Fellow Travelers 2014 October Longmont Buddhist Temple/Greeley Shin Sangha Northwest Corner - Pike Road and Main Street, Longmont 80501 www.longmontbuddhism.org Issue Contents Minister’s Message Minister’s Message Temple Board Updates Note from Jackie Living the Eightfold Path Bishops' Memorial Service Deep Listening Seminar Bookstore News Mindfulness Class - October 12th Buddhist Conversation Group Board and Committee Contact Information October Monthly Calendar Temple Information Mountain States District Family Conference Schedule and Registration The Shin Buddhist Path - being a fellow traveler by Rev. Carol Ganshõ O’Dowd The Buddha told his disciples not to believe anything he said because he said it, but to explore and seek the truth. The Buddha did not invent the Dharma. Instead, as he was named, – he woke up to it. Therefore, as followers of the Buddha we are asked to wake up, to wake up to the truth. Shinran, the founder of our tradition, encouraged us to join fellow travelers on a journey of following the calling of the Dharma. He consistently reminded his followers that he had no disciples. Instead he encouraged all he met to join in walking the Buddhist path with fellow practitioners (dogyo). 1 2 2 2-3 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 7-8 entrust. What the Shin Buddhist tradition shares as practice is an entrusting in wisdom-compassion that is far beyond our comprehension. Such a practice is something I find difficult as my ego gets in the way saying, “I have to have x, y or z.” Other times my internal dialogue gets going about how things should be a certain way. At times I find It so, so tempting to place trust or loyalty in my ego or especially in someone else’s. The result was that the Shin Buddhist path is one without gurus. Instead the Buddhist path is shared as one filled with many fellow travelers. e HhHe Like the Buddha, Shinran walked a path for us to follow and did not practice blind loyalty. He questioned the bureaucracy of his day at the Tendai school on Mt. Hei. He was even so presumptuous as to walk away from the great teachers of the day and continued on his journey of ‘following’ the teaching of Honen. Yet, this simple tradition says listen to good teachers and then explore, test the teachings so that you understand. Be prepared to find teachers in the form of friends or strangers. Listen carefully and hear the calling of WisdomCompassion in all of life. As we join fellow travelers who, when we have no place to turn and we are forced to face our own fear, continue to travel the journey of Life and support us on our Path in Wisdom/Compassion. When we find we can do nothing but entrust, then we practice responding to the calling of Amida. Even after finding a teacher, he did not parrot what his teacher said. Instead he explored Honen’s teachings and tested them for himself. His loyalty remained with seeking truth as the path not following a person or a thing. The example he set for us was to entrust even in difficult times and conditions. He encourage all he met to practice the nembutsu. He shared the practice of entrusting or taking refuge (namo) in the ultimate reality (butsu) of infinite light and life (Amida). And where to do we hear this calling – on this amazing journey we call Life. Where do we find teachers, when we join fellow travelers seeking truth. With fellow travelers you can explore the path that leads you to your inner nature, your Buddhahood. --Rev. Carol GanShō O’Dowd I am not sure why such a practice got labeled the ‘easy path’. It takes courage to place complete trust in what we cannot see or touch. As Shan-tao often explains, the most difficult of difficulties is to realize shinjin – to completely -1- Fellow Travelers - October 2014 Temple Board Updates Note from Jackie New Opportunities Await Joe DeNicholas was generous enough to conduct the service on Sept.21, 2014, when both Rev. O’Dowd and John Hughes were out of town. He gave a wonder Dharma talk on one of our basic teachings, the Eightfold Path. I thought it would be nice to share it with everyone who wasn’t able to attend. by Jackie Tono I would like to take this time to thank Rev. O’Dowd, minister's assistants John Hughes and Joe DeNicholas, as well as, all the people who volunteer, for any and all of our events, our chair people of all our committees and our board members. Everyone has worked so hard in 2014 to make things happen at our temple. We have a wonderful new mediation garden, a new handicap ramp and we are working on our 501c3 as a result of the hard work of so many people and the generous donations of several people. During the first half of this year people have donated countless hours on our new projects. I know I have said it many times but we have some amazing members at our temple. When our temple members are having personal issues, health issues, sicknesses and even death, the other members of the sangha extend a helping hand, a shoulder to cry on and support in any possible way. Our members serve as examples of living the Buddhist teachings in everyday life. I’m so honored to be a member of Longmont Buddhist Temple and work with such humble, caring people. Our next event on the calendar is the Mountain States District Family Conference which will be on November 8-9, 2014 at the Tri-State Denver Buddhist Temple. This Conference is a great way to meet other Buddhist from the Tri-State