn as much as we can from you. We would love for those of you who are meditators who don’t necessarily have time for intensive meditation retreats (for whatever reason), but who still want to make significant progress in your meditation practice, to speak with us in a user-design interview.

During the interview we’ll be exploring some of the problems we’re looking to solve with the design of the Life Retreat, and finding out more about your relationship to these common problems. We won’t be looking to solve those problems in the interview, but more to understand them. We also won’t be trying to sell or pitch anything to you. Instead we’re interested in learning from you.

If you have 20-30 minutes and are interested in this approach, please contact Emily @ emilywhorn@gmail.com to set up a user design interview with us.

—————————————————————————————————————————–

It sounds like a very intersting endeavor if anyone is inclined to participate.

The other interesting e-mail I received was from Richard Shankman’s Metta Dharma Foundation. Apparently Richard will be offering 1/2-hour phone interviews a couple of times each month, with the next opportunity coming up on Friday, May 25. If you are interested in signing up for an interview or just want more information, e-mail info@mettadharma.org.

Having sat my last IMS retreat with Richard (almost exactly a year ago, in fact — followed by a workshop weekend with him at BCBS), I very highly recommend him as a teacher.

Coming up this Saturday, May 19, Larry Rosenberg will be back at CIMC to offer a one-day insight meditation retreat. For additional information and registration, please visit https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ASP/home.asp?studioid=11692

That’s all for now; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on May 7, 2012 at 8:28 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 5/8/12 meditation group

Good afternoon! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Ajahn David will join us this week.

Thanks to Brenda for holding down the fort last week. I’ll begin this week’s e-mail by reminding everyone of Chris Germer and Kristin Neff’s “Self-Compassion: Essential Skills Training” workshop next Monday and Tuesday evening, May 14 and 15, at the Arlington Center (http://www.arlingtoncenter.org/events.html):

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Participants of this workshop will learn the core skills of the 8-week Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) training, an empirically-supported program designed to cultivate self-compassion using meditation, daily life practices, lecture, group exercises and discussion. Self-compassion is an emotional skill that can be learned by anyone. Recent research has shown that self- compassion greatly enhances emotional wellbeing, reduces anxiety and depression, and can even help you stick to your diet and exercise routine. This workshop will provide essential tools for treating yourself in a respectful, compassionate way whenever you suffer, fail, or feel inadequate. You’ll learn: what self-compassion is and isn’t • how to enhance mindfulness with self-compassion • self-compassion practices for daily life • how to motivate yourself with encouragement rather than criticism • the art of loving-kindness meditation • how to handle difficult emotions with greater ease • how to savor your life. The workshop is intended for a general audience, although professional participants will learn skills that they can integrate into their clinical work. 6 hours of continuing education credit are available to psychologists, social workers, and licensed mental health counselors.

Kristin Neff, PhD, associate professor, University of Texas; leading expert on self-compassion; author, Self-Compassion; featured in award-winning documentary, The Horse Boy. More information at http://www.Self-Compassion.org

Christopher Germer, PhD, clinical instructor, Harvard Medical School; international lecturer; author, The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion; coeditor, Mindfulness and Psychotherapy and Wisdom and Compassion in Psychotherapy. http://www.MindfulSelfCompassion.org

$150. Maximum enrollment will be 50 persons. Please plan to attend both sessions when you register for this workshop.

To register, please click here. For more information, please email ckgermer@gmail.com

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There are also a number of events coming up this Saturday, May 12:

As previously mentioned, Alan Lokos will be at BCBS to deliver a workshop on “The Paramis: Living the Perfection Practices”:

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The pāramīs (Pali) or pāramitās (Sanskrit) are the ten virtuous qualities the Buddha taught that support us on the path to becoming an awakened being. Pāramī is usually translated as perfection. Thus, these qualities: generosity, morality, relinquishing, wisdom, effort, patience, truthfulness, determination, loving-kindness, and equanimity are seen as among the noblest virtues to be developed and practiced. This day will be an exploration into the nature and subtleties of each of the pāramīs, and skills to bring these virtues into our everyday lives. Short meditations and periods of discussion will enhance our understanding of why the Buddha placed such significance on these practices.
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To register, visit https://bcbs.dharma.org/Pages/course_detail.lasso?-KeyValue=239.

Meanwhile, Narayan Liebenson Grady will be at CIMC offering a daylong workshop on “Not Compounding Suffering”:

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When difficulties occur in life, what do we do? Do we depend upon habits and conditioning? Is there a way in which, calling upon the teachings of the Buddha, we can avoid compounding the suffering that is occurring and also allow it to lead to greater illumination and compassion? We will explore these questions during this workshop which will include talks, discussion and meditation practice.
——————————————————————————————————————————-

https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ASP/home.asp?studioid=11692

Last but hardly least, Larry Rosenberg will be up at IMCN to offer his semi-annual retreat/potluck luncheon/dharma talk. The theme for this weekend will be “Insight Meditation and Relationship: The Art of Self-Knowing in Action”:

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The quality of our human relationships often deeply affects the quality of our lives. Bringing awareness into relationships can provide us with a mirror which shows us to ourselves. It teaches us how we create suffering and happiness, both for ourselves and others. This mirror can have liberating power—if we are willing and able to look. Under the expert guidance of Larry Rosenberg, we will explore how Insight Meditation can be of tremendous help on this journey.

In this half-day retreat, periods of silent sitting and walking meditation will be supported by dharma instruction and dialogue as we explore this timely and powerful theme.

The half-day retreat will be followed by a potluck lunch and a dharma talk with Q & A, which are separate events.

——————————————————————————————————————————-

IMCN Director Nancy Morrison adds the following:

“Twice a year we look forward to an all-day event with Larry Rosenberg, who is not only a Buddhist teacher and author, but also a co-founder of IMCN!

“As part of the IMCN tradition, we enjoy a potluck lunch with one another and Larry as part of his visit. I encourage you to consider coming for the full day of events on Saturday, May 12, from 9am-3pm, which will include a morning retreat, the potluck lunch, and an afternoon dharma talk

“I look forward to another full house (literally!) as we gather together with Larry. In light of the high registration numbers for this day, please send your registration materials to me by mail in the next week. Please send a check that has ‘Larry Rosenberg’ in the Memo section. If you plan to attend the potluck, please indicate whether you will bring a salad or dessert to share at the table.”

Registration can be mailed to:
IMCN, 443 Middle St, W. Newbury, MA 01985
Questions can be emailed to me at:
meditate@imcnewburyport.org

For more information visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org

That’s all for now; I hope to see everyone tomorrow!

Metta,

Tim
on May 7, 2012 at 4:51 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 5/1/12 meditation group

Greetings all,

We will be gathering as usual tomorrow night, Tuesday May 1 for meditation practice at 7:30 PM in the chapel at First Parish UU in Chelmsford.

Ajahn David wil NOT be teaching tomorrow, because of travel plans. Instead he will be coming next week, May 8.

Brenda (that’s me) will be leading the practice.

Two upcoming events I’m aware of that may be of interest:

First, at the Arlington Center (http://www.arlingtoncenter.org/events.html ):

SELF-COMPASSION: Essential Skills Training
with Kristin Neff and Christopher Germer
Monday & Tuesday, May 14-15, 6-9pm

For someone to develop genuine compassion towards others, first he or she must have a basis upon which to cultivate compassion, and that basis is the ability to connect to one’s own feelings and to care for one’s own welfare… Caring for others requires caring for oneself. – Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

Participants of this workshop will learn the core skills of the 8-week Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) training, an empirically-supported program designed to cultivate self-compassion using meditation, daily life practices, lecture, group exercises and discussion. Self-compassion is an emotional skill that can be learned by anyone. Recent research has shown that self- compassion greatly enhances emotional wellbeing, reduces anxiety and depression, and can even help you stick to your diet and exercise routine. This workshop will provide essential tools for treating yourself in a respectful, compassionate way whenever you suffer, fail, or feel inadequate. You’ll learn: what self-compassion is and isn’t • how to enhance mindfulness with self-compassion • self-compassion practices for daily life • how to motivate yourself with encouragement rather than criticism • the art of loving-kindness meditation • how to handle difficult emotions with greater ease • how to savor your life. The workshop is intended for a general audience, although professional participants will learn skills that they can integrate into their clinical work. 6 hours of continuing education credit are available to psychologists, social workers, and licensed mental health counselors.

Kristin Neff, PhD, associate professor, University of Texas; leading expert on self-compassion; author, Self-Compassion; featured in award-winning documentary, The Horse Boy. More information at http://www.Self-Compassion.org
Christopher Germer, PhD, clinical instructor, Harvard Medical School; international lecturer; author, The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion; coeditor, Mindfulness and Psychotherapy and Wisdom and Compassion in Psychotherapy. http://www.MindfulSelfCompassion.org
$150. Maximum enrollment will be 50 persons. Please plan to attend both sessions when you register for this workshop. To register, please click here. For more information, please email ckgermer@gmail.com

Second, as part of the continuing Newton series on mindfulness, on Wednesday this week:

AWAKENING IN THE BODY
The Yoga of Mindfulness with Chip Hartranft
Newton South High School, Main Entrance, Lecture Hall
140 Brandeis Road, Newton Center –
Wednesday, May 2, 7-9pm ( http://www2.newtoncommunityed.org/ )

~ Yoga is commonly understood to address the body, while meditation trains the mind. To the Buddha no such distinction seems to have existed, especially in the cultivation of mindfulness. As he recognized, our aliveness – palpable in the present moment as the energy within breath and bodily sensation – is the primordial backdrop against which all sensory and mental experience arise, and a path not only to deeper and more nourishing embodiment but to insight and freedom. Through talk, meditation & dialogue, we’ll discover and explore the living body dwelling in plain view within the body – and life – we think we inhabit. This evening is suitable for new and experienced meditators alike. $19 at the door

Hope to see you on Tuesday!
Brenda
on April 23, 2012 at 4:31 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 4/24/12 meditation group

Greetings! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Carrie will lead the practice this week.

Just a couple of things to pass along:

A few weeks ago the noted Thai activist Sulak Sivaraksa gave a talk at the Berkeley Zen Center — under the auspices of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship — entitled “I Will Not Kill, I Will Not Steal,” looking at the first two precepts in the context of global violence and consumerism. The talk was recorded and is available via Turning Wheel Media in four segments, each about 10 minutes long. (The audio quality is a little iffy, but worth the effort to listen closely.)

http://www.turningwheelmedia.org/i-will-not-kill-i-will-not-steal-bpf-in-dialogue-with-ajahn-sulak-sivaraksa/

To learn more about Sulak’s work and the International Network of Engaged Buddhists check out http://www.sulak-sivaraksa.org/en/

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned the Tricycle magazine interview with Charles Prebish; Prebish has since contributed a couple of blog posts for Tricycle’s website, including this one on the role of the scholar-practitioner in the development of an uniquely American Buddhist tradition:

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/scholar-practitioners-american-buddhism

There are a few spceial events coming up later this week:

On Thursday, April 26, Mikra Knaster (author of “Living This Life Fully: Stories and Teachings of Munindra,” about which I raved recently) will give a free lecture at the Arlington Center at 8pm. The invitation is to “come be inspired, moved, and entertained by stories about Munindra from around the world, stories that convey the possibility for all of us to live this life fully.” (Thanks to Brenda for the heads-up!)

For more information visit http://www.arlingtoncenter.org/events.html

Then on Saturday, April 28, you have the choice between a day-long retreat with Larry Rosenberg at Cambridge Insight, or with Chas DiCapua at IMC Newburyport.

Larry will offer a day of basic walking and sitting meditation practice; for registration and details please visit https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ASP/home.asp?studioid=11692

Chas, meanwhile, will spend the day exploring “Dharma as Nature”:

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One of the various translations of the Sanskrit word Dharma is nature. This use of the word Dharma simply means the way things are. There aren’t judgments or evaluations about how things are in nature. Things just are. They follow certain patterns or laws. Deepening our Dharma practice is supported by our ability to connect with and understand how things are. How do we do this? By being present and watching.

In this day long retreat we’ll explore the simplicity of stopping and looking. Not changing, or getting better. Simply stopping and looking. We’ll also explore the unique ways that being out in nature can help us come to understand the nature of things, or how things are.
————————————————————————————————————-

For more information please visit http://www.imcnewburport.org

Finally, there a couple of schedule changes to mention:

Due to travel obligations, Ajahn David’s May visit will be postponed one week until Tuesday, May 8.

Also, Abhaya’s planned visit later in May has been postponed until August.

That’s all for now; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on April 16, 2012 at 6:36 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 4/17/12 meditation group

Good afternoon! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish.

Since today is Marathon Monday (aka Patriots’ Day), I want to start off by sharing a short promotional clip for Sakyong Mipham’s latest book, “Running with the Mind of Meditation: Lessons for Training Body and Mind”:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=25237

Another Tibetan teacher, Tsoknyi Rinpoche, has joined the ranks of the bloggers at the Huffington Post. A couple of noteworthy entries are “Who Do You Think You Are?” and “The Meaning of Virtue and Virtuosity”, linked below:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/Tsoknyi-rinpoche/self-awareness_b_1380690.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/Tsoknyi-rinpoche/definition-virtue_b_1415747.html

I want to once again thank Sue and Matt for the virtual introduction to Ajahn Viradhammo, currently the resident senior monk at Tisarana Buddhist Monastery in Perth, Ontario (http://www.tisarana.ca/). I recently finished reading — and highly recommend — Viradhammo Bhikkhu’s “The Stillness of Being,” a small collection of transcribed dharma talks that is freely available as a PDF:

http://www.tisarana.ca/docs/e-books/viradhammo-stillness.pdf

An audio archive of Ajahn Viradhammo’s talks is also available at the Tisarana website:

http://www.tisarana.ca/includes/server.php?act=pod_list

You can read a transcription of one of his older dharma talks here:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=6,4685,0,0,1,0

In upcoming events, Matthew Daniell will lead a morning workshop at IMC Newburyport this Saturday, April 21. The topic is “Exploring Aging, Sickness, and Death as Gateways to Living a Fuller Life”:

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The Buddha taught that old age, illness, and the inevitability of death can be powerful positive teachers in our lives. In this workshop we will combine discussion, reflection, and silent meditation periods to help us explore how these universal themes can actually help wake us up to a richer, more fulfilling life in the present moment. All are welcome, including beginner meditators.
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Please visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org for registration and/or additional information.

And last but absolutely not least, well-wishes are belatedly due to Ajahn David who celebrated his 75th birthday this past Friday.

That’s all for now; I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow evening.

Metta,
Tim
on April 9, 2012 at 7:50 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 4/10/12 meditation group

Good afternoon! The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Brenda will lead the practice.

Just a couple of things to pass along this week:

Some of you may remember, but quite some time ago Brenda and then Carrie and I had the opportunity to see Jenny Phillips’ amazing documentary “The Dhamma Brothers”.

Well, this past week Phillips resurfaced as the subject of a short interview with Tricycle’s Sam Mowe, reflecting on the moviemaking process and what’s been happening in the prison dharma scene since the film debuted:

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/tricycle-talks-jenny-phillips-dhamma-brothers

If you haven’t seen the film yet, I strongly encourage seeking it out.

(You can see our previous posts about “The Dhamma Brothers” here: http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/2008/05/30/dhamma-brothers-east-and-west-meet-in-the-deep-south/ and http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/2009/01/28/the-dhamma-brothers-take-two/)

Sylvia Boorstein just kicked off the latest online retreat at Tricycle.com and in the Spring 2012 issue of the magazine she offers a short introduction to the theme of the retreat — looking at the teachings of the Metta Sutta — in “The Whole of the Path”:

http://www.tricycle.com/online-retreats/whole-path

The current issue of Tricycle also features a fascinating interview with Charles Prebish, a pioneer in the study of Buddhism in America. In “Pursuing an American Buddhism” Prebish and Linda Heuman take a look at the growth of a uniquely American Buddhist tradition:

http://www.tricycle.com/feature/pursuing-american-buddhism

As some of you may already know, Andy Olendzki recently announced that he will step down from his administrative duties at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies to focus more on his writing and teaching; one fine example of the former is this short article “Mind Like A Mirror” looking at the hindrances in the Winter 2010 issue of Tricycle:

http://www.tricycle.com/meditation-buddhist-practices/calm-abiding-shamatha/mind-mirror

And finally, going back to Tricycle’s Winter 2006 issue, Bob Sharples offers a very short reflection on how to work with thoughts during meditation in “Do the Thoughts Ever Stop?”

http://www.tricycle.com/insights/do-thoughts-ever-stop

Shifting gears….

In upcoming events, Narayan and Michael Liebenson Grady will hold a two-day retreat at Cambridge Insight this weekend, April 14 and 15:

https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ASP/home.asp?studioid=11692

And Kate Lila Wheeler will be at IMC Newburyport on Sunday the 15th for a daylong retreat on “Equanimity”:

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In the Buddhist tradition, Equanimity is the practice of entering every situation with an impartial, wise and loving mind. In the formal practice known as Divine Abiding, we focus on relationships with other beings–often a cause of turmoil, aren’t they? Equanimity comes when we develop loving kindness to the fullest, and then insert the wise understanding that no matter how much we may care for others, we cannot make their decisions for them. This practice brings great balance and ease to the mind.
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As always, please visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org for registration and additional details.

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow!

Metta,
Tim
on April 2, 2012 at 5:57 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 4/3/12 meditation group

Good afternoon! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. This week Ajahn David is scheduled to join us once again.

As some of you may have already heard, last week the Dalai Lama was named as the 2012 recipient of the prestigious Templeton Prize honoring an individual “who has made an exceptional contribution to affirming life’s spiritual dimension, whether through insight, discovery, or practical works.”

You can read the Washington Post’s take here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/dalai-lama-wins-templeton-prize-for-work-on-science-religion/2012/03/29/gIQALwT1iS_story.html

… And watch the Dalai Lama’s short (~3 min.) video response:
http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=25372

Cambridge Insight seems to have quite a busy schedule during the month of April, kicking off with Narayan Liebenson Grady’s workshop this Saturday, April 7. “When Driving Just Drive, When Walking Just Walk” participants will look at bringing “the Dharma into the various ways that we get around.” For registration and more information visit https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ASP/home.asp?studioid=11692

Finally this week I want to pass along a Than Geoff artcle, “The Customs of the Noble Ones”, recounting a short history of the Thai Forest tradition:

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/customs.html

That’s all for now; I hope to see everyone tomorrow night!

Metta,
Tim
on March 26, 2012 at 6:57 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 3/27/12 meditation group

Good afternoon! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Sue will lead the practice this week.

Short and sweet this week:

Some of you may have seen yesterday’s Boston Globe profile piece on Boston Buddha Vararam Temple (aka “Wat Boston”), the Thai temple located in Bedford:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=60,10803,0,0,1,0

As noted in the article, there will be a fundraiser for the temple on April 8.

This also seems as good a place as any to mention a Boston.com article that I came across late last month (which, again, some of you may have already seen):

“Constant Distractions Can Take A Toll”
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/health/articles/2012/02/27/constant_distractions_can_take_a_toll/

If only there were some way to practice “undistractability”…. Oh, wait! ;-)

And while I’m sorry to have found out too late about Ven. Bhante Henepola Gunaratana’s (aka “Bhante G,” author of “Mindfulness in Plain English”) 2-day retreat at the New England Buddhist Vihara and Meditation Center this coming weekend (March 31 – April 1 — registration is already closed, unsurprisingly), I’m happy to share news that Matthew Daniell will offer a daylong retreat “Opening to Insight” at IMC Newburyport this Saturday the 31st:

“Suffering and grasping often go hand in hand. In this retreat we will explore strategies and attitudes that can help us to loosen our ‘tight-fisted’ grasping and open with insight into the renewing power of being fully present. Beginners as well as experienced students are welcome for this retreat.”

As always, please visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org for registration and additional information.

That’ll be it for this week; I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow night!

Metta,
Tim
on March 19, 2012 at 6:27 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 3/20/12 meditation group

Good afteroon and happy spring… almost! The meditation group will meet (and celebrate the vernal equinox) from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish. Gabriela will lead the practice this week. It really is hard to believe that technically it’s still winter!

Today’s e-mail comprises a smattering of odds and ends that have accumulated in my “morgue” (there you go, Jim!) over the past couple of weeks:

Some of you may have already received IMS’s most recent newsletter. For those who did not, however, there are a couple of items of note:

First, Bob Agoglia has a nice 7-minute interview with Sharon Sazlberg (“Great Renunciation, Great Realization, and Great Brave Mind”):

http://www.dharma.org/ims/mp3/Sharon_Salzberg_-_Great_Renunciation_Great_Realization_and_Great_Brave_Mind.mp3

Nearly as exciting is the news that IMS is starting to post some of the retreat center recipes on their website! As anyone who has attended an IMS retreat is likely to attest, the food is fantastic, and I can’t wait for some of my favorites to come online (a process that could take quite some time yet). Conveniently, recipes have been adapted to serve an intimate gathering of just 6 people rather than an dharma army of 140:

http://www.dharma.org/ims/pi_c_recipes.html

Tricycle contributor Rita Gross has been featured previously in these weekly reminders, perhaps most notably for her article “Buddhist History for Buddhist Practitioners” from the Fall 2010 issue of the magazine (http://www.tricycle.com/feature/buddhist-history-buddhist-practitioners). Well, Rita is back again with a new article, “Buddhist to Buddhist” about the importance of Buddhist practitioners learning about traditions other that their own. She expands on this topic in a short (14-minute) conversation with Tricycle’s Rachel Hiles:

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/tricycle-talk-rita-m-gross

Finally this week, a wonderful 5-minute video featuring some of the kids participating in the Holisitic Life Foundation’s mindfulness program in Baltimore (also highlighted previously):

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=25261

That’s all for now; I hope everyone is enjoying the early spring weather (it is still March, right?) and look forward to seeing you tomorrow!

Metta,
Tim
on March 12, 2012 at 7:58 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 3/13/12 meditation group

Good afternoon! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Brenda will lead the practice this week. I also want to extend a special thanks to Christine, who has requested to step down from the practice leader rotation; her able assistance over the past several years has been very much appreciated!

Another week, another book… although this one I’ve not quite finished at present. Some time ago (at IMS, I believe) I picked up a copy of Mirka Knaster’s “Living This Life Fully: Stories and Teachings of Munindra.” As some of you may know, Munindra is a seminal figure in the development of Buddhism in the West, and especially the Insight Meditation tradition. Mundindra was a principal teacher of Sharon Salzberg, Joseph Goldstein, Jack Kornfield, their teacher Dipa Ma, and many others, including Larry Rosenberg, Lama Surya Das, James Baraz, Sylvia Boorstein, Daniel Goleman, Michael Liebenson Grady, Wes Nisker, and Ram Dass (aka Richard Alpert). Needless to say, we wouldn’t be where we are today without him.

Knaster’s biography is organized in chapters according to the qualities of awakening embodied in and imparted by Munindra-ji, such as sati (mindfulness), samadhi (concentration), dana (generosity), and so on. Remembrances and anecdotes solicited from Munindra’s students, along with reflections gleaned from his own journals, form the core of each chapter. Each chapter is concluded by an etymology of the Pali theme word (e.g. “sati”); this in and of itself is worth the price of the book.

This is a very curious book: Reading it has been incredibly inspiring to me; not only does one get the sense of Munindra’s charisma from the words of his students, but it felt to me almost as the energy of Munindra himself is channeled through the book, encouraging the reader to, in the Buddha’s words, strive on in his/her practice with diligence.

In short, I very highly recommend this book:

http://www.shambhala.com/html/catalog/items/isbn/978-1-59030-674-1.cfm

So, inspired in no small part by reading “Living This Life Fully” (and also taking advantage of Carrie’s being at school all day), this past Saturday I indulged in what I would call a home-retreat: interspersing my usual weekend duties, such as doing laundry and taking care of the dog, with periods of practice (primarily walking meditation) and listening to some links passed along to me by my work colleague, Mai.

My focus was a series of talks given by John Peacock, who is primarily based in the UK although he teaches Stateside once a year or so.

The first link (60 min) is to a video of a fascinating panel discussion from St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, featuring Peacock and Stephen Batchelor on “Uncertain Minds: How the West Misunderstands Buddhism”. Peacock and Batchelor get into some really good stuff here:

http://secularbuddhistassociation.com/2011/11/14/uncertain-minds-how-the-west-misunderstands-buddhism/

Next up is an hour-long conversation on “Buddha the Radical to Creeping Brahmanism” between Peacock, a former Tibetan monk and current scholar of early Buddhism, and podcast host Ted Meissner from the Secular Buddhist Association:

http://secularbuddhistassociation.com/2012/01/06/episode-98-john-peacock-buddha-the-radical-to-creeping-brahmanism/

(How I previously missed the Secular Buddhist Association webiste, I do not know; there’s a wealth of great material to be found there.)

The core of my “retreat,” however, was the 8 hour workshop Peacock presented last September at the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California. The topic of the workshop was nominally “Buddhism Before the Theravada,” that does not do justice to the scope of the class which range from the origins of Buddhism as a reaction to the dominant cultural paradigms of its day to one of the most cogent explications of “dependent co-arising” that I’ve yet heard. If you can somehow manage to allow yourself the time to listen (or re-listen) to this presentation, it will be well worth the effort:

http://www.audiodharma.org/series/207/talk/2602/

Peacock followed that workshop with a much shorter (2+ hours) class on “The Buddha’s Teaching on Lovingkindness: A Mature Path to Awakening” which presents metta practice as integral rather than subsidiary to insight practice:

http://www.audiodharma.org/series/207/talk/2603/

If you listen to no other dharma talks for the foreseeable future, make sure you give yourself a chance to listen to these!

There are, of course, more structured opportunities in the area; while it looks like Michael Liebenson Grady’s previously scheduled retreat at Cambridge Insight on Saturday, March 17, isn’t happening after all, Chas DiCapua will be up at IMC Newburyport that same day to offer a day-long metta/lovingkindness retreat:

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Throughout the day we will explore various ways to practice Loving Kindness meditation including the traditional form of repeating phrases to one self. The other three Brahma Viharas (Divine Abodes), which include Compassion, Sympathetic Joy, and Equanimity, will also be touched upon including their relationship to Loving Kindness.

During the retreat each person will be encouraged to experiment with different approaches to the Loving Kindness meditation practice in order to find the way that works best for them. No previous experience with Loving Kindness meditation is required.
—————————————————————————————————————-

Please visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org for registration and/or additional information.

That’s probably plenty for this week; as always, I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on March 5, 2012 at 3:26 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 3/6/12 meditation group

Good morning! The meditation group will gather in the Chapel at First Parish tomorrow evening — “Super Tuesday” — from 7:30 to 9:30. Ajahn David returns this week.

Alan Lokos is still making the rounds in support of his latest book, “Patience: The Art of Peaceful Living.” Lokos appeared last Thursday on NPR’s “Talk of the Nation” to speak with host John Donvan about trading the “road of anger for the path to patience.” The entire segment is about 16 minutes:

http://www.npr.org/2012/03/01/147736933/trading-the-road-of-anger-for-the-path-to-patience

University of Wisconsin researcher Richie Davidson is also plugging his book, “The Emotional Life of Your Brain.” SunSpace recently posted a short (4 min.) promotional video here:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=25075

Yet another interesting promotional video (7 min.) comes from Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan, speaking about his new book “A Mindful Nation”:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=24928

And I’ll take this opportunity to plug another book that’s actually been out for a little while now: “Who Ordered This Truckload of Dung? Inspiring Stories for Welcoming Life’s Difficulties” by the inimitable British-born, Australia-based Ajahn Brahm. Brahm’s book is a collection of pithy stories — none more than four pages long — that really speak to the heart of the Dharma:

http://www.wisdompubs.org/Pages/display.lasso?-KeyValue=32929&-Token.Action=&image=1

Moving along to upcoming events, Larry Rosenberg will lead a one-day retreat at Cambridge Insight on Saturday, March 10; Michael Liebenson Grady will follow suit the next Saturday, March 17. For registration and additional information, please visit http://www.cambridgeinsight.org.

I’ll leave you this week with Michael’s teaching from this month’s CIMC eNewsletter:

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As much as we talk about the practice of mindfulness at CIMC, its important to realize that dharma practice is much more. Yes, mindfulness plays a crucial role in facilitating the process of awakening. Yet, the path of insight goes beyond mindfulness and deepens into a path of wisdom and compassion.

Bare attention, or silent knowing, needs to merge with the spirit of inquiry – that is the sustained exploration into the nature of suffering, with the intention to learn rather than get rid of. This is a radically different way of being.

In meditation, we develop the capacity and inner strength to relate to suffering with equanimity and interest. As yogis, we come to realize that when we encounter suffering, it is an opportunity to understand how our hearts and minds work. And it is in this understanding that we can discover, just like the Buddha, a fundamentally different and infinitely more harmonious way of being in this world.

So, when we encounter suffering, begin to investigate and inquire “Is the mind grasping onto something here?” And if it is, what is it grasping onto? Pleasure? Pain? Are we trying to protect ourselves or some concept of who we think we are? If there’s clinging, what are the consequences? Fear? Anger or frustration? Unskillful actions?

Dharma practice is a practice of not knowing (not making assumptions!) and a process of uncovering and discovery. We are dharma detectives, knowing that transformation is possible but realizing that it is through a deep, deep understanding of how we are living our lives that reveals our potential for liberation.
—————————————————————————————————–

That’s all for now; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening. (And don’t forget to vote!)

Metta,
Tim
on February 27, 2012 at 5:42 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 2/28/12 meditation group

Good afternoon! The last Tuesday in February marks the anniversary of the first meeting of the meditation group in an office in downtown Lowell back in 2006; it’s really amazing how much the group has evolved over the years, on the one hand, while on the other hand (hopefully) remaining a consistent “refuge” where we come together to support each other in our practice. Brenda will lead the practice this week.

Continuing a theme from last week’s e-mail, I want to start off this week by sharing another wonderful TEDx talk, this time by Willoughby Britton of Brown Univeristy speaking to “Why A Neuroscientist Would Study Meditation”:

I also want to share a wide-ranging 3-part conversation between Tricycle’s Richard Eskow and Ken McLeod. Each segment is about 15 minutes long:

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/tricycle-talks-ken-mcleod-speaks-richard-eskow-part-1-3

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/tricycle-talks-ken-mcleod-speaks-richard-eskow-part-2-3

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/tricycle-talks-ken-mcleod-speaks-richard-eskow-part-3-3

I’ve recently finished reading a couple of interesting books that I thought worthy of mention.

First is Jack Kornfield’s “Living Dharma: Teachings and Meditation Instructions from Twelve Theravada Masters” including Mahasi Sayadaw, Ajahn Chah, Buddhadasa Bhikkhu, and several other less well-known but equally important teachers from the Theravada tradition. Kornfield himself provides a wonderful introduction and two concluding chapters to put the teachings into context.

What impresses me most about “Living Dharma” is how much breadth of technique and teaching there is within the Theravada tradition alone — a little something for everyone, as it were, and most definitely not “one size fits” all. For anyone interested in a broad survey of Theravada meditation practices, this is a great place to start (although perhaps not as one’s first book on Buddhism).

http://www.shambhala.com/html/catalog/items/isbn/978-1-59030-832-5.cfm

The other book I recently (and finally!) finished is Sharon Salzberg’s latest, “Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation” (although I understand from Sharon that this was her publisher’s choice of title rather than her own).

“Real Happiness” is a deceptively simple book intended primarily for those who are coming to meditation for the first time and/or are interested in establishing a daily practice by way of her 28-day program. Only part-way though the book I purchased a couple of copies of “Real Happiness” for family members who have been interested in meditation — it’s that good, ranking up there with Bhante G’s “Mindfulness in Plain English” as a primer.

Sharon’s warm style and straightforward approach make meditation practice seem incredibly doable, and the accompanying CD of instructions and short guided meditations may be helpful to those who need a little extra something to get started. What I personally found most enlightening (in the common sense of the word) is the FAQ section that concludes each chapter. Highly recommended for practitioners new and old!

http://www.workman.com/products/9780761159254/

Finally this week I’ll leave you with an interesting review of the book “The Lovelorn Ghost and the Magical Monk: Practising Buddhism in Modern Thailand”. This is definitely a book I’ll have to track down at some point as it shares a perspective on Thai Buddhism that seems quite alien, especially in comparison to the “Buddhism” we know by way of the meditation masters presented in “Living Dharma” and Western teachers such as Jack and Sharon.

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=10,10667,0,0,1,0

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening.

Metta,
Tim
on February 21, 2012 at 2:01 am | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 2/21/12 meditation group

Good evening! Tomorrow’s meditation group will meet from 7:30pm to 9:30pm in the Chapel at First Parish. Carrie will lead the practice this week.

Last week’s episode of Buddhist Geeks featured Stanford psychologist Kelly McGonigal and her presentation “What Science Can Teach Us About Meditation: The Neuroscience of Mindfulness” which she delivered at the Buddhist Geeks conference last year. The 20-minute presentation is *much* easier to follow with PowerPoint slides, and fortunately she has obligingly posted the video on her own website:

McGonigal has another neat video — “The Power of Self-Compassion” — on her website:

http://kellymcgonigal.com/2011/12/01/the-power-of-self-compassion/

Each is about 20 minutes long.

Her article “This is Your Brain on Meditation” is worth a read, too:

http://kellymcgonigal.com/2011/09/18/article-this-is-your-brain-on-meditation/

McGonigal was previously Vince Horn’s guest on Buddhist Geeks a few months ago — around the time of the conference — discussing “Where Science and Compassion Meet”:

http://www.buddhistgeeks.com/2011/10/bg-233-where-science-and-compassion-meet/

(If you’d prefer just the Buddhist Geeks audio of her presentation “What Science Can Teach Us About Practice” you can listen here: http://www.buddhistgeeks.com/2012/02/bg-246-what-science-can-teach-us-about-practice/)

Speaking of self-compassion: the man who literally wrote the book on the subject, our good friend Chris Germer, is the subject of the feature interview in this month’s BCBS Full Moon Insight Journal. Chris shares his take on “Mindfulness in Buddhism and Psychology” ahead of a weekend workshop he’ll lead at BCBS in September:

http://www.dharma.org/bcbs/documents/MindfulnessinBuddhismandPsychologyTalkingwithChristopherGermer.pdf

I stumbled across a couple of other short videos this week, quite serendipitously finding IMCN’s Matthew Daniell delivering a TEDx talk on “Stopping the Inner War”:

Harvard Medical School’s Sara Lazar also gave a TEDx talk on how meditation reshapes our brains:

In closing this week I just want to mention a handful of upcoming events — some sooner, some later:

This Thursday evening, February 23, WGBH-2 will air two (?) of the three films comprising John Bush’s classic trilogy “Journey Into Buddhism”: From 8pm-9:30pm, ‘Dharma River’ will show, presenting a look at the ancient temples and shrines along the coast of Laos, Thailand and Bhurma. Immediately after is ‘Prajna Earth’ 9:30-11pm, which takes the audience through Angkor in Cambodia, and also ventures down into Bali and Java to explore the convergence of Hindu and Buddhist cultures.

You can catch trailers for each of the films here:

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/journey-buddhism-series-wgbh-pbs-boston

Then on Sunday, February 26, Chas DiCapua will be back at IMC Newburyport to lead a day-long retreat “Exploring Samadhi (Concentration)”:

—————————————————————————————————–
The word Samadhi is usually translated as concentration. Yet, when we try to concentrate the mind, we often try too hard and end up tying ourselves up in knots. In this day long retreat we will explore and develop Samadhi in ways that don’t tend to induce striving, such as cultivating calm, ease, seclusion of mind, unification of mind, and resting in presence.

The intention for the day will be to see that even just a bit of Samadhi can be present right here and now without a lot of striving. It is through becoming aware of and connecting with this bit of initial Samadhi that supports its deepening.

Please register in advance for this retreat.
Cost is $60/nonmembers; $45/members.
Soup and bread will be provided at lunch. You are encouraged to bring your own lunch if you prefer.
Half-day retreat rates are also available.
—————————————————————————————————–

Looking a little further ahead, I’m very pleased to announce, first, that Abhaya will be back in our area during the month of May, and will join us to lead the meditation practice on May 15 and again on May 29. As always, this is a special opportunity for her old students to reconnect, and for newcomers to have a chance to meet her for the first time.

Then, on Satuday, June 9, we will be offering a day-long (10am to 4pm) metta/mindfulness meditation retreat at First Parish. We’re still working out the fine details and will be sure to keep folks in the loop as the dates draw near.

That’s all for this week; I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow!

Metta,
Tim
on February 13, 2012 at 4:00 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 2/14/12 meditation group

Good morning! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow, Valentine’s Day, from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. As many of you are already aware Sharon Salzberg’s annual metta retreat is curently underway at IMS; so in keeping with the theme I hope our group will focus on lovingkindness practice as well.

Writer/teacher Allan Lokos featured prominently in last week’s e-mail, so to begin this week I’ll share another excerpt on “Patience in Relationships” from his latest book “Patience: The Art of Peaceful Living”:

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/allan-lokos-patience-relationships

Jack Kornfield also published a pair of books this past year, and the following adaptation “Set the Compass of Your Heart” is from “A Lamp in the Darkness: Illuminating the Path through Difficult Times”:

http://www.tricycle.com/brief-teachings/set-compass-your-heart

For those of you who are new to formal lovingkindness practice, Gil Fronsdal provides a wonderful introduction in “May We All Be Happy….” from the Summer 2005 issue of Tricycle”:

http://www.tricycle.com/-practice/five-practices-change-your-mind?page=0,1

(If there’s any “required reading” ahead of tomorrow night’s meditation group, this would be it.)

The last word on the subject of metta (for this week) I’ll leave to Ajahn Thanissaro by revisiting this pair of posts from the Shmabhala Sun SunSpace blog:

“When Goodwill is Better than Love: The Meaning of Metta”
http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=22219

“Protecting Others by Protecting Goodwill”
http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=22224

Last but not least, Lila Kate Wheeler will be back at IMC Newburyport this Saturday, February 18, to offer a day-long retreat on “Acknowledging the Truth of This Moment”:

“Awareness in the here and now is a critical skill in meditation. Rather than getting lost in fantasies about the future or regrets about the past, or even the constant evaluation of whether we like what’s going on for us right now or not, we train ourselves to gather our attention into this moment. We see how things actually are for us. This simple acknowledgement brings ease and balance to the mind, developing its natural affinity for the truth”

As always, please visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org for details and registration.

That’s all for now; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on February 6, 2012 at 4:55 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 2/7/12 meditation group

Good morning! The meditation group will meet under the February full moon tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Ajahn David will be with us to lead the practice and dharma discussion.

It seems that New York-based teacher and author Allan Lokos is all over the place these days, no doubt in part because his latest book “Patience: The Art of Peaceful Living” is the subject of this month’s Tricycle Book Club.

Allan recently engaged Tricycle’s Sam Mowe in a wonderful conversation (~23 min.) about patience http://www.tricycle.com/blog/tricycle-talks-allan-lokos-patience, and you can read a couple of brief excerpts (“Patience With Self” and “Cooling Emotional Fires”) from the book here: http://www.tricycle.com/blog/allan-lokos-patience-self and http://www.tricycle.com/brief-teachings/cooling-emotional-fires

Back in the Winter of 2010, Allan led Tricycle’s online retreat on the Seven Steps to Enlightenment (http://www.tricycle.com/online-retreats/seven-steps-enlightenment) and you can read another short Tricycle of his (“Lighten Your Load: Cleaning Out Your Attic — and Your Mind”) here: http://www.tricycle.com/online-retreats/lighten-your-load

Coming up on May 12, Allan will be a the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies to deliver a one-day workshop/retreat on “The Paramis: Living the Perfections Practices”:

“The pāramīs (Pali) or pāramitās (Sanskrit) are the ten virtuous qualities the Buddha taught that support us on the path to becoming an awakened being. Pāramī is usually translated as perfection. Thus, these qualities: generosity, morality, relinquishing, wisdom, effort, patience, truthfulness, determination, loving-kindness, and equanimity are seen as among the noblest virtues to be developed and practiced. This day will be an exploration into the nature and subtleties of each of the pāramīs, and skills to bring these virtues into our everyday lives. Short meditations and periods of discussion will enhance our understanding of why the Buddha placed such significance on these practices.”

https://bcbs.dharma.org/Pages/course_detail.lasso?-KeyValue=239

Speaking of retreats, some of you may have taken up Sharon Salzberg’s annual 28-day online meditation challenge (http://www.sharonsalzberg.com/realhappiness/blog), based on her latest book “Real Happiness”. As it turns out, Sharon first developed the program for a 28-day “home retreat” back in 2007 in the form of Tricycle’s “Commit to Sit” initiative. You can still find the syllabus and teachings here: http://www.tricycle.com/meditate

(Note: The link to the Five Precepts section seems to be limited to Tricycle Community members, but the rest of the Commit to Sit links work perfectly well.)

Back in the non-virtual world, Larry Rosenberg will offer a one-day retreat at Cambridge Insight this Saturday, February 11 — https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ASP/home.asp?studioid=11692 — and shares this short reflection in this month’s CIMC e-newsletter:

——————————————————————————————————–
Some years ago, I learned a simple and extremely useful practice from Ajaan Mum, a Cambodian meditation master. He was an earthy teacher. I asked if he was a forest monk, “forest” often a code word for a true contemplative, rather than a scholar only or someone mainly concerned with ceremony. He looked at me, stretched out his legs so that I could see the soles of his feet and said: “All the forests of Thailand and Cambodia are imprinted on these feet.” We both had a good laugh.

I asked him about a practice called “evening out the postures” –a practice of enacting each of the four postures: sitting, walking, lying down, and standing. He taught me the essence of this approach to mindfulness by suggesting that I take a few hours at home moving through each posture.

I followed his instructions, and it was wonderful. The time allotted was not according to the clock, but up to me. I might stay in a given posture, such as sitting, for an hour. Then I walked for ten minutes, stood for twenty-five, and laid down for fifteen. Within each cycle of the four postures, I varied the amount of time devoted to each one of the postures.

Why did I shift from one posture to another? I could not help but see my intentions and motivations. Skillful? Lazy? Escape from a painful emotion about to surface? But an even more meaningful lesson that emerged was to clearly see that mindfulness is independent of posture, time, situation or place. It was always available. Always. How liberating!

This practice has helped me and many others to realize that meditation can be a way of life, not simply a collection of techniques reserved for special postures and places designated as “spiritual.” What do you do in each posture? Whatever mindfulness practice you are engaged in could be carried out in each posture. As part of self-discovery, you may find certain postures to be more fruitful than others. One size does not fit all. Of course this may change over time. Some people’s bent is much more toward sitting and so you will sit much longer while going through these rotations. Others will find the walking more fruitful.

All of the postures have a role to play but their contribution is relative to your individual nature. All of them are designed to help you wake up!

——————————————————————————————————–

That’s all for now; I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow!

Metta,

Tim
on January 30, 2012 at 5:21 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 1/31/12 meditation group

Good afternoon! The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Brenda will lead the practice.

As some of you may have seen already, there was a recent post on Boston.com’s “Daily Dose” about an American Psychological Association study showing that 1 in 5 Americans is “extremely stressed”:

http://www.boston.com/Boston/dailydose/2012/01/americans-are-extremely-stressed-are-you/RrKkhYlYTFaMTutzAufrFL/index.html?p1=Upbox_links

This perhaps explains what seems to be a recent flurry of mindfulness- and meditation-related coverage in the media of late.

Carrie forwarded a link to Deb Severo’s post on the Harvard Vanguard blog reviewing Rick Hanson’s book “The Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom”:

http://blog.harvardvanguard.org/2011/11/what-we-can-learn-from-buddhas-brain/

I personally found the Buddha’s Brain better targeted to those just starting a meditation practice rather than more experienced pracitioners, but I find the subject matter fascinating and really enjoyed Rick’s presentation a few years ago at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies (*that* BCBS as opposed to other one).

Rick has a couple of great websites — http://www.wisebrain.org and http://www.rickhanson.net — with all sorts of resources, and you can sign up for his occasional e-newsletter “Just One Thing”. A number of the tips he shares in these newsletters were compiled into an eponymous volume published last year:

http://www.amazon.com/Just-One-Thing-Developing-Practice/dp/1608820319/ref=cm_sw_em_r_dp_X7Wgpb1V9J4CR_tt

Oxford University psychologist Mark Williams was recently a featured guest on NPR’s Talk of the Nation “Science Friday” edition, conversing with host Ira Flatow in a segement (~22 min) entitled “Be Here Now: Meditation for the Body and Brain” in which Williams discusses his new book “Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World”:

http://www.npr.org/2012/01/20/145525002/be-here-now-meditation-for-the-body-and-brain

I just happened upon this long but fantastic article — “How is the Popular Mix of Meditation and Psychotherapy Changing the Way We See the World?” — by Harvard Medical School’s Ronald Siegel, originally published in Psychotheraphy Networker:

http://www.alternet.org/story/153651/how_is_the__popular_mix_of_meditation_and_psychotherapy_changing_the_way_we_see_the_world/

And then, of course, there’s “mindfulness guru” Jon Kabat-Zinn’s recent (short) interview in Time magazine:

http://healthland.time.com/2012/01/11/mind-reading-jon-kabat-zinn-talks-about-bringing-mindfulness-meditation-to-medicine/

Assuming this smorgasbord has whetted your appetites for some serious practice, serendipity would have it that there are a number of opportunities coming up in relatively short order.

Starting this Wednesday, February 1, Sharon Salzberg will kick off her annual 28-day Mediattion Challenge:

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During the month of February, we are inviting a diverse group of people to participate in the meditation program that Sharon Salzberg has laid out in her latest book, Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation: A 28-Day Program.

In the group participating we have people from all over North America (and beyond). We are asking them to reflect on their experiences—pleasant, difficult, and in between—and let us know how it’s going. They are blogging about their experiences on Sharon’s website and on their own blogs or websites if they have them. Comments are welcome from anyone, whether they are amongst the group blogging or not.

We had the opportunity to do this last February and a beautiful sense of community and support grew as we all practiced together and shared our experiences. We hope that the challenge can again foster real dialogue about the potential of meditation to change one’s life, and will intrigue more people to find out what meditation is all about. Everyone is invited to join us in making a commitment to 28 days of meditation practice
———————————————————————
To sign up, visit http://www.sharonsalzberg.com/realhappiness/blog

At Cambridge Insight, Maddy Klyne will offer a “Beginner’s Workshop” this Saturday, February 4:

https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ASP/home.asp?studioid=11692

Larry, Michael, and Narayan all have interesting-looking workshops and retreats in coming weeks, so be sure to check out the rest of the CIMC registration website.

Also this Saturday, February 4, Matthew Daniell will be at IMC Newburyport to lead a daylong retreat on “Beginning Again”:

———————————————————————
When small children fall down they often get right back up; why don’t we? In this retreat we will explore the immense power of learning to begin again. The simple methods of present moment awareness as taught by the Buddha in a variety of forms will be our guide. All levels are welcome, including beginners.

———————————————————————
For registration and additional information, please visit http://www.imcnewburyport.com/registration.htm

I’ve been saving the “dharma gem of the week” until the end of the e-mail. Thanks to the folks over at Shambhala Sun, I found this brilliant and beautiful presentation given by Gil Fronsdal on “Mindfulness and Its Role in Society”, given recently at the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California. The talk is just shy of an hour long (54 min.) but very well worth the time as Gil explores how mindulfness and meditation have been “mainstreamed” over the past few decades and what his vision is for the future. Great, great stuff!

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=24594

That’s finally it for this week (phew!)

As some of you may alraedy know, Carrie was admitted into the hospital in Boston last night as a precaution against some “mysterious” symptoms following our recent trip to Cleveland. Even so, she’s actually feeling pretty well and the hope is that I’ll be able to attend tomorrow night’s meditation and will see everyone then.

Metta,
Tim
on January 24, 2012 at 6:06 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 1/24/12 meditation group

Greetings,

You’ve probably guessed that Brenda sending the reminder email rather than Tim, if for no other reason than it is a day later than usual.

So once agian — Thank you Tim for your steady support of all our practice through this weekly reminder!

Gabriela will be leading the practice tonight.

These are some links Tim offered for this weeks email:

Right Speech: How Workable Is It? | Tricycle
http://www.tricycle.com/onpractice/right-speech-how-workable-is-it

The Science of Giving: Why Giving Feels So Good
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/11/the-gift-of-giving_n_1200238.html?ref=email_share

I look forward to seeing those who come tonight.

Brenda
on January 16, 2012 at 6:49 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 1/17/12 meditation group

Good afternoon! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Christine will lead the practice this week.

Carrying over the theme begun by Ajahn David a couple of weeks ago and continued by Sue last Tuesday, I’d like to start by sharing the dharma talk (~55 min.) given by Ajahn Amaro this New Year’s Eve at the Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in Hertfordshire, England:

http://www.amaravati.org/downloads/mp3/WanPhraTalks2011/2011-12-31%20Ajahn%20Amaro%20-%20Reflecting%20On%20The%20New%20Year.mp3

As some of you may know, in late 2010 Ajahn Amaro succeeded Ajahn Sumedho as Abbot at Amaravati, founded in 1984 at the behest of Ajahn Chah. Prior to taking on his current role, Ajahn Amaro was Abbot at Abhayagiri monastery in California (also in Ajahn Chah’s lineage), and taught frequently at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. It was at Spirit Rock that he met Abhaya and gave her her Buddhist name, meaning ‘fearless’ in Pali. (You will note that the name of the monastery, Abhayagiri means ‘fearless mountain’.)

You can find out more about each monastery here:

http://www.amaravati.org
http://www.abhayagiri.org

Also worth checking out is this fabulous-looking website, Forest Sangha Publications, which has available a number of books by teachers in the Thai Forest tradition, including Ajahns Chah, Sumedho, Amaro, and others:

http://www.forestsanghapublications.org/viewBookCollection.php

Moving right along, I want to thank Ruth for letting me know about a screening of the 2011 documentary film “My Reincarnation” at the Boston Museum of Fine Art this past Friday. Although I was unable to attend, it sounds like a fascinating film about “a Tibetan spiritual master [Chögyal Namkhai Norbu] and his complex relationship with his Westernized son [Yeshi].”

You can view the film’s trailer here:
http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=23493

Stay tuned for additional theatrical screenings and television broadcast on PBS later this year.

In upcoming events, IMC Newburyport kicks off its Winter/Spring session this weekend with a day-long “lovingkindness” workshop with Matthew Daniell on Sunday the 22nd:

——————————————————————————————————————————–

Loving Kindness (Metta) meditation is a practice that cultivates a good heart. Based on 2600 year old instructions given by the Buddha, this practice of repeating phrases intending goodwill has helped countless people over the centuries to counter inner fear, anger, confusion and isolation. In this retreat-style workshop, periods of guided sitting and walking meditation will be combined with theory and optional discussion, as we explore new ways of nourishing ourselves and others through the power of wishing well for ourselves and others.

Cost: $50/member and $65/nonmember
Soup (vegetarian) and bread will be available at lunch. Participants are encouraged to bring their own lunch if they prefer.
Pre-register by sending an email to Nancy Morrison at meditate@imcnewburyport.org.

——————————————————————————————————————————–

And last but not least, as many of you may already know Brenda recently completed her training as a teacher of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), the program developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn at UMass Medical School. Brenda is offering a 6-week class starting Monday, January 23, from 7:00-8:30pm.

Brenda writes:

“MBSR is a meditation-based stress reduction program developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester starting in the 1980’s. You can read about it on wikipedia, by reading Jon Kabat-Zinn’s book Full Catastrophe Living.”

Please contact Brenda if you have questions or are interested in attending.

She also recommends the following videos as “useful in explaining ‘what it’s all about’”.

What is Mindfulness? (Jon Kabat-Zinn, 2’21″)

What Mediation Really Is (Mingyur Rinpoche, 5’07″)

BBC report on mindfulness, stress, and the brain (3’32″)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12295702

That’s all for now; I hope to see everyone tomorrow night!

Metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2012 at 7:46 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 1/10/12 meditation group

Good afternoon! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow from 7:30 to 9:30; Sue will lead the practice.

There are a number of shareables this week:

First, links to a two-part report (~# minutes each) from David Sillito of the BBC on the state of the science linking mindfulness meditation and ‘happiness’:

Part 1:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16389183

Part 2:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16406814

These are also accompanied by a short (4 minute) audio clip on “the science of silence”:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9671000/9671158.stm

All of this follows upon another short (3 minute) report by Sillito on meditation and stress that aired last January: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12295702

Last week I was asked about the ‘dana’ baskets that we place by the entry to the Chapel on meditation nights. ‘Dana’ is a Pali word that translates as ‘giving’ and is seen as an opportunity to practice generosity (Pali: caga) — one of the essential qualities to be cultivated for an awakened heart/mind. At some point I’m sure we’ll dive into this in more detail, but for now I’d like to share a pair of short-ish articles on the matter of ‘dana’ from Thanissaro Bhikkhu:

“The Economy of Gifts”
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/economy.html

“No Strings Attached: The Buddha’s Culture of Generosity”
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/nostringsattached.html

One traditional expression of generosity is, of course, oberservance of the Five Precepts such as we chant at the beginning of our meditation practice each Tuesday. (Again, perhaps the subject of further discussion some evening….) Observing the precepts is, among other things, a gift of harmlessness to ourselves as well as to others.

Ajahn Thanissaro (aka “Than Geoff”) offers his take on the matter in “The Healing Power of the Precepts”: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/precepts.html

In looking around to find good articles on ‘dana’ and the precepts — and there are indeed many — I came across a great little FAQ page courtesy of John T. Bullitt, curator of the Access to Insight website. If you get a chance, it’s worth taking a look:

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bullitt/bfaq.html

And to finally wrap things up, I’ll leave you with Toni Bernhard offering “New Year’s Resolutions the Buddha Might Have Made”:

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/turning-straw-gold/201112/new-year-s-resolutions-the-buddha-might-have-made

Thanks to our old friend Doreen Schweizer for bringing this to my attention!

That’s all for now; I hope to see everyone tomorrow!

Metta,
Tim
on January 2, 2012 at 5:15 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 1/3/12 meditation group

Good afternoon and happy 2012!! The Tuesday evening meditation group will kick off the new year from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening accompanied by Ajahn David. Just a reminder to dress warmly as the forecast is for chilly temperatures!

I ended 2011 by finishing Ajahn Thanissaro’s “Meditations 5″ — the latest published collection of his dharma talks, and in my opinion one of his finest to date. As always, Than Geoff’s books are available for free download in PDF format either at http://www.accesstoinsight.org or the recently revamped http://www.dhammatalks.org website. You can also write to request a free printed copy of any of his books.

http://www.dhammatalks.org/Archive/Writings/Meditations5.pdf

The new year inevitably prompts consideration of our aspirations — if not resolutions — for the coming year. Perhaps we wish to devote ourselves to a more regular daily practice? Or perhaps we want to take that next step and treat ourselves to a longer, more dedicated period of practice such as on a 7- or 10-day meditation retreat?

Recycling an article from a few years ago, Diana Winston offers some practical advise on maintaining a regular meditation practice in her Shambhala Sun blog post entitled “Sit Every Day”:

http://shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3298&Itemid=0

Another old Shambhala Sun article worth revisiting is Sharon Salzberg’s “Sticking With It”:

http://www.tricycle.com/practice/sticking-it

For those intent on exploring a longer period of dedicated practice in the new year, Zen teacher Karen Maezen Miller offers some helpful tips in preparation for a meditation retreat:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=9587

We are, of course, quite lucky to have a quite a few resources available locally, foremost being the Insight Meditation Society out in Barre (http://www.dharma.org/ims/ss_interested.html).

The Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health out in Stockbridge also host Insight Meditation retreats from time to time, and in fact Jack Kornfield, Winnie Nazarko, and Hugh Byrne will lead a 5-day retreat (“The Wise and Loving Heart: Meditation for Freedom and Compassion Everwhere”) there later this month:

http://www.kripalu.org/program/view/AHLE-121

Shifting gears slightly, as a few of you may recall, Ajahn David has for several years been concerned with the issue of unexploded ordinance (UXO) in southeast asia, particularly Laos (see https://legaciesofwar.org/ and http://www.stopclustermunitions.org/).

Just this week I came across an interesting initiative to support Laotian artisans while funding efforts to clear bomb-littered land:

http://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-fashion/colorful-new-years-resolution-bracelets-clear-bomb-littered-land-laos.html

You can find out more about Article 22 and the peaceBOMB initiative here:

http://www.peace-bomb.com/peacebomb/peace-bomb.html

Finally I want to leave you with a link to the cartoon Ajahn David brought to share last month, along with his further admonition to “please keep both hands on the wheel:

http://www.creators.com/modules/thumb/thumb.php?img=comics/2/46253_image.gif&w=524

That’s all for now; here’s hoping that for everyone the new year brings much health, happiness, and peace! See you tomorrow!

Metta,
Tim
on December 27, 2011 at 1:48 am | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 12/27/11 meditation group

Good evening; I hope everyone has enjoyed a safe and joyous holiday weekend! The meditation group will ring out 2011 from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish.

This week I just want to share a short — and reasonably timely — conversation between Diana Winston and Judy Lin on having a “happy, greed-free holiday” (from Mindful.org):

http://mindful.org/Consuming/have-a-happy-greed-free-holiday

I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening and wish everyone a happy, healthy, and safe new year!

Metta,
Tim
on December 19, 2011 at 6:14 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 12/20/11 meditation group

Good afternoon! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Carrie will lead the practice this week.

There are a couple of things to share this week, first being a link to “The Guest House” — the poem by Rumi that Brenda and I were trying to find last week to no avail. The following is Coleman Barks’s translation:

http://www.gratefulness.org/poetry/guest_house.htm

As it turns out, Carrie and I attended “Rumi Night” at the Friends Meeting House in Cambridge on Friday in memory of the poet’s death on December 17, 1273. The evening was filled with the sound and motion of zikir and the recitiation of Rumi’s poetry. (Ruth C. would be proud!) Quite interesting — and well-attended — but didn’t really resonate for me.

This past weekend also marked the 20th anniversary of death of the Thai meditation master, Ajahn Chah. As many of you know, Ajahn Chah was one of Jack Kornfield’s primary teachers and his influence is deeply felt throughout the Insight Meditation tradition.

A group in Malaysia has celebrated Ajahn Chah Remembrance Day for several years now. You can read more about Ajahn Chah and ACRD here, and follow the link to video coverage of this year’s event:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=56,10622,0,0,1,0

As some of you may now, Burmese democracy activist Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is the subject of a new feature film by director Luc Bresson; Buddhist blogger Danny Fisher offers his take on the film at Shambhala Sun’s SunSpace:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=24140

Meanwhile scriptwriter Rebecca Frayn offers a personal reflection on “The Lady” in the UK newspaper The Telegraph:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=12,10613,0,0,1,0

In the spirit of the season I’ll wrap things up this week by sharing a wonderful essay “The Bodhisattva’s Gift” by Dale Wright from the Winter 2011 issue of Tricycle:

http://www.tricycle.com/feature/bodhisattvas-gift

And, finally, as we approach the winter solstice in the wee hours of Thursday morning, two short meditations that perennially speak to me at this time of year:

The first is an excerpt of a letter from the Franciscan friar, Fra Giovanni, written to a friend on Christmas Eve 1513:

https://www.eons.com/groups/topic/516051-Letter-to-a-Friend

The second is Susan Cooper’s poem “The Shortest Day” written for the Christmas Revels when it was first performed back in 1971:

http://jesspages.net/bestofuu/tag/susan-cooper

With that I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening and wish you all a happy Chanukah, happy Solstice, merry Christmas, and all the joys and blessings of the season!

Metta,
Tim
on December 12, 2011 at 5:13 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 12/13/11 meditation group

Greetings! The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Brenda will lead the practice this week.

I have only a few of things to pass along this week, first being a couple of interesting video clips by way of Shambhala Sun that take a look at meditation- and yoga-based projects in some unusual places:

“The Sola Yoga Project in Afghanistan”
http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=24062

The Holistic Life Foundation in Baltimore (via NBC News) — in 4 segments of about 2 min. each:

1. “Teaching Lessons On and Off the Mat”
http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/45590288

2. “Taking Yoga Beyond Bending”
http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/45574970

3. “Dr.: Yoga Students Respond Better to Stress”
http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/45567289

4. “Breathe and the Madness Will Go Away”
http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/45560071

You can also check out Barry Boyce’s profile of the Holistic Life Foundation from the March 2011 issue of the Sun:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3656&Itemi

In upcoming events, don’t forget Larry Rosenberg’s daylong retreat at Cambridge Insight this Saturday, December 17:

https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ASP/home.asp?studioid=11692

Also on the 17th, from 9am to 5pm Kate Wheeler will be at IMC Newburyport to lead “A Day of Lovingkindness for the Holidays”:

—————————————————————————————————————————–
Meeting life with loving kindness is an intention we may wish we could fulfill. It is also a skill we can develop through specific, simple, time tested meditation exercises. Today we will practice offering kindness and opening our hearts to ourselves equally with all others, including loved ones, people we may find difficult or distant, and ultimately toward all that live. As we practice, we learn how to apply our kind intention as an appropriate response to each moment.

Please register in advance for this retreat.
Cost is $60/nonmembers; $45/members.
Soup and bread will be provided at lunch. You are encouraged to bring your own lunch if you prefer.
Half-day retreat rates are also available.
—————————————————————————————————————————–

For additional information or registration, please visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org

And finally this week I leave you with a short commentary by Ajahn Sucitto on the Buddha’s first teaching, from the Fall 2010 issue of Tricycle:

http://www.tricycle.com/brief-teachings/turning-wheel-truth-commentary-buddhas-first-teaching

That’s all for now; I hope to see everyone tomorrow!

Metta,
Tim
on December 5, 2011 at 5:31 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 12/6/11 meditation group

Greetings! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. We’ll once again be joined by Ajahn David who will lead the practice and dharma discussion.

There’s much to share this week….

First the “dharma gem of the week” is Toni Bernhard’s latest contribution to Shambhala Sun’s SunSpace blog. Bernhard’s short piece entitled “What’s Your Hindrance? Five Obstacles to Happiness and Contentment” is a very nice introduction to the pañca nīvaraṇāni:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=23999

ABC News’s Dan Harris returns with the latest in his ongoing series of reports on the science of meditation, this time looking at compassion (~ 4 min.):

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=23964

As some of you may know, author and Zen teacher David Loy was (and continues to be) a strong intellectual influence for me, especially his exploration of “collective” suffering and awakening. In any event, I was quite pleased to discover that Loy was last week’s guest on Buddhist Geeks, speaking witn Vincent Horn about the ongoing evolution of Buddhism in “Form is Emptiness, Emptiness is Evolving”:

http://www.buddhistgeeks.com/2011/11/bg-238-form-is-emptiness-emptiness-is-evolving/

Meanwhile Alan Senauke, Loy’s longtime colleague at the Buddhist Peace Fellowship and INEB’s Think Sangha, offers his own thoughts on the evolution of Buddhism in “The Future Is Always Arriving” (via the Buddhist Channel):

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=6,10596,0,0,1,0

Senauke, who has spent a bit of time in Burma lately, also offers his thoughts Hillary Clinton’s recent trip and visit with Aung San Suu Kyi:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=24043

Daw Suu also shared her thoughts on the influence of Buddhism on her worldview with reporters from the Washington Post:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=9,10600,0,0,1,0

Somewhat closer to home, IMCN and CIMC both have a few events coming up:

On Saturday, December 10, IMCN will host a daylong retreat on the “Four Foundations of Mindfulness” lead by Chas DiCapua:

——————————————————————————————————————————
In the Satipatthana Sutta, the classical instructions on Vipassana Meditation, the Buddha takes all that can be known in this world and divides it into four categories or foundations of mindfulness. Besides urging us to be aware or mindful of this material, he also describes how it is that we should be aware of each particular foundation. This day long retreat will be an introduction to the practice of the four foundations of mindfulness. We will also explore how we can practice all four foundations by simply attending to the breath.

Please register in advance for this retreat. Cost is $60/nonmembers; $45/members.
Soup and bread will be provided at lunch. You are encouraged to bring your own lunch if you prefer. Half-day retreat rates are also available.

——————————————————————————————————————————

Then “the IMCN elves will quickly transform the building” for a potluck supper at 6:30pm.

“The full day retreat and the evening potluck are two separate events so you can choose to attend either one or both. I’ve even heard some people plan to do a half day retreat and then return for the evening potluck!

To RSVP for the potluck, please indicate a salad or dessert contribution to Ellen Forbes at ellmfo@gmail.com or (978) 388-8536.

“If you plan to attend the retreat, please register in advance. You can contact me at: meditate@imcnewburyport.org.”

Kate Wheeler will also be back at IMCN on Saturday, December 17, for “A Day of Lovingkindness for the Holiday”. I’ll share more details on this retreat next week or feel free to visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org.

Meanwhile in Cambridge, on December 10, Suzanne Kryder will offer a benefit workshop on “Mindfulness at Work”:

——————————————————————————————————————————

Are you feeling challenged trying to maintain your personal and spiritual values while being effective in the workplace? The latest brain research shows how mindfulness and mental investigation can help you stay calm and be more effective on the job. In this interactive workshop, you’ll learn and practice a variety of applied mindfulness tools to be less reactive, communicate more calmly and definitively and maintain mental focus to create lasting change. Using these tools will help you integrate your values into your work life and feel more authentic.

This workshop is for people interested in greater ease at work, improving relationships with co-workers, or exploring new ways of being effective regardless of the work challenge or stress.

Please bring a vegetarian bag lunch.

——————————————————————————————————————————

For more information or to register, visit https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ASP/home.asp?studioid=11692

Then on the 17th Larry Rosenberg will be at CIMC offer a daylong vipassana retreat:
https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ASP/home.asp?studioid=11692

Finally this week I’d like to acknowledge and give thanks to Mike U. for all of his help as a practice leader over the past several years. As some of you already know, Mike has decided to step down from this position due to logistical difficulties. Hopefully he won’t be a complete stranger and will continue to visit us as his schedule allows.

On the silver-lining side of things, I’m also very pleased to announce that Gabriela and Miranda will join the practice leader rotaton starting in 2012.

That’s all for now; as always, I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow!

Metta,
Tim
on November 28, 2011 at 5:50 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 11/29/11 meditation group

Greetings! I hope everyone enjoyed a safe and happy Thanksgiving. The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Mike is scheduled to lead the practice this week.

I only have a few things to pass along….

Last Tuesday Christine ushered in the sprit of the holiday with the guided gatha, or reflection, “The Five Touchings of the Earth” from Thich Nhat Hanh’s book “Creating True Peace”. The Stillwater Mindfulness Practice center in Maryland also has a version available on their website: http://www.stillwatermpc.org/dharma/dh20110728.htm

Meanwhile over at Tricycle.com, Zen teacher Jan Chozen Bays recently offered a collection of mindfulness exercises from her new book, “How to Train a Wild Elephant” that may also be of interest to some of you:

Mindfulness Exercise #1: Gratitude at the End of the Day
http://www.tricycle.com/blog/mindfulness-exercise-gratitude-end-day

Mindfulness Exercise #2: The Great Earth Beneath You
http://www.tricycle.com/blog/mindfulness-exercise-great-earth-beneath-you

Mindfulness Exercise #3: Gratitude for the Body
http://www.tricycle.com/blog/mindfulness-exercise-gratitude-body

Mindfulness Exercise #4: This Person Could Die Tonight
http://www.tricycle.com/blog/mindfulness-exercise-person-could-die-tonight

You can read more about the intention behind the book and the exercises here:
http://www.tricycle.com/community/how-train-wild-elephant-and-other-adventures-mindfulness

Finally, some of you will recall my mentioning a few weeks ago an article on Eugene Gendlin and the technique of Focusing; well, Brenda has kindly brought my attention to a Focusing workshop taking place monthly at the Arlington Center (http://arlingtoncenter.org/), including this Sunday, December 4:

“CHANGES FOCUSING GROUP with Joan Klagsbrun, Susan Lennox, & others, Sunday, December 4, 2-4pm ~ Focusing is a mind/body/spirit process developed by Eugene Gendlin to access the body’s innate wisdom and cultivate compassion towards oneself and others. Focusing is useful for decision-making, clarifying life issues, moving past blocks, enhancing creativity, deepening spirituality, and knowing oneself more deeply in each moment. This monthly drop-in group provides an opportunity to practice within a supportive community. Newcomers will have an opportunity to be taught the Focusing process. $10 at the door”

That’s all for now; I hope to see everyone tomorrow!

Metta,
Tim
on November 21, 2011 at 5:30 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 11/22/11 meditation group

Good afternoon! The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Christine will lead the practice this week.

I want to begin by sending the link to the Ajahn Chah dharma talk “On Meditation” I shared last Tuesday; it’s part of the larger collection “A Taste of Freedom” freely available via Access to Insight:

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/thai/chah/atasteof.html#med

I also want to share the Dharmaseed link to the traditional metta chant with which we closed our practice last week:

http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/188/talk/4746/

Of chanting, Ven. Ariya Nani writes:

“While the Buddha was alive his words were recorded by monks and nuns who recited or chanted them and in this way, stored them in their memories. In time, and especially after the Buddha’s Parinibbāna, these chants became not only times to check the teaching, but also occasions to express one’s devotion and confidence in the Buddha and an inspiration for one’s own practice and aspirations.

“Over the centuries, additional verses have been composed by those teaching and transmitting the Dhamma as an aid to understanding the essence of the Dhamma. These verses are also regularly chanted by devoted Buddhists and practitioners.

“When done with the right attitude, chanting is beneficial to one’s practice. It reminds one of the Dhamma, and one is less likely to forget it. When meditation is not possible due to inner or outer disturbances, chanting can produce calm and peace within, as well as arouse energy and inspiration. One’s confidence increases, and as a result, one feels lighter in body and mind.

“The main body of the chants on this CD are mettā chants. They are preceeded by the verses of paying homage, going for refuge, and contemplating the attributes of the Triple Gem. The various mettā chants are followed by verses of dedication and sharing of merit and a blessing.

“Mettā means loving kindness, friendliness, or goodwill. Mettā meditation aims to cultivate these qualities in one’s heart and mind. Through the repeated development of these wholesome qualities, one becomes more compassionate and loving, thus reducing unwholesome qualities such as anger, ill will, or hatred.”

As many of you know, I’ve been particularly fond of this chant from the time I was introduced to it while on my first retreat at IMS, now several years ago. It would follow our last meditation of the evening. Jack Kornfield says that it is chanted every evening in monasteries across South East Asia, so I like to think of it as a Buddhist lullaby.

Malayasian producer/recording artist Imee Ooi offers a slightly different and more contemporary version, which I remember from the first day-long retreat Abhaya led for our group. The CD is now very hard to find, but you can listen here:

http://www.buddhanet.net/filelib/mp3/metta.mp3

There is also a great 10-minute conversation on “Selfless Practice” between dharma teacher Rodney Smith and IMS Executive Director Bob Agoglia that I’ve been meaning to share since I first encontered it back in June:

https://www.dharma.org/ims/mp3/Rodney_Smith_Selfless_Practice.mp3

Finally this week, a short Tricycle Q&A with About.com’s Buddhism blogger, Barbara O’Brien, with whom some of you may already be familiar:

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/all-about-barbara-qa-aboutcom-buddhism-writer-barbara-obrien

Before closing I also want to mention that First Parish is collecting non-perishable food items for (I believe) the Open Pantry of Greater Lowell. There is a collection box across from the bulletin board in the hallway, and if anyone is moved to make an offering, I’m certain it would be greatly appreciated.

That should do it for this week; I hope to see you all tomorrow evening and wish everyone a happy, safe, and reflective Thanksgiving holiday!

Metta,
Tim
on November 14, 2011 at 7:34 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 11/15/11 meditation group

Good afternoon! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. I look forward to spending a good amount of time on walking meditation, an important aspect of practice that we seem to have gotten away from a little bit.

I’d like to begin this week’s e-mail by sharing a link to Bhante Khantipalo’s article “Lay Buddhist Practice” that Carrie presented in part last Tuesday:

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/khantipalo/wheel206.html

It’s a shortish (~40 pages) piece that reviews the supposedly more “cultural” or “devotional” aspects of lay Buddhist practice — some of which will be familiar, others of which will be quite foreign to practitioners of the Insight Meditation tradition even while they are central to lay practitioners in the Theravada tradition.

Certainly none of what Khantipalo presents is in any way essential to maintaining a meditation practice — especially for those of us hard-pressed to find 10 or 15 minutes each day just for sitting — but it presents some added depth for those who are interested in diving in a bit further.

In upcoming events, Ven. Tenzin Priyardarshi will wrap up NCE’s Mindfulness series on Wednesday evening with his talk “Ethics and Wellbeing: Insights into Living a Kind and Compassionate Life”:

https://registration.xenegrade.com/nce/courseDisplay.cfm?schID=231

Again this coming weekend, November 19 and 20, Narayan and Michael Liebenson Grady will lead CIMC’s two-day non-residential retreat:

https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ASP/home.asp?studioid=11692

And also on Sunday the 20th, Matthew Daniell will lead a daylong retreat at IMCN on “Wise Effort”:

—————————————————————————————————————————
The Buddha likened effort in practice to a musician who needs to have his instrument strung neither too tight nor too loose to make beautiful sounds. Similarly we need to learn how to work with the quality of effort we apply in meditation practice in order to make the mind a fine-tuned instrument of wisdom. In this full day retreat we will explore how. All levels are welcome.
—————————————————————————————————————————

As always, for registration and additional information please visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org

I’d also like to share a couple of articles from recent issues of BCBS’s Full Moon Insight Journal.

The first is Arnold Kozak’s “We Are Constructed Through Metaphor” — an exploration of anatta — from the September journal:

http://www.dharma.org/bcbs/documents/WeAreConstructedThroughMetaphorbyArnoldKozak.pdf

The second is Jake Davis’s “What Feels Right about Right Action?” which looks at the connection betwen mindfulness and ethics:

http://www.dharma.org/bcbs/documents/BCBS_FeelingRight.pdf

For those of you who are interested in further reading, I recommend Davis’s much longer book “Strong Roots: Liberation Teachings of Mindfulness in North America”:

http://dharma.org/bcbs/Pages/documents/StrongRoots.pdf

Last but not least, Martine Batchelor’s short Tricycle contribtion “Meditation, Mental Habits, and Creative Imagination” is very much worth a read:

http://www.tricycle.com/online-retreats/meditation-mental-habits-and-creative-imagination

And finally, an update via Shambhala Sun for anyone who is interested in contributing to the relief effort for flood victims in Thailand:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=23583

That’s all for now; I hope to see everyone tomorrow!

Metta,
Tim
on November 7, 2011 at 4:29 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 11/8/11 meditation group

Good morning! The Tuesday evening meditation group will be back in action tomorrow from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Carrie is scheduled to lead the practice this week.

I want to begin this week’s e-mail by passing along a link to the book Ajahn David mentioned last week, Ajahn Chah’s “Everything Is Teaching Us,” of which he speaks as highly as of Bhante Gunaratana’s quintessential meditaiton primer “Mindfulness In Plain English” — which is saying quite a lot!

A quick Google found that the book is available as a free PDF download from the Abhayagiri Monastery website; one can alternatively request a printed copy if one prefers:

http://www.abhayagiri.org/main/book/356/

I’ve made my way through a good portion of this small (~120 page) book over the past week and have found it to be an excellent presentation of Ajahn Chah’s teachings. The book comprises a half-dozen or so of Luang Por’s dharma talks, and gives a good sense for the depth of his down-to-earth wisdom. While I probably would not suggest “Everything Is Teaching Us” above “Mindfulness In Plain English” as one’s very first book on meditation practice, I’d consider it essential reading for anyone who has at least some experience on the cushion (metaphorically speaking, of course).

In upcoming events, on Wednesday evening Sharon Salzberg will deliver the penultimate presentation of Newton Community Education’s Mindfulness series, speaking on “Compassion”. Surprisingly it looks lilke space is still available:

https://registration.xenegrade.com/nce/courseDisplay.cfm?schID=166

CIMC has a couple of events coming up, too.

On Saturday, November 12, Narayan Liebenson Grady and Stephanie Morgan will offer a benefit workshop on “The Relationship Crucible”:

“Our relationship with intimates, coworkers, family and friends bear significantly on the quality of our daily lives. The investigation of “how we are” within our relationships can be a powerful dimension and expression of our meditative practice.

“Narayan Liebenson Grady, guiding teacher and CIMC and Stephanie Morgan, psychologist and long-term meditator, will interweave both spiritual and psychological perspectives as well as the thread of their thirty year friendship into this day-long workshop. The day will include talks, sitting practice and experiential exercises.”

https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ASP/home.asp?studioid=11692

Then on the weekend of November 19-20, Narayan will be joined by her husband, Michael, for a two-day non-residential retreat:

https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ASP/home.asp?studioid=11692

I highly recommend checking out Narayan’s short article “The Refuge of Sitting” from the Winter 2003 issue of Tricycle:

http://insightcolorado.org/assets/pdfs/Narayan.tricycle_refuge_of_sitting.pdf

Another old Tricycle article that is worth revisiting is Cynthia Thatcher’s “What’s So Great About Now?” from the Winter 2006 issue:

http://www.vipassanadhura.com/What-So-Great-About-Now.html

Well, that’s about all for this week. Don’t forget that tomorrow is Election Day, so if you have a municipal election in your city/town, don’t forget to vote!

Metta,
Tim
on October 31, 2011 at 4:32 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 11/1/11 meditation group

Good afternoon and Happy Halloween! I hope everyone has emerged relatively unscathed from this weekend’s storm. First Parish was one of the few locations in Chelmsford to have heat and power yesterday, so the plan is for the meditation group to meet tomorrow evening per usual from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel (which always tends to be chilly at this time of year, so remember to dress in layers!). Ajahn David is scheduled to join us once again.

There are a number of links to pass along this week, first being a handful of upcoming events at IMC Newburyport:

This Wednesday, November 2, from 7-9pm Matthew Daniell will lead a single session class on the Buddhist Precepts and Refuges.

“The classical Buddhist precepts and refuges are also known as ‘guidelines for living’ and are signposts for action that are helpful in times of indecision or to help us clarify how we live. Cost for evening: $20″

On Saturday, November 5, Matthew will lead a morning workshop (10am-12:30pm) entitled “Introduction to Insight Meditation” in conjunction with the Newburyport Adult Education program. The workshop will include guided sitting and walking meditation, instruction, and time for discussion. The workshop will be held at IMCN, but registration must be done through Newburyport Adult Ed:

http://newburyportadulted.org/osC/product_info.php?products_id=88&osCsid=6e471457d7d077e89b92afb9f83d70c9

Finally, on Sunday, November 6, Chas DiCapua will be at IMCN to lead a daylong retreat on “Change: Gateway to the Dharma”:

——————————————————————————————————————————
Change is one of the three universal characteristics of all of life. The other two being the unsatisfactory nature of all that is and the fact that nothing exists independent from everything else. As our awareness of change deepens, these other two characteristics naturally come more clearly into focus. We’ll spend the day noticing the changing nature of all that we notice in our meditation, while staying open to these other characteristics presenting themselves. It would be helpful to have some meditation experience to get the most out of this retreat.

Please register in advance for this retreat.

Cost is $60/nonmembers; $45/members.

Soup and bread will be provided at lunch. You are encouraged to bring your own lunch if you prefer.

Half-day retreat rates are also available.

Chas DiCapua is a regular teacher at IMCN. He is currently the Resident Teacher at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA.
——————————————————————————————————————————

For registration or additional information, please visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org

Also, don’t forget Sharon Salzberg and Ven. Tenzin Priyardarshi will be at Newton Community Education on the evenings of Wednesday November 9 and 16 respectively for the last two lectures of this fall’s Mindfulness series:

https://registration.xenegrade.com/nce/searchResults.cfm?catID=23&CFID=921853&CFTOKEN=39177059&jsessionid=62304414833b391f8580439d24591b142255

This past week American Public Media’s “Being with Krista Tippett” reprised her 2009 conversation with monk/photographer/author Matthieu Ricard, “The ‘Happiest” Man in the World”. It’s well worth a listen (or a re-listen) if you get the chance:

http://being.publicradio.org/programs/2011/happiest-man/

Meanwhile, Tricycle.com offers a short interview with “Buddhist Atheist” Stephen Batchelor. While Batchelor and I have differences of opinion on certain matters, I highly recommend checking this out:

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/stephen-batchelor-four-noble-tasks

And last but not least, personal favorite Toni Bernhard (author of “How to Be Sick”) contributes “Deep Dukkha: Getting Down in the Trenches with the First Noble Truth” to the current edition of BCBS’s Full Moon Insight Journal:

http://www.dharma.org/bcbs/documents/DeepDukkhabyToniBernhard.pdf

A couple of logistical items to wrap things up this week:

If anyone wants to find out how to contribute to the flood relief effort in Thaliand, ShambhlalaSun has a couple of links:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=23583

We’re covered this week by Sue and Brenda (thanks again!), but if anyone could help out with Ajahn David’s transportation in the coming months, it would be very much appreciated. Please let me know if you’re interested.

And last, I’ve been approached about sounding people out on a potential weekend sitting group to supplement our Tuesday evening gatherings. If this is of interest, please let me know and I’ll see what we can work out.

That’s all for this week; I hope everyone is staying warm and well-lighted and look forward to seeing you tomorrow evening.

Metta,
Tim
on October 24, 2011 at 5:15 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 10/25/11 meditation group

Good afternoon! After a couple of weeks on vacation it will nevertheless be nice to get back to the meditation group tomorrow evening. As usual, we’ll meet from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Christine is scheduled to lead the practice this week.

I’m in the midst of getting caught up on my reading, so I only have a few links to pass along this week. (By the way, many thanks to Brenda for filling in with the e-mails the past few weeks!)

There are a number of events coming up this Saturday, October 29.

First, IMC Newburyport will host a half-day (9:30am-1pm) retreat on “The Six Sense Doors” with Matthew Daniell:

“The six sense doors include the five senses: hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting, touching and the mind (through which we perceive and filter experience). Learning to pay close attention in the present moment as to how we actually experience life through the senses can help us to live from a place of greater awareness, responsiveness, and ease. We will use a classical text, the Bahiya sutta, as a guide in our inquiry. Some meditation experience is preferred.”

Cost: $37/nonmembers $30/members
For a registration form, click here: http://www.imcnewburyport.com/registration.htm

Also on Saturday the 29th, Sharon Salzberg will be in Amherst, Mass., to deliver an afternoon workshop on the topic of her latest book, Real Happiness. The event is a fundraiser for the Insight Meditation Center of Pioneer Valley: http://insightpv.org/special-events/

(Don’t forget that Sharon will participate in the penultimate session of this fall’s Newton Community Education’s Mindfulness lecture series on Wednesday, November 9: http://registration.xenegrade.com/nce/courseDisplay.cfm?schID=166)

October 9 also marks the start of Cambridge Insight’s 9-day, non-residential retreat:

“CIMC’s ‘week long’ retreat is the ‘signature’ retreat of CIMC, in that it combines formal meditation and daily life as Dharma practice.

