Meditation for a healthier you – Wed 9/10 at Wellness Ctr

Title: Meditation for a healthier you

Location: Wellness center (inside Recreation center)

Time: Wednesday, September 10, from 1:30 – 2:30 pm

Speaker: Venerable Jian Dan (ABS’ first dharma teacher for fall 07, an experienced meditation teacher for over 10 years)

Cost: free

Description: We all strive for a healthier body. However, going to the gym only fulfills half of the equation. Research has indicated that regular meditation helps regulate blood pressure, stabilize emotion, improve concentration and reduce stress, all of which contribute to a healthier life style. Come to this interactive workshop and learn the proper and safe way of meditation.

Fall 2008 Meditation Class

Classes will begin on

September 17th, 2008
WEDNESDAYS
NOON-1PM
UC CARIBBEAN
(RM 75, UNDERGROUND)

Movie Night (5/13)

Enlightenment Guaranteed

May 13th, 2008
5 - 7 PM
PGH Room 218

a German film about two brothers, Uwe and Gustav, who travel to Japan to sort out the mess of their lives. Their plan is to visit the Sojiji Monastery in Monzen, near Tokyo. On their way there, in a rather literal Buddhist moment, they lose all of their belongings. When they at last make it to the monastery, they find that even there, enlightenment can be elusive.

Bathing Buddha Ceremony @ Jade Buddha Temple

What do you do after the finals are over? How about come to Jade Buddha Temple and be part of the Bathing Buddha Ceremony this coming Sunday (May 11th)?

Every year, Buddhist communities around the world cerebrate Buddha’s birthday by holding a Bathing Buddha Ceremony. Showering the Buddha with clean water symbolizes the purification of our own greed, anger, and ignorance that are often manifested through body, speech and mind. When our own mind is purified, we will inevitably influence the people and environment around us. Eventually, we will have a purified, peaceful world – the true meaning of the Bathing Buddha Ceremony.

Please bring your family and friends to this highly celebrated annual event at Jade Buddha Temple. Each one will have the chance to shower the Buddha. There will be some chanting and a speech by the Abbot. Entire program will be translated into English live. Get your headsets on your way in to the grand hall. Free vegetarian lunch will be offered.

Date: May 11 (Sunday)

Time: 10:00 am – 12:00 noon (expect a large crowd; street parking only)

Location: Jade Buddha Temple 6969 Westbranch Drive, Houston , TX 77072, 281-498-1616

See you there!

Summer Session

Meditation classes for the Summer will be starting on

J U N E 4 t h - A U G U S T 10 t h


EVERY WEDNESDAY
4 - 6 PM @ the AD Bruce Religion Center
located at the Small Chapel
(Second floor, to the left, double doors)

April Activity: Buddha relics on display

This Saturday, you will have a rare opportunity to witness some genuine Buddha relics right here in Houston. Texas Buddhist Association will have a Buddha relics resting ceremony on Sunday at American Bodhi Center. But on Saturday, there will be a public relics display at Jade Buddha Temple. You all are invited to attend this precious event.

When the Buddha lived in India in approximately 2,500 years ago, the people of that time had the opportunity to actually see and hear him, to be blessed by him in his human form. When Buddha left the earth by passing into nirvana (the enlightened state) during the body's death, he compassionately left relics so that today we still have the opportunity to receive the blessings
of the Buddha, directly.

These genuine relics are offered by Venerable Hung I, the Abbot of Jade Buddha Temple, to permanently rest at American Boddhi Center. In 1971 Venerable Hung I was visiting a temple in Taiwan when he met a traveling monk from India. Impressed by Venerable Hung I's big vow to spread Buddhism in the west, the traveling monk gave Venerable Hung I some of his shares of
genuine Buddha relics as a gift. Years later, Venerable Hung I brought these relics, together with his big vow, and arrived in Houston. Thirty years later, we are celebrating the permanent resting of these precious relics in Houston. This event symbolizes the spreading of Buddhism to the west, to Houston, and also the resting of enduring Buddhism teaching in American.

Relics are said to carry positive energy. Interestingly, they are themselves living entities; they can grow bigger, split into more, or shrink in size or even disappear. Viewing holy relics inspires us to develop our own hearts and minds, to develop loving-kindness and compassion and to understand spiritual teachings. Don't miss this rare event!