Denver Temple, Salt Lake and Ogden temples as well as hearing talks from other ministers from these temples. Both Rev. O’Dowd and minister assistant John Hughes will be participating in the workshops. This event is free to our members so everyone please sign up on the form located on the back sheet of the newsletter to attend. PLEASE complete the form and send it to the Denver Temple if you are attending. They need a count for food and seating. Please let me know if you want to volunteer to help. Our next board meeting is Oct. 19, 2014 around 12:00, noon. Everyone is welcome to attend and give their input. Eightfold Path Living the Eightfold Path by Minister's Assistant Joe DeNicholas I always ask people what they would like to hear about, and this time I received a few responses that struck a common theme: Why isn’t this working? Why don’t I stay calm when things go awry? Why am I still frustrated / angry / depressed / afraid so much of the time? First, let’s understand the task before us: what we need to do is unpack layer upon layer of deep delusion and neurosis. These habitual patterns were set in motion long before you were born, and they’re stuck deep in your subconscious in that we don’t even know why we think and do what we do or where any of it comes from. A lot of these things lie at the level of assumption, the things we are so sure we know we take them for granted, their integrated into our subconscious, that’s where you’ll find the root of the issue. Andy at work really annoyed me today. Really? Is that really what happened, you’re an innocent victim of Andy and you had nothing to do with it? The good news is that these tendencies are only that, they are habits. And, habits can be broken, but it takes an immense amount of work to break these particular habits and that’s where most people fall down. The path is outlined for us in the four noble truths. (1) Samsara stinks. (2) There are well-understood reasons it is this way, we know the root cause. (3) There’s a fix for all this. (4) The fix, with the fix being the Noble eightfold path. As much as I would love to, I’m not going to drag you through the entire noble eightfold path. We can actually drill it down to three things, not eight. The three are: (1) Wisdom – Right View and Right Intention (2) Concentration – Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Meditation, and (3) Ethical conduct – Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood. I listened to a podcast that put it this way: (1) Know what is, (2) In gassho, Jackie -2- Fellow Travelers - October 2014 there’s meditation, and mindfulness, which can be said to be meditation in action. Meditation is practice watching things arise in your mind and dealing with them in skillful means rather than just habitually reacting. Accept what is, (3) Be nice. “Know what is” – that’s wisdom. “Accept what is” – that’s concentration, it’s the absorbing of the wisdom, making it your own. “Be nice” – that’s ethics. Wisdom So, meditation and mindfulness. Here’s the problem: If you’ve studied Buddhism for any length of time, you know intellectually what you need to do and who you need to be. But, and this is a really key point, we seem to literally be hardwired for denial. A lot of this denial is about the external situation. “If only I had this I would be happy.” We all, to some extent, define happiness as that situation when our attachments are getting what they want. Ethical Conduct Ethical conduct is part of the path but it feels to me like less something I have to do than something that is a consequence or natural result of wisdom and concentration. If I know what the right thing to do is, and I’m aware of what I’m doing, then it immediately follows that I’m going to act in ethical ways. And now, you’re interacting with the world in a positive way and therefore the law of karma says that things have to go better for you. If you drop orange seeds you get orange trees and more oranges, if you drop lemon seeds you get more lemon trees and more lemons. Ethical conduct is the incessant dropping of orange seeds into the world. Now, the orange trees might not show up when you want them you, and you might still be so deluded that you think they’re lemon trees when they’re actually orange trees, or you don’t see the orange trees at all. That all said, the overwhelming majority of the denial is about ourselves. We talk about other people and are critical as if we’re not that way. I’m not materialistic, I’m not rude, I’m not lazy, I’m an ethical person. And, guess what, we’re all messed up. Here’s one example where our failings in wisdom generate unhappiness for us: Other people frustrate us to no end. How do you fix that? A big part of it is fully realizing and accepting, through wisdom, that we are all equally messed up, equally struggling in this situation we call life, and truly understanding this wisdom creates a shift in your mind and heart. Truly realizing that we’re no better generates compassion as opposed to frustration. We can feel love and compassion for others, yes, even when their junk is aversely affecting us, because we know where they’re at. We know where their junk is coming from – from a place of confusion, fear, insecurity, anger – all things that we have dealt with at some point. We know what’s it’s like to be where they are. Putting It All Together The point is that you can’t embody only