“The weekends are composed of the familiar formal practices emphasizing sitting and walking meditation. During the weekdays yogis will be given a meditation exercise directly connected with daily life to be discussed during evening sessions, which will also include sitting and walking practice. If you have not been on this retreat in the past, please feel free to join us.”

For more information, please visit https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ASP/home.asp?studioid=11692

And, last but not least, BCBS has announced that registration is now open for its 2012 courses; as always there’s a wealth of wonderful workshop opportunities from which to choose:

https://bcbs.dharma.org/Pages/course_registration.lasso

Finally this week I want to share a handful of articles from and relating to the current issue of Tricycle, in particular the following interview with Eugene Gendlin, “founder of an innovative self-actualization technique” called Focusing, which bears a striking resemblance to the method of mindfulness meditation taught to us by Abhaya:

http://www.tricycle.com/interview/focusing

You can read David Rome’s introduction to the interview here: http://www.tricycle.com/practice/focusing-and-meditating

And view his short, 3-minute video introduction to the practice of Focusing here:
http://www.tricycle.com/blog/focusing-david-rome-finding-felt-sense

That’s all for this week; Carrie will be off at the second meeting of the Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life study group at First Parish Church of Stow and Acton, but will rejoin the meditation group next week. Meanwhile, I look forward to seeing everyone else tomorrow evening.

Metta,
Tim
on October 23, 2011 at 11:20 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 10/18/11 meditation group

Greetings all!

Tim and Carrie are still in Paris. I love that image…

Mike will be leading the practice this week.

Newton Community Education has a wonderful slate of speakers on mindfulness/Buddhism/meditation in the next month or so.

http://registration.xenegrade.com/nce/searchResults.cfm?catID=23

Thank you for your practice! I think it makes the world a better place…
Brenda
on October 23, 2011 at 11:19 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 10/11/11 meditation group

Greetings once again!

Meditation tonight! 7:30! Mike is leading the practice…

Tim and Carrie are still off in Paris….makes me smile….

Thanks to Ruth who pointed out this very cool opportunity at Ajahn David’s temple this week on Saturday as part of the Lowell Folklife Series:

Dates: 10/16/2011

Times: 9:45 AM to 1:00 AM

Location: Wat Buddhabhavana , 25 Milot Road in Westford, MA.

Summary: Lowell Folklife Series

Fees: Free

Details:

Guided visit of Wat Buddhahavana led by the Head Abott, Venerable Ajahn Mangkone. Come learn about the annual Rains Retreat Ceremony, which marks the end of Buddhist lent. Guests will be invited to take observe the ceremony which includes chanting, an offering, a potluck lunch, and blessings from the monks. End the day with a walk on the beautiful grounds which include a bird sanctuary. Participants are encouraged to bring a donation of food, money, or gift for the temple. Due to limited space at the temple, reservations are required: 978-970-5000. Wat Buddhabhavana is located at 25 Milot Road in Westford, MA. You are responsible for getting there on your own.

Contact: Maggie Holtzberg

Email: Maggie_holtzberg@partner.nps.gov

Looking forward to seeing some of you tonight…

Brenda
on October 5, 2011 at 2:32 am | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 10/4/11 meditation group

Greetings!

Meditation tonight! 7:30! Ajahn David! Be there or be square!

I’m subbing for Tim on the Reminder email. I don’t have as many links to offer as Tim usually does — but — below is a link to a talk by Eugene Cash, who is one of my favorite teachers. Eugene was in a serious bicycle accident a week or so ago, and is facing a long recovery. The talk is on Anger. I haven’t heard the whole thing, but he is a treasure, and I have the highest expectations for the end of it…

Good good wishes for Eugene’s recovery…

http://audiodharma.org/talks/audio_player/129.html

Looking forward to seeing some of you tonight…

Brenda
on September 26, 2011 at 6:54 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 9/27/11 meditation group

Good afternoon! The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Sue will lead the practice.

We may have a somewhat smaller than usual group tomorrow as I know a few of you will head out to Stow for the first meeting of the monthly discussion group on Karen Armstrong’s book “Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life”:

http://www.fpc-stow-acton.org/adult-programs

There are a couple of local news items this week:

For those who don’t already know, the Chelmsford Independent was kind enough to print a couple of corrections to their September 8th article on us in the current (September 22-28) issue of the paper:

http://kalyanamittasangha.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/chelmsfordindependent_110922.pdf

In other news, today’s Lowell Sun ran a story on the rather unfortunate and embarrassing situation that has developed between the Community of Khmer Buddhist Monks, their neighbors in the Pawtucketville section of Lowell, and city management over the current use of the propsed site for their new temple:

http://www.lowellsun.com/ci_18978680

In upcoming events, this Saturday, October 1, IMC Newburyport will host a daylong retreat on “Unwinding the Cycle of Reactivity” led by Matthew Daniell:

——————————————————————————————————————————— In his classical teaching on ‘dependent origination’ the Buddha described how we create cyclical patterns of unwanted and often unnecessary suffering in our lives. He called the repetitive cyclical nature of these reactive patterns ‘samsara’. Fortunately, he also taught that by mindfully exploring this same causal link in reverse we can unwind these painful inner patterns of reactivity and find greater responsiveness, freedom, and ease in our lives. In this retreat, we will explore how. This retreat is open to everyone.

The cost of this full-day retreat is $45/member and $60/nonmember. Soup and bread will be available at lunch; you are encouraged to bring your own lunch if you prefer.

Pre-registration is encouraged, and drop-ins are welcome.

Note: This retreat may be taken as a half-day retreat from 9am-12:30pm.
———————————————————————————————————————————

Then at 7pm that evening Ralph Davis will take IMCN guests on a journey to see the sacred sites of Burma and India:

———————————————————————————————————————————-
Ralph is a professional photographer, a practicing Buddhist, and a friend of IMCN who currently lives and works in Portland, ME. This IMCN fundraising event will take you throughout Asia without having to leave the comfort of your chair.

The 90 minute digital slide presentation incorporates both narration and music along with Ralph’s photographic images.

Bring a friend and enjoy this IMCN fundraising event. Admission is $20 and includes refreshments and authentic chai tea after the program.
———————————————————————————————————————————-

For more information on either event, please visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org

Also this coming weekend, Sounds True will be providing live web streaming of most of the Creating a Mindful Society conference being held September 30 and October 1 in New York City:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=23046

Finally this week I want to share a few articles by some old friends.

First, Andy Olendzki has a new article “Castles Made of Sand” in the current issue of Tricycle:

http://www.tricycle.com/thus-have-i-heard/castles-made-sand

Also worth checking out is “Keep Your Balance” which appeared in the Summer 2006 issue of the magazine:

http://www.tricycle.com/thus-have-i-heard/keep-your-balance

Meanwhile Toni Bernhard checks in over at Shambhala Sun’s SunSpace blog with a great post on “What is Karma and Why Should it Matter to You?”:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=22863

And last but not least, Thanissaro Bhikkhu (aka “Than Geoff”) follows up with Part Two of “What the Buddha Never Said”:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=23147

(You can check out Part One here: http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=22527)

Ajahn David is feeling somewhat better so hopefully he’ll be able to lead the meditation and discussion next week. We’re still looking for additional volunteers to help out with providing Ajahn’s transportation going forward; if you’re interested please let me know.

That’s all for this week. Carrie and I will be away the for next couple of weeks, so anyone we don’t see tomorrow night we’ll look forward to seeing on the 27th. Thanks to Brenda who will be keeping you all up to speed in the meantime.

Metta,
Tim
on September 19, 2011 at 4:30 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 9/20/11 meditation group

Good afternoon! The meditation group will meet from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish. I’ll be on hand to facilitate the practice this week.

A few weeks ago I mentioned the special BuddhaFest 9/11 remembrance in Washington, DC. A number of teachers from a range of Buddhist traditions were on hand to offer words of wisdom on “peace, compassion and forgiveness”.

A couple of those talks are now available online thanks to event co-sponsors Tricycle magazine, the first is Sylvia Boorstein’s talk “Experiencing Mindfulness: How it Cultivates Equanimity, Wisdom and Compassion:

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/sylvia-boorstein-buddhafests-weekend-peace-compassion-forgiveness

The second is Tara Brach’s “The Transformative Power of Forgiveness”:

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/tara-brach-buddhafests-911-event

Each video is just under an hour long.

Author Karen Armstrong was also hanging out in the DC area lately, and has been leading an online discussion on “Cultivating Compassion in Your Community” at Tricycle.com. The Tricycle crew had a chance to sit down with her to for a few minutes (about 40min):

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/cultivating-compassion-interview-karen-armstrong-video

This past weekend Armstrong also participated in the ongoing PeaceWeek 2011: A Free Global Testament for Building a Culture of Peace. You can listen to her talk “Compassion as a Path to Peace” (~35min) here:

http://peaceweek.info/sites/peaceweek.info/files/PeaceWeek2011-20-KarenArmstrong.mp3

(Thanks to Ruth C. for the heads-up!)

The First Parish (UU) Church of Stow and Acton will host a 12-part monthly exploration of Armstrong’s latest book, “Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life,” beginning next Tuesday, September 27:

“Using Karen Armstrong’s new book, Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life, we’ll explore the great teachings of compassion from many different sources and work to cultivate, the practice of compassion in our everyday lives. The 12 sessions will be led by the Rev. Tom Rosiello, minister of the First Parish of Stow And Acton. Each month participants will read one chapter of this book and come together to discuss the material and share thoughts on how they might put the teachings into practice in their own life.”

For more information, please visit http://fpc-stow-acton.org/adult-programs

In other upcoming events, I want to thank Chrsitine for bringing my attention to Sharon Salzberg’s upcoming “Real Happiness” workshop at Grace Church in Amherst, Mass., on the afternoon of Saturday, October 29:

http://insightpv.org/special-events/

The workshop is a fundraiser for Easthampton-based Insight Meditation of Pioneer Valley.

Also, don’t forget that Sharon will be one of the speakers at this fall’s mindfulness lecture series at Newton Community Education, starting Tuesday, October 18:

http://registration.xenegrade.com/nce/searchResults.cfm?catID=23

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow!

Metta,
Tim
on September 12, 2011 at 2:40 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 9/13/11 meditation group

Good morning! The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Carrie will lead the meditation group again, having filled in last week for Ajahn David who was unable to join us due to illness.

The most exciting news this week is — as some of you may already be aware — Monica Jimenez’s article on the meditation group appears on the front page of the current (September 8-14) issue of the Chelmsford Independent. There are a handful of non-critical factual errors here and there, but on the whole it seems to be a pretty positive portrayal. For the record, Carrie is most emphatically *not* leaving the meditation group while she attends school to become an interfaith minister.

The article is not presently available online at WickedLocal.com, however you can view a PDF here:
http://kalyanamittasangha.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/chelmsfordindependent_110908.pdf

The 2011-12 Insight Meditation Society retreat schedule is now online and registration is open. As always, there looks to be a number of great opportunities — including several weekend retreats — for anyone interested in a more intensive practice experience.

A couple of retreats are worth special mention:

In December 2011 (and again in March 2012) Christina Feldman will be joined by CIMC’s Narayan Liebenson Grady and Maddy Klyne for a women’s insight meditation retreat:
http://www.dharma.org/ims/retreat_detail.php?id=240
and
http://www.dharma.org/ims/retreat_detail.php?id=251

In February, Sharon Salzberg returns for her annual Metta retreat, joined once again by Mark Coleman and Gina Sharpe:
http://www.dharma.org/ims/retreat_detail.php?id=246

The Burmese master, Sayadaw U Tejaniya, along with Steve Armstrong and Carol Wilson, will offer a special two-week retreat from April 27 through May 11. Admission to the retreat will be determined by lottery; applications are due 12/27/11:
http://www.dharma.org/ims/retreat_detail.php?id=254

And finally, for those with children between ages of 2 and 13, the perennially popular family retreat will take place from July 7 to 12. Space fills up very quickly, so if you are interested in going, sign up as soon as possible:
http://www.dharma.org/ims/retreat_detail.php?id=262

To view the entire 2011-12 IMS retreat schedule, please visit http://www.dharma.org/ims/retreats.php

IMS and Spirit Rock co-founder Jack Kornfield has just published a couple of new books, “Bringing Home the Dharma: Awakening Right Where You Are” and “A Lamp in the Darkness: Iluminating the Path Through Difficult Times”. The latter includes a CD of guided meditations, including this one, “Buddha in Difficulties”, ‘designed to help you to learn how to bring respectful attention and awareness to the difficult situations in which you might find yourself, and to your relationships with others.’ The meditation is about 8-1/2 minutes long and you can have a listen via SunSpace: http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=22794

Finally this week I would like to send out a request for volunteers to assist in providing transportation for Ajahn David to meditation on the first Tuesday of each month, starting in October. I wish to extend my deep gratitude to Kevin G. for providing his chauffering services for the past few years, but circumstances have changed so that this arrangement is no longer feasible. If you are interested in helping out, please let me know as soon as possible. Many thanks in advance!

That’s all for now; I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on September 6, 2011 at 12:18 am | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 9/6/11 meditation group

Good evening! Apologies for the late e-mail; I hope everyone has enjoyed a safe and relaxing Labor Day weekend. The meditation group will meet tomorrow from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Ajahn David is scheduled to be with us again this week.

This week I just want to mention a few upcoming event, particularly those surrounding this coming weekend’s remembrance of 9/11/01:

Tricycle magazine is co-sponsoring a special BuddhaFest event — “A weekend of peace, compassion, and forgiveness.” — in Washington, DC, September 10 and 11. Sylvia Boorstein, Lama Surya Das, Tara Brach, Hugh Byrne, and other teachers will offer teachings and lead periods of meditation. For more information visit http://www.buddhafest.org/911-program-schedule/

A little closer to home, IMC Newburyport will begin the 2011-12 season with a daylong “Retreat on Compassion” led by Kate Wheeler on Sunday the 11th:
—————————————————————————————————
Come learn how to heal and open your heart on this historic anniversary of an event that seems to have ushered in a new and difficult era in our world. Today we will practice the opposite of violence–compassion meditation, a simple technique, easy for anyone to learn. Compassion means caring about the suffering of oneself and others, but does not require submerging ourselves in endless pain and misery. Instead we affirm the wish that all beings might experience complete peace, happiness, fulfillment.

The cost of the retreat is $60/nonmember and $45/member.
Soup will be provided for lunch. You are encouraged to bring your own lunch if you prefer.
Pre-registration is encouraged, and drop-ins are welcome. This retreat may be taken as a half-day retreat from 9am-12:30pm.
—————————————————————————————————

For registration and additional information, please visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org

And, finally, on Saturday the 10th, Larry Rosenberg will offer a daylong retreat at Cambridge Insight. Again, for registration or more information please visit https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ASP/home.asp?studioid=11692

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow!

Metta,
Tim
on August 29, 2011 at 6:04 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 8/30/11 meditation group

Good afternoon! I hope everyone emerged unscathed from hurricane Irene’s visit this weekend. The meditation group will be back in action tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Sue will facilitate the practice.

I have a few video clips I’d like to share this week:

First up is a short (6-1/2min) video of Sharon Salzberg speaking about retreat life (at the Garrison Institute in particular, but certainly with much broader applicability):

The folks at the Garrison Institute also put together a two-part interview (about 10 min each) with Sharon (mostly) and Sylvia Boostein speaking about “universal compassion” in a break during their December 2008 retreat:

Richie Davidson also took some time away from the Mind and Life Summer Institute held at Garrison this June to speak about the initiative and developments in the field over the past 20 years or so:

British filmmaker Nick Oakley is a working on a feature-length documentary about his own exploration of mindfulness meditation, featuring “mindfulness pioneer” Jon Kabat-Zinn. You can watch an 8-minute clip via Shambhala Sun’s SunSpace:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=22765

While you’re visiting SunSpace you might also want to check out the trailer (~3 min) for the “feature documentary film and 3D animated comic book” entitled “Walking with Alfred Hassler, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Sister Chan Kong”:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=22782

Very intriguing!

And finally this week The Buddhist Channel’s Martin Boroson has put together a short (5 min) animated instruction on “One-Moment Meditation”:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=72,10412,0,0,1,0

That’s all for now; I hope to see everyone tomorrow!

Metta,
Tim
on August 22, 2011 at 3:42 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 8/23/11 meditation group

Good morning, everybody! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Brenda will lead the practice this week.

As I hope you all know, we will be joined tomorrow evening by Monica Jimenez, reporter for the Chelmsford Independent, and her photographer. Monica is working on an article on meditation (generally — and Buddhism to perhaps a lesser extent). There may be some extended discussion/conversation at the end of practice for those who feel like sticking around to participate.

Per usual, I have a handful of links to pass along this week….

As some of you may already be aware, Rita Gross has been leading the most recent Tricycle online retreat on “Buddhist history for Buddhist practitioners”. She’s also penned a fascinating article entitled “Buddhism and Religious Diversity” that appears in the current issue of the magazine:

http://www.tricycle.com/feature/buddhism-and-religious-diversity?page=0,0

Gross expanded on some of these themes in last week’s half-hour interview with the Buddhist Geeks:

http://www.buddhistgeeks.com/2011/08/bg-227-to-know-one-religion-is-to-know-none/

Interesting stuff….

Looking forward a little bit towards coming events, I just received a mailing from Newton Community Education about their upcoming Mindfulness lecture series, which begins Tuesday, October 18. The theme is “The Practice of Living Life with an Open Heart, Compassion, and Kindness”

Susan Piver kicks off the series on with a talk on “Love, Attachment, and Heartbreak: Applying Mindfulness to Relationships”:

“As spiritual practitioners, we’re taught that the route to happiness is based in compassion, kindness, non-attachment, and accepting the truth of impermanence. In no other areas of life is it as difficult to apply these truths as to our romantic relationships and breakups.”

The following Tuesday, October 25, Lama Surya Das will speak about “The Practice of Being Fully Awake: Mindful Living in Each Moment”:

“Mindful living is a way of loving and more fully accepting ourselves. Through cultivating mindful awareness and lucid presence we enable ourselves to live much more fully and truly inhabit each and every moment. There are actually six kinds of mindfulness, according to Tibetan meditation tradition. In his original, light and lively style Lama Surya Das will explain how these six extraordinary facets of awareness are indispensable aids to boosting enlightened living. ‘Remember to remember to pay attention in each moment, here and now; this is Re-mindfulness. Catch yourself before things attach and entangle you! Be there while getting there, every single step of the way. Why wait?’”

On Wednesday, November 9, Sharon Salzberg will be on hand to offer a workshop on compassion:

“The Dalai Lama has stated, ‘My true religion is kindness.’ Although sometimes described in our culture as simplistic, weak, or inherently overwhelming, the quality of compassion has an inherent power to transform our worldview from one of fear and isolation to one rooted in clarity, courage and connection. Through discourse, guided meditations and a question and answer sessions, Sharon Salzberg will explore the strength and happiness of compassion. This workshop is suitable for new and experienced meditators alike.”

And finally, on Wednesday, November 16, Ven. Tenzin Priyadarshi will speak on “Ethics and Wellbeing: Insights into Living a Kind and Compassionate Life”:

“We live in an interconnected world where our wants, emotions, and mental attitude are intertwined with our perceptions of the world. We all have the potential to positively contribute to society, but we need to refine our minds and hearts in order to unlock this capacity. We’ve pitifully deprived ourselves of much due to ignorance, arrogance, and attachment. In this talk we will explore the ethical dimension of human experience and how our conduct can become the foundation for truly living a kind, compassionate and meaningful life.”

For registration and additional information, please visit http://registration.xenegrade.com/nce/searchResults.cfm?catID=23

And last but not least I leave you with a short reflection on “What the Buddha Never Said” courtesy of Than Geoff (Thanissaro Bhikkhu) and Shambhala Sun:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=22527

That’s all for now; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on August 15, 2011 at 6:16 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 8/16/11 meditation group

Good afternoon! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. This week I’ll be pinch-hitting for Sue who was pinch-hitting for Mike (or something like that) and hope to talk a bit about “the Four Foundations of Mindfulness” following the evening’s meditation (which hopefully will include some walking practice).

Our first order of business is just to note that the visit by Monica Jimenez (reporter for the Chelmsford Independent) has been postponed until next week, August 23, due to a schedule conflict with the upcoming Chelmsford School Committee meeting (which is also a part of Monica’s “beat”). Hopefully we’ll have a good, representative crowd on hand! Again, if you have any questions or concerns about the visit, please send me an e-mail and I’ll be happy to speak with you.

This past weekend, while I was at the dealership for some rountine maintenence on my car, I had a wonderful opportunity to sit down and listen to Daniel Siegel’s lecture “Neuroscience of Buddhist Contemplative Practices” (~80min) from the 2008 Neurosciences and Spiritual Practices Conference at the Clermont (CA) School of Theology. In his lecture Siegel highlights the key points from his book “The Mindful Brain,” in which he proposes that mindful awareness practices (MAP) work in the brain as a kind of “intrapersonal attunement” and integration. It’s really fascinating stuff and well worth the time to listen:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-312291860326281852#

There is also a link to Siegel’s 1/2-hour talk from the group session “Scientific, Philosophic, Contemplative, and Theological Perspectives in Conversation” in which he provides an overview of several models of “integration”:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-312291860326281852#docid=2830006828724037

And while the science of mindfulness is certainly intriguing (and trendy), this short article by Ed Halliwell reminds us that mindfulness is more than just a tool for self-improvement:

http://mindful.org/mindful-voices/the-examined-life/getting-results-from-mindfulness-and-letting-go-of-them

Halliwell (courtesy of the Guardian/Buddhist Channel) also has a wrap-up of the inaugural Buddhist Geeks conference that took place in Los Angeles a few weeks ago:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=65,10381,0,0,1,0

Meanwhile Alex Gooch, via Tricycle’s Editor’s Blog, offers some poignant thoughts on the recent rioting in London:

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/london%E2%80%99s-burning-three-fires-and-london-riots

Finally, a reminder about a couple of upcoming events:

This Saturday, August 20, is the 14th annual Lowell Southeast Asian Water Festival taking place along the Merrimack River:

http://www.lowellwaterfestival.org/

And Chris Germer’s Labor Day weekend course at BCBS — “Compassion: From the Buddha to Psychotherapy” — is fully subscribed with a short waitlist:

https://bcbs.dharma.org/Pages/course_detail.lasso?-KeyValue=173&-Token.

That should do it for this week….

I hope everyone stays relatively dry and I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on August 8, 2011 at 5:39 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 8/9/11 meditation group

Good afternoon! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Christine is scheduled to lead the practice, however I believe Carrie will be filling in for her this week.

First, the good stuff:

In a rather exciting turn of events, I was contacted late last week by Monica Jimenez of the Chelmsford Independent. She is working on a story about local practitioners of meditation (and Buddhism) and would like to sit-in on an upcoming meditation session and speak with some members of the sangha. At this point I’ve extended a tentative invitation for her to join us next Tuesday, August 16. I already know a few of our regulars will be away next week, but we should still have a representative gathering.

I’ve been in touch with the powers-that-be at our hosts at First Parish to make sure we’d be in compliance with their media policy, and since we’re an outside (non-FP) group we’re all set on that count.

There is also one particular aspect of our Tuesday evening routine that was brought to my attention as being potentially sensitive: the post-meditation check-in, which of course is supposed to be held “in confidence”.

Monica has suggested that she “could write more of a general summary of what kinds of things were discussed, omitting names, or… could leave the room if that would make people more comfortable.” If folks are okay with her being there at all, we can play the check-in by ear, I think.

With all that said, please let me know the following:

1) If enough people are uncomfortable with the idea of having a reporter sit with us next week, please let me know now; I can rescind the invitation and will be happy to speak with her on my own time. Please let me know as soon as possible.

2) On the flip side, if anyone who is not able to make it next week but would still be willing to talk to Monica, please let me know I can provide you with her contact information.

So, with that out of the way, I’ll finish up this week with a reminder of some upcoming events:

This Saturday, August 13, Larry Rosenberg will lead a day-long retreat at Cambridge Insight Meditation:
https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ASP/home.asp?studioid=11692

On Sunday, August 14, Kate Wheeler will lead “A Day of Being Ordinary” at the Insight Meditation Society of Newburyport:
http://www.imcnewburyport.org/offerings.htm#DBO

Then next Saturday, August 20, the 14th annual Southeast Asian Water Festival will take place in Lowell along the Merrimack River:
http://www.lowellwaterfestival.org/

Finally, I stumbled across an interesting article in today’s Lowell Sun about a wee controversy over the site of the Community of Khmer Buddhist Monks’ proposed temple project in the Pawtucketville section of Lowell:
http://www.lowellsun.com/todaysheadlines/ci_18637888

That’s all for now….

Please do respond to me as soon as possible regarding next week’s planned “media presence”, and I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow!

Metta,
Tim
on August 1, 2011 at 6:01 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 8/2/11 meditation group

Good afternoon! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow from 7:30 to 9:30 at First Parish. Tomorrow being the first Tuesday of the month, Ven. Ajahn David will join us to lead the practice and discussion.

This week’s reminder comprises a smorgasbord of interesting links accumulated over the past few weeks as well as notice of a couple of upcoming events.

First I’d like to thank Brenda for reminding me about this wonderful article on the “Buddhist personality types” from the Spring 2009 issue of Tricycle:

http://www.tricycle.com/feature/which-buddhist-personality-type-are-you

For a take on the the relationship between psychotherapy and Buddhist practice I recommend this interview with John Welwood, “Human Nature, Buddha Nature”:

http://www.tricycle.com/interview/human-nature-buddha-nature?page=0,0

Michele McDonald (who recently released the CD “Awake at the Wheel: Mindful Driving), is the subject of a shorter Tricycle interview in which she reflects on her 3 decades as a dharma teacher:

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/qa-thirty-year-vipassana-instructor-michele-mcdonald

Christina Feldman offers to untangle the sometimes convoulted topic of Dependent Co-Arising in the feature article from the latest BCBS Full Moon Insight Journal, “Seeing the Wheel, Stopping the Spin”:

http://www.dharma.org/bcbs/documents/ChristinaFeldmanSeeingTheWheelStoppingTheSpin.pdf

Speaking of both BCBS and Buddhism and psychotherapy, Chris Germer (along with Andy Olendzki and Mu Soeng), will offer a course at BCBS on the weekend of September 2 on “Compassion: From the Buddha to Psychotherapy”:

——————————————————————–
As Buddhist teachings and modern psychotherapy converge at an unprecedented rate, the notion of compassion is revolutionizing our understanding of the path to emotional freedom. Compassion may be understood as a quantifiable skill that allows us to handle and hold seemingly unbearable suffering. How was compassion articulated and embodied in early Buddhism and in later Mahāyāna perspectives? How do these interpretations play out in the practice of psychotherapy? And what are we learning about compassion from modern science, especially brain imaging and clinical research? BCBS scholars Andrew Olendzki or Mu Soeng will offer teachings on the classical Buddhist perspectives on compassion as part of the program. Participants will also learn practical tools for cultivating the skill of compassion toward oneself and others. Note: The workshop is open to all. Mental health professionals will receive ten (10) continuing education credits, if desired.
——————————————————————–

For registration please visit https://bcbs.dharma.org/Pages/course_detail.lasso?-KeyValue=173&-Token.

A little closer at hand, IMC Newburyport has a couple of interesting-sounding day-long retreats coming up:

This Sunday, August 7, Chas DiCapua will lead a retreat on “Using the Body to Develop Calm and Insight”:

——————————————————————–
When we are aware of the body, we are in the present moment. The body never lies, tells stories, deceives us, or goes into the future or past. The body, including the breath, is an excellent object for meditation. During this day long retreat we will practice resting in the immediacy of bodily sensations and open to the wisdom they embody. This particular subject and retreat is just as suitable for the first time meditator as it is for someone who has been practicing for years.
——————————————————————–

The following Sunday, August 14, Kate Wheeler will lead “A Day of Being Ordinary”:

——————————————————————–
With his second noble truth, the Buddha instructed us to abandon craving. But often we unconsciously develop craving for results in our meditation practice. In today’s retreat we will emphasize a non-manipulative attitude, working with a focus on the breath or body and gradually opening to an unstructured awareness of whatever is taking place moment to moment. This practice of being open and present is a particularly good for carrying awareness into daily life.
——————————————————————–

For registration and additional information, please visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org

Also that weekend, on Saturday, August 13, Larry Rosenberg will lead a one-day meditation retreat at Cambridge Insight:

https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ASP/home.asp?studioid=11692

Finally, I’ll leave you this week with a couple of short clips on mainstreaming meditation courtesy of Dan Harris and the ABC newsroom (via Shambhala SunSpace):

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=22499

That’s all for now; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on July 25, 2011 at 7:59 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 7/26/11 meditation group

Good afternoon! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish.

I’ll lead the meditation/discussion and hope to talk a bit about “practices that open the heart” — specifically dana (generous giving) and the brahmaviharas — which are metta (lovingkindness), karuna (compassion), mudita (sympathetic joy), and upekka (sympathetic joy). As time permits, I also hope to link these back to our basic mindfulness practice.

With that in mind I’d like to share a couple of short readings:

I first encountered Sharon Salzberg’s “Generosity’s Perfection” in a 2005 issue of Shambhala Sun. However it has been republished in the current newsletter of Buddhist Global Relief: http://www.buddhistglobalrelief.org/newsletterArticles/2011SummerGenerositysPerfection.html

I’d also like to share a pair of short articles on “goodwill” (his preferred translation of the Pali word metta) from Thanissaro Bhikkhu that recently appeared on the SunSpace blog:

“When Goodwill is Better than Love: The Meaning of Metta”
http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=22219

“Protecting Others by Protecting Goodwill”
http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=22224

For those who are interested in reading more on the subject of generous giving, I also recommed “Dana: The Practice of Giving” a collection of essays edited by Bhikkhu Bodhi for the Buddhist Publication Society:

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/various/wheel367.html

Finally this week I’d like to follow up on a couple of previous links.

First is a short reflection on karma from Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo’s new book, Into the Heart of Life:

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/jetsunma-tenzin-palmo-karma

Second is another report in follow up on last month’s Buddhist Teachers Council in Garrison, NY:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=8,10328,0,0,1,0

And finally I’ll leave you with a video clip of the Dalai Lama’s recent appearance on the Today Show with Ann Curry:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=22363

That’s all for now; I hope to see everyone tomorrow!

Metta,
Tim
on July 18, 2011 at 6:25 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 7/19/11 meditation group

Greetings! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow from 7:30 to 9:30 in our usual location in the Chapel at First Parish. Carrie will lead the practice this week.

A couple of weeks ago I sent out a link to Hugh Byrne’s talk at the Tricycle BuddhaFest in Washington, DC. During his talk Hugh referred to a recent meeting of Buddhist teachers that took place last month at the Garrison Institute in New York. This week I thought I’d pass along a couple of reports from the Buddhist Teachers Council, both by way of the Buddhist Channel:

“The Great American Buddhist Teachers Council” by Rev. Danny Fisher
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=6,10263,0,0,1,0

“Buddhism In America: What Is The Future?” by Jaweed Kaleem
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=60,10242,0,0,1,0

British-born teacher Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo is currently leading Tricycle’s online retreat on the “Eight Worldy Concerns” (praise/blame, gain/loss, fame/ill-repute, and pleasure/pain for those keeping score at home). As she comes from the Tibetan tradition, I’m not terribly familiar with her, but I’ve found a couple of excerpts posted on the Tricycle website to resonate strongly and be worth passing along:

“We Think We Are Who We Think We Are”
http://www.tricycle.com/blog/we-think-we-are-who-we-think-we-are

“Is Contemplating Your Death Morbid? No! It’s Useful”
http://www.tricycle.com/blog/contemplating-your-death-morbid-no-its-useful

She also has a new book, “Into the Heart of Life”
http://www.amazon.com/Into-Heart-Life-Jetsumna-Palmo/dp/1559393742/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I1OCB1VD0OEGG3&colid=V654LYBSL6TJ

Finally this week I’ll wind up with a couple of links, first is a collection of Tricycle interviews with “everyday practitioners”:
http://www.tricycle.com/blog/buddhist-life-interviews-everyday-practitioners

… which seems to complement quite nicely this “meditation on the inconspicuous Buddhists around us” from the Buddhist Channel:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=6,10309,0,0,1,0

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on July 11, 2011 at 10:51 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 7/12/11 meditation group

Hi all. The meditation group will meet tomorrow (Tuesday) evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish UU Church. Yours truly :-) will lead the practice.

In the way of at least a couple of interesting Buddhist practice links, here are some fresh from Tricycle. If you don’t subscribe to their email “Daily Dharma,” I’d encourage you to give it a try. You have to register as a basic [free] member. Also note, I have personally found the pay-for membership to be well worth it.

Here is a recent “Daily Dharma” message I enjoyed from Pema Chodron:

Meditation practice isn’t about trying to throw ourselves away and become something better. It’s about befriending who we are already. The ground of practice is you or me or whoever we are right now, just as we are.
-Pema Chodron, “We Can Still Be Crazy”

…and from another Tricycle email, a valuable meditation for forgiving others (high degree of difficulty, especially forgiving someone who wronged you with impunity, but correspondingly high reward):

Weekly Practice: Forgiveness Meditation

In the messiness of human life and relationships it is inevitable that someone will wrong us. There are people whom we may be very angry with for very good reasons, but it also does not help to hold onto our anger until it congeals into bitterness. Because of this, there are few virtues more important to our mental wellbeing than forgiveness.

While there may be hurts and pains that can never be erased, the aim of forgiveness meditation is to find forgiveness in the moment, on the cushion. With this in mind, we encourage any willing practioners to practice forgiveness meditation throughout the week.

Forgiveness Meditation Instructions by Ezra bayda: Link

Hope to see you tomorrow,
Mike
on July 4, 2011 at 9:56 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 7/5/11 meditation group

Good evening; happy Fourth of July! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Ajahn David will return this week as Guest Teacher.

Tomorrow marks the opening of the Chelmsford Community Band’s 2011 summer concert series (Tuesdays from July 5 through August 9) taking place across Westford Street on the Chelmsford town common. The concert starts at 7pm and the First Parish parking lot tends to fill up quickly, so you may want to factor in some additional time to find a place to park — especially as Table of Plenty will also be wrapping up at First Parish around the same time. I believe the lot behind the Old Town Hall is still fair game, but please DO NOT park in Ginger Ale Plaza as you may be towed.

I’d like to pass along a couple of video links from Tricycle’s BuddhaFest that took place in Washington, DC, a couple of weeks ago:

First is a shortish (~24min) talk by Sharon Salzberg on developing confidence in our own potential:
http://www.tricycle.com/blog/buddhafest-teaching-sharon-salzberg-real-happiness-video

Next up is a longer (-50min) talk by Hugh Byrne on “the next turning the wheel of the dharma” — expanding our circle of practice beyond the cushion:
http://www.tricycle.com/blog /buddhafest-teaching-hugh-byrne

And, finally, an audio piece on love (~30min) from Tara Brach. (The audio quality is quite poor, unfortunately.)
http://www.tricycle.com/blog/buddhafest-teaching-tara-brach-love

Before signing off for this week I wanted to give a heads-up on a pair of (now rare!) one-day courses coming up at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies on the weekend of July 16-17:

On Saturday, Narayan and Michael Liebenson Grady (from the Cambridge Insight Meditation Center) will present a workshop on “Difficult Emotions and Dharma Practice”

“In this workshop, we will utilize the methods of samatha vipassanā (calm and insight) in learning how to find an inner balance in the midst of difficult emotions such as fear, anger, grief, and self doubt. In this way, will discover how to practice turning problems into wisdom. Included will be frequent guided meditation sessions, talks, and time for discussion.”

Then on Sunday, Kate Lila Wheeler — who some of you will know from CIMC and/or IMC Newburyport — will present a course on working with the Five Hindrances:

“In this day-long program, we will discern, discuss, and become more skillful at defusing the Five Hindrances. These five, as listed in the Buddha’s basic mindfulness instructions, are greed, anger, worrying, torpor, and doubt. They bother human beings and hinder good purposes in every arena of day-to-day living, as well as in meditation. The main practice recommended by the Buddha is recognizing these patterns when they are present in us, and also when they are not. No blame, no judgment. There are also lots of other supportive tips and tricks to share. As we gradually begin to discover a lighter, friendlier relationship with these patterns, we see a glimmering possibility of life beyond blaming, judging and oppressing.”

The cost for each course is $75 and registration information can be found at https://bcbs.dharma.org/Pages/course_registration.lasso

For those who aren’t already familiar with BCBS, this would be a great opportunity to discover this tremendous dharma gem in our own backyard!

That’s all for now. I hope everyone is enjoying a happy, safe holiday and I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow!

Metta,
Tim
on June 27, 2011 at 4:26 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 6/28/11 meditation group

Greetings! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Brenda is scheduled to lead the practice this week.

I’m trying to get caught up from a week away, so this week’s e-mail will be a little briefer than usual, but there are a couple of items I definitely want to highlight:

First, as some of you may have already heard, University of Wisconsin neuroscientist Dr. Richard Davidson was Krista Tippett’s guest this past week on “Being”. For those who aren’t familiar with Dr. Davidson’s work, he’s been very much at the forefront of studying the relationship between meditation and brain activity.

The focus of the conversation on Being is “Investigating Healthy Minds”: not just fixing what is wrong — which has been the traditional focus of Western mental health — but “rewiring our minds with life-enriching behaviors”. You can listen to the discussion here: http://being.publicradio.org/programs/2011/healthy-minds/

I also want to acknowledge the passing of “Zen pioneer” Charlotte Joko Beck, who died on June 15. Author of “Everyday Zen” and “Nothing Special: Living Zen” Beck presented Zen practice in what I’ve found to be a very down-to-earth and accessible manner. You can read remembrances at Shambhala Sun:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=22049

And I’ll end this week with an excerpt from an article she wrote for Tricycle back in 1998:

“What primarily concerns me is the necessity for a student to learn to be as awake as possible in each moment. Otherwise it can seem as if the point of practice is to have breakthroughs. The usefulness of these openings exists only if they clarify life and our ability to live it and serve it. But until mind and body – usually through years of patient practice – cease to want an ego-centered life, the openings and their teachings cannot be distorted into ego successes. Only when mind and body are mostly free of reactivity can a true understanding of what life is become possible – not through a momentary breakthrough, but through an open and compassionate living of life.”

http://www.tricycle.com/each-moment

That’s all for now; I look forward to seeing you all — including many new faces! — tomorrow!

Metta,
Tim
on June 26, 2011 at 2:52 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 6/21/11 meditation group

Greetings all,

I am pinch-hitting for Tim on the reminder email this week, so it will be brief.

I offer this musical meditation on impermanence and non-self…;-)

…and I want to hold onto to it,
but there’s nothing to hold….

I’ll be leading meditation practice this week at First Parish Unitarian Universalist in Chelmsford, on Tuesday evening from 7:30-9:30.

Hope to see you there!
Brenda
on Tuesday evening from 7:30-9:30.

Hope to see you there!
Brenda
on June 13, 2011 at 4:08 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 6/14/11 meditation group

Good morning! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. We welcome back Christine to lead the practice this week.

Each week when I send out these e-mails I feel a little like a pack rat or a squirrel unearthing a few choice treasures from a vast stockpile accumulated over many months — and in some cases even years!

As a case in point, back in 2007 (I believe), I sent out a link to a Wisdom Publications webpage that in turn had a link to a video called “The Mindful Way” — a 25-minute documentary on Ajahn Chah and life at his Thai monastery dating from 1978. Well, I recently rediscovered this film as well as a 1979 film — also about a 1/2-hour — called “The Buddha Comes to Sussex” about the trials and tribulations of establishing the Cittaviveka, aka the Chithurst Buddhist Monastery in Sussex, England, established by Ajahn Chah. (Incidentally, the latter film features *very* young-looking Ajahns Sumedho and Sucitto, I believe.)

In addition, this weekend I had the chance to sit down and watch the nearly 4 hours (!) of Ajahn Jayasaro’s fascinating video biography of Ajahn Chah. In addition to presenting the life of the late Thai master, Jayasaro proivdes considerable insight into life at a forest monastery. The biography is nicely divided in to segments of about 5 minutes each, and is presented lecture-style which makes it not especially dynamic to watch, but still good listening nonetheless.

Anyhow, links are as follows:

“The Mindful Way”
http://www.watnongpahpong.org/videomfw.php

“The Buddha Comes to Sussex”
http://www.watnongpahpong.org/videobcs.php

Cittaviveka/Chithurst Buddhist Monastery
http://www.cittaviveka.org/index2.htm

Ajahn Jayasaro’s biography of Ajahn Chah:
http://www.ajahnchah.org/videos.htm

Coming back to the nearer-present for a moment, the Insight Meditation Center of Newburyport will host a day-long retreat this Saturday, June 18, with Matthew Daniell, “Befriending the Mind: Open Awareness and Healing the Heart”:

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The Buddha has said that ‘the mind can be our best friend and our worst enemy’.

During this retreat we will build on the themes of a compassionate attitude towards ourselves, and using body and breath as mindful anchors for investigating the mind. When mindfulness is firmly established we can begin to rest our attention in a more relaxed, open way. It can be a powerful place from which to touch varied forces of the heart and mind in a light and steady way, allowing them to reveal their inner energies without being split off or clung to tightly, creating an inner healing space for the heart.

This is part of the “Befriending the Mind” retreat series and it can be taken as a single retreat.

Soup will be served at lunch. You are encouraged to bring your own lunch if you prefer.

Cost of the retreat is $45/member and $60/non-member.

Please register by sending an email to Meditate@imcnewburyport.org
————————————————————————————————
For more information, please visit the IMCN website http://www.imcnewburport.org

Finally this week I want to share a fascinating article from the current issue of Tricycle called “Whose Buddhism is Truest?” which talks about Buddhist texts discovered in the early 1990s from Gandhara — an ancient kingdom located in what is today northern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan — that actually pre-date the oldest existing Pali scriptures. So, does that make the newly-discovered manuscripts a more authoritative account of the Buddha’s teaching than previously-known Theravada and Mahayana texts? Read on….

http://www.tricycle.com/feature/whose-buddhism-truest

And that’s probably plenty for now; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on June 6, 2011 at 4:16 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 6/7/11 meditation group

Good morning! The Tueday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. We will welcome Ajahn David back from his Vesak trip to Houston as he joins us this week.

This week’s e-mail features a random assortment of links….

First up is the short (15min) film “Creating Sacred Space” about the development of a pan-Buddhist center in Lumbini, Nepal, the Buddha’s bithplace:

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/creating-sacred-space-birthplace-buddha

Next, Zen teacher Barry Magid writes about the growth potential in relationships in “No Gain” from the Summer 2008 issue of Tricycle:

http://www.tricycle.com/magazine/columns/relationships-no-gain

From last Fall’s Tricycle, Martine Batchelor takes a look at working with “mental patterning” in “Meditation, Mental Habits, and Creative Imagination”:

http://www.tricycle.com/online-retreats/meditation-mental-habits-and-creative-imagination

Author Dan Goleman (“Emotional Intelligence,” etc.) has popped up in a couple of places recently. Tricycle’s Monty McKeever recently sat down with Goleman for an interview about the brain and emotional intelligence:

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/brain-and-emotional-intelligence-interview-daniel-goleman

Meanwhile Shambhala Sun has posted Goleman’s article “Mindful Living: Shopping and Consuming” from the March 2010 issue:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3494

Goleman also makes a brief cameo in Tricycle’s interview with Mark Matousek in discussing Matousek’s new book, “Ethical Wisdom”:

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/ethical-wisdom-interview-mark-matousek

Finally this week, a work colleague of mine recently turned me on to Phillip Moffit’s weekly e-teachings distilled from his book “Dancing With Life”; you can sign up via his website, http://www.lifebalanceinstitute.com/dharmawisdom/year-of-dancing-with-life. Each teaching “contains a key passage from Dancing with Life with questions for further reflection and self-study. Once you’ve read the book, these teachings serve as a tool for remembering the Buddha’s 12 insights and encouraging you in your practice of the Four Noble Truths.”

For example:

——————————————————————————-
Teaching #1: The Truth of Suffering

The Buddha’s teaching of the Four Noble Truths begins with the injunction that if you are to attain liberation, you must understand and fully experience how your life is entwined and defined by “dukkha,” meaning your mental experiences of discomfort, pain, anxiety, stress, instability, inadequacy, failure, and disappointment, each of which is felt as suffering in your mind. This teaching is often referred to as the “Truth of Suffering.”

Chapter 3, Pg 27

For your reflection: Make a list of the different ways in which you experience suffering. Notice if there are certain areas of your life in which you are resistant to acknowledging the existence of suffering. Also think about your closest friends and the ways in which suffering shows up in their lives.

——————————————————————————-

Apparently there’s a study group at Cambridge Insight that has formed using Moffitt’s weekly teachings as a syllabus.

It says there are 52 teachings in all, but I was able to click through and my count comes to 88.

Well, that’s plenty of material for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow night!

Metta,
Tim
on May 31, 2011 at 1:11 am | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 5/31/11 meditation group

Good evening! I hope everyone has enjoyed a restful and safe holiday weekend. The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. I plan on reviewing some of the highlights from my recent retreat and study-retreat out at the Insight Meditation Society and Barre Center for Buddhist Studies. I’m sure Carrie and Brenda will also be happy to join me in answering any questions there may be about the experience of retreat life, especially at IMS.

One of the highlights of the weekend study-retreat at BCBS was the opportunity to get to hang out and chat with other individuals interested in dharma study, collectively representing a wide range of experience and practice, from relative newcomers (myself included!) to an older Sri Lankan woman who had spent quite a few years (decades?) as a monastic.

Among those in attendance was Dr. Judson Brewer, Medical Director at the Yale Therapeutic Neuroscience Clinic, who is actively involved in fMRI research on meditators in addition to his research on addiction, and Dr. Willoughby Britton of the Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University. One of the projects they’re involved in currently is the development of a measure of preferences and behaviors based on the classical Buddhist “personality types” to see if these map onto health and related outcomes. They are presently seeking volunteers to help validate this measure by answering two questionnaires (the first is 43 questions, the second is 100 questions) that will take roughly 30-40 minutes total to complete. The survey is online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/OtherTQ. Please feel free to forward the link to anyone who might be interested as *no* meditation background is required, and the more participants the merrier!

Dr. Britton is also teaching a 7-week course on “Meditation and the Brain: Applications in Basic and Clinical Science” at Brown’s Summer Contemplative Intensive:

“This class is a detailed exploration of the most recent neuroscientific research of meditation. The course explores the cognitive, affective, and neurophysiological effects of meditation practices with reference to their clinical applications in health, psychiatry and medicine. Current methodological challenges and directions for future research will also be explored.”

The course is definitely on the pricey side (~$3200!), but if anyone is interested, more information is available here:
http://www.brown.edu/ce/pre-college/catalog/course.php?id=545

The latest copy of BCBS’s “Full Moon Insight Journal” — as they begin to transition the wonderful “Insight Journal” to an electronic-only format — arrived in my e-mailbox shortly after I returned home. Andy Olendzki’s article “A Protestant Buddhism?” and Chip Hartranft’s “Did the Buddha Teach Satipatthana [Foundations of Mindfulness]?” are both worth a read:

“A Protestant Buddhism?”
http://www.dharma.org/bcbs/documents/2011InsightJournalEditorsEssayAProtestantBuddhismbyAOlendzki.pdf

“Did the Buddha Teach Satipatthana?”
http://www.dharma.org/bcbs/documents/2011InsightJournalDidtheBuddhaTeachSatipatthanabyChipHartranft.pdf

Finally, I want to provide links to the two articles Carrie mentioned at last week’s meditation:

Noah Levine’s “It Takes A Sangha” from the March 209 Shambhala Sun
http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=3338

Thich Nhat Hanh’s “The Fertile Soil of Sangha” from the Summer 2008 issue of Tricycle
http://www.tricycle.com/insights/fertile-soil-sangha

I also want to mention that I just put up a new post on the Kalyana Mitta Sangha blog:
http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/2011/05/26/the-unconditioned-love-happiness-and-freedom/

And if you haven’t checked out Carrie’s post from last month, I highly recommend it:
http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/2011/04/16/dharma-dharma-crosspost/

I think that’s all for now; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on May 23, 2011 at 3:51 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 5/24/11 meditation group

Greetings! I’ve just returned from my 10 days out in Barre — 7 at IMS and 3 at BCBS — and look forward to rejoining you all for this week’s meditation group, tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 at First Parish. Carrie is scheduled to lead the practice this week, but we may switch things up a bit depending on how she’s feeling following a minor medical procedure earlier in the day.

As metioned previously, the retreat and course were taught by Richard Shankman (along with Bob Stahl at IMS) who recently published his book “The Experience of Samadhi.” I can’t recommend it highly enough for those who are interested in the subject of samadhi (commonly translated as “concentration,” though Shankman prefers the term “undistractability”) and jhana (the progressive states of meditative “absorbtion”). I’m also happy to share as much or as little about both the retreat and BCBS class as people are interested, but suffice to say it was quite an enlightening — in a non-dharmic sense — experience.

Having been away for the past week and a half I haven’t developed much of a theme for this week’s links, but here a few that might be of interest:

A few weeks ago ABC News aired a couple of pieces on the relationship between meditation and “its efficacy in maintaining health and well being”; you can watch them here via SunSpace:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=21709

Coming back to basics this week (which I suppose is somewhat thematic), I want to share Sharon Salzberg’s “Instructions for Getting Started” from the May 2011 issue of Shambhala Sun, along with a short set of meditation instructions from Joseph Goldstein from the Winter 1993 issue of Tricycle, and finally a “Meditator’s Toolbox” of 21 tips from renowned teachers (across many traditions) from Tricycle’s Fall 2007 issue:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3693&Itemi

http://www.tricycle.com/brief-teachings/meditation-instructions

http://www.tricycle.com/feature/meditators-toolbox

Enjoy!

That’s all for this week; I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on May 23, 2011 at 2:53 am | Log in to Reply Tim Little

This is from Brenda rather than Tim, who is off at Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA on a retreat (http://dharma.org to see what they offer).

I will be leading meditation tonight.

I enjoyed this pithy, funny intro to meditation I got in email:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLjelIPg3ys

With Metta!
Brenda
on May 9, 2011 at 2:53 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 5/10/11 meditation group

Good morning! I am very happy to welcome Abhaya back to lead this week’s meditation group. We will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Again, this will be a wonderful occasion for Abhaya’s old students to reconnect and a special opportunity for new members of the medtiation group to meet our founding teacher.

I believe some of you had the chance to hear Kate Wheeler’s talk last week in Newton; well, this Sunday, May 15, Kate will return to IMC Newburyport for a day-long retreat on lovingkindness:

———————————————————————
Meeting life with loving kindness is an intention we may wish we could fulfill. It is also a skill we can develop through specific, simple, time tested meditation exercises. Today we will practice offering kindness and opening our hearts to ourselves equally with all others, including loved ones, people we may find difficult or distant, and ultimately toward all that lives. As we practice, we learn how to apply our kind intention as an appropriate response to each moment.

Cost of this Full Day retreat is $45/member and $60/non-member. It can also be taken as a half day retreat from 9am-12:30pm.

Soup will be provided for lunch. You are welcome to bring your own lunch if you prefer.

Please register in advance. Email Meditate@imcnewburyport.org or leave a message at the Center (978) 499-0325.
———————————————————————
I will actually be away on retreat myself from the 13th through the 22nd, first spending 7 nights at IMS with Richard Shankman and Bob Stahl, et al, focusing on the integration of concentration, mindfulness, and insight, followed by a weekend study-retreat down the road at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, where Richard will lead an investigation into “The Cultivation of Samadhi and Jhana in Buddhist Meditation”:

———————————————————————
There is a wide range of views, opinions and disagreements among teachers about the cultivation of samādhi (concentration) and jhāna (stages of concentration), and how to incorporate them into meditation practice. This weekend of teaching, discussion and practice will explain the various ways samādhi and jhāna are taught, and clarify their place in insight meditation. We will explore in detail such questions as: How does concentration fit into insight meditation? What are the samādhi stages known as jhāna? Are there two separate paths of meditation practice, concentration and insight, or one path that synthesizes the two into one practice? Is jhāna necessary for liberating insight? After examination of samādhi and jhāna in the source texts and how they are taught today by various teachers, we will explore how each can inform and enrich our meditation practice.
———————————————————————

I highly recommend reading Richard’s book, “The Experience of Samadhi” which is an excellent overview of the confusing and sometimes conflicting teachings on concentration:

———————————————————————
Dharma practice comprises a wide range of wise instructions and skillful means. As a result, meditators may be exposed to a diversity of approaches to the core teachings and the meditative path—and that can be confusing at times. In this clear and accessible exploration, Dharma teacher and longtime meditator Richard Shankman unravels the mix of differing, sometimes conflicting, views and traditional teachings on how samadhi (concentration) is understood and taught.

In part one, Richard Shankman explores the range of teachings and views about samadhi in the Theravada Pali tradition, examines different approaches, and considers how they can inform and enrich our meditation practice.

Part two consists of a series of interviews with prominent contemporary Theravada and Vipassana (Insight) Buddhist teachers. These discussions focus on the practical experience of samadhi, bringing the theoretical to life and offering a range of applications of the different meditation techniques.

http://www.shambhala.com/html/catalog/items/isbn/978-1-59030-521-8.cfm
———————————————————————

If interested, you can also check out some of Richard’s dharma talks a both Dharmaseed and Audio Dharma:

http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/146/

http://www.audiodharma.org/teacher/135/

Fans of Krista Tippett’s radio show “Being” may have heard this past week’s special Mother’s Day interview with one of Abhaya’s early teachers, Sylvia Boorstein. In this broadcast, “the Jewish-Buddhist teacher, mother, and grandmother speaks about loving and teaching children in a complex world.”

http://being.publicradio.org/programs/2011/what-we-nurture/

Finally, this I want to leave you with Susan Piver’s thoughtful response — which many of you may have already seen — to last week’s news of Osama Bin Laden’s death:

http://www.susanpiver.com/wordpress/2011/05/02/osama-bin-laden-is-dead-one-buddhists-response/

There have been many “Buddhist” responses here and there, but to me this is one that hits closest to home.

And with that I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow for a special evening of meditation and dharma discussion!

Metta,
Tim
on May 2, 2011 at 4:12 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 5/3/11 meditation group

Good morning! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Ajahn David will be with us once again for the evening’s practice and discussion.

I am also especially pleased to announce that next Tuesday, May 10, we will be joined by our group’s founding teacher, Abhaya Kopka, who is making a brief return to our neck of the woods. This is an excellent opportunity for her old students to reconnect and for (relative) newcomers to introduce themselves. I wholeheartedly encourage you to join us!

Meanwhile Kate Wheeler wraps up the 2011 Mindfulness lecture series at Newton Community Education this Wednesday, May 4. Kate, whom many of you may know from IMC Newburyport, CIMC and IMS, will speak on the topic of “Action, Attention, Insight: The Buddha’s Prescription for Lasting Change”:

———————————————————————
When we try to be healthier, more productive or kinder to ourselves and our environment, we are all too often frustrated by underlying impulses, attitudes, and feelings. Old habits stand in the way, apparently more solid than rocks. But if we learn to place a gentle attention directly onto these internal matters, they gradually reveal a fluid, malleable nature. As skill in attention grows, release becomes natural, a habit in itself. Kate Lila Wheeler will describe how the Buddha’s three-part training works as a master recipe to free ourselves from ‘acting out’ troublesome patterns.
———————————————————————
For registration please visit https://newtoncommunityed.org/viewDesc.php?CourseNumber=X5024-04

Speaking of IMCN, on Saturday, May 7, Matthew Daniell will kick off a three-part retreat series on “Befriending the Mind”:

———————————————————————
Guiding Teacher Matthew Daniell offers the first of a three part retreat series on ‘Befriending the Mind’. This first retreat will focus on Kindness and Compassion. The Buddha has said that ‘the mind can be our best friend and our worst enemy’. The basis of real friendship is accepting someone the way they actually are, not judging or manipulating them, but having an actual authentic relationship with them. When we split off parts of our minds (and heart) that we don’t like we are creating inner enemies. We often unconsciously act out of, or in opposition to these forces. Insight Meditation is the art of developing present moment awareness that sees these forces not as enemies, but as energies that we can feel, take responsibility for, even make good use of, and release.
In this retreat we will work with cultivating attitudes of kindness and compassion to ourselves, so helpful in the practice of looking into our own minds and hearts. You make take this as a single retreat or combine it with one or more in the series. The following 2 retreats are scheduled for June and will focus on ‘Body and Breath as Mindful Anchors’ and ‘Open Awareness & Healing the Heart’.

Cost of this Full Day retreat is $45/member and $60/non-member
———————————————————————

For registration and additional information on events going on at IMCN, please visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org

There are also a couple of articles I’d like to pass along this week.

First is a a report from the BBC on some fascinating new research out of New York Univeristy on meditaiton and neural networks:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12661646

Over on the SunSpace blog, writer Dennis Hunter’s plays with an interesting metaphor in his piece on “open-source Buddhism”:

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/towards-open-source-buddhism

I also recently reconnected with Judy Lief’s wonderful piece on “Letting Go” from the Spring 2006 issue of Tricycle:

http://www.tricycle.com/dharma-talk/letting-go

And from the Fall 2008 issue is Shaia Catherine’s “Equanimity in Every Bite,” excerpted from her book “Focused and Fearless”:

http://www.tricycle.com/insights/equanimity-every-bite

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening and also remind you to set aside next Tuesday especially as we welcome back Abhaya.

Metta,
Tim
on April 25, 2011 at 6:04 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 4/26/11 meditation group

Good afternoon! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Mike is scheduled to lead the practice this week.

There are a couple of events coming up this week:

On Wednesday evening, Ven. Tenzin Priyadarshi, Founding Director of The Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values at MIT and Buddhist chaplain, will deliver the penultimate talk in this year’s mindfulness lecture series at Newton Community Education. Ven. Priyadarshi will speak on “Mindfulness: Changing Our World”:

“All that we are is the result of what we have thought…All wrongdoing arises because of the mind. If the mind is transformed, can wrongdoing remain? Buddha Gautama Mindfulness as a meditation practice has nuances that range from simple momentary awareness to training one’s mind for a lifetime of wholesome awareness. In this talk Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi will discuss both traditional and modern applications of such practices that can help “rewire” our brains and be beneficial for our interactions in society.”

For tickets, please visit https://newtoncommunityed.org/viewDesc.php?CourseNumber=X5024-03

On Saturday, April 30, Larry Rosenberg will offer a morning retreat followed by a pot-luck luncheon and afternoon talk and discussion at IMC Newburyport. The focus of this retreat and talk will be on “Living Wisely in An Uncertain World”:

“Life is uncertain and changing in unpredictable ways. In these times the economy, the environment, our individual lives, are all changing, and in ways we can’t always control. In the face of such change how do we live skillfully, in relation to ourselves and others. In this half-day retreat (followed by lunch, a talk, and Q and A, which are separate events) periods of silent sitting and walking will be supported by dharma instruction and dialogue as we explore this timely and powerful theme under the expert guidance of Larry Rosenberg.”

For registration, please visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org

I’ve also come across a couple of videos to share this week.

First ABC News’ Dan Harris had the privilege of interviewing HH the Dalai Lama; the entire segment is only about 6 minutes long, but worth the look:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=21454

Meanwhile, Thanissaro Bhikkhu recently visted the Tricycle offices at which time he recorded the following guided mindful-breathing medtiation (~17 min):

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/watch-thanissaro-bhikkhu-leads-guided-meditation

Another short (10 minute) video features Jeremy Rifkin speaking on the “empathic civilization” — just something to reflect upon if you’re ever wondering if your practice (especially metta/lovingkindness) is doing any good:

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/04/earth-day-optimism-empathetic-civilization-video.php

And then finally in our video roll for the week is this trailer for the interesting-looking new documentary “Project Happiness”:

“Project Happiness is a new documentary film which seeks to uncover how we might find true happiness, instilling values that lead to happiness into our education. On-camera participants include the Dalai Lama, Richard Gere, George Lucas, neuroscientist Richard Davidson, and high school students from California, Nigeria and Dharamsala, India.”

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=21479

Last week I mentioned that I was enjoying Joseph Goldstein’s “Abiding in Mindfulness” CD series; this week I’d like to share this 1993 interview with Joseph from the Tricycle archives:

http://www.tricycle.com/special-section/empty-phenomena-rolling-on

And finally I just wanted to make note of “The Moment of Peace” — an interesting social media/meditation “event” coming up on June 18:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=7,10091,0,0,1,0

That’s all for now; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on April 18, 2011 at 9:36 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 4/19/11 meditation group

Afternoon greetings from Cleveland, and happy Marathon Monday (aka Patriots Day)! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish; Christine is scheduled to lead the practice this week.

Being on the road, I don’t have very much to pass along this week, but there are one or two items that may be of interest.

Last week Carrie and I (finally) made the trip down to Wat Buddhabhavana for Ajahn David’s Wednesday evening meditation class and to pay our respects on the occasion of his 74th birthday. We had a great time visiting with Ajahn on his “home turf” and were particularly impressed by the contingent of a dozen or so students from Westford Academy who have been regularly attending the Wednesday meditations. It’s great to see these young men and women taking so readily to the practice!

While we were at the temple I had the chance to pick up a copy of Thanissaro Bhikkhu’s “Noble Strategy: Essays on the Buddhist Path” — a slim volume published just this year. As is often the case, each of the essays also appears on the Access to Insight website:

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/index.html#noblestrategy

Carrie and I spent the the last two days making the trek westward out I-90. Along the way we enjoyed listening to the beginning of Joseph Goldstein’s “Abiding in Mindfulness” CD — 8 hours of teachings (rather than guided meditations) on the satipatthana sutta, the Buddha’s discourse on what are often referred to as the “foundations of mindfulness”. Joseph is a wonderful, down-to-earth teacher, and I look forward to hearing the rest of Volumes One and Two. I’ll have to look into tracking down the soon-to-be-released Volume Three when we get home. The entire series clocks in at nearly 37 hours, and all are published and available from Sounds True (who also have meditation CDs from Jack Kornfield, Sharon Salzberg, and others):

http://www.soundstrue.com/authors/Joseph_Goldstein/

Another CD set that recently caught my attention — and came to mind again the other day somewhere along the New York Thruway — is Michelle MacDonald’s “Awake at the Wheel: Mindful Driving”, available from More Than Sound:

http://www.morethansound.net/store/mindfulness-meditation/awake-at-the-wheel-mindful-driving-cd-set-/prod_225.html

This two-disc set “includes introductions to mindfulness meditation specific to driving, and nearly two hours of exercises that can be learned in the car and used anywhere to enliven the mind, awake the senses, and enjoy the journey again.”

You can check out Tricycle.com blogger Philip Ryan’s take here: http://www.tricycle.com/blog/awake-wheel

Well, that’s all for now; I hope everyone has a great practice tomorrow night and Carrie and I look forward to seeing you next Tuesday!

Metta,
Tim
on April 11, 2011 at 4:28 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 4/12/11 meditation group

Good afternoon! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet as usual tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish.

Also tomorrow evening from 7 to 9 is the second in Newton Community Education’s 2011 lecture series on Mindfulness. This week, Harvard Instructor Sara Lazar will speak on “The Changing Brain: Neural Mechanisms of Mindfulness Practice”:

“The relaxation and clarity we achieve while sitting is wonderful, but most people cite the impact practice has on everyday activities as the main reason they practice. How do these changes in mood and clarity persist throughout the day? Sara will present data from her own and others’ laboratories that is beginning to elucidate changes in brain structure and function that underlie some of the psychological changes meditators report. No previous knowledge of the brain is necessary to attend this session. Presentation will include sitting, talk/PowerPoint and Q&A.”

This should be quite fascinating, and I’d love to be there myself.

For registration and more information, please visit https://newtoncommunityed.org/viewDesc.php?CourseNumber=X5024-02

Coming up this Sunday, April 17, IMCN will host a daylong retreat led by Kate Wheeler on “Loving Kindness to Open Your Heart”:

Kate will guide participants “in following our intention to
meet life with loving kindness. This is a skill we can develop through
specific, simple, time tested meditation exercises. On Sunday we will
practice offering kindness and opening our hearts to ourselves equally
with all others, including loved ones, people we may find difficult or
distant, and ultimately toward all that live. As we practice, we learn
how to apply our kind intention as an appropriate response to each
moment.”

Please visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org to register.

Many of you will already be familiar with Toni Bernhard, author of “How to Be Sick”, from previous mention in these e-mails. Recently Toni has contributed a wonderful, short series on “dukkha” for Shambhala Sun’s SunSpace blog. You can find each installment by following these links:

“Deep Dukkha: Part 1 – The Truth About Suffering”
http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=21248

“Deep Dukkha: Part 2 – The Three Kinds of Suffering
http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=21250

“Deep Dukkha: Part 3 – A Practice to Alleviate Suffering”
http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=21253

Enjoy!

Meanwhile from the Tricycle archives comes this 2001 piece on “Making Time” in which six Buddhist practitioners share their insights for finding time for daily practice amidst busy lives:

http://www.tricycle.com/onpractice/making-time

And finally this week a short, must-read piece on “Samsara” from the inimitable Thanissaro Bhikkhu (aka “Than Geoff”):

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/samsara.html

That’s all for now; I hope to see all of you tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on April 4, 2011 at 4:05 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 4/5/11 meditation group

Good morning! The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Ajahn David will be with us this week for his monthly visit.

As noted a few weeks ago, Newton Community Education will kick off its annual mindfulness lecture series this Thursday evening, April 7, with Steve Armstrong speaking on “Mindfulness: Practicing Well-Being”:

————————————————————————–

Generosity, non-reactivity, integrity and truthfulness, qualities of an awakening mind, are useful to the extent we practice them. We all have the potential to express them through our actions and manifest them in the busy-ness of household life. Knowing the value of such wholesome qualities, recognizing their potential within our own heart and the decision to raise their pro!le on our to-do list leads to a greater sense of wellbeing. Even in the inevitably unstable conditions of our hectic lives.

Steve Armstrong has been studying and practicing the Buddha’s teachings since 1975. He co-founded the Vipassana Metta Foundation’s dharma hermitage on Maui and encourages development of all good human qualities. He offers a variety of Buddhist mindfulness practices designed to strengthen an unshakeable sense of well-being.

————————————————————————–

For registration and more information please visit http://www.newtoncommunityed.org

Meanwhile up in West Newbury, IMCN has a couple of events this coming weekend:

On Saturday, April 9th, a full-day insight meditation retreat on “Developing Calm in Formal and Daily Life Meditation” with Chas DiCapua.

On Sunday, April 10th, a full-day workshop on “Embodied Awareness Yoga and Meditation” with Kate Wheeler and Jeanne Ann Whittington.

————————————————————————–

In talking about this Retreat on Developing Calm in Formal and Daily Life Meditation Practice, Chas says “There are two main energies or faculties that we want to develop on our journey to freedom. One is that of awareness or mindfulness–knowing what’s going on. The other is calm or tranquility–a sense of deep ease and peace. In this day long retreat we will explore how to develop this faculty without striving or becoming attached to it. We’ll further explore how this calm can be a foundation for deeper concentration and awareness.”

Chas DiCapua started practicing meditation in the Soto Zen tradition in 1989. He sat his first Vipassana retreat at IMS in 1995. Since then he has practiced in the Theravada tradition in both the US and Asia . A recent graduate of the Spirit Rock/IMS Teacher Training Program, Chas is currently the Resident Teacher at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre , Massachusetts . He also teaches regularly at sitting groups and centers around the country. Chas is interested in how the basic material of our everyday lives, including relationships, can be used as a vehicle for awakening.

The Retreat starts at 9:00am and ends at 5:00pm The fee for members is $45.00 and $60.00 for non-members. Thanks to those who have registered and welcome to those who are thinking of coming. Please let us know as soon as you can if you plan to be there.

***

For the Workshop on Embodied Awareness: Yoga and Meditation Yoga teacher Jeanne Ann Whittington and Vipassana teacher Lila Kate Wheeler will collaborate, teaching this day in tandem. They say that this day-long workshop is designed to enhance awareness, and help distribute attention throughout the body. “We may have meditated for a long time and still be out of touch with vast areas of our physical life.” Seated meditations emphasizing the body and its posture will alternate with slow, easy Anusara-inspired meditative yoga sessions.

Yoga teacher Jeanne Ann Whittington and Vipassana teacher Lila Kate Wheeler will collaborate, teaching this day in tandem. They attended their first meditation retreat together in 1977. They have both been practicing meditation and yoga ever since. Jeanne Ann is an Anusara-inspired yoga teacher having completed Todd Norian’s Yoga Teacher Training in 2007 and Jenny Ottos’s Yoga Therapy Training in 2010. Kate was briefly ordained as a nun in Rangoon , Myanmar in the 1980’s and has been teaching retreats since the early 1990s. More recently she has assisted Sharon Salzberg at Loving-Kindness retreats at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre , MA . She completed a four year Vipassana teacher training in 2010 with Jack Kornfield.

The Workshop starts at 9:00am and ends at 4:30pm. The fee for members is $55.00 for members and $70.00 for non-members.

————————————————————————–

For registration and additional information, please visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org

The folks at IMCN are also starting up a bi-weekly reading/study group to meet on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month, with the first meeting next Thursday, April 14. Again, contact IMCN for more details.

Finally this week I want to leave you with two articles, first Bhikkhu Bodhi’s essay “Meeting the Divine Messengers” to which Carrie referred last week:

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bodhi/bps-essay_32.html

Second, Diana Winston’s short SunSpace post on “Mediation Practices in the Wake of Tragedy”:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=21299

That’s all for now; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on March 28, 2011 at 4:32 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 3/29/11 meditation group

Good afternoon! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Carrie will lead the practice this week.

Not too much to pass along this week other than some upcoming events at IMC Newburyport:

————————————————————————–

On Saturday, April 2nd, at IMCN Matthew Daniell will lead a Workshop
on Exploring Aging, Sickness and Death as Gateways to Living a Fuller
Life . The Buddha taught that old age, illness, and the inevitability
of death can be powerful positive teachers in our lives. In this
workshop format, inspired by ancient tradition, we will combine
reflection, and silent meditation. Matthew will offer periods of
presented material and guided meditation. Discussion will help us
explore how these universal themes can actually help wake us up to a
richer, more fulfilling life, right now. This workshop is designed for
people of all ages and can have different meanings for different
stages in life. We can experience the teachings of this workshop in
our day to day lives personally as we live and as we care for others
as they age.

All—beginning and seasoned meditators are welcome. The workshop runs
from 9:30am to 1:00pm. The fee is $45.00 for members and $55.00 for
non-members.

Chas DiCapua returns on Saturday, April 9th, to IMCN for a retreat on Developing Calm in Formal and Daily Life Meditation Practice.

On Sunday, April 10th Kate Wheeler and Jeanne Ann Whittington return
to offer a Workshop on Embodied Awareness: Yoga and Meditation.

April 27th Wednesday Special Evening from 7:00pm to 8:45pm on the
Refuges and Precepts led by Matthew Daniell

April 30th Saturday Special Event from 9:00am to 3:00pm on Living
Wisely in an Uncertain World led by Larry Rosenberg.

————————————————————————–

As always, please visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org for registration and/or additional information.

For those of you who haven’t been following the SunSpace blog over the past couple of months, Zen teacher Lewis Richmond has contributed a series of very short posts on the “Five Great Fears” that are worth checking out:

“Fear of Death”
http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=20595

“Fear of Illness”
http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=20729

“Fear of Losing One’s Mind”
http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=20797

“Fear of Loss of Livelihood”
http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=20799

and finally “Fear of Public Speaking” (really!)
http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=20801

Enjoy!

That’s all for today; I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on March 21, 2011 at 5:15 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 3/22/11 meditation group

Ah, early Spring in New England; seventy degree temperatures one day followed by snow the next. Impermanence! Well, come rain or come shine, the Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Mike is scheduled to lead the practice this week.

Last week’s conversation between Bob Agoglia and Steve Armstrong inspired me to finally listen to a couple of other IMS teacher interviews that I’ve had hanging around for a while.

The first (~18 minutes) goes back to last February when Bob sat down with Rebecca Bradshaw to discuss “karmic knots” — the emotional patterns that play out throughout our lives despite years of formal practice:

http://www.dharma.org/ims/mp3/Rebecca_Bradshaw_-_Karmic_Knots.mp3

In the second (~15 minutes), from August 2009, Larry Rosenberg talks about mindfulness in our daily lives:

http://www.dharma.org/ims/mp3/Larry_Rosenberg_Interview_Aug2009.mp3

I also found this to be a timely excerpt from Larry’s online retreat offered last fall at Tricycle.com:

“The Weather is Just the Weather”
http://www.tricycle.com/online-retreats/weather-just-weather

That’ll be all for this week; I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow!

Metta,
Tim
on March 14, 2011 at 4:09 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 3/15/11 meditation group

Greetings! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Sue will lead the practice this week.

There are a few upcoming events I want to make sure don’t go unnoticed:

A couple of weeks ago I received a brochure for the 2011 edition of Newton Community Education’s annual mindfulness lecture series. This year’s speakers will be Steve Armstrong, Sarah Lazar, Tenzin Priyardarshi, and Lila Kate Wheeler.

Steve will lead things off on Thursday, April 7, with a discussion on “Mindfulness: Practicing Well-Being”. The following Tuesday, April 12, Harvard Medical School’s Lazar will speak on “The Changing Brain: The Neural Mechanisms of Mindfulness Practice”. On Wednesday, April 27, MIT’s Buddhist Chaplain, Tenzin Priyardarshi, will speak on mindfulness as “A Lifetime of Wholesome Awareness”. Kate Wheeler will close things on May 4 with a talk on “Action, Attention, Insight: The Buddha’s Prescription for Lasting Change”.

For more information, please see https://newtoncommunityed.org/mindfulness_lecture_series_Spring2011.pdf

Steve Armstrong will also be at IMS next month (April 8-17) leading a retreat on the theme of “Awareness: Pure and Simple”. He recently connected with IMS Executive Director Bob Agoglia for a short (13 min) conversation on the topic:

http://www.dharma.org/ims/mp3/Steve_Armstrong-Awareness_Pure_and_Simple.mp3

Coming up this Saturday, March 19, in Newburyport Matthew Daniell will offer a day-long retreat on “A Quiet Place of Rest, and the Art of Opening into Life”:

————————————————————————–

Often we build walls to protect ourselves from inner wounds and the business of daily life, but find little rest. The Buddha taught that when we bring attention mindfully to the present moment over time we learn to calm the heart and touch a quiet place of rest inside. From this place we can then expand the boundaries of practice to include all that makes up our life in any given moment, including seeing into and through walls of resistance and pain that no longer serve us. As we learn to meet the moment in a wholehearted way we find we can touch inner quiet in the midst of daily business and open more fully into life. In this retreat we will explore how.

————————————————————————–

The fee for the full day, 9am to 5pm, is $45.00 for members and $60.00 for non-members; OR for the half day, 9am to 12:30pm the fee is $30.00 for members and $37.00 for non-members.

For registration and additional information, please visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org

Finally this week, a very short, classic story from Joseph Goldstein related via Tricycle.com: “Dharma Combat: Roshi vs. Rinpoche”:

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/dharma-combat-roshi-vs-rinpoche

That’s all for now, I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow night!

Metta,
Tim
on March 7, 2011 at 4:05 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 3/8/11 meditation group

Good morning! The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Brenda will lead the practice this week.

I want to lead off by sharing the YouTube link to the video Ajahn David mentioned last week of Ajahn Mangkone’s recent trip to Laos:

Many of you will also recall the photos from Ajahn Mangkone’s trip a couple of years ago:

http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/2009/05/11/photos-from-ajahn-david/

The “Dharma Gem of the Week” is Sharon Salzberg’s Tricycle article “Sticking With It” excerpted from “Real Happiness”; great stuff, great advice, as always:

http://www.tricycle.com/practice/sticking-it

Sharon also has a new blurb, “Opening the Heart with Lovingkindness,” up at the Huffington Post:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sharon-salzberg/lovingkindness_b_830380.html

Speaking of blog posts, I want to thank Matt T. for pointing out this post on self-compassion that appeared last week on the New York Times website:

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/28/go-easy-on-yourself-a-new-wave-of-research-urges/?hpw

The piece features Chris Germer’s colleague, Kristin Neff, who will have her own book on self-compassion published next month.

In upcoming events:

—————————————————————————

Chas DiCapua will be back at IMCN this Saturday, March 12th for a full day Retreat on the theme of ‘How to Practice with the Thinking Mind’.

The Buddha taught Satipatthana or the four foundations of mindfulness. The third foundation of mindfulness is that of the mind which includes thoughts and emotions.

Learning how to incorporate mindfulness of thoughts into our meditation practice is one of the most important skills a person on this path can develop.

And yet, how to effectively work with thoughts so that they become a vehicle for awakening is often lacking for many meditators. This day long retreat aims to remedy this situation.

————————————————————————–

The retreat starts at 9am and ends at 5pm. The fee for the full day for members is $45.00 and non-members $60.00. IMCN will provide soup for lunch but you may want to bring a snack or sandwich.

For registration and additional information, please visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org

Finally this week I want to share a short article (and video) from my high school alma mater’s March alumni e-newsletter:

http://www.brooksschool.org/podium/default.aspx?t=204&nid=587204&rc=0

I find it really quite remarkable that Brooks now has a “meditation and mindfulness guest lecture series”. That’s not anything I ever would have imagined existing at the school while I was a student… nor would I have ever imagined myself being intersted such a thing. How times change! Kudos to the young men taking the initiative on this.

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on February 28, 2011 at 6:00 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 3/1/11 meditation group

Good afternoon! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Being the First Tuesday of the month, Ajahn David will join us for meditation and dhamma chat.

Many of you are already aware of Ajahn’s long-standing involvement with meditation programs at the Devens and Norfolk prisons. Well, earlier this month the national media turned the spotlight back onto a similar program at the Donaldson Correctional Facility in Alabama feautred in the 2008 documentary film “The Dhamma Brothers”.

NPR aired a nice 7-minute piece on Morning Edition back on February 8:

http://www.npr.org/2011/02/08/133505880/at-end-of-the-line-prison-an-unlikely-escape?sc=emaf

The AP had a shorter (2 min) video clip:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=20450

If you haven’t seen the film yet, I *highly* encourage checking it out:

http://www.dhammabrothers.com/

Also speaking of Ajahn’s visit, a curious little book recently caught my eye: “What’s What in a Wat: Thai Buddhist Temples”. Tricycle gives a short synopsis here:

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/whats-what-wat-thai-buddhist-temples

Sharon Salzberg’s book tour continues, but I just wanted to bring your attention to her recent interview with blogger Danny Fisher via Shambhala Sun:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=20741

Finally this weekend at IMC Newburyport:

On Sunday, March 6th, Matthew Daniell offers a Half Day Retreat from 10:00am to 1:00pm on Exploring Impermanence (Anicca): Coming to Understand the World in which We Live. Impermanence or change isn’t something that happens to experience. It is experience itself. As such, impermanence is an important gateway to understanding the teachings of the Buddha. In this 1/2 day long retreat, we will use mindfulness of our moment to moment experience as a vehicle for becoming intimate with change. Both sitting and walking instructions will be geared towards helping the retreat participants recognize that as we look at our experience, we are looking at change. Depending on the quality of the seeing, change can set us free. Beginners are welcome to attend as well as seasoned practitioners.

For registration and more information, please visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org

That’s all for this week; Carrie and I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow night!

Metta,
Tim
on February 21, 2011 at 4:37 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 2/22/11 meditation group

Greetings once again from wintry Cleveland! I hope everyone is having a safe and relaxing holiday weekend. The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Christine will lead the practice this week.

I have a couple of video links to pass along this week, the first two are TED talks via the Charter for Compassion website.

Old favorite, science writer Robert Wright gives a great presentation on the evolution of compassion:

http://charterforcompassion.org/learn/talks/robert-wright

And Robert Thurman adds a little Tibetan flavor in a talk given at the Chautauqua Institute on expanding our circle of compassion:

http://charterforcompassion.org/learn/talks/tenzin-robert-thurman

Sharon Salzberg was featured this past weekend on PBS’s Religion and Ethics Newsweekly; you can watch a couple of short (3 min each) excerpts here:

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/february-18-2011/meditation/8188/

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/by-topic/sharon-salzberg-on-meditation/8119/

Sharon was interviewed earlier in the week by Dan Harris for ABC News’ “Belief” series (via SunSpace, 8min):

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=20707

Elisha Goldstein, co-author of “A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook”, also has a print interview with Sharon on the Huffington Post:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/elisha-goldstein-phd/how-to-get-real-happiness_b_822442.html

Coming up this Sunday, February 27, Kate Wheeler will return to IMC Newburyport for a day long retreat “focusing on A Day of Being Ordinary. She says that with his second noble truth, the Buddha instructed us to abandon craving. But often we unconsciously develop craving for results in our meditation practice.”

This retreat will emphasize a non-manipulative attitude, working
with a focus on the breath or body and gradually opening to an
unstructured awareness of whatever is taking place moment to moment.
This practice of being open and present is a particularly good for
carrying awareness into daily life. Beginners are welcome.

For registration and more information, please visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org

That’s all for now; Carrie and I look forward to rejoining you in a couple of weeks!

Metta,
Tim
on February 14, 2011 at 6:18 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 2/15/11 meditation group

Happy Valentine’s Day! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Please note that with the remaining snow drifts, parking may be tight. I believe that overflow parking behind the Old Town Hall is also *unavailable* until further notice.

In case you missed it a couple of weeks ago, Krista Tippett on Being rebroadcast her 2009 interview with John Kabat-Zinn on the science of mindfulness:

http://being.publicradio.org/programs/2011/opening-to-our-lives/

In a similar vein, Tricycle also delved into their archives recently to come up with this gem of a conversation between Sharon Salzberg and Daniel Goleman:

http://www.tricycle.com/interview/i-feel-your-brain

More on this subject in coming weeks….

I did make it to Sharon’s benefit workshop at CIMC on Saturday morning. Even though I was in the overflow audio-only section in the basement, it was well worth attending to hear her discuss the motivation for writing her latest book, “Real Happiness”, and answer questions from the workshop participants. Sharon just exudes joy. Kudos to the CIMC staff for making it work well.

The CIMC event kicked off Sharon’s book tour, which will take her to 11 cities by the end of February. This following her annual 9-night Metta retreat at IMS, of course.

The basis for the book was an answer to the question “Why meditate?” and is aimed at newcomers to meditation and follows a 28-day program. A number of individuals are blogging their progress through the program:

http://www.sharonsalzberg.com/realhappiness/bloggers

Sharon had originally planned to call the book “Why Meditate?” but unfortunately her friend and colleague Matthieu Ricard had just published his own book by that title a few months earlier.

