Ebs newsletter march 2015

The Ecumenical Buddhist A Publication of the Ecumenical Buddhist Society of Little Rock

Half-Day Sits Saturdays, April 4 and May 2 Noon to 3 p.m.

Need to deepen your meditation practice?

There will be a half day session (3 hours) of sitting and walking meditation practice held at EBS on Saturdays, April 4 and May 2, from noon till 3 p.m. There is no cost. Ten-minute breaks will done before each hour (at 12:50 p.m. and 1:50 p.m.) to allow people to join later or leave earlier if they have other commitments.

Each hour will consist of 40 minutes of sitting meditation and 10 minutes of walking meditation. At 3 p.m. after the formal sit is over, we will have tea and an informal Dharma chat on topics of interest to the group.

For more information, contact Doug Holmes at doug.holmes.42@gmail.com.

Pilgrimage Talk & Potluck Saturday, March 21 6:30 to 9 p.m.

6:30 p.m.—Pot Luck—Bring vegetarian food

you would like to share.

7:00 p.m.—Talk by Ellis Widner and film on Shikoku Pilgrimage in Japan. Ellis Widner will talk about the meaning of pilgrimage and how this can enhance your practice. A pilgrimage is a ritual journey with a hallowed purpose. Every step along the way has meaning. A pilgrimage is not a vacation; it is a transformational journey during which significant change takes place. New insights are given. Deeper understanding is attained. On return from the pilgrimage, life is seen with different eyes.

After Ellis’ talk, an hour long program will be shown on the Buddhist pilgrimage on the Japanese island of Shikoku from the PBS series, Sacred Journeys with Bruce Feiler. Shikoku is the birthplace of the most revered figure in Japanese Buddhism, the monk and teacher Kobo-Daishi, who brought a populist form of Buddhism to Japan from China in the 9th century. For hundreds of years, a 750-mile pilgrimage route has circled this mountainous island, connecting 88 separate temples and shrines that claim connection to Daishi. Each leg of the journey represents a state of the path to nirvana. The pilgrimage has an annual participation of 200,000 people.

March 2015, Volume 25, Number 1

“Practice of Generosity” Fundraising Campaign

The Sanskrit word “Dana” usually

translates as “generosity” and for

Buddhists, generosity is the first one of

the special activities leading to the Bodhisattva level of spiritual realization called the “Six Perfections” or “Paramitas.” The six practices are: Generosity, Discipline/Virtue, Patience, Effort/Diligence, Meditation, and Wisdom.

These activities are understood to help us overcome obstacles.

And Generosity is the foundation for all the others.

If the Buddha were alive today, we would practice generosity by feeding him and his followers. And around the world, Buddhists still maintain this tradition by giving their time and money to practice centers.

At EBS, we make every effort to include people in this practice of generosity by inviting everyone at every level of activity to pitch in – from bringing food to a potluck to serving on the board.

Each person’s efforts have meaning both for EBS and for the individual. As the Zen teacher Suzuki Roshi once said, “A fire burns brighter when you put more logs onto it” meaning that each of us can amplify our individual practices by doing them together, in community with one another.

There is a role for financial contributions, too. Last year, EBS had 56 people who were pledging an average of $50 per month to support EBS. Some gave less, and some gave significantly more. A few donors from last year moved out of the area or stopped donating because of changes in their lives.

The loss of these pledges is significant, and we need to replace them.

We are looking for a dozen new pledges in 2015.

You will see the “Practice of Generosity” campaign literature at the center and on our website. Please think about what EBS does for you, and consider how you want to make your own contribution to EBS. If you have any questions, please contact our Treasurer, Cheryl Woodard, by emailing Cheryl@publishingbiz.com.

Other Events in the Newsletter - Day of Awareness Retreat with Therese Fitzgerald April 15-19 - Buddhism from the Start: A Video Lecture and Discussion Series Starting May 11 - 2015 Mindfulness Retreat, June 5-6 - Silent Meditation during the week at lunchtime

For up-to-date information on EBS events, see our web page at www.ebslr.org.

Dates for Introduction to Buddhism

Important Information About Your Pledges

This class takes place on the first Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at EBS. This is an excellent starting place for people with little or no knowledge of Buddhism to come and learn. One of our members will present a short history of Buddhism and talk about the different traditions of practice. Meditation techniques will also be covered.

These session are very informal and questions are welcome.

If you plan to attend, please let us know by sending an email to ebs@aristotle.net and be sure to include the number of attendees. Advanced registration is requested, but not required. We look forward to having you.