Date: Saturday, April 5th

Time:

10:30 – 11:00 welcoming the relics

11:00 – 11:20 offering to the Buddha

11:20 – 11:40 group picture with the relics

11:40 - public display of relics

Location: 6969 Westbranch Dr. Houston, TX 77072 http://www.jadebuddha.org/english

Vegetarian lunch will be provided. Event is free but donations are welcome.

March Activity: Birthday Ceremony of Bodhissattva Avalokitesvara

You all are invited to attend this special ceremony, celebrating the birthday of Bodhissattva Avalokitesvara (Kwan Yin), at Jade Buddha Temple this Sunday. Please anticipate a large crowd so arrive early. Free vegetarian lunch will be provided. Hope to see you all there.

Jade Budda Temple
6969 Westbranch Drive
Houston, TX 77072
281-498-1616

March 23, 2008 - 10:00am - 12:00 noon

The birthday ceremony of Bodhissattva Avalokitesvara

The Texas Buddhist Association will hold a ceremony to celebrate the birthday of Bodhissattva Avalokitesvara (Kwan Yin) at the Jade Buddha Temple on March 23th (Sunday). The celebration of Bodhissattva Avalokitesvara's birthday offers an opportunity for all sentient beings to obtain the meirt of practicing loving kindness and compassion.

Venerable Jian Hai will deliver a speech on "Kwan-Yin -- embodiment of compassion and wisdom." He will also lead our general prayer for the health and well-being of all humanity, for the freedom from suffering, and for the cultivation of blessings and wisdom.

You and your family are cordially invited to attend the ceremony and receive the benefits of Dharma. English live translation will be provided for non-Chinese speaking audience.Program will include recitation of "chapter of universal gateway" and the sacred name of Kwan Yin.

Vegetarian lunch will be offered.

Class 3 (2/25): Outdoors Meditation

Today we will be meditating at Butler Plaza which is between the MD Anderson Library and PGH, where the Sculpture and water fountain/Pool are located. The meditation will still be held from 1 - 3 PM.

Movie Night (2/22)

Movie night next Friday (2/22/08) around 6:30 PM.

Date: Feb. 22, 2008
Location: 2515 Branch View Ln, Missouri City, TX, 77459
Time: 6:30 - 9 PM
Movie Title: TBA (suggestions welcome!)

FREE PIZZA

February volunteering opportunity

VOLUNTEERING: SPECIAL NEEDS BASKETBALL PRACTICE

Support families with special needs!

Date:

February 16th, 2008

Location:

Tzu Chi Foundation
6200 Corporate Dr, Houston, TX 77036
(713) 981-8966

Schedule:

09:45 – 12:00 Recycle

12:00 – 13:00 Special needs basketball practice

13:00 – 14:00 Lunch (Vegetarian)

R S V P : uhabs8@gmail.com | http://uhabs.blogspot.com

Spring '08 Meditation Class Begins!

We will have our first meditation class on February 11th, 2008.

American Bodhi Center Retreat

On December 7-8th, 8 of us went to the Bodhi Center and conducted our first retreat. During the car ride to the center we had fun getting to know each other. We played a few games, one of which involves filling in the blanks of a personal biography:

Hello, my name is ____. I am ____ years old and I am majoring in ____. My hometown is ____ and I really ____ it there because ____. I always dreamed that someday I would ____, and that dream has ____ true. I feel ____ about it now! Some things I like to do include ____. There are many things I am good at and one of them is ____. I did a really interesting once and that was ____. My family consists of ____. If I could change one thing about myself it would be ____. Still, I am really glad to be here right now because ____. I would really like to get together with anyone who would be interested in ____. The one thing I want to be remembered for is ____. As far as future plans are concerned, I hope to be ____ someday.

Upon our arrival at ABC, we were welcomed by Venerable Hung-I who was unfortunately unable to stay with us during the retreat. The first day was very lax as we played the game Truth, Truth, Lie in which we were supposed to disclose two truths about ourselves and one lie, while everyone else had to guess which one of the 3 was the real lie. Well, we came to the conclusion that most of us were terrible liars. :) That's good news for ABS meaning everyone is holding on to the fourth precept (abstaining from harmful speech or lies).

