tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56567301652665327602024-03-13T22:24:29.859-07:00Sakyadhita: Awakening Buddhist WomenAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09922555612783967599noreply@blogger.comBlogger162125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656730165266532760.post-26303483045219089432017-03-13T10:23:00.000-07:002017-03-21T16:44:21.788-07:0015th Sakyadhita International Conference Workshop: Art and Meditation with Dharmacharini Anagarika Kiranada<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I came to meditation and to Buddhism more than forty years ago, through art. The first time I sat with meditation instructions, I went into a deep, pristine place where “self” was gone, there was no separation, and I merged into that inner space. I knew I had been there before many times with my artwork. Years of research with meditation teachers, psychologists, and fellow artists followed and I began to find some explanation for what I experienced with this “losing self,” merging, and deepening in meditation. With some interactive art experiences (simple drawing and meditative writing), I plan to lead participants into this realm. Special talent or experience in art is not necessary.
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<br />
<a name='more'></a>The workshop will begin with a discussion of art and meditation, including my personal experiences and some of the research I have done in this area. We will do some meditation centering and quieting, followed by “meditation writing,” practices to “loosen our hands,” connect with line and the flow of a chosen mantra. Next, we will engage in some drawing activities that will help us explore the old Zen instruction on drawing:
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<br />
First draw bamboo for ten years.<br />
Then become bamboo.<br />
Then forget all about bamboo<br />
When you are drawing.<br />
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The workshop will conclude with suggestions for making art part of daily life, to continue to connect with these experiences, and deepen our practice. <br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Dharmacharini Anagarika Kiranada</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VcR3C7rYsCQ/WMbU-HgxiyI/AAAAAAAAFUE/0ZUer1yPSS8BbGikkF-6wdvZzZO3eLU8QCLcB/s1600/13243964_10210030660747027_6534198520667533172_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VcR3C7rYsCQ/WMbU-HgxiyI/AAAAAAAAFUE/0ZUer1yPSS8BbGikkF-6wdvZzZO3eLU8QCLcB/s320/13243964_10210030660747027_6534198520667533172_o.jpg" width="235" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kiranada Sterling Benjamin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Dharmacharini Kiranada was ordained with the <a href="https://thebuddhistcentre.com/text/what-triratna-buddhist-community" target="_blank">Triratna Buddhist Order</a> in 2009 in Spain and took <a href="https://thebuddhistcentre.com/highlights/parami-and-dhammadinna-conversation-anagarika-convention" target="_blank">Anagarika Vows</a> in 2016. She is an award-winning international artist, researcher and author specializing in the textiles of Japan where she lived more than eighteen years. Kiranada coordinates the Contemplative Arts at her center, Aryaloka Buddhist Retreat Center in Newmarket, New Hampshire, USA and teaches art and meditation workshops in the Americas, Asia and Europe.<br />
<br />
<b>Find Kiranada Online:</b><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="http://kiranadasterlingbenjamin.com/index.htm" target="_blank">Website</a></li>
<li><a href="http://kiranada.com/" target="_blank">Solitary Retreat</a> </li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f-n13-tYQ3Y/WF6rGi1BOuI/AAAAAAAAFIA/-RUfXfI83CQk4hrH-730g2UM5UjMZ_M-ACEw/s1600/SI-Banner_12212016-590x101px.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f-n13-tYQ3Y/WF6rGi1BOuI/AAAAAAAAFIA/-RUfXfI83CQk4hrH-730g2UM5UjMZ_M-ACEw/s1600/SI-Banner_12212016-590x101px.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Learn More About the 15th Sakyadhita International Conference on Buddhist Women</h3>
<br />
The theme for the 2017 conference to be held at The University of Hong Kong is “Contemporary Buddhist Women: Contemplation,
Cultural Exchange & Social Action.” This theme highlights the diversity of
contemporary Buddhist women throughout the world.<br />
<br />
For more information on the conference <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/conferences/15th-si-con.html" target="_blank">please visit the Sakyadhita International website</a> and <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/docs/resources/conferences/15-ENGLISH-SIConferenceBrochure_11222016.pdf" target="_blank">download a brochure</a>.