one or two of these things, you have to address all three every single day, every single moment. You can’t just read books and come to temple and expect things to change for you in a big way. Your problems aren’t going away. Karma isn’t that something bad is happening to you, it’s that you think it’s bad. The thing isn’t good or bad, it’s just a thing that happens, you’re the one turning it into good and bad. So, all the stuff that’s happening to you now will continue to happen, it’s the human condition. Yes, through ethical conduct it will change over time but we have many thousands of years of negative karma to work through, so it’s gonna be a while, and that’s ok. The important thing is to stop being a part of the problem and start being a part of the solution. Concentration I think of this in terms of mindfulness – what is your mind doing and are you acutely aware of it and it’s effects on your life? But, mindfulness is the foundation for progress; it’s where the theory (wisdom) part meets the real part, the real part being your daily life. When you are mindful you will notice yourself getting frustrated, because that will still arise, and then, if you’ve been practicing, you’ll know what to do. And I said practicing there because that’s the second aspect of Concentration, meditation. So, Know what is. Accept what is. Be nice. Namo Amida Butsu. -3- Fellow Travelers - October 2014 Bookstore News Special October 19th Service Bishops' Memorial Service Discounts and Highlights by Mike Shibata by Meredith Hutmacher Memorial Services are held for all the loved ones who have departed from this Universe. Good News All temple members will now receive 20% off of all purchases as a way to show our gratitude for your membership in the temple. We truly appreciate your dana! Memorial Services embrace all our departed loved ones and is a time set aside to pay respect and remembrance for our beloved ones who have returned to the Pure Land before us. It is a day when our thoughts may reflect to happier days and the impact of sharing life with those who have gone - to realize the impermanence of this world and the importance of faith in Amida Buddha in our every day life. Bookstore Highlights The temple’s bookstore offers nenjus, nenju holders, Shinran statues, incense and incense burners, stationery, and a variety of other items. I thought it would be useful to elaborate on the significance of the Nenju and incense in the Jodo Shinshu tradition. The Bishops’ Memorial Service, held on October 19th, is a time to reflect on the importance of the Bishops of the Buddhist Churches of America who have passed away and their efforts to spread the Jodo Shinshu teachings in this country while overseeing all the temples in the United States. They have also become representatives of American Buddhists in the National and International communities. Nenju or O-Juzu: The nenju (O-juzu) is the single string of beads used in Buddhist rituals and meditation. Lay members generally carry a single strand nenju, the nenju worn by monks and priests consists of 108-beads. The nenju Some temples also combine this service as a memorial for their past ministers who have returned to the Pure Land. In the Colma Cemetery, just south of San Francisco, California, there is a Japanese American section which includes monuments to past BCA bishops and ministers and graves of other Buddhists. Shin Buddhism Serimar Deep Listening Seminar by Rev. Carol Ganshō O'Dowd Join me as I share practical ways to practice listening from a Shin Buddhist view. Practice listening techniques to for use at home and work. Explore ways of opening up to all of life with awareness and appreciation. The class will be held after service from noon to 1:00 p.m. The class is free for all LBT members and is $15 for the public. We hope you join us. - 4 - (O-juzu) encircles the hands during Gassho, symbolizing Oneness. It is treated with the utmost respect at all times. When not in Gassho, during religious service, it is held in the left hand or worn on the left wrist. At home the nenju should be kept in a special place on the family shrine. The bookstore sells a stand to be used for this purpose. The left hand represents Fellow Travelers - October 2014 the world of samsara (the repeated cycle of birth, life and death) or in other words, the world we live in. The right hand represents the world of awakening, the world of nirvana. When we bring our hands together in Gassho, we are bringing the worlds of suffering and nirvana together. Buddhist Conversation Group Conversation Group Resumes for the Fall by Susan Fisher The Buddhist Conversations group will meet from 6:308:30 p.m. on Monday, October 6th, and on Monday, November 3rd to discuss Rev. J.K. Hirano’s book “Teriyaki Priest.” Incense: The bookstore offers stick incense and burners. In our tradition, the incense is placed horizontally in the burner on a bed of ash, and not stood on end. The incense can be burned at home if you have a family shrine, or simply when you wish to purify a sacred space or to show appreciation for the great heart of the Buddha that accepts us as we are. The incense allows our joy and gratitude to flow into the air as it burns. We offer several samples that give you the opportunity to select a fragrance that you enjoy. The meeting place will be the Community Room at the Longmont Safety & Justice Center, 225 Kimbark