Dinner was absolutely amazing! And this is no lie. We had BBQ veggie kebabs. The sausages looked so real that I think I liked them more than actual meat and it's healthy too! Sitting around the campfire we told ghost stories and gazed at the fireflies in the sky (stars) and "pretended" to know where the constellations were.



After such a hardy meal, we went inside and played Cranium. We were such an advanced group that we didn't even need to follow the directions. We played it our own way, which was by far more entertaining! I laughed so hard my stomach hurts and I started rolling on the ground as if I had an epileptic seizure.



Even though the noble silence didn't start until the following day, some of us just couldn't wait so we began the noble silence at 10 PM. In fact we got so used to being silent that most of us really didn't feel like talking after the noble silence was broken. This is true for both introverts and extroverts.



Overall the retreat was very successful. However we do have some unfortunate news. At the end of the retreat Venerable Jian Dan resigned his position as our Dhamma Teacher. Currently we are trying to figure out who would be able to replace the Venerable. What do you all think? Should we invite monks from other temples to lead our meditation? If so, must we invite different monks every sitting or the same monk for the entire semester? Or would a facilitator suffice? Would we all benefit from a group discussion led by a facilitator or a lecture from a monk or Dhamma teacher? Your inputs are greatly appreciated. Remember we really can not function without your thoughts and opinions.

Final class survey results

In our last meeting, we gave out surveys to solicit anonymous feedback from you. Our hope was to make improvement and plan for next semester based on the survey. We collected thirteen (13) valid surveys. Interestingly, even though we made this an anonymous survey, only three people decided to leave their names out while the remaining ten gave us their names. Overall, you guys were pretty satisfied with our service but would like to have more field trips next semester.

The first part of the survey asked you to comment on the effectiveness and usefulness of the following six items: 1) blog/google group, 2) Dharma talk topics, 3) meeting format, 4) meeting time/location, 5) refreshments, and 6) field trips, and give suggestions. Overwhelmingly, numbers commented “interesting” “useful” “effective” “excellent” and “good” for all items. One person stated that the blog is good but maybe a “larger font size will be better.” Another member mentioned that Dharma talk topics were good but “probably can be improved.” One member recommended we might want to hold meditation for more then once a week. As to refreshments, most felt they were “delicious” while one member wrote “nice but unimportant.” One member proposed to have maybe a little more variety and should include hot tea. Four people asked for more field trips.

The second survey question asked you to reflect on their learning and share with us any example of how they have applied something they learned to their daily life. Here are some of what they shared:

“Help myself and help others”
“Best example: mindfulness in everyday
activities”
“I liked the idea of thoughts coming in & out but never
attaching to any one thought very long. This is beneficial in everyday life”
“I learned to control my road rage! Also I am trying to focus on living more
in the present instead of worrying about the future”
“Tolerance and
patience. No one single example, but try to practice everyday and impart on
others”

Question three asked for suggestion for next semester. Some suggestions are listed below:

“conditions in Buddhism”
“mind and body unification”
“emptiness, the
mind”
“how to understand what one should do with one’s life”
“regret,
guilt, happiness”
“how about an introduction to Buddhism (simple) in daily
tasks”
“Abstinence, dichotomy of all or nothing practice”

Question four asked for suggestion for activity and people seemed to want more field trip. However, only one person made some concrete suggestions of attending charitable events.

Question five asked for ways we can recruit more people. Your suggestions ranged from more advertising, posting flyers around certain colleges, going to religion classes, attending student fairs, to word of mouth by members. I hope when you made those suggestions, you also had an idea of what you can do to help realize those wonderful suggestions.

One thing I like to explain here. The reason we only held two field trips this semester was mainly due to limited manpower. With all of you showing strong enthusiasm in getting more involved next semester, manpower will not be an issue anymore. I am certain we will have a few more activities next semester if you all would pitch in and help out.

Stay tuned for our spring schedule.. Oh, just a sneak preview, we probably will hold our meeting on Thursdays next semester. We have not made a final decision on whether we will meet at noon or in the late afternoon. What do you think? Leave us a comment at the blog and let your voice be heard.

Class 12 – A Day of Appreciation

This is our last class; the semester went by very fast. I like to take this opportunity to thank many people.