Speaking of Matthieu Ricard, by the way, I strongly reccomend his 2006 article from the Shambhala Sun, “Why Can’t ‘I’ Be Happy?”:

http://shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2938&Itemid=0

Finally, in honor of the day, I would like to leave you with Ayya Khema’s short article “What Love Is”:

http://www.tricycle.com/dharma-talk/what-love

Enjoy!

I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow!

Metta,
Tim
on February 8, 2011 at 12:03 am | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 2/8/11 meditaiton group

Greetings! The Tuesday evening meditation group at First Parish will meet tomorrow from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel. Sue will lead the practice this week.

As many of you know, I’m a big fan of Krista Tippett and her public radio shows “Speaking of Faith”, now “Being”. Well, the guys over at Buddhist Geeks recently turned the microphone toward Krista herself as their guest last week:

“Krista begins the discussion by sharing how she went from being the chief aide to the US Ambassador in Germany, during the cold war era, to asking deep spiritual and ethical questions. This questioning led her to study theology at Yale, and then sometime after start her current show, which started off with the title, ‘Speaking of Faith.’ She also shares how she first was introduced to meditation and contemplative practice, and where those practices has taken her since.

“Finally, we close the interview by exploring the ‘re-integration of our inner selves and outer lives.’ Krista shares how she creates a space to bring out the wisdom of re-integration with her guests on Being, inviting them into ‘conversations of the soul.’”

http://www.buddhistgeeks.com/2011/01/bg-206-carving-out-a-life-of-meaning/

In other news, Chas DiCapua will be back up at IMC Newburyport this Sunday, February 13, leading a day-long retreat on “Understanding the Role of Mindfulness and Concentration in Meditation Practice”:

“He will explore with us how the development of these two very important mental factors are needed on the path to liberation of the heart and mind. Yet, developing them alone is not enough. It is important to know how they can support and strengthen each other, and ultimately how they need to work together. Like dogs pulling a sled, it works best when they are all pulling together, at the same time, and in the same direction. In alternating periods of walking and sitting meditation we will practice both mindfulness and concentration with Chas’s guidance.

“has DiCapua began practicing in 1989 in the Zen tradition. In 1995 he
started Insight Meditation practice and has worked extensively with
Joseph Goldstein and other leading teachers. Since 2003 Chas has been
the resident teacher at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA.
He also teaches at other centers in New England.

“The Retreat starts at 9:00am and ends at 5:00pm. The fee for members
is $45.00 and $60.00 for non-members. For those who want to attend for
a half day from 9:00am to 12:30pm the fee is $30 for members and
$37.00 for non-members.”

Please visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org for registration and/or additional information.

Also, Kate Wheeler will be back in Newburyport on February 27 to lead a retreat with the intriguing-sounding theme “A Day of Being Ordinary”. Stay tuned!

Finally, I wanted to pass along the Buddhist Channel’s obituary of Ajahn Maha Boowa, who died recently at age 98. “Luang Tu Maha Bua” was along with Ajahn Chah one of the foremost students of the late Ajahn Mun, who is credited with establishing the “Thai Forest” tradition:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=9,9864,0,0,1,0

Philip Ryan at Tricycle adds a few related links here:

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/passing-venerable-acariya-maha-boowa

You can read Luang Tu’s biography of Venerable Ajaan Khao Analayo via Forest Dhamma Books:

http://www.forestdhammabooks.com/index.php?page=View&book=1&file=book/5/html/index.html

And as Philip suggests, more writings can be found over at Access to Insight:

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/thai/boowa/

That’s all for now; I’m finally back in town (at least for couple of weeks) and look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on January 31, 2011 at 5:17 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 2/1/11 meditation group

Good afternoon! The Tuesday evening meditation group is scheduled to meet tomorrow from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Ajahn David will join the group for practice this week. In the event of (more) inclement weather causing a cancellation, Brenda will let you know.

I just wanted to pass along a couple of things this week:

First, Kate Wheeler and Jeanne Ann Whittington will lead a day-long workshop on “Embodied Awareness: Yoga and Meditation” this Sunday, February 6, at IMC Newburyport:

—————————————————————————

This day-long workshop is designed to enhance awareness, and help
distribute attention throughout the body. We may have meditated for a
long time and still be out of touch with vast areas of our physical
life. Seated meditations emphasizing the body and its posture will
alternate with slow, easy Anusara-inspired meditative yoga sessions.

Yoga teacher Jeanne Ann Whittington and Vipassana teacher Lila Kate
Wheeler will collaborate, teaching this day in tandem. They attended
their first meditation retreat together in 1977. They have both been
practicing meditation and yoga ever since. Jeanne Ann is an
Anusara-inspired yoga teacher having completed Todd Norian’s Yoga
Teacher Training in 2007 and Jenny Ottos’s Yoga Therapy Training in
2010. Kate was briefly ordained as a nun in Rangoon, Myanmar in the
1980’s and has been teaching retreats since the early 1990s. More
recently she has assisted Sharon Salzberg at Loving-Kindness retreats
at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA. She completed a four
year Vipassana teacher training in 2010 with Jack Kornfield.

Previous yoga and meditation experience is not necessary but some
meditation experience will enhance the experience of the day. The
Center will provide mats and blocks or you may bring your own.

While we have never had to turn away anyone who comes to the Center at
the last minute, we encourage you to register ahead to reserve your
space.

We are limited to 20 people and have 10 registered now.

The fee for the day for members is $55.00 and $70.00 for non-members.

The Workshop starts at 9:00am and ends at 4:30pm. Please register now.

We will provide soup but you may want to bring a snack or sandwich.

If you have questions… call Maria Van Dusen at 978-499-0325 or Carolyn
Davis at 978-407-7256

—————————————————————————

As some of you know already, Carrie and I have been quite effusive in our praise for the book “How To Be Sick: A Buddhist-Inspired Guide for the Chronically Ill and Their Caregivers” by Toni Bernhard. Toni imparts a lot of practical wisdom in relating her story about learning to “be with” a chronic illness rather than just “being sick”.

Toni appeared on NPR’s “Morning Edition” today in a 3-minute piece called “Learning to Live a Full Life With Chronic Illness”:

http://www.npr.org/2011/01/31/132675079/learning-to-live-a-full-life-with-chronic-illness?sc=emaf

We’ve also come across a couple of links featuring Toni that we highly recommend:

The first is a talk Toni gave (I believe) at the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, CA, back in October. This is a nice hour-long overview of the book and includes a great q&a session at the end:

http://www.audiodharma.org/teacher/187/

The next is a recording of a conversation (also about an hour) betweeen Toni and Sylvia Boorstein, who wrote the foreword to the book. (Disclaimer: We haven’t actually had a chance to listen to this one yet, but anything that involves Sylvia is sure to be a gem!)

http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/174/talk/10358/

Toni also sat down a few months ago for a brief (11 min.) conversation with Shambhala Sun web editor Rod Meade Sperry:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=18289

Each of these is a great complement to the book whether you’ve already
read it or are currently doing so, or as an introduction if this is
the first time you’re hearing about “How To Be Sick”.

Finally, be sure to check out Toni’s own website http://howtobesick.com/

Enjoy!

That’s all for this week; things continue to go well here in Cleveland. Carrie, of course, will be here through at least the end of February. I will be back in the Boston area for a couple of weeks starting this weekend and look forward to seeing you all for meditation on February 8.

Metta,
Tim
on January 24, 2011 at 6:44 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 1/25/11 meditation group

Greetings from snowy Cleveland! Barring inclement weather, the meditation group will meet in the Chapel at First Parish tomorrow evening at 7:30. Brenda is scheduled to lead the practice this week.

I just have a couple of links to pass along this week, foremost being Shambahala Sun’s spotlight on Pema Chodron:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=28&Itemid=105

Ani Pema is a wonderful teacher in the Tibetan tradition; I’m sure you will find a gem somewhere amongst her writings.

The other link is an old Tricycle interview with Joseph Goldstein, discussing his training and in particular his experience doing both Vipassana and Dzogchen practice:

http://www.tricycle.com/node/31821?offer=dharma

All continues to go amazingly well here so far as Carrie continues her recovery. Thanks so much for all of your well-wishes and support!

I have found Insight Meditation of Cleveland, which meets about 30 minutes away at the Unitarian church in Shaker Heights, however we’re not quite yet at the point of checking it out in person. There’s also a Zen group that meets at another Unitarian church a little closer by.

We hope to see Abhaya sometime during the first week of February as she takes a somewhat circuitous detour through Cleveland en route to her next retreat at Spirit Rock.

That’s all for this week; we’ll be thinking of you on Tuesday evening! For those who are interested in getting direct updates on Carrie’s recovery, please visit Lotsahelpinghands.org “Caring for Carrie”.

Metta,
Tim

PS — Stay warm!!
on January 17, 2011 at 9:08 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 1/18/11 meditation group

Hi All,

Your weekly reminder of the 7:30 Meditation practice as First Parish in Chelmsford. The practice will be led by Sue.

Tim (who usually does these reminders) is out in Cleveland with Carrie as she continues her recovery from lung transplant, just a little over a week ago — a modern miracle, still in progress….

Tim sends greetings from Carrie and from himself, continuing to express gratitude for all the good wishes, metta, kind thoughts that have helped sustain them. He also sent a list of upcoming events at the Insight Meditation Center of Newburyport, where he and Carrie have attended many events.
(www.IMCNewburyport.org)

Sunday, January 23rd Retreat:
Giving and Receiving with Kate Wheeler

The Buddha instructed practitioners to cultivate> generosity as a foundation for goodness, dignity, joy, and well-being. But what is true generosity? We will practice breath awareness, as a basic example of giving and receiving and we will also hear some of the teachings from the suttas. We will explore pragmatic attitudes and learn how to distinguish giving from a guilt trip, selfishness from self-care. Do we habitually under-give or over-give? Is giving to ourselves included? Some small act of service may be requested of you as part of the day’s exploration. Beginners as well as seasoned practitioners are welcome to attend.

Sunday, February 6th Workshop:
Embodied Awareness Yoga and Meditation with Kate Wheeler and Jeanne Ann Whittington

The next 5-class Monday evening session, Introduction to Insight Meditation, begins January 17th at 7pm

One more tidbit — a brief (six minute) ABC interview with Stephen Batchelor, author of Confession of a Buddhist Atheist

And not to forget — there are pointers to many wonderful resources on our own website: http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com

I hope to see you Tuesday at 7:30!

Brenda
on January 10, 2011 at 6:57 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 1/11/11 meditation group

Good afternoon and greetings from Cleveland! The meditation group is scheduled to meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Mike will lead the practice this week. In the event of inclement weather, Brenda will let you know of cancellation.

Those of you who were at meditation last week received from Ajahn David a couple of pamphlets of teachings by the late Thai monk Buddhadasa Bhikkhu. Buddhadasa was an extremely prolific author. I remember at a BCBS forum a few years back Don Swearer (?) said that the English-language translations comprised something 70 volumes, and filled the length of several meeting tables.

In any event there are a number of good links on Buddhadasa that are worth checking out.

Suan Mokh (“The Garden of Liberation”) is Buddhadasa’s meditation center in southern Thailand and has a bunch of interesting information:

http://suanmokkh.org/

There is a three-part bio-documentary (~30min total) on Buddhadasa available on YouTube:

(Don’t worry about the Thai-language title; the film seems to have been dubbed into English.)

The website “What the Buddha Taught” has a pretty solid collection of Buddhadasa’s writings (in addition to teachings from other meditation masters, primarily from the Theravada tradition):

http://www.what-buddha-taught.net/

Finally, our friend Matthieu Ricard was recently interviewed (~8 min.) by ABC News’ Dan Harris:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=20059

Ricard’s 2006 Shambhala Sun piece “Why Can ‘I’ Be Happy” is also up via SunSpace:

http://shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2938&Itemid=0

That’s about all for this week. For those who aren’t receiving updates via Lotsahelpinghands.com, Carrie is doing well following her double lung transplant on Friday. I hope to have more in the way of news later this afternoon. Brenda will be happy to provide status reports as things go along.

I hope to be back in a couple of weeks before returning to Cleveland, but in the meantime please know that your support and healing thoughts are very much felt and appreciated.

Metta,
Tim
on January 3, 2011 at 5:46 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 1/4/11 meditation group

Happy New Year! The meditation group will kick off 2011 with practice from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish. Ajahn David is scheduled to join us this week.

For whatever reason it seems like I’ve run into quite a bit about mindfulness of the body recently.

Tricycle has a couple of articles by Sylvia Boorstein, “Body As Body” and “The Wisdom of Discomfort”:

http://www.tricycle.com/dharma-talk/body-body

http://www.tricycle.com/-cushion/wisdom-discomfort

Susan Smally and Diana Winston offer some words of wisdom on working with pain and suffering in “Suffering Is Optional” via Shambhala Sun:

http://shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3637&Itemid=0

Zen teacher Sallie Tisdale provides a slightly different perspective in “Washing Out Emptiness”:

http://www.tricycle.com/feature/washing-out-emptiness

Moving along, short interviews with Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein have appeared on the Sun Space blog recently, Sharon discusses “Real Happiness” with Rod Meade Sperry and Joseph offering some thoughts on “uncovering mindfulness” in conversation with Danny Fisher:

Sharon: http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=19652

Joseph: http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=19975

Finally, the deadline for early registration has passed, but anyone interested in attending the UUBF (Unitarian Universalist Buddhist Fellowship) convocation at the Garrison Institute this April can certainly still do so. For more information visit http://www.uubf.org

That’s all for this week. As you may know already, although her condition is improving, Carrie’s still hospitalized. It’s unclear yet if we’ll be able to make it to meditation this week. Hopefully at least one of us, if not both, will see you all tomorrow evening.

Metta,
Tim
on December 27, 2010 at 4:49 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 12/28/10 meditation group

Greetings on this wintry Monday morning! I hope everyone is weathering the storm. Unless you hear otherwise in the meantime, the meditation group will still meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Christine will ring out 2010 by leading the practice this week.

A couple of short articles to share:

Alan Lokos on the practice of “letting go”:
http://www.tricycle.com/online-retreats/lighten-your-load

Ezra Baya on “What Blocks Happiness”, an excerpt from his new book:
http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=19546

And a two-part post on “The Lessons of Gratitude” by Thanissaro Bhikkhu via the SunSpace blog:

Part 1: http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=19856

Part 2: http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=19864

Thank Geoff, incidentally, will be leading a 4-week Tricycle video retreat on the Ten Perfections starting a week from today:

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/coming-january-3rd-ten-perfections-retreat-thanissaro-bhikkhu

Finally, Tricycle recommends a link to Buddhisthumor.org, which looks like a great site to poke around on an otherwise snowy Monday:

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/buddhist-humor-online-buddhisthumororg

I know it’s been a few weeks since Carrie and I have seen everyone, and it looks like it will be at least one more. Carrie went inpatient at BWH yesterday for a minor procedure and some overnight testing (all semi-scheduled); however, there were some minor complications with the procedure this morning so they want to hang on to her for a few days longer than anticipated.

We look forward to seeing everyone soon, and wish you all a happy, safe, and healthy new year!

Metta,
Tim
on December 20, 2010 at 10:53 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 12/21/10 meditation group

Good evening! Apologies for the belated reminder; the meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish.

I have just a couple of things to share this week:

First, Sharon Salzberg was last week’s guest on Buddhist Geeks, speaking about her latest book “Real Happiness”:

http://www.buddhistgeeks.com/2010/12/bg-199-the-buddhas-enlightenment-solved-his-problem/

Sharon also recently revamped her own website http://www.sharonsalzberg.com; definitely stop by to check it out if you get a moment.

The TED talk on empathy Ajhan David mentioned a couple of weeks ago can be seen via Treehugger.com:

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/12/empathy-most-important-survival-skill-21st-century-video.php

Plus a couple more TED talks worth listening to:

Dan Goleman on compassion — http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/daniel_goleman_on_compassion.html

Robert Thurman says we can all be Buddhas –
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/bob_thurman_says_we_can_be_buddhas.html

In the spirit of the season, there was a short, fun piece in the Christian Science Monitor on Buddhists celebrating Christmas in Thailand:

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News/2010/1210/In-Thailand-Buddhists-love-Christmas-too?sms_ss=email&at_xt=4d07d5303435d958%2C0

Finally, I’m sure some of you have already seen the article on leadership in Milwaukee’s BizTimes.com inspired by Ajahn David’s recent retreat:

http://www.biztimes.com/news/2010/12/10/leadership-lessons-from-a-buddhist-monk

That’s all for now; I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow evening and hope that you all have a happy and safe holiday!

Metta,
Tim
on December 14, 2010 at 1:00 am | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 12/14/10 meditation group

Dear friends,

We’ll be having our usual Tuesday night practice from 7:30-9:30. Mike will be the practice leader.

In Tim’s absence, I’ll post a few of my favorite dharma websites you can explore:

http://www.dharma.org (Barre Retreat Center and Barre Center for Buddhist Studies)
http://cimc.info (Cambridge Insight Mediation Center information and schedule)
http://audiodharma.org (Many good audio dharma talks)h
http://www.imcnewburyport.com/
http://accesstoinsight.com

Hope to see you tomorrow!

Brenda
on December 6, 2010 at 4:53 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 12/7/10 meditation group

Greetings! The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish; we’ll once again welcome Ajahn David to join us to lead the practice and discussion.

The Charter for Compassion recently celebrated it’s first anniversary, an occasion marked by a special event organized by the United Nations Special Office for Partnerships.

You can watch all 2 hours of the proceedings — speakers including Krista Tippett and Karen Armstrong — via the UN’s website:

http://www.unmultimedia.org/tv/webcast/2010/11/security-council-meeting-bosnia-and-herzegovina-english.html

You can also view a much shorter (2 min) video about the charter here:

or visit the website for the Charter for Compassion:

http://charterforcompassion.org/site/

Matthieu Ricard also took the opportunity to offer a few words in honor of the occasion, which you can view here:

In upcoming events a little closer to home, this Sunday, December 12, from 9:30am to 1:00pm Matthew Daniell will lead a workshop at IMC Newburyport on “Practice as Relationship, Relationship as Practice”:

—————————————————————————
To be alive is to be related. In this workshop Matthew will guide us
in investigating this fact as an invitation to wakefulness. Drawing
from the wisdom of short classical teachings we will explore through
silent meditation, dharma presentation, and discussion how bringing
careful moment by moment attention to our relationship with ourselves,
others, and all that we encounter can help us to live more freshly,
fully, and skillfully in the here and now.

Please note that this offering will be in the form of a workshop, not
a retreat, and includes more discussion than the usual retreat. This
is another way to deepen our practice and explore its relevance to
daily life in an interactive as well as contemplative format inspired
by ancient tradition.
—————————————————————————

For registration and/or more information, please visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org

Finally, this week I’ll leave you with a short interview with B. Alan Wallace on the meaning of mindfulness. Good stuff:

http://www.tricycle.com/interview/mindful-balance-0

That’s all for now; I look forward to seeting everyone tomorrow night.

Metta,
Tim

PS — Remember to dress warmly!
on November 29, 2010 at 4:51 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 11/30/10 meditation group

Good morning! I hope everyone had a safe and joyous Thanksgiving holiday. The meditation group will meet from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish. Carrie plans to celebrate her 33rd birthday by leading the practice tomorrow evening.

As the calendar page turns from November to December, our predominant cultural vibe shifts from gratitude and thanksgiving towards generosity and gift-giving. In the Buddhist tradition gratitude and generosity are closely linked, of course, and so I follow last week’s focus on the former with several fine articles on generosity, as the Pali word “dana” is commonly translated.

This summer Tricycle published a special section on “Generosity (and Greed)”, opening with short reflections on the subject from a number of teachers:

http://www.tricycle.com/special-section/generosity-and-greed-introduction

“Dana: The Practice of Giving” was published in the Summer 2003 issue of Tricycle and features commentary from several teachers including Andrew Olendzki, Marcia Rose, Robert Aitken Roshi, and Judy Lief:

http://www.tricycle.com/-practice/special-section-dana-the-practice-giving?page=0,0

This past summer, Thanissaro Bhikkhu offered his commentary “No Donation Required” in Buddhadharma:

http://bdtest1.squarespace.com/web-archive/2010/8/6/no-donation-required.html

He develops this theme a bit further in “No Strings Attached: The Buddha’s Culture of Generosity”:

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/nostringsattached.html

You can also read Than Geoff’s translation of the Dana Sutta at Access to Insight:

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an06/an06.037.than.html

Finally, an oldish article from the Christian Science Monitor on scientific research suggesting that “giving leads to a happier, healthier life”:

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0725/p13s02-lire.html

Moving right along….

Coming up this Saturday, December 4, Chas DiCapua will be up at IMC Newbujryport leading a retreat on “Balancing Tranquility and Calm with Effort and Investigation”.

“So much of our mindfulness practice hinges on these factors being in balance. Too much calm and not enough energy results in sleepiness and a dreamy state that is pleasant, but not fully connected. Too much energy and not enough calm lead to restlessness and striving. We’ll explore in our own meditation experience what it feels like when these factors of mind are in balance, as well as how it feels and how to work with them when they are out of balance.”

For registration and more information, please visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org

Last but not least, the folks at Shambhala Sun have been busy with the launch of Mindful.org — a wonderful-looking site that will take quite a while to plumb through — and facelift for The Buddhadharma website (http://http://www.thebuddhadharma.com/). I encourage you to stop by and visit.

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on November 22, 2010 at 4:51 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 11/23/10 meditation group

Good morning! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Sue will lead the practice this week.

Thanksgiving is upon us once again, so I thought I’d begin by sharing a couple of talks on gratitude.

The first is a short (35 min) dharma talk by Gil Fronsdal given last December:

http://www.audiodharma.org/talks/audio_player/1637.html

The second is a brief (19 min) guided meditation by the late Ayya Khema:

http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/334/talk/7984/

For those who have the time for a longer listen, both Audiodharma.org and Dharmaseed.org have more (just search for “gratitude”).

Last week on “Being” Krista Tippett hosted Thupten Jinpa, longtime English-laguage translator for the Dalai Lama:

http://being.publicradio.org/programs/2010/translating-dalai-lama/

Sharon Salzberg has a new post up on the Huffington Post, “Meditation: The Key to Resilience in Caregiving”:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sharon-salzberg/meditation-caregiving-resilience_b_784122.html

Finally this week, a reminder about the full monastic ordination of Ajahn David’s novice, Jason Staples (aka Ven. Dhammasukkha), this Sunday, November 27. Please see last week’s e-mail (or http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/newsletters) for details.

I hope to see you all tomorrow evening, and wish everyone a very happy and safe holiday.

With much gratitude for your practice,
Tim
on November 15, 2010 at 4:26 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 11/16/10 meditation group

Good morning! The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Mike U. is scheduled to lead the practice this week. Please bear in mind that there will be more activity than usual at First Parish tomorrow, so parking at the church will be somewhat scarce. I believe that additional parking is available in the lot behind the Old Town Hall.

From our friends up at IMC Newburyport:

“On Sunday, November 21st, Kate Wheeler joins us for an all day retreat
on Feeling Tone. An important way (after body awareness) to establish
awareness, according to the Buddha, is on feeling tone. All moments
of experience, whether physical or mental, contain this
characteristic. If we can learn to zero in on it within direct
experience–this means actually registering whether we are
experiencing pleasure, disagreeableness or lack of affect–our lives
become much more vivid and also simpler. Kate will help us get a
handle on the how preferences, judgments and opinions, as well as
bored ideation, cause more suffering; she will guide us in learning
the peace of returning to the simpler experience of the moment.

“The day will combine periods of sitting and walking meditation.
Instruction and opportunities for group discussion and individual
interviews with the teacher will be included as we explore the
transformative power of meditation for our lives. Beginners as well as
experienced meditators are welcome to attend.

“The Retreat starts at 9:00am and goes to 5:00pm with a generous time
for lunch and relaxation or a walk in the woods around the Center.
Soup will be provided for lunch but you may want to bring a snack or
sandwich. For those unable to spend the whole day, coming for a half
day from 9:00am to 12:30pm is an option. The fee for the full day is
$60.00 or $45.00 for members. The half day fee is $35.00 or $28.00 for
members.”

To register, please visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org

The folks at Shambhala Sun have a new project in the works, Mindful, “a 40-page mini-magazine that will be inserted into the December-January issue of the Shambhala Sun. It will also be distributed across North America for free in health food stores, bookstores, health clinics and other places where those who seek mindfulness might congregate.”

“Mindful… will have short articles about mindfulness and other forms of awareness, body, and compassion practices, all written from an entirely secular viewpoint.”

For more information on the magazine and its companion website Mindful.org, check out Barry’s post on SunSpace: http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=18964

There’s been a fair amount of coverage in the media this past week on the Harvard iPhone happiness study; Jessica Root over at Treehugger.com provides a nice summary in addition to her own musings:

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/11/science-and-iphone-app-backs-the-meditation-happiness-factor-big-time.php

You can check out the Globe’s take here:

http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2010/11/12/mind_wandering_a_fact_of_life_study_says/?p1=Upbox_links

Finally, this week I want to draw your attention to Dharmacrafts’ 10% off sale on *all* meditation cushions until December 1. If you’ve been dithering about getting a set of cushions, here’s a great opportunity. Dharmacrafts is located just down the road in Lawrence and their products are great quality:

http://www.dharmacrafts.com/9GE11103C/100xCU/Meditation-Cushions.html

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow!

Metta,
Tim
on November 8, 2010 at 4:29 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 11/9/10 meditation group

Good morning! This week we return you to your regularly scheduled meditation, from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish. Christine will lead the practice.

There are a few things to pass along this week:

First, a couple of weeks ago ABC News’s Dan Harris sat down for a 10-minute interview with Joseph Goldstein, following Harris’s first meditation retreat out at Spirit Rock. It’s a great interview and has some nice video of the retreat center to boot:

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/abc-news-interviews-insight-meditation-teacher-joseph-goldstein

Also going back a couple of weeks, James Baraz was Vicent Horn’s guest on the Buddhist Geeks podcast. It’s a great conversation on “Making Joy Our Default Setting”:

http://www.buddhistgeeks.com/2010/10/bg-192-making-joy-our-default-setting/

Tomorrow evening Lama Surya Das will wrap up this year’s Newton Community Education series on mindfulness with his talk “Towards a More Mindful & Peaceful Society: The ABCs of Mindfulness”:

————————————————————————–
How can I be peaceful and serene if my family, neighborhood, and planet are in turmoil? How can the intentional development of mindful awareness help bring us happiness and well being; health on the personal individual, relational and societal levels; and contribute to conscious evolution, freedom of mind, and the “heart’s sure release” which Buddhists call liberation and enlightenment? Mindfulness changes how we see the world, how we fit in it, and positively affects all of our relationships. “When I become calm and clearer, everything becomes clearer,” says the Lama. According to Dr. Frances Moore, head psychiatrist of Cottonwoods Tucson hospital, “Mindfulness will change the practice of medicine in the future.” Mindfulness has already altered the field of psychotherapy in this country. “It is our gift to improving our health and well being.”
————————————————————————–

For tickets and more information visit https://newtoncommunityed.org/viewDesc.php?CourseNumber=X5002-04

Last but not least, I wanted to pass along the following invitation I received from Jason Staples, Ajahn David’s novice who will undertake his full monastic renunciation on Saturday, November 27:

————————————————————————–
INVITATION LETTER TO THE BUDDHIST MONK ORDINATION OF NOVICE JASON STAPLES (DHAMMASUKKHA)

My family and I would like to invite you and your family to my ordination as a Buddhist Monk on Saturday, November 27th 2010 at 2pm at Wat Lao Mixayaram at Jean St. Lowell, MA 01852

Schedule of Event:
Friday, November 26th 2010
- Preparation for Ordination
- 8 pm Dinner at our temple

Saturday, November 27th 2010
- 11:00am Offering lunch to Buddhist monks at Wat Buddhabhavana
- noon Lunch for all guests
- 1:00pm Basi Ceremony for Ordination candidate
- 2:00pm ORDINATION at Wat Lao Mixayaram Temple (Jean St, Lowell, MA)
- 4:00pm Auspicious Chanting at Wat Buddhabhavana.

Sunday, November 28th 2010
- 10:30 Merit Making and Takbath Ceremony and lunch at Wat Buddhabhavana
————————————————————————–

Jay writes, “Hello Tim, I would like to extend an invitation to anyone who would be interested in attending my full ordination as a buddhist monk on the weekend of the 27th after everyone has had their fill of thanksgiving festivities. Feel free to contact me with any questions. stay warm and always with the practice, Novice Jay”

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening.

Metta,
Tim
on November 1, 2010 at 4:21 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 11/2/10 meditation group

Good morning! The mediation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Go vote, then come sit. Ajahn David, freshly back from his annual teaching tour in Wisconsin, will be with us once again. (Thanks yet again to Kevin for providing the transportation.)

This past week I finally finished reading Matthieu Ricard’s book “Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life’s Most Important Skill.” I can’t recommend this book highly enough! (And thanks again for Mike U. for picking up several copies at the Dharmacrafts sale a few months ago.) Ricard’s “Happiness” is definitely intended for a general audience and strikes a good balance between sharing insights from his practice without coming across as overly “Buddhist”. Ricard also makes accessible a lot of the science behind “happiness,” gleaned from his involvement with Dr. Richard Davidson and others associated with the Mind and Life Institute.

http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/books_9780316167253.htm

Also this past week, the Dalai Lama participated in an interfaith panel discussion on “Pursuing Happiness,” hosted by Krista Tippett and broadcast on “Being”. (Thanks to Matt T. for the heads-up here.) I haven’t had a chance to listen to the full broadcast yet, but the bits and pieces I was able to catch were quite engaging:

http://being.publicradio.org/programs/2010/pursuing-happiness/

Just a reminder that this *Wednesday* evening, November 3, Sharon Salzberg will deliver the penultimate talk in this year’s Newton Community Education series on mindfulness. The topic of Sharon’s talk is “Metta/Lovingkindness: Finding True Happiness”:

“Metta is the word for friendship or lovingkindness in Pali, the language of the original Buddhist teachings. It is taught as a meditation that cultivates our natural capacity for an open and loving heart. Metta is traditionally offered along with meditations that enrich compassion, joy in the happiness of others, and equanimity. These practices lead to the development of concentration, fearlessness, and genuine happiness. Sharon Salzberg will introduce these teachings and support us in our own experience and cultivation of these qualities through direct instruction and guided meditation using classical techniques in a modern idiom. There will also be many opportunities for questions. This program is suitable for both new and experienced meditators.”

https://newtoncommunityed.org/viewDesc.php?CourseNumber=X5002-03

Lama Surya Das wraps things up next Tuesday, November 9.

A couple of brief odds and ends to wind up this week’s e-mail:

Andrew Rock has a timely and poignant post on Buddhism and baseball on Shambhala Sun’s SunSpace blog:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=18933

The Boston Globe had a nice article on the new Thai temple being built down in Raynham:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/10/31/raynham_will_be_home_to_what_may_be_largest_thai_buddhist_temple_outside_thailand/?s_campaign=8315

And finally I leave you with “Happiness Without a Fix,” an excerpt from Christopher Titmuss’s book “An Awakened Life,” via Tricycle’s recently revamped website:

http://www.tricycle.com/web-exclusive/weekly-teaching/happiness-without-a-fix-april-20-2009

Please don’t forget to vote…. I’ll look forward to seeing you all afterwards!

Metta,
Tim
on October 25, 2010 at 4:19 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 10/26/10 meditation group

Greetings! The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish.

Just a few things to pass along this week:

First off, Matthew Daniell will lead a half-day metta retreat at IMC Newburyport this Saturday, October 30, from 9:30am to 1pm. This is a great opportunity for all of you metta junkies out there (you know who you are!). “Periods of guided sitting and walking meditation will be combined with theory and optional discussion as we explore the power of wishing well for ourselves and others.” The fee for the half-day is $28.00 for members and $35.00 for non-members.

For registration and additional information please contact http://www.imcnewburyport.org.

Matthew is also leading a full-day retreat “Open Heart, Grounded Presence and the Buddha’s Middle Way” next Saturday, November 6:

“An open heart and grounded presence are signs of a vibrant inner life.
They are also attitudes that can help us to explore and uncover the
mind that is balanced, and at ease, right in the middle of our lives,
on retreat and in daily living. Some experience preferred. Please
register now.”

I recently added a new post to our blog regarding the metta study at Massachusetts General Hospital. I was in contact in with Dr. Hoge this past week and they’re still looking for study subjects with at least 5 — and preferrably 10 — years of meditation practice:

http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/2010/10/21/meditate-for-science/

Don’t forget that Sharon Salzberg will be at Newton South High School next Wednesday evening, November 3, for her talk “Metta/Lovingkindness: Finding True Happiness”:

“Metta is the word for friendship or lovingkindness in Pali, the language of the original Buddhist teachings. It is taught as a meditation that cultivates our natural capacity for an open and loving heart. Metta is traditionally offered along with meditations that enrich compassion, joy in the happiness of others, and equanimity. These practices lead to the development of concentration, fearlessness, and genuine happiness. Sharon Salzberg will introduce these teachings and support us in our own experience and cultivation of these qualities through direct instruction and guided meditation using classical techniques in a modern idiom. There will also be many opportunities for questions. This program is suitable for both new and experienced meditators.”

https://newtoncommunityed.org/viewDesc.php?CourseNumber=X5002-03

Lama Surya Das wraps up this special lecture series on Tuesday, November 9, with his talk “Towards a More Mindful and Peaceful Society: The ABCs of Mindfulness”.

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow night!

Metta,
Tim
on October 18, 2010 at 4:18 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 10/19/10 meditation group

Greetings! The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Carrie will lead the practice this week.

Just a short e-mail this week:

First, I wanted to pass along a link to Steve Armstrong’s Tricycle article “Got Attitude?” that Brenda shared last week:

http://www.tricycle.com/dharma-talk/got-attitude?offer=dharma

Second, tomorrow evening Jean Esther will deliver the second talk in the Newton Community Education lecture series on mindfulness. Her talk is entitled “Mindfulness: Being Who You Really ARE: The Experience of True Happiness”

—————————————————————————
Rather than resisting life, the Buddha’s teachings point us toward embracing life fully with all of our being; our own life and the world around us. As we continue to practice, obscurations of mind and heart begin to drop away and an ease of being is revealed. In meeting our lives as they are with mindfulness, compassion and wisdom, we begin to awaken to true happiness and an unshakeable liberation of heart and mind. This talk will include time for guided meditation and questions.
—————————————————————————

https://newtoncommunityed.org/viewDesc.php?CourseNumber=X5002-02

A little more background on Jean, courtesy of Insight PV:

—————————————————————————
Jean Esther has been training in formal meditation since 1975. In 1982, she began training intensively in Insight (Vipassana) Meditation at Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA with primary teachers Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg and Michele McDonald and has been teaching regularly in that tradition since 2001. Jean has spent the last 30 years as a psychotherapist integrating psychological inquiry with spiritual understanding. In addition to the Buddha’s teachings, her work has been informed by over 20 years of training with Jungian analyst Marion Woodman on re-awakening consciousness through the experience of the body. Jean has a private psychotherapy practice in Northampton, MA, and is a senior Teacher at Insight Meditation Center of Pioneer Valley. She is also a Visiting Teacher at Insight Meditation Society and an adjunct visiting faculty at Smith College School for Social Work.
—————————————————————————

Don’t forget talks by Sharon Salzberg and Lama Surya Das coming up on November 3 and 9 respectively!

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on October 11, 2010 at 8:54 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 10/12/10 meditation group

Greetings; I hope everyone is enjoying a restful holiday weekend! The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Brenda will lead the practice this week.

There are just a couple of things to pass along this week.

First, Shambhala Sun has a couple of great conversations between Barry Boyce and Jon Kabat-Zinn, first from the March 2010 issue of the magazine, the second ahead of last week’s fundraiser for the Susan Komen Race for the Cure:

http://shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3493&Itemid=0

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=18709

In coming events, tomorrow evening George Mumford kicks off this year’s benefit series for Newton Community Education.

From the Spirit Rock website:

“George T. Mumford is a sports psychology consultant, meditation teacher, and personal/organizational development consultant. He served as a member of Head Coach Phil Jackson’s support staff for the Chicago Bulls (1993-1998) and the Los Angeles Lakers (1999-2003), teaching both teams the practice of mindfulness meditation. During that time, Jackson’s teams won six NBA World Championships—the Chicago Bulls won three (1996-98) and the Los Angeles Lakers won three (2000-2002).

“Mumford was a colleague of Jon Kabat-Zinn’s at the University of Massachusetts for five years. He first began teaching vipassana in 1986 and has taught meditation in prisons, medical clinics, corporations, and at Harvard University. Since 1999, he has been teaching insight meditation in the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn, New York. He is also currently a consultant to the Boston College Athletic Department, working with the men and women’s basketball and soccer teams, as well as the women’s field hockey, softball, volleyball and lacrosse teams.

“In September of 2003, he was one of several meditation teachers invited to participate with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and a group of former prisoners in the “Healing through Great Difficulty” three-day conference held in New York City. He was also a presenter at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business “Third Annual Leadership Venture on Self-Awareness: Leading from Within” program held in Philadelphia in April of 2004.”

Tomorrow evening from 7 to 9pm at Newton South High School he will speak about “Love, Gratitude, Mindfulness and Appreciative Joy: Setting the Conditions for True Happiness”.

https://newtoncommunityed.org/viewDesc.php?CourseNumber=X5002-01

Unfortunately Saturday’s retreat with Larry Rosenberg’s retreat at IMC Newburyport was postponed due to his being ill. He was briefly hospitalized but according to Maria Van Deusen he is now resting at home and doing much better.

However, coming up at IMCN this Sunday, October 17, Kate Wheeler will lead a day-long retreat on body awareness:

————————————————————————–
This day-long retreat is aimed at developing a closer relationship and understanding between the mind and body, the first place to establish awareness according to the Buddha. We will work with mindful awareness in the four postures, and spend time picturing some of the parts and aspects of our human bodies in a simplified version of the traditional meditation on the 32 parts of the body. There will be silent meditation, a few simple exercises and time for discussion and questions. Beginners and experienced meditators are welcome.

The full day retreat runs from 9:00am to 5:00pm or may be taken as a half day retreat from 9:00am to 12:30pm.

The fees are:
$45.00 for members or $60.00 for non- members for the full day.
$28.00 for members or $35.00 for non-members for the half-day.

Bring a sandwich or snack if you are coming for the full day.

There will be time to walk in the woods or rest after lunch between the morning and afternoon sessions.
————————————————————————–

As always, visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org for registration and/or additional details.

Thinking a bit further ahead, the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies has just opened registration for their 2011 courses. As always, there is a great selection from which to choose, with most courses being 2 or 3 days:

https://bcbs.dharma.org/Pages/course_registration.lasso

Finally this week, I wanted to point out a couple of items of interest from the Spirit Rock website:

First, the teachers at Spirit Rock have put together a handy practice guide called “Paths for Awakening”. The brochure “contains specific practice and study suggestions for both new and experienced meditators who seek a graduated path in exploring the Buddha’s teachings and the practice of Insight Meditation.”

While the guide is geared towards particular the Spirit Rock curriculum, I’ve found it to be a handy general reference with some great recommendations for reading, depending on where one is in one’s practice:

http://www.spiritrock.org/display.asp?pageid=841&catid=2

And while you’re on the Spirit Rock website, I’d also recommend checking out the back issues of the Spirit Rock News; there are some great articles by and interviews with the teachers out there:

http://www.spiritrock.org/display.asp?pageid=359&catid=1

Well, that’s probably plenty for this week; I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow.

Metta,
Tim
on October 4, 2010 at 4:16 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 10/5/10 meditation group

Good morning! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Ajahn David will be with us once again for this week’s practice.

Coming up this Saturday, Larry Rosenberg will be back at IMCN to lead a morning retreat and afternoon discussion on “Living Wisely in an Uncertain World”

————————————————————————–
Life is uncertain and changing in unpredictable ways. The economy, the environment, and our individual lives are all changing, and in ways we can’t always control. In the face of such change how do we live skillfully, in ways that are kinder, wiser and beneficial to ourselves and others.

Under the expert guidance and humor of Larry Rosenberg we will explore using silent sitting and walking, supported by dharma instruction and dialogue, how Insight Meditation can be of tremendous help in these troubling times. Come and join us in leaning this process for ourselves.

Larry Rosenberg is the author of the modern spiritual classic Breath by Breath; The Liberating Practice of Insight Meditation. He is the founder of the Cambridge Insight Meditation Center and IMCNewburyport.

You may attend any or all of the events.

The fee for the day is $60.00

Or the fee for the retreat is $40.00 and for the Talk is $25.00

Please bring a salad or dessert. Soups, breads, spreads, cider & tea provided
————————————————————————–

To register or for more information, visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org

For those who are unable to make it up to Newburyport, Larry is the latest teacher to partake in Tricycle’s Video Retreat series for sustaining members. Starting today he will lead a four-part online retreat on “The Challenge of Change: Living Skillfully in an Uncertain World”

————————————————————————–
In this four-part video retreat, Larry Rosenberg will teach us how to use the dharma to skillfully navigate our day-to-day life. Far from being a remote and esoteric monastic practice, Larry’s teachings are designed for the here-and-now: jobs, kids, traffic jams—the challenging situations we meet every day.

Larry writes: “When we study the Buddha’s original teaching, two subjects emerge frequently: (1) the impermanent and uncertain nature of all forms, and (2) the urgency of learning to live skillfully, i.e. with wisdom and compassion. I take this to suggest that a challenge we face as humans is learning how to live skillfully in an uncertain world. Can we unlearn what is harmful to us and the people in our life; and nourish that which is beneficial, enabling us to flower as human beings? We will take up this challenge. Formal meditation practice at home and on retreat as well as every aspect of daily life will be viewed within a unified perspective. The emphasis will be practical. Meditation can be more than a collection of beautiful verbal teachings, techniques and forms of practice: It is a way of life!”
————————————————————————–

http://www.tricycle.com/online-retreats/challenge-change-living-skillfully-uncertain-world

Tricycle’s Philip Ryan also offers a nice, brief post on Larry and Cambridge Insight via the Editors’ Blog:

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/?p=2341#more-2341

Those of you who subscribe to Shambhala Sun may have already seen this, but I just came across Zen teacher Lin Jensen’s article “Stand By Me” from the November 2010 issue; a gem:

http://shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3600&Itemid=0

Finally this week, there are some exciting goings-on down on the south shore:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=60,9549,0,0,1,0

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on September 27, 2010 at 4:18 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 9/28/10 meditation group

Good morning! Even though Ken Burns’ “Baseball: The Tenth Inning” will be on ‘GBH-2 tomorrow evening, the meditation group will indeed still meet from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Sue will lead the practice.

This week’s lineup is a bit of a mishmash — articles that have been kept warm in the bullpen* for a while now (some longer than others):

Leading off, Christina Feldman offers her guidance on “Receiving the Breath” from an old Tricycle Q&A:

http://www.tricycle.com/node/32774?offer=dharma

Batting second, Thanissaro Bhikkhu teaches how to use wisdom to cultivate compassion in “Head and Heart Together”:

http://www.tricycle.com/node/33821?offer=dharma

Third, Rodney Smith writes about the process of becoming whole in a wonderful, short article entitled “Undivided Mind”:

http://www.tricycle.com/node/34664?offer=dharma

Pema Chodron is in the clean-up spot, offering a brief word on the practice of self-acceptance — rather than self-improvement — in “We Can Still Be Crazy”:

http://www.tricycle.com/node/35022?offer=dharma

And I leave you with a final word from Yogi Berra:
“You can observe a lot by watching.”

That’s all for this week; hopefully we’ll have a full house tomorrow night!

Metta,
Tim

* Apologies to all other baseball fans for the mixed metaphor!
on September 20, 2010 at 5:35 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 9/21/10 meditation group

Hello everyone; happy Fall! The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Mike is scheduled to lead the practice this week.

This past week’s broadcast of the public radio show formerly known as “Speaking of Faith” (now “Krista Tippett on Being”) featured guest Joanna Macy, who is a poet, ecologist, and Rilke translator in addition to being a renowned Buddhist scholar:

http://being.publicradio.org/programs/2010/wild-love-for-world/

You can find out more about Joanna from her own website:

http://www.joannamacy.net/

In upcoming events, next month Newton Community Education will once again offer a four-part talk series on “mindfulness”, this year featuring George Mumford, Jean Esther, Sharon Salzberg, and Lama Surya Das. This is a benefit to support the NCE scholarship fund.

“Each speaker will talk about their personal journey and the insights they have gained through the practice of mindfulness meditation. They’ll explore how, by the simple act of paying attention in the present moment, compassion and wisdom can arise—and how this practice can lead to inner peace and happiness.”

https://newtoncommunityed.org/cat_results.php?Category=Special+Events&CourseLocation=Newton+SOUTH+HS&CourseName=&InstructorName=&CourseDay=&CourseStart=&CourseNumber=&Submit=Continue

On October 12, George Mumford — http://www.spiritrock.org/display.asp?pageid=313&catid=4&scatid=9 — will speak on “Love, Gratitude, Mindfulness and Appreciative Joy: Setting the Conditions for True Happiness”

Jean Esther has practiced vipassana meditation since 1982. She teaches regularly at the Insight Meditation Center of Pioneer Valley, and Smith College. The Buddha’s teachings on love and wisdom underlie her practice of psychotherapy in Northampton, MA. She will speak about “Mindfulness: Being Who You Really ARE: The Experience of True Happiness” on October 19.

Sharon Salzberg and Lama Surya Das probably need no introdcution here.

Sharon will speak November 3 on “Mindfulness: Metta/Lovingkindness: Finding True Happiness”; Lama Surya Das will speak November 9 on the topic of “Towards a More Mindful & Peaceful Society: The ABCs of Mindfulness”

The cost for each talk is $20, or $70 for the entire series.

The Tricycle archives offer a wealth of excellent reading material, and this week I’d like to pass along a link to Jack Engler’s reflections on and interview with Dipa Ma, “one of the 20th century’s most accomplished meditation teachers” who was an early mentor for Sharon, Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein and others who brought vipassana practice to the West:

http://www.tricycle.com/interview/enlightenment-lifetime?page=0,1&offer=dharma

A remarkable woman indeed!

Finally, Shambhala Sun and Buddhadharma magazine are soliciting feedback for an upcoming issue on the challenges and opportunities facing women in Western Buddhism. (Note: they want to hear from men, too!) Visit http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=18539 if you feel you have something to add.

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on September 13, 2010 at 4:25 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 9/14/10 meditation group

Hello! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Christine will lead the practice this week.

There seem to have been a number of articles about technology and mindfulness lately.

Shambhala Sun’s Steve Silberman weighed in on the issue earlier this year:
http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3492&Itemid=0

And the New York Times ran a couple of articles that present opposite extremes of living in our wired world:

“Digital Devices Deprive Brain of Needed Downtime”
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/25/technology/25brain.html?_r=3&ref=business

… and in “Mind the Grid” Robert Wright shares his experience of going off the grid during his recent retreat at IMS:
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/31/mind-the-grid/

Speaking of IMS, registration is now open for 2011 retreats; as always, it looks like a great selection:

http://www.dharma.org/ims/retreats.php

Meanwhile, down the road at BCBS, the Summer 2010 issue of Insight Journal (including the BCBS course schedule for the first half of 2011) has been mailed out. I particularly recommend the articles by Taraniya, Than Geoff, and William Waldron:

http://www.dharma.org/bcbs/Pages/documents/10SummerFullIssue.pdf

Finally this week, I’ll leave you with some words of wisdom from Matthieu Ricard:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=18206

That’s all for now; I hope to see everyone tomorrow night!

Metta,
Tim
on September 6, 2010 at 5:02 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 9/7/10 meditation group

Greetings! I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday weekend. The meditation group meets tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Ajahn David is schedule to join us this week.

There are a handful of links I’d like to pass along, thanks to Tricycle.

The first two are a couple of short musings on the future of Buddhism, courtesy of Dennis Hunter and David Nichtern (links via Tricycle’s Editor’s Blog):

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/?p=2241

Meanwhile, Rita Gross offers “Buddhist History for Buddhist Practitioners”, not so much the story of how Buddhism has evolved into its various incarnations, but how history can be an important tool for putting the traditions’ mythologies into proper perspective:

http://www.tricycle.com/feature/buddhist-history-buddhist-practitioners

As an example of how the various traditions within Buddhism have evolved slightly different views, Gil Fronsdal, Tulku Thubten Rinpoche, and Roko Sherry Chayat present three takes on nirvana/nibbana from the Theravada, Tibetan, and Zen traditions respectively:

http://www.tricycle.com/feature/nirvana-three-takes?page=0,1

Finally, Kenneth Folk offers his 5-minute instructions for awakening:

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/?p=2252

He makes it sound so easy!

That’s all for how; I hope everyone is having a safe and restful Labor day and look forward to seeing you tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on August 30, 2010 at 8:14 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 8/31/10 meditation group

Hello; I hope everyone had a good week! The meditation group will be back to its normal schedule, meeting from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish. Again, we are very fortunate to be able to welcome back Abhaya to lead this week’s practice before her retreat in Barre. This is a great opportunity for her older students to reconnect as well as for Abhaya to meet newer members of the Tuesday evening group.

I am still trying to unbury from the flurry of e-mails that arrived this past week, but there was one recent article that seemed particularly apropos — Ken McLeod’s short essay on “Nine Types of Teachers” (thanks to Tricycle for the heads-up):

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ken-mcleod/seven-types-of-teachers_b_656227.html

That’ll be all for now; I hope everyone has a chance to make it to First Parish tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim

PS — Please send healing vibes in the direction of Ruth C., today and tomorrow especially!
on August 20, 2010 at 4:33 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 8/24/10 meditation group

Hi all…. There’s a been a slight change in plans for the meditation group this coming Tuesday evening: there will be no formal practice, however space in the Chapel is still reserved for us from 7:30 to 9:30. If anyone feels like stopping by to sit or walk quietly during this time, you are more than welcome to.

Also, I believe Leila and Lynn are planning a field trip down to Wat Buddhabhavana for Ajahn David’s meditation group on Wednesday evening; I believe the plan is to leave from First Parish around 6:30 to arrive in Westford by 7.

If anyone’s interested in some good reading in the meantime, I’ll leave you with a link to what I’m working on at the moment, Thanissaro Bhikkhu’s latest collection of dharma talks, “Meditations4″, recently posted on Access to Insight:

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/meditations4.html

Each of the talks is relatively short — five pages or so — so I encourage you to poke around and see if anything catches your interest.

Take care, and I’ll look forward to seeing everyone for Abhaya’s visit on the 31st!

Metta,
Tim
on August 16, 2010 at 4:33 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 8/17/10 meditation group

Greeetings! The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Carrie will lead the practice this week.

Tomorrow evening is also the final performance of the Chelmsford Community Band’s 2010 concerts-on-the-common series, so parking around First Parish will once again be limited.

A couple of additional logistical notes:

First, be sure to mark your calendars! Just a reminder that Abhaya will be coming into town at the end of the month and is scheduled to lead the practice on Tuesday, August 31. Once again, this is an excellent opportunity for both “old” and “new” students alike.

Also, there *will* be meditation next Tuesday evening, August 24, despite the fact that many of us will be out of town. Christine — thank you!! — will lead the practice at the usual time and location, however I will likely be without e-mail access, so I will not be able to send out a reminder next week.

This Saturday, August 21, marks the 14th annual Lowell Southeast Asian Water Festival along the Merrimack River — a highlight on the area’s cultural calendar:

http://www.lowellwaterfestival.org/

Speaking of the river festival, back in February NPR aired a wonderful 5-part series on the Mekong, from it’s source on the Tibetan plateau to its outlet into the South China Sea. Well worth a listen:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123809523

For some additional “flavor” I also recommend checking out the episode of Gourmet’s “Adventures with Ruth” that aired on WBGH this past weekend, in which hostess Ruth Reichi “delves into Laotian cooking” with instructors Joy Ngueamboupha and Caroline Gaylard of the Tamarind School in Luang Prabang:

http://www.gourmet.com/video?videoID=64375498001

Finally I’d like to mention a long-overdue new post on our website:

http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/2010/08/11/the-shape-of-suffering-in-the-digital-age/

I’d be very interested in your comments/feedback, but commenting on the blog is currently limited to WordPress members (to reduce spam). If you’re interested in becoming a WordPress member (free), please let me know and I’ll send you an invite.

That’s all for this week; hopefully I’ll see everyone tomorrow evening — and if not then, hopefully on the 31st!

Metta,
Tim
on August 9, 2010 at 3:38 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 8/10/10 meditation group

Good morning all! The Tuesday evening medition group will meet from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow in the Chapel at First Parish. Brenda will lead the practice this week.

I just want to share a few somewhat disconnected articles this week:

The first is an intriguing essay by Than Geoff (Thanissaro Bhikkhu) on “The Roots of Buddhist Romanticism”, which examines how the traditional teachings of the Buddha have been filtered through the Western romantic movement:

http://mettarefuge.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/the-roots-of-buddhist-romanticism.doc

Meanwhile, author Gary Gach heads up a forum of eminent Buddhists musing over the question of where American Buddhism might be headed:

http://www.patheos.com/Topics/Future-of-World-Religions/Buddhism.html#Greenland

Finally, Wes Nisker offers a short but quite interesting variation on the “body scan” meditation:

http://www.tricycle.com/node/31749?offer=dharma

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow.

Metta,
Tim
on August 2, 2010 at 9:42 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 8/3/10 meditation group

Good afternoon! Sorry for the somewhat belated e-mail this week, but the meditation group will indeed meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish; Ajahn David is scheduled to join us for our monthly monk’s visit.

Please note that the Chelmsford Community Band is once again due to perform on the town common tomorrow starting at 7pm, so parking around First Parish will once again be limited.

Looking ahead a few weeks, I am very pleased to annouce that Abhaya will be briefly back in town later this month and will join us to lead the meditation practice on Tuesday, August 31. As always, Abhaya’s visits are an excellent opportunity for old students to reconnect and for newer students to meet the group’s founding teacher.

More immediately, this Saturday, August 7, IMC Newburyport is hosting a special workshop on “Mystic Poetry and Insight Meditation” with Ravi Nathwani and Matthew Daniell.

“Growing up in India, Ravi Nathwani spent time with numerous masters. Now he lives primarily in California and teaches at various centers and travels widely, giving readings from the recently published book, Mala of the Heart, 108 Sacred Poems of which he is the editor. He and Matthew are longtime friends and are currently sharing the teaching of a class on Hindu Yoga and Buddhist Meditation at the Tufts University Summer School.

“Mystical poetry bypasses the intellect and opens the heart through metaphor and image. Insight Meditation touches the heart by grounding awareness in the present moment. Together they can lead us deeper into the mystery of being alive in the here and now. In this workshop Ravi will read poems from his new book, which includes works of the mystic poets Rumi and Kabir, while Matthew will guide us in meditation. Both will lead us in discussion in which we will be encouraged to explore our own understanding of these rich traditions. We do hope you plan to attend.

“The Workshop runs from 10:00am to 1:00pm. Fee for the workshop is $38.00 or $30.00 for members. Please let me know by email if you plan to attend or call me directly on my cell phone at 617-784-7522. Checks made out to IMCN and mailed ahead or dropped off at the Center in the mailbox to the left of the door are most welcome.”

For more information, please visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org

I want to leave you this week with two links:

The first is from the Christian Science Monitor on “How Not to Act Around a Monk in Laos” — a short commentary on how the monks’ alms rounds have become a major tourist attraction in Luang Prabang:

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News/2010/0714/How-not-to-act-around-a-monk-in-Laos

The second is a wonderful, short (20 minute) talk on “The Habits of Happiness” given by Matthieu Ricard for the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) series (link via Tricycle):

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/?p=2094

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on July 26, 2010 at 5:01 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 7/27/10 meditation group

Hi all…. Just the usual reminder that the meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Sue is scheduled to lead the practice this week.

One quick note on parking: As in past weeks, the Chelmsford Community Band will be performing on the common tomorrow evening and parking at First Parish will be limited. Since Ginger Ale Plaza is off limits, alternate parking has been suggested down by Travelling Rhino along the rail trail, and behind the Old Town Hall. However, I found out last week that parking by the rail trail is also limited due to reserved parking for restaurant patrons, so the Old Town Hall may be the best bet (although likely also popular with concertgoers).

There are a few things to pass along this week:

First, there looks to be some good stuff in the upcoming (September) issue of Shambhala Sun, excerpts of which are already online on the Sun’s website:

Matthieu Ricard addresses the question “Why Meditate?”
http://shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3575&Itemid=0

Norman Fisher offers some pointers on “Getting Started”
http://shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3561&Itemid=0

And Noah Levine offers some words on kindness:
http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3576&Itemi

Also, celebrity author Deepak Chopra recently shared his reflections in the Washington Post on his recent (and relatively brief) stint as an bhikkhu in Thailand:

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/panelists/deepak_chopra/2010/07/a_monks_story.html

And finally, last week NPR aired an interesting segment on the dynamics between the Chinese government and the country’s Buddhists:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128691021

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on July 19, 2010 at 4:32 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 7/20/10 meditation group

Hello! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Mike is scheduled to lead the practice this week. Please note once again that the Chelmsford Community Band is scheduled to perform on the town common at 7pm — weather permitting — so parking may be scarce, and use of alternate lots encouraged.

Last week I finally had the opportunity to read Jill Bolte Taylor’s remarkable book “My Stroke of Insight”, which I believe I was first introduced to by Brenda some time ago. It’s quite a story, a neuroanatomist’s first-person experience of stroke and recovery, and I highly recommend it as an accidental dharma book. Taylor does mention “Nirvana” to describe her right-brain experience, but as a non-practitioner she rightfully demurs on any direct corrleation to Buddhist practice. There are bits and pieces that are a little “new agey” for my personal taste, but there’s definitely a lot to absorb from her experience.

Taylor enjoyed quite a bit of media coverage following the publication of her book, but perhaps the gem is the 18-miunte TED talk she gave back in 2008. Brenda posted a link on our blog back at the time:

http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/2008/04/23/a-stroke-of-insight/

I would love to get Taylor and folks like Richie Davidson and Rick Hanson (“The Buddha’s Brain”) together for a conversation on the parallels between her experience and the experience of a meditator in deep concentration.

Speaking of which, there’s a great interview in The New Humanism between Rick Heller and Daniel Siegel, psychiartrist and author of the book The Mindful Brain. Siegel takes a strongly secular approach to meditation practice:

http://www.thenewhumanism.org/authors/rick-heller/articles/the-mindful-brain

Ed Halliwell over at the British newspaper the Guardian also has a couple of recent articles on bringing meditation practice into the mainstream:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2010/jun/26/buddhism-mindful

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2010/jul/09/buddhism-schools

Tricycle’s Philip Ryan offers his thoughts here:

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/?p=2028

Finally, as most of you know I had the opportunity to sit a retreat at IMS earlier this year with Thanissara and Kittisaro; well, Shambhala Sun recently featured the couple in a two-part interview on balancing spiritual work and social activism:

Part 1: http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=17369

Part 2: http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=17378

Well, that should be plenty for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on July 12, 2010 at 3:20 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 7/13/10 meditation group

Greetings all! The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Christine will lead the practice this week.

Starting off on a logistical note, please be aware that the Chelmsford Community Band will begin their summer “concerts on the common” series (Tuesday evenings through August 17) tomorrow evening at 7pm. The church lot is generally full for these events, so it is very likely that you may need to find alternate parking. Since Ginger Ale Plaza is now off limits, the best alternatives are likely the lot by the bike path/Travelling Rhino or behind the Old Town Hall.

Coming up this Saturday, July 17, Matthew Daniell will lead a morning (9am to 1pm) retreat on “Exploring the Nature of Experience and Freedom, One of the Four Gateways to Clarity” at IMCN.

————————————————————————–

On the 17th Matthew will guide us in looking at Dhamma, an ancient word, which in its essence points to the nature of things. All things in this world and our minds and hearts are natural processes. We are all a part of nature, but somehow we often live in a way that is insensitive to this reality, and suffer the consequences. Working with dhamma as a meditative theme we seek to weaken the cause of this tendency, this ‘optical delusion of the mind’, as Einstein put it. By seeing clearly into all experience as change and flow we can begin to loosen our grip on painful patterns of separation and wake up more fully and skillfully to our lives.

————————————————————————–

For registration and/or additional information, please visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org

One area of study that I’m increasingly intrigued by is the effort by scholars to tease out the “core” teachings of the Buddha as best one can from 25 centuries of transmission, interpretation, and cultural adaptation. The following are a handful of short pieces by Andy Olendzki, Andrew Cooper, and Richard Gombrich that approach this subject from a couple of different angles:

“Back to the Beginning” by Andrew Olendzki
http://www.tricycle.com/node/32631?offer=dharma

“What the Buddha Taught” by Andrew Cooper
http://www.tricycle.com/my-view/what-buddha-taught

Interview with Professor Richard Gombrich
http://www.ordinarymind.net/Interviews/interview_jan2003.htm

Also of interest is John Murphy’s short review of David McMahan’s “The Making of Buddhist Modernism” in the current issue of the Journal of Buddhist Ethics:

http://www.buddhistethics.org/17-2010/JBE-Murphy.pdf

There is also a longer article by Charles Prebish in JBE, “Cooking the Buddhist Books: The Implications of the New Dating of the Buddha for the History of Early Indian Buddhism”:

http://www.buddhistethics.org/15/prebish-article.pdf

Finally this week I want to leave off with some pictures from the BBC from last week’s celebration of the Dalai Lama’s 75th birthday:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/asia_pacific/10518772.stm

That’s all for now; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on July 5, 2010 at 5:57 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 7/6/10 meditation group

Greetings! I hope everyone is enjoying a safe and restful holiday weekend. The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Ajahn David will once again join us this week. Due to the increasing temperature and humidity, please dress comfortably and be sure to bring water. (We’ll also try to get some fans going….)

Tomorrow also happens to be the Dalai Lama’s 75th birthday; many happy returns to His Holiness!

In honor of the Independence Day holiday, I want to offer “A Declaration of Interdependence”, originally drafted in 2004 by Alan Senauke and other members of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship. The following version is from 2006:

http://www.rochesterbpf.org/A%20Declaration%20of%20Interdependence.pdf

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow!

Metta,
Tim
on June 28, 2010 at 4:33 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 6/29/10 meditation group

Greetings! The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Mike will lead the practice this week.

This week’s e-mail will be somewhat (?) brief, but I did want to put out a couple of random selections for your perusal:

First, I’m 80% of the way through James Baraz’s book “Awakening Joy”, which Carrie happend to pick up on a bit of a whim a while back. The immediate impetus for finally getting into it was an note from Abhaya, whose story about her surgery appears prominently in chapeter four, “Finding Joy in Difficult Times”.

The book is structured around Baraz’s course “Awakening Joy” which is a ten-step program designed to do just what it says. While the course makes heavy use of techniques such as mindfulness and lovingkindness meditation, it is presented without a lot of “Buddhist” baggage, which might make it more palatable to an audience otherwise put off by that sort of thing.

This may, in part, explain the somwehat saccharine and “new agey” feel of the introductory chapter, but in my opinion the book improves the further one reads, and Baraz — a founding teacher at Spirit Rock — does well to introduce core practices without diluting them or dumbing them down.

Baraz’s article “Lighten Up!” appeared in the Summer 2004 issue of Tricycle and includes a brief guided meditation:

http://www.tricycle.com/dharma-talk/lighten-up

The Awakening Joy course can be taken online or in person; more information can be found at http://www.awakeningjoy.info/ and at Baraz’s own site, http://www.jamesbaraz.com/

I would also like to draw your attention to this past week’s episode of Speaking of Faith, in which Krista Tippett converses with Arthur Zajonc, Andrew W. Mellon professor of Physics at Amherst College and director of the Academic Program of the Center for Contemplative Mind. His books include Meditation as Contemplative Inquiry: When Knowing Becomes Love.

Zajonc sees contemplation as investigating life from the inside — and now it is teaching him about living with Parkinson’s Disease. We hear how this physicist draws on the humanities and meditation to integrate the intellectual and sensory aspects of life.

To hear the show, visit http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/2010/holding-life-consciously/

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening.

Metta,
Tim
on June 21, 2010 at 4:54 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 6/22/10 meditation group

Hello everyone; happy Summer! The meditation group will meet from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish. Christine will lead the practice this week.

In the spirit of the season, I want to start off this week by sharing some brief words of wisdom from Larry Rosenberg:

http://www.tricycle.com/insights/when-student-ready-teacher-bites?offer=dharma

… and something of a contemplation for the next time you’re having difficulty with a “difficult person” for your metta practice:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93049810

(I certainly find this to push the limits of my own practice!)

I recently finished reading Thanissaro Bhikkhu’s “Meditations”, the first volume in a growing series of collected dharma talks, also available — as always — via Access to Insight:

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/meditations.html

“Than Geoff” is a prolific writer in addition to his work as a translator of the Pali Canon and commentaries, meditation instructor, and Abbot of the Metta Forest Monastery (aka, Wat Metta).

Some of his other articles that have appeared in Tricycle and Shambhala Sun include the following:

“Building Your Mental Muscles”
http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3511&Itemid=0

“Creating a Good Ground for Meditation”
http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1463

“Hang On To Your Ego”
http://www.tricycle.com/dharma_talk/3822-1.html?offer=dharma

“The Dignity of Restraint”
http://www.tricycle.com/weekly-teaching/the-dignity-restraint?offer=dharma

“Pushing the Limits”
http://www.tricycle.com/dharma-talk/pushing-limits?offer=dharma

“The Karma of Happiness”
http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=2844&Itemid=24

“Freedom from Buddha Nature” is one of his more recent writings, and can be found at Access to Insight:

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/freedomfrombuddhanature.html

You can also listen to Than Geoff give a short (~10 min) dharma talk via the Tricycle blog: http://www.tricycle.com/blog/?p=1865

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on June 14, 2010 at 5:00 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 6/15/10 meditation group

Hello all…. The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish.

This week’s e-mail will be somewhat briefer than of late; I just finished reading the current issue of Tricycle and there are a couple of particularly good reads to pass along:

First, Andy Olendzki has a new article entitled “A Modest Awakening”, available online via Wisdom Books:

http://www.wisdom-books.com/FocusDetail.asp?FocusRef=81

Gil Fronsdal also has a great article on “Evaluating Your Practice”, which is somewhat reworked from a dharma talk he gave last December, available here (for your reading or listening pleassure) via the website of the Insight Meditation Center of Redwood City, CA:

http://www.insightmeditationcenter.org/books-articles/articles/evaluating-your-practice/

Tricycle also reprises this old (1985) article by Bhikkhu Bodhi on “Vision and Routine”, originally published in the Buddhist Publication Society’s newsletter:

http://www.bps.lk/newletter_pdf/nl_03.pdf

I recently came across another great article by Bhikkhu Bodhi, “Love and Compassion in Meditation and Action”, via Buddhist Global Relief:

http://www.buddhistglobalrelief.org/documents/Love_Compassion_Meditation_Action

Also from the BGR website is a 5-part (~10min ea.) talk given by Bhikkhu Bodhi on “The Practice of Compassion”:

http://www.buddhistglobalrelief.org/active/videoLectureMainContent1.html

Finally, I want to pass on word of Matthew Daniell’s upcoming half-day retreat on “Exploring the Mind/Heart” this Saturday, June 19, at IMC Newburyport:

————————————————————————–

This retreat is on Exploring the Mind/Heart, one of the Four Gateways to Clarity. Much of our repetitive mental and emotional habit energies seam to get in the way of living in a clear and intimate way and drain us of vitality. Learning to give space to, and look directly into the movements and energies of the mind/heart, can begin to undo unwise inner patterns, and provide a powerful gateway into greater self-understanding, clarity, freshness and ease. In this retreat, building on the foundations of mindfulness of the body, and feelings, we will explore how we can bring these teachings into our daily lives.

Although there is no requirement to have attended the earlier retreats in this series, it is the 3rd in the exploration of the Four Gateways to Clarity. The classical texts on the ‘Four Foundations of Mindfulness’ teach us that by paying close attention to our inner life in the form of body (kaya), feeling tone (Vedana), mind/heart (chitta), and the content and nature of experience (dhamma) we can live our lives more fully and with greater wisdom. The four foundations of mindfulness become gateways to clarity touching our daily lives deeply when we practice them in an inclusive, holistic way. In this four part series of half day retreats (which may be taken together, or as any of the parts) we emphasize one foundation, or gateway, in each session, while we embrace their interdependent nature as it bears on the quality of our lives.

The retreat is from 9:30 am to 1:00 pm on Saturday June 19th. The fee for the series is $35.00 or $28.00 for members.

————————————————————————–

For more information and registration, please visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org

Well, so much for “brief”…. I hope to see everyone tomorrow night.

Metta,
Tim
on June 7, 2010 at 4:03 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 6/8/10 meditation group

Hello everyone! The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Carrie will lead the practice this week.

There are a few things I’d like to pass along this week:

The LA Times ran a short profile of Jack Kornfield in conjunction with Jack’s recent visit to The City of Angels:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-beliefs-buddhist-20100529,0,3529816.story

This prompted Tricycle editor James Shaheen to revisit a couple of interviews with Jack, the first with Helen Tworkov dating back to 2000 and the second with Shaheen himself from 2008; both great reads:

http://www.tricycle.com/special-section/the-sure-hearts-release-an-interview-with-jack-kornfield?page=0,0

http://www.tricycle.com/interview/wise-heart

It seems Shaheen has also gotten into the spirit of the NBA championship by sharing his 1994 interview with Lakers’ coach Phil Jackson (then with the Chicago Bulls) and also a profile of and interview with Lakers’ meditation coach George Mumford:

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/?p=1845

Last month marked the 125th anniversary of the international Buddhist flag. Shambhala SunSpace blogger and Danny Fisher has a short interview with Professor Ananda W.P. Guruge about the rather interesting origins of this now ubiquitous symbol of Buddhism:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=16883

A little more on Henry Steel Olcott — and his influence on contemporary Buddhism — can be found here:

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/?p=1850

And in case you missed it — as I did — this past Saturday marked Tricycle’s 17th annual Change Your Mind Day:

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/?p=1854

On Friday afternoon I heard a segment on NPR’s “All Things Considered” that made me think back to our recent self-compassion workshop. While not specifically meditation-related, I thought this discussion of how to cope with “compassion fatigue” was rather pertinent:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127477675

Finally a heads up that DharmaCrafts, the Lawrence-based purveyor of meditation supplies, will be holding a one-day warehouse sale on samples, overstock, and irregular and discontinued items this Saturday, June 12. There could be some great finds if you’re in the market for some odds and ends for your meditation space:

http://www.dharmacrafts.com/9GE05104C/101xWS/Warehouse-Sale.html

That’s all for this week; I hope to see you all tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on May 31, 2010 at 5:28 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 6/1/10 meditation group

Greetings to all! The meditation group will meet from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish. Ajahn David will join us this week; thanks as always to Kevin for providing the transportation.

I will keep this week’s e-mail especially brief, but I do want to share a short slideshow of “Buddha’s Birthday” photographs, courtesy of the Wall Street Journal, from this weekend’s Vesak Day celebrations:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB127487676828297037.html

I hope everyone is enjoying a safe and restful holiday weekend; I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow evening.

Metta,
Tim
on May 24, 2010 at 3:54 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 5/25/10 meditation group

Good morning! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Brenda will lead the practice this week.

I am very pleased with how the self-compassion workshop went on Saturday. There was a great turnout — 17 of us altogether — and I have the sense that everyone got a lot out of it. It was a special day, and deep bows and much gratitude goes to everyone who was there and who helped make it all possible.

Not to worry if you weren’t able to attend on Saturday: Chris has a great website — http://www.mindfulselfcompassion.org/ — and a lot of resources available for free download, including handouts, meditation instructions, and audio files of some of the guided meditations we did during the workshop.

Chris will also lead a similar workshop on Saturday, June 19, as a benefit for CIMC: http://www.cimc.info/schedule_special.html

I also can’t recommend his book “The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion” too strongly; it’s a wonderful resource to have on hand.

Moving on to upcoming events, Sylvia Boorstein is in town and has a couple of teaching appearances this week:

On Wednesday, May 26, Sylvia will join Joseph Goldstein for “Across Traditions: Judaism, Buddhism and Meditation” from 7-9pm at the Cambridge Meeting House.

On Thursday, May 27, Sylvia will lead an evening of teachings, meditation, and dicussion on Cultivating the Loving Heart: the Jewish approach to chesed — lovingkindness — at Temple Beth Zion in Brookline:

http://www.nishmathayyim.org/calendar_special.php#acrosstraditions

I’ll also reprise a link I posted last week to Syliva’s Shambhala Sun archive: http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=15181

She also has some audio files available via her own website: http://www.sylviaboorstein.com/audio.html

Speaking of audio files, last week I meant to post a link to Larry Rosenberg’s vast audio archive (over 250 dharma talks!) over at Dharma Seed: http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/106/

It’s definitely worth stopping by if you get the chance.

That’s all for now; I hope to be able to make it to the meditation group this week and Carrie and I both look forward to seeing everyone soon.

Metta,
Tim
on May 17, 2010 at 4:08 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 5/18/10 meditation group

Good morning! The mediation group will meet from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish. Sue will lead the practice this week.

I hope everyone enjoyed the wonderful weather this weekend; Carrie and I had a chance to trek up to Newburyport (West Newbury, technically — which seemingly *does* make a difference as far as Google Maps is concerned) for the afternoon session of Larry Rosenberg’s retreat/talk on right relationship. It was nice for me to get a chance to check out IMCN’s “new” digs (it’s a wonderful location) and to finally hear Larry in person, and it was a beautiful day for the drive up and back.

Speaking of special events, this coming Saturady from 10am to 4pm is of course our daylong workshop on “The Practice of Self-Compassion” with Chris Germer. I strongly encourage you to make it to this very special offering, and friends and family are more than welcome (no prior meditation experience is necessary).

http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/2010/01/28/workshop-the-practice-of-self-compassion-with-christopher-germer-phd/

If you’ve not already done so, RSVP to Brenda (brogers1926@hotmail.com) so we have some idea of how many people to expect. In addition to your own lunch, please also that bring a box of tea — of any sort — or other beverage and some munchies to share at the “tea hour” following the workshop.

Chris has published the workshop schedule, which is as follows:

—————————————————————————
- Introduction
- What’s self-compassion?
- The self-compassion break
- Five pathways to self-compassion
- Three skills for managing difficult emotions
- Mindfulness meditation practice

MINDFUL LUNCH 12-1pm

- Loving-kindness and self-compassion
- Compassionate image meditation
- Loving-kindness meditation for beginners
- Loving-kindness with self-compassion phrases

BREAK

- Working with difficult relationships
- Appreciating yourself/your life
- Discussion
—————————————————————————

A number of Chris’s articles are available via his website:
http://www.mindfulselfcompassion.org/publications_articles.html

Speaking of mindfulness and psychotherapy, this week’s “Dharma Gem of the Week” is Tricycle’s interview (25 min.) with Andy Olendzki. As you may recall from my e-mail a few weeks back, I’m a huge fan of Andy’s and highly recommend listening in on his conversation with Tricycle Contributing Editor Joan Duncan Oliver:

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/?p=1762

You can also check out some of Duncan Oliver’s own work in this article on mindfulness/mindlessness:

http://www.tricycle.com/columns/3815-1.html?offer=dharma

I’d like to sign off this week with this brief Sylvia Boorstein article on “spiritual friendship” and a bunch of links to Sylvia’s other Shambhala Sun contributions:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=15181

That’s all for now; I hope to see you all tomorrow evening and again for the workshop on Saturday.

Metta,
Tim
on May 11, 2010 at 12:43 am | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 5/11/10 meditation group

Hi all…. Sorry for the tardiness of this week’s e-mail; it’s just been one of those days. In any event, the meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30-9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Mike will lead the practice this week.

I haven’t had a chance to put together much of an e-mail this week, but at the very least I want to remind people about a couple of upcoming events:

This Saturday, May 15, Larry Rosenberg will return to IMC Newburyport for “a day of special events”:

————————————————————————–

Larry will lead an Insight Meditation Retreat from 9:00am to 12:15pm. We will enjoy a Potluck Lunch followed by Larry’s Talk from 2:00 to 3:00pm. The theme for the day is The Mirror of Relationship: Insight Meditation and Self-Knowing in Action.

The fee for the day is $50.00. Or you may attend just for the morning or afternoon.

See the Special Offerings page at http://www.IMCNewburyport.org for more details.

Please register now and let us know what you will bring for the potluck lunch.

————————————————————————-

Carrie and I are planning to go for lunch and Larry’s talk in the afternoon.

Of course the following Saturday, May 22, we will be hosting a day-long workshop on “The Practice of Self-Compassion” with Dr. Christoper Germer. This is an excellent opportunity for yourself, your friends, and your family, regardless of meditation experience:

http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/2010/01/28/workshop-the-practice-of-self-compassion-with-christopher-germer-phd/

If you haven’t already, RSVP to Brenda; we will also need some volunteers for set-up/clean-up on the 22nd.

Then towards the end of the month there will be a couple of events with Sylvia Boorstein. On Wednesday, May 26, Sylvia will join Joseph Goldstein for “Across Traditions: Judaism, Buddhism and Meditation” from 7-9pm at the Cambridge Meeting House.

The next evening, May 27, Sylvia will lead an evening of teachings, meditation, and dicussion on Cultivating the Loving Heart: the Jewish approach to chesed — lovingkindness — at Temple Beth Zion in Brookline:

http://www.nishmathayyim.org/calendar_special.php#acrosstraditions

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow!

Metta,
Tim
on May 3, 2010 at 7:54 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 5/4/10 meditation group

Greetings! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow from 7:30-9:30pm in the Chapel at First Parish. Ajahn David will once again reappear as monk-in-residence; thanks to Kevin for the transportation.

This week’s e-mail will be a somewhat abbreviated; I primarily want to give a heads-up on a couple of upcoming events:

First, this Friday evening, May 7, Carrie will lead a discussion about cystic fibrosis (CF) and the book “The Power of Two: A Twin Triumph Over Cystic Fibrosis”:

————————————————————————–
The Pastoral Care Team will be hosting a book discussion about “The Power of Two: A Twin Triumph over Cystic Fibrosis” by Isabel Stenzel Byrnes and Anabel Stenzel. The book chronicles the twins’ lives with CF through the time of their double-lung transplants.

The discussion will be lead by Carrie Little, who herself has CF and is waiting for a double-lung transplant. She will be happy to answer any general questions about CF or lung transplant, as well as questions about her own experiences living with CF.

The session is open to adults and youth; please feel free to bring your friends. (Please note that the book contains some mature themes and language, so parents might want to preview it.) If you are interested in the topic but unable to read the book for whatever reason, please come for the discussion anyway. We just suggest that you review the basics about CF before you come, at http://www.cff.org/AboutCF

The session will take place Friday, May 7, in the chapel. A pizza-and-potluck dinner will start at 6, followed by more formal discussion at 7. Please come to our table in the vestry during social hour to learn more, to sign-up (so we know how much pizza to get) and, if you want, to borrow a copy of the book (supplies are limited!).

Hope to see you there!
————————————————————————–

Then on May 15, Larry Rosenberg will return to IMC Newburyport for “a day of special events”:

————————————————————————–

Larry will lead an Insight Meditation Retreat from 9:00am to 12:15pm. We will enjoy a Potluck Lunch followed by Larry’s Talk from 2:00 to 3:00pm. The theme for the day is The Mirror of Relationship: Insight Meditation and Self-Knowing in Action.

The fee for the day is $50.00. Or you may attend just for the morning or afternoon.

See the Special Offerings page at http://www.IMCNewburyport.org for more details.

Please register now and let us know what you will bring for the potluck lunch.

————————————————————————-

Carrie and I are planning to go for lunch and Larry’s talk in the afternoon.

Of course the following Saturday, May 22, we will be hosting a day-long workshop on “The Practice of Self-Compassion” with Dr. Christoper Germer. This is an excellent opportunity for yourself, your friends, and your family, regardless of meditation experience:

http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/2010/01/28/workshop-the-practice-of-self-compassion-with-christopher-germer-phd/

If you haven’t already, RSVP to Brenda; we will also need some volunteers for set-up/clean-up on the 22nd.

Then towards the end of the month there will be a couple of events with Sylvia Boorstein. On Wednesday, May 26, Sylvia will join Joseph Goldstein for “Across Traditions: Judaism, Buddhism and Meditation” from 7-9pm at the Cambridge Meeting House.

The next evening, May 27, Sylvia will lead an evening of teachings, meditation, and dicussion on Cultivating the Loving Heart: the Jewish approach to chesed — lovingkindness — at Temple Beth Zion in Brookline:

http://www.nishmathayyim.org/calendar_special.php#acrosstraditions

Thanks to Brenda for the heads-up on these events!

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow.

Metta,
Tim
on April 26, 2010 at 3:06 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 4/27/10 meditation group

Good morning! The meditation group will meet from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish. I’ll pinch-hit for Christine this week.

This past week I had a chance to read Andrew Olendzki’s new book, “Unlimiting Mind: The Radically Experiential Psychology of Buddhism” now available from Somerville’s Wisdom Publications:

http://www.wisdompubs.org/Pages/display.lasso?-KeyValue=33102&-Token.Action=&image=1

Andy was trained in Buddhist Studies at Lancaster University in England, as well as at Harvard and the University of Sri Lanka. He is a former executive director of IMS, and is currently the executive director and senior scholar at BCBS, and editor of the Insight Journal. Andy embodies a great deal of knowledge about early Buddhism and the language of the Pali cannon. He also collaborates with Gloria Taraniya Ambrosia in directing BCBS’s Integreated Study and Practice Program (ISPP):

http://www.dharma.org/bcbs/Pages/course_special_programs.html

I’d anticipated this book for quite a while now, and while it comprises a number of short articles and essays, some of which have previously appeared elsewhere — principally Insight Journal, Buddhadharma, Tricycle — it’s nice to have them collected in one volume and presented thematically. The brevity of each essay belies the depth of wisdom contained therein. I like to think of it as Andy Oldenzki’s “Greatest Hits… So Far”.

While I strongly recommend getting a copy of the book, it’s still possible to get an idea of its flavor from a handful of the essays and articles as they were originally published. I’ve arranged the links below to follow their arrangement in the book.