Upcoming Dates: - Monday, April 6 - Monday, June 8 - Monday, May 4 - Monday, July 6

Please read!

EBS has moved to a new location, but a lot of payments are still going to our old address. Please check with your bank and other financial institutions and update the address to EBS to:

Ecumenical Buddhist Society PO Box 561 Little Rock, AR 72203-0561

Remember Your Pledge for 2015!

Thank you to all who have donated their time, money, and practice to making EBS such a success!

Dana: A Buddhist Tradition of Personal Generosity A Pledge Supporting the Ecumenical Buddhist Society of Little Rock in 2015 This pledge of financial support is your act of Dana—generosity toward others.

EBS is grateful for your commitment to helping maintain our Dharma community.

Your name/s: __________________________________________________________________________________ Email address: _________________________________________________________________________________ Mailing address: ________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Telephone number/s: _____________________________________________________________________________ 2014 Pledge Amount: $_____________ □ Monthly □ Quarterly □ Semi-annually Pledges may be paid starting January 2013 or sooner.

□ Annually (Check Enclosed)

Payment Options (please check) There are several ways to set up pledge payments for your convenience. □ Set up a monthly bank draft to be mailed directly to EBS (information below) □ Set up regular debit or credit card payments through PayPal on the EBS website: www.ebslr.org □ Pay by check. If you would like pre-addressed mailing envelopes, please indicate here: No. of envelopes requested _______ You may need the EBS information below to set up payment drafts.

If you have any questions, please contact our Treasurer, Cheryl Woodard, by emailing Cheryl@publishingbiz.com.

Thank you!

Ecumenical Buddhist Society of Little Rock, PO Box 561, Little Rock, AR 72203-0561 • (501) 376-7056

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The Ecumenical Buddhist

BUDDHISM FROM THE START

Time: Place: Cost:

A Video Lecture and Discussion Series Starting May 11, 2015

7-9 p.m. lecture and discussion EBS Meditation Center Your kind and generous donation supports EBS and makes educational programs possible. Thank you!

Monday, May 11: What is Buddhism

India at the Time of the Buddha Monday, May 18 The Doctrine of Reincarnation

The Story of the Buddha Monday, May 25 All is Suffering—The Path to Nirvana Monday, June 8 The Buddhist Monastic Community

Theravada Buddhism in Southeast Asia Monday, June 15 Mahayana Buddhism and the Bodhisattva

Ideal—Celestial Buddhas and Bodhisattvas Monday, June 22 Emptiness (last lecture)

Fullness (potluck dinner to close the series) Buddhism from the Start features video-lectures by Dr. Malcolm David Eckel, with group discussion of Buddhist concepts. At Boston University, Eckel is professor of religion and directs the Institute for Philosophy and Religion; he is author of two books on Buddhism.

Each program includes an hour of video lecture by Eckel, discussion by participants, and tea breaks as needed. The topics provide an understanding of our tradition’s roots and the early evolution of Buddhist philosophy. David Eckel helps clarify some of the mysteries we in the West may have as we establish our ground in Buddhism.

Meditation practice is not included in the lecture presentations.

However, there is meditation practice at 6:00 p.m. preceding the lectures. You are welcome to attend practice or then help setup for the presentation at 7:00.

There is no charge for the series, but please remember that donations make it possible for EBS to maintain our meditation center and offer educational programs for all. We hope you’ll come!

For more information on the series, contact Eileen Oldag at neale.oldag@netzero.net, Subject: EBS lecture series.

Awareness Now: Exploring Impermanence with Therese Fitzgerald

April 15-19, Camp Mitchell, Petit Jean Mountain Impermanence is inescapable. What is real is the existing moment. During this retreat, we will practice ways of shining the light of mindfulness on the truth of impermanence and being truly alive, moment to moment, with the keenest awareness possible. There will be sitting and walking meditation, mindful meals, Dharma talks and discussion, yoga, and personal interviews with the teacher. This retreat, held mostly in silence, is recommended for both beginning and experienced meditators.

There will be supplementary sessions for beginners.

For more information contact: Sue Zimmerman 608.698-1214 susanpzimmerman@yahoo.com. See the retreat flyer on the EBS website at www.ebslr.org.

