Moving onto a new text in 2010!

On Thursday, January 8, 2010, we'll begin reading Thich Nhat Hanh's The Heart of Understanding: Commentaries on the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra. [link to the book on amazon.com]

Please join us -- we dipped into this book a bit this summer, before focusing our efforts on His Holiness commentary on the Heart Sutra, and it was a delight!

Best wishes for the new year,
Veronica

Miscellany for 5/5

Looking for a nice tanka? Check out exoticindia.com.

We're on page 35...the disciplined mind.

Quote offered by a sangha member: "If you are facing in the right direction, all you have to do is keep walking."

Don will be practicing kyudo at his home on the weekends, outside, from 2-4PM -- if you're interested, please contact him.


Photo from the talk by His Holiness, the Dalai Lama on May 2nd.

4/21 session at Jacky's

Thanks to another generous sangha member, we were able to meet most comfortably while KS was closed. We're back in the usual digs next week.

I've put together a draft presentation in Google docs and invited you all to add to it.

Marilyn still has a spare ticket to see His Holiness -- if you're interested, email me, and I'll forward it to her.

Other topics:

MIT Mandala, April 24 - May 2, 2009

2012 movie trailer

Proof movie trailer and blog post

And from Renee:

Last night I mentioned 2 events that were happening in the area that may be of interest. There is an all day retreat at the Shambhala Meditation center in Brookline entitled, The Healing Power of Loving Kindness by Tulku Thondup Rimpoche. Also there's a documentary film festival playing "The Unmistaken Child" shot in Nepal about finding a reincarnate of Geshe Lama Konchog. Looks beautiful, plays in Somerville.

4/14 session at Don's

We enjoyed Don's beautiful indoor garden and ginger cake (okay, and sake too) while discussing the Heart Sutra.

We read first turning of the wheel of dharma, which includes the 37 aspects/steps of the path. We discussed two major types of meditation: shamata (calm abiding) and vipassana (insight). One analogy to describe the two types is carrying a cup of hot tea through a room. One is akin to the awareness necessary to balance the cup, the other to the awareness of the surrounding room.

One can ask whether conditioned phenomena
1. are impermanent
2. will cause suffering if grasped onto
3. are empty of inherent existence

If so, why cling to them?

One explanation of the Pali Canon

Recommended film: Enlightenment Guaranteed
Recommended book: Breakfast with the Buddha

Next week we are meeting at Jacky's; see email for address/directions.

Article about situation in Tibet

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/22510

Good website for emptiness teachings

Hello:
I ran across this website that looks like it has some good concise explanations of emptiness among other subjects.
FYI:

http://buddhism.kalachakranet.org/wisdom_emptiness.html

Bruce

3/3/09 session

We begin studying the Heart (of Wisdom) Sutra.

The preface mentions Perfection of Wisdom sutras, here is an explanation.

Nice site with a good glossary.

2/17 session at Nanri's

Thank you for a lovely evening and venue!

Announcements for this week:

Buddha: In His Own Words is being performed at the Boston Center for the Arts. Nanri and others are going on March 20 if you'd like to join them.

Also, His Holiness will be speaking at Gillette stadium on May 2nd. More at the Tibetan Association of Boston website.

We're back at Kerem Shalom next week, finishing up the Shantideva's Dedication.

Sangha mtg 2/17: location

Kerem Shalom is closed in the evening during the week of school vacation so we won't be meeting there, location TBA!

2/3 session canceled

Due to snow -- drive safely and preserve that precious human life!

See you next week.

1/27 Discussion

We've decided to study The Essence of the Heart Sutra, by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Bruce suggested Thich Nhat Hanh's commentary, The Heart of Understanding: Commentaries on the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra, and we agreed that having two translations/commentaries to compare and contrast is helpful.

In the meantime, we're reading Shantideva's Dedication.

See email re: belated Losar celebration!

1/20 Discussion

I forgot to mention earlier the 37 Practices of the Bodhisattvas, a text that came up in a previous week's discussion.

This week, Seeking the Seeker, by Jack Engler, came up (courtesy of Barre Center for Buddhist Studies).

How to Practice by His Holiness the Dalai Lama also came up as a possible future text.

1/13 Discussion

PBS has an interesting series, The Story of India, is being shown in the Boston area on WGBH on Monday nights and at other times (more info).

We also talked briefly about text to discuss after we finish with Shantideva, mentioning The Essence of the Heart Sutra, by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Another resource online is the work of Thanissaro Bhikkhu (Geoffrey DeGraff), from the Thai forest tradition.

Other local events

A play about the Buddha at Brandeis, more info.

Sunday, February 8, 2009: “Three Cups of Tea” - Author Visit at the Performing Arts Center

Greg Mortenson, co-author of “Three Cups of Tea” (Chelmsford’s One Book), will speak at the Performing Arts Center at Chelmsford High School. Co-founder of the Central Asia Institute and Pennies for Peace, Greg Mortenson has established over 78 schools in rural and often volatile regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan. His two new children’s books are: Three Cups of Tea (Puffin, chapter book) and Listen to the Wind (Dial; picture book). Mr. Mortenson's visit is part of his book tour for his two children's books (based on "Three Cups of Tea”) which are coming out in January. Books will be on sale before and after the program by Willowbooks of Acton. This event is free, but there is limited seating for this event. Doors will open at 10:15 a.m. and seating will be on a first come, first served basis.

Thich Nhat Hanh, Stonehill College, Aug. 11-16

Part of a 2009 U.S. tour (flyer).

The registration form will be available at www.tnhtour.org on January 13.

You'll remember that Jacky shared her wonderful experience at Plum Village, France with us; I'm sure she'd be glad to talk with anyone who's interested.