I first like to thank Josten and Grace who initiated the idea of establishing this association. After the initial idea, we found two disciples’ kids as the inaugural President and Vice President. They attended the required orientation in creating a campus student organization and registered Association of Buddhist Students. We thank them for getting us a legitimate status on campus.

However, they were not really interested in getting involved, which caused some problems at the beginning when trying to get things moving. As a result, I took over the President’s post. That was a very difficult yet necessary decision. It was a burden on me as a first-semester UH student, facing a new school, a new environment, and a new challenge.

During that time and since, Maya has been very helpful in taking care of lots of tedious paperwork, going through red tapes and dealing with UH bureaucracy. Of course then there is Grace, who, as many of you know, are the “underground” president. She has helped me a lot. For example, every Wednesday after here, I would go home and receive an email from her giving me a long list of mispronounced words from that day’s talk. (I am often amazed at how you all can understand my English.)

Last week Emily asked me what is my true “self?” I told her I try to practice having no one fixed self. I am just a member of this organization. I always remind myself that I don’t get to give talks if you guys don’t show up. This is the concept of causation, which we have addressed many times this semester. In Buddhism, we see all phenomena as the results of arising elements/conditions. When all elements/conditions are put together, t the arising of the event.

Take a moment to think about this concept. Our government gives us a stable country to live a peaceful life. UH offers us this building and this room to hold our events. We all happen to be part of the UH community who happen to know about this organization, who just so happen to be interested in meditation, who just so by chance are available during this time… This list goes on. Without all of the elements/conditions working together, we would not be able to meet here today.

About mid semester, I was asked if we should consider taking donations or charging membership fees. Absolutely no. I just want to offer myself to you, to do the best I can. I believe we cannot put a price tag on practicing meditation and/or practicing Buddhism. Many of you have seen the movie “Pay it Forward.” An elementary school kid had a social study homework on how to change the world. He came up with this idea that if he can do three good deeds for someone and they in turn can "pay it forward" and so forth, positive changes can occur.

This is very similar to Buddhism concepts. I don’t know how much I can do. I just try my best. If you have received even the smallest amount of benefits, gained some small concepts and made changes in your life for better, I just wanted you to do something for others. Share your experience, tell your stories, and introduce them to this organization. We often gather together to go to a movie or a club. Probably even more often, we should gather friends to come to meditation and to attend Dharma talks.

Please continue your support next semester. We need your help. Many times during the semester, I was so tired and wanted to give up. Then Mimi made many good suggestions as to how I can better deliver my talk. We started giving out handouts as a result of her constructive feedback. It is suggestions such as this that kept me going.

I made a lot of friends here. I hope you all feel the same. Hope to see every one of you next semester. Stay tuned for our spring schedule. Tell your friends, bring them here. Let’s put all our positive energies together. If we all do our best, together, we can change the world.

Thank you for a wonderful semester! Let’s bestow all merits upon all sentient beings.


Recorded by Jian Dan

願 消 三 障 諸 煩 惱
yuàn xiao san zhàng zhu fán năo

願 得 智 慧 真 明 了
yuàn dé zhì huì zhèn míng liăo

普 願 罪 障 悉 消 除
pŏ yuàn zui zhàng xi xiao chú

世 世 常 行 菩 薩 道
shì shì cháng xíng pú sà dào

May the Three Obstructions and all the afflictions be eradicated.
May I obtain true wisdom with clear understanding.
May all the obstacles from all my offenses be eliminated.
I vow to practice the Bodhisattva Way constantly, life after life.

PS. This trace was recorded four years ago for my Chanting Class.

Class 11‏ - Wants & Needs

Today we discussed a seemingly easy concept – the differences between our wants and our needs. However, the line between the two is not always so clear cut. Most people think of wants and needs as opposites. This thinking results in the belief that wants are bad, not desirable. We should eliminate all wants and reduce all non-essential needs. Many people then become pessimistic and reclusive, lack of motivation and goals in life. Therefore, I believe this dualistic thinking needs some modification.