Day of Mindfulness 2015 Mindfulness Minute by Minute

Friday, June 5 and Saturday, June 6 More than ever, we want to learn and incorporate meditation in our daily life, to make it a natural part of living. At our Day of Mindfulness we learn practical forms of meditation that make our lives a calm, flowing, minute-to-minute meditation. As meditation becomes part of our life, our work and our relationships, the stress and conflict that may exist are transformed.

Day of Mindfulness combines dharma talks, walking meditation, mindful eating and mindful discussion as well as silence and deep relaxation. No previous experience in meditation is required. All are welcome.

At the Ecumenical Buddhist Society Meditation Center 1516 W. Third Street, Little Rock, AR Hosted by River Valley Mindfulness Sangha Led by Monks and Nuns of Magnolia Grove Meditation Practice Center In the tradition of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh Public Talk Friday Evening, June 6, 7 p.m.

Open to the public.

Suggested donation: $10 to $15 payable at the door Day of Mindfulness 2015, Saturday, June 6 Registration 8 a.m.; Retreat 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Registration Fee: $65 | Includes vegan lunch Space limited | Register in advance Registration forms and details at www.ebslr.org Scholarships and information. Contact Eileen Oldag at neale.oldag@netzero.net

Thich Nhat Hanh’s Health

Last year, Thich Nhat Hanh experienced a stroke. In his current state, Thay is able to recognize familiar faces. He is very responsive to verbal stimuli, but is not yet able to speak.

Thay’s physical condition remains stable, and thanks to his excellent care Thay has received, he is able to enjoy being comfortable and at ease. Thay is investing great effort in his physiotherapy sessions. He is making daily progress, and the attendants are learning from his mind of determination, as they witness him practicing the exercises from time to time throughout the day. He has been transferred to a specialist Stroke Rehabilitation Clinic. In the rehabilitation clinic he will get the best possible care and training.

March 2015

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2015 EBS Board of Directors At the January Annual EBS Society meeting (an excellent gathering that had plenty of good food and fellowship!), 3 new members, Andrea Bevernitz, John Matlock, and Mick Wiggins were elected to the board.

The members of the 2015 EBS Board of Directors are: • Doug Holmes, President

email: doug.holmes.42@gmail.com • Charlotte Besch, Vice President

email: cabesch@midsouth.ualr.edu • Cheryl Woodard, Treasurer

email: cheryl@publishingbiz.com • Melissa Gill, Secretary

email: meegill@gmail.com • Doug Barton email: douglaskbarton@gmail.com • Lisa Kessler email: alphy18@hotmail.com • John Matlock email: jodamatic@sbcglobal.net • Mick Wiggins email: mick@mickwiggins.com • Karen Wisdom email: kmwisdom@ualr.edu Special Thank Yous: The Board would like to thank Eileen Oldag for her hard work on the board these past years. Eileen’s work as treasurer has helped EBS get into our new center.

We would also like to thank Andrea Bevernitz for her service on the board.

Silent Meditation Practices at Lunchtime

Mondays thru Friday at 11:30 a.m.-Noon

EBS is adding new opportunities for sitting in silent meditation.

Starting immediately, there will be a 30 minute lunchtime sessions offered on Monday through Friday from 11:30-noon.

Shamatha Meditation: Training the Mind by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche

“The process of undoing bewilderment is based on stabilizing and strengthening our mind,” says Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. “Shamatha meditation is how we do that.”

We sometimes forget how the Buddhist teachings came into being. We forget why the Buddha left his father’s palace.

Dissatisfied with maintaining an illusion, he wanted to understand his life—and life itself.

Just like the Buddha, most of us would like to discover some basic truth about our life. But are we really capable of knowing what’s going on? This is a question that relates to the most profound truth of the Buddhist teachings. The Buddha’s answer is, “Yes, ultimately we are. But we need to go on a journey of meditation to find out, because essentially we are in a state of bewilderment.” Why are we bewildered?

Because we don’t understand how our mind works.

The process of undoing bewilderment is based on cultivating the ability to become familiar with, stabilize, and strengthen our mind. Being aware and observant of what’s happening in our mind gives us an opportunity to see a more profound level of truth all the time. In the practice of meditation, we learn to zoom back and get a bigger perspective, rather than always thinking so small.

The Buddha understood that if we want to go on any kind of journey—not just a spiritual one but also a secular one, such as studying or doing business—we need a mind that is workable. We need a mind that we can rely on. That’s the notion of training the mind, of making the mind workable so it can do whatever it needs to do.