“What the Buddha Taught”
http://www.dharma.org/ij/documents/IJSpring2006fullissue.pdf (page 3)

“An Organic Spirituality”
http://www.dharma.org/ij/archives/documents/InsightJournal_Fall-05.pdf (page 3)

“Post Copernicus” (appears in the book as the chapter “The Post-Copernican Revolution”)
http://www.dharma.org/bcbs/Pages/documents/PostCopernicusbyAndrewOlendzki.pdf

“Medicine for the World” (appears in the book as the chapter “Caring for Each Other”)
http://www.tricycle.com/magazine/columns/thus-have-i-heard-medicine-for-world

“Healing the Wounds of the World”
http://www.dharma.org/ij/archives/2002b/healing.htm

“Making the Best of It”
http://www.dharma.org/bcbs/Other/MakingtheBestofIt.pdf

“Unreal Imagination Exists”
http://www.tricycle.com/magazine/columns/thus-have-i-heard-unreal-imagination-exists

“In the Blink of An Eye”
http://www.tricycle.com/columns/thus-have-i-heard-in-blink-eye

“Calm in the Face of Anger”
http://www.tricycle.com/thus-have-i-heard/thus-i-have-heard-calm-face-anger

“Interconnected… Or Not?”
http://www.dharma.org/ij/archives/documents/v24InsightJournalSpring2005.pdf (page 3)

“Self as Verb” (appears in the book as the chapter “Self Is a Verb”)
http://www.tricycle.com/columns/self-verb

“This World Is Not Yours”
http://www.dharma.org/ij/archives/ThisWorldIsNotYours–AO.pdf.pdf

“Karma In Action”
http://www.tricycle.com/node/33548?offer=dharma

“Where the Action Is”
http://www.dharma.org/bcbs/Pages/documents/WheretheActionIsbyAndrewOlendzki_000.pdf

Speaking of BCBS itself, they revamped their website this past year to incorporate a new online learning element, embodied in their “virtual Reading Room”:

http://www.dharma.org/bcbs/ReadingRoom.html

Of particular interest may be the “Sutta Studies” section, which provides an opportunity for in-depth study — at one’s own pace — of one Buddhist text or another. The Sutta Studies section presents multiple translations of the sutta, analysis by Andy Olendzki, and reflections for practice. At the moment the sutta in question is the Metta Sutta:

“The Mettā Sutta is one of the best-loved poems of the Buddhist tradition, a jewel sparkling softly but compellingly through the centuries. Its message and appeal are truly timeless. The Mettā Sutta speaks of universal good will toward all creatures, giving shape to one of the most beautiful and fundamentally wholesome states of mind of which the human being is capable.”

http://www.dharma.org/bcbs/Pages/SuttaStudies.html

Of course, also be sure to check out the BCBS course listing for upcoming “live” workshops and seminars:

https://bcbs.dharma.org/Pages/course_registration.lasso

In follow up to last week’s e-mail about the documentary “Burma VJ”, I wanted to recommend this short interview between Danny Fisher and Anders Ostergaard and Aye Chan Naing:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=16272

In upcoming events, I wish to thank Ruth C. for bringing to my attention a public talk this Thursday evening, April 29, by Zen monk/Vietnam veteran/author Claude AnShin Thomas. He will speak at 7:30pm at Margaret Jewett Hall at First Church of Cambridge: http://www.firstchurchcambridge.org/

Finally, this Saturday, May 1, Matthew Daniell will lead the first retreat of a series on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness. This half day retreat will focus on Exploring Bodily Life as a gateway to clarity. All are welcome to attend–beginners and experienced meditators alike. The retreat starts at 9:30am and ends at 1:00pm. Fees are $35.00 and $28.00 for members.

The series will continue over the next three months:

On May 29th he will lead a retreat on Exploring Feeling Tone

On June 19th he will lead a retreat on Exploring the Mind/Heart

On July 17th he will lead a retreat on Exploring the Nature of Experience and Freedom.

These may be taken individually or as a series. Please mark you calendars now.

For registration and/or more information, please visit http://imcnewburyport.org.

Well, that’s quite enough for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on April 19, 2010 at 3:56 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 4/20/10 meditation group

Greetings! The meditation group will meet from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish. Please note that overflow parking at Ginger Ale plaza is no longer permitted, however there is still additional parking in the “lower lot” by the Travelling Rhino and also behind the Old Town Hall.

I want to begin this week by sharing links to a couple of the articles on patience/endurance that Carrie mentioned last week:

Michele McDonald’s “Finding Patience”
http://www.tricycle.com/onpractice/finding-patience?offer=dharma

Sharon Salzberg’s “The Cure for Craziness”
http://www.sharonsalzberg.com/sharon/articles/article01.htm

and Ajahn Thanissaro’s study guide on the “Ten Perfections”
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/study/perfections.html

It was about a year ago that I attended Rick Hanson’s “Neurodharma” seminar at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies; since then Rick has published “Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom” (http://www.newharbinger.com/bookstore/productdetails.cfm?sku=6959)

I have to admit being somewhat disappointed by the book’s emphasis. It seems to be more of a handbook of exercises — many of which will already be familiar to those with a background in meditation — than an explication of the neurological process the underlie the contemplative experience. Some of this may be due to the constraints of the science, however having heard Rick speak and having read other writings of his, I feel that that he could have gone further in that direction while still remaining accessible to the general reader.

In any event Rick has a lot of material available for those who are interested learning more about this subject:

“Mind Changing Brain Changing Mind” was adapted for Insight Journal from the BCBS talk last April: http://www.dharma.org/bcbs/Pages/documents/MindChangingBrainChangingMindbyRickHanson_000.pdf

Rick’s website — http://www.rickhanson.net — has links to a number of articles and interviews, including a great three-part conversation with Vince Horn at BuddhistGeeks — http://www.buddhistgeeks.com/?s=hanson — and a short 12-minute piece on “Promise and Peril in Our Time” at New Dimensions Media: http://www.newdimensions.org/cafe/C0136/rick-hanson-phd-promise-and-peril-in-our-time/

Neruologist Richard Mendius has been Rick’s collaborator at the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom, and they have still more information available at http://www.wisebrain.org

Moving right along….

Be sure to set your VCRs, DVRs and TiVOs to HBO tomorrow evening at 9:30. The cable network will be airing the award-winning documentary “Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country”.

Per the MahaSangha News:
————————————————————————–

Filmmaker Anders Østergaard, with the help of Burmese VJs (video journalists), was able to capture the chaotic violence and brutality of the oppressive Burmese government and military during what has come to be known as the Saffron Revolution (named for the color of the robes worn by the monks who, along with thousands of others, marched the streets of Burma in nonviolent protest of the devastating policies of the government). As the Burma VJ website states, “The film offers a unique insight into high-risk journalism and dissidence in a police state, while at the same time providing a thorough documentation of the historical and dramatic days of September 2007, when the Buddhist monks started marching.” The footage was shot secretly, at great risk to the VJs, and later smuggled out of the country. The Austin Chronicle calls the film “a masterpiece…Utterly gripping, Burma VJ will rock you to the core…One of the most powerful documentary films I have ever seen, period.”

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Østergaard appeared on NPR’s “Talk of the Nation” last month (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124280370), and both the HBO and film’s own websites are worth exploring:

http://www.hbo.com/documentaries/burma-vj-reporting-from-a-closed-country/index.html#

http://burmavjmovie.com/

A little more immediately, Kate Wheeler will be back at IMC Newburyport this Saturday, April 24, for a day-long retreat on “Joy and Gratitude”:

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At this time of year it is hard not to experience the joy and gratitude of spring returning with its bounty of flowering bulbs, trees and shrubs.

But how do we do in our personal lives? Kate suggests that deep down we really do want to be happy, and we want others to be happy too.

Why not? However, there are times when others’ good fortune can make us feel small, bitter and inadequate in comparison. In this daylong retreat we will use traditional Buddhist meditation on sympathetic joy to reverse this unworthy trend. Developing gladness (rather than envy) for others’ happiness magnifies the joy in our own life and leads to a sense of appreciation and contentment.

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As always, please visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org for registration and additional information.

Finally, Shambhala Sun has updated their Tibetan relief resource guide to highlight those organizations that are equipped to handle donations towards post-earthquake relief efforts:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3531&Itemid=0

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on April 12, 2010 at 4:16 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 4/13/10 meditation group

Good morning! The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Carrie is scheduled to lead the practice this week.

I hope everyone had a chance to watch David Grubin’s “The Buddha” on PBS this past week. I think I was spoiled a bit having just read HW Schumann’s “The Historical Buddha”: I would have preferred that the film go more into the historical context for the Buddha and his teachings at the expense of some of the mythology. There is much more actually known about the Buddha’s life than the film lets on. That said, given the amount of ground Grubin tried to cover in two hours, the film was quite good for a general audience and was certainly visually stunning.

I also have to make a correction: last week I incorrectly identified poet Jane Hirschfield as Tara Brach! There’s more than a passing resemblance between the two women, but that’s still no excuse for my error!

As an aside, I highly recommend Glenn Wallis’ Buddhadharma article “Gautama vs the Buddha”:

http://www.glennwallis.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/BD_W_09_Wallis.29493350.pdf

I spent Thursday afternoon over at MGH as the seventh “experienced meditator” to particpiate in the Mind and Life Foundation-sponsored metta study led by Dr. Elizabeth Hoge. They’re looking for a cohort of 60 subjects and obviously still have a way to go to get there. (Hint, hint….)

Participation was quite straightforward: I arrived at about 1:30 in the afternoon to complete some paperwork, and was then whisked into an office where the Research Assistant and a nurse set up an IV line for the various blood draws. (Definitely better than repeated needle-sticks, I can tell you!) There was a short guided lovingkindness meditation, followed by a handful of “tasks” — quesitonnaires — between which were interspersed short videos which seemed to serve as a mental palate cleanser. The nurse would take blood samples at intervals throughout.

This lasted for about 40 minutes, followed by a seemingly comprehensive psych evaluation, and I was done by about 4 o’clock.

Anyhow, I’m quite fascinated by the science of meditation and look forward to seeing the results of this study — measuring the effect of metta meditation on hormone levels. (I just started Rick Hanson’s “The Buddha’s Brain”, so more on this subject later….)

Moving on to upcoming events, this Sunday, April 18, there will be a public celebration of the Lao New Year at Wat Buddhabhavana. Festivities get under way at 9am, with services commencing at 10. This includes “auspicious chanting” by the monks, requesting the Five Precepts and taking Refuge in the Triple Gem (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha), offering of Pa Pah, “money tree” and, finally, a Dhamma talk. At noon the public will enjoy a potluck lunch.

At 1pm “after first the washing of Buddha images, scented water and flower petals are poured over the hands and sometimes feet of the monks and then the elders; the adults ‘sprinkle’ water and offer verbal blessings of good health and good fortune toward one another and the children do likewise. With the children, the sprinkling usually graduates into a full-fledged water fight that can last well into the afternoon.”

The Buddhist Channel recently posted a couple of articles on other Lao temples in the US, one in Worthington, Ohio, and another in Richmond, California:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=62,9064,0,0,1,0

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=65,9072,0,0,1,0

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening.

Metta,
Tim
on April 5, 2010 at 3:52 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 4/6/10 meditation group

Good morning! The meditation group will meet in the Chapel at First Parish from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening. Ajahn David will join us for the meditation practice and dharma talk.

The big news this week (at least in my mind) is Wednesday evening’s debut of the highly-anticipated 2-hour PBS documentary “The Buddha” is narrated by Richard Gere and features numerous personalities of the Buddhist world such as Jack Kornfield, Tara Brach, Robert Thurman, and the Dalai Lama.

Filmmaker David Grubin (his other work includes PBS’s acclaimed “American Experience” biographies as well as “Healing And The Mind with Bill Moyers,”) was interviewed for the May issue of Shambahala Sun. An audio excerpt is available online: http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=15854

A transcript of the full interview is available here:
http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=3513

You can view the film’s trailer via PBS:
http://www.pbs.org/thebuddha/

The debut will be this Wednesday from 8-10pm on ‘GBH-2, with additional broadcast times as follows:

Wed. (4/7) 8pm on 2
Thu. (4/8) 1am and 4am on 2
Thu. (4/8) 1am on 44
Thu. (4/8) 1:30pm on 44
Fri. (4/9) 4am on 44
Sat. (4/10) 5:30pm on 44
Sun. (4/11) 3pm on 2
Mon. (4/12) 3am 44

http://www.wgbh.org/programs/programDetail.cfm?programid=968

Speaking of the Buddha, I just finished reading HW Schumann’s amazing “The Historical Buddha: The Times, Life and Teachings of the Founder of Buddhism”. Sadly this book seems to no longer be in print, but as one review puts it: “This comprehensive biography, originally published in Germany in 1982, examines the social, religious and political conditions that gave rise to Buddhism as we now know it. It explores the spiritual traditions from which Buddha broke away and places his teachings and influence in a thoroughly researched historical context.” Fascinating stuff and highly recommended.

Finally I just want to mention that Chas DiCapua will be teaching at IMC Newburyport this Saturday:

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On Saturday, April 10th, Chas Di Capua will lead an IMCN Retreat to explore the theme of Doubt: Mara’s Hidden Weapon. All of us at one time or another experience doubt about our practice: are we doing it right, what are we doing, why does it seem so hard… and so.

As many of you know, Chas is a gifted teacher who generously shares his insights and knowledge with us. This retreat, open to beginners and experienced meditators, will include sitting and walking meditation. Chas will present the Buddha’s teaching and answer questions in a small group or individually.

You may come for the whole day from 9:00am to 5:00pm or for a half day from 9:00am to 12:30pm. Soup will be provided for those who come for the full day.

Fees are $60.00 for the whole day; or $45.00 for members. Fees for the half day are $35.00 or $30.00 for members.
—————————————————————————

For registration and additional information, please visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org

That’s all for this week; I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow evening.

Metta,
Tim
on March 29, 2010 at 4:27 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 3/30/10 meditation group

Hello! The meditaton group will meet from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish. Brenda will lead the practice this week.

This week’s e-mail is a bit of a mish-mash:

The current issue of Shambhala Sun focuses on “unaffiliated” Buddhists — that is as Norman Fisher writes in his introductory article, “they practice alone or in small informal groups not listed in the phone book or on the web. There is therefore no record, no official trace, of their activity. They practice off the books.”

I’m not sure I’d really describe our Tuesday night group as “unaffiliated”, as our peer-supported practice is solidly grounded in the Insight Meditation tradition. However, we also exist apart from any official connections to the Insight Meditation community — that is through IMS or Spirit Rock or any of the affiliated institutions — so there is still a bit of a renegade/experimental/go-it-alone quality to our practice.

In any event, Fisher’s article is quite interesting and well worth reading:
http://www.thebuddhadharma.com/issues/2010/spring/pioneers.php

It is clear that the Dharma is going mainstram, however; proof of that is surely Thich Nhat Hanh’s interview with Oprah last month. You can read more here:

http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Oprah-Talks-to-Thich-Nhat-Hanh

Veering slightly off-topic, Carrie asked that I forward the following announcement/invitation to the upcoming discussion session at First Parish on Friday, May 7:

————————————————————————–
Want to learn more about Cystic Fibrosis (CF)?

The Pastoral Care Team will be hosting a book discussion about The Power of Two: A Twin Triumph over Cystic Fibrosis by Isabel Stenzel Byrnes and Anabel Stenzel. The book chronicles the twins’ lives with CF through the time of their double-lung transplants.

The discussion will be lead by Carrie Little, who herself has CF and is waiting for a double-lung transplant. She will be happy to answer any general questions about CF or lung transplant, as well as questions about her own experiences living with CF.

The session is open to adults and youth; please feel free to bring your friends. (Please note that the book contains some mature themes and language, so parents might want to preview it.) If you are interested in the topic but unable to read the book for whatever reason, please come for the discussion anyway. We just suggest that you review the basics about CF before you come, at http://www.cff.org/AboutCF

The session will take place Friday, May 7, in the chapel. A pizza-and-potluck dinner will start at 6, followed by more formal discussion at 7. Please come to our table in the vestry during social hour to learn more, to sign-up (so we know how much pizza to get) and, if you want, to borrow a copy of the book (supplies are limited!).

Hope to see you there!
————————————————————————–

If you’re interested in attending, RSVP to Carrie at c_a_little2003@yahoo.com. Friends and family are more than welcome. We can also try to arrange “loaner” copies of the book for anyone who is interested in reading the book beforehand.

That’s all for this week; I hope everyone manages to stay dry in this latest deluge — perhaps we should arrange for a “rains retreat”? — and look forward to seeing you all tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on March 22, 2010 at 5:21 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 3/23/10 meditation group

Hello! The meditation group will meet in the Chapel at First Parish from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening. Sue will lead the practice this week.

To begin I want to mention that the dharma talks from my retreat with Thanissira and Kittisaro are now avilable for general access on Dharmaseed. Both morning instructions — with the exception of one — and evening dharma talks were recorded. These talks cover quite a bit of ground and are very much worth listening to:

http://www.dharmaseed.org/retreats/948/

Thanissira and Kittisaro also have quite a few talks from other retreats available on Dharmaseed…

http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/101/
http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/178/

… in addition to recordings of some of the chants they introduced us to (although these particular clips were recorded elsewhere):

http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/284/

Sharon Salzberg has a couple of new articles online at the Huffington Post:

“One Who Protects The Truth Will Be Protected By It”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sharon-salzberg/one-who-protects-the-trut_b_493332.html

“Buddhism: Between Desire and Emptiness”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sharon-salzberg/buddhism-between-desire-a_b_484115.html

Finally, a heads up that Kate Wheeler will be at IMC Newburyport this Sunday, March 28, for a daylong retreat on “Body Awareness”:

————————————————————————
Kate teaches that centering our awareness within the body is a key ability that aids meditation practice and can be a real benefit in our daily lives as it allows us to feel more grounded and present. We can learn to experience and hold our emotions, while releasing ourselves from damaging self-images and narratives of blame. Knowing the body can also intensify awareness. A simple series of exercises will be taught for this purpose. Kate is a gifted teacher; she draws on a long history of Buddhist study and practice.

Kate Wheeler has been practicing yoga and meditation since her early teens. She began formal Buddhist practice in 1977. In the late 1980s she was briefly ordained as a nun in Rangoon, Myanmar and has been teaching retreats since the early 1990s. More recently she has assisted Sharon Salzberg at Loving-Kindness retreats at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA. She lives in Somerville and is an accomplished writer of fiction, travel journalism, and personal essays.

The full day retreat on March 28th starts at 9:00am and goes until 5:00pm. It includes sitting and walking meditation. Kate will make time for group discussion and meet with those who would like individual interviews. Beginners and experienced students are welcome to attend. Soup is provided at lunch time. For those who cannot commit to the full day, we offer the option of a half day retreat from 9:00am to 12:30pm.

The fee for the full day is $60.00 or $45.00 for IMCN members. For attendance for a half day the fee is $35.00 or $30.00 for IMCN members.
————————————————————————

For registration or more information, please visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org.

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on March 15, 2010 at 9:22 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 3/16/10 meditation group

Greetings to all! The meditation group will meet upstairs in the High School room at First Parish tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30. Mike will lead the practice this week.

I apologize in advance for a somewhat longer than usual e-mail this week.

As some of you know, I just returned home yesterday from a 9-night retreat at IMS in Barre. This was my third retreat at IMS, and having now done two 9-night and one 7-night retreat, I have to say that having the extra two days is definitely beneficial. There’s a rhythm to a retreat: the first couple of days are spent settling in, the next few days are the “sweet spot” of the retreat, and then for the last few days one’s mind begins to start thinking forward to life “on the outside” again. With a 7-night retreat I found the sweet spot was the three days in the middle, and that by having two more days to sit, walk, eat, and explore, the 9-night retreat enhances the experience that much more.

The teachers for this retreat were Thanissara and Kittisaro, who both had been monastics for many years before returning to lay-life to get married and set up a small retreat center in South Africa.

It took me a little while to adjust to their particular teaching style, which seemed more scholarly, getting more into the nitty-gritty of the Pali teachings than I was used to from my previous IMS experiences. It was also a very intense retreat in that they covered a lot of ground in the course of 10 days — first developing concentration, then cultivating insight and compassion — but they are both excellent teachers and made it all very accessible.

Another particular feature of this retreat was the inclusion of more “ritual” than I’ve come to expect from IMS retreats. There was a half-hour of bowing practice at 5:30 each morning, which included chanting a mantra to Kwan Yin the bodhisattva of compassion. There were additional periods of chanting (mostly in Pali) with the morning sitting at 6:00, and again in the evening.

In addition to their background in the Thai forest lineage of Ajahn Chah, Thanissara and Kittisaro have experience in the Ch’an (Chinese Zen) and Pure Land traditions, leading to quite an ecumenical catalog from which to draw, so the chanting — mainly the mantras — included some Chinese and Tibetan in addition to the Pali and English. (They also offered an optional period of Qi Gong each day.)

Again, Thanissara (born in the UK) and Kittisaro (who grew up as a Unitarian in Tennessee) are wonderful, compassionate teachers, and are expected to return to IMS again next spring.

IMS has a couple of links on the webpage for the retreat, including an audio link to an interview with Thanissara and Kittisaro, and a 2009 interview from The Sun:

http://www.dharma.org/ims/mp3/TK_Interview_12-16-09.mp3

http://www.dharma.org/ims/pdf/Kittisaro_and_Thanissara-A_Mindful_Marriage.pdf

In addition to their retreat center in South Africa (http://www.dharmagiri.org), Thanissara and Kittisaro have become involved in a number of community projects, especially those related to the HIV-AIDS pandemic:

http://www.dharmagiri-outreach.org/2.html

They also offer an online course for practitioners in remote areas, about which you can request more information at sms_dharmagiri@gmail.org if you’re interested.

This is all a very quick overview, but I’ll be happy to chat more about the generalities and specifics of the retreat if anyone has any questions.

Speaking of online retreats, Sylvia Boorstein’s lovingkindness course at Spirituality&Practice.com begins today, so it’s too late if you’re not already registered. However, James Kullander at Shambhala Sun has a nice piece about the motivation behind the course and has links to Sylvia’s many articles that have appeared in the magazine over the years:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=15320#more-15320

Meanwhile back in the non-virtual world, IMCN has a couple of interesting-sounding events coming up.

This Sunday, March 21, Matthew Daniell will lead a special Insight Meditation Retreat with the theme of Open Heart/Grounded Presence. The Retreat includes walking and sitting meditation, discussion and quiet lunch.

On March 28th Kate Wheeler will lead an Insight Meditation Retreat with the theme of Body Awareness, and on April 10th, Chas DiCapua will lead an Insight Meditation Retreat with the theme of Doubt: Mara’s Ultimate Weapon.

For registration and/or more information, please visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org.

Finally, I want to mention a Mass. General Hospital/Harvard Medical School research study in which some of you may be interested to participate. It’s certainly something I plan to look into:

————————————————————————
Meditate for science!

Do you practice Metta regularly?

Meditation researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital need healthy volunteers for a research study exploring the beneficial health effects of Metta/Lovingkindness/Compassion meditation on the hormones in the blood. The study will take place in one 2 hour session.

Compensation will be $100

Criteria for participation:
- At least 18 years or older
- Not currently taking psychiatric medications or hormones (e.g., estrogen)
- Good general health
- Currently practicing Metta/Lovingkindness meditation almost daily (does not need to be Metta exclusively)
- Long-term Metta practice (minimum of 2 years)
- Have been on at least one 3+ day Insight/Mindfulness retreat

617-724-0851
ehoge@partners.org
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Well that’s (finally) all for this week; I look forward to seeing everyone in hopefully somewhat drier conditions tomorrow evening.

Metta,
Tim
on March 1, 2010 at 5:26 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 3/2/10 meditation group

Greetings! The meditation group will meet from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish. Ajahn David is scheduled to join us this week.

I want begin this week by noting that yesterday marked the fourth anniversary of the Carrie’s and my first involvement with this meditation group. In many ways it seems like it was only yesterday that a handful of us first sat together for “Mindfulness Meditation for Caregivers” at Abhaya’s office in downtown Lowell. Then again, looking back over the intervening years, it seems like so much has changed — both for myself and for the group as a whole. I am amazed and encouraged that we have somehow managed to evolve and thrive as a sangha, and I look forward contiuning this adventure together in the years ahead.

Maudlin musings aside, there are a couple of short readings I’d like to recommend this week:

Sharon Salzberg (again!) has a new article up on the Huffington Post: “Buddhism: Between Overindulgence and Self-Hatred”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sharon-salzberg/buddhism-between-overindu_b_474081.html

Back in January, in addition to their exclusive interview, the Buddhist Channel also had a nice profile on Ajahn Sumedho — the senior Western monk in Ajahn Chah’s “lineage”:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=6,8849,0,0,1,0

In upcoming events, Chas DiCapua will lead at retreat this Saturday, March 6, at IMCN on “Understanding Your Buddhist Personality Type”:

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Everyone has some degree of greed, hatred and delusion. Yet, according to Buddhist philosophy, for each person, one of these three root defilements is more predominant. How to determine which type you are and what that means for your dharma practice, both on and off the cushion, will be the focus of this day long retreat. The intention in understanding ones personality type is not to stereotype anyone, but is a tool that can be used in navigating life in a way that increases happiness and reduces suffering.

Many of your know and appreciate Chas already from attending earlier retreats with him. He brings a variety of experiences to his teaching and welcomes beginners as well as seasoned meditators. He began practicing in 1989 in the Zen tradition. In 1995 he started Insight Meditation practice and has worked extensively with Joseph Goldstein and other leading teachers, including recent training with Jack Kornfield. Since 2003 Chas has been the resident teacher at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre , MA . He also teaches at other centers in New England.
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This is a topic I personally find particularly interesting, and it should be quite a fascinating day for anyone who is able to go.

For registration or more information, please visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org

I also want to put out a reminder about Sylvia Boorstein’s upcoming e-course on lovingkindness:

http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/ecourses/ecourses.php?id=92

Finally, I understand that Doreen Schweizer is celebrating her 65th birthday today! Many of you will recall Doreen’s generous assistance as a guest teacher over the past few years; hopefully we’ll be able to invite her back down to Chelmsford to lead another day-long retreat at some point. I’ll try to get ahold of a birthday card to have available tomorrow evening for those who are interested in sending birthday well-wishes to her.

Well, that’s all for this week, folks; I hope to see you tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on February 22, 2010 at 5:08 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 2/23/10 meditation group

Hello! The meditation group will meet from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening at First Parish. We will be temporarily displaced from the Chapel for the next couple of weeks, and will likely meet upstairs in the High School room during that time. (For newcomers, come in the office entrance and take the stairs to the second floor; the High School room is the last door on the left.) I’ll try to get to First Parish early enough to post signs as to our actual location, so please be on the lookout.

This week’s e-mail is a bit of a dharma smorgasbord, as opposed to last week’s Sharon-fest. That said, I somehow managed to miss this gem of an article on compassion, excerpted from her recent book “The Kindness Handbook: A Practical Manual”:

http://www.tricycle.com/insights/a-quiver-heart?offer=dharma

This past fall, Sharon also led Tricyle’s inaugural online retreat on kindness:

http://www.tricycle.com/online-retreats/sharon-salzberg-kindness

(Gelek Rinpoche is leading the current online retreat on the Four Noble Truths: http://www.tricycle.com/online-retreats/four-noble-truths)

Sharon’s longtime friend and teaching partner Sylvia Boorstein will herself lead an online retreat/e-course on lovingkindess at the Spirituality and Practice website. The course runs from March 15 through April 9, and is $50 for the four weeks:

http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/ecourses/ecourses.php?id=92

Sylvia also has a new, delightfully-named advice column starting with the Spring 2010 issue of Tricycle: “Ask Abbey Dharma” (the name being a play on the seminal newspaper advice column “Ask Abby” and the abdhidhamma pitaka, that section of the Pali cannon that “provides a theoretical framework to explain the causal underpinnings” of the Buddhist path to awakening).

http://www.tricycle.com/-life/dear-abbey-dharma

Meanwhile, back in the non-virtual world, Kate Lila Wheeler will lead a one-day retreat this Sunday, February 28, at IMC Newburyport:

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Exploring Feeling Tone in Meditation

Kate says we are never apart from feeling pleasure, irritation or neutrality, and that this aspect of experience tends to dominate our choice of actions.

Pleasant memories lead us to spend money; we push someone away if we tend to feel uncomfortable in their presence; we space out during a boring presentation.

During the Retreat participants will practice basic Vipassana meditation with particular attention to feeling tones. As we learn to recognize them in all their vividness, we free up a greater range of responses and connect more intimately with ourselves.

We are pleased to welcome Kate Lila Wheeler, our guest teacher, back to the Center for this Retreat. Kate has been practicing yoga and meditation since her early teens. She began formal Buddhist practice in 1977. In the late 1980s she was briefly ordained as a nun in Rangoon, Myanmar and has been teaching retreats since the early 1990s. More recently she has assisted Sharon Salzberg at Loving-Kindness retreats at Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA . She lives in Somerville and is an accomplished writer of fiction, travel journalism, and personal essays.
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For registration and/or more information, please visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org/

On the cultural side of things, I want to thank Ruth C. for mentioning that the Tuvan band, Alash, will be back in the area to perform at Club Passim in Cambridge next Monday, March 1, and in Framingham on Friday, March 5:

http://www.alashensemble.com/performances.htm

Finally, as many of you undoubtedly know, the Dalai Lama has been making the rounds across the United States this past week, including meeting with the President. He will chat with Larry King this evening on CNN, and this morning he was interviewed by NPR’s Rene Montagne for “Morning Edition”:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123896290

Shambhala Sun has some other Dalai Lama-related odds and ends here:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=15037

Well, that’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening, upstairs at First Parish.

Metta,
Tim
on February 15, 2010 at 9:07 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 2/16/10 meditation group

Greetings to all! The plan is still for the meditation group to meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. I will keep an eye on the forecast during the day tomorrow, and if it looks like the snowstorm will be too bad, I’ll send out an e-mail in the early afternoon to let people know **ONLY IF THERE WILL BE A CANCELLATION**. I’ll hope to see everyone, but please do stay home if you don’t feel comfortable driving. Carrie is just back from the hospital and is scheduled to lead the practice this week.

As Brenda mentioned in last week’s e-mail, I was away on a seven-night metta/lovingkindness retreat at IMS with Sharon Salzberg, Gina Sharpe, Mark Coleman, and Lila Kate Wheeler. I’ll be happy to talk with anyone who’s interested about my retreat experience, and may touch on some of the themes of the retreat when I lead the practice next week.

Sharon’s reputation as a teacher precedes her, and I have to say that in person she comes across as a very warm, joyous, heartfelt and down-to-earth teacher. While I did not have the chance of a private meeting with her, I certainly very much appreciated the wisdom she shared in her dharma talks, practice instructions, and answers to retreatants’ questions.

Sharon is, of course, an extremely prolific propagator of the dharma. She has written numerous books including the seminal, must-read “Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness”. She is also a regular contributor to Tricycle, Shambhala Sun, and O magazines, and blogs at the Huffington Post.

Many articles are available on her website http://www.sharonsalzberg.com, also with links to interviews she’s given on Speaking of Faith and BuddhistGeeks.

In addition, I just want highlight and share a couple of other Sharon-centric links:

Back in December Sharon was interviewed on the Canadian Broadcasting Company radio show Tapestry (which sounds very similar to Speaking of Faith). Her part of the interview begins at the 27 minute mark of the program:

http://www.cbc.ca/tapestry/archives/2009/112909.html

Last May she also recorded a short conversation with IMS Director Bob Agoglia (I’m pretty sure I shared this link previously):

http://www.dharma.org/ims/mp3/Sharon_Salzberg_Interview_May2009.mp3

Two short articles that appeared in Tricycle are “The Deluding Force”, a look at anger, and “Sitting on the Fence” on utilizing “the positive energy of wondering” and not getting lost “in cynicism or endless speculation”:

“The Deluding Force”
http://www.tricycle.com/special-section/the-deluding-force?offer-dharma

“Siting on the Fence”
http://www.tricycle.com/-practice/sitting-fence?offer=dharma

Her articles for Shambhala Sun include “Don’t I Know You?”, “Surprised by Joy”, “Generosity’s Perfection”, and “Becoming the Ally of All Beings”:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=13404

Sharon keeps a very busy teaching schedule, but luckily will be back at IMS April 8-11 for a weekend retreat with Dr. Mark Epstein, a psychiatrist and author of a number of books about the interface of Buddhism and psychotherapy, including “Thoughts without a Thinker” and “Going to Pieces without Falling Apart.”

————————————————————————–
THE PLATFORM OF JOY: INSIGHT MEDITATION WEEKEND
Within longing, behind addiction, beneath rage and under confusion lies a joy accessible to all. Uncovered by the Buddha during a period of self-investigation preceding his awakening, this joy became the wellspring of his psychology and the foundation of his Middle Path. The Buddha called it ‘the way to enlightenment.’ This silent insight meditation retreat, celebrating Buddhist practice but also drawing on the wisdom of contemporary psychotherapy, will create opportunities to experience this joy for ourselves and to use it to deepen our understanding.

Suitable for both beginners and experienced meditators, this weekend will include talks about the teachings, questions and answer sessions and periods of optional daily yoga.
————————————————————————–

Registration for this retreat is still open, and I very strongly encourage this opportunity for anyone who has not yet done a retreat:

http://www.dharma.org/ims/retreat_detail.php?id=176

Gina Sharpe, Mark Coleman, and Lila Kate Wheeler are also wonderful teachers in their own right. Gina is co-founder of New York Insight Meditation Center (www.nyimc.org); Mark is author of “Awake in the Wild: Nature as a Path to Self-Discovery” and has a website by the same name — http://www.awakeinthewild.com/home.php; Lila is a local teacher who appears regularly at IMC Newburyport.

While the dharma talks from this past week’s retreat will be available only to participants, you can listen to talks given by all four teachers via Dharmaseed.org: http://www.dharmaseed.org/teachers/

If there was a general theme from the retreat it was strong encouragement to maintain a consistent practice, and to remain open to whatever one’s experience with a kind and curious heart.

This is all probably more than enough for one week, so I’ll close here. (Being overly verbose is one of the side effects of coming out of a week-long silent retreat.)

I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening, weather permitting, of course.

Metta,
Tim
on February 15, 2010 at 7:08 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER Meditation Tuesday 2/9 at 7:30

Hello all,

This is Brenda filling in for Tim, who is sitting a metta-focused retreat this week with Sharon Salzberg and others out at Barre MA.

I will be leading the practice this week.

This weekend (Febrary 13-14th), Ajahn David’s temple (Wat Buddhabhavana, in Westford) is celebrating Makha Puja day. This a day that falls on the full moon of the third lunar month each year. It commemorates the Buddha’s teaching of the foundations of Buddhism to 1,250 of his first followers. The Temple is very welcoming of visitors, especially ones that clearly don’t know what they are doing!

I can’t make it this weekend, but I’ve been to the temple on other days of observance, and found it very interesting, even if it feels a little awkward at times.

There are 2 days of observance. On the first day, Saturday, there is a ceremony at 4:00 for those taking the 8 precepts.
At 5pm there is chanting and meditation.

On Sunday, starting at 10:00am, there is the Taking of the Refuges, and the Taking of the 5 precepts. Food is offered ceremonially to the monks (you can bring some food that you like such as packages of raisons, or nuts or fruit — you want enough for each of the monks — maybe 10?) There ia a Dharma talk, and chanting. Afterwards there is lunch served by the local Lao community.

Email me if you’d like more information, or you can email Ajahn David at venerablechutiko@yahoo.com.

In the meantime, I look forward to seeing some of you on Tuesday at First Parish Church in Chelmsford at 7:30.

With metta!
Brenda
on February 1, 2010 at 6:36 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 2/2/10 meditation group

Good afternoon! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow from 7:30 to 9:30pm in the Chapel at First Parish. Ajahn David will be with us this week; thanks to Sue and Brenda for providing transportation.

I am very pleased to announce that the meditation group, in conjunction with First Parish, will host a day-long workshop on “The Practice of Self-Compassion” on Saturday, May 22. (Please note this is a recent change from the original date of April 24.)

The workshop will be led by Christopher Germer, PhD, a clinical psychologist, long-time vipassana practitioner, and author most recently of “The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion”.

The public is welcome, so please feel free to invite family and friends. (The workshop is open to beginners and experienced meditators alike.)

For more information, please visit our website:
http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/2010/01/28/workshop-the-practice-of-self-compassion-with-christopher-germer-phd/

Broadening our sphere of awareness somewhat, the Buddhist Channel has an update of the Tzu Chi Foundation’s relief efforts in Haiti:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=7,8889,0,0,1,0

Finally, last week the Buddhist Channel published an exclusive interview with Ajahn Sumedho, one of the first Western students of the Thai meditation master Ajahn Chah:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=6,8875,0,0,1,0

That’s all for now; I hope to see everyone tomorrow night!

Metta,
Tim
on January 25, 2010 at 5:56 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 1/26/10 meditation group

Greetings! The meditation group will meet from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish. Sue is scheduled to lead the practice this week.

Things are heating up again at IMC Newburyport, now that they’ve returned from their winter hiatus. This Sunday, January 31, Chas DiCapua will be back to lead a day-long retreat on “Working with Thoughts and Emotions”:

“The inner life is the realm of experience where identification happens most quickly and most strongly. Because of this, learning how to navigate this area of our lives is essential if we want to be free from the suffering that ensues from such identification. In this day long retreat we’ll explore what thoughts and emotions tend to hook us the most as well as what to do when that happens both on and off the cushion. Participants in the retreat will be encouraged to see for themselves how the experience of our world is created moment to moment in the mind.

“Please come for the full day 9am to 5pm or for a half day 9am to 12:30pm. Bring a brown bag lunch if you will stay for the day.

“Full day fee for Members is $45.00; non-members $60.00.

“Register now on line or by mail or phone at 978-499-0325

“Check our web site at http://www.IMCnewburyport for more details or call me [Maria Van Dusen] on my cell phone at 617-784-7522.

The upcoming (March 2010) issue of Shambhala Sun looks especially promising: A guide to mindful living. I haven’t been a subscriber in a couple of years — great magazine, but I’ve got a huge backlog of reading as it is — but I’ll probably have to pick up a copy when it hits the newsstands this week or next.

In any event, the editors have published Barry Boyce’s conversation with Jon Kabat-Zinn on “the philosophy, goals, and promise of the mindfulness movement.”

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3493&Itemi

Updating one item from last week, the SunSpace blog checks back with Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi to see how Buddhist Global Relief is assisting with long-term rehabilitation in Haiti:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=14279#more-14279

Finally this week, I leave you with a short Tricycle article by Zen teacher Barry Evans on “The Myth of the Experienced Meditator”:

http://www.tricycle.com/columns/cushion-myth-experienced-meditator?offer=dharma

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening.

Metta,
Tim
on January 18, 2010 at 9:40 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 1/19/10 meditation group

Greetings on this wintry holiday Monday! The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. (Make sure you get to the polls and vote first!) Mike is schedule to lead the practice this week.

In addition to tomorrow’s very important special election to elect the successor to Senator Ted Kennedy, the other major news of the past week is of course the relief effort for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti.

There are many disaster relief organizations already on the ground in Port-au-Prince, including the Taiwanese Tzu Chi Foundation — the preeminent Buddhist humanitarian organization. Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi, co-founder of Buddhist Global Relief, recently spoke with Danny Fisher on what that group has been able to contribute and to offer suggestions on ways to help:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=14279

At the far other end of the current events spectrum, I’m sure many of you have heard of the brouhaha over Fox commentator Brit Hume’s recent comments regarding Tiger Woods and Buddhism. I won’t get into the sordid details (although you can read all about it on the SunSpace blog, if you’re really interested), but I did want to pass along a link to an excellent NPR interview with Ethan Nichtern in which he — in my opinion — does a great job as “ambassador” for the tradition:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122314139

Since we seem to be on a bit of a political bent this week, I’d also like to put in a plug (again?) for the Wisdom Publications’ anthology “Mindful Politics: A Buddhist Guide to Making the World a Better Place”, edited by Shambhala Sun’s Melvin McLeod:

http://www.wisdompubs.org/Pages/display.lasso?title=Mindful%20Politics

I do have a copy of this in my personal collection if anyone’s interested in borrowing it.

Well, that’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening — and please don’t forget to vote!

Metta,
Tim
on January 11, 2010 at 5:21 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 1/12/10 meditation group

Greetings! The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Christine will lead the practice this week — and I hope she’ll share some about her recent IMS retreat experience.

First off, I want to reiterate Ajahn David’s invitation from last Tuesday. As he mentioned, a group of students from Havard Divinity School will be participating in a retreat at Wat Buddhabhavana, starting this Wednesday, January 13.

Ajahn plans to begin the retreat in conjunction with the usual Wednesday evening meditation at the temple, from 7pm to 9pm, and encouraged the attendance of any of us who might be interested.

Please let me know by e-mail if you’d like ot go on Wednesday evening; if there’s sufficient interest, it might be best to coordinate transportation of some sort.

Switching gears slightly, I hope that you all had an opportunity to catch the series “This Emotional Life” that aired on PBS this past week, and will rebroadcast through this week:

http://www.wgbh.org/programs/programDetail.cfm?programid=752

Host Professor Daniel Gilbert, Harvard psychologist and author of Stumbling on Happiness, “talks with experts about the latest research on human emotions and how we can find support for the issues we all face.” Very interesting stuff.

Meditation is discussed only briefly in the show, but there’s more on the website, including video interviews with Dr. Michael Baime (Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine), Richard Gere, and Alanis Morissette:

http://www.pbs.org/thisemotionallife/perspective/one-nation-under-stress?element=626

The site also a quite good overview of what meditation (and isn’t):

http://www.pbs.org/thisemotionallife/topic/meditation/meditation

Dan Gilbert was also interviewed on NPR’s Morning Edition last week:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122207615

Speaking of “Meditation 101″, Zen teacher Barry Evans has a nice, short blurb on “the heart of practice” on the Tricycle website:

http://www.tricycle.com/insights/meditation-101-less-more?offer=dharma

Finally, coming back to the “marketplace”, I just wanted to mention that Lawrence-based meditation supply purveyors DharmaCrafts has a 10-20% off sale on select meditation supplies, including zafu/zabuton sets. If you’ve been thinking about getting meditation cushions, this might a great opportunity to do so… and support a local business in the process. The sale ends at midnight, Thursday, January 14:

http://www.dharmacrafts.com/101xSA/Meditation-Sale.html

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening.

Metta,
Tim
on January 4, 2010 at 5:36 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 1/5/10 meditation group

Greetings and happy 2010! The first meditation group meeting of the new year will take place from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish. Ajahn David is scheduled to join us once again for the meditation and discussion.

There are a couple of back-to-basics articles that seem appropriate to share this week:

“The Balancing Buddha” is a short excerpt from Joan Guttaso’s 2008 book “The Lotus Still Blooms”

http://www.tricycle.com/insights-and-outtakes/the-balancing-buddha

Bhante G, also by way of Tricycle, offers a teaching breathing:

http://www.tricycle.com/feature/venerable-henepola-gunaratana?page=0,0&offer=dha

Larry Rosenberg encourages us to investigate our practice in “The Right to Ask Questions”:

http://www.tricycle.com/dharma-talk/right-ask-questions?page=0,1&offer=dharma

Spirit Rock James Baraz writes on the awakening of joy in “Lighten Up!”:

http://www.tricycle.com/dharma-talk/lighten-up?offer=dharma

Zen teacher, Steve Hagen, offers his take on “meaning” in meditation:

http://www.tricycle.com/-cushion/looking-meaning?offer=dharma

And, finally, for encouragement as we head into the new year, a reprise of Diana Winston’s Shambhala Sun article on cultivating the habit of daily practice — without necessarily making any resolutions:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3298&Itemi

That should be plenty to get the new year off to a fine start.

I hope to see everyone tomorrow night, and wish you all a happy, safe, and peaceful 2010.

Metta,
Tim
on December 28, 2009 at 4:46 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 12/29/09 meditation group

Greetings! The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Temperatures are supposed to drop tomorrow, so please come prepared.

As we come to the last few days of 2009 I thought I’d share a couple of short articles on transitions:

First is a conversation between Daniel Goleman and the Dalai Lama on the subjects of time, change, and impermanence:

http://www.tricycle.com/special-section/the-experience-change?page=0,1&offer=dharma

Next is a brief excerpt on doorways from Gary Thorp’s “Sweeping Changes: Discovering the Joy of Zen in Everyday Tasks”:

http://www.tricycle.com/insights/crossing-threshhold?offer=dharma

Finally, a 2004 Shambhala Sun article by Sylvia Boorstein on endings and beginnings:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2256&Itemi

I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening and wish you all a happy, healthy, safe, and peaceful 2010.

Metta,
Tim
on December 21, 2009 at 5:18 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 12/22/09 meditation group

Good morning! The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Carrie is scheduled to lead the practice this week.

Last week Sue shared a dharma talk by Ven. Ajahn Viradhammao, student of Ajahn Chah and Ajahn Sumedho, and senior monk at Tisarana Buddhist Monastery in Perth, Ontario.

The full complement of Ajahn Viradhammo’s dharma talks can be found here:

http://www.tisarana.ca/includes/server.php?act=pod_list

Here’s a podcast link to the talk on “Stress” that Sue shared last week:

http://www.tisarana.ca/podcast/player.php?file=52

I’ve included links to the Tisarana Monastery in both the “Audio” and the “Retreat and Study Centers” sections of our website:

http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/

Thanks to the Shambhala Sun, I recently came across the website of the Netherlands-based Buddhist Broadcasting Foundation (Boeddhistische Omroep Stichting). Their English-language website has an extensive archive of audio and video that looks promising, even though I haven’t fully explored it yet:

http://www.buddhistmedia.com/defaultengels.aspx

Finally, I’ve been asked by Abhaya to share with you all the following:

“From Joseph Goldstein:

“The Buddha’s teaching… ‘serves as a profound reminder as we live immersed in the busyness of the world: when we practice, wisdom grows; when we don’t practice, it wanes. Wisdom is not something we get and then have forever; rather, it is an understanding we need to nourish and develop in our lives. The Buddha’s way is vast, and the potential for each of us is boundless. But it is up to us to take the next step.’

“As I begin teaching once again I think of each one of you with deep affection. To both the practitioners I have known, as well as those I have not met: May your meditation practice continue to awaken you with wisdom, compassion, and joy.

“Blessings for the Holidays,
“Abhaya”

That’s all for this week; I hope to see as many of you as possible tomorrow evening.

Metta,
Tim
on December 14, 2009 at 4:34 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 12/15/09 meditation group

Greetings all! The meditation group will meet from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish. Sue is scheduled to lead the practice this week.

This week’s e-mail will be very short; I just want to share a couple of articles from the Tricycle archives:

First is Cynthia Thatcher’s article “What’s So Great About Now?” — in which she tells us “why the present moment isn’t all it’s cracked up to be” — and the sidebar “How Long is A Moment”:

http://www.tricycle.com/dharma_talk/3648-1.html?offer=dharma

http://www.tricycle.com/dharma-talk/how-long-is-a-moment

Then we have Andrew Olendzki’s “In the Blink of an Eye: The transformative power of a single moment of insight”:

http://www.tricycle.com/columns/thus-have-i-heard-in-blink-eye

Good, short readings for what I’m sure is a busy time for many.

I hope to see you all tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on December 7, 2009 at 5:24 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 12/8/09 meditation group

Good morning! The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Brenda will lead the practice this week.

First off, IMCN is hosting a couple of events this weekend: Friday evening, December 11, there will be a community potluck dinner at 6:30, followed at 7:45 by Chas DiCapua sharing some reflections on the Sangha as practice and refuge.

Then on Saturday, December 12, Chas will lead a day-long retreat on “Tasting Freedom”:

“Small moments, many times” is a phrase that describes one of the approaches to completely freeing the heart/mind. Noticing suffering, letting go of its cause, and experiencing the end of that particular suffering is something that happens more than we might realize. The question is, do we notice it? The focus of this retreat will be to become aware when the heart/mind is at ease with things just as they are. As a way to get to know the difference between this state of the heart/mind and the heart/mind that is struggling with experience and wanting things to be different, participants will be encouraged to cultivate the habit of noticing what their relationship is to present moment experience. Some vipassana meditation experience will be helpful for this retreat.

For more information and registration, visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org

Incidentally, I just now fully took in IMCN’s “new” address on Middle Street in West Newbury. There’s something appropriate about that location for a Buddhist center, although I think it would be better still if the town would agree to change the name from Middle Street to Middle Way.

But I digress….

BCBS in the process of revamping their website, and just announced some really great new online resources:

The Reading Room is “our effort to extend some of the work we do here at BCBS to anyone with Internet access.”

“Our first offering in Sutta Studies is the Mettā Sutta, one of the best-loved poems of the Buddhist tradition, a jewel sparkling softly but compellingly through the centuries. Various translations, Pali/English word lists, and analysis of problems in translation and how they have been approached by different scholars, and verse-by-verse analysis, are provided.”

http://www.dharma.org/bcbs/Pages/SuttaStudies.html

BCBS also offers a comprehensive list of recommended readings on myriad Dharma-related subjects. It’s really quite interesting to simply peruse the list. Of course most titles, I believe, are on loan through the Study Center:

http://www.dharma.org/bcbs/Pages/RecommendedReading.html

Finally, the folks at BCBS have compiled a short list of additional online resources that may be of interest, particularly for those interested in further study of early Buddhist texts:

http://www.dharma.org/bcbs/Pages/OtherDharmaTextResources.html

Speaking of BCBS, Tricycle recently dug into its archives to find an absolute gem of an article by BCBS Executive Director and Senior Scholar Andy Olendzki on “Self as Verb”:

http://www.tricycle.com/columns/self-verb?offer=dharma

Finally, I want to share links to the Pluralism Project handouts that Ajahn David brought with him last week:

“What is Pluralism?”
http://www.pluralism.org/pages/pluralism/what_is_pluralism

“From Diversity to Pluralism”
http://www.pluralism.org/pages/pluralism/essays/from_diversity_to_pluralism

Well, that’s all for this week.

Please don’t forget to vote tomorrow in the primary election to elect the successor to Ted Kennedy’s US Senate seat. Turnout is expected to be low, so every vote is that much more important!

Metta,
Tim
on November 30, 2009 at 3:42 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 12/1/09 meditation group

Good morning! I hope everyone had a happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday. The meditation group will meet from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish. Ajahn David is scheduled to be with us; thanks yet again to Kevin for providing transportation.

Given Ajahn David’s involvement teaching meditaiton to inmates at FMC Devens and MCI-Norfolk, it was with some interest that I noted Shambhala Sun’s recent online archive of “prison dharma” articles. There is some interesting reading by and about “people who know the practice from both sides of the bars.”

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3467&Itemid=0

This also seems as good a time as any to put in another plug for “The Dhamma Brothers”:

http://www.dhammabrothers.com/film.html

The DVD is finally available, so perhaps we can arrange a screening at some point. It’s an incredibly powerful film.

Finally, there are a couple of short bits from the Tricycle archives:

First is an offering from five teachers — including Gil Fronsdal and Bhante G — on “how to change your mind,” in conjunction with Tricycle’s Change Your Mind Day:

http://www.tricycle.com/-practice/how-change-your-mind?offer=dharma

Next is an even shorter “meditator’s toolbox” of tips to invigorate your practice:

http://www.tricycle.com/feature/meditators-toolbox

That’s all for now; I hope to see everyone tomorrow!

Metta,
Tim
on November 23, 2009 at 5:37 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 11/24/09 meditation group

Greetings everyone! The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Christine is scheduled to lead the practice this week.

Krista Tippett hosted another interesting installment of Speaking of Faith this past week. Her guest was Adele Diamond, “a cognitive developmental neuroscientist who currently teaches at the University of British Columbia.”

While the entire conversation — “Learning, Doing, Being: A New Science of Education” — is fascinating, Professor Diamond’s connections with the Mind and Life Institute will be particularly interesting from a meditator’s perspective:

http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/2009/learning-doing-being/

In the latest IMS newsletter, Director Bob Agoglia and Christina Feldman discus the mainstreaming of meditation and the application of mindfulness practice in a therapeutic setting:

http://www.dharma.org/ims/mp3/Christina_Feldman_Interview_Sep2009.mp3

Bob Agoglia is also featured in the current issue of Buddhadharma in a panel dicussion on how practice centers are dealing with the current ecomonic climate:

http://www.dharma.org/ims/pdf/BD_W_09_Forum.pdf

Finally, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I thought this short article on “the spirit of gratitude” was rather timely:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=6,8710,0,0,1,0

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening and I wish everyone a happy, safe holiday.

Metta,
Tim
on November 16, 2009 at 5:56 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 11/17/09 meditation group

Greetings! The meditation group will meet from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish. Mike is scheduled to lead the practice this week.

In case anyone missed it, I highly recommend listening to this past week’s Speaking of Faith, on which host Krista Tippett spoke with “the happiest man in the world”, monk/scientist/photographer Matthieu Ricard:

http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/2009/ricard/

A few months ago Shambhala Sun Senior Editor Barry Boyce launched a new column The Mindful Society. As he writes on the Sun Space blog, The Mindful Society is “a chance to talk about interesting people who are doing groundbreaking work in bringing mindfulness and other contemplative disciplines into all areas of society.”

The Mindful Society is “not about how if we pay closer attention and increase our focus, we’ll get better and better at what we do and become better and better with each passing day until we become truly, awesomely, mindful. Perhaps from a certain perspective that is true. But what is much more true — and what the pioneers in the field of bringing mindfulness into all walks of life emphasize — is that paying attention is transformative. The attention-payer finds him or herself being born into a new world that is also the same old world.”

Anyhow, Boyce has amassed an interesting collection of odds and ends — articles, blog posts, audio — that is well worth exploring, including the following:

Barry Boyce’s Mindful Society Pages — “Improvi-satori”
http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=9378

Shambhala Sun Audio: What IS The Mindful Society? Barry Boyce explains
http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=9454

Barry Boyce’s “The Mindful Society Pages”: Being Together
http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=9535

Shambhala Sun Audio: Inside The Mindful Society with Barry Boyce
http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=12028

The Mindful Society: Practicing With Cancer
http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3357&Itemi

Shambhala Sun Audio: On “Practicing With Cancer”
http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=12392

and The Mindful Society: Walking the Talk
http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3461&Itemi

Finally, I believe that Brenda’s “field trip” for meditation at Wat Buddhabhavana is still on track for this Wednesday evening. For confirmation and furhter details, please contact Brenda directly.

That’s all for now; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening.

Metta,
Tim
on November 10, 2009 at 3:02 am | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 11/10/09 meditation group

Hello! The Tuesday night meditation group will resume its regular practice tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Brenda will lead the sitting and discussion this week.

I just want to share a couple of short articles this week.

First is an article by vipassana teacher Gavin Harrison on “working with pain”:

http://www.tricycle.com/-practice/working-pain

The second is an even shorter article by Ajahn Brahmavamso (aka, Ajahn Brahm, or “the funny monk”), “How to Transcend Dental Medication”

http://www.tricycle.com/insights/how-transcend-dental-medication

As some of you may have already heard, Ajahm Brahm has found himself in the midst of controversy this past week resulting from his the unauthorized ordination of novice nuns at his monastery in Perth, Australia.

Suffice to say the issue is complex, involving far more than just female ordination, but the resulting “excommunication” of Ajahn Brahm and his monastery from the Wat Pah Pong Sangha in Thailand is notable for a couple of reasons:

First, the Wat Pah Pong Sangha is the forest monastic order established by Ajahn Chah, so this news might be of more than passing interest to our meditation group. Luang Por Chah was one of the “grandfathers” of the forest monastic tradition in Thailand, and trained many Western teachers, including Ajahns Sumedho, Sucitto, and Amaro. Ajahn Chah was also one of the primary teachers of Jack Kornfield, who in turn was one of the founders the Insight Meditation tradition here in the West, and one of Abhaya’s teachers at Spirit Rock.

Second, this is a poignant illustration of the tensions that exist between tradition and modernity, particularly within the Theravada tradition and particularly in Thailand.

Third, this is also an illustration that even the most well-established communities and the most well-respected dharma teachers are still very human, and subject to very strong differences of opinion.

I wish to stay focused here on the “higher level” points made in the illustrations above, and not stoop to the level of gossip. However, there have been some skillful (and some not-so-skillful) things written in response to Ajahn Brahm’s situation, and I’ll be happy to forward links to anyone who is interested in learning more. Again, the issues of women’s ordination and the future of the Buddhist monastic tradition in Thailand make for interesting subject matter.

Finally, Brenda’s “Buddhism 101″ class will wrap up on Wednesday evening, however she is planning a field trip to the Wendesday night meditation with Ajahn David at Wat Buddhabhavana the following week (November 18). If anyone from the Tuesday night group is interested in going, they are more than welcome. The Wednesday night meditation at Wat Buddhabhavana is from 7 to 9; Brenda, Sue, and I will be happy to provide driving directions for anyone who would like to go.

That’s all for this week; I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow night!

Metta,
Tim
on November 2, 2009 at 7:48 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 11/3/09 meditation group

Hello everyone! The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Ajahn David will join us once again this week (thanks to Kevin for providing transportation), however the format will be slightly different than usual.

A few weeks ago Ajahn participated in a panel discussion on Buddhism for Professor Diana Eck’s Harvard class on Comparative Religions and Indian Studies.

Professor Eck also directs The Pluralism Project at Harvard University (http://pluralism.org). The mission of the Pluralism Project is “to help Americans engage with the realities of religious diversity through research, outreach, and the active dissemination of resources.” One of the Pluralism Project’s recent endeavors has been the production of the documentary film “Fremont, USA: A City’s Encouter with Religious Diversity” (http://pluralism.org/fremontusa/).

Professor Eck gifted Ajahn with a DVD copy of the award-winning film and we are delighted to be able to offer a screening for the Frist Parish community tomorrow evening; please feel free to invite interested friends and family.

“This film offers a glimpse of religious diversity on the local level: Fremont, California is a city transformed by new immigration. A rajagopuram rises in a tidy suburban neighborhood, announcing the vital presence of the Hindu community. The diversity of the global Buddhist community is also in evidence, as Thai, Chinese, and Burmese temples – and a women’s monastic retreat center – dot the landscape. Fremont is home to Peace Terrace, where Muslims and Christians have built side by side, and Gurdwara Road, where a large Sikh community engages in creative forms of outreach.

“Through civic engagement and interfaith action, strangers have become neighbors in this American city. Yet Fremont has also faced real challenges, especially after 9/11. When Alia Ansari, a Muslim woman, is murdered, some wonder if it was a hate crime: Was she killed because of her headscarf? How will the wider community respond?”

The running time of the film is 57 minutes, so there should be plenty of time for reflection and discussion afterward.

Many thanks in advance to Ajahn and to Brenda for coordinating the screening!

Moving right along, IMC Newburyport will host a day-long retreat on compassion this Sunday, November 8, with Kate Wheeler:

“We are pleased to welcome Kate Wheeler back to the Insight Meditation Center for an all day Retreat on Compassion on Sunday, November 8th. Kate Wheeler has been practicing yoga and meditation since her early teens. She began formal Buddhist practice in 1977. In the late 1980s she was briefly ordained as a nun in Rangoon , Myanmar and has been teaching retreats since the early 1990s. Recently she has assisted Sharon Salzberg in Loving-Kindness retreats at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre , MA . She lives in Somerville and is an accomplished writer of fiction, travel journalism, and personal essays.

“Kate encourages us to practice learning to use Compassion as a way to befriend ourselves and others with all of our imperfections. Can we train ourselves not to turn automatically away from suffering and not to try to ‘fix’ things? Simple traditional compassion meditation phrases will be mixed with awareness practices in helping us approach ourselves, and others in an authentically caring way without hardening our hearts.

“Beginning meditators and experienced practitioners are invited to attend this Retreat for a full day from 9am to 5pm or for a half day from 9am to 12:30pm. Those coming for the full day should bring a bag lunch.

“The day will include sitting and walking meditation and time to discuss our practice in the group or individually with the teacher. Kate shares her insights and the teachings of the Buddha with compassion and generosity. We are fortunate to have her as a guest teacher.

“Please register and mail in your fee or let us know by email or by calling the Center to tell us of your intent to attend. Full day fees are $45 for members and $55 for non-members. The fees for a half day are $25 for members and $30 for non-members.”

For more information, visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org

Finally, I want to share a 2003 collection of short interviews between Shambhala Sun’s Donna Rockwell and four well-known Buddhist meditation teachers: Charlotte Joko Beck, Joseph Goldstein, Sylvia Boorstein, and Sharon Salzberg.

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1613&Itemi

That’s all for this week.

Tomorrow is Election Day, so please don’t forget to vote. I hope to see you all afterwards for an evening of mindful film viewing.

Metta,
Tim
on October 26, 2009 at 8:20 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 10/27/09 meditation group

Hello everyone! The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Hopefully we’ll have a few newcomers thanks to Brenda’s Wednesday evening class.

For those who have a free Wednesday evening, the final seminar in the Newton Community Education “mindfulness” series will take place at Newton South High School from 7pm to 9pm. The speaker will be Mirabai Bush, Senior Fellow at the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society, who will speak to the topic of “How We Live Now: The Power of Mindfulness in Shaping American Public Life”:

“We often think of meditative practice as only personal, separate from our lives at work and in community. But the transformations that often happen with regular contemplative practice—more patience, compassion, insight, wise discernment, and action, for example—can play a part in positive changes in our organizations, businesses, professions, and community life. Mirabai will share her insights and experiences in bringing mindfulness into American life, from Google to Yale Law School, from higher education to the US Army. She will also share practices that cultivate mindfulness in daily life.”

Tickets are $20. For more information vist https://newtoncommunityed.org/viewDesc.php?CourseNumber=X5002-05

For more information on the Center, visit http://www.contemplativemind.org/

This week I’d like to share a couple of interviews from the Tricycle archives.

The first is a 1999 interview with Joseph Goldstein, discussing about his background in both the Burmese Vipassana and Tibetan Dzogchen traditions, how that experience has influenced his own teaching:

http://www.tricycle.com/feature/how-amazing

Meanwhile, in a 2002 interview, Gil Fronsdal speaks about teaching and practising in two traditions, specifically Vipassana and Soto Zen:

http://www.tricycle.com/interview/living-two-traditions

I find both of these articles interesting in the way they show how different forms of Buddhist practice can support and add depth to one another.

Finally, there’s a great post on the SunSpace blog by New Yorker/Shambhala Sun cartoonist David Sipress on what makes Buddhism so funny:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=12739

Oh, and one last last thing: If you’re in the market for a meditation cushion, Dharmacrafts’ sale ends Monday, November 2:

http://www.dharmacrafts.com/9GE1009C/100xCU/Meditation-Cushions.html

That’s all for now; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on October 19, 2009 at 1:31 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 10/20/09 meditation group

Greetings! The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Carrie will lead the practice this week. While temperatures this week are expected to climb upwards from the unseasonable cold of the weekend, a bringing an extra layer or two might not be a bad idea.

Once again there seems to be a number of events this week:

Brenda’s “Exploration of Buddhism” class for the adult religious education program at First Parish will kick off on Wednesday evening from 7-9pm. (I’m not sure which room they will use, but probably one of the classrooms upstairs?) The class is open to anyone with interest.

From Brenda:

————————————————————————–
These 2 are links to books available on-line. Reading a whole book is a lot, but maybe you’ll see a chapter title that intrigues you, or you can take a look at the introduction.

http://www.vipassana.com/meditation/mindfulness_in_plain_english.php
http://www.insightmeditationcenter.org/books-articles/the-issue-at-hand/

Below is a link to the a whole list of talks by Gil Fronsdal, a teacher from California. If you want to listen to one, I would just recommend looking at the list and downloading one that has an intriguing title.

http://www.audiodharma.org/talks-gil.html

…or, you can just show up, and see what happens!
————————————————————————–

This week’s “mindfulness” talk by Lama Surya Das at Newton Community Education is sold out, but limited seating is still available for next Wednesday evening’s talk “How We Live Now: The Power of Mindfulness in Shaping American Public Life” by Mirabai Bush. For registration and more information visit:

https://newtoncommunityed.org/viewDesc.php?CourseNumber=X5002-05

Coming up this Saturday, October 24, Chas DiCapua will lead a day-long retreat at IMC Newburyport on “Cultivating Concentration”:

————————————————————————–

The meditation offered during this special retreat will be Samatha (Or Samadhi) Meditation. The aim of this particular meditation is to foster calm and concentration in the heart/mind. There will be ample instruction, with relaxation and non-striving being central themes. Various meditation objects will be offered so that each person can find the one that works best for them with this particular practice. The main intention for this retreat is to demystify this mind state, so that participants can see for themselves that Samadhi, to some degree, is readily available.

As many of you know, Chas is a wonderful teacher who shares his wisdom and the teachings of the Buddha in fascinating stories with care and practicality. He began practicing in 1989 in the Zen tradition. In 1995 he started Insight Meditation practice and has worked extensively with Joseph Goldstein and other leading teachers. He is presently studying with Jack Kornfield. Since 2003 Chas has been the resident teacher at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre , MA . He also teaches at other centers in New England.

Please register as soon as you can so that we can tell Chas DiCapua that we have a core group committed to being there for the day. The retreat is open to beginner and experienced students alike. He will schedule individual interviews for those who would like to talk with him privately. You may attend for the full day from 9am to 5pm or for a half day from 9am to 12:15pm. Full day fee is $45 for members and $55 for non-members. Or $25 for members and $30 for non-members.

————————————————————————–

For more registration, please visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org

Dharmacrafts, the Lawrence-based purveyor of mediation supplies, is having a 30th anniversary sale in which meditation cushions are offered at 20%-30% discount, now through November 2:

http://www.dharmacrafts.com/9GE1009C/100xCU/Meditation-Cushions.html

Finally — and somewhat apropos, perhaps — I’ll leave you with some words from Sylvia Boorstein on “the wisdom of discomfort”:

http://www.tricycle.com/columns/on-the-cushion

That’s all for this week; I hope to see you all tomorrow evening.

Metta,
Tim
on October 13, 2009 at 3:05 am | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 10/13/09 meditation group

Hello everyone! Sorry once again for the late notice, but the meditation group will indeed meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Sue will lead the practice this week.

I just wanted to share a couple of quick items:

First, this Wednesday is the second of Newton Community Education’s four-week course on mindfulness. This week’s speaker is Jon Kabat-Zinn on “Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life”:

https://newtoncommunityed.org/viewDesc.php?CourseNumber=X5002-03

When Abhaya was with us a couple of weeks ago, she led a short reflection based on Dipa Ma’s “Ten Lessons to Live By”, from the Amy Schmidt biography of the seminal meditation teacher (she taught Joseph Goldstein, Jack Kornfield, Sharon Salzberg, and others):

http://www.bluebridgebooks.com/books/dipa.htm

Anyhow, I thought the ten lessons were worth offering again for contemplation — in the spirit of a Zen koan, if nothing else — especially for anyone who missed the Tuesday with Abhaya:

1. Choose one meditation practice and stick with it.
If you want to progress in meditation stay with one technique.

2. Meditate every day.
Practice now. Don’t think you will do more later.

3. Any situation is workable.
Each of us has enormous power. It can be used to help ourselves and help others.

4. Practice patience.
Patience is one of the most important virtues for developing mindfulness and concentration.

5. Free your mind.
Your mind is all stories.

6. Cool the fire of emotions.
Anger is a fire.

7. Have fun along the way.
I am quite happy. If you come to meditate you will also be happy.

8.Simplify.
Live simply. A very simple life is good for every thing. Too much luxury is a hindrance to practice.

9. Cultivate the spirit of blessing.
If you bless those around you this will inspire you to be attentive in every moment.

10. It’s a circular journey.
Meditation integrates the whole person.

Let me be free of enemies
Let me be free of dangers
Let me be free of mental anxieties
Let me pass my time with good body and happy mind

(Thanks to: http://kkrocketthelibrarian.blogspot.com/2006/12/dipa-mas-ten-lessons.html)

I also wanted to convey a follow-up message from Abhaya encouraging us not only in our daily practice, but also to enter a 7- or 9-day meditation retreat.

I’ve just been looking over the 2009-10 retreat schedule at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, and it looks like there are still spaces available for a number of retreats:

http://www.dharma.org/ims/retreats.php

For anyone looking to venture further afield, there are some good things happening out a Spirit Rock, too:

http://www.spiritrock.org/calendar/default.asp?type=retreats&pageID=273

That’s all for now; Carrie and I will be away this week — this was originally supposed to be a vacation week for us, but Carrie will just be getting home from a weekend in the hospital instead.

Have a good sit (and/or walk?), and we’ll see you next week!

Metta,
Tim
on October 5, 2009 at 8:30 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 10/6/09 meditation group

Hello! Just a short and somewhat belated reminder that the meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Ajahn David is scheduled to join us for the mediation and to give a dhamma talk.

I just want to remind folks of a couple of upcoming events:

First, multimedia publisher SoundsTrue launches its new series of online courses with favorite authors on October 6 via the Internet, with Mindfulness and the Brain, featuring Jack Kornfield and Daniel Siegel.

“From thorough explanations of scientific findings and down-to-earth Buddhist perspectives to moments of stillness and laughter, Mindfulness and the Brain invites students to discover a more integrated and connected way of knowing and developing a wise and loving heart.

“Mindful awareness creates scientifically recognized enhancements in psychology, mental functions, and in our interpersonal relationships. But how can we integrate this information into our personal or professional lives? In the Mindfulness and the Brain online course, Jack Kornfield, PhD, and Dan Siegel, MD, offer theoretical and experiential teachings on the power of inner transformation and the cultivation of a wise and loving heart. With thoughtful dialogue and practical tools, this interactive professional development training offers therapists, healers, educators, parents, meditation practitioners—and anyone else interested in developing a healthy mind—an intriguing exploration of what it means for us and our world to be able to shift our awareness. The six-week course includes three live interactive sessions, which will be available for download. Continuing education credits are available for professionals.”

The course cost is $99 for six weekly sessions:

http://shop.soundstrue.com/shop.soundstrue.com/SelectProd.do;jsessionid=588D963AEC0B5388B8F9E993B9107FF3?prodId=1984&manufacturer=Sounds%20True&category=Mindfulness%20and%20Presence&name=Mindfulness%20and%20the%20Brain

Then on Wednesday, October 7, Joseph Goldstein will open the first of four weekly talks on mindfulness at Newton Community Education/Newton High School:

https://newtoncommunityed.org/viewDesc.php?CourseNumber=X5002-02

For more registration and more information on the entire series, please vist the NCE website:

https://newtoncommunityed.org/viewDesc.php?CourseNumber=X5002-01

Coming up this Saturday, October 10, Larry Rosenberg will lead a morning retreat at IMC Newburyport, followed by a potluck lunch and an afternoon talk on “Self-Knowing in Difficult Times”. For registration and more information, please visit the IMCN web site:

http://www.imcnewburyport.org/special.htm

Finally, I just want to share a short “A Quiver of the Heart” excerpted from Sharon Salzberg’s “The Kindness Handbook: A Practical Companion” via Tricycle:

http://www.tricycle.com/2october2009

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening.

Metta,
Tim
on September 28, 2009 at 7:14 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 9/29/09 meditation group

Greetings! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow from 7:30pm to 9:30pm in the Chapel at First Parish. Brenda is scheduled to lead the practice this week… although she may have a special guest teacher for us.

I want to thank Sue (and Matt) for sharing a wonderful dhamma talk last week, Bhante Kassapa’s “Origin of Dhamma”:

http://kassapa.org/2009/02/15/dhammacast-origin-of-dhamma-from-unity-church-of-beaumont/

The heart of the talk is about 15 minutes long, with an extended Q&A period afterward.

More of Bhanta Kassapa’s “Dhammacasts” can be found on his website:

http://kassapa.org/dhammacast/

I’ll try to get the link added to the audio section of our website….

In other community news, a wonderful write up of the 5th anniversary celebration at Wat Buddhabhavana appeared on the Buddhist Channel website via the Westford Eagle:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=60,8565,0,0,1,0

There are also a number of events coming up in the the next couple of weeks:

After the morning service at First Parish this Sunday, October 4, Brenda will hold a half-hour meeting to go over resources for her four-week Buddhism class. The class itself will start the week of October 19. Please contact Brenda for additional information.

Also on Sunday, Matthew Daniell will lead an all-day retreat on impermanence at IMC Newburyport:

————————————————————————–
This Insight Meditation Retreat led by Matthew Daniell will explore Anicca and the challenges of coming to understand the world we live in. Impermanence or change isn’t something that happens to experience. It is experience itself. As such, impermanence is an important gateway to understanding the teachings of the Buddha. In this day long retreat, we will use mindfulness of our moment to moment experience as a vehicle for becoming intimate with change. Both sitting and walking instructions will be geared towards helping the retreat participants recognize that when we look at our experience, we are looking at change.

Although both beginning and experienced students are welcome, it will be helpful for participants in this retreat to have some experience with formal sitting meditation practice.

The Retreat starts at 9am and ends at 5pm, but it may be taken as half day from 9am to 12:15pm. The fee for members for the full day is $45 and $55 for non-members. Half day fees are $25 for members and $30 for non-members.

Please register now by sending in your registration and check or call the center at 978-499-0325 to let us know of your intention to attend.
————————————————————————–

Next Saturday, October 10, IMCN will host a special event with founding teacher Larry Rosenberg, featuring an afternoon dhamma talk on “Self Knowing in Difficult Times”:

————————————————————————–
Can Insight Meditation help us face challenges in our lives skillfully in these tough times? Can getting to know ourselves more intimately through sustained present moment awareness help us to live in ways that are kinder, wiser, and more beneficial to ourselves and others.

Come and join Larry Rosenberg with his earthy humor, clarity of wisdom, and compassion as he talks and guides us in exploring these themes for ourselves.

Larry in the author of the modern spiritual classic ‘Breath by Breath’, is the founder of the Cambridge Insight Meditation Center, and is a founder of IMCN (see the Teachers leaf for more Bio details).

Larrys talk will be one of three special events held on this day:

1. Larry will lead an Insight Meditation Retreat from 9:00-12:15pm
2. There will be a Community Pot Luck Lunch from 12:30-1:45pm
3. Larry will give a talk and answer questions from 2:00-3:00pm

You may attend any or all of the events:

The fee for the retreat is $30 for nonmembers and $25 for members
The lunch is free, please bring some food!
The suggested donations for the talk is $10.
————————————————————————–

For more information on either the October 4 or October 10 IMCN events, please visit their website: http://www.imcnewburyport.org

And — at long last — Evan Brenner’s fantastic one-man play “The Buddha: In His Own Words” will be performed at the Cambridge YMCA at 7pm on Sunday, October 4:

————————————————————————–
This dramatic portrayal of the Buddha’s life and journey as gleaned from the earliest sutras, performed by the author as a special benefit for the CIMC Endowment Fund.

Location: Cambridge YMCA theatre, 820 Massachusetts Avenue

Tickets: $40

Advance tickets are available online at: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/73386 or by calling 1-800-838-3006,
or by stopping by the office.
————————————————————————–

More information on the production itself, visit: http://www.thebuddhaplay.com/HOME.html

Finally (thanks to Brenda for the tip!), Newton Community Education will host a four-week course on mindfulness through the month of October, beginning Wednesday, October 7:

https://newtoncommunityed.org/viewDesc.php?CourseNumber=X5002-01

The cost is $20 per talk, or $60 for all four.

————————————————————————–
NCE is proud to be able to offer to the Newton and the Greater Boston community a series of talks by four leading practitioners and teachers of Mindfulness: Joseph Goldstein, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Surya Das, and Mirabai Bush.

Each speaker will talk about their personal journey and the insights they have gained through the practice of mindfulness meditation. They’ll explore how, by the simple act of paying attention in the present moment, compassion and wisdom can arise—and how this practice can lead to the elimination of suffering and the possibility of genuine happiness.

10/7/09 — Joseph Goldstein:
“Mindfulness: A Path to Freedom and an End to Suffering”
https://newtoncommunityed.org/viewDesc.php?CourseNumber=X5002-02

In the “busyness” of our lives, we often find ourselves longing for a sense of space and calm. In this talk Joseph will explore how to access the freedom that is available right here and now. Discover the natural peace and ease that results when our attention connects intimately with our immediate experience. By practicing mindfulness meditation and investigating the flow of experience moment by moment, we can relinquish the causes of suffering and reclaim our natural happiness.

10/14/09 — Jon Kabat-Zinn:
“Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life”
https://newtoncommunityed.org/viewDesc.php?CourseNumber=X5002-03

Jon will explore what he has learned, through his scientific studies and from his own meditation practice, about mindfulness as a way of life and its potential benefits for health. He will explore how mindfulness has immediate relevance to both the ordinary and extraordinary stresses of our time—from economic hardship, to parenting and life in an age of digital overload. Jon will map out a simple path for cultivating mindfulness in one’s own life. This talk is for anyone who cares about reclaiming the richness of life and the possibility of ending suffering for oneself, others, and the planet.

10/21/09 — Lama Surya Das:
“The Big Questions: How to Find Your Own Answers to Life’s Essential Mysteries Through The Practice of Mindful Self Inquiry”
https://newtoncommunityed.org/viewDesc.php?CourseNumber=X5002-04

As humans we are all faced with deep life questions. We wonder what our purpose is in life and feel perplexed about the mysteries of love, happiness, vocation, and death. In this talk Lama Surya Das will offer his wisdom and personal experience through incisive instruction in the art of mindfulness and intelligent questioning. This talk is for anyone looking to break through their own personal identity and self-imposed limitations, find the sacred life, and further develop ethical values, personal clarity, integrity, and authenticity.

10/28/09 — Mirabai Bush:
“How We Live Now: The Power of Mindfulness in Shaping American Public Life”
https://newtoncommunityed.org/viewDesc.php?CourseNumber=X5002-05

We often think of meditative practice as only personal, separate from our lives at work and in community. But the transformations that often happen with regular contemplative practice—more patience, compassion, insight, wise discernment, and action, for example—can play a part in positive changes in our organizations, businesses, professions, and community life. Mirabai will share her insights and experiences in bringing mindfulness into American life, from Google to Yale Law School, from higher education to the US Army. She will also share practices that cultivate mindfulness in daily life.

Mirabai Bush is currently Senior Fellow at the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society: http://www.contemplativemind.org/about/staff.html#mirabai
—————————————————————————

Well, that’s definitely more than enough for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on September 21, 2009 at 4:21 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 9/22/09 meditation group

Hello! The meditation group will meet from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish. Sue will lead the practice this week.

A couple of announcements to start off:

First, this weekend is the Omega Institute workshop “The Wise Heart and the Mindful Brain” with Jack Kornfield and Daniel Siegel:

http://www.eomega.org/omega/workshops/10b4dd6b9fcdf6cae821fb6be1359813/?Source=SHSUN

I believe Brenda and Dena are each planning on going for at least part of the program in case anyone else wants to join.

In other exciting news, Brenda will be offering a four-week exploration of Buddhism starting Wednesday, October 19, as part of the First Parish adult religious education program:

————————————————————————-
On Sunday October 4th, there will be a half-hour meeting after church for a sharing of resources about Buddhism (books, videos, websites, meeting times/places of local Buddhist meditation groups). Following that, for four weeks starting October 19th (dates subject to change as we figure out calendar commitments), there will be four evening meetings for a short practice period and discussion on the following topics (subject to change, depending on interest):

Week 1 (October 19th): Buddhism in America Today
Week 2 (October 26th): The Buddha
Week 3 (November 4): The Main Teachings of the Buddha
Week 4 (November 11): Summary and Closing Discussion

If you are interested or have questions, please contact Brenda Rogers.
————————————————————————-

This should be interesting and informative for anyone in our group who would like understand more about the origins and broader context of our meditation practice.

IMS and BCBS have both announced their 2010 course schedules:

http://www.dharma.org/ims/retreats.php

https://bcbs.dharma.org/Pages/course_registration.lasso

As usual it looks there are some wonderful opportunities for study and practice, particularly with BCBS including more weekend-long workshops than they have in the past.

The current issue of the Insight Newsletter also has a nice, short interview with Pat Coffey and Abhaya’s friend and teacher Marcia Rose on “Developing Samadhi: Practicing Concentration”:

http://www.dharma.org/ims/pdf/2009_fall_insight_newsletter.pdf

I’ll conclude this week’s e-mail with a link to Ven. Kobutsu Malone’s fine article “Komments on Karma”:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=6,8536,0,0,1,0

That’s all for now; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on September 14, 2009 at 5:24 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 9/15/09 meditation group

Greetings! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow from 7:30pm to 9:30pm in the Chapel at First Parish. Mike will lead the practice this week.

I’d like to start with a couple of reminders of upcoming events:

First, I just forwarded Ajahn Mangkone’s e-mail invitation to the 5th anniversary celebration at Wat Buddhabhavana this weekend. If you are interested and did not receive the e-mail, please let me know.

Also this Sunday at IMC Newburyport, Kate Wheeler will lead a metta/lovingkindness retreat:

“On Sunday, September 20th the First All Day Retreat of the fall will be led by Kate Wheeler. This Retreat on Loving Kindness (Metta) Meditation is a practice that cultivates a good heart. Based on 2600 year old instructions given by the Buddha, this practice of repeating phrases intending good will has helped countless people over the centuries to counter inner fear, anger, confusion and isolation. Periods of guided sitting and walking meditation will be combined with theory and discussion as we explore new ways of nourishing ourselves and others through the power of cultivating our own minds and hearts. The Retreat may be taken as Full or Half Day 9:00am -5:00pm. The fees are $45.00 for members or $55.00 for non-members. Experienced meditators and beginners are welcome. Bring a lunch.”

For more information, please visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org

And, again, next weekend September 25-26 the Omega Institute will host Jack Kornfield and Daniel Siegel in “The Wise Heart and the Mindful Brain: Buddha Meets Neurobiology”:

http://www.eomega.org/omega/workshops/10b4dd6b9fcdf6cae821fb6be1359813/?Source=SHSUN

Again, Dena will be there for at least the Saturday session in case anyone wants to meet up.

Finally I’d like to share a couple of articles that crossed my path recently that I felt are somehow related….

In the first, “Do You Really Want to be Freee, or Just Comfortable?”, Larry Rosenberg discusses the Kalama Sutta — the so-called Buddhsit doctrine of free inquiry — and “encourages us to put the teachings to the test”:

http://www.tricycle.com/7september2009

In another Tricycle article “An Ear to the Ground” Lin Jensen offers a Zennish take on living with — rather than by — the precepts:

http://www.tricycle.com/editors-pick/an-ear-ground

And then Shambhala Sun posted a fantastic interview with Shinzen Young on the topic of Enlightenment:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=12118

Finally, some of you may have already seen last Tuesday’s Boston Globe feature on an increasing interest in meditation among young adults, with a focus on the Young Adults’ retreat held recently at IMS:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/09/08/mass_meditation_center_draws_overstressed_young_adults/

That’s all for this week; I hope everyone is well and look forward to seeing you tomorrow!