My definition of wants and needs takes a different view. I believe needs are our responsibilities while wants are our goals and wishes. Therefore, in order to achieve your goals/wishes, you have to be willing to take on the responsibilities that come with such a wish. For example, Buddha wanted all sentient beings to achieve enlightenment. We all want to achieve enlightenment. However, in order to achieve enlightenment, there are practices we need to follow. Practicing is our responsibilities. In other words, achieving enlightenment is what we want and practicing is what we need. If we approach wants and needs this way, we can have a positive life and are not ashamed of having wants.

However, in Buddhism, we also are cautious about attaching to our wants. If we are clinging to our wants, such an attachment will create suffering. Wants encourage us to realize our goals by putting in necessary (needs) efforts. In this process, be mindful of the states of your mind. Be mindful that everything is impermanent and observe the truth about cause and effect. If you can put in 100% of your efforts while not attaching to a fixed outcome, the outcome will be realized. The moment you are attached to a fixed outcome, you will never achieve your goal.

Now you understand the differences between wants and needs, and their relationships, be mindful in your daily life of what are wants and what are needs. Remember that impermanence is the true nature of all phenomena and attachments will create sufferings. Buddhism teaches us to be diligent in our practice without attaching to the ever-changing phenomena.

December retreat announcement!!

Purpose: For beginners, this is the nature next step to deepen your meditation practice. For more experienced practitioners, this is an opportunity to sustain your practice and receive personal guidance from the teacher.

Date: December 7 & 8 (Friday & Saturday)

Location: American Bodhi Center

Fee: Free, donations welcome

Who: serious beginners & seasoned meditators

Registration: email uhabs8 @ gmail.com. Deadline November 21th, 2007.

Tentative schedule: (subject to change)

Day 1

• 2:00 pm Vanpool (meet up in front of Cougar Place). Note: you will be leaving your car overnight on UH campus.
• 3:30 pm arrive at ABC
• 3:30 – 5:00 welcome, settle in, introduction of basic rules
• 5:00 – 6:00 games
• 6:00 – 7:30 vegetarian BBQ or Hot Pot (depending on weather)
• 7:30 – 8:30 shower; break time
• 8:30 – 10:00 camp fire, star glazing or movie (depending on weather)
• 10:00 – 10:30 noble silence instruction
• 10:30 lights out
  

Day 2

• (observation of noble silence begins)
• 7:00 wake up bell
• 7:30 – 8:00 breakfast
• 8:00 - 8:30 break
• 8:30 – 8:50 meditation instruction
• 8:50 – 9:10 meditation
• ========= break ==========
• 9:20 – 10:00 meditation
• ========= break ==========
• 10:10 – 10:50 sitting meditation in the hall or waking meditation outside
• ========= break ==========
• 11:00 – 11:40 Dharma talk (lecture)
• (observation of noble silence ends)
• ========= break ==========
• 12:00 – 12:30 lunch
• 12:30 – 1:45 tour the center
• 1:45 – 2:00 break; exit survey
• 2:00 - 2:30 closing dharma talk; member reflection/sharing
• 2:30 – 3:15 clean up the environment
• 3:15 – 4:30 sweet home

Retreat Rules: (subject to change) 　

1. You have to stay for the entire retreat. No late arrival or early dismissal will be allowed.
2. Bring your own sleeping bag, pillows, change clothes and personal items necessary for personal hygiene.
3. Sleeping quarters are separated by male and female.
4. Vegetarian food throughout. Please do not bring any non-vegetarian items, cigarette, wine or illegal substance into the camp.
5. Please do not bring unnecessary valuables or jewelry.
6. Observe noble silence on Saturday morning. Noble Silence means silence of body, speech, and mind. Any form of communication with fellow student, whether by gestures, sign language, written notes, etc., is prohibited.
7. The use of cell phone is prohibited during the retreat period.
8. You have to fill out a registration form with medical insurance information. In addition, you will be asked to sign a consent and release form.
   

videos for merit dedication

Special thanks to Anne Rudnicki who made the long video, to Emily Marguardt who suggested that we meditate in a circle. Also we thank everyone who came early and helped with the setup. We thank those who stayed late and helped with the clean up. Most importantly, we thank everyone for your participation this semester. Your weekly presence makes this association possible. Let's cherish our friendship and be the wisdom light for one another!