Shamatha, or mindfulness, meditation is how we make this mind more stable, more useful. From this point of view, shamatha is not purely a Buddhist practice; it’s a practice that anyone can do. It doesn’t tie in with a particular spiritual tradition. If we want to undo bewilderment, we’re going to have to be responsible for learning what our own mind is and how it works, no matter what beliefs we hold.

The word shamatha in Sanskrit means “peacefully abiding.”

Peacefully abiding describes the mind as it naturally is. The word “peace” tells the whole story. The human mind is by nature joyous, calm and very clear. In shamatha meditation we aren’t creating a peaceful state—we’re letting our mind be as it is to begin with. This doesn’t mean that we’re peacefully ignoring things. It means that the mind is able to be with itself without constantly leaving.

In meditation we learn how to calmly abide: we learn how to let ourselves just be here peacefully. If we can remember what the word “shamatha” means, we can always use it as a reference point in our practice. We can say, “What is this meditation that I’m doing? It is shamatha—calmly, peacefully abiding.”

At the same time we begin to see that our mind isn’t always abiding calmly or peacefully. Perhaps it’s abiding irritatingly, angrily, jealously. Seeing all of this is how we begin to untangle our bewilderment.

Meditation is a very personal practice. Just like the Buddha, we can approach it by way of valid cognition: “What is truly valid? What is the truth of my experience?” We begin to realize what we don’t know, and we become curious.

In doing so we leapfrog from question to answer, with each new answer leading to a new question. And if we persist we begin to experience another truth that the Buddha also discovered: in every situation there is the continuum of the truth. Each answer is followed naturally by the next question.

It’s seamless.

With this kind of practice and inquisitiveness, the Buddha learned to look at the landscape of life in a clear, unbiased way. When he began to teach, he was just reporting his observations: “This is what I see. This is the truth about how things are.” He wasn’t presenting any particular viewpoint.

He wasn’t preaching dogma; he was pointing out reality. We forget this. For example, most people would say that one of the key teachings in Buddhism is karma. But the Buddha did not create karma; the Buddha just saw it and acknowledged it. Saying that karma is a Buddhist belief is like saying that Buddhists believe water is wet. And if you’re a Buddhist, you must also believe that fire is hot!

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The Ecumenical Buddhist

Shamatha Meditation (con’t)

In meditation, what we’re doing is looking at our experience and at the world intelligently. The Buddha said that this is how we learn to look at any situation and understand its truth, its true message, its reality. This is what a Buddha does—and we are all capable of being Buddhas, whether or not we are Buddhists. We all have the ability to realize our naturally peaceful minds where there is no confusion. We can use the natural clarity of our mind to focus on anything we want. But first we have to tame our minds through shamatha meditation.

Perhaps we associate meditation with spirituality because when we experience a moment of peacefully abiding, it seems so far-out. Our mind is no longer drifting, thinking about a million things. The sun comes up or a beautiful breeze comes along—and all of a sudden we feel the breeze and we are completely in tune. We think, “That’s a very spiritual experience! It’s a religious experience! At least worth a poem, or a letter home.” Yet all that’s happening is that for a moment we are in tune with our mind. Our mind is present and harmonious. Before, we were so busy and bewildered that we didn’t even notice the breeze. Our mind couldn’t even stay put long enough to watch the sun to come up, which takes two-and-a-half minutes. Now we can keep it in one place long enough to acknowledge and appreciate our surroundings. Now we are really here. In fact, this is ordinary. We can bring the mind under our own power. We can train it to be useful and workable.

This is the not just the point of being Buddhist, it’s the point of being human.

Misconceptions About Buddhism

By Robert E. Buswell, Jr., PhD, Distinguished Professor of Buddhist Studies, University of California, Los Angeles and Donald S. Lopez, Jr., PhD, Distinguished Professor of Buddhist and Tibetan Studies, University of Michigan

4. All Buddhists are pacifists. It is often said that a war has never been fought in the name of Buddhism. There have been many battles between Buddhists (with some Buddhist monasteries having their own armies). There have also been wars of Buddhists against non-Buddhists. Tibetan Buddhists fought bravely against British forces that invaded Tibet.

During World War II, many Japanese priests supported the military expansion of the Japanese empire.

5. Buddhism is a philosophy and not a religion. Buddhism has many philosophical schools, with a sophisticated equal to that of any philosophical school that developed in Europe.

However, Buddhism is a religions by any definition of that indefinable term, unless one defines religion as belief in a creator God. The great majority of Buddhist practice over history, for both monks and laypeople, has been focused on a good rebirth in the next lifetime, whether for oneself, for one’s family, or for all beings in the universe.