Metta,
Tim
on September 8, 2009 at 12:57 am | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 9/8/09 meditation group

Hi all…. Please accept my apologies for this late and abbreviated edition of the weekly e-mail. The meditation group will meet from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish, and Christine will lead the practice.

I’d like to recommend a couple of short articles this week:

First is an old-ish article from Ode magazine that came to my attention via Sharon Salzberg and the Tricycle Editors’ Blog:

http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=3815

The second is CIMC’s Narayan Liebenson Grady’s contribution to the “Ask the Teachers” section from the Fall edition of The Buddhadharma:

http://www.thebuddhadharma.com/issues/2009/fall/ask_the_teachers.php

That’s all for this week; I hope everyone had a safe and pleasant holiday weekend and I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on August 31, 2009 at 3:45 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 9/1/09 meditation group

Greetings! The meditation group will meet from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish. Ajahn David is expected to be with us; thanks again to Kevin for providing the transportation.

A couple of quick calendar items to start off with:

On September 19 and 20, Wat Buddhabhavana is hosting a celebration of its fifth anniversary in conjunction with the annual closing ceremony of the summer cultural school and the consecration of the Phra Bang Buddha statute. The event will include traditional dance performed by the summer school students.

I’ll be happy to provide details of the schedule for anyone who is interested, or feel free to inquire of Ajahn David tomorrow evening.

As mentioned previously, on September 25 and 26 the Omega Institute is hosting the weekend workshop “The Wise Heart and the Mindful Brain: Buddha Meets Neurobiology” with Jack Kornfield and Daniel Siegel at the John Hancock Hall in Boston. (More info here: http://www.eomega.org/omega/workshops/10b4dd6b9fcdf6cae821fb6be1359813/?Source=SHSUN)

Dena e-mailed me to say that she is planning to attend the Saturday session and would be happy to meet up if anyone else is going to be there. (She plans on taking public transportation to get there.)

Finally (calendar-wise), the BCBS performance/lecture of Evan Brenner’s play “The Buddha” has been cancelled. However, Brenner will be perfoming the one-man play at CIMC on October 4, if anyone is interested in going:

http://www.cimc.info/schedule_special.html

This week’s “Dharma gem” is a wonderfully quirky video lecture given by Gary Gach, author of “The Complte Idiot’s Guide to Buddhism” and — among other activities — blogs for Psychology Today.

The entire video is about an hour long, but very much worth watching:

http://fora.tv/2009/07/28/The_Complete_Idiots_Guide_to_Buddhism_Gary_Gach

That’s all for this week; I hope to see you all tomorrow evening.

Metta,
Tim
on August 25, 2009 at 2:07 am | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 8/25/09 meditation group

Greetings! I apologize for the lateness of this week’s e-mail, but the meditation group will indeed meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish.

I’d like to recommend a few links this week. The first is a short but poignant post by Sylvia Boorstein on this past week’s Shambhala Sun Space blog:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=11655

I also rediscovered Steve Silberman’s wonderful profile of Sylvia from the January 2008 issue of Shambhala Sun and thought it was worth sharing again:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3175&Itemi

Towards the end of Silberman’s article he cites Sylvia’s version of a traditional Buddhist story:

“In the [Happiness is an Inside Job], after telling the story of giving a dharma talk at a retirement home, Boorstein suggests adding a line to the classic parable of the woman who carries the body of her son to the Buddha and begs him to bring him back to life. He agrees to do it only if she is able to collect a mustard seed from every household in the village that has never been touched by death. She comes back empty-handed and becomes one of the Buddha’s disciples. The line that Boorstein proposes to add is, ‘And then the Buddha and the woman sat together for a while and cried.’”

Finally, I highly recommend the Tricycle Web exclusive “Winnie-the-Buddhist”:

http://www.tricycle.com/web-exclusive/winnie-buddhist

I will have a sympathy card for Judy Maybury available for signing at tomorrow evening’s meditation. If you will not be able to make it for meditation and would like to send your condolences to Judy and her family, please feel free to send them to me via e-mail, and I will be sure to include them with the card.

Metta,
Tim
on August 17, 2009 at 4:11 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 8/18/09 meditation group

Hello all! The meditation group will meet from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish. Carrie will lead the practice this week.

Last week I mentioned that Evan Brenner’s one-man play “The Buddha” would be performed at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies next month. Well, the very next day BCBS updated their website to say that the performance/lecture has been postponed due to an new off-Broadway run. This is great news for Evan of course (mudita!), and it looks like he’ll be back at BCBS some time this winter.

Looking a bit further afield, I’m sure many of you have heard that Burmese democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi has had her house arrest extended thanks to a well-intentioned but ill-advised American visitor (who was deported back the United States).

A couple of months ago, author Alice Walker wrote a post on her blog about the meaning of Aung San Suu Kyi:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=8,8207,0,0,1,0

Somewhat more recently there was an interesting article in the Denver Post about Buddhist practices — specifically meditation — serving as a bridge and being adopted by devotees of other religions:

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_13023827

Tricycle and Shambhala Sun both picked up on the article, of course, and the ensuing commentary is posted online:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=11523

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/?p=1376

One individual who has found himself facing a bit of a backlash for his interreligious background is Virginia congressional candidate Erik Curren. Curren was last week’s guest on Buddhist Geeks:

http://personallifemedia.com/podcasts/236-buddhist-geeks/episodes/50379-erik-curren-buddhist

Curren has received a considerable amount of press coverage in the local and Buddhist media, including an interview and follow-up article in the National Examiner:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=9,8413,0,0,1,0

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=60,8389,0,0,1,0

Curren contributed his own op-ed in the Newsboro News Virginian:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=8,8392,0,0,1,0

Well, that’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening.

Metta,
Tim
on August 10, 2009 at 4:15 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 8/11/09 meditation group

Greetings! The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Christine will lead the practice this week. Weather permitting, the Chelmsford Community Band will give its final performance of the summer on the town common, so please be mindful of limited parking around the church.

There are a few calendar items coming up that may be of interest:

First, this weekend is the 11th annual Lowell Southeast Asian Water Festival, a unique cultural event:

http://www.lowellwaterfestival.org/

As many of you may recall, I’ve been a huge fan of Evan Brenner’s play “The Buddha: In His Own Words” since Carrie and I saw the one-man production in Cambridge a couple of years ago. Brenner’s brought the show back to the Boston area a few times since then, but on Sunday, September 13, he will give a special one-time performance at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies:

“Evan Brenner’s engaging one-man play, Buddha, Triumph and Tragedy in the Life of the Great Sage, has toured New York, Boston and across the continent, & now comes to the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies in Barre, MA, by special arrangement. In down-to-earth English translations of the original texts of early Buddhism, they play weaves a compelling first-person story that has been highly praised wherever it has been heard. There will also be opportunity to talk with Evan Brenner after the show. Andrew Olendzki, executive director and senior scholar at BCBS, will provide context on ancient India, the Pali texts, and some less-well-known perspectives on the person we know as the Buddha. See thebuddhaplay.com/ for more information about the work itself. Lunch is included.”

Not only is the show worth seeing in and of itself, but Andy Olendzki’s commentary should be especially fascinating. Tickets are available for $75 at the BCBS website:

https://bcbs.dharma.org/Pages/course_detail.lasso?-KeyValue=95&-Token.Action=&im

If there’s enough interest we might consider a carpool from the Lowell/Chelmsford area.

Finally, the Omega Institute will present a weekend with Jack Kornfield and Daniel Siegel on “The Wise Heart and the Mindful Brain” on September 25-26 at the Back Bay Events Center in Boston.

“Kornfield and Siegel will come together at the Back Bay Events Center for a two day program centering on ‘an in-depth exploration of the mind and heart.’ This event finds its locus in their latest publications, The Wise Heart by Kornfield and The Mindful Brain by Siegel.

“This event considers the joint trajectories of neurobiology, and Eastern and Western psychologies. ‘They also focus on the structure of the mind and how understanding consciousness and mental patterns can help reduce stress and anxiety, and foster healing wisdom and transformative happiness.’

“‘Conceptual ideas are woven together with experiential immersion throughout this intensive exploration of the art and science of personal transformation and the cultivation of well-being.’”

For more information visit http://www.eomega.org/omega/workshops/10b4dd6b9fcdf6cae821fb6be1359813/?Source=S

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on August 3, 2009 at 3:49 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 8/4/09 meditation group

Hello! The meditation group will meet from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish. Ajahn David will be with us this week to lead the meditation and give a dhamma talk. Thanks again to Kevin for providing the transportation this month.

Please note that the Chelmsford Town Band will be performing on the common tomorrow evening, so parking will likely be scarce.

I just finished reading “The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion” by Christopher Germer, and can’t recommend it highly enough. Germer is a clinical psychologist and long-time meditation practitioner. His book provides an excellent introduction to basic breath meditation and metta/lovingkindness practice, with — as the title suggests — a strong emphasis on cultivating self-compassion.

http://www.guilford.com/cgi-bin/cartscript.cgi?page=pr/germer2.htm&dir=trade/psy

Germer approaches metta from the perspective of a therapist and makes the practice accessible to those who might otherwise be wary of a spiritual discipline. In some ways it seems similar to the “secularized” approach to mindfulness practice taken by Jon Kabat-Zinn in “Wherever You Go, There You Are”. There are also a number of interesting sidebars that highlight some of the research supporting the practice, and links to online resources.

“The Mindful Path” is an extremely accessible, down-to-earth, and quite literally practical companion for anyone working with the lovingkindness practice, in particular those who are struggling directing metta to themselves. Germer’s book makes for a wonderful complement to Sharon Salzberg’s “Lovingkindness” and Tara Brach’s “Radical Acceptance”.

Speaking of metta, I recently came across the following post on Daily Kos that puts an interesting spin on the practice:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/7/25/757667/-Fight-Money-With-Love:-Kinder,-Gentler-Health-Reform-Talking-Points

Regardless of the politics, it’s definitely nice to see metta practice getting some publicity beyond the Buddhist blog echo chamber.

I’ve also been trying to catch up on my backlog of Buddhist Geeks podcasts; there are a number that I hope to share over the coming weeks, but one that I thought was particularly interesting is this conversation between Vince Horn and UC Berkeley Professor Emeritus Lewis Lancaster on “Budhist History 101″ (about 30 min):

http://personallifemedia.com/podcasts/236-buddhist-geeks/episodes/49759-buddhist-history

Some of you may remember about a year ago an interesting video in which Professor Lancaster delivers an hour-long lecture at Berkeley on “Buddhism in a Global Age of Technology”, worth another mention here:

http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/newsletters/#comment-142

and

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=6,6875,0,0,1,0

Finally, I want to wind up with a link to Rod Meade Sperry’s interesting blog post on Buddhism as seen through the lens of the tabloid Weekly World News; good for a bit of a chuckle, and a reminder not to take ourselves too seriously.

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=11349#more-11349

That’s all for now; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on July 27, 2009 at 3:43 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 7/28/09 meditation group

Hello! The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30-9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Brenda will lead the practice this week. Once again, please be mindful of the limited parking around the church due to the community band concert on the town common.

Summer — somewhat late in arriving this year, but finally here with a vengeance — is time for Hollywood blockbusters, of course. And despite the presence of the annual International Buddhist Film Festival (http://www.ibff.org/), Buddhist-themed films seem few and far between.

Last week I mentioned a couple of award-winning animated films; this week I wanted to feature the 2006 Sri Lankan film “Sankara”.

I first heard about “Sankara” only recently thanks to a very interesting review posted on the Buddhist Channel:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=12,8390,0,0,1,0

There’s a little more information available on the film’s website (http://www.sankaramovie.com/), and a longer trailer can be found via YouTube (of course): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLKQAl2gCkU

I don’t know if “Sankara” has ever been screened in the US, let alone the Boston area, but it certainly looks like a must-see if and when it ever arrives. I did take a quick look online to see if it is available on DVD, but to no avail.

Another film I mentioned some time ago (http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/newsletters/#comment-193) is the Danish documentary “Burma VJ” that threads together footage captured by underground video journalists (“VJ”) to tell the story of the Burma’s September 2007 Saffron Revolution.

There was a BBC article (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7972703.stm) that captured my attention at the time, and last month NPR’s Scott Simon intereviewed the filmmaker, Andres Ostergaard:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=105366969

Not only is summer time for movies, it’s also time for backyard cookouts. Carrie and I have been tossing around the idea of hosting an informal potluck for the meditation group (plus family, friends, and dogs). If anyone is interested in such a get-together, please let me know — particularly if there are better/worse dates. (Just offhand, I’m thinking later in the summer, maybe just post Labor Day when folks are more likely to be around?)

Finally, I’d like to wrap up this week by recommending “The Gift of Gratitude” a dharma talk by Ajahn Sumedho published in the Spring 2006 issue of Tricycle:

http://www.tricycle.com/dharma-talk/the-gift-gratitude

That’s all for now; I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow evening.

Metta,
Tim
on July 20, 2009 at 3:51 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 7/21/09 meditation group

Greetings! The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish.

Abhaya is scheduled to lead the meditation and give a teaching, however due to her being away to deal with a family emergency we may have to play it by ear again this week. Also, just a reminder that — weather permitting — the Chelmsford Community Band has a concert scheduled to take place on the common tomorrow evening, so please be aware that parking may be scarce.

I have a couple of links to pass along this week:

When Carrie and I first started our meditation practice, one of the first questions that Abhaya put to us was whether we understood the difference between self-improvement and self-care. This has stuck with me over the intervening years, and I was reminded of it once again when I came across the following article from the Guardian:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=7,8360,0,0,1,0

The 2009 International Buddhist Film Festival took place in May, and two animated films won awards.

There’s a short write-up here: http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=12,8332,0,0,1,0

You can watch the short film “The Oil Lamp” (9 min) here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMTwqqZTSzk

… and the trailer for the series “The Abbot and the Orphan” can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxtAEKuQawU

Finally, Tricycle points us to a great talk (25 min) by scholar/practitioner B. Alan Wallace, which they call “practising Buddhism whether you’re Buddhist or not”:

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/?p=1243

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow!

Metta,
Tim
on July 14, 2009 at 3:28 am | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 7/14/09 meditation group

Greetings! I apologize for this belated and somewhat abbreviated reminder, but the meditation group will indeed meet from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow (Tuesday) evening in the Chapel at First Parish. Abhaya was originally scheduled to lead the meditation and give a teaching, however due to a family emergency she may not be able to make it. Not to worry; we’ll have a contingency plan in place, if necessary.

I also wanted to remind folks of the ongoing summer concert series on the Chelmsford town common. Parking in the church lot may be at a premium, and you are encouraged to use alternate facilities at Ginger Ale Plaza or behind the Old Town Hall.

I also want to announce a schedule conflict. As some of you may have taken in last week, Ajahn David will have a dharma talked filmed for a Boston University film project. The filming will take place tomorrow evening at Wat Buddhabhavana, and we have been invited to attend. (Ajahn preferring to speak before a live/captive audience, of course.) Anyone wishing to go should plan on arriving at the temple by 6:45; the talk is scheduled to run from 7:00 to 9:00. I will forward on the official e-mail for further information, and am happy to provide driving directions if anyone needs them.

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone who doesn’t end up going down to Westford tomorrow evening.

Metta,
Tim
on July 6, 2009 at 5:30 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 7/7/09 meditation group

Greetings! I hope everyone enjoyed a happy holiday weekend. The meditation group meets tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Ajahn David is scheduled to join us this week; thanks again to Kevin G. for providing transport.

Please note that the Chelmsford Community Band has kicks off its summer weekly concert series tomorrow evening at Penham Park (aka, the town common). This means that parking around First Parish will be especially tight on Tuesday evenings through August 11. Additional parking should be available behind the Old Town Hall (North Road/Rte. 4), and at Ginger Ale Plaza, between the Shell station and Bertucci’s on Littleton Road/Rte. 110.

In other music-related events, Ruth C. kindly brought to my attention that the Tuvan throat-singing ensemble Alash will be back in the Boston area, performing at the New England Conservatory on Sunday, July 19. For more information visit

http://concerts.newenglandconservatory.edu/index.php?Date_Year=2009&Date_Month=07&Date_Day=19

In honor of Ajahn David’s visit this week, I wanted to share a couple of links regarding the issue of unexploded cluster bombs in Laos — a topic on which he has previously spoken and is obviously close to his heart.

Last month the BBC published a short piece on the subject, and an audio version of the same (~5 min.) was broadcast on WBUR’s “Here and Now”:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8089366.stm

http://www.hereandnow.org/stand-alone-player/?fileUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bu.edu%2Fwbur%2Fstorage%2F2009%2F06%2Fhereandnow_0611_3.mp3&fileTitle=Feeling%20the%20Pain%20in%20Laos

The BBC also published a poignant photo essay back in 2008:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/08/in_pictures_remnants_of_war/html/1.stm

Before signing off for this week, I also wanted to share this interview (~25 min.) with B. Alan Wallace on the subject of “The Four Immeasurables” — lovingkindess, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity — which he calls “Balancing Heart and Mind” and which Tricycle calls “practising Buddhism whether you’re a Buddhist or not”:

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/?p=1243

This also ties in quite nicely to a Tricycle article I mentioned recently, “Head and Heart Together: Bringing Wisdom to Good Will”, written by Thanissaro Bhikkhu and also available via the newly updated Access to Insight website:

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/headandheart.html

It’s worth listening/reading to these in light of the Brahmaviharas practice Abhaya has emphasized in her recent teaching.

Well, that’s quite enough for this week; I hope to see you all tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on June 29, 2009 at 5:12 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 6/30/09 meditation group

Greetings! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet, per usual, in the Chapel at First Parish tomorrow from 7:30 to 9:30. Carrie will lead the practice this week.

Carrie and I are freshly back from our first visit to Cambridge Insight (http://www.cimc.info) on Saturday, where we took part in a workshop on “Illness and the Dharma”, led by CIMC teacher Reya Stevens. The format was kept loose, and the morning was spent sharing personal experiences of illness, particularly the mental and emotional “baggage” that goes along with physical illness, but is often overlooked or brushed aside.

In the afternoon we split up into smaller groups to reflect and discuss the difference between “mainstream values” and “dharma values” — and how viewing illness through a “dharma lens” (rather than our conventional filters) can mitigate the suffering one adds on top of the basic suffering of illness.

I’ll leave it to Carrie to hopefully discuss the day in greater detail, but I think we’re both very happy to have had this opportunity. (Perhaps she’ll also post her reflections on the blog?)

I have just a few readings to share this week. The first — somewhat coincidentally keeping “on theme” — is Susan Moon’s Tricycle article “Leaving the Lotus Position”:

http://www.tricycle.com/essay/leaving-lotus-position

Another gem from the Tricycle website is Cynthia Thatcher’s “What’s So Great About Now?” (be sure to also check out the sidebar “How Long is a Buddhist Moment?”):

http://www.tricycle.com/dharma_talk/3648-1.html?page=0%2C2

From their book “The Beginner’s Guide to Insight Meditation,” Jean Smith and Arinna Weisman share a short exercise on movement meditation, which can be particularly helpful for those who have difficulty working with the breath or walking meditation:

http://www.tricycle.com/web-exclusive/exercise-movement-meditation

Finally, I just want to leave off with this short piece from this morning’s NPR Morning Edition:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=105931606

That’s all for now; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening.

Metta,
Tim

PS — Just a reminder/request for anyone interested in a “water dana” donation to the temple to please contact me ahead of Ajahn David’s visit next week. Thanks!
on June 23, 2009 at 12:58 am | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 6/23/09 meditation group

Hi all…. Just the usual weekly reminder for the Tuesday evening meditation group. We’ll meet from 7:30 to 8:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish. Abhaya will join us again for another week of teaching. I am also happy to announce that Tuesday evenings July 14 and 21 have been added to her summer teaching calendar. Thanks again to Matt for providing transportation.

Abhaya left us with some “homework” last Tuesday evening, and in that spirit I’d like to revisit a couple of articles that focus on the Brahma viharas (aka, the Four Immeasurables, the Heavenly Abodes, etc., etc.), especially the metta or lovingkindness practice:

Last week I mentioned the following Tricycle.com excerpt from Joseph Goldstein’s book “A Heart Full of Peace”, but “The Triumph of the Heart” is definitely worth mentioning again:

http://www.tricycle.com/dharma-talk/triumph-heart

A bit longer ago I had come across a wonderful excerpt on “the four highest emotions” from a book of teachings — “Visible Here and Now” — by the late Theravadan nun Ayya Khema:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1766&Itemid=24

Over on Tricycle’s podcast page, Managing Editor Alex Kaloyanides, had an
opportunity for a wide-ranging conversation with Sharon Salzberg, on topics including Sharon’s new book “The Kindness Handbook”, and practicing with the Brahmaviharas (lovingkindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity) in everyday life. The entire interview is about a 1/2-hour, but well worth a listen here:

http://media.tricycle.com/?p=70

Another link I recommend exploring is that of the Bhrama-Vihara Foundation, based in Amherst, MA, and established by BCBS visiting teacher DaeJa Napier. The Foundation is “dedicated to the cultivation of the divine abidings in accordance with Buddhist teaching”:

http://brahmaviharas.org/

Finally, I’d like to share a link forwarded some time ago by our friends at Valley Insight. The link is to a MP3 file of Burmese nuns chanting the traditional metta chant (18 min.):

http://www.intr-version.com/nuns.zip

As Doreen wrote at the time, “You can imagine what it sounded like with 100,000 people chanting it in the streets, or a few thousand in their prison cells, a few hundred trapped in their monasteries, or a small family hiding quietly in their home.”

And with that I wish you all health, safety, happiness, and peace, and hope to see you tomorrow evening.

- Tim
on June 15, 2009 at 4:25 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 6/16/09 meditation group

Hello; happy Monday! The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. I am quite pleased to announce that Abhaya will be back to teach both this week and next (June 23). Thanks again to Matt T. for providing transportation.

There are a couple of articles I’d like to share this week:

First, from Tricycle.com is a fascinating interview with teacher and scholar John Peacocke on the language and philosophies common in Northern India at the time of the Buddha. It’s really quite fascinating and is a helpful context for the teachings:

http://www.tricycle.com/interview/interview-investigating-buddhas-world?page=0%2

In relation to this I also want to recommend this fantastic BBC/Discovery Channel documentary “The Life of the Buddha” (50 min). I’d mentioned this some time previously, but recently watched the film again and thought it worth another plug:

The second article, also from Tricycle.com, is excerpted from Joseph Goldstein’s book “A Heart Full of Peace.” In “Triumph of the Heart”, Joseph gives a brilliant presentation of the practice of metta/lovingkindness:

http://www.tricycle.com/dharma-talk/triumph-heart

Finally, with the warm weather presumably not too far ahead of us, I wanted to put out feelers to see if there is interest among the group in collecting “water dana” for the monks at Wat Buddhabhavana again this summer.

As some of you may remember from last year, the temple has a standing order with Poland Springs and would welcome financial assistance earmarked for that purpose. It’s probably logistically easiest to collect cash or checks made payable to Wat Buddhabhavana (with “water dana” noted in the memo line).

If there is sufficient interest among the group, it would probably be appropriate to offer the dana to Ajahn David at the time of his visit the first Tuesday of July. Please see or e-mail me if you’re interested in contributing. Of course I would like to emphasize that no one should feel obligated to make a donation.

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on June 8, 2009 at 5:03 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 6/9/09 meditation group

Hello all! The meditation group will meet from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish. Sue is scheduled to lead the practice this week.

The first item in this week’s e-mail is a bit of good news: Abhaya is back in the area for the summer. I still need to touch base with her to figure out which dates will work best, but we hope that she’ll be available to teach quite a bit while she’s in town. (Special thanks to Matt for volunteering to take care of the transportation; it will be good to have him back, too!)

This past Saturday was Tricycle magazine’s 16th annual Change Your Mind Day (CMYD), a day of meditation intended to introduce the general public to Buddhist thought and practice. (More here: http://www.tricycle.com/foundation/change-your-mind-day)

I’m sorry I lost track of when CYMD was this year, but there’s a nice collection of dharma talks and guided meditations available on the Tricycle website (registration may be required):

http://community.tricycle.com/forum/topics/change-your-mind-day-2009

Shambahala Sun’s SunSpace blog recently featured an article by David Rome on the practice of Focusing, which he describes as “a practice of bringing gentle, interested attention to one’s bodily felt experience.”

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1435&Itemid=247

While Rome seems to imply that Focusing practice stands on its own as a complement to other meditative practices, I’m honestly not sure how distinct it really is from traditional mindfulness practices. Either way, one of the most helpful meditation instructions given to me by Abhaya was to really pay attention to the felt sensations in the body, so I certainly encourage reading the article with that spirit in mind.

Finally this week, I just want to mention this past week’s Speaking of Faith rebroadcast of Krista Tippett’s 2003 feature on Thich Nhat Hanh. I know I’ve mentioned it in previous e-mails, but here’s a link for those who haven’t yet had a chance to listen:

http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/2009/thichnhathanh/

That’s all for now; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening.

Metta,
Tim
on June 1, 2009 at 3:39 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 6/2/09 meditation group

Hello everyone; happy Monday! Today’s e-mail will once again be somewhat shorter than usual. The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Ajahn David will be with us this week to lead the meditation. (Thanks to Kevin — and Brenda? — for providing the transportation this week!)

One logistical note to pass along: The folks at First Parish mentioned that Tuesday night is prom night for the students at Chelmsford High School. Apparently the church parking lot is expected to be a bit crowded with limousines, police cars, etc., as the town common is used as a setting for prom photos. While the activity is expected to be done by 6pm, it might be advisable to look for parking either behind the Old Town Hall or at Ginger Ale Plaza.

This week I’d like to share a Tricycle “Weekly Teaching” from a few weeks back; an excerpt from Larry Rosenberg’s (http://www.cimc.info) book on meditation “Breath by Breath”:

http://www.tricycle.com/web-exclusive/weekly-teaching/world-feelings

Finally, please send good vibes, metta, prayers, etc., in the direction of Christine R., and Sue and Matt Scott this week.

I hope to see the rest of you tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on May 26, 2009 at 2:30 am | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 5/26/09 meditation group

Hello everyone; happy Memorial Day! I apologize for the lateness and brevity of this week’s reminder. The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Brenda will lead the practice this week.

There are just two articles I’d like to mention in passing:

First is Thanissaro Bhikkhu’s article from the current issue of Tricycle, “Head and Heart Together” on the interrelationship of wisdom and compassion; I highly recommend it:

http://www.tricycle.com/feature/head-heart-together

Second is a short blurb from TreeHugger on a novel take on the traditional Tibetan prayer wheel:

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/05/tibets-prayer-wheels-could-generate-both-positive-and-kinetic-energy.php

I hope everyone had a restful and safe holiday weekend and look forward to seeing you tomorrow!

Metta,
Tim
on May 18, 2009 at 3:46 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 5/19/09 meditation group

Hello! I apologize in advance for this week’s decidely shorter-than-usual e-mail; it’s shaping up to be a bit of a hectic week.

The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Mike is scheduled to lead the practice this week.

I can’t leave off without recommending a couple of links, of course.

First, author and journalist Dan Goleman was a guest on Bill Moyers’ Journal on Friday evening. Goleman — NY Times science writer and author of the trilogy “Emotional Intelligence”, “Social Intelligence”, and the recently published “Ecological Intelligence” — was on hand to speak about his latest book.

Video here: http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/05152009/profile2.html

Goleman also has a long-standing interest in the science of meditation, and has been a friend and colleague of Jon Kabat-Zinn and Richie Davidson going back to their days as Boston-area students. There’s a great interview with the three in the current issue of Inquiring Mind, although it is sadly unavailable online:

http://www.inquiringmind.com/Current.html

Goleman made only one oblique reference to Buddhism in his Moyers interview; bonus points go to whoever can tell me what it was.

The other item I want to mention this week is yesterday’s brief Boston Globe profile of the Somerville-based Buddhist publishing house Wisdom Publications. I’m a big fan of Wisdom, and many of their titles fill the shelves of my library:

http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2009/05/17/words_of_wisdom/

Wisdom’s own website: http://www.wisdompubs.org/

That’s all for this week — short and sweet. I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim

PS — Please send some metta in the direction of Sue and Matt Scott on Tuesday!
on May 11, 2009 at 4:56 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 5/12/09 meditation group

Greetings! The meditation group will meet from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish. Christine is scheduled to lead the practice this week.

I want to start off this week’s e-mail by sharing a couple of photographs passed along by Ajahn David, which I’ve posted on the blog:

http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/2009/05/11/photos-from-ajahn-david/

As noted, the first couple of photos are of the new monks’ quarters at Wat Ban Thiao in Laos, where Ajahn Mangkone recently visited to help with the design and construction of the new building. Ajahn Mangkone actually had to leave before the project was completed, but I’m sure he has to be pleased by the final result.

The last photograph is the one mentioned last week by Ajahn David of himself, Ajahn Mangkone, the Dalai Lama, and the Tibetan monk Tezin Josh, taken a few years ago at His Holiness’s residence in Dharamsala, India.

I also want to thank Ajahn David for recommending the Dalai Lama’s CNN interview (~17 min.) with journalist and author Fareed Zakaria this past weekend:

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2009/05/10/gps.dalai.lama.interview.cnn

A couple of new initiatives have recently come to my attention. The first, which I heard of by way of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, is the Buddhist Climate Project, founded by David Loy, Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi, and Dr. John Stanley. As BPF Executive Director, Zenju Earthlyn Manuel, writes:

“In the run-up to the crucial U.N. Climate Treaty Conference in Copenhagen in December 2009, the Declaration that follows will present to the world’s media a unique spiritual view of climate change and our urgent responsibility to address the solutions. It emerged from the contributions of over 20 Buddhist teachers of all traditions to the book A Buddhist Response to the Climate Emergency. The Time to Act is Now was composed as a pan-Buddhist statement by Zen teacher Dr David Tetsuun Loy and senior Theravadin teacher Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi with scientific input from Dr John Stanley.

“The Dalai Lama was the first to sign this Declaration. All concerned members of the international Buddhist community are invited to study the document and add their voice by co-signing it.”

To read (and/or sign) the declaration and find out more about the Buddhist Climate Project, please visit http://www.ecobuddhism.org/buddhist-declaration.php

The second initiative, also involving Professor Loy and Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi, is Buddhist Global Relief:

“Buddhist Global Relief (BGR) is an inter-denominational community of Buddhists and friends of Buddhism who seek to give concrete expression to the Buddha’s great compassion as an ongoing project in the contemporary world. BGR addresses the plight of people worldwide afflicted by poverty, natural disaster, and societal neglect. It aspires to directly participate in the Buddha’s mission of liberating beings from suffering by addressing the most immediate causes of their distress and providing for their well-being and happiness. Inspired by a sense of humane responsibility and commitment to social justice, its members seek to improve the lives of the men, women, and children that they serve, enabling them to lead fruitful lives of dignity, hope, and meaning.”

BGR already has projects underway in Burma, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Vietnam: http://www.buddhistglobalrelief.org/main.html

Finally, I just want to send out a reminder about a couple of events coming up this weekend:

As mentioned in last week’s e-mail, Wat Buddhabhavana will host Vesak celebrations this weekend, May 16 and 17. All are welcome to attend.

http://www.greatwisdomcenter.org

Meanwhile, up at the Insight Meditation Society of Newburyport, Kate Wheeler will lead a day-long retreat on compassion on Sunday, May 17:

“Compassion requires befriending ourselves and others with all of our imperfections. Can we train ourselves not to automatically turn away from suffering, or out of reactivity, try to fix things. Use of simple traditional compassion meditation phrases will be mixed with awareness practices in helping us to approach ourselves and others in an authentically caring way, without hardening our hearts. Beginners and experienced practitioners are invited to attend.”

For registration and more information, please visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org

That’s all for now; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on May 4, 2009 at 4:29 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 5/5/09 meditation group

Hello; happy Monday! The meditation group will meet from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish. Ajahn David will be with us this week to lead the meditation.

As I’m sure most of you know, the Dalai Lama visited the Boston area this past weekend. I look forward to Mike’s first-hand account of the events at Gillette Stadium on Saturday, but I thought I’d share links to some of the media coverage from the past couple of days:

Wednesday in Cambridge:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2009/04/dalai_lama_in_c.html

Thursday at Harvard and MIT:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2009/05/dalai_lama_smar.html

Friday at the Harvard Medical School conference on mindfulness and compassion:
http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2009/05/02/dalai_lama_discusses_compassion/

(As a brief aside, I recommend checking out this short interview on compassion with Myoshin Kelley in the current Insight Newsletter: http://www.dharma.org/ims/pdf/2009_spring_insight_newsletter.pdf)

Saturday at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/05/03/dalai_lama_inspires_reverent_silence_cheers_at_stadium/

Pictures from Saturday:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/gallery/050209_dalai_lama/

There was also a short piece on the Dalai Lama’s visit on WBUR on Friday morning:

http://www.wbur.org/2009/05/01/dalai-lama-excitement

Not entirely coincidental to His Holiness’s US visit — and perhaps also with Mother’s Day also in mind — Shambhala Sun’s SunSpace blog has posted the trailer to “Gyalyum Chemo: The Great Mother” — the first film of the documentary trilogy “Women of Tibet” — “which is both an exploration of the mother archetype and the fascinating life story of Dekyi Tsering.”

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=8916

Finally this week I wanted to give some advance notice of the upcoming Visakha Puja (Wesak) celebration at Wat Buddhabhavana next weekend, May 16 and 17. As some of you may know, Wesak is the traditional celebration of the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and death. (More on the holiday here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesak)

Preparation for the celebtraion will begin at 9am on Saturday, May 16, with the set up of the shrine room. The actual festivities will begin at 5pm with a ceremony for laypeople interested in taking the Eight Precepts. This will be followed with chanting and meditation beginning at 6pm.

At 10am on Sunday, May 17, the ceremony will begin with the taking of refuge and requesting the Five Precepts (basic code of moral conduct), offering of food to the monks, and a dharma talk (in Lao, with an English translation to follow). The ceremony will conclude with “auspicious chanting”, blessing, and “transference of merit” by the monks, and a buffet luncheon for the attendees.

After lunch there will be an outdoor procession and “reverencing the Buddha relics” on display at the temple.

For more information visit the temple website (http://www.greatwisdomcenter.org) or speak with Ajahn David tomorrow evning.

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening.

Metta,
Tim
on April 27, 2009 at 3:45 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 4/28/09 meditation group

Good morning, and happy early summer — at least for the next few days. The meditation group will meet from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish. Kate will lead the practice this week.

The big news, of course, is the Dalai Lama’s visit to Boston later on this week. Per usual, His Holiness looks to have quite the busy schedule: On Thursday he will deliver a talk on “Ethics and Enlightened Leadership”
at the inaugural event of MIT’s Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values”; that evening he will address faculty and staff of Harvard University speaking on “Educating the Heart”. On Friday, the Dalai Lama will present two talks at a Harvard Medical School conference on meditation and psychotherapy: “Cultivating Compassion and Wisdom.” (Other notable panelists will include Richard Davidson, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Steven Pinker, Herbert Benson, and Lama Surya Das.) The main event, of course, will take place on Saturday, May 2, at Gillette Stadium, when His Holiness will offer a morning teaching on the Four Noble Truths, and public talk that afteroon on “The Path to Peace and Happiness”. Mike will be on hand in Foxboro, and I look forward to hearing his first-hand report.

Needless to say, the Tibetan community of greater Boston is quite excited about the upcoming visit. A couple of weeks ago the Globe had a nice article on a team of local craftsmen who built the ceremonial “throne” to be used by His Holiness at the Gillette Stadium event:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/04/17/tibetans_craft_seat_of_honor_for_dalai_lama/

While the Dalai Lama is preceded by his reputation as an indefatigable public figure — with a seemingly endless schedule of private meetings and public speaking events around the world — the Sunday Times of London just yesterday published His Holiness’s own account of “A Life in the Day” at home in Dharamsala:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article6149922.ece

It sounds positively serene!

Just about a month ago I’d posted a link to Shambhala Sun’s archives of articles by and about the Dalai Lama, but it certainly seems timely to mention once again:

http://shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=27&Itemid=224

Finally — and veering just slightly off-topic — I wanted to share an segment broadcast on NPR’s “Morning Edition” late last month on some interesting recordings of Tibetan chanting; definitely worth a listen:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102234687

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening.

Metta,
Tim
on April 20, 2009 at 3:41 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 4/21/09 meditation group

Greetings! The meditation group will meet from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish. Mike will lead the practice this week.

Jon Kabat-Zinn was Krista Tippett’s guest on Speaking of Faith this week, discussing the science of mindfulness and its relevance in our everyday lives. This is most definitely worth a listen:

http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/2009/opening-to-our-lives/

Meanwhile, going back a few weeks, Oprah.com has a gerat profile of Richie Davidson, a colleague of Kabat-Zinn’s who has been at the forefront of studying the effects of meditation on the brain:

http://www.oprah.com/article/spirit/200803_omag_happiness/1

Both Davidson and Kabat-Zinn — among other notables — were in Dharamsala, India, a couple of weeks ago for the Mind and Life Institute’s conference on attention, memory and the mind. MLI kept a blog of the proceedings:

http://www.mindandlife.org/blog/dharamsala/

Coming a back a little closer to home, Brenda recently posted that Evan Brenner’s “The Buddha in His Own Words” has been extended at the Boston Center for the Arts, Wednesday through Saturday of this week:

http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/2009/04/13/the-buddha-in-his-own-words-extended/

Once again, I highly recommend checking it out if you get the chance.

Matthew Daniell will be at IMC Newburyport this Sunday, April 26, to lead a day-long retreat on “Cutting Reactive Patterns”:
————————————————-
This Insight Meditation Retreat will focus on a central tenant of the Buddhist mind training that we can learn to change our habits of reactivity in our daily lives which causes suffering for ourselves and others.

We can not only learn to deal with these patterns more skillfully, but
we can also cut the underlying energies that keep them alive in us.
This frees us to living more fully engaged lives.

Silent sitting and walking meditation will be supported by presented material and the opportunity to talk over our practice as we explore this important theme in our daily lives.

Beginners as well experienced meditators are welcome. You may attend for the full or half day. Please bring your own lunch. Fees are $40 for members; $55 for non-members. Or $30.00 for a half day.
————————————————-
For more information, please visit http://www.imcnewburyport.org

Finally, I leave you with a short guided meditation by author Marc Lesser, who asks “What if your to-do list was complete?”:

http://accomplishingmorebydoingless.com/node/73

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on April 13, 2009 at 3:51 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 4/14/09 meditation group

Happy Monday! The meditation group will meet in the Chapel at First Parish from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening; I’ll be on hand as facilitator this week.

Some of you may have already seen the article in last Thursday’s Lowell Sun about the Cambodian history class being taught to students at Lowell High School. As part of the class the students visited Wat Buddhabhavana, where Ajahn Mangkone and Ajahn David gave meditation instruction. It’s a neat article and there are some great pictures of the visit to the temple:

http://www.lowellsun.com/local/ci_12105844

Also last week the BBC published a short piece on a Danish documentary entitled “Burma VJ” that threads together footage captured by underground video journalists (“VJ”) to tell the story of the Burma’s September 2007 Saffron Revolution.

The BBC article can be found here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7972703.stm

And the trailer for the film is available here:
http://burmavjcom.title.dk/burma-vj/

On a realted note, Alan Senauke’s Clearview Project has recently initiated an “Adopt a Monk” program “to help bring attention to the false imprisonment” of some 220 monks and 8 nuns arrested by the Burmese junta in the wake of the 2007 protests.

The program works by:

- Contacting Clear View Project to choose a monk or nun.
- Sending regular letters on his/her behalf to the United Nations, Burmese Generals, & US government.
- Sending funds to buy more food & medicine for that monk.
- Holding monthly meditations at your center or public vigils in honor of the monk or all imprisoned monastics.
- Sending loving kindness to the monks & nuns, their families and the Burmese generals.

For more information on the “Adopt a Monk” program, please visit the Clear View Project website:

http://www.clearviewproject.org/adoptamonk.html

I cannot understate how wonderful a resource Shambhala Sun is. In the past month or so the Sun has opened its archives (and those of its sister publication The Buddhadhama) to share articles by noted Buddhist teachers of several traditions on subjects that seem especially pertinent.

A couple of weeks ago Carrie mentioned that I forwarded to her the Sun’s collection of articles on the subject of death and dying:

http://shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3346&Itemid=24

I also think that the special section on “Wisdom for Difficult Times” is one that will resonate with many given recent events:

http://shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3348&Itemid=24

I highly recommend taking some time to explore these offerings.

I also want to pass along notice of a couple of day-long retreats upcoming at the Insight Meditation Society of Newburyport.

This coming Saturday, April 18, Chas DiCapua will lead a retreat on “Impermanence: Exploring Anicca and Coming to Understand the World We Live In”

“Impermanence or change isn’t something that happens to experience. It is experience itself. As such, impermanence is an important gateway to understanding the teachings of the Buddha. In this day long retreat, we will use mindfulness of our moment to moment experience as a vehicle for becoming intimate with change. Both sitting and walking instructions will be geared towards helping the retreat participants recognize that when we look at our experience, we are looking at change. Although both beginning and experienced students are welcome, it will be helpful for participants in this retreat to have some experience with formal sitting meditation practice.”

Then the following Sunday, April 26, Mattew Daniell will lead a retreat on “Cutting Reactive Patterns”:

“All too often we seem to be ruled by reactivity in our lives causing suffering to ourselves and others. A central tenant of Buddhist mind training is that we can not only learn to deal with these patterns more skillfully but can cut the underlying energies that keep them alive in us, freeing us to live more fully engaged lives. Silent sitting and walking periods will be supported by presented material and the possibility to talk over our practice as we explore this important theme in our inner lives. Beginners as well as experienced students are welcome. You may attend for a full or half day.”

For more information, please visit the IMCN website: http://www.imcnewburyport.org

Finally, I want to share this week’s Tricycle “Weekly Teaching” from Ajahn Brahm (the “funny monk” from Australia):

“When I was around the age of thirteen, my father took me aside and told me something that would change my life. The two of us were alone in his beaten-up old car, in a side street of one of the poorer suburbs of London. He turned to me and said this: ‘Son, whatever you do in your life, know this. The door of my house will always be open to you.’

“I was only a young teenager at the time. I didn’t really understand what he meant, but I knew it was something important, so I remembered it. My father would be dead three years later.

“When I became a monk in northeast Thailand, I thought over those words of my Dad. Our home at that time was a small council flat in a poor part of London, not much of a house to open a door into. But then I realized this was not what my Dad really meant. What was lying within my father’s words, like a jewel wrapped in a cloth, was the most articulate expression of love that I know: ‘Son, whatever you do in your life, know this. The door of my heart will always be open to you.’

“My father was offering unconditional love. No strings attached. I was his son and that was enough. It was beautiful. It was real. He meant it.

“It takes courage and wisdom to say those words to another, to open the door of your heart to somebody else, with no ‘ifs’. Perhaps we might think they would take advantage of us, but that’s not how it works, not in my experience. When you are given that sort of love from another, it’s like receiving the most precious of gifts. You treasure it, keep it close to your heart, lest it be lost. Even though at the time I only partially understood my Dad’s meaning, even so I wouldn’t dare hurt such a man. If you give those words to someone close to you, if you really mean them, if they come from your heart, then that person will reach upwards, not downwards, to meet your love.”

http://www.tricycle.com/web-exclusive/weekly-teaching/opening-your-heart

Metta,
Tim
on April 6, 2009 at 3:34 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 4/7/09 meditation group

Greetings! The Tuesday evening meditation group will meet tomorrow from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Ajahn David will be with us for his monthly visit. As usual, it is recommended to dress in layers in case it starts to get chilly.

Starting off this week I want to recommend an excellent interview/dharma talk with Thanissaro Bhikkhu courtesy of Tricycle’s audio library. In “Taking Pleasure in Meditation” Tricycle editor James Shaheen engages “Than Geoff” in a brief introductory interview, followed by by a dharma talk/guided meditation of about 15 minutes.

Free registration is required:
http://community.tricycle.com/page/welcome-to-the-tricycle-audio

As noted in Shaheen’s introduction, Than Geoff is a prolific writer. One of his more recent contributions to Tricycle is “The Joy of Effort” from the Summer 2008 issue:

https://www.tricycle.com/feature/joy-effort

Thanissaro is also a regular contributor to Shambhala Sun; his 2004 article “Creating a Good Ground for Meditation” is well worth revisiting:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1463&Itemi

Additional writings and dharma talks by Than Geoff can be found at http://www.dhammatalks.org and http://www.accesstoinsight.org

In follow-up to a couple of items mentioned in recent weeks, Evan Brenner’s “The Buddha: In His Own Words” was recently reviewed in the Boston Globe:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=5,7970,0,0,1,0

The play just completed a brief run at the Boston Center for the Arts, but will open at the Cambridge YMCA Theater this weekend, April 10-12:

http://www.thebuddhaplay.com/

Also noted a few weeks ago, singer Leonard Cohen will perform in Boston at the end of May. This past Friday NPR’s “Fresh Air” featured a re-broadcast of Cohen’s 2006 interview with Terry Gross in which he talks about his songwriting at the years he spent as a Zen monk:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102692227

I also want to remind folks about the Lao New Year celebration this weekend at Wat Buddhabhavana. For more information, please see last week’s e-mail or visit http://www.greatwisdomcenter.org

Finally, as some of you may already be aware, Carrie is very shortly about to “go active” on the waiting list for a double lung transplant, a result of the progression of her cystic fibrosis. If anyone has any questions and/or would like to know how you might be able to help, please let me know. Thanks in advance for your support!

That’s all for this week; hopefully we’ll see everyone tomorrow evening.

Metta,
Tim
on March 30, 2009 at 6:12 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 3/31/09 meditation group

Hello everyone! The meditation group will meet from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening at First Parish. Carrie will lead the group this week and we’ll plan to meet in the Chapel. The room much more comfortable now that the new heating system is in place, but it’s still advisable to bring an extra layer or two.

There are quite a few things I’d like to mention this week:

Over the past month the SunSpace blog has published a fantastic three-part (about 8 minutes each) interview with vipassana teacher and “Dharma Punx” author Noah Levine:

Part 1: http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=6788

Part 2: http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=7465

Part 3: http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=7502

Coincidentally, Ondrea and Stephen Levine — mainstays of the vipassana teaching community who also just happen to be Noah’s parents — give a beautiful interview in the current issue of Tricycle speaking to their own experience of easing the transition from life to death:

http://www.tricycle.com/insights/living-life-you-wish-live-0

In addition to ongoing run of Evan Brenner’s play “The Buddha” — http://www.thebuddhaplay.com/ — there are a few other community events of note:

On Sunday, April 5, Kate Wheeler will lead a day-long retreat at that Insight Meditation Center of Newburport focusing on developing the qualities of equanimity in our daily lives.

“Equanimity is the practice of remaining more and more centered, calm and buoyant through the storms and celebrations of this world. In the practice of equanimity we learn to value and cultivate attitudes of tolerance, balance and non-attachment towards our own emotions and those of others.

“Meditation on equanimity, similar to loving kindness, is grounded in the practice of repeating phrases. Periods of guided sitting and walking meditation will be combined with theory and discussion as we explore new ways of nourishing ourselves and others through the power of cultivating our own minds and hearts. This retreat is applicable to both beginning and experienced meditation students.

“You may come for the whole day or for a half day.
Fees are $55 for the full day and $30 for the half day.
Please email or call to register by Friday at 5PM.”

Please visit the IMCN website for more details: http://www.imcnewburyport.org

The following weekend, April 11 and 12, the monks and lay community at Wat Buddhabhavana will host a celebration of the Lao new year.

“The New Year coincides with the beginning of Spring and therefore the planting of crops. It is a merit making ceremony reminding farmers to focus on the proper planting and subsequent nurturing and ultimately harvesting of a productive crop.”

At 1pm on Saturday, April 11, there will be the construction of a sand stupa and “auspicious chanting”.

Events beign at 9am on Sunday, April 12, with a water blessing of the Buddha statues, the monks and the elders. At 10am will be the taking of the refuges and five precepts, with more auspicious chanting by the monks. This will be followed at 11am by “Thak Bhat” — offering of food to the monks, followed by a buffet lunch for lay attendees. The day will conclude with a dharma talk (“in Lao with an English synopsis”) at 1pm.

For more information, visit the temple website: http://www.greatwisdomcenter.org

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening.

Metta,
Tim
on March 23, 2009 at 4:31 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 3/24/09 meditation group

Hello everyone! The meditation group will meet from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening; Sue is scheduled to lead the practice. We will be in the Chapel this week, so please be sure to bring extra layers as it’s likely to be a little chilly.

I’d like to start off this week by thanking Mike for digging up this 20-minute gem of a TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) talk by Barry Schwartz on the importance of “practical wisdom”:

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/barry_schwartz_on_our_loss_of_wisdom.html

I think that this ties in nicely to the theme of personal awakening explored in Mike’s recent blog post on author Peter Russell:

http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/2009/03/11/peter-russell/

I also highly recommend Schwartz’s 2006 TED talk on “The Paradox of Choice”:
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/barry_schwartz_on_the_paradox_of_choice.html

Speaking of paradoxes, I recently came across a great 2004 Shambhala Sun article by Zen teacher John Tarrant on unicorns (?) and “The Paradox of Happiness” that also ties in to a recent post on our blog:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1527&Itemi

http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/2009/03/01/the-pursuit-of-happiness/

There’s been quite a bit in the media recently in recognition of last week’s 50th anniversary of the Dalai Lama’s exile from Tibet.

The BBC has a short audio slideshow — featuring some neat archival audio and images — on the “flight into exile”:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7948547.stm

Meanwhile NPR interviewed Robert Barnett, director of Tibetan Studies at Columbia University, on the meaning of the anniversary for Sino-Tibetan relations:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101642032

And Shambhala Sun has made available a number of articles by and about the Dalai Lama:

http://shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=27&Itemid=224

Incidentally — and somewhat ironically — there is news today that the South African government has barred His Holiness from attending this week’s international peace conference in Johannesberg:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090323/ap_on_re_af/af_south_africa_dalai_lama

Finally, in other news, Shambhala Sun’s SunSpace blog recently announced that fellow Vassar alumnus Evan Brenner’s one-man performance of “The Buddha: In His Own Words” will be back in Boston from March 25 to April 12:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=7449

Carrie and I had an opportunity to see one of the final performances of the show when it was last in town in the summer of 2007, and I posted a few thoughts at the time:

http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/newsletters/#comment-43

Be sure to check out the video of Brenner on the SunSpace page for his thoughts and some short excepts from the production.

For more information, visit http://thebuddhaplay.com/

That’s all for this week; hopefully we’ll see everyone tomorrow night.

Metta,
Tim
on March 16, 2009 at 5:43 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 3/17/09 meditation group

Greetings! The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 at First Parish. We’ll be upstairs in the High School room this week, and Mike will lead the practice. By the way, be sure to check out Mike’s most recent post over at the blog:

http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/2009/03/11/peter-russell/

The Great American Think-Off is an annual amateur philosophy contest held in New York Mills, Minnesota. This year’s essay and debate question is “Is It Ever Wrong to do the Right Thing?” An interesting question to ponder, certainly, and if you think you have a good answer…:

http://www.think-off.org/

There were a couple of great conversations in the media this past week.

First, on Friday evening Bill Moyers and author Karen Armstrong enjoyed a lengthy converastion on compassion, and in particular Armstrong’s recent initiative, The Charter for Compassion, which Mike wrote about a few months ago:

http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/2008/11/19/help-write-an-interfaith-charter-for-compassion/

More on Armstrong, and video and a transcript of her conversation with Bill Moyers can be found here:

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/03132009/profile.html

Meanwhile Krista Tippett hosted former surgeon Sherwin Nuland in a fascinating conversation on “the biology of spirit” on this past week’s Speaking of Faith:

http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/2009/biologyofthespirit/

In news a little closer to home, there was an AP report earlier this week on a book of poetry written by the Ly Van, the late abbot of Glory Buddhist Temple, the Cambodian temple in Lowell. Recently discovered, the poems recount details of life in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h3F20io226VgOMJ4U0VD_K9pYsPAD96T4BV80

The late Ven. Maha Ghosananda, another Cambodian monk with strong ties to the Greater Lowell area, is being honored in Providence, Rhode Island, where a new worship hall is under construction on the site of the first Cambodian Buddhist temple in the United States:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=60,7901,0,0,1,0

The Buddhist Channel also features a touching eulogy for the late Taiwanese Ch’an master Shen Yan:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=9,7911,0,0,1,0

According to the Boston Globe, the Dalai Lama will be in Boston at the end of April to help MIT inaugurate the Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/03/11/dalai_lama_to_help_launch_mits_spiritual_center/

As noted last week, His Holiness will deliver a public talk at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro on May 2.

Also this week the Globe reported on a BU School of Public Health researcher who is integrating Eastern and Western therapies to help Tibetan monks suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/03/13/west_treats_east/

Finally, I want to pass on a reminder about upcoming events this weekend at IMC Newburyport:
———————————————————————–
Friday, March 20th 6:30pm – Community Potluck Supper
All Welcome – no fee

Please bring salads, spreads or dessert to share. We will provide soup, bread, cider and tea.

Come early and take a walk in the woods or help gather up downed branches and other debris left by winter.
———————————————————————–
Friday, March 20th 7:30pm – Talk by Chas DiCapua on How Nature Teaches The Dharma: Seeing clearly through connecting with nature.

We ask for donations of $5-10 for the benefit of the speaker and the Center.
———————————————————————–
Saturday, March 21st 9am to 5pm – Retreat led by Chas DiCapua on Working with Difficult Mind States.

A universal experience for students exploring the Buddha’s teachings is to come face to face with our inner demons. How do we skillfully work with these mind states so that they become an ally on our path to awakening and not a hindrance? In this retreat we will explore how the answer to this question shows up in both our daily life and our meditation practice. Both beginning and experienced students are welcome to come for the full day or for a half day only.

The fee for the full day retreat is $55.00 and for the half day from 9am to 12:30pm is $30.00. Please bring your bag lunch.

Chas Di Capua is the resident teacher at the Insight Meditation Center in Barre. He began practicing in the Zen tradition in 1989 and has been practicing in the Vipassana tradition since 1995. We are fortunate to have him as a guest teacher at IMCN.
———————————————————————–
Please visit http://www.IMCNewburyport.org for more information.

Well, that’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on March 9, 2009 at 6:22 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 3/10/09 meditation group

Hello all! The meditation group will meet from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening, upstairs in the High School room at First Parish. Brenda will lead the practice this week.

In last week’s e-mail I mentioned Leonard Cohen’s May 29 concert at the Wang Theatre. Apparently that show sold out promptly, so a second show has been added for May 30… and tickets do seem to still be available:

http://www.boston.com/ae/music/blog/2009/03/leonard_cohen_r.html

In other upcoming events around town, both HH the 14th Dalai Lama and Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh will include Greater Boston on their 2009 teaching schedules.

Thay will lead a 5-day mindfulness retreat “Be Peace, Be Joy, Be Hope” August 11-16 at Stonehill College in Easton:

http://www.tnhtour.org/sh-aug-info.pdf

The Dalai Lama will give a morning teaching and public talk in the afternoon at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro on May 2. I know Mike U. was trying to get tickets; hopefully there are still some available:

http://www.bostontibet.org/tabhhdl.html

Shambhala Sun continues the celebration of its 30th anniversary. The current issue features some of the best “personal stories” that have appeared within its pages over that time, and a few are now available to read online:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3351&Itemi

The current edition of Insight Journal arrived in my mailbox recently. While the entire issue is certainly worth reading, I particularly liked Ajahn Sucitto’s “Working with Perception” (http://www.dharma.org/bcbs/Pages/documents/WorkingwithPerceptionbyAjahnSucitto.pdf) and Tai and Mark Unno’s article on Shin Buddhism (http://www.dharma.org/bcbs/Pages/documents/ShinBuddhismbyTaitetsuandMarkUnno.pdf).

The full issue can be found here: http://www.dharma.org/bcbs/Pages/documents/09WinterFullIssue.pdf

Finally I’d like to leave off by sharing last week’s Tricycle “Weekly Teaching,” courtesy of Zen teacher Ezra Bayda:

“The deeply ingrained human attitude that we need to be free from problems is really one of our greatest problems. For example, when something unpleasant happens, we’ll almost always react from the deeply held belief that life should be free from discomfort and pain. We might not even be conscious of having this belief, but because we believe it, it colors (or discolors) how we relate to reality.

“What happens when we no longer cling to the belief that we have to be free from problems? Pick one small problem that you have (and don’t want), and ask yourself what it would be like if you could actually say yes when this problem arose, moving toward it voluntarily, consciously, with curiosity?

“This is not a masochistic attitude; rather, it’s the actual (and often gentle) willingness to stop pushing our experience away and demanding that life be different. When we learn what it means to say yes to a difficulty, to be curious about what life is, our whole world turns right side up; it allows us to experience life more as an adventure than as a nightmare. This is similar to how we approach meditation retreats, where we come knowing it may be difficult, yet we’re willing, at least to some degree, to explore whatever arises.”

http://www.tricycle.com/web-exclusive/weekly-teaching/cultivating-curiosity

That’s all for now; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on March 2, 2009 at 5:43 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 3/3/09 meditation group

Warm greetings on this snowy Monday! The meditation group will meet upstairs in the High School room at First Parish from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening. Ajahn David is scheduled to join us; thanks to Christine for providing transportation this month!

I came across this very intriguing quote by writer/teacher/activist Parker Palmer, who recently appeared as a guest on Bill Moyers Journal:

“I think the pursuit of happiness is the pursuit of reality because illusion never leaves us ultimately happy.”

At the time I was also reading Bhante Henepola Gunaratana’s “Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness”, where I was struck by a passage that concludes:

“Opening the wisdom eye is the real purpose of mindfulness, for insight into the true nature of reality is the ultimate secret of lasting peace and happiness.”

Anyhow, I thought it was quite an interesting juxtaposition. I posted a few more thoughts, and the full Bhante G. passage on the blog:

http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/2009/03/01/the-pursuit-of-happiness/#more-282

Parker Palmer’s conversation with Bill Moyers can be found here:

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/02202009/profile2.html

In an interesting case of seredipity, Parker Palmer was also a guest of Krista Tippett on this week’s Speaking of Faith “The Soul in Depression” (rebroadcast from 2005, I believe). One of Tippett’s other guests is Anita Barrows, poet, psychologist and practitioner of Theravada Buddhism:

http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/2009/depression/

Also on NPR this past weekend was a broadcast of Leonard Cohen’s recent hour-long concert at the Beacon Theatre in New York. I was not at all familiar with Cohen’s work — aside from the ubiquitous, yet still wonderful “Hallelujah” — but was absoultely riveted by the performance. (It’s hard to believe that Cohen is 74 years old!) I can only imagine what it would be like to have been there in person; fortunately it looks like Cohen will perform in Boston at the Wang Theatre on May 29.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101034642&sc=emaf

As it turns out, Cohen spent several years as a Zen monk in the mid to late Nineties, a story recounted in part in this 2007 profile in Shambhala Sun:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3144&Itemid=247

Buddhism and meditation practice have certainly been integral to the experience of many artists — k.d. lang (who does a wonderful version of Cohen’s “Hallelujah” herself), Eve Decker, Joan Baez, to name only a few.

One intriguing young musician who is receiving a lot of press lately is singer/cellist Ravenna Michelsen.

Shambhala Sun’s SunSpace blog (http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=5290) has links to a number of reviews of her latest album “Dharmasong”, and she is the subject of a longer profile in the current issue of Tricycle:

http://www.tricycle.com/insights/mindful-music

Ravenna gave a dana performance at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies last January, and will return to BCBS this Saturday, March 7, at 8pm.

For more information, visit Ravenna’s website: http://www.ravennam.com/

Finally this week I wanted to mention another very interesting post on SunSpace on “Digital dharma downloading: Is it sharing? Is it stealing?” — a topic that has generated quite a bit of discussion:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=6923

That’s all for this week; good luck to everyone digging out from the storm, and hopefully I’ll see you tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on February 23, 2009 at 10:30 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 2/24/09 meditation group

Hello everyone! While Carrie and I won’t be able to make it this week, the meditation group will continue to meet from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening. Christine will lead the practice. Please check for signs to see whether the group will be upstairs in the High School room (more likely) or down in the Chapel (less likely).

This Saturday, February 28, marks the 3rd anniversary of Carrie’s and my first foray into formal meditation practice with Abhaya, back when the group was just a couple of us meeting after hours in the Alleigance Hospice offices in downtown Lowell. I’m quite pleased that the group continues — albeit in somewhat different form — and am sure that Abhaya is pleased with our collective efforts. Deep bows and gratitude to everyone of you who has made this group the wonderful refuge that it is.

Saturday will also be Carrie’s first full day on her latest retreat at IMS. She’ll be sitting (and walking) for 5 days under the tutelage of CIMC’s Larry Rosenberg and Michael Liebenson Grady. IMCN’s Matthew Daniell will be an assistant teacher, and it should be a wonderful week.

Speaking of IMS, the latest issue of the Sangha News arrived in my e-mail inbox the other day. The newsletter is available for download (http://www.dharma.org/ims/ai_news_sangha_news.html), but after last week’s Buddhist Geeks interview with Joseph Goldstein, I particularly wanted to draw attention to a much shorter (12 min) conversation between Joseph and IMS Executive Director Bob Agoglia on the past and future of the institution, in honor of its 33rd birthday on February 14. It’s quite a fun listen:

http://www.dharma.org/ims/mp3/Joseph_Goldstein_Interview_Feb2009.mp3

This week I’d like to offer a slight detour from my usual offerings. While I’m not a yoga practitioner myself, I know that many in our group do do yoga, and I wanted to share a few links that may be of interest….

Quite some time ago, Speaking of Faith’s Krista Tippett sat down with instructor Seane Corn to talk about yoga as “meditation in action”:

http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/2008/yoga/

Shambhala Sun has also published several articles on yoga over the years, a couple of which seem particularly apt for sharing:

“Yoga for Meditators” — Desirée Rumbaugh offers a short series of poses that will improve your sitting practice.

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3293&Itemi

“Yoga Body, Buddha Mind” — Cyndi Lee and David Nichtern explain why yoga practice and Buddhist meditation is the perfect mind-body combination.

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3049&Itemi

“Buddhism and Yoga: Where the Paths Cross” — Shambhala Sun asked Phillip Moffitt, Anna Douglas, Stephen Cope, and Sarah Powers — all of whom practice both yoga and Buddhism — how the two practices can work together.

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=6548

Finally, I want to give a heads up for Valley Insight’s weekend retreat coming up April 3-5 at Pierce’s Inn, Etna, New Hampshire. Our old friend Doreen Schweizer will lead the weekend’s practice. Visit Valley Insight’s website to register or for more information:
http://valleyinsight.org/events/39/valleyinsightretreatwithguidingteacherdoreenschweizer/

That’s all for this week; again, Carrie and I will be away, but I look forward to seeing everyone on March 3.

Metta,
Tim
on February 17, 2009 at 1:34 am | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 2/17/09 meditation group

Hello everyone! The meditation group will meet from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening upstairs in the High School room at First Parish. Mike will lead the practice this week.

I have a whole bunch of great audio links to pass along this week.

First, going back a few weeks, Shambhala Sun editor Barry Boyce sat down with Rod Meade Sperry for a brief (6 min) chat on “Celebrating Buddhism in America – 30 Great Years”, Boyce’s recent article for the Sun:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=5800

Over on Tricycle’s podcast page, Managing Editor Alex Kaloyanides, had an opportunity for a wide-ranging conversation with Sharon Salzberg, on topics including Sharon’s new book “The Kindness Handbook”, and practicing with the Brahmaviharas (lovingkindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity) in everyday life. The entire interview is about a 1/2-hour, but well worth a listen:

http://media.tricycle.com/?p=7

Not to be outdone, the Buddhist Geeks recently featured a two-part interview with Joseph Goldstein. In the first segment (45 min), Joseph discusses the benefits of long-term practice, the background and vision behind the Forest Refuge, and finally the future of the insight meditation tradition, and the development of Western Buddhism:

http://personallifemedia.com/podcasts/236-buddhist-geeks/episodes/27396-joseph-goldstein-benefits-long-term

In the second segment (40 min) Joseph shares his perspective on the recent cross-pollination of the Buddhist meditation with scientific investigation:

http://personallifemedia.com/podcasts/236-buddhist-geeks/episodes/27399-joseph-goldstein-science

Speaking of which, Tricycle Editor James Shaheen recently shared some thoughts on the intersection of Buddhism and science. The comments are very much worth reading, too:

http://blog.tricycle.com/?p=1056

Meanwhile, psychologist Paul Ekman wonders if Charles Darwin was inspired by Tibetan Buddhism:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=8,7786,0,0,1,0

There were a couple of links on the Treehugger website today, which seemed rather apropos:

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/02/how-science-really-works.php

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/02/sound-of-silence.php

Finally, a reminder from the folks at IMCN that Kate Wheeler will lead a lovingkindness retreat this Sunday, February 22:

“Loving Kindness Meditation is a practice that cultivates a good heart. Based on 2600 year old instructions given by the Buddha, this practice of repeating phrases intending good will has helped countless people over the centuries to counter inner fear, anger, confusion and isolation. Periods of guided sitting and walking meditation will be combined with theory and discussion as we explore new ways of nourishing ourselves and others through the power of cultivating our own minds and hearts.

“We are pleased to welcome back to the Center Kate Lila Wheeler, one of our special guest teachers. She has been practicing yoga and meditation since her early teens. She began formal Buddhist practice in 1977. In the late 1980s she was briefly ordained as a nun in Rangoon, Myanmar and has been teaching retreats since the early 1990s. More recently she has assisted Sharon Salzberg at Loving-Kindness retreats at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA . She lives in Somerville and is an accomplished writer of fiction, travel journalism, and personal essays.

“Kate encourages beginners as well as experienced meditators to attend. The day will include sitting and walking meditations, discussion with time for questions and answers. Kate also is available for one on one consultations during the day.

“This retreat starts at 9am and goes til 5pm, but participants may attend for only a half day. The fee for the day is $55.00 or $40.00 for members. The half-day fee is $30.00. Day-long meditators are asked to bring their lunch.”

More information can be found at http://imcnewburyport.org

Well, that’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on February 10, 2009 at 1:26 am | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 2/10/09 meditation group

Hello everyone! The meditation group will meet upstairs in the High School room at First Parish tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30. Brenda will lead the practice this week.

This will be a very short e-mail, with a few things to pass along:

I’m in the middle of the current issue of Tricycle and just finished reading a great article on fear written by Ezra Bayda:

http://www.tricycle.com/insights/the-three-things-we-fear-most

There’s also a fun — and informative — piece on finding out which Buddhist “personality type” you are:

http://www.tricycle.com/feature/which-buddhist-personality-type-are-you

Dr. Herbert Benson of “the relaxation response” fame and the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at MGH was recently featured in the Boston Globe:

http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2009/02/05/the_guru_of_relaxation/

More on the BHI can be found at the institute’s website:

http://www.mbmi.org/home/

And, finally, from Shambhala Sun’s Sun Space blog, “Monk Chat”:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=5585

I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on February 2, 2009 at 6:21 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 2/3/09 meditation group

Hello and happy Groundhog Day! It seems we have another few weeks of winter in store….

The meditation group will meet upstairs in the High School room at First Parish from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening. Ajahn David is scheduled to join us for meditation and teaching this week.

There are only a few items to mention this week.

First, as some of you may have already seen, I recently posted a brief reivew of the First Parish of Stow and Acton screening of the film “The Dhamma Brothers”:

http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/2009/01/28/the-dhamma-brothers-take-two/

As I mention in my review, I can’t recommend this film highly enough, and I sincerely hope that its audience continues to grow. If you have an opportuity to see this film, I strongly encourage you to do so — and encourage you to encourage others to do the same.

Interestingly, the current issue of Tricycle has a feature on Fleet Maull and the Prison Dharma Network, who take a slightly different approach to bringing meditation practice to prison inmates:

http://www.tricycle.com/feature/freedom-behind-bars

There are a couple of other short articles worth mentioning this week. First is Tara Brach’s wonderful Yoga Joural essay “Befriend Your Fears” (which I actually had not yet read prior to last week’s discussion):

http://www.yogajournal.com/wisdom/2517?utm_source=homepage&utm_medium=site&utm_campaign=editorspicks

In the upcomiong issue of Shambhala Sun, Noah Levine — who coincidentally came to Buddhism himself while he was behind bars — writes on the power of sangha/community to create positive change in the world:

http://shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3338&Itemid=24

And over on the Sun Space blog, Diana Winston offers encouragement (and suggestions) for daily practice in the charmingly titled “Sit Every Day! Advice, plus ‘Ten Suggestions for Having a Regular Daily Practice Even if You Would Rather Be Thrown into a Shark-Infested Ocean’”:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=5560

Finally, I just want to get word out that Chas DiCapua will lead a “Mindfulness of the Body Retreat” at IMCN this Saturday, February 7, from 9am to 5pm:

“Mindfulness of the body is the first of the four foundations of mindfulness that the Buddha taught as the direct path to liberation. It plays a central role in both our formal and informal (daily life) meditation practice. Much of our upbringing did not teach us to inhabit our bodies. Societal norms only exacerbate this condition. Both the formal meditation instructions, a movement period, as well as group discussion will focus on how we can inhabit our bodies with awareness. This retreat is very applicable to both beginning and continuing meditation students.

“Chas DiCapua began practicing in 1989 in the Zen tradition. In 1995 he started Insight Meditation practice and has worked extensively with Joseph Goldstein and other leading teachers. Since 2003 Chas has been the resident teacher at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA. He also teaches at other centers in New England.

“We are fortunate to have Chas back at the Center. Several of our practitioners have already signed up to spend another day with him and learn from his vast accumulation of knowledge and his practical way of teaching. Individual interviews will be available along with walking and sitting practice.

“Please bring a brown bag lunch. Fees for the retreat are $55 or $40 for members of The Center. Please register ASAP and send in a check. If you can’t do that in the next few days, send an email or call me on my cell phone 617-784-7522 to let me know that you are definitely going to attend. It helps our teachers in their preparation if they know how many will be attending the retreat.”

For more information, please visit http://www.IMCNewburyport.org

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening.

Metta,
Tim
on January 26, 2009 at 5:20 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 1/27/09 meditation group

Greetings! The meditation group will meet from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening at First Parish. We’ll plan on meeting upstairs in the high school room again, but be sure to check for notices on the way in.

I only have a couple of things to pass along this week.

First, we were contacted last week by Catherine Senghas of the UUBF board who was looking to confirm/update our group’s contact information for their website.

She also mentioned that registration is now open for the 2009 UUBF Convocation, to be held for the first time on the West Coast, in Oceanside, California, from March 27-29.

http://www25.uua.org/uubf/UUBF-Flyer-2009-GA.pdf

This year’s featured speaker is Shinzen Young (http://www.shinzen.org/), who will lead a discussion on “The Science of Enlightenment”.

I also took the opportunity to catch up on some past issues of “UU Sangha” that have recently been archived online.

I found Douglas Kraft’s “Mindfulness II: Transformation” and Andrew Agacki’s “An American Buddhism” from the Spring 2008 issue to be quite interesting, as well as Wayne Aronson’s “Not Two: Unitarian Universalism and Buddhism” from the Fall 2007 issue:

http://www25.uua.org/uubf/Spring2008.pdf

http://www25.uua.org/uubf/Fall2007.pdf

In other media, author Karen Armstrong recently delivered a TED talk on compassion (video available here: http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/karen_armstrong_makes_her_ted_prize_wish_the_charter_for_compassion.html)

… and this past week, Krista Tippett reprised her May 2007 interview with Pankaj Mishra on the topic “The Buddha in the World”:

http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/2009/buddhaintheworld/

Finally, Carrie and I ventured down to the First Parish Church of Stow and Acton on Friday evening to catch a sreening of “The Dhamma Brothers”. I hope to have a full review up on the blog (http://meditate.shorturl.com) later today, but in brief I very highly recommend seeing this film. You can find out more here:

http://www.dhammabrothers.com/

That’s all for now; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on January 20, 2009 at 4:18 am | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 1/20/09 meditation group

Hello, everyone! My apologies for getting the weekly reminder out somewhat later than usual this week, but the meditation group will indeed meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 at First Parish. Let’s plan on meeting upstairs in the High School room, but please check for a note on your way in. Carrie will lead the practice this week.

Just a couple of things to pass along this week:

The First Parish Church (UU) of Stow and Acton will host a screening of the film “The Dhamma Brothers” for their Movie Night this Friday evening, January 23, at 7:30pm.

http://www.fpc-stow-acton.org/MovieNight.html

The documentary is described as “East meets West in the Deep South. An overcrowded maximum-security prison — the end of the line in Alabama’s correctional system — is dramatically changed by the influence of an ancient meditation program.”

“The Dhamma Brothers tells a dramatic story of human potential and transformation as itclosely follows and documents the stories of 36 prison inmates as they enter into this arduous and intensive [10-day meditation] program. It will challenge assumptions about the very nature of prisons as places of punishment rather than rehabilitation.”

Brenda wrote a brief blog post about a screening of the film she attended back in May: http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/2008/05/30/dhamma-brothers-east-and-west-meet-in-the-deep-south/

You can find out more about the film here: http://dhammabrothers.com/film.html

If anyone is interested in attending the screening on Friday, please e-mail me. If there’s enough interest, we can see about arranging a carpool.

Also, IMC Newburyport opens for its winter session starting this week.

On Wednesday evening, January 20th, Matthew Daniell teaches the first session of a class on finding Contentment in our daily life.

And on Sunday, January 25th, Kate Wheeler, leads an day-long Retreat exploring ways of deepening our Insight Mediation practice.

For more information, visit http://www.IMCNewburyport.org

Finally, late on the eve of the historic inauguration of our 44th President, I’d like to share a few short words from Huffington Post bloggers Ed and Deb Shapiro, whose New Year’s post was previously cited by Mike:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ed-and-deb-shapiro/what-buddha-might-say-to_b_156947.html

“We wish you luck Mr. President. May the next 4 years be peaceful ones. May your mind be clear and your heart pure.”

Metta,
Tim
on January 12, 2009 at 5:55 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 1/13/09 meditation group

Greetings; happy Monday! The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30-9:30pm at First Parish. I think we’ll try to meet upstairs in the High School Room this week, if it’s available. That should be a good deal warmer than the Chapel. I’ll put up a notice by the entry indicating where we’ll be. I’m pleased to officially welcome Sue to the practice leader rotation this week.

Last week Ajahn David spoke very highly of Jill Bolte Taylor’s book “My Stroke of Insight”. While I still have yet to read the book myself, I did want to point folks in the direction of Brenda’s blog post from last April on Dr. Taylor’s TED Conference lecture:

http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/2008/04/23/a-stroke-of-insight/

Speaking of which (more or less), the Mind and Life Institute recently released its 2008 annual report, which provides a surprisingly succinct (12 pages) overview of some of the exciting research that’s underway:

http://www.mindandlife.org/MLI-Annual-Report-2008.pdf

There are a couple of recent additions to the Access to Insight website. Thanissaro Bhikkhu (aka “Ajahn Geoff”) has written a pair of short articles: “Ignorance” and “Mindfulness Defined”

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/ignorance.html

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/mindfulnessdefined.html

Neither article is particularly long, and I very highly recommend reading both of them.

The Burmese teacher Sayadaw U Tejaniya will be teaching at the Forest Refuge at the end of May. His website includes links to free downloads of his books (including the wonderfully titled “Don’t Look Down on the Defilements, They Will Laugh At You”) and reprints of interviews he’s given to in Tricycle, Inquiring Mind, etc.

I’ve been meaning to take a closer look at the site for some time now, and still have yet to get into the longer works, but just want to share briefly Sayadaw’s “What is the Right Attitude for Meditation?” — a meditation in and of itself:

http://sayadawutejaniya.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/right_attitude_23_points.pdf

The Deccan Herald (New Delhi, India) recently published an excerpt from Thich Nhat Hanh’s book “Calming the Fearful Mind: A Zen Response to Terrorism” that is well worth reading:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=10,7592,0,0,1,0

And, finally, the British newspaper The Guardian published the following from Adam Phillips and Barbara Taylor’s forthcoming book “On Kindness” (due out in March):

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/jan/03/society-politics

It’s a fantastic article, and I can hardly wait for the book to hit the shelves!

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening.

Metta (no matter what Sumi says),
Tim
on January 5, 2009 at 5:21 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 1/6/09 meditation group

Greetings; happy 2009! The Tuesday evening meditation group will kick off the new year from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish. (Please be mindful of posted notices in case we decide to relocate to the warmer environment of the High School room.) Ajahn David is scheduled to lead the practice and teaching.

Speaking of Ajahn David, Wat Buddhabhavana has added quite a bit of content to its website (http://www.greatwisdomcenter.org) since I last visited. Among the offerings is a nice selection of videos, including some taken this past summer at the kids’ camp. My personal favorites are those of Ajahn Mangkone leading the kids’ chanting:

http://www.greatwisdomcenter.org/index.php?id=27

Some of you may remember my mentioning the innovative opera “Where Elephants Weep”, which had its world premiere in Lowell back in 2007:

http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/2007/04/18/where-elephants-weep/

After the closing in the US, “Elephants” was brought home to Cambodia, where it opened in November.

Unfortunately the show has run afoul of the Cambodian Sangha, which has persuaded the government to ban further performances, claiming that the show “insults Buddhism”:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=53,7586,0,0,1,0

Having seen the show myself, I have to say the Sangha is definitely overreacting… and perhaps should take a good hard look at itself if there are particular elements in the show that hit a bit close to home.

Meanwhile, WGBH-2 will air the first two of the six-part series “The Story of India” from 9-11pm this evening. Hosted by Michael Wood, it should be fascinating:

http://wwd.wgbh.org/tv/program/story-india/beginnings

Finally, I highly recommend a quick look at Sumi Loundon Kim’s recent post on The Worst Horse regarding the use of “metta” as an e-mail sign-off. There’s some funky code on The Worst Horse that makes the post unreadable on certain web browsers, so I’ve taken the liberty of re-posting it on our own blog:

http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/2009/01/03/sumi-loundon-kims-e-dharma-dilemma/

That’s all for now; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening.

Metta,
Tim

PS — Keeping Priscille in your thoughts/metta/etc. would be greatly appreciated, I’m sure. She’s mostly recovered from the injuries sustained in the fall she took a while back, but is now battling a nasty bout of bronchitis. Hopefully we’ll have her back soon, hale and hearty!
on December 29, 2008 at 5:30 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 12/30/08 meditation group

Hello everyone! The meditation group will meet from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish. Mike will lead the practice this week.

I want to start off with an addendum to last week’s focus on Thomas Merton. Some of you may have already seen the following article when it appeared in the Boston Globe a couple of weeks ago, but I thought it was particularly interesting in light of the recent theme of Buddhist-Christian dialog:

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2008/12/14/when_jesus_met_buddha/

Bill Moyers aired the documentary “Beyond Our Differences” on his show Bill Moyers Journal on Friday evening. Interviewees include the Dalai Lama, Robert Thurman, Desmond Tutu, and others. Clips can be viewed via the film’s website:

http://www.beyondourdifferences.com/

Moyers also refers us back to his fantastic 2007 series “On Faith and Reason”:

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/12262008/profile2.html

Shambhala Sun’s “Sun Space” blog recently posted a nice teaching on awakening, delivered by the late Godwin Samararatne and published in the current issue of the Vipassana Fellowship newsletter:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=3482#more-3482

Meanwhile, I’ve been somewhat remiss in passing along news that Somerville-based Wisdom Publications launched its own blog, “Go Beyond Words,” last month:

http://gobeyondwords.wordpress.com/

Finally, if anyone is still looking to make New Year’s Eve plans, CIMC is hosting an evening of chanting and meditation from 7:30pm on Wednesday until 1am New Year’s Day:

“On this last evening of the year, please join the community in periods of sitting, walking and chanting. There will also be a period for sharing readings or reflections. Light refreshments will be served after midnight. You are welcome to attend all or any part of the evening.”

http://cimc.info/community.html#eve

Well, that’s it for this week; I hope to see you tomorrow evening, and wish everyone a happy, healthy, safe, and peaceful 2009!

Metta,
Tim
on December 22, 2008 at 5:40 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 12/23/08 meditation group

Hello! I hope everyone has emerged relatively unscathed by the wintery weekend weather. The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 at First Parish. Let’s see how the temperature is in the Chapel, and if it’s unbearably chilly, we may relocate upstairs to the High School room (schedule permitting). Please check for a note on your way in. Brenda will lead the practice.

This past Thursday WGBH aired a wonderful documentary, “Soul Searching: The Journey of Thomas Merton.” Merton, a somewhat avant garde Trappist monk, developed a keen interest in Buddhist-Christian dialog late in his life (he died, in fact, while attending a interfaith conference in Thailand), which is reflected in an interesting montage towards the end of the film.

http://www.pbs.org/soulsearching/

I’m not sure exactly what the ‘GBH rebroadcast schedule is. The December viewer guide suggests a rebroadcast tonight (Monday) on GBH-44 at 10pm, but the online schedule shows something else. In any event, I highly recommend this film if you get the chance to watch it.

One Buddhist teacher who was strongly influenced by Merton — although not in the way one might expect — is Harvard psychologist Jack Engler, who briefly lived as a monk at Gethsemani Abbey.

Engler’s own interesting biography is presented in brief at the beginning of his dicussion on “ego” with Andrew Cohen of the journal “What Is Enlightenment?”

http://www.enlightennext.org/magazine/j17/engler.asp?pf=1

Engler also teaches regularly at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, and I’ve previously cited a couple of his talks that were later published in Insight Journal:

“Practicing for Awakening”
Part 1: http://www.dharma.org/ij/archives/1998b/jack_engler.htm
Part 2: http://www.dharma.org/ij/archives/1999a/jack_engler1.htm

“Seeking the Seeker”
http://www.dharma.org/ij/archives/SeekingtheSeeker–JE.pdf.pdf

More on Merton’s interest in Buddhism is covered in the book “Merton and Buddhism” reviewed here at the Monastic Interreligious Dialogue website:

http://www.monasticdialog.com/a.php?id=814

Speaking of monks, Tibetan monastic/writer/photographer Matthieu Ricard (“The Monk and the Philosopher,” “The Quantum and the Lotus”, “Motionless Journey”, and “Happiness”) has a nice, short article on happiness in the current issue of “Yes!”:

http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/113080/this_is_your_brain_on_bliss/

And Lin Jensen reflects on the broader meaning of “sangha” in this post on the Tricycle editor’s blog:

http://blog.tricycle.com/?p=969

Finally, I wish to leave you all with a few words that always resonate deeply with me at this time of year:

The first is an excerpt of a letter from the Franciscan friar, Fra Giovanni, written to a friend on Christmas Eve 1513:

https://www.eons.com/groups/topic/516051-Letter-to-a-Friend

The second is Susan Cooper’s poem “The Shortest Day” written for the Christmas Revels when it was first performed in Cambridge back in 1971:

http://jesspages.net/bestofuu/tag/susan-cooper

And with that, I wish you all a happy Chanukah, happy Solstice, merry Christmas, and all the joys and blessings of the season.