Class 10 - Understanding Death

Ryan was the first member of this association that I added to my Facebook account. He used to poke me whenever he found me online. When I received this shocking news last week, I realized I will never receive a poke from Ryan anymore. I am sad just like everyone else. Then I remember a story about a grieving mother.

Life is impermanent
During Buddha’s time, a mother was grieving for her son’s death. Her son died shortly after birth. The mother was so overtaken by the sorrow, she took her son’s body in search for a way to get her son back to life. Someone told him there is this enlightened saint named Buddha; maybe he has a way. This mother went to Buddha and expressed her sorrow and wish. The Buddha said, I can help if you can go and find a fire from a household to light this candle and bring this candle back to me. However, you have to get the fire from a household where nobody has ever died. The mother thought, this is easy, all I need to do is to light the candle. She went from door to door looking for a household where nobody has ever died. However, every household she visited, they all told her that, “we are more than happy to help you but somebody has died in my family. Sorry.” After a while, the mother finally realized that everyone eventually dies and life is truly impermanent. After realizing the truth about life and death, the mother was able to stop her sorrow, start practicing Buddhism, and eventually reached enlightenment.

Life never ends
In addition, in Buddhism, we also believe that life never ends. Life is like taking courses. We pass some courses while fail others. For those courses we fail, we have to retake them. For Ryan, he did petty well in relationship; a lot of friends memorialize him here today. However, he still had some courses that he needed to come back and retake. For example, I asked him to design a music program for us. He promised but it did not materialize. He still owed us a music program. If several years later, you see a cute boy who loves meditation, loves singing and playing music after we practice mediation. You know he is back!

Sadness is attachment
Some might ask, “Why do we feel sad?” We feel sad because we are still attached to him. When he is no longer with us, we lose the space, the chance to “practice” attachment to him. The practice of meditation can help us practice detachment. In Buddhism, lights also symbolize wisdom. Wisdom is like the light that illuminates the road ahead and chases away the shadow. Let’s find your wisdom within! During this difficult time, may your wisdom help you focus on the positive things we can learn from this event.

Dedication
Thanks to Ryan, because of him we have this chance to gather together today. Thanks to Ryan, he showed us how impermanent life is. He was like a bodhisattva, incarnated to teach us those truths. His death enlightens us to understand those truths just as the light that brightens our paths. To appreciate his teaching us about impermanence, we dedicate this wisdom to him. We wish that he could shower under the light of wisdom and achieve enlightenment. We wish that he will come back soon and we can practice meditation together again.

Also, let’s do not forget about the friendships present in this room right now. We appreciate this moment, appreciate everyone who is here today. Learning from Ryan, also we learn from all sentient beings. Ask yourself what did you learn from this event? For me, I treasure the chance we could gather here. May all become compassionate and wise and find the wisdom light within you.

May every living being,
Our minds as one and radiant with light,
Share the fruits of peace
Our hearts of goodness, luminous and bright.
If people hear and see,
How hearts and hands can find in giving, unity,
May their minds awake,
To Great Compassion, wisdom and to joy.
May goodness find reward,
May all who sorrow leave their grief and pain;
May this boundless light,
Dispel the darkness of their endless night.
Because our hearts are one,
This world of pain turns into Paradise,
May all become compassionate and wise,
May all become compassionate and wise.
(lyrics from UrbanDharma)

When East meets West: from a Buddhist monk’s perspective

“What if monks fall in love? They just stop being monks?” wrote one student on the exit survey after attending a talk by Master Jian Dan.

This afternoon, Master Jian Dan was invited by Ms. Sabrina Marsh to give a talk to her undergraduate “Community Education” class at University of Houston. The class is offered by College of Education, with the goal to expose pre-service teachers to different cultures, experiences and paradigms

In today’s talk, Master Jian Dan shared his personal experiences living in American as a Buddhist monk. He talked about the common misconception linking Buddhist monks to Kong-Fu masters, and his encounters of cultural conflicts or misunderstandings between the East and the West. Master called the differences “internal versus external.” He used three examples to illustrate the point, chopsticks vs forks, mental math vs calculator, and Gong-fu vs weapons. From this “internal versus external,” Master concluded the talk by making the connection to meditation. He explained the training of internal mind as the path to true happiness.