St., Longmont 80501. Turn east from Main St. onto 3rd Avenue, and then south onto Kimbark. Some thought questions to consider: how can gratitude lessen our suffering? do you believe we are responsible for our own destiny? These and many other themes are found in the first section of the book, which we will focus on for the October meeting. Bring your own thoughts and questions, whether or not you have read the book. Mindfulness Class - October 12th The mindfulness class on October 12th will explore a very different aspect of mindfulness. We will be doing a “Body Scan” as a guided meditation. Bring a yoga mat, blanket or pad to lie on. Wear loose fitting clothes and bring a towel to roll up and put under your knees. Everyone welcome. All are welcome. The facility has a well-lit parking lot and is fully handicapped accessible. Contact Information Board Members and Committee Chairpersons Position: Name Phone Board Members Email Address 303-517-4622 President: Jackie Tono Vice President: Treasurer: Gail Hogsett Financial Secretary: Ouida Kincaid Secretary: Christie Guttridge [email protected] Position Open 303-776-9578 970-290-2998 --- [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Committee Chairpersons Bookstore: Meredith Hutmacher Building/Property: Gayle McArthur Dharma School: Mike Shibata Fundraising: Marketing: Nancy Edmonds Membership: Harriet Bissell Rose Takamoto Music: Christina Hildebrandt Social Media: Meredith Hutmacher 970-744-1661 ---303-359-8341 303-997-6896 303-652-2430 970-353-5718 720-284-8710 970-744-1661 -5- [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Position Open [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Fellow Travelers - October 2014 October Calendar October 5 Family Service 9:30 am - 10:00 am Newcomers Welcome Music and Singing Practice 10:00 am - 10:30 am Meditation Service & Dharma School 10:00 am - 10:30 am Family Service 10:30 am - 11:30 am Toban (Coffee/Tea Hour) in Community Room 11:30 am - 12:30 pm Shin Seminar: Deep Listening 12:00 noon - 1:30 pm October 12 Mindfulness Class October 19 Bishops' Memorial Service 10:00 am - 11:00 am 9:30 am - 10:00 am Newcomers Welcome October 26 Music and Singing Practice 10:00 am - 10:30 am Meditation Service & Dharma School 10:00 am - 10:30 am Bishops' Memorial Service 10:30 am - 11:30 am Toban (Coffee/Tea Hour) in Community Room) 11:30 am - 12:30 pm Board of Directors Meeting (Open to all) 12:00 noon - 1:30 pm Mindfulness Class 10:00 am - 11:00 am LONGMONT BUDDHIST TEMPLE Northwest Corner - Pike Road and S. Main Street, Longmont, Colorado Reverend Carol Ganshō O’Dowd (720-244-2299); [email protected] Minster’s Assistant: John NyuDō Hughes (303-997-6896); [email protected] Please check web site for latest updates on services, classes and event times. www.longmontbuddhism.org Newsletter: Nancy Edmonds (303-997-6896); [email protected] -6- Mountain States District Family Conference Nov. 8th and 9th, 2014 Tri-State Denver Buddhist Temple 1947 Lawrence Street Denver, CO 80202 The Tri-State Denver Buddhist Temple is pleased to announce that they will be hosting the annual Mountain States District Conference. Come join us as we gather with our Colorado and Utah Temples for a weekend of Dharma lectures and family fun! This year’s theme is Myokonin or ‘wondrous person’. These are examples of Jōdo Shinshū followers from the past and present who exhibited deep commitment to the Jōdo Shinshū teachings through the ways in which they lived. Ministers and Minister Assistants from the different temples will be presenting short lectures on different myokonin. Please register ahead of time so that we can get a rough head-count and notify you in advance of any changes. Name(s):______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Address:______________________________________________________________________ Phone:________________________________ Email:_________________________________ Temple Affiliation:______________________________________________________________ Dietary Restrictions:____________________________________________________________ You can send the form to: Tri-State Denver Buddhist Temple c/o Rev. Diana Thompson 1947 Lawrence Street Denver, CO 80202 Mountain District Conference 2014 Hosted by Denver Buddhist Temple Location: Denver Buddhist Temple Theme: Myo-Ko-Ni (Living example in Jodo-Shin-Shu) Style: Workshop, Q&A period (English and Japanese workshops) Each minister shares one Myo-ko-nin during the workshop. Participants enjoy 4 or more living example. (Dharma school and YBA workshops) Speakers: Mt. District ministers & Map Saturday, November 8th, 2014. 08:00-8:30 am: Registration 08:30-9:00 am: Opening Service at Hondo………………………….…Service order (Taken care of by Denver) 09:15-10:30 am: Meetings (District Council, BWA, Dharma School, YBA) 10:30-10:45 am: Intermission at Gym 10:45-12 Noon: Workshop-I 12:00-1:30 pm: Lunch (Potluck at Gym) 01:30-2:45 pm: Workshop-II 02:45-3:15 pm: Intermission at Gym 03:15-4:30 pm: Workshop-III 05:00-6:30 pm: Dinner at Gym 06:30-08:00 pm: Entertainment at Auditorium? (gambling trip?) Sunday, November 9th, 2014. 08:30-09:00 am: Morning Service …………………….……………...Service order (Taken care of by Salt Lake/Ogden/Longmont) 09:15-10:45 am: Workshop IV 11:00-11:30 Noon: Closing Service……………………………………Service order (Taken care of by Denver) 12:00 Noon: Lunch at Gym and/or Bento Box In Gassho,
© Copyright 2024