In peace,
Tim
on December 15, 2008 at 5:32 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 12/26/08 meditation group

Greetings! The meditation group will meet in the Chapel at First Parish from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening. Christine will lead the practice this week.

I’ve slowly started to tackle the backlog of reading that’s accumulated over the past month or two. Among the items that caught my attention recently are a number of odds and ends from our friends over at Shambhala Sun, for whom 2008 marks the 30th anniversary.

Shambhala Sun senior editor Barry Boyce contributes a great piece on what’s transpired in American Buddhism over the past thirty years — picking up where the late Rick Fields left off in his seminal work “How the Swans Came to the Lake”:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3303&Itemi

There’s been some criticism online that Boyce’s article is limited to Buddhism as practiced by middle-class European Americans and does not adequately address the impact and condition of Buddhism within Asian-American communities. I would also add that Boyce’s view seems limited to the “Big Three” of Tibetan, Zen, and Vipassana/Insight practice and only hints at the existence of other forms of Buddhism, such as Nichiren and Pure Land, that are practised by relatively large numbers of Americans.

That said, I give Boyce much credit for trying to cover an awful lot in a limited space and suggest that others may be better able to fill these notable gaps.

Fields’ book is definitely a must read for anyone interested in the history of Buddhism in the United States, and I’d be happy to lend my copy to anyone who is interested.

Boyce also provides a list of the books he drew from in writing his article:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=3357#more-3357

Elsewhere in the anniversary issue of Shambhala Sun, Publishers Weekly religion reviews editor Marcia Nelson takes a quick look at some of the Buddhist best-sellers of the past thirty years:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3313&Itemi

2008 also marks the 50th annivesary of the Sri Lanka-based Buddhist Publication Society, the first and foremost English-language publisher in the tradition of Theravada Buddhism.

The current BPS newsletter is available online and includes several brief articles on the history of the Society, in addition to the usual felicitations from friends and colleagues:

http://www.bps.lk/newletter_pdf/nl_59.pdf

There was also quite a nice profile of the BPS in the Sunday Times back in May (via the Buddhist Channel):

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=9,6449,0,0,1,0

Finally, on a lighter note, I came across the following thanks to the Tricycle Editor’s Blog:

http://blog.tricycle.com/?p=947

It’s a little hard to tell too much from the website, but perhaps we should think about a meditation group game night sometime?

That’s all for this week. Please keep Priscille in your thoughts, prayers, etc., as she continues her recovery.

Metta,
Tim
on December 8, 2008 at 6:39 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 12/9/08 meditation group

Hello everyone! The meditation group will meet once again in the Chapel at First Parish tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30. Matt will lead the practice this week. This will be Matt’s last time out as practice leader due to the logistics of making the trek up from Boston. I want to thank him very much for his help as practice leader for the past year and a half (or thereabouts) and to welcome him to continue to practice with us as his schedule permits. Deep bows.

I also wish to thank everyone who sent prayers, good vibes, metta, healing thoughts, etc., to Carrie this past week. She returned home from the hospital on Saturday following a successful surgery earlier in the week. She has follow-up appointments with her doctors this week and will remain on home IVs for another couple of weeks… hopefully hale and hearty heading into the new year.

I heard from Priscille last week. The rennovation of her home is near completion, however she recently fell, hurting her knee and wrist, and is off driving for a bit. She hopes to be back to the meditation group by Chrsitmas, if the healing goes well. Again, I’m sure prayers, good vibes, metta, healing thoughts, etc., would be appreciated. I look forward to seeing her soon!

There have been a number of articles in the media this past week about a recent study showing that happiness is actually contagious!

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/12/05/new_reason_to_be_happy_it_may_go_a_long_way/

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97848789

The folks over at the Tricycle Editor’s Blog chime in with their own thoughts:

http://blog.tricycle.com/?p=940

Certainly these are preliminary findings, but it does give credence to idea that our meditation practice really can be for the benefit of all beings.

Of course the early Buddhist teachings make abundantly clear that of “admirable friendship” — kalyanamitta) — is integral to spiritual practice:

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sacca/sacca4/samma-ditthi/kalyanamittata.html

Speaking of happiness, the San Francisco Chronicle recently published a story on the growing interest in the Bhutanese model of Gross National Happiness:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=40,7485,0,0,1,0

Also via the Buddhist Channel, Waylon Lewis at the Huffington Post, has come up with a list of the “Top 10 Buddhist Teachers Living in America”. The list has an admittedly Tibetan bias, but is quite interesting nonetheless:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=9,7492,0,0,1,0

Finally, I want to mention that Chas DiCapua will return to IMCN this Saturday, December 13, to lead a day-long retreat on “Six Sense Doors Awareness”. Carrie and I attended this retreat a few months ago and really appreciated it (particularly “listening” meditation in the midst of a heavy thunderstorm):
————————————————————————
On Saturday, December 13th we are fortunate to have Chas DiCapua back at the Insight Meditation Center of Newburyport to lead an all day retreat, 9AM to 5PM, on Six Sense Door Awareness.

Vipassana meditation is often known as awareness of the 6 sense doors. These include: seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, tasting and thoughts and emotions. In this day long retreat, as a way to deepen our practice, we will spend time meditating with different sense doors. We will undertake practices that allow us to connect with all of our sense doors in a relaxed and open way. The dharma talk and discussion will focus on the effortless nature of both formal and informal meditation. This day long retreat will be especially helpful for those who find they tend to become tense and struggle with practice. Open to beginners and experienced practitioners.

Chas DiCapua began practicing in 1989 in the Zen tradition. In 1995 he started Insight Meditation practice and has worked extensively with Joseph Goldstein and other leading teachers. He is now training with Jack Kornfield and is the resident teacher at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA .

This day long retreat will include instructions for sitting and walking practice, as well as a dharma talk and discussion.

There will be an opportunity to meet individually with the teacher.

The fee for the Day–Long retreat is $55.00 or $40.00 for IMCN members.

You may take the first half of the day as a half-day retreat.

Please bring your lunch.

http://www.IMCNewburyport.org
————————————————————————
That’s all for this week, folks. I hope to see everyone tomorrow night!

Metta,
Tim
on December 1, 2008 at 9:19 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 12/2/08 meditation group

Hello! I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Ajahn David is scheduled to join the group this week, however, due to inclement weather his return trip from Wisconsin has been delayed. In the event that Ajahn is unable to make it, I’ve asked Brenda to lead the practice.

I have just a few items to pass along this week:

First is a Sylvia Boorstein SunSpace post on finding peace “with someone who voted differently”:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=2620

The Shambhala Sun archive yields this great piece by Joseph Goldstein on “The Power of Mindfulness”:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3146&Itemi

Last Monday’s “On Point” on WBUR featured a discussion on the fate of Tibet. (I have yet to listen to the show myself, but I expect it was quite interesting.)

http://www.onpointradio.org/shows/2008/11/the-fate-of-tibet/

The changing dynamics of Sino-Tibetan relations has also been the subject of extensive coverage by the BBC lately:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7744769.stm

Beth Roth, fast becoming one of my favorite contributors at Tricycle, recently published this wonderful web exclusive on suffering and compassion:

http://www.tricycle.com/web-exclusive/family-dharma-leaning-suffering

And finally, via The Worst Horse, a video that simply defies comment:

http://theworsthorse.wordpress.com/2008/11/24/and-now-a-singing-crocodile-dressed-as-a-cowboy-teaches-you-to-meditate/

Carrie and I will be absent from the meditation group this week. She’s scheduled for a relatively routine surgery tomorrow morning at Brigham and Women’s. However, pre-op testing shows that her lung function is not in good shape, so it’s likely she’ll be admitted into the hospital directly from the OR. We’re not quite sure what sort of timeline we’re looking at for the hospital stay — hopefully only 7 to 10 days or so — but I’ll be sure to keep everyone up to date.

Metta,
Tim
on November 24, 2008 at 5:24 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 11/25/08 meditation group

Hello everyone! The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. If the temperature in the Chapel looks to be unbearably chilly we may relocate to the High School room upstairs. Either way we’ll post a sign pointing folks in the right direction.

As we get closer to Thanksgiving, I want to thank Mike in particular for keeping our blog updated on at least a semi-regular basis. This past week he posted on an interfaith “charter of compassion,” the inspiration of author Karen Armstrong and a number of like-minded souls:

http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/2008/11/19/help-write-an-interfaith-charter-for-compassion/

Armstrong shares her thoughts on the project on the Washington Post’s “On Faith” blog:

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/karen_armstrong/2008/11/compassion_is_more_than_a_feel.html

The WaPo also had a not-too-terribly fluffy piece on “relational” mindfulness recently; somewhat basic, but good reading nonetheless:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=7,7377,0,0,1,0

Keeping on the theme of thankfulness for a bit, I wish to express my gratitude for our Tuesday night meditation group: our little sangha. There is great value in a having a community to support and encourage each other in our practice; thank you all for making it possible!

Christina Feldman reflects on sangha — as well as the other two jewels, buddha and dharma — in this recent article for Shambhala Sun, “Alone Together: Finding Friends on the Path”:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3201&Itemi

Meanwhile over at the Tricycle Editor’s Blog, Lin Jensen offers a Zen perspective in “Sangha Appears Naturally in Daily Life”:

http://blog.tricycle.com/?p=888

Looking ahead to this weekend, I want to remind people that Kate Wheeler is leading a day-long retreat “To Explore the Path to Unlimited Joy” at IMCN this Sunday, November 30:
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On Sunday, November 30th, the Insight Meditation Center of Newburyport holds a full day Retreat to explore ways to finding Joy.

This retreat led by guest teacher Kate Wheeler will start at 9AM and end at 5PM.

Kate says that it may seem curious, but the Buddhist meditation that leads to unlimited joy is based on generosity, sympathy and support for others.

During the retreat we will meditate together, exploring the effect on ourselves of developing a simple wish for the happiness of others to increase. We will work on affirming joy and happiness for individuals in our lives, as well as for the collective of all living things. Along the way, we may discover an unconscious belief that when others are doing well, our own joy is somehow diminished. Eroding this falsehood is one of the secrets of happiness, and a key to developing gratitude within our own personal sphere.

Kate Wheeler has been practicing yoga and meditation since her early teens. She began formal Buddhist practice in 1977. In the late 1980′s she was briefly ordained as a nun in Rangoon , Myanmar and has been teaching retreats since the early 1990′s. More recently she has assisted Sharon Salzberg at Loving Kindness Retreats at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre , MA . She has just returned from a week long training session in California with Jack Kornfield.

This day long retreat will include instructions for sitting and walking practice, as well as a dharma talk and discussion. There will be an opportunity to meet individually with the teacher. The day will be suitable for both beginning and more experienced students.

The fee for the Day–Long retreat is $55.00. You may take the first half of the day as a half-day retreat.

For more information and to register, check http://www.IMCNewburyport.org or call the Center at 978-499-0325
————————————————————————
I want to close this week by sharing an excerpt from Doreen Schweizer’s notes in the most recent Vally Insight newsletter:

“I often remember that the Chinese character for ‘crisis’ also means ‘opportunity;’ and when I do, I often remember gratitude. There is a verse from the metta practice (the practice of cultivating thoughts of good will and well-being), which is: ‘May we be generous, may we be gentle, may we be grateful.’

“The intentional practice of gratitude is a life-altering one. We all know that gratitude can lighten the heart and change the direction of mind in the space of a second. Sharon Salzburg [sic] writes about the value that the Buddha put on ‘counting your blessings’ as described in the Mangala Sutta, ‘Blessings that can be enjoyed by anyone of us if we create the conditions for them: to live a just life; to have a good home life; to have a livelihood or discipline we like and can perform well; to honor contentedness and gratitude; to have a sense of patience… having good friends, being able to associate with wise and goodhearted people… to be in a situation where we can hear and discuss the Dhamma, or the truth… to have the opportunity to live the Dhamma…’

“I find in my own life that ‘creating the conditions’ for these blessings has a lot to do with seeing those blessings that already exist. To look for the joy already present in our lives seems to clarify and enhance its presence. Mindful awareness itself, as it deepens and matures, has a quality of appreciation in it. We can begin to feel that attending fully to the moment becomes appreciating the moment, giving it its own space and time while being interested in its unfolding.

“Perhaps as Thanksgiving Day once again rolls around we can remember the blessings of our lives and also have the courage to touch a little more clearly into the ‘ten thousand sorrows and ten thousand joys’ of our lives.

“Whatever good fortune there may be in your life, may it prosper, may it grow; and may you be happy.”

Well said!

Metta,
Tim

PS — Mike just (in the nick of time!) sent me the link to the following article “Blessing Time: Gratitude in the Midst of Uncertainty” and short video from the Huffington Post:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-judith-rich/a-blessing-time-gratitude_b_143103.html

PPS — I want to remind folks that Friday is the first annual National Day of Listening. It caught my attention this weekend as I was listening to NPR. It seems like a great idea, and you can find out more here:

http://www.nationaldayoflistening.org/
on November 17, 2008 at 5:21 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 11/18/08 meditation group

Hello everyone! Due to a double booking of the Chapel tomorrow evening, the meditation group will meet upstairs in the High School room at First Parish from 7:30 to 9:30. (It should be little cozier upstairs anyway.) Carrie will lead the practice this week.

Speaking of heat (or lack thereof), I recently came across a not-really meditation-related article last week that some of you might appreciate:

http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/106424/why_do_women_often_feel_colder_than_men

I did find this part particularly interesting:

“Feel warm and you’ll be more generous and trusting, or so a recent study by researchers at Yale University suggests. They gave volunteers a hot cup of coffee or a cold drink and asked them to rate how trustworthy a person looked. Those holding the hot drink rated people as more trusting….

“In addition to this study, researchers in Canada found recently that mood can influence how hot or cold we feel. The study revealed that people who are lonely or socially excluded are more aware of the cold. So if you’re looking to warm up this year, get social, get active, and get enough sleep.”

In a follow-up from last week, I mentioned that Thai activist Sulak Sivaraksa had been arrested for insulting the nation’s royalty; he’s since been released on bail. Danny Fisher has more on his blog:

http://chaplaindanny.blogspot.com/2008/11/news-sulak-sivaraksa-arrested-in.html

The most recent edition of the IMS Sangha News e-mail includes a link to a short (8 min.) but neat interview between Executive Director Bob Agoglia and Sharon Salzberg, recorded the day after Election Day:

http://www.dharma.org/ims/mp3/Sharon_Salzberg_Interview_Nov2008.mp3

Meanwhile monk/author/photographer Matthieu Ricard recently showed up on Ted.com delivering a 20 minute lecture on happiness:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=1913

Mark your calendars: IMC Newburyport is hosting a day-long retreat this Saturday, November 22, on “Deepening Our Practice” led by Chas DiCapua:

————————————————————-
Taking the time to suspend our regular activities and engage in formal meditation practice is enlightened activity. It embodies the wisdom, the view, we want to cultivate. Supported by the continuity of the sitting and walking practice, our connection with the present moment grows stronger. This, in turn, facilitates a clearer understanding into how things are. It is this understanding that brings freedom.

Chas DiCpua is a resident teacher at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre , MA . He began practicing in the Zen tradition in 1989 and is presently studying with Jack Kornfield. He has worked extensively with Joseph Goldstein. Chas has just returned from a three month retreat.

This day long retreat will include instructions for sitting and walking practice, as well as a dharma talk and discussion.There will be an opportunity to meet individually with the teacher. The day will be suitable for both beginning and more experienced students.

Please send your registration and check to IMCN at the address below.The fee for the Day–Long retreat is $55.00 or $40.00 for IMCN members.You may take the first half of the day as a half-day retreat.Please bring your lunch.
————————————————————-

IMCN has also reopened for the final session of classes and retreats in 2008. There looks to be some good stuff coming up, including a day-long retreat on “Experiencing Joy” to be led by Kate Wheeler on Sunday, November 30.

For more information visit the IMCN website: http://www.IMCNewburyport.org

IMPORTANT:
Finally, I am working on putting together the practice leader schedule for 2009. I know we already have a couple of new faces to add to the current rotation, but please be sure to let me know if you are interested and if there are any scheduling constraints I’ll need to work around.

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on November 10, 2008 at 6:43 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 11/11/08 meditation group

Hello everyone! The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30-9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Mike is scheduled to lead the practice and discussion this week.

The past few weeks’ e-mails have been rather heavy on theme of politics as practice, so while I don’t want to dwell much longer on the subject I do want to recommend another handful of articles that encourage a wider view of what it means to be engaged politically.

Tricycle contributor RJ Eskow recently interviewed a number of Buddhist teachers for his article “Election Returns: The Politics of Karma, the Karma of Politics” (http://www.tricycle.com/web-exclusive/election-returns?page=0%252C0). Last week he also published transcripts of the individual interviews on his blog. I highly recommend the interviews with Ken Jones and Wes Nisker in particular:

http://nightlight.typepad.com/nightlight/2008/11/pre-election-contemplation-rereading-the-election-returns-interviews-or-third-eye-on-the-news.html

Meanwhile over at the Buddhadharma, a reprise of editor Barry Boyce’s 2006 interview with one teacher from the Shambhala lineage and two Zen teachers (including Bernie Glassman once again) for the forum “How Should I Help? The Relationship Between Social Engagement and Buddhist Practice”:

http://www.thebuddhadharma.com/issues/2006/summer/forum-help.html

And Richard Reoch, a long-time human rights worker and also a teacher in the Shambhala tradition, offers his thoughts on “The Seeds of Peace”:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3160&Itemi

The new issue of Tricycle magazine also features an exclusive interview with Daisaku Ikeda, president of Soka Gakkai International, the world’s largest lay Buddhist organization and one that is especially noted for its emphasis on social engagement. The interview is also quite interesting in that it provides unique insight into the Nichiren Buddhist tradition:

http://www.tricycle.com/interview/faith-revolution

One important item buried amidst the other headlines this past week was the arrest of Thai social activist Sulak Sivaraksa:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7714798.stm

Sulak founded the International Society of Engaged Buddhists in 1989.

Finally, I want to pass along an e-mail from Swan Keyes, Community and Multicultural Program Manager at Spirit Rock, soliticing feedback regarding the Dharma Friends (formerly Kalyana Mitta) program. If you have the time to respond to the very short survey, I’m sure it would be appreciated:
——————————————————————
Dear Dharma Friends/Kalyana Mitta members,

Spirit Rock is interested in how we can support Dharma Friends/Kalyana Mitta groups.

Would you be willing to fill out an online questionnaire to help us? As someone who has been associated with this program, your feedback will assist us in determining what is going well and what we can do better. If you are willing to share your thoughts, please click on the following link:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=k2lwVj6WzAXuUeMIYqdrxQ_3d_3d.

We are also seeking a small group of volunteers to help coordinate the groups (see survey or email me for more info).

Our contact list for group members is quite limited and outdated, so please forward this to all members of your group who might wish to participate in the survey. If you have members without internet access, feel free to print out the attached version of the survey. It can be mailed to me at Spirit Rock, PO Box 169 , Woodacre , CA 94973 .

The survey will close on November 21, 2008.

Also, if you currently coordinate/facilitate or host a Dharma Friends/Kalyana Mitta Group, could you please send an email reply letting us know that? We’re trying to update our files a little so we don’t leave anyone out of important communications. Thank you.

In appreciation,
Swan
——————————————————————
Well, that’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on November 3, 2008 at 5:25 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 11/4/08 meditation group

Hello everyone! First and foremost, remember to get out and vote tomorrow! Then stop by First Parish tomorrow evening from 7:30-9:30 for our weekly meditation; Ajahn David will be with us again this week. (Special thanks to Brenda for providing transport to I can get to the polls on my way home from work!)

I’ve referred to a number of articles on Buddhism and politics over the past few weeks, a have just a couple more to recommend as we head into Election Day:

First, the Religion News Service takes a brief look at varying Buddhist views on the election (more varied than one might first think):

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=70,7338,0,0,1,0

Then Shambhala Sun’s Charles R. Johnson takes a broad look at what Barack Obama’s candidacy means for “how Americans view themselves, each other, and their place in the world.” Very interesting stuff, regardless of one’s political inclinations:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3266&Itemi

“Dharma Punx” author Noah Levine has recently joined Phillip Moffitt and Sharon Salzberg among the ranks of Buddhist contributors to the Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/noah-levine/against-the-stream-the-bu_b_138535.html

He’s also launched his own website “Against the Stream”: http://againstthestream.org/

Speaking of Noah, he was referenced in a recent sermon on forgiveness by First Parish minister Rev. Ellen Rowse-Spero — audio archive available here: http://www.kaffine.com/uuchelmsford/audio/2008-10-12-sermon.mp3

BCBS has now opened registration for its 2009 courses. As usual, there looks to be a lot of interesting offerings:

https://bcbs.dharma.org/Pages/course_registration.lasso

Finally, a little bit of housekeeping:

Before Abhaya left for her retreat at IMS she had been in contact with Maddy Klyne, a long-time teacher at both IMS and CIMC, regarding guidance as our group continues to evolve. Abhaya left with some pretty clear thoughts in mind in terms of her hopes for the group’s future, and last week I finally caught up with Maddy to continue the discussion.

Abhaya was hoping that Maddy (or someone she recommended) might be able to come up and lead the group once every 4 to 6 weeks to provide regular teaching support/mentoring, particularly for the women in our group.

Unfortunately Maddy’s schedule is particularly uncooperative at the moment, but she said she would think to see if she could come up with a suitable Insight Meditation (e.g., Barre/Spirit Rock “lineage”) teacher who’d be willing to make the trek up to Chelmsford every now and again.

In the meantime, Maddy asked me to sound out interest among the group for periodic retreats at CIMC. If we’re interested — and admittedly the logistics of arranging a group trip into Cambridge seem a bit daunting — she’s willing to set up a private session for us.

Anyhow, please give some thought to the offer and let me know if “field trip” of this sort is something you might be interested in doing once every 4 to 6 weeks or so. I can let Maddy know the consensus, and we’ll take it from there.

Well, that’s plenty for this week; see you all tomorrow evening — and don’t forget to vote!

Metta,
Tim
on October 27, 2008 at 4:14 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 10/28/08 meditation group

Hi all! The meditation group will meet from 7:30-9:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish. Brenda will lead the practice this week. Also, just a reminder that as it’s starting to get chilly in the evenings, you might want to think about bringing an extra layer to stay warm.

With the election coming up next week, I wanted to share a “non-partisan” Engaged Buddhist view by Alan Senauke of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship:

http://bpf.org/html/electionsNov.2008.html

Among other things that have recently crossed my path, the Summer 2008 issue of Insight Journal arrived in my mailbox last week. Great stuff, as always, but three articles particularly caught mind: Andy Olendzki’s “Editor’s Essay”; the interview with long-time teacher John Peacock; and Thanissaro Bhikkhu’s essay on mindfulness.

Also worth noting is the 2009 BCBS course listing; online registration is not yet open, but there looks to be some good stuff coming up.

The journal is available online as a PDF: http://www.dharma.org/bcbs/Pages/documents/08SummerFullIssue_000.pdf

I’ve been quite intrigued by Shambhala Sun’s “SunSpace” blog, which recently directed me to this great piece on desire by Phillip Moffitt, posted at Huffington Post:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/phillip-moffitt/living-skillfully-knowing_b_133406.html

(Phillip has joined Sharon Salzberg as an occasional columnist at Huffington Post, making Buddhists quite well represented!)

The Moffitt article also reminded me of another article I saw recently via the Buddhist Channel on the difference between making judgments and being “judgmental”:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=8,7194,0,0,1,0

Tricycle’s Editor’s Blog also recently had a post on some other great Buddhist blogs that are worth checking out:

http://blog.tricycle.com/?p=805

One item that’s been getting some attention in the blogosphere lately is a very unique temple in Thailand… made entirely from used beer bottles. TreeHugger and Green Upgrader both have posts including some amazing photographs:

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/10/temple-built-from-beer-bottles.php

http://greenupgrader.com/4262/one-million-beer-bottles-later-and-its-a-buddhist-temple/

The last article to pass along this week is Diana Winston’s light-hearted Shambhala Sun contribution on trying to establish a daily meditation practice:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3298&Itemi

Finally, I want to reiterate my request for a volunteer to help out by picking up Ajahn David for next week’s meditation. My schedule is not going to allow me to both vote and play chauffeur next Tuesday, and I’d greatly appreciate it if someone is able to help out. Many thanks in advance!

See you all tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on October 20, 2008 at 5:27 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 10/21/08 meditation group

Hello again! Just the usual weekly reminder that the meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Priscille is scheduled to lead the practice this week.

Coming back from vacation, I once again feel like I’m in catch-up mode, trying to keep pace with a world that seems to be moving more than a mile a minute. So, I only have a few items to pass along this week:

It’s been a little while since I came across this profile of “child psychiatrist, civil rights activist, and author” Robert Coles in the archives of Shambhala Sun:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2854&Itemi

Also, from a few weeks ago, Thich Nhat Hanh offers what seems to me to be the quintessence of his teaching in “The Moment is Perfect”:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3206&Itemi

I’m currently reading the current issue of Shambhala Sun, and highly recommend picking up a copy if you have the opportunity.

I’m also in the middle of going back over the past week’s posts on the Shambhala Sun blog “Sun Spaces,” and there looks to be some good stuff. I noted in particular the following post on Oprah Winfrey’s recent series of interviews with those involved in the documentary film “The Dhamma Brothers”:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=903#more-903

As I’m sure most everyone is aware, next Tuesday, November 4 is Election Day. I’d like to briefly ascend my soapbox to encourage everyone to get out and vote in what is certainly a very important election — not only for the presidency, but there are also a number of important ballot questions and some statewide legislative contests.

Since I will need to vote on my way home from work next week, I need to ask for a volunteer to pick up Ajahn David. (I still haven’t figured out the logistics of being two places at once!) If anyone is interested in helping out, please let me know ASAP.

Thanks — I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow night.

Metta,
Tim
on October 6, 2008 at 4:58 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 10/7/08 meditation group

Hello everyone! Ajahn David will join us for meditation this week; thanks to Brenda for taking on the chauffeuring duties this month! We’ll meet at First Parish, per usual, from 7:30-9:30 tomorrow evening.

There are quite a few things to pass along this week:

I just received a come-on in the mail from Greater Good magazine the other day. Of course the last thing I need is another magazine subscription — I have a hard enough time making it through the ones I already get — but this looks really interesting. I guess it’s actually been around for a couple of years, as a publication of The Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, but this is the first I’ve been aware of it: http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/greatergood/

I took a quick gander through their archives and not surprisingly found quite a few articles that might be of interest from a Dharma practitioner’s perspective:

From the inaugural (Spring 2004) issue “The Compassionate Instinct” takes a look at the biological bases for compassion:

http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/greatergood/archive/2004springsummer/keltner_spring04.pdf

From the Fall 2004 issue on forgiveness, a couple of articles: “The Choice to Forgive”

http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/greatergood/archive/2004fallwinter/Fall04_Luskin.pdf

… and “The New Science of Forgiveness”:

http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/greatergood/archive/2004fallwinter/Fall04_Worthington.pdf

The Summer 2005 issue asks “Is Goodness Contagious?” which is answered in part in Jonathan Haidt’s “Wired to be Inspired”:

http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/greatergood/archive/2005springsummer/SpringSummer05_Haidt.pdf

The Fall/Winter 2005-06 issue explores the biological roots of empathy, with an interesting article by Frans de Waal on “the evolutionary roots of our empathic instincts”:

http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/greatergood/archive/2005fallwinter/FallWinter0506_deWaal.pdf

Finally, the Spring/Summer 2006 issue tackles “everyday ethics,” and Joshua Halberstam takes on “Right and Wrong in the Real World”:

http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/greatergood/archive/2006springsummer/halberstam.html

Really neat stuff!

For a more tradtional Buddhist view of compassion, IMS teacher Christina Feldman offers us “She Who Hears the Cries of the World” from the May 2006 issue of Shambhala Sun:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2915&Itemi

Also from the Shambhala Sun archives is Sylvia Boorstein’s “Suffering’s Not the Only Story”:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2412&Itemi

And this week’s must-read is Joseph Goldstein’s “Mindfulness, Compassion, and Wisdom, Three Means to Peace”:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1489&Itemid=24

I should also mention that Shambhala Sun has recently launched a new blog called “SunSpace” that looks to be quite good:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/

Meanwhile over at the Tricycle Editor’s Blog, Lin Jensen recently contributed this great post on kindness:

http://blog.tricycle.com/?p=740

I want to mention a couple of items coming up on the calendar in the next few weeks:

Valley Insight will host a meditation retrreat with Gloria Taraniya Ambrosia this Saturday, October 11, from 8:30am to5pm at the Congregational Church on the Green in Lebanon, NH.

For registration and more information: http://69.5.17.97/events/35/meditationretreatwithgloriataraniyaambrosia/

On Sunday, October 19, Wat Buddhabhavana is hosting the annual celebration marking the end of the “Rains Retreat”. Guests are invited to arrive at the Temple at 10am; at 10:30 refuges, precepts, and chanting will be followed by the offering of alms to the monks and then a buffet lunch for the guests; at 1pm there will be a Dharma talk (in Lao, translated into English). Ajahn Mangkone also writes, “For those who feel so inclined and weather permitting, this might be a good opportunity to take a leisurely ‘Nature Walk’ in the Conservation Area and Wildlife Refuge to the left and behind the Temple grounds. There are some trails leading to the peninsula with some meditation benches along the way.”

Also on Sunday the 19th, IMC Newburyport will host a special retreat on Lovingkindness with Kate Wheeler:

“This Loving Kindness (Metta) Meditation is a practice that cultivates a good heart. Based on 2600 year old instructions given by the Buddha, this practice of repeating phrases intending good will has helped countless people over the centuries to counter inner fear, anger, confusion and isolation. Periods of guided sitting and walking meditation will be combined with theory and discussion as we explore new ways of nourishing ourselves and others through the power of cultivating our own minds and hearts. Please register by Thursday October 16th by sending in your fee with a registration form.”

For more information please see the IMCN website: http://http://www.imcnewburyport.com/

Well, that’s plenty for this week. Carrie and I will be away celebrating our 6th (!) wedding anniversary next week, so Brenda will send out the e-mail on Monday. Matt’s on deck to lead the practice on the 14th.

Metta,
Tim
on September 30, 2008 at 1:17 am | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 9/30/08 meditation group

Hi all…. Sorry for the belated reminder, but the mediation group is indeed meeting tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. I’ll be leading the group this week, although I’m still working on a discussion topic.

I want to thank Mike for pretty much singlehandedly keeping the blog up and running these days; he’s written a couple of very thought-provoking posts recently that seem very timely as this year’s Presidential campaign comes to its climax:

http://kaylanamittasangha.wordpress.com

There’s also been an inordinate amount of politicking in the Buddhist press of late.

A number of Buddhist teachers recently posted the following call to action on the Tricycle Editor’s Blog — http://blog.tricycle.com/?p=749 — which drew a couple of noteworthy responses from elsewhere in the blogosphere. I found Jeff Wilson’s response (also via Tricycle — http://blog.tricycle.com/?p=754) to be a particularly good one, and also this post at the curiously named “The Buddha is My DJ” blog: http://www.djbuddha.org/?p=444

Meanwhile over at Shambhala Sun, Zen teacher John Tarrant uses the traditional imagery of the Ten Ox-herding Pictures (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Bulls) as a jumping-off point for a discussion of the “messy, neurotic, imperfect world of politics”: http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2952&Itemi

In a couple of other items this week, the latest Insight Newsletter recently arrived, featuring an interview with IMS/CIMC teachers Michael and Narayan Liebenson Grady: http://www.dharma.org/ims/pdf/2008_fall_insight_newsletter.pdf

Be sure to also check out the 2009 course/retreat schedules at IMS and BCBS!

Also, Somerville-based Wisdom Publications has just released “The Best of Inquiring Mind: 25 Years of Dharma, Drama, and Uncommon Insight” edited by Barbara Gates and Wes Nisker: http://wisdompubs.org/Pages/display.lasso?-KeyValue=33048&-Token.Action=&image=1

For those who aren’t familiar, Inquiring Mind is a fantastic semiannual publication: http://www.inquiringmind.com/

Well, that’s it for now; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening for a little sitting… and walking!

Metta,
Tim
on September 22, 2008 at 5:21 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 9/23/08 meditation group

Hi all…. The meditation group will meet from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish. Carrie will lead the practice.

The Insight Meditation Center of Newburyport has just opened its new retreat center. IMCN will hold the official opening and open house on Saturday, September 27, from 10am to 2pm. Larry Rosenberg, who founded both IMCN and CIMC, will be on hand to “share his insights.” The day will include meditation, a talk, tour, and optional potluck lunch. More information and directions to the new center can be found on the IMCN website: http://www.imcnewburyport.com/

If enough people are interested in heading up on Saturday, perhaps we can coordinate a carpool.

I’m still facing a backlog of reading, so I just want to share a couple of profiles that appeared on the Buddhist Channel a little while ago:

First, a profile of Ouyporn Khuankaew, a Thai activist working to help victims of gender-based violence: http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=9,7026,0,0,1,0

Second, another article from the Bangkok Post on Rosana Tositrakul, another “engadged Buddhist” activist from Thailand and newly-elected member of parliament: http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=9,6722,0,0,1,0

And, finally, in a web exclusive from the Tricycle site, Beth Roth offers her take on “Right Speech Reconsidered”: http://www.tricycle.com/web-exclusive/family-dharma-right-speech-reconsidered

I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow night!

Metta,
Tim
on September 15, 2008 at 5:09 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 9/16/08 meditation group

Hello! This week’s meditation will be Abhaya’s last teaching for the foreseeable future. As I mentioned in last week’s e-mail, she will start a 3-month retreat at IMS starting this Saturday, after which she plans to relocate to warmer climes. Tomorrow evening would be an especially good opportunity for old students to wish her well in her new endeavors. The meeting time and place will be, as usual, in the Chapel at First Parish from 7:30-9:30pm.

Incidentally, registration is now open for 2009 retreats at IMS: http://www.dharma.org/ims/retreats.php

I’ve gotten way behind in my reading lately, so I have only a few items to share this week:

First, some time ago Mike wrote a fascinating blog post called “America Needs A Buddhist President”:

http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/2008/08/18/america-needs-a-buddhist-president-serious-thoughts/

I’ve been remiss in not mentioning the post sooner, and I certainly intend to submit my own comments. It should make for an neat discussion if others care to chime in.

Speaking of blogs, I recently came across and have been impressed by “Barbara’s Buddhism Blog” at About.com: http://buddhism.about.com/b/

Barbara O’Brien is a journalist and long-time Zen student who covers a range of Buddhist-related subject matter in a deep yet accessible style. I highly recommend checking it out.

Over at the Tricycle website, Sylvia Boorstein and Gregory Kramer both recently participated in the magazine’s Q&A forum, and their answers to reader-submitted questions now appear online:

http://www.tricycle.com/web-exclusive/tricycle-q-a-sylvia-boorsteins-answers-0

http://www.tricycle.com/web-exclusive/tricycle-q-a-gregory-kramers-answers

And finally, a couple of items from the BBC this past week:

First, archaeologists in the Bamiyan province of Afghanistan have unearthed a 62-foot statue of a reclining Buddha not far from the standing Buddhas destroyed by the Taliban in 2001:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7604519.stm

A colossal 300-meter reclining Buddha has long been rumored to exist nearby, and is the ongoing the subject of an Indiana Jones-like expedition:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=4,7096,0,0,1,0

Also, a study from the Chester Zoo in Britain suggests that hugging can actually reduce stress in primates — well, chimpanzees at least: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7603691.stm

This just makes me wonder if Amma — “The Hugging Saint” — isn’t onto something after all!

Well, that’s all for this week; hopefully we’ll have a good turnout tomorrow evening for Abhaya’s send-off.

Metta,
Tim
on September 8, 2008 at 7:29 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 9/9/08 meditation group

Hello everyone! Just the usual weekly reminder that the meditation group will meet tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish from 7:30 to 9:30. Christine will lead the practice.

I also want to give folks a special heads up that next Tuesday, September 16, will be the last teaching by Abhaya for the foreseeable future. She is about to start a 3-month retreat in Barre, and it is likely she will move across country thereafter. I just want to give some extra advance warning in hopes that many of her old students can attend.

Looking ahead Abhaya is trying to arrange for another guest teacher to visit periodically (once every 4 to 6 weeks or so), but details are still in the works, so we’ll keep you posted as things firm up.

In other sangha news, I want to annouce that Carrie is a first-time aunt as of 4:30 Sunday morning. Baby, brother, and sister-in-law are all doing well, and “Aunt Carrie” is very excited!

Finally a couple of offerings from the Shambhala Sun archives:

Pema Chodron’s “Turn Your Thinking Upside Down” — http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3087&Itemi — from the May 2007 issue, and Sayadaw U Pandita’s instructions on vipassana practice from “Inner Victory” (May 2006): http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2919&Itemi

Speaking of which, I just finished the current issue of Buddhadharma, am currently ensconced in the current issue of of Tricycle, and have the new issue of Shambhala Sun waiting on deck: some great stuff in each journal, and I highly encourage tracking down copies if at all possible.

Visit the websites for more info:

http://www.tricycle.com/fall-2008

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=34&Itemid=114

http://www.thebuddhadharma.com/issues/current/sample/index.php

That’s all for now; see you tomorrow night!

Metta,
Tim
on September 1, 2008 at 9:41 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 9/2/08 meditation group

Hello everyone, and happy Labor Day!

The meditation group will meet at the usual time and place tomorrow evening: 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Ajahn David will be with us for his monthly teaching/meditation/discussion.

In exciting sangha news, Priscille’s great nephew was welcomed into the world this past weekend. Mother and son are doing well, and I’m sure we all send metta and mudita to the family.

We also had a very successful day-long retreat on Saturday, with Mike, Brenda, Christine, Carrie and myself from the Tuesday night group, plus a couple of new faces who we hope to see again sometime. It really was a wonderful day and fruitful practice.

Just a couple of things to pass along this week:

From the Shambhala Sun archives, Barry Boyce has an extraordinary piece on how contemplative practice can transform the meaning of education: http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3004&Itemi

Also from Shambhala Sun, Sylvia Boorstein offers “I’m not O.K., You’re Not O.K. — and That’s O.K.”: http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2263&Itemi

There have also been a couple of interesting items of the Tricycle website recently:

Dharmachari Nagapriya shares “an altruistic view of karma” in “Donating the Future, which is quite good despite being somewhat heavy on the Mahayana Buddhist doctrine towards the end of the article: http://www.tricycle.com/web-exclusive/donating-future

And off of the Tricycle Editor’s Blog, Lin Jensen discusses the dilemma of “Getting What You Want”: http://blog.tricycle.com/?p=715

Finally, the Global Oneness Project has a great video featuring the 17th Karmapa:

http://www.globalonenessproject.org/videos/wordsfromthekarmapa

(It looks to be quite an interesting website in its own right, though I’ll have to explore more later.)

That’s it for this week; I hope everyone’s had a restful and safe holiday weekend and look forward to seeing you tomorrow night.

Metta,
Tim
on August 25, 2008 at 5:33 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 8/26/08 meditation group

Hello again! The meditation group will meet, per usual, from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish. Abhaya is back to teach and to lead the practice this week. Also, don’t forget Thursday morning meditation from 8 to 8:30.

The most pressing order of business this week is, of course, the day-long retreat offered by Abhaya at First Parish this Saturday from 10am to 4:30pm.

http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/2008/08/04/a-day-of-insight-meditation-teaching-and-poetry-with-abhaya-sandy-kopka/

Participants are invited to bring a poem for sharing. Chairs will be available, but feel free to bring meditation cushions/benches as desired.

In a slight change of plans, Brenda has offered to provide a light lunch, so please let me know if you plan to attend so I can give her an approximate head count.

I would like to request that anyone from our group planning to attend please show up around 9:30 to help set up. We’ll need to arrange chairs in the Chapel and set up some tables and chairs for lunch in the Vestry. There is another group using the Vestry in the afternoon (from 2 to 4, I believe) but we should be okay for this space at lunchtime and also for tea after the retreat.

It would be nice to have some flowers for the “altar,” so I’d like to open the invitation to anyone interested in bringing some. (Please bring a vase or something to put them in, too!)

The tea afterward will be essentially “potluck,” so please feel free to bring a small selection of teas and/or munchies for sharing.

Finally, Abhaya has requested that we try to find a cover for the “dana” box — something with a slot in the top for donations. If anyone has a cash box we could borrow, that would be ideal. Equally functional but far less fancy would be a modified shoebox, I suppose, if anyone has the time/inclination to craft something.

If folks could please e-mail me to let me know what if anything you’d like to help out with, it would be very much appreciated!

I have just a couple of articles to recommend this week, fresh from Tricycle’s web site:

First, is a wonderful interview with Jack Kornfield on the power of poetry, first published in the journal Rattle:

http://www.tricycle.com/web-exclusive/unfinished-poetry

“Chewing the Buddha” is Greg Palast’s thought-provoking reflection on Tibet and the Beijing Olympics:

http://www.tricycle.com/web-exclusive/chewing-buddha?page=0%2C1

And Peter Popham describes about the resilience of the Burmese people in “The Power of Metta”:

http://www.tricycle.com/web-exclusive/the-power-metta

Finally, to wind things up this week, the Foundation for the People of Burma and the BBC have published a poignant collection of children’s illustrations depicting life in Burma following Cyclone Nagris:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/08/asia_pac_sketching_burma0s_cyclone/html/1.stm

I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening, and again at the day-long retreat on Saturday.

Metta,
Tim
on August 18, 2008 at 3:43 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 8/19/08 meditation group

Hi all…. Just the usual reminder that the meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Matt will lead the practice.

This week’s e-mail will be somewhat briefer than usual, but there are a couple of interesting things to pass along:

Last week I wrote in glowing terms about David Loy’s new book “Money, Sex, War, Karma.” Well, Nagapriya over at the Tricycle Editor’s Blog weighs in with her (?) thoughts as well:

http://blog.tricycle.com/?p=689

In a similar vein, the Shambhala Sun archives yield a short but interesting article by Richard Reoch, a longtime human rights worker and teacher in the Shambhala Tibetan tradition, on “The Seeds of Peace”:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3160&Itemi

Not surprisingly, some similar themes came up in this past week’s Speaking of Faith conversation between Krista Tippett and her guest Echkart Tolle. I’ve tended to be somewhat circumspect of Tolle, but I know Abhaya thinks highly of him and Brenda enjoyed the online class he offered via Oprah’s website. Anyhow, it’s a very good interview and he comes across as being a very insightful and genuine teacher — and clearly one who’s message resonates with a lot of people:

http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/tolle/

Also worth reading is Tippett’s commentary via Gather:

http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977422210

Finally, Brenda’s post (http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/2008/04/23/a-stroke-of-insight/) on Jill Bolte Taylor’s book “My Stroke of Insight” seems to keep reverberating. While not directly related, I found Terry Gross’s recent interview with neuroscientist and author Michael Gazzaniga an interesting look at some similar territory:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92944337&sc=emaf

Don’t forget about the day-long retreat with Abhaya coming up on the 30th. I’ll send out some reminders as we get closer.

Metta,
Tim
on August 11, 2008 at 5:52 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 8/12/08 meditation group

Hi all! The meditation group will meet tomorrowing from 7:30 to 9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Abhaya is on retreat, so I will facilitate the meditation and discussion this week. Please note that parking may once again be scarce due to the concert on the town common — but the good news is that this is the final concert of the season.

A couple of announcements in follow up to Ajahn David’s visit last week:

First, Ajahn briefly mentioned the book “Mistakes Were Made (But Not By Me).” While I’ve not yet read it myself, it sounds interesting and has been on my radar screen for a while. You can find out more, of course, via Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Mistakes-Were-Made-But-Not/dp/0156033909

Ajahn David also spoke highly of the the TV special “Buddha’s Warriors” that appeared on CNN a couple of weekends ago. Unfortunately I missed it, but blogger Danny Fisher offers some interesting comments here:

http://chaplaindanny.blogspot.com/2008/08/thoughts-about-cnns-buddhas-warriors.html

I also spoke briefly with Ajahn Mangkone last week. As far as Friday evening yoga at the Temple, he described it as “light yoga, meditation, and chit-chat.” This takes place from 7:00-9:00pm, and participants are invited to bring a yoga mat or a beach towel.

Ajahn Mangkone also reminded me of the Lowell Water Festival (http://www.lowellwaterfestival.org) coming up this weekend (August 16, to be precise). The Temple is looking for volunteers to help out with taking money for parking at the event (parking money goes to the Temple), and I can pass along his contact information to anyone who might be interested.

Other items of interest this week include this video of Professor Lewis Lancaster’s lecture — “Buddhism in a Global Age of Technology” — at the UC Berkeley this past April. While the lecture clocks in at nearly an hour, it’s well worth the time. I was particularly intrigued by the notion of Buddhism’s “portability” (especially in relation to other religions) in both historical and contemporary contexts:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=6,6875,0,0,1,0

Keeping with an slightly academic bent for the moment, I also recently finished reading David Loy’s new book “Money, Sex, War, Karma: Notes for A Buddhist Revolution” (http://www.wisdompubs.org/Pages/display.lasso?-KeyValue=33015&-Token.Action=&image=1).

Many of you have probably heard me speak glowingly of Professor Loy, as he’s had a profound influence on my understanding and practice. His latest work is really the fruit of his previous books, and is written for a more general audience. Indeed, many of the chapters have previously appeared as journal articles or public talks; fortunately a few are available online, including:

“The Suffering of Self”
http://staff.xu.edu/~Tan/handouts/buddhism/Loy-Suffering.pdf

“The Three Poisons, Institutionalized”
http://www.bpf.org/chicago/html/pdf/Loy_3PoisonsUnity.pdf

“How To Drive Your Karma”
http://www.mro.org/mr/archive/26-4/articles/drive.html

“Why We Love War”
http://www.transnational.org/Resources_Treasures/2007/Loy_WhyWeLoveWar.html

For anyone who’s interested in some additional reading, I also recommend the paper “Buddhism and Poverty” — http://www.wfdd.org.uk/articles_talks/loy.pdf — which is not included in the new book.

Keeping things in the public domain for a moment, I’d like to also suggest checking out Sharon Salzberg’s latest contribution to the Huffington Post “Working With Your Enemies”: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sharon-salzberg/working-with-your-enemies_b_116322.html

The Tricycle website also has a couple of interesting articles going at the moment. First is the wonderful RJ Eskow piece “Election Returns: The Karma of Politics, the Politics of Karma”

http://www.tricycle.com/web-exclusive/election-returns

And, finally, Gail Seneca, board member of the Foundation for the People of Burma, takes readers questions and gives an update on a situation that has largely slipped from the headlines of late:

http://www.tricycle.com/web-exclusive/gail-senecas-answers

That’s all for now; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening.

Metta,
Tim
on August 4, 2008 at 5:45 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 8/5/08 meditation group

Hello everyone! Ajahn David will join us once again to lead the meditation and teaching this week. Per usual, we will meet in the Chapel from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening. Please note that parking at First Parish may be somewhat limited to to the concert on the town common, but that additional space should be available across the street at Ginger Ale Plaza.

If anyone is still interested in making a “water dana” donation to Wat Buddhbhavana this is another opportunity… I have at least one check to pass along as it is. (For those who’ve just recently joined us, “water dana” is a contribution towards the Temple’s standing order for bottled water — a valuable commodity, especially during the hot summer months. A five-gallon bottle is about $7.)

Also, Matt S. mentioned to me yesterday that Ajahn Mangkone has recently started Friday evening yoga and meditation at the Temple. Ajahn David will hopefully be able to provide more information tomorrow evening for anyone who is interested.

The most exciting news this week is that plans have been finalized for an all-day retreat to be offered by Abhaya on Saturday, August 30 (Labor Day weekend). The event will take place in the Chapel at First Parish from 10am to 4:30pm, followed by an informal tea in the Vestry. The day will be open to the public, beginners and experienced meditators alike, so please feel free to invite anyone who might be interested. Also, Abhaya has invited participants to bring a poem for sharing. I’ll send out the flyer as a separate e-mail, and details will also be posted on the website: http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com

I also want to remind folks of the Chas DiCapua retreat coming up at IMC Newburport this Saturday, August 9. The theme will be “Simplicity of the Present Moment”:

“When we can connect deeply with the present moment, we find that life has a natural simplicity to it. We discover it is the concepts and stories that we overlay experience with that makes life seem stressful, complex, difficult… not simple. In this day long retreat, we will practice connecting with our experience just as it is. We’ll use sitting and walking meditation, as well as exercises designed to connect us with things just as they are, as supports for our practice. Beginning and more experienced students alike should find this day long retreat beneficial.”

For registration and more information, please see the IMC Newburyport website: http://imcnewburyport.com/

Also, a quick heads-up that the Lowell Water Festival is coming up on Saturday, August 23: http://www.lowellwaterfestival.org/

Starting off this week’s collection of odds and ends, I was absolutely floored by Robert Krulwich’s science report on NPR’s Weekend Edition this Saturday: “Virginia Woolf, At Intersection of Science and Art” Do give a listen to the 7-minute segment and you’ll likely hear some themes that will resonate with anyone who’s familiar with meditation:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93184407

One minor quibble with the piece is that the question explored by Woolf and today’s neuroscientists has been a core Buddhist practice for about 2500 years!

There’s been a good deal of Buddhist-related programming on television lately… although I’ve somehow managed to miss all of it thus far!

On Friday evening WGBH aired the final installment of the documentary series “China from the Inside,” which looks at the issue of freedom and justice, including the issue of religious freedom. The film examines Tibetan Buddhism as well as Chinese Catholicism and syncretic Falun Gong movement: http://www.pbs.org/kqed/chinainside/freedom/index.html

I’m not sure of the ‘GBH rebroadcast schedule, but NHPTV will air this show again on August 11 at 11am.

Last night WGBH also aired the two-part documentary “Women of Tibet” (http://www.womenoftibet.org/pages/index.php). The first hour profiles Gyalyum Chemo, the mother of the current Dalai Lama:

“Set against the backdrop of the Himalayas, this program recounts the life story of Dekyi Tsering, the mother of one of the world’s leading ambassadors for peace, the Dalai Lama. During the course of her life, Tsering, known by Tibetans as “Gyalyum Chemo,” or “Great Mother,” gave birth to 16 children, two of whom were recognized as incarnate lamas. The program weaves together a life history of anecdotal threads and personal reflections from Tsering’s children, grandchildren, and friends, who share the details of her life. By following the journey of Dekyi Tsering, the program celebrates the selfless acts and simple gestures of motherhood. The program also explores the mythic stories of the Great Mother archetype throughout history with commentary from authors Marion Woodman (Addiction to Perfection) and Alice Walker (The Color Purple) and anthropologist, educator, and author Angeles Arrien.”

http://www.wgbh.org/schedules/program-info?program_id=4094289&episode_id=4094291

The second hour profiles the 1959 Tibetan women’s uprising against the Communist Chinese army:

“In 1959, 15,000 unarmed Tibetan women took to the streets of Lhasa to oppose the Chinese occupation of their country. They suffered torture, isolation, and religious oppression. The exiled elders, of which only a handful remain, are the last generation of women left to share the story of the Tibetan Women’s Uprising and to impart their cultural legacy.

“These women have lost everything, survived perilous escapes across the Himalayas, and decades in prison, yet they have transformed the brutality of invasion into a community of compassion and nonviolence. From their principal refuge in Dharamsala, India, to small settlements scattered across the globe, these women have become the architects of a new Tibet in exile while navigating the shifting complexities of the modern world. Their goal is to impart their cultural heritage and spiritual wisdom to future generations of Tibetans.

“The Dalai Lama expresses his admiration and gratitude for his countrywomen in their fight for Tibet’s freedom and speaks about their significance in rebuilding their community. He draws parallels to the civil rights movements in the West while offering examples of how the Buddhist faith shapes their view of spiritual and peaceful leadership in the world.”

http://www.wgbh.org/schedules/program-info?program_id=4094297&episode_id=4094299

Again, it’s uncertain when ‘GBH will next rebroadcast these shows.

Also yesterday evening, correspondent Christiane Amanpour got an inside look at the world of Buddhism in the CNN Special Investigations Unit report “Buddha’s Warriors”: http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/siu/

Finally this week I’d like to leave you with a wonderful profile of Sylvia Boorstein from the Shambhala Sun archives:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3175&Itemi

That’s all for now, folks; I hope to see you all tomorrow evening and will follow up with more information on the August 30 day-long retreat.

Metta,
Tim
on July 28, 2008 at 5:25 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 7/29/08 meditation group

Hello! The meditation group will meet from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish. Abhaya will be back to teach and lead the practice this week.

As usual, there are a few things to share:

With a nod to our UUBF connections and our hosts at First Parish, Chelmsford…. Worship at First Parish is lay-led throughout the summer months, and Brenda will lead the service this Sunday, August 3, from 9:00am to 9:30am. She plans to speak about “awareness” so I imagine it should be quite interesting. Visitors are always welcome.

Abhaya has expressed interest in offering a half-day or 3/4-day retreat sometime in the coming weeks. We still need to confirm space availability at First Parish, but we’re looking at the weekends of August 23/24, 30/31, or September 6/7. If anyone has a strong perference, please let me know and I’ll see what we can arrange.

Speaking of retreats, I recently received an e-mail from the folks in Newburyport. Chas DiCapua will be leading a day-long retreat on Saturday, August 9, from 9am to 5:30pm. The theme will be “Simplicity of the Present Moment”:

“When we can connect deeply with the present moment, we find that life has a natural simplicity to it. We discover it is the concepts and stories that we overlay experience with that makes life seem stressful, complex, difficult… not simple. In this day long retreat, we will practice connecting with our experience just as it is. We’ll use sitting and walking meditation, as well as exercises designed to connect us with things just as they are, as supports for our practice. Beginning and more experienced students alike should find this day long retreat beneficial.”

For registration and more information, please see the IMC Newburyport website: http://imcnewburyport.com/

The other thing I really want to mention this week is the most recent podcast from the folks over at Buddhist Geeks. This week and last (epidsodes 80 and 81) hosts Vince Horn and Ryan Oelke interviewed Melvin McLeod Editor-in-Chief of Shambhala Sun and Buddhadharma on his take on “Buddhist” media. (McLeod also edited the Wisdom Publications volume “Mindful Politics.”)

http://personallifemedia.com/podcasts/236-buddhist-geeks

Before I sign off completely for this week, a few weeks ago the Buddhist Channel had a neat profile of Ethan Nichtern and the ID Project down in New York City:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=7,6757,0,0,1,0

And over at Tricycle columnist Beth Roth offers a mother’s take on metta:

http://209.196.57.144/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=news&mod=News&mid=9A02E3B96F2A415ABC72CB5F516B4C10&tier=3&nid=40ACA23AA9DB43A1A07072A52A9EA57E&SiteID=6817839757EF4441818726B97A2175A5

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening — and don’t forget about the additional opportunity to sit on Thursday mornings.

Metta,
Tim
on July 21, 2008 at 4:17 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 7/22/08 meditation group

Greetings and salutations! The meditation group will meet tomorrow evening from 7:30-9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish; Brenda will lead the practice. Again, please be mindful of the scarcity of parking in the vicinity due to the concert on the town common; additional parking is available at Ginger Ale Plaza.

As I finally get back up to speed, there are quite a few things to pass along this week:

I don’t know if anyone from our group made it over to Wat Buddhabhavana for the Boon Kaw Pansa celebration this past weekend, but it inspired me to dig around in the Buddhist Channel archives to find this article from the Asian Tribune on Vassa, the “Buddhist Lent,” of which the Boon Kaw Pansa celebration marks the beginning:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=6,5140,0,0,1,0

There’s been quite a bit about Buddhism in the media recently. This past week’s Speaking of Faith topic was “Recovering Chinese Religiosities,” a fascinating look at the Chinese relgious milieux, in which Buddhism has been and continues to play a significant role:

http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/chinese_religiosities/index.shtml

Coming up this week PBS will air the widely acclaimed documentary “10 Questions for the Dalai Lama,” beginning at 9pm on Wednesday on ‘GBH44 (http://www.wgbh.org/schedules/program-info?program_id=4001029&episode_id=4001031).

More information on the film can be found via its website: http://www.thedalailamamovie.com/

Meanwhile, Time magazine has an article on an interesting controversy surrounding the Dalai Lama that has gained traction in the press recently:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=70,6833,0,0,1,0

In other news, the BBC has a short video segment on rediscovering the ancient Buddhist treasures in Bamiyan, Afghanistan:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7508917.stm

A couple of months ago Brenda posted a link on the blog to neuroscientist Jill Bolte Taylor’s “stroke of insight” (http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/2008/04/23/a-stroke-of-insight/). Since that time Dr. Taylor has been cropping up all across the media, including a stint on Oprah and a feature in the New York Times. More recently she’s had several appearances on National Public Radio, including Talk of the Nation (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91965230), Fresh Air (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91861432), and WBUR’s “Here and Now” (http://www.here-now.org/shows/2008/07/20080715.asp).

Going back even further to one Tuesday evening in December, Priscille mentioned an interesting article in the then-current issue of Shambhala Sun (http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/newsletters/#comment-59). Well, the article “Fear and Fearlessness: What the Buddhists Teach” (featuring Judith Lief, John Daido Loori, Robert Thurman, Sylvia Boorstein and Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche) has finally made it to the magazine’s online archives and is definitely worth checking out:

http://shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=3177&Itemid=247

Finally, I was quite suprised to find Sharon Salzberg’s name among the bloggers over at the Huffington Post, but there she is sharing her thoughts on how to deal with praise and blame:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sharon-salzberg/how-to-deal-with-praise-a_b_111693.html

Well, that’s plenty of fodder for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow night — and don’t forget about additional practice time at First Parish on Thursday mornings from 8:00 to 8:30.

Metta,
Tim
on July 14, 2008 at 5:25 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 7/15/08 meditation group

Hello again! The meditation group will meet per usual tomorrow evening at in the Chapel at First Parish from 7:30 to 9:30pm. Mike will lead this week’s practice. Please bear in mind that parking may once again be a little tight this week due to the concert on the town common.

I also want to remind everyone that Brenda and Mike have just started a Thursday morning sitting group, also in the Chapel at First Parish, from 8 to 8:30. If your interested in participating, or for more information, please contact either one of them.

A week later and I’m still in catch-up mode from my vacation, so this will be another somewhat abridged e-mail this week.

Certainly the most important thing to pass along this week is a reminder about the “Entering the Rains Ceremony” at Wat Buddhabhavana this coming weekend, July 19 and 20. As noted in my e-mail last week (and subsequent post on the blog), the celebration marks the beginning of the traditional three-month “rains retreat” period, known as Vassa (Pansa in Thai).

Wikipedia has a short article on Vassa here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vassa

Again, details about the celebration are posted here:

http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/2008/07/10/entering-the-rains-ceremony-at-wat-buddhabhavana/

In other goings on, this past week’s PBS Religion and Ethics Newsweekly featured a profile — including a brief interview — of the 17th Karmapa, who seems to have been quickly thrust into the international limelight as the Dalai Lama’s “heir apparent,” at least as an international advocate for the Tibetan people:

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week1145/profile.html

The Karmapa, who just turned 23, was also interviewed in a recent issue of Newsweek (via the Buddhist Channel):

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=9,6719,0,0,1,0

By the way, the Dalai Lama himself just turned 73 on July 6!

The Asian Tribune profiles a couple of interesting websites (including BuddhaNet and the Buddhist Channel) in its recent article on Buddhism online:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=6,6784,0,0,1,0

… and also takes a look at “angry monk syndrome” as Buddhist clergy are becoming increasingly involved in political issues across Asia:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=70,6770,0,0,1,0

And finally, over at the Huffington Post, Joan Borysenko offers her thoughts on honoring “your inner guru”:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=6,6689,0,0,1,0

Well, that’s going to be it for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on July 7, 2008 at 5:28 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 7/8/08 meditation group

Hello; I hope that everyone had a wonderful Indepedence Day and has been well over the past couple of weeks. Many thanks to Brenda for filling in! Meditation with Abhaya will be from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish.

One important piece of logistical information to mention right off the bat is that this Tuesday will be the first of the Chelmsford Community Band’s weekly concerts (through August 12) on the town common. Please note that while parking may be more scarce than usual on Tuesday evenings, additional parking is available in the Ginger Ale Plaza parking lot on Littleton Road (on the other side of the church, between the Shell station and Bertucci’s).

As Carrie and I are freshly back from two weeks in Maine, this e-mail will be a somewhat shorter than usual. It was very nice to get away for a reasonable chunk of time. I can’t remember the last time I actually took a two-week vacation; probably back in college. Being pretty much in the middle of nowhere — Matinicus Island, 20 miles southeast of Rockland, is very much still a down-to-earth lobstering community with little interest in catering to toursits — it was almost like a mini-retreat. Our cabin was right on the water on the east side of the island, and it was really nice to get up realtively early to sit.

There’s plenty of walking on the island, and since the weatehr was pretty good and the mosquitos weren’t too bad, I took the opportunity to dig out the old Minolta 35mm and do some photography. If anything interesting comes out, I’ll be sure to post on the blog.

I also took plenty of time for my summer reading, of course. I started with Jake Davis’s book “Strong Roots: Liberation Teachings of Mindfulness in North America,” which is a comprehensive study of the translation and transmission of the dharma from (as he puts it) Burma to Barre. It’s a fascinating look at how and what exactly gets translated as the teachings are introduced into a new cultural setting. The book is not yet published in printed format (pending further funding), but a PDF is freely available for download via Dhamma Dana: http://dharma.org/%7estudy/strongroots/StrongRoots.pdf

I re-read Jon Kabat-Zinn’s seminal “Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life” and reaffirmed my recollection that it really is one of the better general introductions to mindfulness practice currently available. It’s secular perspective makes is especially good for those who might otherwise be put off of meditation by the practice’s spiritual/religious roots.

Finally, I had a chance to read Susan Mucott’s “First Buddhist Women: Poems and Stories of Awakening” which is basically a commentary on and translation of the Therigatha, the section of the Pali canon comprising poetry attributed to the earliest Buddhist nuns. (The Theragatha is the equivalent for the first male renunciants.) While the poetry itself is quite interesting, I was frankly drawn more to Murcott’s commentary on the individuals and her modern reflections on these “first Buddhist women.”

On a serendipitous note, I noticed that Shamabhala Sun recently unearthed a Rita Gross article entitled “How American Women Are Changing Buddhism.” While I’ve not yet had a chance to read it, it should be quite interesting in view of the work of both Murcott and Davis.

http://shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1319&Itemid=247

Finally, I just wanted to mention that this past week’s Speaking of Faith was quite interesting. Krista Tippett’s guest was author Barbara Kingsolver, and the ensuing discussion of Kingsolver’s book “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” was thought-provoking:

http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/ethicsofeating/index.shtml

Well, that’s all for now…. I still have a bunch to catch up on, but at least I’m feeling re-energized. I hope to see you all tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim

PS — Mike added a new post to the blog last week, so be sure to check it out when you get a chance: http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com
on June 16, 2008 at 4:19 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 6/17/08 meditation group

Hi all! The meditation group will meet from 7:30-9:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish. Abhaya is out of town this week, so either Carrie or I will lead the practice.

A couple of logistical things to deal with first this week:

Carrie and I will be on vacation next week and the week following. Matt is on the bill to lead practice next week, June 24, and Ajahn David is scheduled to join us again on July 1. We will need a volunteer to chauffeur Ajahn David to and from the temple; if anyone (or any combination of people) is interested in helping out, please let me know before the end of the week so I can let Ajahn know who to expect. Also, if anyone is still interested in contributing “water dana” to the temple, please see Brenda.

I received an e-mail last week from Doreen Schweizer, Abhaya’s friend and colleague who came down to teach a couple of times last year. In any event, Doreen’s mother has very suddenly taken ill, so any metta you care to send in their direction would surely be appreciated.

Speaking of Doreen, there are a couple of interesting items in the Valley Insight e-newsletter that she sent out last month, in particular this Dan Rather report on some Buddhist monks who are helping scientists study the “plasticity” of the brain:

video: http://www.hd.net/drr313.html
transcript: http://www.hd.net/transcript.html?air_master_id=A5156

Brenda posted some time ago on neuroscientist Jill Bolte Taylor’s talk at the TED conference on her “stroke of insight” — http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/2008/04/23/a-stroke-of-insight/ — and the New York Times also ran a great feature on Dr. Taylor a couple of weeks ago:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/25/fashion/25brain.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=jill+bolte+taylor&st=nyt&oref=slogin

While you’re on the blog, also be sure to check out Mike’s latest post:

http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/2008/06/16/happiness-and-meditation/

Last month the Times also ran an intereting piece by columnist David Brooks on “neural Buddhism”:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/13/opinion/13brooks.html

This also reminds me of this article — “Mind Over Matter” — from the Guardian that I found on the Buddhist Channel a while ago:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=7,6073,0,0,1,0

… and another — “The Lotus and the Synapse” — from Newsweek back in March:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=7,6117,0,0,1,0

Meanwhile, the Shambhala Sun archives yield a terrific profile of Jon Kabat-Zinn, one of the pioneers of mind-body medicine and the application of mindfulness meditation to stress reduction and cognitive therapy:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1296&Itemid=24

For anyone interested in more stuff along these lines, I suggest checking out the Mind and Life Institute: http://www.mindandlife.org/

A few odds and ends before wrapping up this week:

A couple of weeks ago Krsita Tippett hosted author, former nun, and “amateur theologian” Karen Armstrong on Speaking of Faith. While only tangentially about Buddhism, it’s a fascinating conversation nonetheless:

http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/armstrong/

If anyone is interested in learning Pali, I found an online course courtesy of Bodhi Monastery, an ecumenical Buddhist study and practice center in New Jersey. I’ve listened to part of the first lecture and frankly found it a bit dry, but thought I’d mention it anyways:

http://www.bodhimonastery.net/bm/programs/pali-class-online.html

Finally, I came across this old Greenpeace ad on the TreeHugger website and just thought it was wonderfully appropriate. Enjoy!

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/05/greenpeace-breathe-in-breathe-out-video-ad-commercial.php

Well, that’s all for me for couple of weeks; I hope to see you all tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on June 9, 2008 at 5:13 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 6/10/08 meditation group

Hi all…. Summer seems to have arrived! The group will meet in the Chapel at First Parish tomorrow evening from 7:30-9:30; Abhaya is expected back to teach and lead the meditation. Again, this will be a great opportunity for old students and new meditators alike.

I want to start off this week by passing along Ajahn David’s thanks — on behalf of all of the monks at Wat Bhuddhabhavana — for our ‘water dana’ contributions. If anyone is still interested making a contribution, please let me know.

Also, Ajahn David gave the Sunday service at Westford’s First Parish Church United a couple of weeks ago. The service was videotaped, and hopefully we’ll obtain a copy on DVD if any one is interested in taking a look.

This past Saturday was “Change Your Mind Day,” an event sponsored by Tricycle magazine for the past 15 years. Unfortunately the folks at Tricycle don’t seem to have been particularly on top of things this year, so I apologize for the lack of advanced warning. You can find out more about CYMD here — http://209.196.57.144/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=7C621AE805594E8DB9D3DA11EC34054D&type=gen&mod=Core+Pages&gid=3464B140B55542A487D16304733A237C — and view a nice collection of related videos here: http://www.tricycle.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=news&mod=News&mid=9A02E3B96F2A415ABC72CB5F516B4C10&tier=3&nid=3AF73F5197944CBB99742EE5444170CF

Keeping things on the “ecumenical” side for a bit, I’ve been collecting a backlog of articles on the 17th Karmapa, the 22-year old Tibetan monk who made his first appearance in the United States last month. Of course the US press has already pegged him as the “heir apparent” — at least politically — to the Dalai Lama.

The Karmapa is featured on the cover of the current issue of Buddhadharma magazine — to which he contributes both an interview and an article — and has popped up in a number of other instances in the mainstream media:

NPR: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90840967

New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/16/nyregion/16karmapa.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion&oref

Time (also via the Buddhist Channel): http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=9,6433,0,0,1,0

… and again: http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=9,6553,0,0,1,0

It’s particularly interesting to note Robert Thurman’s commentary as he was also a good friend of the 16th Karmapa. (Like the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan tradition holds that the Karmapa is a “tulku” — a lama consciously reborn to continue his or her Bodhisattva vow: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulku)

For better or worse Burma remains prominent in the headlines. There seemed to be some progress over the past couple of weeks as the junta seemed to relax their position on allowing foreign aid and aid workers into the country, but institutional intransigence seems to persist.

Last week Jack Kornfield issued an updated statement via Tricycle’s Editor’s Blog: http://blog.tricycle.com/?p=583

Meanwhile, in the Spring issue of Turning Wheel, vipassana teacher Michelle McDonald provides a personal and historical perspective on the Burmese masters who directly influenced the way mindfulness meditation is practiced in the West today:

http://www.bpf.org/html/turning_wheel/current_issue/BPFTurningWheelSpring2008McDonald.html

A couple of the more recent reports:

From NPR: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91303960

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91280006&ft=1&f=1004

The BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7433195.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7432874.stm

And a very interesting profile of the junta by Jacob Leibenluft at Slate.com: http://www.slate.com/id/2192726/

Before wrapping things up for this week, I just want to mention that Brenda recently posted her comments about the Vesak celebration at Wat Buddhabhavana — http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/2008/06/06/vesak-at-the-temple/ — and I hope to follow shortly with my reflections on the “Six Sense Doors” at IMCN.

I’ve also tweaked the links under the Resources sections (Audio, Booklist, Links, etc.) so that you now get a little description of each website when you “mouse over” its link. Hopefully people will find this helpful….

As always, I’m sure that’s more then enough for this week; stay cool, and hopefully we’ll see everyone tomorrow night!

Metta,
Tim
on June 2, 2008 at 5:52 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 6/3/08 meditation group

Greetings! Ajahn David will join us this week to lead the meditation at First Parish. Per usual, we’ll meet in the Chapel from 7:30 to 9:30-ish. I also want to remind those who are interested that I’d like to collect “water dana” donations to offer to Ajahn tomorrow evening. I’ll set aside a separate envelope next to the usual “teacher dana” envelope in the baskets by the door as you enter the Chapel.

Just as a reminder for those who are new to the group, “dana” is a Pali term meaning “generous giving,” and has been an integral part of Buddhist practice from the very beginning. In the Theravada tradition the practice is made especially clear in the relationship between renunciates (monks and nuns) and the lay community, with the former depending entirely upon the generosity of the latter for the provision of the “four requisites” — food, clothing, shelter, and medicine.

Last summer the meditation group sponsored a half-share of vegetables from the Bear Hill Farm CSA in Tyngsboro, which were then donated to monks at Wat Buddhabhavana. This year we are collecting money to be designated for the temple’s standing order with Poland Springs. The temple is currently home to five monks and hosts many events for the community, so water is in very high demand — especially over the hot months ahead.

For those of you who were unable to attend last week’s meditation, Abhaya was feeling a tad under the weather and was not able to teach. Fortuantely she will be in the area a bit longer than originally expected, so next week (6/10) has been marked as the “rain date.” Thanks again to Brenda for filling in.

Part of our discussion in the group last week revolved around the notion of “socially engaged Buddhism” — which, as I mentioned, I find somewhat redundant. In the West, Buddhism still has the reputation of being primarily a solitary pursuit, especially within the Theravada tradition. Nonetheless, a strong social consciousness has been integral to the practice from the very beginning. I recently found the following in Padmisiri de Silva’s “An Introduction to Buddhist Psychology,” and found it strongly resonant:

“… On certain occasions the Buddha cuts across the somewhat exaggerated dichotomy between the individual and society. It is said, ‘Protecting others one protects onself’ (attanam rakkhanto param rakkhati, parahma rakkhanto attanam rakkhati). Emotions like greed, hatred, pride, jealousy and envy derive meaning in an interpersonal context, but if we begin with ourselves and try to restrain them, we do not spread the seeds of disharmony to others. If others do not excite our sense of greed or hatred by their own greed and hatred, then greed and hatred lose meaning as forms of social encounter. Thus if each of us begins with himself to eliminate the potential seeds of social discord, the ground clearing for a good society has already been done. But if we leave untouched the sources of social conflicts within ourselves, no social institutions can create the conditions for peace and harmony.”

The interdependence of “self” and “other” is expressed explicitly in the so-called Bodhisattva ideal that is more prominent among the Mahayana (e.g., Zen, Tibetan) traditions of Buddhism. Jack Kornfield devotes a chapter of his new book “The Wise Heart” to the Bodhisattva, and presents on version of the Bodhisattva vow that I was desperately trying to recall last week:

Suffering beings are numberless, I vow to liberate them all.
Attachment is inexhaustable, I vow to release it all.
The gates to truth are numberless, I vow to master them all.
The ways of awakening are supreme, I vow to realize them all.”

He also gives the version of the vows taken by the Dalai Lama, based upon the words of the sixth-century master, Shantideva:

May I be a guard for those who need protection
A guide for those on the path
A boat, a raft, a bridge for those who wish to cross the flood
May I be a lamp in the darkness
A resting place for the weary
A healing medicine for all who are sick
A vase of plenty, a tree of miracles
And for the boundless multitudes of living beings
May I bring sustanance and awakening
Enduring like the earth and sky
Until all beings are freed from sorrow
And all are awakened.

Sharon Salzberg provides another take in the following article for Shambhala Sun:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1630&Itemid=24

Engagement can take many forms, of course. One can, for examlpe, provide material assistance to those in need. One case in point pulled from the headlines is the activity of the Burmese Sangha in providing relief to the survivors of Cylclone Nagris, in open defiance of the military junta:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/31/world/asia/31myanmar.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=burmese+monks&st=nyt&oref=slogin

Alternately, one might advocate for a particular cause. In addition to his prison ministry, Ajahn David has also been active in working towards an global ban on cluster bombs, that continue to wreck havoc on the children of Southeast Asia and elsewhere. This vision has moved one step closer to fruition with the signing of an international treaty last week in Dublin, Ireland — although it must be noted that the United States, China, and Russia (among others) were not among the participants.

http://www.legaciesofwar.org/

Engagement can also mean simply bearing witness to a friend’s joy or sorrow, or taking five, ten, or fifteen minutes to sit quietly dispelling one’s own seeds of greed, hatred, and delusion.

As Zen master Shunryu Suzuki said, the practice is simply “to shine one corner of the world.”

Metta,
Tim
on May 23, 2008 at 1:57 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 5/27/08 meditation group

Hello everyone; happy Memorial Day! I hope I’m not throwing people off kilter with an early e-mail, but Carrie and I are heading out to Buffalo for the weekend, and won’t be back until late Monday — so better early than late.

Anyhow, the meditation group will meet in the Chapel at First Parish from 7:30 to 9:30 on Tuesday evening (5/27). Abhaya will return for a second week of dharma teaching and to lead the meditation.

Please note that the Girl Scouts are scheduled to meet in the Vestry on Tuesday evening, so parking at First Parish may be a bit tighter than usual. Besides the church parking lot, additional parking is available either behind the Old Town Hall, or at Ginger Ale Plaza (between the Shell gas station and the Bertucci’s).

Just a couple of things to highlight this week:

I don’t normally read the Wall Street Journal, but there was an interesting article on the front page this morning about the underground relief effort underway in Burma (please note the link below is only good for the next 7 days):

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121148943496215215-email.html

In my recent blog post on Burma aid(http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/2008/05/22/burma-aid/) I mentioned the international debate on foreign intervention. There were a couple of interesting discussions on this topic on NPR this past week, on Tell Me More (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90465527) and On Point (http://www.onpointradio.org/shows/2008/05/20080519_a_main.asp).

Also on NPR, last week’s Speaking of Faith subject was the spirituality of addiction and recovery. One of Krista Tippett’s featured guests was Kevin Griffin, graduate of the Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leader program and author of “One Breath at a Time: Buddhism and the Twelve Steps”:

http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/recovery/

In other media, my must-see “Dharma Gem of the Week” is a pair of interviews by journalist and author Robert Wright (“Three Scientists and Their Gods: Looking for Meaning in an Age of Information,” “The Moral Animal: Why We Are the Way We Are: The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology,” and “Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny”). The first is an 75-minute interview with Joseph Goldstein — http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1099853386257692151&q=robert+wright+jose
ph+goldstein&ei=XHQxSKfIKI32rQLj-qmXCg — and the second is a 45-minute interview with Sharon Salzberg — http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6401896320203355759&q=robert+wright+sharon+salzberg&ei=GoMxSPupJ4H4rQK-3smaCg.

Approaching the interview as an outsider to Buddhism, Wright asks some great questions, and Goldstein and Salzberg offer some great responses. A fascinating discussion all in all.

Finally, I came across a good article by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana (author of “Mindfulness in Plain English” and “Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness”) on mindfulness and “Practical Vipassana” via the Bhavana Society website:

http://www.bhavanasociety.org/resource/practical_vipassana/

I’d like to reiterate that Carrie and I will be happy to carpool up to Newburyport with anyone who is interested in attending the day-long retreat with Chas DiCapua next weekend (Sat., 5/31): http://www.imcnewburyport.com/registration.htm

Also, I’ve already received a couple of contributions towards “water dana” for the monks at Wat Buddhabhavana. As I mentioned previously, the temple has a standing order with Poland Springs and would welcome financial assistance earmarked for that purpose.

I’d like to collect donations this week so that we can offer the dana to Ajahn David at the time of his visit the first Tuesday of June. It’s probably logistically easiest to collect cash or checks made payable to Wat Buddhabhavana (with “water dana” noted in the memo line). Please see me on Tuesday if you’re interested in contributing, and don’t hesitate to e-mail me if you have any questions. Thanks again to those of you who have already helped out!

With that, have a happy and safe holiday weekend… and metta to all!

- Tim
on May 19, 2008 at 5:03 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 5/20/08 meditation group

Hello everyone! The meditation group will meet as usual from 7:30-9:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish UU, Chelmsford. I am very happy to announce that Abhaya is back to teach and lead the practice both this week and next. This will be a wonderful opportunity for her older students to reconnect, and for new students to introduce themselves.

There are quite a few items of note to pass along this week.

First, Brenda and Ruth attended the Vesak Day celebrations at Wat Buddhabhavana yesterday. It sounds like they had a good time, and I look forward to a blog post in the near future (hint, hint).

A little further from home, the situation in Burma continues to be dire, largely due to intransigence and incompetence of the military government. There are signs that the junta’s attitude might be finally be shifting, but there is much catch-up work to be done and aid channels are still highly restricted.

Unfortunaetly the disaster in Burma has been somewhat overshadowed by the equally devastating earthquake in western China, no doubt in part due to the greater openness of the Chinese government. The BBC website has an article this morning comparing the responses of the Chinese and Burmese goverments:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7407927.stm

One upshot has been that aid agencies have been having an increasingly difficult time securing assistance for the Burmese people. Friday’s All Things Considered had a short report on this phenomenon:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90534248

Over the past couple of weeks I mentioned a few of the agencies that were having some success providing assistance to survivors of Cyclone Nargis. Recently, UNICEF has issued an update on its activities (http://www.unicefusa.org/news/releases/), and the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee has informaton on its Cyclone Nargis Relief Fund (http://www.uusc.org/info/article051408.html).

Meanwhile over Tricycle’s “Editor’s Blog” Jack Kornfield has issued the following appeal on behalf of the people of Burma: http://tricycleblog.wordpress.com/2008/05/12/an-open-appeal-on-behalf-of-the-people-of-burma-by-jack-kornfield/

I also recently discovered Jack’s own website, which not surprisingly has some pretty interesting stuff. One thing that really caught my attention was this article on “Dharma and Politics”: http://www.jackkornfield.org/index/articles?id=dharmaandpolitics

Finally, before I sign off for this week, I want to reiterate the invitation to offer “water dana” for the monks at Wat Buddhabhavana. As I mentioned in my e-mail last week, the temple has a standing order with Poland Springs and would welcome financial assistance earmarked for that purpose. It’s probably logistically easiest to collect cash or checks made payable to Wat Buddhabhavana (with “water dana” noted in the memo line).

It would probably be appropriate to offer the dana to Ajahn David at the time of his visit the first Tuesday of June, ahead of the hot summer weather. Please see or e-mail me if you’re interested in contributing, and thank you to those who already have! I also want to reiterate that no one should feel obliged to make a donation, of course.

Well, that should do it for this week; I hope you all can join us this week and/or next while Abhaya is around, and I look forward to seeing you soon.

Metta,
Tim

PS — If anyone is interested in joining Carrie and myself for the daylong retreat with Chas DiCapua at IMC Newburport on 5/31, I’d suggest registering as soon as possible:

http://www.imcnewburyport.com/registration.htm

Carrie and I would be more than happy to coordinate a carpool of folks coming from the Lowell area.
on May 12, 2008 at 5:10 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 5/13/08 meditation group

Hello everyone! The meditation group will meet from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish UU, Chelmsford. Ajahn David from Wat Buddhabhavana in Westford joins us this week to lead the practice.

The headlines have been filled with reports of the ongoing crisis in Burma in the aftermath of Cyclone Nagris. As if the initial disaster were not enough, relief efforts have been stymied by the intransigence of a Burmese government that remains aloof from or indifferent to the plight of the survivors. I’ve posted some urther thoughts on the matter on the blog:

http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/2008/05/09/metta-for-the-junta/

Matthew Trevisan of the Globe and Mail (via The Buddhist Channel) outlines the five of the key challenges that lie ahead:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=51,6369,0,0,1,0

While many foreign aid workers are having problems obtaining visas from the Burmese government, there are fortuantely a few (too few) organizations who have already set up relief operations:

- Alan Senauke of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship suggests directing emergency relief efforts “towards BPF’s affiliate, the Foundation for the People of Burma (FPB), which already has some funds in Burma, and has the resources and connections in country that assure proper distribution and use of your generous gifts:”

http://www.bpf.org/html/whats_now/2008/cycloneburma_000.html

- Avaaz.org is raising funds for the International Burmese Monks Organization “which will transmit funds directly to monasteries in affected areas.” More information can be found here:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/burma_cyclone/

- Grassroots International directs potential donors to the US Campaign for Burma and also the United National World Food Programme:

http://www.grassrootsonline.org/news-publications/articles_op-eds/an-effective-response-burma-tragedy

- The Taiwanese Tzu Chi foundation also has members already on the ground in Burma:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=88,6396,0,0,1,0

The BBC, Christian Science Monitor, and Buddhist Channel websites continue to have extensive coverage of the crisis in Burma for anyone who is concerned — as does the Burmese dissident newspaper The Irrawaddy (http://irrawaddy.org/).