After the talk, students had the chance to ask questions. Questions ranged from if he can have family and kids, if becoming a monk was a self choice, whether he plans to stay in America or go back to Taiwan, are there female monks, can a person be both Christian and Buddhist, what are some of the Buddhist holidays, to what is karma.

Meditation
Immediately after the Q&A, Master gave the students some brief mediation instructions and the group meditated for five minutes. Several participants stated at the exit survey that meditation was the most interesting part of what they learned today. Exit survey also asked students to reflect on their meditation experience today:

“I have never meditated before. It was fine but I wish we had more time”
“I loved it”
“before my thoughts keep distracting me, but today I was able to dismiss my thoughts”
“I liked it because I did not understand how to do it [before]”
“hard”
“my back hurt”
“I have never meditated before and I found this experience very relaxing. I especially like that it is a new skill that I can use to lessen anxiety”
“it really made me feel relaxed and calm”
‘I have always wanted to try meditation and learn some techniques and I thought it was great”
“today’s meditation was good, a little hard on my legs due to inflexibility”

Exit survey – most interesting
Several quotes from the survey showcased the variety of students’ reaction to this talk. When asked “what was the most interesting thing you learned today?” students answered:

“about the attachments in your life and mind…”
“internal vs external, difference in east & west cultures”
“that we are capable of controlling our mind. I cannot even control my emotions. I find it very interesting”
“about reincarnation”
“that in Buddhism you do not attach to anything and do not live for the future. I thought it was interesting because I spend most of my energy worrying about the future”
“the perspective of American culture from someone else’s perspective because it is easy to take our every day lives for granted and it’s interesting to see how other cultures view us”
“that to be a monk you see everyone as being your parent though the concept of reincarnation”
“about the difference between west and east… never looked at it that way”

Exit survey – further questions

Exit survey also indicated that many students still had more questions they like to explore. Questions such as “philosophy and life that a Buddhist has” “Buddhism” “What Buddha represents” “reincarnation,” and more. One student asked “What if monks fall in love? They just stop being monks?” Well, I guess we just have to find out the answer next time!

Two special events next Wednesday

Both events will be held at our usual meeting place (UC, Lone Start, 2nd floor #280). There will be about 15-20 minutes overlap.

Special event one – Dedication of Merit to Ryan

As announced previously, one of our devoted members, Ryan Donaghy passed away on October 20. Ryan used to meditate everyday. Association of Buddhist Students had the honor to sit with him in the past several weeks. This week, we will maintain our regular weekly class. However, Venerable Jian Dan will give a special topic about positive attitude toward death in Buddhism. Then we will have a short ceremony called dedication of merit, a practice of sharing all the goodness created by any wholesome action. In our case, we will dedicate our group sitting merit to Ryan......

Noon – 12:30 meditation
12:30 – 12:50 special topic: positive attitude toward death in Buddhism
12:50 – 1:00 dedication of merit to Ryan *
1:00 – 1:15 sandwiches (grab and go)

* Dedication of Merit - Rev. Heng Sure/Compassionate and Wise - Fr. Cyprian Consiglio – MP3 Download (5.3MB) from UrbanDharma

(Chanting of the metta bhavana mantra in Sanskrit)

May every living being,
Our minds as one and radiant with light,
Share the fruits of peace
Our hearts of goodness, luminous and bright.
If people hear and see,
How hearts and hands can find in giving, unity,
May their minds awake,
To Great Compassion, wisdom and to joy.
May goodness find reward,
May all who sorrow leave their grief and pain;
May this boundless light,
Dispel the darkness of their endless night.
Because our hearts are one,
This world of pain turns into Paradise,
May all become compassionate and wise,
May all become compassionate and wise.

Special event two – When East meets West: from a Buddhist Monk’s perspective

Venerable Jian Dan will give a talk to a class of 20 students this Wednesday. The class, titled “Community education,” is offered through the College of Education, with the hope to expose pre-service teachers to different cultures and paradigms. The class instructor, Ms. Sabrina Marsh has invited the Venerable to give a talk about his experience as a monk living in the west. Everyone is invited to join this talk.
1:00 – 1:15 sandwiches
1:15 – 1:55 talk
1:55 – 2:00 basic meditation instructions
2:00 – 2:05 meditation
2:05 – 2:25 Q&A