6. The Buddha was a human being, not a god, and the religion he founded has no place for the worship of gods.

Buddhism has an elaborate pantheon of celestial beings (devas; the name of etymologically related to the English word divinity) and advanced spiritual beings (bodhisattvas and buddhas), who occupy various heavens and pure lands and who respond to the prayers of the devout.

7. Zen rejects conventional Buddhism. Zen masters burn statues of the Buddha, scorn the sutras, and regularly frequent bars and brothels. Zen monks follow a strict set of regulations, called “pure rules,” which are based on the monastic discipline imported from India. Most Zen monks have engaged in extensive study of Buddhist scriptures before beginning their training in the meditation hall. And although a celebrated verse in Zen speaks of “not relying on words and letters,” Zen has the largest body of written literature of any tradition of East Asian Buddhism.

8. Zen is dedicated to the experience of “sudden enlightenment,” which frees its followers from the extended regimens of training in ethics, meditation, and wisdom found in conventional forms of Buddhism. Zen monks routinely expect to spend decades in full-time practice before they will be able to make real progress in their meditation.

9. All spiritual traditions, Buddhism included, are different paths to the same mountaintop. Many great Buddhist figures state unequivocally that enlightenment is accessible only to those who follow the Buddhist path. One can get only so far by following other religions; only Buddhism has the path to liberation from suffering. All roads may lead to the base camp, but only Buddhism leads to the summit.

1. All Buddhists meditate. Meditation is often identified as the central practice of Buddhism. However, the majority of Buddhists throughout history have not meditated. Meditation has traditionally been considered a monastic practice, and even then as a specialty only of certain monks. It is only since the 20th century that the practice of meditation has begun to be widely practiced by laypeople.

2. The primary form of Buddhist meditation is mindfulness. In fact, there are hundreds of forms of Buddhist meditation, some for developing deep states of concentration and mental bliss, some for analyzing the constituents of mind and body to find that there is no self, some for meeting the Buddha face-to-face. The practice of mindfulness as it is taught in America today began in Burma in the early 20th century.

3. All Buddhists are vegetarians. Buddhist monks and nuns originally begged for their daily meal (some still do) and therefore were supposed to eat whatever was offered to them, including meat. In the centuries after the Buddha’s death, vegetarianism began to be promoted in some Buddhist texts.

However, even today not all Buddhists monks and nuns are vegetarians. For example, in China they are; in Tibet they are not.

March 2015

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Ecumenical Buddhist Society of Little Rock Schedule of Events

Meditation sessions are open to everyone and are held at Ecumenical Buddhist Society of Little Rock, 1516 West 3rd Street in Little Rock Weekly EVENTS: Monday 11:30 am - noon Silent Meditation

6 - 6:30 pm Silent Meditation

6:00 - 7 p.m. Shamatha and Tonglen Practice (in small meditation room)

Tuesday

11:30 am - noon 6 - 6:30 pm 6 - 7 pm

Wednesday 11:30 am - noon

6 - 7 pm

7 - 8 p.m.

Silent Meditation Silent Meditation (in small meditation room) Kwan Um Zen Practice (Korean Zen tradition) Silent Meditation Vajrayana Practice (Tibetan Nyingma Practice: Yeshe Tsogyal, first three Wednesdays of the month and Sakya Practices on the last Wednesday of the month) Community Meditation Workshop (For people wanting to develop a sitting practice.)

Thursday

11:30 am - noon 6 - 7 pm

Silent Meditation Rinzai Zen Practice (Japanese Zen tradition)

Friday

11:30 am - noon 6 - 6:30 pm

Silent Meditation Silent Meditation

Saturday

10:30 - noon

Vajrayana Practice (Tibetan Nyingma lineage of the Dharmata Foundation)

Sunday 9 - 9:30 am Silent Meditation

10 - 11:15 am Vajrayana Practice (Tibetan Nyingma lineage)

5:30 - 6:30 pm Mindfulness Practice (Vietnamese Zen tradition)

7 - 8 pm Vipassana Practice (Theravada tradition) ONGOING EVENTS: • Introduction to Buddhism, 1st Monday of each month at 7 pm • Open Board Meeting, 2nd Thursday of each month at 6 pm

Find out about more events on our website: www.ebslr.org

P.O. Box 561 Little Rock, AR 72203-0561 Permit No.1240 Little Rock, AR

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