In other news, the Buddhist Geeks website now has a new home on the Web, but can still be reached via http://www.buddhistgeeks.com. This week’s guest is author Susan Piver, who is also a teacher in the Shambhala Tibetan tradition.

In honor of Mothers’ Day I want to direct your attention to a couple of articles:

First, from the Shambhala Sun archives, is Susan Moon’s take on “grandmother mind”: http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=3132&Itemid=24

Second, from The Buddhadharma, are Ajahn Amaro’s reflections on a mother’s love: http://www.thebuddhadharma.com/issues/2006/summer/reflecting.html

Finally, Vesak — the holiday marking the birth, enlightenment, and death of the Buddha — will be celebrated at Wat Buddhabhavana this Sunday, May 18, starting at 10am. More details can be found via the temple website:

http://www.greatwisdomcenter.org

Also that afternoon, at 2pm, Carrie and I are will host our own a potluck for the meditation group. At the moment I only Pris, Brenda, and Abhaya have confirmed that they will attend. If anyone else is interested, please e-mail to let us know. Friends, family, and well-socialized canines are all welcome.

That’s it for this week; I hope to see you all soon!

Metta,
Tim
on May 5, 2008 at 5:43 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 5/6/08 meditation group

Hello again! The meditation group will meet, per usual, from 7:30-9:30 tomorrow evening in the Chapel at First Parish. Because of a schedule conflict, Ajahn David will not be able to join us and Brenda will lead the practice this week. We plan for Ajahn to rejoin us next Tuesday, May 13.

Unfortunately this week’s e-mail will have to be a somewhat abbreviated.

A couple of bulletins from the headlines:

First and foremost, for those who haven’t heard, much of Burma has been devastated by Cyclone Nargis. At last report nearly 4000 people have been killed, and a death toll of nearly 10,000 would sadly not be out of the question. Already suffering from extreme poverty, the Burmese people are in desperate need of food, clothing, shelter, and medicine. Unfortunately much emergency aid is still in limbo awaiting the persmission of the Burmese military government. The BBC has provides more info here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7384041.stm

Another major news item this week was the dialog between representatives of the Chinese government and the Tibetan government in exile. While a certain amount of skepticism is probably warranted, especially towards the motivations of Beijing, one must also remain optimistic that at least a modest degreee of progress is being made. Again, the BBC weighs in with more:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7382582.stm

The Buddhist Channel, as always, has more on the ongoing situation in both Burma and Tibet: http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/

A little closer to home, yesterday Carrie and I attended the dedication of the new library at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies. It was quite the event. Joseph Goldstein, Andrew Olendzki, and Christopher Queen all took time to say a few words about the project and how it reflects the vision of BCBS as a place of both practice and study. Ajahn Sucitto — currently leading the retreat down the road at IMS — gave his blessing to the endeavor and the new extension. BCBS has an amazing wealth of resources on a wide range of subjects across the Buddhist spectrum, and is well worth a visit for anyone with interest.

On a semi-related note, this reminds me of a 2003 panel discussion I came across via the archives of The Buddhadharma:

http://www.thebuddhadharma.com/issues/2003/winter/panel.html

Another interesting listen this week is The Buddhist Geeks’ conversation (in two parts of about 20 min. each) with Gregory Kramer, who is pioneering the practice of Insight Dialogue. I haven’t yet read his book yet, but Kramer will lead an Insight Dialogue retreat at BCBS at the end of October: https://bcbs.dharma.org/Pages/course_detail.lasso?-KeyValue=36&-Token.Action=&image=1

Anyhow, the conversation is a very interesting one:

http://www.fallingfruit.tv/episodes/interpersonal-meditation-awakening-relational-beings

Finally, just a few reminders that Carrie and I would appreciated RSVPs for the potluck on Sunday, May 18. At this point I believe Pris and Brenda (w. Abhaya) are the only ones who have confirmed that they will attend. (Am I correct that Mike, Matt, and Christine will not be able to make it?) If we could get an idea of final numbers (and who/what you plan to bring!) by this Sunday, May 11 (Mother’s Day), it would be very helpful in planning. Again, friends, family, and dogs are all welcome!

Also, if there are any more takers for the day-long retreat in Newburyport with Chas DiCapua on May 31, please let us know.

That’s all for now; I hope to see everyone soon!

Metta,
Tim
on April 28, 2008 at 4:09 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 4/29/08 meditation group

Hello! Just the usual weekly reminder that we’ll meet for meditation tomrrow evening from 7:30-9:30 in the Chapel at First Parish. Matt will lead the practice.

A couple of things this week:

First, Jack Kornfield’s new book “The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology” is due to appear in bookstores tomorrow. Carrie and I are still waiting for our copy to arrive, but in the meantime Random House has published the introduction on its website:

http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780553803471&view=excerpt

There are a couple of Earth Day-related articles I meant to recycle last week. The first is by Upasaka Nyanaloka on “Living Lightly on the Earth,” courtesy of the Buddhist Channel (http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780553803471&view=excerpt); in the second, from the Shambhala Sun archives, Stephanie Kaza considers “how Buddhist principles can nurse the planet back to health” (http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=3050&Itemid=24).

Sort of realted to the above, I was quite intrigued by Charles Shaw’s recent AlterNet article on the psychological factors of out-of-control consumption: http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/82013/

This reminded me of the work of another of my favorite authors, David Loy, who’s new book “Money, Sex, War, Karma: Notes for a Buddhist Revolution” — http://www.wisdompubs.org/Pages/display.lasso?title=Money,%20Sex,%20War,%20Karma — has been on my radar screen for a while now.

One chapter, “The Three Poisons, Institutionalized,” looks to be a revision of a talk I heard Loy deliver out at BCBS a few years ago, subsequently pubished in Insight Journal: http://www.dharma.org/ij/archives/TheThreeInstitutionalPoisons–DL.pdf.pdf

Climbing down momentarily from my quasi-political soapbox, this week’s must-read Dharma Gem of the Week is Beth Roth’s reflection “Taking Refuge (On Wings of Angels)” from the Tricycle website:

http://204.9.47.54/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=news&mod=News&mid=9A02E3B96F2A415ABC72CB5F516B4C10&tier=3&nid=45A1DE9B63524F6780DEB954CD87F29E&SiteID=6817839757

Finally, I wanted to mention that the trustees of Wat Buddhabhavana are looking for donations to help offset the expense of the new van they purchased for the Children’s Cultural Program. If anyone is inclined to help out, I’m sure it would be appreciated:

http://www.greatwisdomcenter.org/index.php?id=84

That’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone tomorrow!

Metta,
Tim

PS — Per last week’s e-mail, please don’t forget to RSVP if you’re interested in attending the potluck on Sunday, May 18. Also, if anyone is keen on joining Carrie and myself for the day-long retreat at IMCN on May 31, please let us know!
on April 21, 2008 at 3:51 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 4/22/08 meditation group

Hello everyone, and happy Patriots’ Day! Tomorrow, of course is Earth Day (http://ww2.earthday.net/); the meditation group will meet at our usual time and place: 7:30-9:30pm, in the Chapel at First Parish. Priscille will lead the practice this week.

As the weather’s gotten nicer, we seem to be getting out and about a bit more. Brenda was at Cambridge Insight last Wednesday to hear Thanissaro Bhikkhu (aka “Ajahn Geoff”), and Carrie and I spent Saturday on retreat at the Insight Meditation Center of Newburyport. You can find our reflections over at the blog, of course:

http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com

There are a couple of upcoming events at both CIMC and IMCN, too. This Saturday, April 26, Joseph Goldstein and Charlies Halpern will be conducting a day-long workshop at CIMC “Making Waves and Riding the Currents: Activism and the Practice of Wisdom”:

“This day will explore the relationship of social action and meditative insight. For most people interested in bringing about need social and institutional change, ther is the ongoing challenge of maintaining balance, compassion, and hope. Through periods of guided meditation, discourse, dialogue, and questions and answers, we will discuss ways of working for a more just, compassionate and sustainable world, while cultivating the wisdom that supports and deepens this work.”

http://cimc.info/schedule_special.html

(Also, note that Sharon Salzberg will conduct a day-long workshop at CIMC in June.)

As mentioned in my blog post, Carrie and I really enjoyed our day-long retreat at IMCN. Matthew Daniell, the guiding teacher, is warm, welcoming, and insightful, and the facility is a reasonably convenient and inexpensive way to do a day of intensive practice. IMCN has day-long (9am-5:30pm)retreats twice a month, and also hosts morning retreats every Tuesday.

Carrie and I look forward to heading back up to Newburyport (West Newbury, actually) on May 31, the Saturday afer Labor Day, for a day-long retreat. Chas DiCapua, currently teacher-in-residence at IMS, will lead an investigation into “the six sense doors”:

“The six-sense doors include the five senses: hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting, touching, and the mind (through which we perceive and filter experience). Learning to pay close attention in the present moment as to how we actually experience life through the senses can help us to live from a place of greater awareness, responsiveness, and ease. Traditional Buddhist teachings, as well as Jon Kabat-Zinn’s book ‘Coming to Our Senses’, will be supports for our inquiry. Some meditation experience preferred.”

This might be a good opportunity for a few of us to take a field trip up to IMCN — particularly for anyone contemplating doing a long retreat, as well as anyone simply feeling in need of a bit of a tune-up. Space at IMCN is somewhat limited, so if more than a few of us are interested they’d probably appreciate some advanced warning. The cost would be $50 for the day (a pretty good deal), and we could carpool up from Lowell or Chelmsford (about and hour’s drive).

Carrie and I would like to host a potluck on the afternoon of Sunday, May 18. Serendipitously, this will be right around the time of the Buddhist holiday of Vesak (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesak), and also coincides with the period of time that Abhaya will be back in the neighborhood. Friends, family, and dogs are more than welcome; please RSVP by e-mail for directions and to let us know how many will attend and what you plan to bring. We’ll plan on kicking things off around 2pm.

This is already a pretty long e-mail, but I just wanted to mention two more things before I sign off:

First, video footage of last week’s Mind and Life conference in Rochester, MN, is available online for a limited time only until May 16:

http://www.mindandlife.org/current.conf.html

The webcasts include the following:

- His Holiness, the Dalai Lama (Panel Discussion)
- Richard J. Davidson, Ph.D.: “Mind-Brain-Body Interaction and Meditation”
- Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D.: “Reflections on the Origination, Development, and Scope of
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Programs in Mainstream Medicine”
- Roshi Joan Halifax, Ph.D.: “Compassionate and Mindful End-of-Life Care:
A Relational-Contemplative Approach for Clinicians”
- Linda E. Carlson, Ph.D., R. Psych.: “Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction Programs for Patients
and Families Living with Cancer: Overview of a Program of Research”
- Daniel Goleman, Ph.D. (Audience Questions)

Finally, you may recall my discovery of the Buddhist Geeks website a few weeks back. There are many interesting discussions, but my must-hear “Dharma Gem of the Week” is a three-part conversation between Gwen Bell and Sharon Salzberg. Each segment is about 15-20min. long, and fascinating stuff:

http://www.fallingfruit.tv/episodes/sharon-salzberg-now-and-then

Warning: this website can get quite addictive!

Well, as usual that’s plenty for this week; I hope to see you call tomorrow!

Metta,
Tim
on April 14, 2008 at 4:32 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 4/15/08 meditation group

Greetings and salutations! Tomorrow evening the
meditation group will once again meet from 7:30-9:30
at First Parish. We’ll be in the Chapel, and Carrie
will lead the practice.

There are a number of events coming up in the not too
distant future, so I’d like to begin this week just by
making mention of those:

1) Ajahn Thanissaro will give a dharma talk at
Cambridge Insight this Wednesday evening, April 16;
the topic is “The Paradox of Becoming.” Ajahn
Thanissaro is one of the foremost American
scholar-monks in the Theravada tradition, so this
should be an excellent learning experience. For more
info see:

http://cimc.info/schedule_wedeve.html

2) Next Saturday, April 26, CIMC will host a day-long
workshop with Joseph Goldstein and Charles Halpern
entitled “Making Waves and Riding the Currents:
Activism and the Practice of Wisdom.” Again, further
information can be found here:

http://cimc.info/schedule_special.html

3) This Saturday, April 19, our friends at Great Pond
Sangha in North Andover will host an afternoon retreat
on “Organic Awareness” with Lama Choying Palmo, a
teacher in the Tibetan Dzogchen tradition. Mike and I
had an opportunity to hear her teach last spring, and
I’d recommend checking it out if anyone is interested:

http://www.northparish.org/greatpondsangha/4-19-08_Palmo_Flyer.pdf

Of course the Tibet situation continues to make
headlines, especially this past week when the Olympic
torch briefly made landfall in California. The Dalai
Lama was also in Seattle this weekend for a conference
entitled “Seeds of Compassion.”

NPR’s Renee Montange had a brief interview with His
Holiness on this morning’s “Morning Edition”
(http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89612950&ft=1&f=3),
and he also appeared in an interview with the Today
Show’s Ann Curry this past Friday
(http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/24087167/).

The Buddhist Peace Fellowship also has news footage of
last week’s protests in San Francisco. By the way, the
mustachioed gentleman carrying the “Burma Supports
Tibet” placard is Jack Kornfield:

http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=1496480847&channel=1274168794

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local&id=6070807#bodyText

I’ve mentioned author Pico Iyer’s name frequently over
the past couple of weeks in context of Tibet and the
Dalai Lama. Shambhala Sun has pulled a 2001 interview
between the two from its archives; it is well worth
reading:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1752&Itemid=24

One of the points the Dalai Lama makes in his “Middle
Way” approach to relations between China and Tibet is
the degree of economic development that has come to
Tibet over the past 50 years. While there is much to
be said for this, Treehugger weighs in on the
environmental consequences of such rapid development:

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/03/tibet_protests_environment.php

There was also a very interesting post by David
Wallechinsky on the Huffington Post website regarding
the “dos and don’ts” of protesting the Beijing
Olympics:

http://www.alternet.org/story/81862/

Before I wrap things up for this week, I wanted to
direct your attention to this past week’s Speaking of
Faith — a rebroadcast of Krista Tippett’s 2003
interview with Thich Nhat Hanh. Fantastic stuff; at
least read the transcript if you aren’t able to listen
to the audio:

http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/thichnhathanh/

Finally, I leave you with some Zen wisdom from Taizan
Maezumi Roshi, courtesy once again of the Shambhala
Sun archives:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1486&Itemid=24

I hope to see you all again tomorrow evening; til
then, take care!

Metta,
Tim

PS — Sorry, one last thing: Abhaya will be back in
the area for a couple of weeks in May. Plans still
tentative, but we look forward to having her back to
teach the class on May 20 and 27. Hopefully all of her
“old” students will be able to make one or the other
of those evenings (if not both), and this should be an
excellent opportunity for any “newcomers,” too. Stay
tuned for further details!
on April 7, 2008 at 4:56 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 4/8/08 meditation group

Hi all! Just the usual reminder for time and location
of the meditation group this week: We’ll meet
downstairs in the Chapel at First Parish from
7:30-9:30. Brenda is in line to lead the practice this
week.

A couple of quick items right off the bat:

One, Ajahn David mentioned his participation in the
“Spirituality Feast and Forum” at UMass Lowell this
Wednesday, April 9. The event is open to the public:
——————————————–
Relating to Meaning and Mystery thru Faith & Science.
Panel representing 5 major faith traditions followed
by keynote speaker, NASA scientist Dr. Abdul Hye,
speaking on “God’s Universe.” Discussion and buffet to
follow. Come, feed your spirit! Sponsored by
Protestant Campus Ministry and the Greater Lowell
Interfaith Leadership Alliance (GLILA).

Location: 222 O’Leary Library, UML South
Imogene_Stulken@uml.edu; 978-934-5014
——————————————–
According to Ajahn David, the agenda is as follows:

4pm – Panel
5pm – Keynote Speaker: NASA Scientist, Dr. Abdul Hye
5:30pm – Discussion and Buffet

Parking across the street in UML parking lot

Another upcoming event is Ajahn Thanissaro’s dharma
talk on “The Paradox of Becoming” next Wednesday,
April 16, at CIMC. (I believe when I first mentioned
this a couple of weeks ago, I’d mistyped the date!)

More info here:
http://cimc.info/schedule_wedeve.html

Tibet continues to dominate the headlines,
particularly as the Olympic torch makes its way around
the globe, encountering protest pretty much every
place it goes. (In fact, the police in Paris actually
had to extinguish the flame and load the torch onto a
bus this morning in order to avoid protestors:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7334545.stm)

Pico Iyer, author of a recently-released biography of
the Dalai Lama, has been making the rounds on public
radio recently offering his best insight into His
Holiness’s dilemma.

A one-on-one conversation with Terri Gross on “Fresh
Air”:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89109552

… and a public discussion on “Talk of the Nation”:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89241436

Meanwhile, Deepak Chopra offers the reminder that
unrest in Tibet should not been seen as “litmus test”
for Buddhism:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=8,6162,0,0,1,0

Actor Richard Gere also checks in via Beliefnet with
his thoughts in what is a very interesting interview:

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/231/story_23147_1.html/

However, the situation in Tibet is such that many
Tibetans are growing impatient with the Dalai Lama’s
“Middle Way.”

NPR also aired a couple of stories on Tibetans’
frustration…

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89300345&sourceCode=RSS

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89300348&sourceCode=RSS

… and the Christian Science Monitor ran a story
echoing these same sentiments:

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0401/p01s01-woap.html

What is becoming clear is that Buddhists — from Tibet
to Burma to Sri Lanka — are entering a new period of
activism as economic and political pressures come to
bear. A recent AP story touches on this “surprising”
trend:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=70,6143,0,0,1,0

Incidentally, the Buddhist Peace Fellowship has
recently released the following statements on Tibet
(http://www.bpf.org/html/resources_and_links/statements/statements/tibet_08.html)
and also Tibet, Burma, and Darfur
(http://www.bpf.org/html/TibetBurmaDarfur.html).

I want to wind up this week’s e-mail with a couple of
links from the Shambhala Sun archives that I feel are
especially pertinent:

First, novelist Charles Johnson writes about “Dharma
for a Dangerous Time”:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=2967&Itemid=24

… Pema Chodron discusses patience as an antidote to
anger and aggression:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1309&Itemid=24

Pema is joined by Jack Kornfield in an interview for
The Buddhadharma on “The Wondrous Path of
Difficulties”

http://www.thebuddhadharma.com/issues/2005/winter/wondrous_path.html

Finally, I wanted to mention a very interesting
website that I recently discovered called “Buddhist
Geeks.” The site is home to a weekly audio Webcast
that has been going on for just over a year at this
point. The show has featured all sorts of notable
guests including John Daido Loori Roshi, Sharon
Salzberg, B. Alan Wallace, and many others:

http://www.fallingfruit.tv/buddhistgeeks/

I’ve also added this link to the Audio section of the
resources of our own blog:

http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/resources/audio-links/

Well, that should do it for this week. I hope to see
you all tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on March 31, 2008 at 4:45 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 4/1/08 meditation group

Hello! Just the usual reminder about this week’s
meditation group: We’ll meet from 7:30-9:30pm at First
Parish. Henceforth it looks like we’ll regularly meet
in the Chapel, as another group is scheduled for High
School room. Ajahn David will be joining us for a
special “April Fool’s” edition of First Tuesday
meditation; it should be interesting.

Speaking of Ajahn David, I came across some photos a
week or two ago from the anniversary memorial for
Samdech Preah Maha Ghosananda that took place earlier
this month at Wat Triratanaram in North Chelmsford.
Maha Ghonsanada — a former Nobel Peace Prize nominee
dubbed the “Gandhi of Cambodia — was the Supreme
Patriarch of Cambodian Buddhism, having nearly
single-handedly restablished the Sangha following the
terror of the Khmer Rouge regime. In his later years,
Maha Ghosananda spent much of his time in Providence,
Rhode Island, but he was still quite a significant
figure among the Cambodian exile community here in
greater Lowell.

Anyhow, you may see some familiar faces among the
amassed monks (#12, 19, 21, 22, 55, 71, 76, 104, 128,
131 and 190):

http://www.templenews.info/galleries/ghosanandaAnniversary/

The New York Times obituary for Maha Ghosananda can be
found here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/15/world/asia/15ghosananda.html?_r=1&em&ex=1174190400&en=f9153b5f93e4a4c2&ei=5087&oref=slogin

Today also marks the 50th anniversary of the Dalai
Lama’s escape to India. It’s interesting to get the
BBC’s take on the event as it took place:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/31/newsid_2788000/2788343.stm

While the current situation in Tibet continues to make
headlines in the international press, there is
actually very little in the way of real news from
Lhasa or elsewhere. Perhaps not surprisingly much of
the media’s attention thus has come to rest on
personage of tthe Dalai Lama himself.

Excerpts from His Holiness’s recent Newsweek interview
appear online here:

http://www.newsweek.com/id/124365

Pico Iyer shares this profile of the Dalai Lama in “A
Monk’s Struggle” from Time:

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1723922,00.html

And Robert Thurman offers his thoughts on why China
needs the Dalai Lama:

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2008/03/dalai.html

Meanwhile, author Pankaj Mishra (“An End to Suffering:
The Buddha in the World”) reviews Iyer’s new biography
of the Dalai Lama:

http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2008/03/31/080331crbo_books_mishra

And Louis Bayard seems to take issue with both Iyer
and Thurman:

http://www.salon.com/books/review/2008/03/25/dalai_lama/

Bringing things a little closer to home, Doreen
Schweizer shares this report from a friend in
Dharamsala in the latest Valley Insight newsletter:
—————————————————
Here’s part of report on what Dharmasala, the site of
the Tibet government in exile, is like right now. It
came via a friend.

“Tibetans seem to be able to hold, without
contradiction, many different ways of expressing their
grief, and their concern for and solidarity with the
people in Tibet; to wave banners and shout until their
throats are sore, and to sit and pray with heartfelt
devotion to the Buddhas that, one day, may they become
like them for the sake of all.

“Yesterday, I heard about a different kind of
demonstration organized by the monks of the Buddhist
Dialectic School. No face paint, no red bandanas, no
hand-made placards reading Shame on China. They shaved
their heads clean, put on the outer yellow robe
normally only worn for religious teachings, and walked
slowly, heads down, single file through the town,
chanting the refuge prayer in Pali:

“Buddham sharanam ghachamay/dhammam sharanam
gacchami/sangham sharanan gachhani/ahimsa ahimsa. [I
take refuge in the Buddha... the Dhamma... the
Sangha... non-violence, non-cruelty, harmlessness]

“A reporter asked the monks why they were wearing the
yellow robe. The monks replied, ‘We are monks but we
are also human beings. We are not immune to anger.
Wearing the yellow robe reminds us to subdue our
negative emotions.’

“At an intersection, the monks met up with a few
thousand demonstrators led by angry young men with
Tibetan flags draped around their shoulders, shouting
anti-Chinese slogans and punching their fists into the
air. The monks kept walking and chanting.

“At the point where the two groups met, the
demonstrators fell silent and stood aside to let the
monks pass, forming two lines on either side of the
street.

“They brought their palms together at their hearts and
bowed their heads. Many began to cry.

“The monks kept walking and chanting. Buddham sharanam
ghachamay.

“After the monks had passed, the demonstrators picked
up their flags and placards and fell in behind them
chanting another slogan:

“‘May I become enlightened to end the suffering of all
sentient beings.’”
—————————————————
One other story that I’d like to share this week is
from NPR’s “Story Corps.” I can get into some Story
Corps stories more than others, but this one just blew
me away. If you can, give a listen to the audio rather
than just reading the transcript:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89164759

Finally, on a lighter note, Lawrence-based meditation
supplier DharmaCrafts is looking for models for their
upcoming catalog:
—————————————————
Good Afternoon,

I am contacting some of the local meditation groups in
the area to see if there might be some members that
may want to model for us in our upcoming Summer/Fall
catalogs. We are looking for average-sized,
middle-aged, men and women who can sit in meditation
postures for at least 30- minutes at a time.

Please contact me at the below information if you, or
anyone in your group, is interested.

Thank You,

Sincerely,

Meredith Fitzgerald
DharmaCrafts, Inc.
29 South Canal St.
Lawrence, MA 01843
mfitzgerald@dharmacrafts.com
—————————————————
As always, there’s plenty more to pass along but
that’s probably enough for this week.

Hopefully we’ll see you all tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on March 24, 2008 at 4:59 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 3/25/08 meditation group

Hello everyone; happy Spring! We’ll meet at First
Parish at our usual time tomorrow evening: 7:30-9:30.
We’re scheduled to meet in the Chapel, however, due to
the Girl Scouts meeting in the Vestry we might be
better off upstairs in the High School Room if it’s
available. Please be sure to check for signs on your
way in! Priscille will lead the practice.

Again, there are quite a number of things to pass
along this week….

First, I wanted to provide the link to Thanissaro
Bhikku’s dharma talk on “The Sublime Attitudes” from
which Carrie read last week. The full talk is
published in Ajahn Thanissaro’s book “Meditations 2,”
which is available online via Access to Insight. I highly
recommend it!

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/meditations2.html#sublime

Ajahn Thanissaro will be actually be in town to give a
dharma talk at Cambridge Insight on Wednesday, April
26; it should be an interesting evening. The full CIMC
event schedule can be found here:

http://cimc.info/schedule_wedeve.html

Ayya Khema also has a wonderful essay on the
Brahmaviharas (aka, Sublime Attitudes, Heavenly
Abodes, etc., etc.) — or as she calls them, “The Four
Highest Emotions” — published in the Spring 2001
issue of Shambhala Sun:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1766&Itemid=24

Also from Shambhala Sun is this short 2003 article by
Robert Thurman on the meaning of the Dalai Lama for
today’s world, which I find to be very interesting in
light of recent events:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=2414&Itemid=24

For a slightly different take, today’s Christian
Science monitor has an article on the precarious
position His Holiness finds himself in as both the
political and spiritual leader of the Tibetan people:

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0324/p01s03-wosc.html

While details continue to be sketchy, it’s been hard
to avoid news of the situation in Tibet. These are
just a couple of the other news articles I’ve found
particularly interesting over the past week:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7302661.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7302956.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7307495.stm

Meanwhile Tibet’s neighbor to the south, Bhutan, is
holding first-ever elections today as the country
prepares to make a rather sudden transition to
democratic government. Both the BBC and Christian
Science monitor have coverage:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7310832.stm

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0324/p01s01-wosc.html

Not to be overlooked, of course, is ongoing situation
in Burma. The Buddhist Channel reports that Buddhist
monks — along with criminals, the mentally ill,
Christians, and Muslims — have been barred from
participating in the country’s upcoming “elections”:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=82,6092,0,0,1,0

Shifting gears a quite bit, I recently came across a
really neat handbook put together by Andrea Fella for
a five-week intro to meditation class she teaches at
Coastside Vipassana out in Montara, California. The
guide would be great to have on hand — especially for
those of you who aren’t always able to make it to
First Parish on Tuesdays. It also gives a good
overview of the practice for any friends and family
who are curious about what you’re really up to on
Tuesday evenings!

http://www.coastsidevipassana.org/andreasNotes/IntroductionToVipassana.pdf

Incidentally, it looks like Maria Straatman — Abhaya’s
good friend from her hospice chaplaincy training — will
be teaching at Coastside this Wednesday evening!

http://www.coastsidevipassana.org

Finally, to wind things up on an upbeat note: Some of
you may have already seen this story of a remarkable
little dog at the Shuri Kannondo Zen temple in Naha,
Japan:

BBC:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7310993.stm

Buddhist Channel:
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=44,6088,0,0,1,0

CNN:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/03/24/praying.dog.ap/index.html

Of course the question still remains: Does a dog have
Buddha-nature?

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/33/story_3313_1.html

Well, that’s it for this week; I look forward to
seeing you all tomorrow night!

Metta,
Tim
on March 17, 2008 at 3:41 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 3/18/08 meditation group

Good morning! We’ll meet at the usual time and place
tomorrow evening: 7:30-9:30 upstairs in the High
School room at First Parish. Carrie will pinch-hit as
practice leader this week as Mike had a last-minute
schedule conflict.

As I’m sure you already know if you’ve been following
the news lately, protests by Tibetans against the
Chinese occupation have met with violent suppression
over the past week. There are naturally many echoes of
the pro-democracy protests in Burma last fall.

One silver lining is that the press has been able to
provide modest coverage of events in and around Tibet,
despite the PRC government’s best attempts. As always,
it seems the BBC, the Christian Science Monitor, and
the Buddhist Channel have had the most comprehensive
accounts.

There are far too many links to provide here beyond
this sampling:

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0317/p01s02-woap.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7296041.stm

http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2008/03/14/tibetan_says_cars_on_f
ire_in_lhasa/

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=46,6040,0,0,1,0

The Buddhist Peace Fellowship offered this statement
regarding the situation in China:

http://www.bpf.org/html/resources_and_links/statements/statements/tibet_08.html

And the non-profit organization Save Tibet publishes
regular updates on their website:

http://www.savetibet.org

Of course, the Buddhist Channel also published a
couple of articles in the past couple of weeks that
show another side of Buddhism in China:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=46,6034,0,0,1,0

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=46,6020,0,0,1,0

There is, of course, some danger that recent events in
Tibet might overshadow the ongoing persecution of
Burmese monks following last Fall’s protests; the
Buddhist Channel is doing a great job of keeping the
situation in the spotlight:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=82,6042,0,0,1,0

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=82,6031,0,0,1,0

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=82,6006,0,0,1,0

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=82,6005,0,0,1,0

In the midst of the recent headlines about protesting
Buddhist monks, Newsweek’s Christian Caryl wrote a
provocative article on the rising phenomenon of
“militant” Buddhism in his article “Armies of the
Enlightened” — http://www.newsweek.com/id/117810

Well, of course Buddhists — even Buddhist monks –
are only human, and subject to the same stresses as
anyone else. And the Dharma, just as much as any other
ideology, can be misappropriated for political means.
Still, the article serves as a good reality check for
anyone thinking that Buddhism (especially
institutionalized Buddhism) is necessarily beyond
reproach.

Of course the Dharma, at its best, does offer skillful
means for both “inner and outer disarmament,” as HH
the Dalai Lama is wont to say.

From the Shambhala Sun archives, Pema Chodron shares
her thoughts on “Choosing Peace”

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=3143&Itemid=24

… and bell hooks writes about creating a “worldwide
culture of love”

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=2940&Itemid=24

Finally, also from the Shambhala Sun archives, is this
week’s must-read Dharma Gem of the Week: Trish Deitch
Rohrer’s wonderful profile of Sharon Salzberg:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1629&Itemid=24

Well, that’s all for this week; I know we’ll miss a
couple of you tomorrow evening, but I look forward to
seeing the rest!

Metta,
Tim
on March 10, 2008 at 5:52 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 3/11/08 meditation group

Hello again! We’ll meet upstairs in the High School room at First Parish tomorrow evening at our usual time: 7:30 to 9:30. Matt — schleping all the way up from Boston — is on tap to lead the practice.

There seems to be a growing number of links to pass along each week, so I’ll try to share as many as possible without being overwhelming.

First, just a reminder that Wendesay 3/12 is the deadline to register for the March 28-30 Valley Insight weekend retreat being led by Doreen Schweizer. The cost is $155 per person to cover room, board, and administrative fees. More details can be found here:

http://valleyinsight.org/events/33/weekendresidentialretreat/

Between IMS, BCBS, Omega, Kripalu, and so on, there are a number of opportunities to attend a retreat locally, whether it’s just a weekend or for a couple of weeks. Scheduling, however, is often an issue. As it turns out, there are also quite a few smaller retreat facilities in the area where one can go on a self-led retreat. The Western Massachusetts Retreat Association is a regional consortium of such centers, and has a listing of a dozen places in Western Massachusetts that might be of interest to anyone intrigued by the idea of taking some time to get away.

http://www.massretreats.com/

Some, such as the Rowe Center (affiliated with the UUA), run their own programs; others, such as Temenos — founded by Quakers with a strong interest in Buddhism — are geared towards the more independent-minded.

If you haven’t previously sat a retreat, you might want to check out Sylvia Boorstein’s “Don’t Just Do Soemthing, Sit There,” which outlines and walks the reader through a 3-day self-retreat (that can be scaled up or down as necessary):

http://www.sylviaboorstein.com/sit.html

For those who just can’t get away, there are also a number of learning opportunities on the internet. Brenda just signed up for the Eckhart Tolle/Oprah Winfrey course:
http://www.oprah.com/obc_classic/webevent_registration.html

Spirit Rock co-founder, James Baraz, also offers an online course called “Awakening Joy”:

http://www.awakeningjoy.info/index.html

For the more academic-minded, Ashoka “the eDharma university” offers numerous online courses on Buddhism by a wide range of respected teachers. (Some of the classes are free, too!)

http://www.ashokaedu.net/

Catching up on some old stuff, National Geographic has an article on Bhutan’s ongoing experiment in democratization:

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/03/bhutan/larmer-text

In semi-related news, the BBC had a feature this past week on “transformation and tradition” in Tibet:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7279789.stm

And this morning, they reported on the Indian government’s response to a planned protest march from Dharamsala to Tibet:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7288072.stm

From the Shambhala Sun vaults, Jack Kornfield lays out in plain Engish what this meditation practice is really all about. (This is an absolutely must-read article, in my opinion!)

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=3101&Itemid=24

And, finally, from yesterday’s Boston Globe, an interesting article on “the joy of boredom…”

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2008/03/09/the_joy_of_boredom/

… Which I thought was an interesting juxtapostion to Martha Henry’s latest Tricyle web essay on “Waiting Meditation”:

http://www.tricycle.com/issues/web_exclusive/4392-1.html

Again, there’s much more to share, but that’s probably enough for this week.

I hope to see everyone tomorrow night!

Metta,
Tim

PS — Sorry, two more things:

1) Ajahn David has invited questions from anyone who is interested; he can be reached by e-mail at venerablechutiko[at]yahoo[dot]com.

Also, tomorrow he will be filiming a pilot for a potential English-language dharma teaching for (I believe) Chelmsford public access TV; stay tuned!

2) Mike has been quite busy with posting on the blog lately, for which I am very thankful! (I seem to have my hands full with these weekly reminders!) Please be sure to stop by, check it out, and leave your comments: http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com

Ok; that’s really, really it for this week!
on March 3, 2008 at 6:16 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

Hello! The meditation group will meet upstairs in the
High School room at First Parish tomorrow evening,
from 7:30-9:30pm. Ajahn David will join us again. This
month marks the first anniversary of our “First
Tuesdays” with the monks from Wat Buddhabhavana!

Speaking of the monks, I just wanted to follow up on
the response to Carrie’s e-mail from last week. The
consensus seems to be that we might be able to find
better ways of supporting the monks at Wat
Buddhabhavana than by donating a half share of
vegetables from Bear Hill Farm once again this summer.
I’ve asked Ajahn David to let us know if the monastery
has particular needs that we might be able to support,
and will let you all know what he says.

As seems to be typical these days, I have a plethora
of links to share this week:

First is an interesting segment from 60 Minutes a
couple of weeks ago on “Happiness” — in particular
what makes Danes happy, as they seem to have come out
on top of a recent international survey:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/02/14/60minutes/main3833797.shtml

The whole segment is about 12 minutes long, but
additional footage can be found here:

http://60minutes.yahoo.com/segment/140/happiness

Tal Ben Shahar is a Harvard psychologist interviewed
for the 60 Minutes piece, and actually is scheduled to
partipate in the April 13 symposium “The Roots of
Happiness: Positive Psychology and the Art of
Meditation” at the Museum of Fine Arts on April 13.
Actor/playwright Evan Brenner (“The Buddha in His Own
Words” — http://site.thebuddhaplay.com/info.htm — a
great piece of theater) and MGH/Harvard psychologist
Sara Lazar are also due to participate.

Following along the mind-body theme, the Times of
London recently ran a report on some interesting
studies measuring the influence of meditation on
helping “the mind control physical processes once
thought to be uncontrollable.”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/related_features/surprise_yourself/article3432227.ece

Rummaging around in the Shambhala Sun archives has
yielded another treasure trove this week:

- A profile of Jon Kabat-Zinn and the mainstreaming of
mindfulness-based therapy in Western medicine:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1859&Itemid=24

- Toni Packer and Pico Iyer each weigh in on the
weather… among other things:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1677&Itemid=24

and

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=2944&Itemid=24

- As does Norman Fisher, in a way:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=2913&Itemid=24

- And, finally, Joseph Goldstein writes about
mindfulness, compassion, and wisdom as the means to
peace:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=2913&Itemid=24

The Christian Science Monitor has a few links on the
ongoing situation in Burma:

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0221/p01s04-woap.html

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0228/p01s02-wosc.html

… as does the Irrawaddy (via the Buddhist Channel):

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=51,5995,0,0,1,0

I wanted to be sure to mention (if I haven’t
previously) that Doreen Schweizer will be leading
Valley Insight’s residential retreat in Etna, NH, the
weekend of March 28-30. Registration is $155 and due
by March 12. More details can be found here:

http://valleyinsight.org/events/33/weekendresidentialretreat/

Finally, I wanted to send out the link to the Blanche
Hartman lecture on “Beginner’s Mind” from which I read
excerpts last week:

http://www.intrex.net/chzg/hartman4.htm

Well, that’s probably enough for now. I have a some
links to pass along regarding retreat and online
learning opportunities, among other things, but all
that will just have to wait until next week.

Metta,
Tim
on February 25, 2008 at 6:41 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

Hello again! We’ll meet at the usual time and place
for this week’s meditation group: upstairs in the High
School room at First Parish, 7:30-9:30pm.

There are a whole bunch of links to pass along this
week…:

First off, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life
just (as of noon today) published an very interesting
survey of the American religious landscape. They do a
wonderful job presenting the data, and it’s definitely
worth browsing through (as is the rest of the site,
for that matter):

http://religions.pewforum.org/

Another interesting site I stumbled across this past
weekend is the Center for Contemplative Mind in
Society, based out of Northampton, MA. The
organization’s aim is to “to integrate contemplative
awareness and contemporary life, to help create a more
just, compassionate, and reflective society,” and it
has programs in higher education, law, social justice,
business, and so on. One neat feature is a “Tree of
Contemplative Pratices” which is a particularly nice
graphical representation of a range of contemplative
practices. The site also has links to more or less
detailed write ups on many of the practices on the
tree:

http://www.contemplativemind.org/practices/tree.html

I want to give a hat-tip to Doreen and the folks at
Valley Insight for passing along this link to
Ecobuddism a site billing itself as “a Buddhist
response to global warming.” I haven’t had a chance to
peruse it in much detail, but it looks very
interesting at first glance:

http://www.ecobuddhism.org/index.php

Speaking of Vally Insight, I want to pass along this
note from Doreen in the latest edition of their
e-newsletter:

“About two months ago I announced our efforts to get
more books into the Chapel Library at the NH State
Correctional Facility in Berlin, NH. Many thanks
to those of you who donated money for this purpose.
Over the last three years, a group of us from Valley
Insight have been going to the prison monthly to
practice and study with men there. The library needs
had become increasingly apparent. In the last two
months we have been able to get them a lot of new
material by purchasing books as well as subscriptions
to TRICYCLE, BUDDHADARMA, and SHAMBHALA SUN. Also,
other Upper Valley Buddhist sanghas have contributed
some books relevant to their traditions, and we
received donated books from Wisdom Publications. We
are continuing this effort; and if you would like to
donate to this cause, please send check to Valley
Insight c/o Claudia Brandenberg, PO Box 975, Wilder,
VT 05088.”

I’m sure they’d be thrilled if any of us was
interested in helping out in any way.

Last week WBUR’s “On Point” featured an interesting
discussion on the current research behind happiness,
some of which will sound familiar to meditators. That
said, I would have been really interested in hearing a
Buddhist perspective. Worth a listen here:

http://www.onpointradio.org/shows/2008/02/20080218_b_main.asp

In semi-related news, the BBC has an article on
research on the relationship between anger management
and the body’s ability to heal:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7252415.stm

The BBC also had a nice pictorial feature on the
Buddhist monks of Luang Prabang, a little-known UNECSO
World Heritage Center in northern Laos:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/08/asia_pac_monks_of_luang_prabang/html/1.stm

Salon.com has an interesting feature — “Dive-Bar
Dharma” — on the Ethan Nichtern and Noah Levine, a
pair of 30-something authors, dharma teachers, and
representatives (?) of the new generation of American
Buddhists:

http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2008/02/20/dharma_in_dive_bars/

There have been more than a few interesting gems from
the Shambhala Sun archives recently. A couple that I
found particularly interesting were these:

- A neat profile of long-time Buddhist
scholar/practitioner Robert Thurman (yes, Uma’s dad):

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=2971&Itemid=24

- A great article by Thich Nhat Hanh on letting go of
afflictive emotions:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1756&Itemid=24

- And a interesting essay by Zen teacher John Tarrant
on practice and the political realm:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=2952&Itemid=24

As always, there’s also been quite a bit off the
Buddhist Channel newswire in the past week:

- From the Atlantic Free Press, David Edwards weighs
in with a provocative op-ed piece on “Non-violence and
the Self-Cherishing Mind”:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=8,5937,0,0,1,0

- Author Deepak Chopra shares his thoughts on the
Buddha and the world:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=6,5932,0,0,1,0

- There’s a nice article from the Jerusalem Post on
Jack Kornfield’s recent trip to Israel to give a
lecture on meditation:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=9,5955,0,0,1,0

- A nice profile from the Bangkok Post on British-born
Thai monk Ajahn Brahm:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=6,5951,0,0,1,0

- And also a profile from the Sydney Morning Herald on
the world-famous “Tiger Temple” in Thailand:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=52,5960,0,0,1,0

Finally, I want to mention that the Barre Center for
Buddhist Studies has just launched a new (and greatly
improved) website, which includes improved access to
Insight Journal archives, and (finally) the ability to
register for classes online:

http://www.dharma.org/bcbs/index.html

That should do it for this week; I hope to see
everyone tomorrow night!

Metta,
Tim
on February 19, 2008 at 6:15 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

Hi all…. Sorry for the short notice, but yes we will
be meeting at our usual time and place this week:
upstairs in the High School room at First Parish from
7:30-9:30pm. Carrie will lead the practice.

Just a few items to pass along this week:

The Shambhala Sun website features articles from its
archives, and a couple in particular caught my
attention recently. First is actually a recent article
by Sprit Rock teacher Phillip Moffitt entitled
“Awakening in the Body”
(http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=3126&Itemid=24);
the next takes us back nearly a decade to an dialog
between Pema Chodron and bell hooks entitled
“Cultivating Openness When Things Fall Apart”
(http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=2043&Itemid=24);
and finally Dan Goleman’s fasctinating report from
2003 on scientists’ efforts to measure the effects of
meditation
(http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1611&Itemid=24).

A couple of notes re: the situation in Burma:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=82,5871,0,0,1,0

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7242346.stm

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=82,5889,0,0,1,0

In other news, a couple of months ago I’d mentioned a
Huffington Post article on metta by Karen Kisslinger
(“Peacefulness
on Earth… Good Will Toward Everybody”:
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=6,5611,0,0,1,0).
Well, somehowe Kissingler found that I’d linked to her
article from our websited and sent me an e-mail about
a new article she’s written, “Hey Love, I Have A
Present for You… The Present Moment”
(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/karen-kisslinger/hey-love-i-have-a-presen_b_86548.html).

(Speaking of the blog, be sure to check out Mike’s
latest post on Marie Curie:
http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/2008/02/18/quotes-of-note-marie-curie-1867-1934/)

This past week’s Speaking of Faith was quite powerful.
Krista Tippett hosted Robi Demlin, an Israeli woman
who lost her son to a Palestinian sniper, and Ali Abu
Awwad, whose brother was killed by an Israeli soldier:

“Instead of clinging to traditional ideologies and
turning their pain into more violence, they’ve decided
to understand the other side — Israeli and Palestinian
— by sharing their pain and their humanity. They tell
of a gathering network of survivors who share their
grief, their stories of loved ones, and their ideas
for lasting peace. They don’t want to be right; they
want to be honest.”

http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/nomore/index.shtml

Finally, I want to mention the Sylvia Boorstein now
has a website: http://sylviaboorstein.com/index.html

Frankly I find it leaves a little to be desired at
this point, but it does have some of her articles,
some audio, and a calendar of her upcoming events.
Hopefully she’ll continue to develop it:

http://sylviaboorstein.com/index.html

Well, that’s all for this week; I hope to see everyone
this evening.

Metta,
Tim
on February 11, 2008 at 5:58 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

Hi all! We’ll meet at the usual time and place this
week: 7:30-9:30 upstairs in the High School room at
First Parish. Brenda will lead the practice this week.

I wanted to mention a couple of things in follow up to
Ajahn David’s visit last week:

First, as Ajahn mentioned, Bhante Gunaratana (“Bhante
G”) currently teaches from the Bhavana Society
meditation center in High View, WV. (If anyone has
read Dinty Moore’s “Accidental Buddhist” will have
some vicarious familiarity with it.) The Bhavana
Society has an excellent website
(http://www.bhavanasociety.org/) with all sorts of
great resources: books, articles, mp3s, etc.

Bhante G also teaches locally, and in fact will lead a
10-day retreat on the Jhanas (meditative absorptions)
at IMS in April. This is definitely an intensive
retreat, as per the IMS website, participants are
required to have previously sat at least one week-long
retreat:

“Sittings during this course may last one hour or
longer. There will be an opportunity to observe the
eight monastic precepts, which include abstaining from
food after noon each day. An exception will be made
for those who prefer to eat in the late afternoon – a
tea meal will be served.”

Anyhow, for those who are up to it, I’m sure this
would be quite a remarkable experience.

http://www.dharma.org/ims/retreat_detail.php?id=99

Ajahn David also spoke reverently of Ven. Dr. K. Sri
Dhammananda, the late British-born Theravada monk who
spent most of his monastic life in Malaysia. There is
another very good website that provides additional
biographical information and downloads of a selection
of his writings:

http://www.ksridhammananda.com/

Ajahn David’s mention of his “prison monastics” at
Devens also reminded me of a Zen monk, Rev. Kobutsu
Malone, now based in Sedwick, ME, who has been
involved in similar work for several years. He has
contributed frequently as a columnist on the Buddhist
Channel website, and I found this essay in particular
to be quite poignant:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=70,2845,0,0,1,0

The Buddhist Peace Fellowship’s own “Prison Project”
is coming up on its 10th anniversary. (More
information can be found here:
http://www.bpf.org/html/current_projects/transformative_justice/transformative_justice.html)

Thich Nhat Hanh has also spent much time working to
transform the justice industry: “Be Free Where You
Are: A talk given at the Maryland Correctional
Institute” and “Keeping the Peace: Mindfulness and
Public Service”

http://www.parallax.org/cgi-bin/shopper.cgi?preadd=action&key=BOOKBFW

http://www.parallax.org/cgi-bin/shopper.cgi?preadd=action&key=BOOKKTP

It’s also worth listening again to former Wisconsin DA
Cheri Maples intereview on speaking of faith’s feature
on TNH “Brother Thay”:

http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/thichnhathanh/index.shtml

Another group, the Prison Dharma Network, was founded
by Fleet Maull in 1989 while he himself was
incarcerated. The PDN supports “prisoners in the
practice of contemplative disciplines, with an
emphasis on sitting meditation practice and the
practice and study of Buddhist teachings and other
wisdom traditions. We promote these paths of
wakefulness and non-aggression as ideal vehicles for
self-rehabilitation and personal transformation. We
believe in the power of the various
mindfulness-awareness practices and body-mind
disciplines of the world’s contemplative traditions to
change behaviors, transform lives, and ultimately to
reduce recidivism, prevent crime, and enhance
community safety and well-being.”

http://www.prisondharmanetwork.org/index.html

And, finally, I just wanted to mention again the film
“The Dhamma Brothers,” a documentary about the
meditation program at the Donaldson Correctional
Facility in Alabama:

http://www.dhammabrothers.com/film.html

Great Pond Sangha screened this a few months ago, and
it might be something to track down at some point.

Until tomorrow evening….

Metta,
Tim
on February 4, 2008 at 6:29 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

Hi all! Ajahn David will again join us for tomorrow
evening’s meditation group. We’ll meet upstairs in the
High School room at First Parish at our usual time,
7:30-9:30. Thanks to Brenda and Sue for taking on
chauffeuring duty this month!

I want to start by passing along a link to the
Archbishop Desmond Tutu article that Dena brought in
last week. For those who weren’t able to make it, the
article is available online here:

http://www.himalayaninstitute.org/yogaplus/Article.aspx?id=2319

While it seems to be available from the public
library, I also wanted to share the Amazon link to the
Roger Walsh book “Essential Spirituality” from which
Mike read last week:

http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Spirituality-Central-Practices-Awaken/dp/0471392162/ref=cm_taf_title_featured?ie=UTF8&tag=tellafriend-20

Another author who has been on my radar screen for
some time is the late German-born Theravada nun, Ayya
Khema.

Khema was a prolific author, and I recently had an
opportunity to read through a couple of collections of
transcribed dharma talks on Access to Insight –
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/khema/index.html.
I also came across some audio recordings (in English!)
via Buddha-Haus, the retreat center she established in
Germany:

http://www.jhanaverlag.de/showd.php?rb=7&nav=6&left=j&det=&st=1

They also have a nice, short biography:
http://www.buddha-haus.de/ayya_khema_engl.htm

Speaking of authors, last year Krista Tippett
published her own book “Speaking of Faith,” and this
past week’s radio broadcast of her show featured a
reading of exceprts from the book before a live
audience in Minneapolis. As someone who has very much
enjoyed Tippett’s radio show, it was nice to hear her
account of her own journey, and I very much look
forward to picking up a copy the book:

http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/rememberingforward/index.shtml

Keeping in the media for a moment, I came across a
rather interesting blurb on the Buddhist Channel about
a 2006 movie entitled “Buddha Wild — Monk In A Hut.”

Despite the somewhat odd title, it looks to be a very
interesting movie:

“‘Buddha Wild’ journeys to and provides an
‘affectionate glimpse’ into the cultural and monastic
lives of Thai and Sir Lankan missionary monks living
on a remote monastry in the Western world. The film
explores the basic tenets of Buddhism, celibacy,
politics, the role of women in Asian society and the
day to day lives of monks.”

The trailer can be viewed here:
http://www.buddhawild.com/v20/index.html

Updates on the situation in Burma also continue to
come in pieacemal via the Buddhist Channel, including
this article from The Irawaddy which tells of the
resiliency of the Burmese Sangha:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=82,5866,0,0,1,0

In somewhat lighter news, the Buddhist Channel also
gives us this brief report of a Thai research
institute that has developed mosquito-repellent robes:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=7,5843,0,0,1,0

In other developments of interest to
socially-conscious investors, Dow Jones Indexes and a
company called Dharma Investments has unveiled the
“Dharma Global Index,” the first index series based
specifically on the principles found in the religions
of Buddhism and Hinduism:

http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/2455.html

(No, I really can’t make this stuff up!)

Meanwhile, somewhat closer to home, the Boston Globe
reports that a research a UMass Amherst has received a
$50,000 grant to discover happiness. Nice work if you
can get it, I guess:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2008/02/50000_to_discov.html

Finally, although slightly off-topic, I couldn’t
resist passing along the news that Marharishi Mahesh
Yogi, the Indian guru and master of Transcendental
Meditation, has decided to retire:

http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2008/01/29/maharishi_retreats_into_silence/

I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow night — and
don’t forget, tomorrow’s Primary Day, so be sure to
get out and vote!

Metta,
Tim
on January 28, 2008 at 4:53 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 1/29/08 meditation group

Hi all…. We’ll meet at our usual time and place
tomorrow evening: 7:30-9:30 at First Parish. It should
be warm enough tomorrow so that we’ll be okay in the
Chapel. Mike will lead the practice.

As usual there’s a whole bunch of odds and ends to
pass along this week….

A few weeks ago while perusing Access to Insight I
came across an interesting collection of four essays
on lay Buddhist practice: “Principles of Lay
Buddhism,” “Right Livelihood: The Noble Eightfold Path
in the Working Life,” “Having Taken the First Step,”
and “Detachment.”

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/various/wheel294.html

On a related note, the CIMC web site has a link to an
old (2005) Buddhadharma interview on “Theravada
Practice off the Cushion” with Michael Liebenson
Grady, Gil Fronsdal, and Marcia Rose (one of Abhaya’s
teachers):

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/faithinawakening.html

I came across a pair of intriguing essays on Buddhism
and psychotherapy, one of which was written by Sylvia
Boorstein’s husband Seymour. Both essays approach
practice from more of a therapeutic than spritual
perspective, per se:

http://www.bps.lk/wheels_library/wheels_pdf/wh_290_291.pdf

I also recently rediscovered another great essay by
Ajahn Thanissaro. This one, “Faith in Awakening,” was
originally published in the Summer 2006 issue of
Tricycle:

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/faithinawakening.html

The IMS web site also has a couple of interesting
articles hidden away. The first is a brief excerpt
from Joseph Goldstein’s latest book, “A Heart Full of
Peace”

http://www.dharma.org/ims/ai_news_worth_spacious_heart.html

The other is a paper that appeared recently in the
Public Library of Science journal PLoS Biology. A team
from the University of Wisconsin – Madison studied the
effects of meditation on attention among retreat
participants at IMS:

http://www.dharma.org/ims/documents/PLoSBiologyResearchArticle_000.pdf

(I think most of us will get by just fine reading the
author’s summary on page 2!)

Finally, the usual selection of articles off the
Buddhist Channel newswire (mostly) from this past
week….

A couple of views into Buddhist monastic life in
Taiwan:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=48,5799,0,0,1,0

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=6,5801,0,0,1,0

Controversy over the increasing commercialization of
the famous Shaolin temple on mainland China:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=46,5821,0,0,1,0

An interesting article on the history of lama
reincarnation in Tibetan Buddhism:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=70,5828,0,0,1,0

And some background on mandalas and thangkas in
Buddhism (again, primarily in Tibetan practice):

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=5,5825,0,0,1,0

A couple of updates on the situation in Burma:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=82,5820,0,0,1,0

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/7209419.stm

Some worrisome news about a government crackdown
against the Buddhist minority in the Chittagong hills
of Bangladesh:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=41,5794,0,0,1,0

And, finally, an update from our friends at the
Leverett Peace Pagoda as they continue their walk to
Washington, DC:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=60,5819,0,0,1,0

Well, that’s all for this week; I hope everyone is
well and look forward to seeing you tomorrow!

Metta,
Tim
on January 21, 2008 at 8:21 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 1/22/08 meditation group

Hello everyone, and Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!
The meditation group will meet at our usual time
tomorrow evening (7:30-9:30) at First Parish. Due to a
Girl Scouts event in the Vestry tomorrow night, we’ll
meet upstairs in the High School room; Priscille will
lead the practice.

While we take today to reflect upon Dr. King’s legacy,
I thought it would be appropriate to begin by sharing
his letter nominating Thich Nhat Hanh for the 1967
Nobel Peace Prize:

http://www.iamhome.org/mlkletter.htm

Also worth sharing is Nhat Hanh’s open letter to Dr.
King, written two years earlier, in which the former
sought to persuade the latter to openly oppose US
involvement in the conflict in Vietnam:

http://www.aavw.org/special_features/letters_thich_abstract02.html

And while much has changed in the world in the
intervening 40 years, there is much that remains sadly
familiar.

John C. Holt has written a poignant op-ed piece
reflecting on the “Public Face of Buddhism” in Burma:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=8,5784,0,0,1,0

… Meanwhile, the LA Times also has a great article
on the role of the Burmese Sangha in keeping alive the
spirit of the Burmese people:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=82,5747,0,0,1,0

And The Irrawaddy reports on a recent forum in
Thailand on the “unfinished business” of the Saffron
Revolution:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=82,5757,0,0,1,0

A few more links from the Buddhist Channel:

The Hartford Courant reports on the first ever
Boston-to-Washington peace walk undertaken by members
of the New England Peace Pagoda:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=65,5786,0,0,1,0

(Some of you might remember that the group visited
First Parish a few years ago in the midst of their
annual peace walk across the state.)

The Boston Globe profiles Lowell artist Virigina Peck
and her Buddhist-inspired painting now on display at
the Gallery Anthony Curtis in Boston:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=5,5780,0,0,1,0

And there’s an interesting article from Business Week
on China’s “spiritual awakening”:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=46,5761,0,0,1,0

In the past week I’ve also come across quite a bit of
writing that has spoken to me, in particular this
piece by Susan Piver from last May’s issue of
Shambhala Sun:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=3083&Itemid=24

Another piece that hit home for me is Bill Morgan’s
article on “Resistance in Meditation” from the Fall
2002 issue of Insight Journal:

http://www.dharma.org/ij/archives/2002b/resistance.htm

Finally, I want to remind people that the Tuvan band
Alash has two more local concerts: This evening they
will be appearing at the HeARTbeat Collective in
Jamaica Plain, and they will be performing at the New
England Conservatory on Wednesday.

Also, a reminder that Ravenna Michalsen will be giving
a free concert at BCBS on Saturday at 7pm.

I do have a few more links I want to pass along, but
we’ve probably had enough for this week already.

Anyhow, I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow
night.

Metta,
Tim
on January 14, 2008 at 5:42 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 1/15/08 meditation group

Hello everyone! It seems winter’s decided to return
with a vengeance. We’ll meet tomorrow evening at our
usual time (7:30-9:30) at First Parish. We’ll probably
be warmer if we meet upstairs in the High School room;
Matt will be practice leader for the evening.

As usual, there’s a whole slew of info to pass along
this week:

First, American-born Tibetan monk Ven. Lama Marut will
be conducting a series of classes this Tuesday through
Friday of this week at the Cape Ann Asian Classics
Institute and high school in Rockport. According to
the blurb: “There will be afternoon teachings, where
he will teach a full review course of the Asian
Classics Institute, which will give an overview of
Buddhism.

“In the evenings, he will talk in a less formal format
at the Rockport High School auditorium on the subject
of emptiness.”

More information can be found via the Buddhist Channel
(of course!):
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=60,5735,0,0,1,0

Also from the Buddhist Channel this week is an
interesting article on palliative care services in
Thailand –
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=52,5725,0,0,1,0
– and another report on the situation in Burma:
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=82,5717,0,0,1,0

The BBC’s Andrew Harding also shares a Burmese
activist’s account of the “Hidden Life of Burma’s
Opposition”:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7177658.stm

A bit off topic, but this past week’s Speaking of
Faith was yet another gem. Host Krista Tippett has a
fascinating conversation with theoretical physicist
Janna Levin on mathematics and “the nature of truth,
free will, and purpose in life.”

http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/mathandtruth/transcript.shtml

Just in case anyone is curious, Thanissaro Bhikku
offers the following as the traditional Buddhist view
of the “problem” free-will v. determinism:

“The Buddha’s teachings on karma are interesting
because it’s a combination of causality and free-will.
If things were totally caused there would be no way
you could develop a skill – your actions would be
totally predetermined. If there was no causality at
all skills would be useless because things would be
constantly changing without any kind of rhyme or
reason to them. But it’s because there is an element
of causality and because there is this element of
free-will you can develop skills in
life.”

Bhikkhu, T. (1997) Dhammapada: A Translation, Barre,
MA: Dhamma Dana Publications (via Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_will)

Speaking of Ajahn Thanissaro, most of you have heard
me rave about the online library at the Access to
Insight website. I also wanted to mention that I’ve
come across another online library at the Buddhist
Publication Society of Sri Lanka. While there is some
overlap between the two collections, there is also
much original material at BPS, drawing on their
“Wheel” and “Bodhi Leaves” series. I’ve posted the
link on the blog, and I highly recommend browsing!

http://www.bps.lk/onlinelibrary.html

And speaking of the blog, in the past several of you
have suggested that I post an archive of these weekly
e-mails. Well, I’ve finally gotten around to doing so,
and you can now view all past meditation group
reminders:

http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/newsletters/#comment-62

I’ll be adding this one shortly!

Finally, I want to remind everyone of some special
music events coming up:

Alash, the group from Tuva, are performing at several
local venues this week and next: Friday, 1/18, at the
Lily Pad in Cambridge; Saturday, 1/19, at the Amazing
Firehouse in Framingham; Monday, 1/21, at the
HeARTbeat Collective in Jamaica Plain; and Wednesday,
1/23, at the New England Conservatory in Boston.
Please ask Ruth C. or myself for more information.

On Saturday, 1/26, Ravenna Michalsen will be giving a
free concert at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies.
Again, please let me know if anyone wants more
information.

Well, that’s all for now…. I hope to see everyone
tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 5:49 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 1/8/08 meditation group

Hello all! I hope everyone’s 2008 is off to a good
start; the meditation group will be back in action (?)
tomorrow evening, 7:30-9:30, at First Parish. Given
the spring-like weather, I think we’ll be okay to meet
in the Chapel. Ajahn David will be with us for a
belated “first” Tuesday.

A couple of items to forward along this week:

From the Buddhist Channel:

- An interview with Tibetan teacher Ven. Thubten
Chodron on finding the “right” teacher:
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=6,5680,0,0,1,0

- Gary Zukav weighs in on “Compassion and Courage”:
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=6,5694,0,0,1,0

- A brief excerpt from Eknath Easwaran’s book
“Conqeust of Mind” on detachment and joy:
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=6,5714,0,0,1,0

- And, finally, a Burma update from the Irrawaddy:
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=82,5704,0,0,1,0

Not specifically Buddhist, but I did come across an
interesting article from the BBC on living with
terminal illness:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7167947.stm

Ajahn Thanissaro has a new article at Access to
Insight in which he offers encouragement by way of a
familiar metaphor in “Strength Training for the Mind”:

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/strengthtraining.html

Access to Insight has also published the calendar of
Upostatha days — or “days of renewed dedication to
Dhamma practice — for 2008 (at least as observed in
the Thai tradition):

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sila/uposatha2008.html

Finally, I wanted to give a heads up on a couple of
upcoming events:

On the evening of Saturday, January 26, BCBS will host
an evening of live “dharma music” by Ravenna
Michalsen:

Beautiful and original songs written and performed by
Ravenna Michalsen:

“Ravenna Michalsen trained as a classical cellist for
fourteen years until developing arthritis and
fibromyalgia. Dharmasong is Ravenna ‘s second album.
After two years of concerts on the songs from Bloom,
it became apparent there was, and is, an appetite and
an audience for American Buddhist-inspired music.

“Both Bloom and Dharmasong are devotional: sadness,
joy and anger are combined with openness and
acceptance. Songs range from supplications to praise;
from requests to questions; from statements to
apologies. Many feature prominent figures from Indian
and Tibetan Buddhism, including Yeshe Tsogyal, Machig
Labdrön, Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava), Marpa Lotsawa,
Milarepa, Arya Tara and Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. To
preview Ravenna’s music, please visit
http://www.ravennam.com.

“JANUARY 26 * SATURDAY * 7:00 PM * FREE AND OPEN TO
THE PUBLIC (No registration required.)”

http://www.dharma.org/bcbs/schedule/index.htm

Sylvia Boorstein will be holding an afternoon retreat
at Cambridge Insight on Sunday, February 3:

Sunday Afternoon with Sylvia
A half-day workshop/retreat with Sylvia Boorstein

“In this three-hour mini retreat, through
instructions, periods of silent meditation, and time
for questions and answers, Sylvia will focus on the
challenge of cultivating happiness—and the spontaneous
good will that is its reflection—in the middle of our
complex, demanding, and often distressing lives. Her
presentation will emphasize Wise Effort, Wise
Mindfulness, and Wise Concentration—literally and
figuratively the ‘heart’ of the Eightfold Path—as the
ever-available tools for transforming struggle and
confusion into clarity, a solid and grounded sense of
happiness, and even joy.
Sylvia also will read short passages from her newly
published book, Happiness Is an Inside Job.”

http://cimc.info/schedule_special.html

Finally, on Sunday, April 13, the Museum of Fine Arts
is hosting an afternoon symposium on “The Roots of
Happiness: Positive Psychology and the Art of
Meditation.”

“The search for happiness is ancient. Explore the
Buddhist path to happiness as illustrated by
selections from Evan Brenner’s Buddha Play, assembled
from original Buddhist texts. Sara Lazar presents
current research on the brain and the effects of
meditation, and Tal Ben-Shahar, teacher of ‘Positive
Psychology,’ the most well-attended course at Harvard,
talks about what really makes us happy.”

Participants include: Evan Brenner, actor and
playwright; Sara Lazar, assistant professor of
psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, psychology
instructor, Harvard Medical School; and Tal Ben
Shahar, author, Happier and professor, Harvard
University.

http://www.mfa.org/calendar/event.asp?eventkey=31557&date=4/13/2008

(Some of you may remember that Carrie and I thought
Brenner’s “Buddha” play was fantastic!)

Well, that’s it for this week; I hope to see you all
tomorrow evening.

Metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 5:48 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — no meditation group 1/1/08

Hello everyone and happy new year! The meditation
group will remain on hiatus this week, but will resume
meeting next week (1/8) when Ajahn David is scheduled
to join us.

A couple of quick hits from the headlines:

The Buddhist Channel has published Jill Jameson’s
account of the situation in Burma. Jameson was part of
the Buddhist Peace Fellowship’s recent exploratory
delegation to Burma, and reports that all is far from
“normal” — despite outward appearances:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=82,5635,0,0,1,0

Krista Tippett’s hit another home run (in my opinion)
with the latest edition of Speaking of Faith. This
past week she interviewed physician and storyteller
Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen on the practice of “listening
generously.”

http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/listeninggenerously/index.shtml

Digging into my archives a bit, I’ve come across a
number of articles on the psychological aspect(s) of
Buddhist practice — an aspect I personally find to be
quite fascinating:

AlterNet recently published an article from the UK
newspaper The Independent on the relationship between
mood and health, which ends with a number of very
familiar sounding recommendations:

http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/70342/

Back in July the LA Times ran a story on the
introduction of meditation practice (particularly TM
and mindfulness) in public schools, and the dilemma
over whether this infringes on separation of church
and state:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=7,4541,0,0,1,0

The blog LiveScience weighs in with a short post on
meditation and brain plasticity:

http://www.livescience.com/health/070507_mental_training.html

And Dan Goleman’s “The Lama in the Lab” from Shambhala
Sun takes a look at meditation and neuroscience:

http://www.livescience.com/health/070507_mental_training.html

More recently I came across an entertaining and
enlightening article in Psychology Today entitled
“Mastering Your Own Mind” which takes a look at
medtiation practice as a means for becoming “a
high-performance user of your own brain” in day-to-day
life:

http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-20060828-000001.xml

Thus inspired, I found a few more articles on Buddhism
and psychology that as a layperson in both domains I
found to be quite interesting:

“Buddhism & Psychology @ Y2K” is a 1999 article that
takes a look at the complext and changing dynamics
between Buddhist practice and western psychology:

http://mindis.com/CONTENT/buddhism_and_psychology.htm

This topic is explored a bit further in Eric
Pettifor’s 1996 article from Personality and
Consciousness:

http://pandc.ca/?cat=buddhist&page=buddhist_psychology

Finally, Padmal Silva offers a more thorough overview
of Buddhist psychology in theroy and practice in this
1990 paper:

http://pandc.ca/?cat=buddhist&page=buddhist_psychology

Incidentally, Jack Kornfield’s next book “The Wise
Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist
Psychology” is due out in April. In the meantime, I’m
very much looking forward to getting my hands on a
copy of Padmasiri DeSilva’s “An Introduction to
Buddhist Psychology” which is often cited in the
aforementioned paper by Padmal Silva.

And so with that, I wish each of you a happy, healthy,
and safe new year filled with much joy, compassion,
and equanimity!

With metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 5:47 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — no medtitation group 12/25/07

Hi all…. As noted in last week’s e-mail, we will not
meet tomorrow evening.

That said, there are always some (hopefully)
interesting web links to pass along:

Last Tuesday Brenda shared some of the poetry she’d
collected while on her Kripalu retreat the weekend
before, including several works by Rumi, the 13th
century Sufi poet.

Coincidentally, Rumi’s enduring legacy was recently
the topic of a fascinating discussion between Krista
Tippett and Fatemeh Keshavarz on “Speaking of Faith”
(http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/rumi/index.shtml)

Rumi was also featured back in October on WBUR’s
“OnPoint” with Keshavarz and translator Coleman Barks:

http://www.onpointradio.org/shows/2007/10/20071005_b_main.asp

Several Buddhist Channel articles caught my eye this
past week, including one by Huffington Post
contributor Karen Kisslinger, who provides an timely
(re-) introduction to metta practice in “Peacefulness
on Earth… Good Will Toward Everybody”:
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=6,5611,0,0,1,0

Since the Huffington Post is primarily a political
blog, this piqued my curiosity, and I was interested
to see that there have been quite a few
Buddhist-related articles.

Perry Garfinkel offers his reflections on the recent
DVD release of John Bush’s “Yatra Trilogy”:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/perry-garfinkel/this-pilgrimage-like-the_b_77668.html

Garfinkel is perhaps best known for his 2005 National
Geographic feature “Buddha Rising, Buddhism in the
West”
(http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0512/feature4/)
and the book “Buddha or Bust: In Search of Truth,
Meaning, Happiness, and the Man Who Found Them All”
(Buddhist Channel review here:
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=10,3037,0,0,1,0)

Some of Garfinkel’s other interesting contributions at
the Huffington Post are:

“Interviewing the Dalai Lama: He Had Me At Hello”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/perry-garfinkel/interviewing-the-dalai-la_b_70804.html

“An Appeal For Mindful Speaking”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/perry-garfinkel/an-appeal-for-mindful-spe_b_71760.html

and

“Thich Nhat Hanh’s ‘Relationships For Dummies’”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/perry-garfinkel/thich-nhat-hanhs-relati_b_75598.html

Joining Kisslinger and Garfinkel is occasional
Tricycle contributor RJ Eskow (“Dalai Lama Asks — If
Buddhist Doctrine of ‘No-Self’ Is Wrong, Who Are
These People?”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rj-eskow/dalai-lama-asks-if-bud_b_68925.html)

Another great article is Susan Smalley’s “Mindfulness
And Meditation In The Modern World”
(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-smalley/mindfulness-and-meditatio_b_64753.html)

Getting back to the Buddhist Channel, Jamyang Norbu
offers his take on the future of the institution of
the Dalai Lama in “The Jewel in the Ballot Box:
Electing a New Dalai Lama”
(http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=70,5598,0,0,1,0)

Meanwhile the Business Standard (India) provides an
update on the reincarnation (of sorts) of another
Buddhist institution, Nalanda University:
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=42,5613,0,0,1,0

There’s not been much news on the Burma front, however
things are getting quite interesting elsewhere in
Southeast Asia. It’s a little early to tell if
yesterday’s elections in Thailand will have any effect
on the Sangha there, but Human Rights Watch has
expressed concern over a clash in Cambodia between
police and Buddhist monks protesting at the Vietnamese
embassy:
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=53,5627,0,0,1,0

Finally, Joe Lebkowsky of WorldChanging weighs in on
the holidays and the notion of “voluntary simplicity”
(http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=70,5629,0,0,1,0),
and James Bowley reminds us of the importance of humor
(http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=7,5626,0,0,1,0).

With that, I wish everyone a very merry Christmas with
peace on earth and metta to all!

- Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 5:46 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 12/18/07 meditation group

Hello again! I hope everyone emerged relatively
unscathed from the two snowstorms of the past week.
Ah, the joys of living in New England!

We’ll meet at our usual time (7:30-9:30pm) at First
Parish tomorrow evening. Since the weather is expected
to be quite cold, let’s plan on meeting upstairs in
the High School room. Brenda — fresh off her weekend
retreat at Kripalu — will lead the practice.

Before I get into the weekly round up, I do want to
mention that the meditation group will be on hiatus
the next two weeks (12/25 and 1/1) due to the
Christmas and New Year’s Day holidays. I expect
turnout would be pretty meager anyway. That said,
don’t forget to take breath (or two or three) during
those stressful moments that sometimes pop up at this
time of the year. And if you get a chance to sit for a
bit, so much the better!

We will resume our regular meetings on January 8, when
Ajahn David — our own “celebrity monk” — will join
us once again.

On to the news:

Priscille’s talk last week inspired me to pick up a
copy of Shambhala Sun (http://www.shambhalasun.com)
for the first time in a while. I’ve just started into
it, but there looks to be a number of interesting
articles in addition to the one on fear and
fearlessness that she mentioned. Unfortunately these
are not available online.

That said, the Shambhala Sun website does publish
articles from the archives every now and again, and
couple in particular caught my attention this past
week:

First, teacher Reggie Ray provides an interesting look
at the various permutations and meanings of the word
“dharma”:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=2239&Itemid=24

Then there’s a Sharon Salzberg 2005 article on
“Generosity’s Perfection” — which came home to me in
a very serendipitous and profound way this weekend:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1304&Itemid=247

Finally, Burmese meditation master Sayadaw U Pandita
offers wonderfully succinct instruction the practice
of vipassana meditation:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1465&Itemid=244

I also picked up the current issue of Shambhala Sun’s
sister publication “Buddhadharma: The Practitioner’s
Quarterly” (http://www.thebuddhadharma.com/index.php).
It also looks to have a number of interesting
articles, particularly a forum on Buddhism and
psychology.

Not to be undone, Tricycle magazine’s website has an
ongoing “Q&A” series with noted Buddhist teachers;
they’ve just published Joseph Goldstein’s responses to
readers’ questions:

http://www.tricycle.com/issues/web_exclusive/4268-1.html

As mentioned earlier, Rich Barlow of the Boston Globe
interviewed Ajahn David for Saturday’s edition of the
paper. The transcript (and a wonderful photo of Ajahn
in situ at Wat Buddhabahvana) is available here:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/12/15/meditation_practice_frees_inmates/?p1=email_to_a_friend

(The article also made it to the Buddhist Channel!)

On a semi-related note, I wanted to mention again the
documentary “Dhamma Brothers” about a vipassana
meditation program for prisoners at a maximum security
facility in Alabama. I don’t know if/when there will
be another local screening, but I highly recommend
watching the trailer in the meantime:

http://dhammabrothers.com/trailer.html

A couple of other items off the Buddhist Channel
newswire this week:

An op-ed piece by Paul Richardson of Religious
Intelligence on religion and politics in Burma:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=8,5555,0,0,1,0

And a couple of reports on the aftermath of the
Burmese protests:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=82,5584,0,0,1,0

and

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=82,5579,0,0,1,0

(The latter is the report of an investigative
delegation sent by the Buddhist Peace Fellowship.)

Finally, there’s a wonderful profile of 100-year old
Zen master Kyozan Joshu Sasaki Roshi:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=60,5593,0,0,1,0

I think that just about does it for now; I suppose I
have to save some things for next week.

Hopefully we’ll see you all tomorrow evening.

Metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 5:31 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 12/11/07 meditation group

Hi all! The usual time and place for the meditation
group tomorrow evening: 7:30-9:30 in the Chapel at
First Parish. (If it’s too cold, we can try to move
upstairs to the High School room.) Priscille will be
practice leader.

As I mentioned last week, on Saturday Carrie and I met
Rev. Ralph Galen of the Andover UU Congregation to
discuss a emerging Merrimack Valley chapter of the
Buddhist Peace Fellowship. In addition to Rev. Galen
and ourselves, we were joined by another member of the
Andover church, and a couple from Great Pond Sangha in
North Andover, who brought their 10- and 12-year old
sons. It was neat to have the young men join us — the
older one, Kai, in particular seemed pretty well
tuned-in to the proceedings.

We began with a short period of sitting, followed by
each of us sharing our connection to Buddhist practice
and our inspiration for attending the BPF meeting. The
tone was largely exploratory — there seems to be a
shared sense that there is a niche for a Buddhist
peace group, but questions about what that means in
terms of practice. Building bridges with the many
Southeast Asian Buddhist communities in the area seems
like it may emerge as a leading focus of the naescent
group.

It was nice to have relatively broad representation of
the Buddhist traditions — Zen, Theravada, and Tibetan
– within a very small group, and nice — as Reverend
Galen noted — that not everyone there was associated
with the UU church or the UUBF. I’m not quite sure
what the next steps will be, but please let me know if
anyone is interested in being put on the e-mail list
for future updates.

On to this week’s Web highlights….

… From the Buddhist Channel:

- An interesting feature on alms bowl makers in
Thailand:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=52,5535,0,0,1,0

- A profile of the Tzu Chi Foundation of Taiwan, noted
for their civic engagement:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=48,5538,0,0,1,0

- An article on the art and archeology of Pakistan’s
Buddhist herigate:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=4,5504,0,0,1,0

- And one on how Buddhist culture has gone
“underground” in post-protest Burma:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=82,5508,0,0,1,0

And in other news…

Tricycle essayist Martha Henry shares her thoughts on
meditation and multitasking around the holidays:

http://www.tricycle.com/issues/web_exclusive/4265-1.html

The Tricycle editors are not particularly sanguine
about the situation in Burma:

http://tricycleblog.wordpress.com/

… And the BBC offers their own take:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7133239.stm

To end things on a slightly cheerier note, the BBC
also has a nice piece on “Amma — the Hugging Saint.”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7130151.stm

Those of you who’ve been around a while probably
remember hearing Abhaya mention her on occasion.

Hopefully we’ll see you all tomorrow night; until
then….

Metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 5:29 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 12/4/07 meditation group

Hi all! Just the usual reminder that we’ll meet
tomorrow evening from 7:30-9:30 at First Parish. We’ll
be in the Chapel, unless it’s too cold. Ajahn David is
back from his trip and will join us again this week.

As usual, a hodge-podge of things to mention this
week:

Last week Brenda read from Gil Fronsdal’s book “The
Issue at Hand.” As she mentioned, you can download it
for free from the Insight Meditation Center website
(http://www.insightmeditationcenter.org/imc-iah.html),
and you can also write to request bound copies. Gil is
a long-time teacher at Spirit Rock, and this short
volume is really quite a wonderful read. (I also have
a copy if anyone is just interested in borrowing it.)

There are, of course, several items from the Buddhist
Channel website from the past week:

UNESCO funding for Buddhist art projects throughout
Asia is running dry, forcing the groups involved to
scramble to find support elsewhere.

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=5,5447,0,0,1,0

There is also a short interview with Robert Thurman,
noted schloar/practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism (and
also Uma Thurman’s dad) on the “Buddhist Ethic of
Kingship” in particular as it applies to the
democratization of Bhutan:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=40,5455,0,0,1,0

Much has been made lately of the “feud” between the
Dalai Lama and the Chinese government regarding the
future of the institution.

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=70,5465,0,0,1,0

There’s also a great interview with the Dalai Lama
himself from his recent visit to Japan:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=9,5495,0,0,1,0

And then on the Burma front it seems as though U
Gambira, one of the leading monks during the recent
demonstrations, has indeed been arrested by the
military government and charged with treason:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=82,5497,0,0,1,0

Tricycle magazine’s “Editor’s Blog”
(http://tricycleblog.wordpress.com/) has been worth
reading lately, especially this guest post by Lama
Surya Das (which, as it says, was supposed to be
posted before Thanksgiving):

http://tricycleblog.wordpress.com/2007/11/28/resacralizing-the-holidays-holy-day-mindfulness/

Speaking of which, if anyone is interested in
contributing to our own blog
(http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com), please let
me know!

Finally, I believe I mentioned a week or two ago that
Rev. Ralph Galen — the UU minister in Andover — is
interested in establishing a Merrimack Valley chapter
of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship
(http://www.bpf.org/html/home.html). It looks like
there will be a formational meeting starting at 2pm
this Saturday, December 8, at his church (6 Locke
Street, Andover). There will be sitting, tea, and
discussion. The meeting is open to anyone who is
interested, so please feel free to spread the word.

http://uuandover.org/directions.shtml

I think that should be it for now; hope to see you all
tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 5:28 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 11/27/07 meditation group

Hi, all…. I hope that everyone had a wonderful
Thanksgiving!

We’ll meet tomorrow evening at our usual time
(7:30-9:30) at First Parish. I believe that there’s
another Girl Scouts meeting in the Vestry, so let’s
plan on meeting upstairs in the High School room.
(There should be a bit less traffic.) Brenda will lead
the practice.

We venture slightly off the usual path this week:

First, Krista Tippett hosted another fascinating
edition of Speaking of Faith this weekend. Her guest
was physicist and Hindu scholar V.V. Raman, talking
about the interplay between spirituality and science
in his life and thought.

http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/heartsreason/index.shtml

Also, NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday aired the first
segment of a new Philip Reeves series exploring the
River Ganges:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16467150

And as we begin the 2007 holiday season the media
seems to be sharpening its focus on the consumerist
phenomenon.

A brief article from today’s Christian Science Monitor
features UVM professor Stephanie Kaza, editor of
“Dharma Rain: Sources of Buddhist Environmentalism”
and “Hooked! Buddhist Writings on Greed, Desire and
the Urge to Consume.” Professor Kaza is a Zen teacher
and participated in the “BCBS forum on Buddhist
Responses to Violence” that I attended a few years
ago.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1126/p13s02-wmgn.html

http://www.amazon.com/Hooked-Buddhist-Writings-Desire-Consume/dp/1590301722

http://www.amazon.com/Dharma-Rain-Stephanie-Kaza/dp/1570624755

In a similar vein, the blog Alternet.org features an
excerpt of Bruce Levine’s new book “Surviving
America’s Depression Epidemic: How to Find Morale,
Energy, and Community in a World Gone Crazy” in which
the author begins his discussion of the relationship
between technology, consumerism, and depression, with
a spiritual reflection on Jesus, the Buddha, and
Spinoza:

http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/68043/

There’s been little news from Burma in the past week,
although the Buddhist Channel offers this Amnesty
International report U Gambira and other leaders of
the protests against the military regmie:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=82,5419,0,0,1,0

The Burmese protests have also inspired essayist
Pankaj Mishra to offer his thoughts on Buddhism and
political activism:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=8,5441,0,0,1,0

The BBC also recently reported that the Dalai Lama is
considering diverging from centuries of tradtion by
picking his own successor:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7103841.stm

This, of course, follows on the rather curious Chinese
decree in September that reincarnated lamas would have
to meet with government approval:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6973605.stm

Finally, stay tuned to music events around First
Parish. Ruth e-mailed last week to say that “Alash” –
a group of Tuvan “throat singers” — will be in the
area, and she hopes that our meditation group can
coordinate with the First Parish Music Committee to
arrange a concert towards the end of January.

More info on the group here:
http://www.alashensemble.com/

I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 5:27 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 11/20/07 meditation group

Hello!

The usual time and place for meditation this week:
7:30-9:30pm in the Chapel at First Parish UU in
Chelmsford. Brenda is out of town this week, so I’ll
substitute for her as practice leader.

There are a whole bunch of items off the internet to
pass along this week:

The BBC has a couple of very interesting video
segments on the situation in Burma, including
interviews with some of the monks involved in the
protests:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/player/nol/newsid_7090000/newsid_7095700?redirect=7095772.stm&news=1&bbram=1&nbwm=1&bbwm=1&nbram=1&asb=1

and

http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/player/nol/newsid_7100000/newsid_7101900?redirect=7101913.stm&news=1&bbwm=1&nbram=1&nbwm=1&bbram=1&asb=1

In addition, the BBC has a couple of short web
articles:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/this_world/7087588.stm

and

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7094731.stm

The Buddhist Channel weighs in again as well:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=82,5389,0,0,1,0

In non-Burma news, the Buddhist Channel has a couple
of interesting articles today.

The first is an interesting op-ed piece from New York
Newsday about builing community across religious
differences:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=8,5407,0,0,1,0

The second is about Buddhism and “the art of
negotiation”

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=7,5400,0,0,1,0

Also, I just want to give a heads up that the current
(winter) issue of Tricycle has a number of very
interesting articles. Unfortunately most are available
online only by subscription: http://www.tricycle.com

Finally, Brenda just received an interesting e-mail
from Rev. Ralph Galen of the UU Congregation in
Andover. He is interested in starting a local chapter
of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, and inquired as to
our interest. If anyone is interested, I’ll be happy
forward his contact information.

For more in the BPF itself:
http://www.bpf.org/html/home.html

Also, for any writers among us, the BPF journal
“Turning Wheel” is soliciting submissions for the
Spring 2008 issue. The theme is “In the Struggle:
Dharma as a Vehicle for Social Liberation (Special
Focus: Burma)”

http://www.bpf.org/html/turning_wheel/submissions_and_guidelines/spring_08.html

Well, that’s it for now. Hopefully we’ll see many of
you tomorrow evening. For those we don’t have a very
happy Thanksgiving!

Metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 5:26 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 11/13/07 meditation group

Hello again!

We’ll meet at the usual time and place again this
week: 7:30-9:30pm, in the Chapel at First Parish.
Carrie will be this week’s practice leader.

In the news this week:

The Buddhist Channel points us to an interesting
article from the Wall Street Journal on how Buddhism
has evolved into a force for political action (for
better or for worse). While I question the inclusion
of Falun Gong — which to me is more of a syncretic
movement, and not strictly “Buddhist” per se — it’s
an interesting article:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=70,5343,0,0,1,0

Of course, this is only a snapshot, neglecting any
mention of Buddhist political action in Thailand,
(both in terms of the relationship between the Sangha
and poltical officials, and also lay Santi Asoke
movement); Japan, where the Nichiren group Sokka Gakka
International has been particularly active; and Sri
Lanka, where the Sangha has played a significant role
in the conflict between the Buddhist Sinhalese
government and Tamil separatists.

Speaking of political action, and following Mike’s
forward from the Campaign for Burma, I couldn’t help
but pass along the following “very personal” protest
against the Burmese government, courtesy of Jim
Hightower via the Buddhist Channel (again):

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=82,5350,0,0,1,0

Shifting gears slightly, I wanted to mention an
excellent radio series this week being put together by
American Public Media. Several shows are collaborating
on the special series “Consumed: Is our consumer
society sustainable?”

http://sustainability.publicradio.org/consumed/

I caught Marketplace’s contribution on Friday evening,
and about half of Krista Tippett’s Speaking of Faith
broadcast yesterday afternoon. Fascinating stuff, as
always, and got me thinking about how much Buiddhism
emphasises the virtues of renunciation/simplicity and
generosity….

I’ll also throw a quick plug in here for the Center
for the New American Dream, which has been encouraging
a more conscious approach to the way we live for
several years now:

http://www.newdream.org/

Finally, a couple of quick hits from the Tricycle web
site:

First, Beth Roth’s latest essay on “choosing our
actions wisely.”

http://www.tricycle.com/issues/web_exclusive/4206-1.html

Second, Spirit Rock/IMS teacher Gil Fronsdal is the
latest participant on the “Tricycle Q&A”:

http://www.tricycle.com/issues/web_exclusive/4218-1.html

Both are brief and well worth reading. (Check out
previous Q&As, too!)

So, that’s about it for now; see you all tomorrow
evening!

Metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 5:25 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 11/6/07 meditation group

Hello to everyone!

We’ll meet at the usual time and place again this
week: 7:30-9:30pm in the Chapel at First Parish. Ajahn
David is away, so we’ll be joined by Ajahn Mangkone
this week. (Thanks to Sue for providing the
transportation from the temple!)

There are a number of items to pass along this week:

First, as I mentioned a few weeks ago, Krista
Tippett’s public radio show Speaking of Faith recently
hit local airwaves on WBUR. This past week she was
joined by Ingrid Jordt, and anthropologist who also
spent time in Burma as a Buddhist nun. Jordt gives an
insightful view into the dynamics between faith and
politics in Burma in “Burma – Buddhism and Power:
Compassion in the Face of Sorrow” — an absolutely
must-hear.

Tippett offers her reflections on Gather
(http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977166251),
and the interview itself can be found on the Speaking
of Faith website
(http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/burma/index.shtml).

The Buddhist Peace Fellowship’s Alan Senauke and Nyunt
Than of the Burmese American Democratic Alliance were
also featured in an October 7 interview with KPFA’s
Peter Laufer. This interview is available on the BPF
Radio website:
http://www.bpfradio.org/audiopages/102007-AlanSenaukeAndNyuntThanh/102007-AlanSenaukeAndNyuntThanh.html

So as you may know, this past week the Burmese sangha
resumed their protests in open defiance of the
military regime. Yesterday the New York Times’ Richard
Bernstien offered a intersting comparison between the
protest of Burmese monks today and the protests of the
Vietnamese sangha in the 1960s:
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=82,5337,0,0,1,0

Thailand-based journalist Robert Ehrlich also has an
interesting commentary on the reaction (or lack
thereof) of the Thai sangha to the situation in Burma:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=82,5297,0,0,1,0

The BBC of course continues to provide great coverage
of the situation in Burma:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7070551.stm

and

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7071018.stm

Moving right along to some other things, Tricyle has
posted on its website a couple of interesting articles
from the upcoming issue:

First is an interview with the Burmese monk Sayadaw U
Tejaniya on practice in everyday
life(http://www.tricycle.com/issues/editors_pick/4188-1.html);
second is a piece by Huffington Post blogger RJ Eskow,
who wonders “if he can practice right speech and
cultivate equanimity without losing his edge as a
political advocate”
(http://www.tricycle.com/issues/editors_pick/4189-1.html).

Also, last week Matt kindly shared with us his
thoughts following a day-long session at CIMC with
Joseph Goldstein. As Matt mentioned, one of the
teaching devices Joseph likes to use is the example of
the Big Dipper as something (a pattern or concept)
that we perceive, but that lacks an inherent
existence. Well, by karmic coincidence, Tricycle’s
“Daily Dharma” from last Thursday shares one of
Joseph’s contributions to the anthology “Everyday
Mind”:

http://www.tricycle.com/issues/2_549/dailydharma/4148-1.html

Meanwhile, I just want to quickly share my own
enthuisasm for Ajhan Thanissaro’s “Meditations 2″ –
the middle volume of three-part collection of dharma
talks. While some of his writing can be quite dense,
the Meditations series (I’ve read v.2 and 3 so far) is
very accessible and well worth reading. Better yet,
you can download sections for free via the Access to
Insight website (http://www.accesstoinsight.org).

Finally, I just want to remind everyone that tomorrow
is Election Day; please go out and vote!!

With metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 5:24 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 10/30/07 meditation group

Hi all! Just the usual reminder for this week’s
meditation group: 7:30-9:30 this evening at First
Parish. We’ll be back in the Chapel this evening.

A couple of quick notes today:

The Buddhist Channel has an interesting first-hand
account of the Burmese protests from Ashin Kovida, one
of the main monastic organizers:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=82,5271,0,0,1,0

The Washington Post and International Herald Tribune
also have features on Kovida’s escape here:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?protest_news

In non-Burma news, the Buddhist Channel also has a
couple of interestnig pieces, one on an American monk
who recently established a Vietnamese Theravada temple
in Port Arthur, Texas. (Vietnam is unique among Asian
countries in that it is home to both the Mahayana and
Theravada Buddhist tradtions.)

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=61,5261,0,0,1,0

Going back a few months, there’s another interesting
article on couple of monks — one Catholic, one
Buddhist — who joined forces for a walk for religious
harmony along the Paul Bunyan State Trail in
Minnesota:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=62,4587,0,0,1,0

Finally, if anyone is interested in heading down to
New York next weekend, the American Museum of Natural
History is hosting the Margaret Mead Film and Video
Festival. One of the offerings is “The Thread of
Karma”:

“In 1991, filmmakers Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam made
The Reincarnation of Khensur Rinpoche (Mead Festival
1992), which followed the search and discovery of a
4-year-old reincarnated lama, Phara Khenchen Rinpoche.
Sixteen years later, the directors revisit the
reincarnation at Drepung Monastery in South India. The
film offers an intimate look at the life of a young
lama as he aspires to live up to the reputation of his
former incarnation. It also explores his moving
relationship with the two people closest to him, his
attendant and his spiritual master, both of whom were
connected to him in his previous life. By focusing on
these ties that cut across lifetimes, the film paints
a touching portrait of the Rinpoche even as it
demystifies the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of
reincarnation.”

http://www.amnh.org/programs/mead/mead2007/php/films.php?f=Thread

Sounds interesting….

Anyhow, enough for this week; hopefully we’ll see
everyone this evening!

Metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 5:23 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 10/23/07 meditation group

Hi all! Well, Carrie and I are back from a wonderful
vacation; I hope everyone had a good couple of weeks
since we last saw you.

Brenda says that the Girl Scouts have a meeting in the
Vestry tomorrow evening, so we’ll be better off
meeting upstairs in the High School room at our usual
time (7:30-9:30). Brenda will lead the practice
tomorrow night.

As I mentioned in my last e-mail, Carrie and I began
our vacation by attending the Dalai Lama’s public talk
at Radio City Music Hall. His talk on “Peace and
Prosperity” was the culmination of the weekend
teaching to which Mike referred to in his e-mail last
week. (Thanks, Mike!)

The public talk was naturally geared for a more
general audience than those attending the weekend
teaching and focused on what His Holiness refers to as
“secular ethics” — that is the common ethical values
shared by all major religious traditions, specifically
love and compassion. The Dalai Lama says these values
can be called “secular” because they do not depend on
a particular religious doctrine.

He began by speaking briefly about “prosperity” and
the responsibility for affluent nations to share with
poorer nations. He emphasized interdependence and that
by helping others out of abject poverty we are in fact
helping ourselves.

In speaking of “peace,” the Dalai Lama emphasized the
necessity to engage in dialogue — particuarly
interfaith dialogue — from the common ground of our
shared “secular” values.

He prefaced his remarks by stating that anyone who
came to hear him expecting some sort of transcendent
wisdom was bound to be disappointed, but it was clear
that he spoke from the heart about what has become a
key part of his life’s work.

He came across as very warm and down-to-earth — a
point that was made clear as he tried to sit
crossed-legged in a chair that was a little too narrow
for such use. He chuckled, shrugged, and eventually
made himself comfortable as best he could.

All in all it was an interesting afternoon, and I’m
glad to have had the opportunity to hear him.

A couple of quick notes to pass along:

1) The Boston Globe had a feature a few weeks ago on
Lama John Makransky, colleague of Lama Surya Das and a
well-respected teacher in the Dzogchen tradition.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/09/30/sharing_enlightenment/

2) This past weekend the New York Times Magazine had a
short essay on one reporter’s recent visit to Burma,
and the situation there in the aftermath of last
month’s protests:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/21/magazine/21lives-t.html?_r=1&ref=magazine&oref=slogin

And, finally…

3) An oft-cited show here — Krista Tippett’s
“Speaking of Faith” — is finally coming to WBUR
(90.9FM) at noon on Sundays:

http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/

Keep well, and see you all soon!

Metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 5:22 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 10/16/07 meditation group

Hi all…. Well, Carrie and I will be away next week
celebrating our 5th anniversary. We kick things off by
going down to NYC to hear the Dalai Lama give a public
talk on “Peace and Prosperity” at Radio City Music
Hall on Sunday.

The meditation group will meet at its usual time
(7:30-9:30) on Tuesday evening at First Parish, and
Priscille will lead the practice. I believe the
Religious Education committee will be in the Chapel on
Tuesday evening, so you all will probably be back
upstairs in the High School room.

As usual, there are a couple of links to leave you
with:

I mentioned my “What is Enlightenment?” workshop with
Jack Engler a few weeks ago. I also sent out a link
(http://www.dharma.org/ij/archives/1998b/jack_engler.htm)
to an article he wrote for Insight Journal about 10
years ago. Well, the second half of that article can
be found here:
http://www.dharma.org/ij/archives/1999a/jack_engler1.htm

Also, Jack will be back at BCBS this coming September
for a workshop on “Seeking the Seeker,” which he wrote
about more recently:

http://www.dharma.org/ij/archives/SeekingtheSeeker–JE.pdf.pdf

Shifting gears again slightly, I also came across an
interesting chapter by Gil Fronsdal from the book “The
Faces of Buddhism in America.” Entitled “Insight
Meditation in the United States: Life, Liberty, and
the Pursuit of Happiness,” Fronsdal presents an
interesting history of vipassana meditation as
introduced to and practisd in the United States. The
book is almost 10 years old, so some of the
information is a bit dated, but it’s still very
intriguing reading:

http://www.insightmeditationcenter.org/articles/InsightintheUS.html

In a similar vein, Shambhala Sun has a great article
by Charles Prebish (co-editor of the aforementioned
book) entitled “Surveying the Buddhist Landscape”
which provides a brief survey of the wide variety of
Buddhist practice in the United States:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1697&Itemid=24

Shambhala Sun also has a nice collection of articles
on insight/mindfulness/vipassana practice on their
website:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=

Finally, Tricycle magazine essayist Marth Henry has a
wonderful, short Web Exclusive entitled “Among Other
Things.”

She begins:

“This January, in the bleak days of a New England
winter, I was unemployed, mournfully alone, and having
a bad hair day. It suddenly occurred to me that I
could solve all of my problems by becoming a Buddhist
nun.”

http://www.tricycle.com/issues/web_exclusive/4121-1.html

Oh, and one last final thing:

As I’m sure most of you already know, Tuesday is also
the day of the Special Election in the Massachusetts
5th Congressional District to fill the seat recently
vacated by UMass Lowell President Marty Meehan. Again,
more information can be found via the Secretary of
State’s website:

http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ELE/elespeif/5congressionalcal.htm

Well, keep well and see you all in a couple of weeks!

Metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 5:21 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 10/9/07 meditation group

Hello everyone!

Tomorrow evening we’ll meet at our usual time and
place: 7:30 to 9:30 at First Parish. We’re scheduled
to be upstairs in the High School room, but if the
Chapel is fee we may end up staying downstairs. In any
event, please keep a lookout for signs when you
arrive.

This week we welcome guest teacher Laura Howell of
Great Pond Sangha, the sitting group affiliated with
North Parish Unitarian Universalist in North Andover.
Laura will introduce us to the Tibetan Buddist
practice of Dzogchen (natural great pefection).

For those who are interested learning more about the
common ground shared by Dzogchen and Vipassana, I
again recommend Ajahn Amaro’s book “Small Boat, Great
Mountain: Theravadan Reflections on the Natural Great
Perfection” available as a PDF from the Abhayagiri
Monastery web site:

http://www.abhayagiri.org/index.php/main/book/138/

Per usual I have a few links to pass along:

The BBC continues to present excellent coverage of the
situation in Burma — at least as much as possible. I
thought this article was particularly interesting:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7022475.stm

I also thought this piece from New England Ethnic News
offers an interesting analysis from a political
scientist’s perspective:

http://www.gonewz.com/news/292/15/

Shifting gears slightly, this past week marked the
800th anniversary of the birth of the Sufi poet Rumi,
who’s work is often used by Jack Kornfield and other
teachers in the American Vipassana tradition. The BBC
(again) had a good feature piece –
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7016090.stm –
and WBUR’s On Point also did an hour’s segment this
week:

http://www.onpointradio.org/shows/2007/10/20071005_b_main.asp

Interestingly, Rumi was born in a part of what is now
Afghanistan in which Buddhism (among many other
traditions) flourished before the arrival of Islam.

One of Jack’s (and Abhaya’s) favorite Rumi poems is
“The Guest House,” translated here by Coleman Barks:

http://www.gratefulness.org/poetry/guest_house.htm

Perhaps it is not surprising, but I find it
interesting to see the parallels between Rumi’s “Guest
House” and the Tibetan poet Gotsampa’s “Seven
Delights,” which was the focus of the day-long
teaching offered a couple of months ago by Great Pond
Sangha and Lama Choying Palmo:

http://www.ktdpublications.org/excerpts/vajrasongs.php

Well, that’s probably enough for this week; hopefully
we’ll see most of you tomorrow evening.

Metta,
Tim

PS — Just a quick reminder that Laura’s teacher, Lama
Surya Das, will be teaching at 7:30 this evening at
the Friends Meeting House in Cambridge.
on January 9, 2008 at 5:19 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 10/2/07 meditation group

Hi all…. We’ll be upstairs in the High School room
at First Parish from 7:30-9:30 tomorrow evening. As
tomorrow is the first Tuesday of the month, we’ll be
joined once again by Ajahn David. (Thanks to Sue for
providing the chauffeuring duties this month!)

I’m sure you’re all aware of the ongoing political
crisis in Burma, and the unfortunate direction in
which events have unfolded. The BBC
(http://news.bbc.co.uk) and the Buddhist Channel
website (http://www.buddhistchannel.tv) continue their
excellent coverage of the situation, even as getting
reliable news becomes increasingly difficult.

There’s a lot to read for those who are interested,
but here are a couple of articles I found particularly
interesting this past week:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/asia_pacific/2007/burma/default.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7015465.stm

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0927/p08s01-comv.html

Also, WBUR’s On Point featured a discussion of the
Burmese situation this morning:

http://www.onpointradio.org/shows/2007/10/20071001_a_main.asp

This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend two
workshops out at the Barre Center for Buddhist
Studies: on Saturday, CIMC teachers Narayan and
Michael Liebenson Grady led a workshop on
“Investigating the Nature of Fear,” and on Sunday
Harvard psychologist Jack Engler led a workshop
entitled “What is Enlightenment?” Both were very
interesting — particularly Sunday’s session, which
unsurprisingly covered a lot of ground. You can get a
sense for how things went on Sunday morning from this
1998 Insight Journal article:

http://www.dharma.org/ij/archives/1998b/jack_engler.htm

In the afternoon Engler showed the parallels between
the 17 stages of meditation (per the Theravada
tradition) and John Bowlby’s 4-stage model of the
grief process. Heady stuff — which probably explains
why Enlightenment isn’t talked about very much!

Engler is a former Catholic monk who has practised
vipassana meditation for nearly 40 years and studied
with Munindra and Dipa Ma, themselves students of
Burmese meditation master Mahasi Sayadaw.

BCBS is also home to Dhamma Dana Publications,
distributor of free dhamma books primarily from the
Theravadan tradition
(http://www.dharma.org/bcbs/publications/index.htm). I
picked up a couple of books by Ajahn Thanissaro (aka
Geoffrey DeGraff) the last time I was out at Barre.
Some of his stuff is pretty intense to get through,
but other of his writing is much more accessible. I’d
highly recommend checking out “Meditations 3,” which
is the third volume of a collection of dhamma talks.

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/meditations3.html

All of his writing can be found on the Access to
Insight website.

“Ajahn Geoff” also wrote a nice article for Shambhala
Sun entitled “Creating a Good Ground for Meditation”
which might be of interest:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index2.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1463&Itemid=0&pop=1&page=0

Well, that’s probably more than enough for this
week…. See everyone soon!

Metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 5:18 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 9/25/07 meditation group

Hello, everyone.

First, a couple of quick things:

1) We’ll meet tomorrow evening from 7:30 to 9:30,
upstairs in the High School room at First Parish.
Brenda will lead the practice.

2) IMS has just released their 2008 retreat schedule:
http://www.dharma.org/ims/retreats.php

Per usual, there looks to be a number of interesting
retreats this year, and hopefully many of you will
have the opportunity to make it out to Barre.

Now on to more serious matters:

As many of you may already know, the political
situation in Burma has reached a critical level over
the past few weeks as thousands of monks and nuns
across the nation have launched peaceful protests
against the military dictatorship. Just this morning
the military leaders have threatened to “take action”
against the protestors
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7010839.stm).

The BBC, the Christian Science Monitor
(http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0924/p01s02-woap.html),
and the Buddhist Channel
(http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/) all provide excellent
coverage of developing events in Burma.

The Buddhist Peace Fellowhip last Thursday issued a
statement in support of the monks
(http://www.bpf.org/html/whats_now/2007/burma_peace.html),
and the Buddhist Channel is coordinating a campaign
for solidarity with the monks and nuns
(http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=70,4945,0,0,1,0).

Tomorrow morning at 10:30EST there will be a 15-minute
period for silent prayer and meditation in support of
the monks, nuns, and all people of Burma:

——————————–
An appeal to pause and meditate

The monks of Burma are taking a great chance, trying
to transform the brutal, deluded generals of the
ruling military regime with metta (loving-kindness),
quiet courage, and discipline.

They have asked the people of Burma and those who
support them, to meditate and pray silently in their
doorways for 15 minutes at 2000 hours this Tuesday:

Can you join them?

2000 hours Rangoon time
1430 hours GMT
1030 hours New York
0630 hours Los Angeles
2030 hours Bangkok
2130 hours Kuala Lumpur/Singapore/Hong Kong
2230 hours Tokyo
——————————–

Even if you are not able to take part tomorrow
morning’s observance, I would still strongly urge you
to extend your metta practice to include all people of
Burma: the Sangha, the laypeople, and the soldiers
alike.

May all beings be safe and protected
May all beings be free from suffering

With metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 5:17 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 9/18/07 meditation group

Happy Monday!

We’ll meet at the usual time — 7:30 to 9:30 –
tomorrow evening, upstairs in the High School room at
First Parish. We’re also very fortunte to be able to
welcome back Abhaya to teach the class.

There are a number of goodies to pass along this week:

Last Monday I happended to listen to a very
interesting broadcast of WBUR’s On Point on “9/11,
Fear, and Politics.”

http://www.onpointradio.org/shows/2007/09/20070910_a_main.asp

A number of thoughts crossed my mind at the time, and
later that week — while I was reading Ajahn
Thanissaro’s collection “Purity of Heart” — I came
across an essay entitled “Freedom from Fear.”

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/fear.html

Ajahn Thanissaro is very much a Buddhist scholar, and
much of his writing serves to dispel some popular
“myths” about Buddhism — at least from his
perspective. While much of his writing can perhaps be
best described as an “espresso shot” of dharma –
short, but pretty intense — one of his more
accessible works is a neat piece entitled “The Roots
of Buddhist Romanticism.”

http://www.mettaforest.org/Article/The%20Roots%20of%20Buddhist%20Romanticism.htm

For those who care to delve further, more of his
writings can be found via Access to Insight
(http://www.accesstoinsight.org) or the Metta Forest
Monastery (http://www.mettaforest.org/).

Also, a couple of weeks ago Ajhan David referred to
his friend and mentor, Ven. K. Sri Dhammananda, a Sri
Lankan monk who spent many years as a dharma teacher
in Malaysia.

It just so happens that the Buddhist Channel recently
published the text of Ven. Dhammananda’s final dharma
talk, given about two months before his death on
August 31, 2006:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=6,4794,0,0,1,0

There is also a short Web documentary on his life
available for download here:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=12,2800,0,0,1,0

Finally, I want to give a heads up that I’ll be
forwarding a great e-mail from Mike regarding some
items that have recently caught his attention.

Again, I hope to see you all tomorrow….

With metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 5:16 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 9/11/07 meditation group

Hello everyone!

Well, I’m freshly back from a very interesting
day-long with Joseph Goldstein at BCBS on “liberating
practice in daily life.” Joseph covered a lot of
ground over the course of the day: The morning was
spent primarily in discussion of generosity, attitude,
and intention; the afternoon focused on anatta, or
non-self, particularly in relation to conventional and
ultimate reality. He really seems like a wonderful
teacher, even from just this small sampling. I hope to
receive the CD recording in a few weeks and would love
to share with anyone who is interested.

For anyone who has not been to BCBS in a while, work
on the Farmhouse extension is coming along a great
pace. I had a chance to check out the particularly
impressive, massive dry-masonry wall that is being
constructed as part of a bulwark (for lack of a better
word) supporting a sitting area behind the library.
Renowned mason Jim Dowd has been commissioned for the
project.

Meanwhile, Brenda spent the weekend just down the road
on a metta retreat at IMS. I’ll be very interested to
get her impressions either here, in person, or on the
blog. (Or all of the above!)

As an aside, BCBS has just published their 2008 course
schedule (available online here:
http://www.dharma.org/bcbs/index.htm#cal08). The IMS
2008 retreat schedule is not yet available online, but
I do have a hard copy if anyone is interested.

Per usual there are a number of articles and links to
share this week:

The first is a wonderful essay by Beth Roth entitled
“The Fragility of Silence”
(http://www.tricycle.com/issues/web_exclusive/4068-1.html)

The second is a short commentary, also from Tricycle,
by Martha Henry on the question of whether or not
she’s considers herself a Buddhist:
http://www.tricycle.com/issues/web_exclusive/4078-1.html

Shifting scope slightly, we have a longer article by
Nicholas Bennett on “The Economics of Enough,” which
seems to me to be a good reminder of the relationship
between one’s personal practice and the world around
us:
http://www.inebnetwork.org/en/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=38&Itemid=18

Finally, a couple of calendar notes:

First, the September 18 guest teaching by Laura Howell
of Great Pond Sangha in North Andover has been
postponed until October 9. The reason is that Abhaya
will be on hiatus again from her retreat, and it is
our good fortune that she will join us again next
week.

Second, Ajahn David mentioned that Wat Buddhabhavana
will be holding a special celebration for the
consecration of their new shrine this coming weekend.
There is some confusion on my end as to whether this
will take place on Saturday or Sunday, but I will let
you all know as soon as I get more information.
Apparently this is a very big deal for the temple, and
we are all encouraged to attend.

Finally, this Saturday, September 15, is also Tricycle
magazine’s “Change Your Mind Day”
(http://www.tricycle.com/foundation/change.html). It
does not appear as though there are any local events,
but it’s something we can bear in mind throughout the
day. (Perhaps one of these years we can help
coordinate something in the Lowell area….)

As for this week’s meditation group, we’ll meet
tomorrow night from 7:30-9:30pm at First Parish. Now
that the church year has officially begun, I’m still
not sure what our exact location will be. We’ll aim
for the Chapel again, but please check for signs in
case we’ve had to relocate.

With metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 5:15 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 9/4/07 meditation group

Hello everyone!

This week’s meditation group reminder is going out a
little earlier than usual as Carrie and I will be
travelling this weekend, off to visit friends in the
Buffalo area. We’ll be back on Tuesday — hopefully
arriving in enough time to vote in the Massachusetts
5th Congressional District primary and pick up Ajahn
David or Ajahn Mangkone from the monastery. (If it
looks like we’ll be delayed, we may make a panicked
phone call to see if someone else can perform
chauffeur duty!)

In the way of a public service announcement, I do wish
to remind folks that Tuesday is indeed Primary Day for
the Massachusetts 5th Congressional District special
election to replace US Rep. Marty Meehan. It’s a bit
unusual to have an election the day after Labor Day,
so voter turnout looks to be particularly important.

(More info via the Secretary of State’s website:
http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ELE/elespeif/5congressionalcal.htm)

So, what exactly does politics have to do with
practice? My personal take (the short version, anyway)
is that political participation really is an integral
part of bringing one’s private practice into public
life, an expression of Right Intention and Right
Action.

For those who are interested, there’s a great book
from Wisdom Publications entitled “Mindful Politics: A
Buddhist Guide to Making the World a Better Place.”

http://www.wisdompubs.org/Pages/display.lasso?-KeyValue=32942&-Token.Action=&image=1

Speaking of books, Abhaya — whom it was very nice to
welcome back this past week — referred to the
Bangladeshi teacher, Dipa Ma, in context of trying to
bring one’s practice into everyday life — if only for
just 5 minutes at a time!

The book Abhaya read from, “Knee Deep in Grace: The
Extraordinary Life and Teaching of Dipa Ma” seems to
now be out of print, but might be available from the
library. Amy Schmidt, the author, does have another
book out called “Dipa Ma: The Life and Legacy of a
Buddhist Master” which is more widely available:

http://www.amazon.com/Dipa-Ma-Legacy-Buddhist-Master/dp/0974240559/ref=pd_sim_b_1_img/103-9078402-8763807

Shifting gears slightly, I wanted to also mention
yesterday’s On Point show about Mother Theresa’s
crisis of faith — the subject of a upcoming volume of
her letters and diaries, “Mother Theresa: Come Be My
Light”:

http://www.onpointradio.org/shows/2007/08/20070830_a_main.asp

Regardless of one’s personal predilictions it’s
unquestionable that Mother Theresa is a monumental
figure in contemporary religion and spirituality. As
such it’s really quite interesting to hear in her own
words her struggle with suffering, her “long, dark
night of the soul.”

This also reminds me of an article that came out last
month in the Christian Science Monitor about the
stuggle of spiritual leaders — of all kinds — to
address tragedy and suffering:

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0725/p01s02-ussc.html

Finally, on a lighter note, there’s another old
article via the Buddhist Channel that relates the
interesting story of Buddhist monk and a Catholic monk
who teamed up for a 100-mile trek across Minnesota:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=62,4587,0,0,1,0

Anyhow, enough babbling for now…. I hope to see
everyone on Tuesday, 7:30-9:30pm at First Parish.
Again, we’ll try to be in the Chapel, but please do
check for signs!

Metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 5:14 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 8/28/07 meditation group (Abhaya returns)

Hi all…. Tomorrow evening’s meditation group will be
a very special one as we welcome back Abhaya to teach
the group during this short break in her long retreat.
We will meet, as usual, from 7:30 to 9:30 at First
Parish. Things are a little up in the air room-wise;
hopefully the Chapel will be free, but please look for
signs in case we have to relocate.

Yesterday’s half-day retreat with Doreen went very
nicely I thought. She led a small group of us through
an afternoon of seated, walking, and “non-walking”
meditation, and dharma teaching. It was very nice to
have the opportunity to spend that extended period of
time for practice, and hopefully we can have her back
again in a few months to lead another half-day. If
anyone feels like sharing their thoughts, I’d
encourage posting your comments on the blog:
http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com

I believe a few people also headed out to Worcester on
Saturday for a half-day retreat with Sharon Salzberg.
Matt (and others), if you’d like to share a bit of how
that went for you, that would be great.

On Friday night Carrie and I headed to Harvard Square
to watch Evan Brenner’s one-man performance of
“Buddha: Triumph and Tragedy of the Great Sage.”
Adapted from the Pali suttas, Brenner did a fantastic
job of bringing the Buddha’s story to life. I think
what struck me the most — besides Brenner’s skill as
a playwright and actor — was how different it was to
hear the Buddha’s teaching from “his own mouth,” as it
were. Somehow, hearing the story/teaching transmitted
orally — as it once was — gives it a extra vitality
that is really hard to describe, or to get from the
written word. The short Q&A session after the
performance was also very interesting. While Friday’s
was the last scheduled performance, Brenner is hoping
to add more dates in September and/or October; we’ll
keep you posted as it’s very much worth going to see.

Finally, there a couple of nice, short articles I
wanted to bring to your attention:

First is an article from Bhikku Viradhammo on using
intelligence to observe life, particularly dukkha or
suffering:
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=6,4685,0,0,1,0

Second is a Tricycle “web exclusive” by Zen teacher
Lin Jensen on choice, karma, and consequence:
http://www.tricycle.com/issues/web_exclusive/4036-1.html

Well, that’s all for now — hopefully we’ll see as
many of you as possible to welcome back Abhaya
tomorrow night.

Metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 5:13 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 8/21/07 meditation group

Hello everyone!

We should be back in the Chapel tomorrow evening, now
that the Chelmsford Town Band summer concert series is
over. We’ll meet at the usual time: 7:30-9:30pm.

As seems to be usual of late, there’s a whole bunch of
stuff to mention:

First, of course, is our own half-day retreat with
Dorren Schweizer this Sunday afternoon, 8/26, from
noon to 4pm in the Chapel at First Parish (although
please try to arrive a few minutes early so we can
start on time).

A few of you have already mentioned that you won’t be
able to make it, but hopefully we’ll see most of you
there. It should be a good day. The retreat will be
followed a “tea hour” in the Vestry.

I’ll probably send out another e-mail later in the
week to ask for some set-up/logistical help (e.g.,
flowers, tea, arranging chairs, etc.).

For those who are interested, Dharmaseed actually has
one of Doreen’s recent dharma talks available for
listening: “By Love Alone Does Hatred End: Practice as
non-violence,” from this past Martin Luther King Day
weekend:

http://www.dharmaseed.com/teachers/?q=Doreen%20Schweizer

Also coming up this weekend is an afternoon of
meditation with Sharon Salzberg on Saturday, 8/25, at
Flowforms Yoga in Worcester:

http://www.dharma.org/ims/retreat_detail.php?id=91

And Friday night, 8/24, is the final performance of
Evan Brenner’s “Buddha: Triumph and Tragedy of the
Great Sage” in Harvard Square, Cambridge.

http://www.buddhacom.com/info.htm

Speaking of goings on about town, Brenda and I had a
chance to see Thich Nhat Hanh and the monks and nuns
of Plum Village at a very full Opera House in Boston
this past Saturday evening.

The evening began with some audience-participation:
chanting/singing and guided meditation led by the
monks and nuns before Thich Nhat Hanh himself spoke.

Thich Nhat Hanh delivered a two-hour dharma talk on
“Walking the Path of Love with Muddy Shoes” which
concerned nourishing the seeds of love:
lovingkindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity. He
then spoke for a while about how much needless
suffering comes about through wrong perceptions, and
how the antidote to wrong perception is communication.
(I’m paraphrasing quite a bit here, of course.)

He suggested four practices for correcting wrong
perceptions: 1) Always being fully present for our
loved ones; 2) Expressing our gratitude for the
presence of our loved ones; 3) Regularly asking our
loved ones what we might have done to cause them
suffering; and 4) Asking why our loved ones might have
done a thing that has caused us to suffer.

Sister Chan Khong finally ended the evening with a
haunting song sung in both French and English.

Hopefully Brenda will share her thoughts here or on
the Blog (http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com)
when she has a chance.

In other news:

- I came across some dharma videos on YouTube from
Ajahn Brahm of the Buddhist Society of Western
Austrlia. British-born Ajahn Brahm is an ordained monk
in the Thai forest tradition, and practices what he
calls “Haha-yana” Buddhism. If you watch his dharma
talks, you’ll see why:

http://www.youtube.com/user/BuddhistSocietyWA

Two that I’ve particularly enjoyed are “How to change
the world” and “The Right to Believe?”:

Moving right along…:

- The Buddhist Channel has a short but interesting
interview with Rev. James Ishmael Ford, Zen teacher
and minister at First Unitarian Society in Newton

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=9,4700,0,0,1,0

- A recent study at Oregon State University and the
University of Hawaii has found that “handling stress
properly” can actually lead to an increase in “good”
cholesterol. While no direct reference was made to
meditation, one can reasonably infer that it would
qualify as what the study authors consider a “good
coping mechanism.”

http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20070819/hl_hsn/handlingstressproperlyincreasesgoodcholesterol

- And finally, for those who are interested, Northern
Arizona University is conducting its own “Buddhist
Health Study.” One needn’t necessarily identify as a
“Buddhist” to participate — which entails taking
about 45 minutes to complete a completely confidential
online survey. I’ve taken the survey and am very much
looking forward to seeing the results.

More information can be found here:
http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~hs-p/bhs/index.php

Well, that’s probably more than enough for this week.
Hopefully we’ll see most of you tomorrow evening, and
again on Sunday afternoon.

Metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 5:12 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 8/14/07 meditation group

Hi all…. Just the usual reminder about time and
location for the meditation group this week: 7:30-9:30
tomorrow evening in the Vestry at First Parish.

There is a whole slew of other items to pass along
this week:

First, Mike and I attended the half-day Great Pond
Sangha retreat with Lama Choying Palmo at North Parish
in North Andover on Saturday. It was my first
first-hand experience with the Dzogchen Tibetan
Buddhist tradition, and found — not surprisingly –
to be generally familiar territory, albeit with
slightly different vocabulary and emphases here and
there. I guess my greatest surprise was that we only
actually did sitting meditation for about 15 minutes
of the 3 hours! There was quite a bit more ritual –
particuarly chanting/singing — than I’ve been used
to, and I found it interesting how Lama Palmo used one
of the “hymns” as the basis for her teaching that day.
I’ll try to share a bit more about this expereience
whenever I’m next practice leader; Mike, it would be
great if you felt like sharing your impressions of the
day, too!

I also want to give a quick plug to some upcoming
events, including one that just came to my attention
the other day:

Actor-writer Even Brenner (a fellow Vassar grad) is
presenting the story of the Buddha’s life in a one-man
play entitled “Buddha: Triumph and Tragedy of the
Great Sage.” Performances take place the next two
Friday evenings — August 17 and 24 — at The Theater
at 56 Brattle Street in Harvard Square, Cambridge. It
sounds quite interesting! You can find out more and
order tickets from his website:
http://www.buddhacom.com/info.htm

Also coming up this Saturday evening (8/18) is Thich
Nhat Hanh’s public talk entitled “Walking the Path of
Love with Muddy Shoes.” This takes place at the Boston
Opera House, and tickets do still seem to be available
through Ticketmaster.

Also this Friday and Saturday is the 11th annual
Lowell Southeast Asian Water Festival in Lowell. It
should be a very interesting cultural event, including
a performance Friday night by a Laotian dance troupe
supported by Wat Buddhabhavana.

Of coure coming up in a few weeks we are hosting our
own half-day retreat with Doreen Schweizer from noon
to 4 on Sunday, August 26, at First Parish. Please
feel free to spread the word to anyone you know who
might be interested; the more the merrier! I can
forward further details as needed. (Also, I may need
some logistical assistance from any one who knows he
or she will attend.)

Please take a moment to check out our webpage
(http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com), too, to see
what else is going on.

Finally, I want to pass along some links for freeware
meditation timers for your computer. It makes
sitting/walking practice much easier if one is not
constantly checking the time! I have one (Mindful
Clock) installed on my PC at work, and another
(Meditation Timer 1.2) on my Mac at home. I think
they’d work especially well on a laptop, where one has
a little more freedom to practice where one wants:

Mindful Clock (for PCs):
http://www.mindfulnessdc.org/mindfulclock.html

Meditation Timer Widget (for Macs):
http://www.meditationresources.com/

Meditation Timer 1.2 (for Macs):
http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/20879

(I can post these links on the website, too.)

Well, there’s always more, but that’s probably enough
for this week. I hope to see most of you tomorrow
night.

Metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 5:11 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 8/7/07 meditation group

Hello everyone!

We can plan to meet in the Vestry at First Parish at
our usual time (7:30-9:30) tomorrow evening, as it
provides a bit more a buffer from the band on the
Chelmsford town common. (The music is good, but not
particularly condusive to contemplation!) Ajahn
Mangkone or Ajahn David will join us again this week
as guest teacher.

If the Vestry is booked, we’ll stay in the Chapel, so
please do look for the signs!

There are a whole bunch of items to pass along this
week:

1) Added to the list of August events is a public talk
by Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh at 7pm on Saturday, August 18,
at the Boston Opera House. Tickets are $38. More
information can be found here:

http://www.greenmountaincenter.org/Boston%20Public%20Talk%20Info.pdf

2) Also on the 18th, of course, is the Lowell
Southeast Asian Water Festival. Wat Buddhabhavana has
been closely involved with this event in the past.

http://www.lowellwaterfestival.org/

3) Coming up this Saturday, August 11, is the half-day
retreat (10am-1pm) with Dzogchen teacher Lama Choying
Palmo hosted by Great Pond Sangha in North Andover. I
can forward additional details for anyone who is
interested.

On a related note, I want to mention a wonderful book
by Ajahn Amaro that is freely available online in PDF
format. Entitled “Small Boat, Great Mountain:
Theravadan Reflections on the Natural Great
Perfection” Ajahn Amaro — one of Abhaya’s teachers –
discusses the commonalities between the Thai Forest
and Tibetan Dzogchen traditions:

http://www.abhayagiri.org/index.php/main/book/138/

4) I recently stumbled across a very interesting
website (via YouTube) called Dhammatube. It hosts a
extensive (500+) collection of short dhamma videos,
mostly English-language interviews with monks.

http://www.youtube.com/user/dhammatube

There is an extensive interview with Ven. Bhante
Henepola Gunaratana, the Sri Lankan meditation master
and author of “Mindfulness in Plain English.” Of
particular interest to me were his commentary on the
differences between Asian and American approaches to
Buddhist practice. The others are worth watching, too,
however:

5) While we’re on the subject of videos, Tricycle
magazine has a special remembrance of Alan Watts,
whose writings on Daoism and Zen were particularly
influential for me:

http://www.tricycle.com/issues/web_exclusive/4000-1.html

Of particular interest is “Alan Watts Theater” –
quite literally a mash-up of auido from Watts’s talks
set to animation by the creators of the Comedy Central
series South Park. (You’ll need a Flash-enabled
browser to be able to watch this.)

http://www.freshminds.com/animation/alan_watts_theater.html

And last but not least…

6) … A very intersting review of The Simpsons Movie
courtesy of the Buddhist Channel:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=12,4603,0,0,1,0

Of course we also have our own half-day (noon to
4pm)retreat with Doreen Schweizer coming up on Sunday,
August 26. Unfortunately it seems a few of you will
not be able to make it, but I strongly encourage those
of you who are able to attend.

See you all soon!

Metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 5:10 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 7/31/07 meditation group

Hello everyone!

We’ll be meeting at the usual time and place again
this week: 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening at First
Parish.

I checked the Chelmsford Community Band web site, and
it looks like they will continue their Tuesday evening
concerts through August 14, so we may be better off
relocating to the Vestry (downstairs) rather than
trying to meet in the Chapel for the next few weeks.

August looks to be a very busy month, with all sorts
of events coming up:

AUGUST 4, Saturday — The Insight Meditation Center of
Newburyport is hosting a half-day (9am-12:30pm)
retreat with Chas DeCapua. The focus will be on
working with difficult emotions. Chas is a senior
student of Jack Kornfield and is currently the
resident teacher at IMS in Barre.

http://www.imcnewburyport.com/weekend_schedule.htm

AUGUST 11, Satuday — As mentioned in my previous
e-mail, our sister UUBF sitting group in North Andover
is hosting a half-day (10am-1pm) retreat on “The Joy
of Meditation” with Lama Choying Palmo, a teacher in
the Tibetan Buddhist Dzogchen tradition.

For more information or to pre-register, contact
Susan/Phil Malloy malloyps@yahoo.com (978-474-0823)

Suggested donation $30. Reduced rate for students and
those in need.

Appropriate for beginners as well as experienced
practitioners.

Old Center Hall is located at 3 Great Pond Rd.,
directly across from North Parish UU Church

AUGUST 18, Saturday — The 10th anniversary Lowell
Southeast Asian Water Festival takes place on the the
3rd saturday of August. From the website:

“The Lowell Southeast Asian Water Festival, Inc. is
dedicated to the preservation, protection and sharing
of the cultural heritages of the Southeast Asian
Americans of Greater Lowell, Massachusetts area.

“Every 3rd Saturday in August, more than 60,000 people
from around the country and the world come to Lowell
to celebrate water as it is celebrated in Southeast
Asia. They come for the blessings, food, crafts,
performances and (of course) the races.

“In 1997, the first Lowell Southeast Asian Water
Festival celebrated the culture of Lowell’s many Khmer
citizens. In 2002, representatives of Lowell’s Khmer,
Thai, Vietnamese and Laotian communities incorporated
the Lowell Southeast Asian Water Festival, Inc as a
501c3 tax exempt non-profit corporation.

“Buddhist scripture explains that the Water Festival
is held to thank the spirit of the water, to pray for
evil spirits to go away, and to honor the Dragon King
who dwells in the water. The Water Festival is a time
to be thankful for the rivers, lakes and ponds that
villagers depend upon for their livelihood and
economic development.

“On the morning of the races, there is a parade along
the Merrimack river near the Sampas pavilion, blessing
dances and a blessing of the the boats by monks.”

Wat Buddhabhavana is among the sponsors of the event,
and Ajahn Mangkone has strongly encouraged that we
come see this unique cultural event!

http://www.lowellwaterfestival.org/

AUGUST 25, Saturday — Sharon Salzberg will be leading
“an afternoon of guided meditations, talks and Q&A” at
Flowforms Yoga in Worcester. Registration is $30.

http://www.dharma.org/ims/retreat_detail.php?id=91

We are still working out the details for our own
half-day retreat at First Parish as we welcome back
Doreen Schweizer of the Valley Insight Meditation
Society in Lebanon, New Hampshire. August 25th or 26th
are tentative dates, but I’ll keep everyone posted as
plans coalesce.

And last but hardly least, it looks like Abhaya will
return to teach the meditation class on the evening of
Tuesday, August 28. It will be very good to see her,
even if only briefly, as she gets set to embark upon
her year-long retreat at IMS and Spirit Rock.

With metta to all,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 5:09 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 7/24/07 meditation group

Hi all!

There don’t seem to be any conflicts on the church
caldendar this week, so we can plan to meet in the
Chapel at First Parish from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow
evening. (If something does come up at the last
minute, we’ll post signs to let everyone know.)

There are also all sorts of exciting/interesting
things to pass on this week:

First, ever since Brenda introduced me to Krista
Tippett’s American Public Radio show “Speaking of
Faith,” I’ve made a semi-regular practice of checking
the SoF website to see what’s new.

This past week’s was a very interesting show called
“Stress and the Balance Within”
(http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/stress/index.shtml)
in which Tippett interviewed rheumatologist and author
Dr. Esther Sternberg on the latest research on the
relationship of mind, body, and health. (I
particularly liked Dr. Sternberg’s “Olympic
meditators” comment!)

I also briefly persused the SoF archives to see what
other gems had been hidden away, and turned up a 2003
interview with Vietnamese Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh
(http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/thichnhathanh/index.shtml).
Tippett also interviews a couple of other interesting
individuals who have been deeply affected by Thay’s
teaching: Larry Ward, a Baptist minister from North
Carolina, and police captain and former Wisconsin
Assistant Attorney General Cheri Maples.

On a personal note, Cheri and her daughter were
actually seated in front of me at my IMS retreat this
past June — although at the time I had no idea who
they were. It would have been very interesting to
speak with them once we broke silence!

Finally, Laura Howell, the teacher at Great Pond
Sangha (UUBF) in North Andover contacted Abhaya with
some information to pass along to all of you:

The first item is a half-day retreat in North Andover
with Lama Choying Palmo, an American-born teacher in
the Dzogchen tradition of Tibetan Buddhistm and
student of Lama Surya Das. The retreat is on August 11
from 10am to 1pm in North Andover. I can pass along
further details to anyone who is interested.

Great Pond Sangha has guided meditation with dharma
talk and discussion on the first and third Wednesdays
of each month, and peer-led meditation and discussion
on the second and fourth Wednesdays. They also have an
intergenerational meditation and potluck (including a
children’s section) on the third or fourth Saturday.
Again, I’ll be happy to provide additional details to
anyone who is interested.

I’m personally very excited about developing contacts
with other UUBF sanghas in the area, and perhaps we
can invite Laura to join us on a Tuesday evening to
talk about Dzogchen practice.

Well, I think that’s quite enough for now; I look
forward to seeing everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 5:08 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 7/17/07 meditation group

Greetings to everyone!

Just the usual weekly meditation group reminder:
7:30-9:30pm at First Parish; we’ll be downstairs in
the Chapel again this week.

One quick business item: Carrie and I are still
accepting contributions for the monks’ food dana. A
few of you have chipped in already (thank you!!), but
there are still others who had expressed interest in
contributing who have not yet done so. The more the
merrier, of course!

Carrie will be making the weekly farm-and-temple run
on Friday; anyone who is interested in joining her is
more than welcome.

In other exciting news, His Holiness the 14th Dalai
Lama will be coming to Radio City Music Hall in New
York City this October 12-14 for a weekend of dharma
teaching. Tickets for the teachings are quite
expensive ($80-$300 each), however tickets for his
Public Talk are only $25 and go on sale in August. I
expect they will go quickly.

http://www.dalailamany.org/registration/general_admission.html

A little closer to home, IMS just announced that they
will be offering a Metta weekend September 7-9. Anne
Nugent, who is leading the retreat, was resident
teacher at IMS from 1999-2003. Cost is on a sliding
scale.

http://www.dharma.org/ims/retreat_detail.php?id=93

That’s all for now; I hope to see everyone tomorrow
evening!

Metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 5:07 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 7/10/07 meditation group

Hi all…. Sorry for the change of venue last week,
and many thanks to Brenda and Sue for taking care of
things! (Actually, double thanks to Sue for hosting!)

This week we should be back on track at our usual time
and place: 7:30 to 9:30 at First Parish. Depending on
room availability and how warm the temperature gets
today, we may try to relocate from the High School
room to the Chapel. We’ll post a sign at the hallway
entrance across from the Church office if we end up
downstairs, so please check as you come in.

Just one quick tidbit to share this week: a essay
called “Little Decisions” (available both as text and
audio) from the Tricycle website:

http://www.tricycle.com/issues/web_exclusive/3947-1.html

Metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 5:06 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 6/26/07 meditation group

Hello everyone!

For the moment we’re still scheduled to meet upstairs
in the High School room at First Parish from 7:30 to
9:30 tomorrow evening. However, with temperatures
supposedly pushing into the high 90s tomorrow, I’m
checking with the chuch Sexton to see if we can
relocate to the Chapel (which should be much more
comfortable). Please check as you come in tomorrow
evening to see if the meditation group sign is posted
at the entrance to the Chapel hallway (across from the
Church office); if the meditation group sign is there,
we’re meeting downstairs.

There are a couple of other things to mention this
week:

1) A few weeks ago Brenda brought our attention to
Krista Tippett’s inteview with Pankaj Mishra on APM’s
“Speaking of Faith.”

http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com/2007/06/08/speaking-of-faith-on-buddhism-in-the-world/

This past week Tippett’s guest was Marieane Pearl,
widow of murdered Wall Street Journalist Daniel Pearl,
and subject of the current film “A Mighty Heart.”

http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/pearl/index.shtml

Tippett offers some additional reflections on the
conversation at Gather.com:

http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977037081

2) The Buddhist Channel newswire has had a couple of
particularly interesting articles recently.

The first is an article that appeared in the New York
Times about an elementary school in Oakland, CA, that
is incorporating mindfulness meditation practice into
the classroom.

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=7,4331,0,0,1,0

The second is an article from Biology News Net about a
UCLA study that found a very intereting physiological
response to the practice of naming our feelings and
emotions as they arise (e.g., through mindfulness
meditation):

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=7,4367,0,0,1,0

3) Last but not least, Carrie and Pris made the first
delivery of Bear Hill Farm
(http://bearhillfarmcsa.com) produce to the monks at
Wat Buddhabhavana (http://www.greatwisdomcenter.org/)
on Friday.

A number of you have already expressed an interst in
contributing to the cost of the monks’ share, and
Carrie and I will be happy to start collecting
contributions. The total cost of the share is $225 –
defrayed among however many people care to
participate. While there is absolutley no obligation
we strongly encourage general participation as a great
opportunity to practice “dana” (generosity). (Checks
can be made payable to Bear Hill Farm.)

I also strongly encourage those who are able to join
Carrie in making the delivery. I think it makes the
practice of dana more meaningful to actually have the
hands-on experience of picking up the produce and then
bringing it to the monks (i.e., something more than
simply writing a check). It’s also a great opportunity
to check out what Bear Hill Farm and Wat
Buddhabhanvana are all about.

Carrie and I are away both this Friday and next, and I
believe Pris and Brenda (?) will be coordinating the
dana trips while we’re gone.

Well, I think that finally does it for this week; I
hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

- Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 5:05 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 6/19/07 meditation group

Greetings to all!

Per usual, we’ll meet upstairs in the High School room
at First Parish from 7:30-9:30 tomorrow evening.

In other news, the award-winning film “10 Questions
for the Dalai Lama” is finally screening locally at
the Kendall Square Cinema in Cambridge, beginning this
Friday, June 22.

“Why do the poor often seem happier than the rich?
Must a society lose its traditions in order to move
into the future? How do you reconcile a commitment to
non-violence when faced with violence? These are some
of the questions posed to His Holiness the Dalai Lama
by filmmaker and explorer Rick Ray. Ray examines some
of the fundamental questions of our time by weaving
together observations from his own journeys throughout
India and the Middle East, and the wisdom of an
extraordinary spiritual leader. Also included is rare
historical footage as well as footage supplied by
individuals who, at great personal risk, filmed with
hidden cameras inside Tibet”

More information on the movie can be found here:

http://www.10questionsforthedalailama.com/

http://www.landmarktheatres.com/market/Boston/KendallSquareCinema.htm

See everyone tomorrow evening!

Metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 5:03 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 6/12/07 meditation group

Hi all…. Just the usual friendly reminder that the
meditation group tomorrow evening will be upstairs in
the High School room at First Parish from 7:30 to
9:30.

In the meantime there are a couple of logistical items
to share:

1) As most of you know Abhaya moved to New Mexico at
the end of May. While I’m sure we all will miss her
guidance and support as a friend and teacher, we are
also faced with some decisions to make regarding the
future direction of the group.

For the past few months we have pretty much maintained
the structure of the meditation group as Abhaya had
originally set it up, with Brenda, Carrie, and myself
“sitting in” to lead the meditation, check-in, and
dhamma talk. We’ve also been fortunate to be able to
turn to a few esteemed guest teachers who are provide
greater depth of experience.

We can certainly continue with the status quo, however
this might also be an opportunity to allow all of the
people in the group a chance “to express the dharma in
some way, so that there is a feeling of ‘peers’ in the
group,” as one of Abhaya’s Spirit Rock colleagues
suggested. This could be something as simple as
rotating the bell from one member to another each
week, or we could have a more organized schedule where
people can sign up to lead a discussion of some sort
following the meditation.

Anyhow, the point is to put this before all of you to
solicit your opinons and feedback as to what you would
like from the group. Please take some time to reflect
and let me know what comes up.

2) In other exciting news, Carrie and I just received
word from Mike and Anne at Bear Hill Farm
(http://bearhillfarmcsa.com) that the first veggies of
the season will be ready next week. Carrie will make
the first “farm-and-temple run” on Friday the 22nd,
delivering a half share of the week’s vegetables as
dana to the monks at Wat Buddhabhavana. Anyone who is
interested in joining her should feel free to do so.

Also, we will need volunteers for following two
Fridays, June 29 and July 6. It should be a great
opportunity to experience the practice of dana giving!
(I’ll be happy to provide directions, of course.)

Ideally we’ll rotate dana delivery among interested
members of the group, so that everyone has an
opportunity over the course of the summer.

Speaking of dana, I wanted to share a link to the
story of Vessantara to which Ajahn David alluded last
week. One of the Jataka tales — the traditional
stories of the Buddha’s previous incarnations — the
story of Vessantara is an illustration of the practice
of dana, or generosity:

http://www.vipassana.info/vy/vessantara_jat_547.htm

For the less mythologically inclined among us,
Santikaro Bhikku and Phra Phaisan Visalo have written
an interesting paper putting the practice of dana and
the tale of Vessantara into the context of capitalism
in modern Thailand:

http://www.bpf.org/tsangha/tsm03report/Karma%20Book/skphaisan.html#jataka

Jumping subjects, the Winter issue of UU Sangha has a
nice, short article by Rev. Doug Kraft on his
experience in a Thai monastery:

http://www25.uua.org/uubf/winter2007.pdf

Last but not least, I wanted to point out that Brenda
has been been quite busy on our blog, so I encourage
you all to stop by and take a look if you haven’t
recently had a chance:

http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com

If you feel inclined to write a post or add you own
comments, please e-mail me to request an invitation to
WordPress.

With metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 5:03 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 6/5/07 meditation group

Hi all…. Just the usual reminder for tomorrow
evening’s meditation group: 7:30-9:30pm, upstairs in
the High School room at First Parish. Ajahn Mangkone
will be joining us again this week.

There are a couple of news items to share this week:

The BBC had an article last week on the conversion of
Indian dalits (“untouchables”) to Buddhism:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/south_asia/6695695.stm

This has been an ongoing phenonmenon in India for the
past 50 years or so following Dr. Ambedkar’s
neo-Buddhist movement for the empowerment of the
underclasses.

On a related note, there’s a fascinating article in
the current issue of Tricycle that explores the
complexities of the convesrion of Tamil dalits in
India’s Tamil Nadu province in relation to
Sihnalese-Tamil violence in Sri Lanka. Unfortunately
it’s only available online by subscription, but I can
copy the article for anyone who’s interested.

For a bit of a reality check, the Buddhist Channel
also had an interesting article on how poorly Buddhist
countries fare according to the Global Peace Index:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=70,4228,0,0,1,0

Japan ranks highest at #5, and Sri Lanka brings up the
end at #111 (of 121), with another dozen countries
falling all along the spectrum in between.
(Surprisngly, perhaps, Bhutan comes in at #19.)

A bit closer to home, I just wanted to give folks a
heads up that Thich Nhat Hanh will be leading a
retreat at Stonehill College in August. He will also
give a public lecture in Boston on August 19 on
“Walking the Path of Love with Muddy Shoes.” More
information can be found here:

http://www.greenmountaincenter.org/TNH%20US%20TOUR%2007/events.htm

Finally I just wanted to mention that there are a
couple of new items to check out on our blog:

http:kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com

Again, you have be signed up for WordPress in order to
post or comment, but it doesn’t cost anything and is
spam-free. If anyone is interested and has not already
received an invitation from me, please let me know.

Metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 5:01 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 5/29/07 meditation group

Hi all…. The usual time and place for this week’s
meditation group: 7:30-9:30pm, upstairs in the High
School room at First Parish.

My apologies for not having done much on the blog in
the past week or so, but hopefully I’ll have time to
add some content this coming week.

A couple of tidbits in the meantime:

1) Author Deepak Chopra, who has a reputation as being
a “New Age” guru, recently published his fictionalized
account of the Buddha’s life
(http://www.amazon.com/Buddha-Story-Enlightenment-Deepak-Chopra/dp/0060878800).
More interesting to me, however, is a recent op-ed
piece he wrote for the Huffington Post, cross-posted
on the Buddhist Channel. It’s actually quite good:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=8,4163,0,0,1,0

2) There’s also a very short (<2 min.) video on Lonely
Planet of Laotian monks going on their morning alms
round; again, very interesting:

http://www.lonelyplanet.tv/Clip.aspx?key=886B04253A0DE0F8

There’s also all sorts of headlines these days about
the protests against the extension of Aung San Suu
Kyi’s house arrest in Burma, the debate over the role
of Buddhism in the new Thai constitution, mock polls
in Bhutan as the country moves towards democracy, and
continued sectarian violence in Sri Lanka…. If
anyone’s interested in the particulars, I’ll be happy
to provide links.

Metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 5:00 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 5/22/07 meditation group (Abhaya’s farewell)

Greetings to all!

The first and most important thing to mention is that
Abhaya will be back to teach the meditation class this
Tuesday, 5/22. It will be the final time we as a class
will get to see her before she leaves for New Mexico,
so I want to give everyone as much advance notice as
possible.

The current issue of UU World features a pair of
articles about the convergence of Unitarian
Universalsim and Buddhism: the first, “Unitarian
Universalists on the Eightfold Path,” presents a good
picture of the current landscape; the second, “What is
Unitarian Universalist Buddhism?” by Rev. James
Ishmael Ford (First Unitarian Society and the Henry
Thoreau Zen Sangha in Newton) presents the history of
the convergence of these two wisdom traditions.

1) http://www.uuworld.org/life/articles/23523.shtml
2) http://www.uuworld.org/ideas/articles/23667.shtml

Unrelated, but also worth checking out is Robert
Hardies’s article “Loving the Contradictions.”

http://www.uuworld.org/ideas/articles/23672.shtml

On a more scientific note, Anna Douglas — one of the
teachers on my retreat, and a Spirit Rock colleague of
Jack Kornfield’s — mentioned in passing the discovery
of “mirror neurons,” which seem to be strongly
involved with our ability to empathize with other
beings. NOVA scienceNOW has a good segment (15 min.)
on the topic from a few years ago, well worth watching
if one is inclined to wonder about the physiological
bases for metta, mudita, and karuna.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/3204/01.html

Also, the Dalai Lama visted Smith College in
Northampton a couple of weeks ago. WBUR gives a report
here:

http://www.wbur.org/news/2007/67055_20070510.asp

Finally, I just wanted to encourage people to sign up
for the meditation group blog
(http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com). At the
moment only a few of us are registered as
contributors.

Brenda just posted about Jack Kornfield’s article on
the vision of the Spirit Rock Meditation Center. I
should put up my own comments shortly, but you’re
going to have to visit the blog to read them!

If anyone is having trouble with the blog, or has any
technical questions, please e-mail me and let me know.

The usual time and place for this week’s meditation
group: 7:30-9:30 upstairs in the Hight School room at
First Parish.

With metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 4:58 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 5/15/07 meditation group

Hi all!!

I’m freshly back from my 9-day vipassana retreat at
Barre with Jack Kornfield. What an absolutely amazing
experience! I’m planning to talk about it in detail
when I lead the group next week (in lieu of a proper
dhamma talk), but will be happy to answer any
questions after this evening’s sitting.

I’m still trying to segue back into everyday life, so
I don’t have much in the way of cool links to offer
this week.

I do, however, want to reiterate my encouragement for
people to take a look at the blog
(http://kalyanamittasangha.wordpress.com). At the
moment besides myself only Carrie, Brenda, Matt and
Ruth have signed up to participate. For those who have
signed up, please feel free to post something. It
needn’t be very profound — just your musings about
practice, questions, whatever seems right….

I hope everyone enjoyed Ajahn David’s visit last week
– it sounds like it was very interesting and I’m
sorry to have missed it.

The usual time and place for this evening’s sitting:
7:30-9:30 upstairs in the High School room at First
Parish.

With metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 4:56 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 5/1/07 meditation group

Hello everyone; Happy Vesak!!

Vesak (or Wesak or Vaisakha) is the Buddhist holiday
commemorating at once the birth, enlightenment, and
death of the Siddharta Gautama. The name comes from
the second month of the Indian calendar, and the
holiday is celebrated — according to astrological
calculations — on the first full moon of Taurus.

This year there are two full moons during the month of
May, so that there is the unusual situation of some
Buddhists celebrating tomorrow, May 1, and others
celebrating on May 31.

There are a couple of good articles at the Buddhist
Channel for those interesting in learning more:

“What is Vesak?”
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=6,4043,0,0,1,0

and

“Celebrating Enlightenment”
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=56,4037,0,0,1,0

Tomorrow also being the first Tuesday of the month,
we’d normally welcome the monks from Wat
Buddhabhavana. Unfortunately Ajahn Mangkone
Dhammadharo and Ajahn David Chutiko are both away this
week, so that the visit will be postponed until next
week, May 8. (Ajahn Mangkone is away all month, so
that next week’s teaching will be by Ven. Chutiko.)

I myself will be away next week as I just received
word on Friday that I’m confirmed for the 9-day
vipassana retreat at IMS with Jack Kornfield, Gina
Sharpe, et al. I’m getting increasingly excited as the
time gets closer, although I’m sad that I’ll miss
Ajahn David.

I’m still working on the meditation group blog. So far
I’ve only received feedback from Matt and Carrie. I’d
love to get ideas from the rest of you, too! I’m
hoping to get things up and running before I leave on
Friday, although the site will definitely be a work in
progress for a while yet.

Finally, over the weekend I happened across an
interesting site called “Temple News.” It seems to be
affiliated with Wat Triratanaram, the Cambodian temple
in North Chelmsford.

http://www.templenews.info/

The “Temple News TV” shows some very interesting video
of goings on at the Wat, although unfortunately the
commentary is all in Khmer.

Speaking of Khmer, Carrie and I were very lucky to get
tickets to the full-house premiere of “Where Elephants
Weep.” I believe Carrie will do a more comprehensive
review for the blog, but in a word: Wow! Hopefully it
will return to Lowell and you all will get the
opportunity to see it.

That’s all for now; I hope to see everyone tomorrow
evening!

With metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 4:55 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 4/24/07 meditation group

What wonderful weather at long last! Happy belated
Earth Day and even more belated New Year… the Thai
New Year, that is. The holiday of Songkran is actually
celebrated throught South East Asia (Laos, Burma,
Thailand, and Cambodia) from April 13-15. Anyhow,
since we’re practising according to the Thai
tradition, and one of our esteemed guest teachers
hails from Laos, I would be remiss to overlook the
occasion. If interested, you can find out more here:

http://www.asiasource.org/news/at_mp_02.cfm?newsid=77892

A couple of quick reminders of upcoming events:

The world premier of Where Elephants Weep takes place
this Friday evening at Lowell High School. There are
additional performances on Saturday evening and Sunday
afternoon:

http://www.whereelephantsweep.net/

Screenings of the Yatra Trilogy continue at the MFA in
Boston through May 6:

http://72.5.117.145/calendar/index.asp?keywords=Yatra+Trilogy&category=&collection=&cal_language=&week=

I would also like to solicit your collective feedback
as to whether there is any interest for me to put
together a blog for our meditation group. As I’ve
mentioned to a few of you already, I thought it might
be nice to have a “place” where we can post notes
about upcoming events, dharma
discussion/questions/comments, book/film reviews, Web
links, etc., in between our weekly meditation group
meetings. If there’s any interest/suggestions, please
e-mail me and let me know. (I’m certainly happy to
keep sending out these weekly e-mails either way.)

Finally, yesterday I spoke with Abhaya for the first
time in quite a few weeks; she sounds wonderful! That
said, she thinks she’s still a ways off from returning
to teach. It could be several weeks or even longer,
depending on the pace of her recovery, but she’s
definitely looking forward to when the time comes. In
the meantime, thanks for bearing with those of us
trying to keep things going!

Well, that’s it for this week. See you all tomorrow
evening — 7:30-9:30 upstairs in the High School room
at Frist Parish.

With metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 4:54 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 4/17/07 meditation group

Hi all…. Just a reminder that we’ll be meeting in
the usual time and place again this week: upstairs in
the High School room at First Parish tonight from
7:30-9:30.

I think I mentioned this previously, but Doreen
Schweizer has again offered to come lead the
meditation group, probably sometime in May. Her
schedule is better suited to a Wednesday or Sunday
evening, however, and I said I would run that by you
all to see if that’s convenient. We could either plan
to move the date of the meditation group whatever week
that ends up being, or we could have Doreen lead a
group in addition to our regular Tuesday evening
meeting. (Obviously we’d also need to make sure space
was available.) Anyhow, please think it over and let
me know.

Also, it looks like our next “First Tuesday” with the
monks will be pushed back a week. Both Venerables
Ajahn Mangkone and Ajahn David Chutiko will be away on
May 1, but Ajahn David will be back and hopefully
available to lead the group on May 8.

Off on another tangent: While Carrie and I were
attending a performance of “Syncopation” at the MRT a
couple of weekends ago, we learned about a very
special upcoming professional production at Lowell
High School’s Cyrus W. Irish Theater:

“Where Elephants Weep,” a bilingual (Khmer/English)
“contemporary opera” in the style of Rent, is a love
story about a Cambodian refugee returning to his
homeland. It will have its world premier in Lowell on
Friday, April 27, and should be absolutely
spectacular. (Be sure to check out the promotional
video on their Web site!)

More information can be found at
http://www.whereelephantsweep.net

Finally, the usual video treats:

First is a very interesting-sounding independent film
called “10 Questions for the Dalai Lama.” It’s not yet
screening in the Boston area, but should be something
to keep in mind when it (hopefully) does arrive. You
can view the trailer here:

http://www.10questionsforthedalailama.com/

Also, a colleague of mine recommended another film
that unfortunately just finished playing at the
Kendall Square Cinema in Cambridge. “Into Great
Silence” is a German film about Carthusian monks in
France, and is supposedly a very meditative experience
in itself. Again, the trailer can be found via the
film’s website:

http://www.diegrossestille.de/english/

Well, that’s it for this week; I hope everyone’s
managing to stay dry.

See you this evening!

With metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 4:53 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 4/10/07 meditation group

Hi all…. Just the usual weekly reminder about the
meditation group tomorrow evening: 7:30-9:30pm,
upstairs in the High School room at First Parish.

Following Ajahn Mangkone Dhammadharo’s dhamma talk
last week, I’d sent out a link to a Tricycle article
on Buddhist relics. Hopefully those of you who’ve had
a chance to read it found it interesting.

Here are another couple of links on the subject, this
time from a PBS documentary from a few years ago:

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week711/feature.html

and

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week711/excerpt.html

I personally remain “agnostic” on the matter of
relics, but it’s still pretty fascinating stuff
nonetheless.

Hopefully we’ll see everyone tomorrow; ’til then, keep
well.

With metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 4:53 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

Follow-up to 4/3/07 meditation group

Hi all…. I just wanted to send a quick e-mail in
follow up to the meditation group the other evening.

In his dhamma talk, Ajahn Mangkone touched briefly on
the subject of relics. As it turns out there is a
fascinating article on the subject in the current
issue of Tricycle, available online as a PDF:

http://www.tricycle.com/issues/tricycle/pdfs/mackenzie163.pdf

Happy reading; see you all next week!

With metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 4:51 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 4/3/07 meditation group

Hi all…. All sorts good news this week:

First, Phra Ajahn Mangkone Dhammadharo of Wat Buddhabhavana in Westford has once again accepted our invitation to lead the meditation group, and will join us tomorrow evening.

Second, Abhaya’s friend Doreen Schweizer has also offered to lead the meditation group on a forthcoming Tuesday evening; we also look forward to welcoming her once we figure out the specifics.

Third, it looks like there’s enough interest to sponsor a half share at Bear Hill Farm for the monks at Wat Buddhabhavana. Carrie and I have already paid for our half share; the second installment of $225 is not due until August 1, so there is a bit of time before we’ll need to solicit funds from anyone who is interested in contributing some “veggie dana” for the monks. Obviously, the more people who are interested in giving, the better for everyone. (So far, I believe Brenda, Priscille, and Sue are on board.)

Carrie will pick up the vegetables from the farm on Wednesdays this summer, and anyone who is interested in seeing the farm and/or helping deliver the vegetables to the monks is welcome to touch base with her. I strongly recommend taking advantage of the opportunity!

Last but not least, there are the usual few items off the Dharma newswire:

First, another very good (if somewhat belated) obituary on Ven. Maha Ghosananda:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=60,3866,0,0,1,0

And a related article:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=6,3888,0,0,1,0

Finally, there’s an interesting post on Tricycle’s Editor’s Blog:

http://tricycleblog.wordpress.com/2007/03/14/meditation-what-do-the-numbers-tell-us/

(Be sure to check out Jeff Wilson’s original post, too; it’s very interesting stuff!)

I hope to see everyone tomorrow evening!

With metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 4:47 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 3/27/07 meditation group

Hi all…. Same time and place for the meditation
group this week: 7:30-9:30 at First Parish, upstairs
in the High School room.

A couple of notes worthy of mention:

1) As some of you may know, last year Carrie and I
became members of Bear Hill Farm
(http://bearhillfarmcsa.com/), a community supported
family farm in Tyngsboro that provided us with a
cornucopia of fresh vegetables from June until
October.

A full share provides way more food than Carrie and I
can eat by ourselves, and our other “half-share” has
decided not to do it again this year.

Carrie and I wondered if the meditation group might be
interested in sponsoring a half-share for the monks at
Wat Buddhabhavana in Westford. A half-share costs $225
for the season, which isn’t too bad if divided among a
few people.

We need to let Anne and Mike (the farmers) know what
our plan is pretty soon, so please think it over and
let us know if it’s something you as a group would be
interested in.

2) MGH’s Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine
is a relatively new research center studying the
scientific components and clinical applications of
“the relaxation response” — which is a part of the
physiological process our bodies undergo while we
meditate.

The institute is currently seeking study subjects for
their research. More info can be found on the
Benson-Henry Institute website:

http://www.mbmi.org/research/subjects.asp

3) Finally, this week’s video selection:

http://www.fearlessmountainfilm.com/trailer.htm

This site only shows the trailer, which is worth
taking 2 minutes to see. The film is a documentary
about the Abhayagiri (“Fearless Mountain”) monastery
in Redwood Valley, CA. It looks like a beautiful film
in its own right, but has a special connection to our
own group: The head monk — Ajahn Amaro — is one of
Abhaya’s teachers from Spirit Rock, and is actually
the one who gave Abhaya her “Buddhist” name.

And last but not least, a couple of interviews from
PBS:

The first is an interview with Pema Chodron, an
American nun from the Tibetan tradition who has also
written many good books on Buddhist practice. This was
part of the Bill Moyers series “On Faith and Reason”
last year:

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/media_players/chodron_full.html

The second is a Charlie Rose interview of His Holiness
the 14th Dalai Lama, also taped last year:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4235480941561974775

Both are well worth watching.

See you tomorrow evening!

With metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 4:46 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 3/20/07 meditation group

Hi all…. Spring officially arrives at 8:07 this
evening, at which point we’ll likely be in the midst
of meditation. We’ll be back up in the High School
room this week, starting at 7:30.

I also wanted to remind people that the MFA will be
giving a gallery talk on “Buddhism Across Asia” this
Saturday, March 24, from noon to 1pm. More info here:
http://www.mfa.org/calendar/event.asp?eventkey=26515&date=3/24/2007

Finally, I’ve come across a number of interesting
tidbits on the internet over the past week:

- Cambodian dhamma teacher and Nobel prize nominee,
Bhante Maha Ghosananda died on March 12 in Leverett,
MA. There have been many obituaries; I’ll post links
to a few good ones here:

http://www.tricycle.com/issues/innews/3796-1.html

http://www.lowellsun.com/fastsearchresults/ci_5443318

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=9,3828,0,0,1,0

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=9,3829,0,0,1,0

- And speaking of the internet, Tricycle magazine
contributor Jeff Wilson has a very interesting piece
on finding the Dharma on the Web:

http://www.tricycle.com/issues/web_exclusive/3793-1.html

(The HTML code is a little funky for some reason, so
be sure to use the forward and back arrows, not the
“continued” link at the bottom of the page.)

- Finally, there are a couple of great videos online:

One is the 50-min BBC documentary “The Life of the
Buddha” available via YouTube:

The other is “The Mindful Way,” another British
documentary featuring Thai teacher Ajahn Chah. It’s
posted on the Somerville-based Wisdom Publications
site and is about 20 minutes long:

http://www.wisdompubs.org/Pages/news.lasso#chah_video

See you all this evening!

With metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 4:45 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 3/13/07 meditation group

Hi all….

I hope everyone enjoyed having our guest teacher last
week. I just want to remind everyone of his invitation
to the Wednesday evening (7-9pm) meditation group at
Wat Buddhabhavana.

It’s pretty easy to get to the temple:

- From I-495 south take exit 32 (Boston Road).

- At the end of the ramp, bear right onto Boston Road
and continue for one mile until you get to a stop
sign.

- At the stop sign turn left onto Main Street, which
becomes Forge Village Road after 1/2-mile. (The street
names are NOT well marked, so just keep following the
main road.)

- Once Main Street turns into Forge Village Road,
continue for another ~1.5 miles. (You will pass the
Westford Water Department.)

- You will come to a reaonably well-marked 4-way
intersection, with a sign for the Courier Company;
turn right here onto Town Farm Road.

- Continue for 1/3-mile on Town Farm Road. (You will
pass the Courier Company on your left.) Turn right
onto Milot Road IMMEDIATELY BEFORE the railroad
tracks. The road actually abuts the tracks, so it will
seem almost as if you are turning onto the tracks
themselves!

- Follow Milot Road all the way to the end. The temple
(#25) is pretty obvious, and parking is in the rear.

I hope to make it over myself one of these Wednesday
evenings, but strongly encourage anyone who is
interested to check it out in the meantime.

And I hope to see you all tonight at First Parish!

- Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 4:44 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 3/6/07 meditation group

Hello everyone!

This is just a quick reminder that the Tuesday night
meditation group will once again be meeting from 7:30
to 9:30 in the High School Room (upstairs) at First
Parish Unitarian Universalist in Chelmsford. This week
we will be pleased to welcome Ajahn Mangkone
Dhammadharo from Wat Buddhabhavana in Westford.

Also, I just want to bring your attention to a couple
of events coming up at the Museum of Fine Arts in
Boston:

On Saturday, March 24, from noon to 1pm, there will be
a gallery talk entitled “Buddhism Across Asia.” This
is an excellent opportunity to see and learn about the
museums excellent collection of Asian art.
(http://www.mfa.org/calendar/event.asp?eventkey=26515&date=3/24/2007)

Also, the MFA will be showing multiple screenings of
the stunning Yatra Trilogy
(http://www.directpictures.com/trilogy.html), which
explore Buddhism in its various contexts across Asia.
—————————————————–
- Dharma River: Journey of a Thousand Buddhas (The
Spiritual Wonders of Laos, Thailand and Burma)

Saturday, April 14 — 3:45pm
Thursday, April 26 — 6:20pm
Saturday, April 28 — 12:30pm

Dharma River: Journey of a Thousand Buddhas by John
Bush (2004, 81 min.). Dharma is the Sanskrit word for
universal law. Essential to Buddhist understanding,
dharma is the natural order, a living truth, and a
force for awakening. Dharma River is a lyrical and
exquisite sensory journey through Southeast Asia’s
great spiritual and cultural treasures. Visiting the
legendary lost civilizations and living wisdom
traditions of Laos, Thailand, and Burma, Dharma River
powerfully conveys their continuing relevance for
contemporary audiences. Ancient temples, mystical
landscapes, and wondrous shrines-many of them UNESCO
world heritage sites-provide a rich visual tapestry.
With a score of rare classical Southeast Asian music,
this visual voyage masterfully illuminates artistic
and devotional traditions. From the canals of Bangkok
to the mountains of Laos, from the golden pagodas of
Burma to the Mekong River, the film is a unique
experience of sacred space.

- Prajna Earth: Journey into Sacred Nature (The
Spiritual Wonders of Bali, Cambodia, and Java)

Saturday, April 14 — 5:30pm
Thursday, April 26 — 8:00pm
Saturday, April 28 — 2:15pm

Prajna Earth: Journey into Sacred Nature by John Bush
(2004, 85 min.). Filmed entirely on location in
Southeast Asia, the second film of the Yatra Trilogy
is a stunning cinematic journey to the legendary
temples of Angkor in Cambodia, the spiritual sites of
Bali, and finally the marvel of Buddhist Borobudur in
Java. Prajna Earth is a pilgrimage to sacred
intersections where Buddhist and Hindu wisdom
traditions merge with the animist worship of nature.
Monks and nuns travel on foot for days to reach a full
moon gathering near Angkor Wat, the largest temple in
the world. The dance of the Devatas celebrates the
rebirth of this classic art form within the cultural
healing of war torn Cambodia. As the journey moves to
Bali, gamelan music, Ramayana dance, and lively street
processions echo through the hill town of Ubud. In
Java, a night of animist trance dance and spirit
possession is followed by a golden dawn and ascent up
the startling seven level stupa of Borobudur.

- Vajra Sky over Tibet

Saturday, April 14 — 7:15pm
Friday, April 27 — 6:15pm
Saturday, April 28 — 4:00pm

Vajra Sky Over Tibet by John Bush (2006, 89 min.).
Vajra is the thunderbolt of awakening that cuts
through delusion. It is the indestructible power of
truth at the heart of Vajrayana Buddhism in Tibet.
Filmed in Central Tibet, Vajra Sky is a cinematic
pilgrimage offering a direct experience of some of the
most revered temples, monasteries, and festivals still
surviving. The vastness of snow mountains, rushing
rivers, and turquoise lakes leads the journey westward
to the holy sites of Shigatse and Gyantse. Returning
to Lhasa, the luminous faces of pilgrims in front of
the legendary Jokhang Temple glow in the flicker of
butter lamp offerings. The empty windows and doors of
the traditional homes of His Holiness The Dalai Lama,
the Potala and Norbulinka, signal his painful absence.
Yet the exuberant blossoms of the Summer Palace hold
the promise of natural cycles of return. During the
colorful Drepung Monastery festival, a giant scroll
painting of the Buddha covers a mountain as
spiritually famished Chinese join with the multitude
of Tibetan pilgrims. Director present Apr 14.

All three films will be shown in the Remis Auditorium.

MFA members, seniors, and students $8; general
admission $9.

For more information:
http://www.mfa.org/calendar/sub.asp?key=12&subkey=1
—————————————————–
With metta,
Tim
on January 9, 2008 at 4:43 pm | Log in to Reply Tim Little

REMINDER — 2/27/07 meditation group

Hello everyone!

This is just a quick reminder that the Tuesday night
meditation group will once again be meeting from 7:30
to 9:30 in the High School Room (upstairs) at First
Parish Unitarian Universalist in Chelmsford.

I also want to take this opportunity to mention that
our group is fortunate to be able to welcome two
esteemed guest teachers both this week and next.

This Tuesday, February 27, we will be pleased to
welcome Doreen Schweizer as our guest teacher for the
evening. Doreen is a Abhaya’s good friend from Spirit
Rock, and currently is Guiding Teacher at Valley
Insight Meditation Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire
(http://www.valleyinsight.org).

The following Tuesday, March 6, we will be pleased to
welcome Ajahn Mangkone Dhammadharo from Wat
Buddhabhavana in Westford. Venerable Mangkone
Dhammadharo has been an ordained monk in the Thai
Forest tradition since 1992, and has been in the
Lowell area since 1996
(http://www.greatwisdomcenter.org/event1.htm).

As you know, the tradition is for Buddhist teachings
to be offered freely. However, given the extraordinary
committment of time and travel provided by each
teacher, I would also like to remind us all of another
Buddhist tradition: dana, or generosity.

Doreen has a wonderful page on dana on her website
(http://www.valleyinsight.org/pages/2/50/?PHPSESSID=6dbcd7cdb0186dad79fea91d1ef339c5).
I don’t think I need to say anything further other
than to mention that we are extremely blessed to be
able to welcome these two teachers, and that
recognition their own generosity of time and teaching
would be appropriate.

We do plan to continue the group on a primarily
peer-led basis during Abhaya’s recovery, however both
Doreen and Ajahn Mangkone Dhammadharo have expressed
sincere interest on helping us out on an interim
basis. Doreen hopes to return later in March, and
Ajahn Mangkone Dhammadharo is available most Tuesday
evenings.

With much metta,
Tim