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466378130719482306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656730165266532760.post-2178745616841238262017-02-27T10:38:00.000-08:002017-03-13T10:44:23.995-07:0015th Sakyadhita International Conference Panel: Monastic Life in the Modern World with Nirmala S. Salgado<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Based on research recently conducted in Sri Lanka, I will discuss how
different types of institutions of Buddhist nuns promote specific
communal rules and why they might address those rules in different ways.
The paper will focus on communities of nuns that include both fully
ordained bhikkhunis as well as sil matas, who dwell in teaching
institutions and meditation centers throughout the country, and belong
to a Theravada/Southern Buddhist tradition. I will demonstrate that
while nuns living at the various centers focus on the cultivation of
contemplative practices that are conducive to the eradication of
obstacles on the path to nirvana, and aim at maintaining a disciplined
and harmonious life in community, there are important differences in how
and why nuns at different institutions engage monastic regulations.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
My research has identified four variables that affect how monastic life
in Sri Lanka today marks differences in regulations that nuns observe.
These include: (1) the locale of the nuns, i.e., whether or not they
live in teaching institutions or meditation centers; (2) the degree to
which the nuns’ centers are connected to the State monastic networks of
monastics; (3) the extent to which nuns observe the recommendations of
the Pali Vinaya; and (4) whether or not they have received the higher
ordination. While these differences are present in the institutions to
which Sri Lankan nuns belong, I also argue that how nuns at different
institutions observe monastic discipline in their everyday lives is not
as significantly different as one might think, since they share a common
interpretation of the meaning and purpose of living a disciplined life
in a Buddhist community – a life focused on contemplative practices that
are central to who they are and how they live.<br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Nirmala S. Salgado</h3>
<br />
Nirmala S. Salgado earned her M.A. in Religion from the School of
Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and her Ph.D. in
Religion from Northwestern University. She is now a professor of
Religion at <a href="http://www.augustana.net/academics/faculty-directory/directory?pid=7rgKFfR" target="_blank">Augustana College</a> in Rock Island, Illinois, where she
teaches courses such as Buddhism, Women in Asian Religions, Religions of
East Asia, and Religions of India. Her research interests include
gender and religion (with a focus on contemporary Buddhism in Sri
Lanka), South Asian religion (including its practices in America), and
postcolonialism. Her long-term research on Buddhist nuns has been
conducted over a thirty-year period. She has published several articles
and book chapters on Buddhist nuns and a book, <a href="http://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199760022.001.0001/acprof-9780199760022" target="_blank">Buddhist Nuns and Gendered Practice: In Search of the Female Reununciant</a>). She is
currently working on a collaborative research project with Hiroko
Kawanami and Monica Falk on the <i>Communal Jurisprudence of Buddhist Nuns
in the Southern Buddhist Traditions</i>. <br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f-n13-tYQ3Y/WF6rGi1BOuI/AAAAAAAAFIA/-RUfXfI83CQk4hrH-730g2UM5UjMZ_M-ACEw/s1600/SI-Banner_12212016-590x101px.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f-n13-tYQ3Y/WF6rGi1BOuI/AAAAAAAAFIA/-RUfXfI83CQk4hrH-730g2UM5UjMZ_M-ACEw/s1600/SI-Banner_12212016-590x101px.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Learn More About the 15th Sakyadhita International Conference on Buddhist Women</h3>
<br />
The theme for the 2017 conference to be held at The University of Hong Kong is “Contemporary Buddhist Women: Contemplation,
Cultural Exchange & Social Action.” This theme highlights the diversity of
contemporary Buddhist women throughout the world.<br />
<br />
For more information on the conference <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/conferences/15th-si-con.html" target="_blank">please visit the Sakyadhita International website</a> and <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/docs/resources/conferences/15-ENGLISH-SIConferenceBrochure_11222016.pdf" target="_blank">download a brochure</a>.
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466378130719482306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656730165266532760.post-16944341952949000632017-02-13T10:49:00.000-08:002017-03-21T16:47:05.690-07:0015th Sakyadhita International Conference Panel: Translation as Contemplative Practice with Annie Bien<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The Mahāyāna sūtra titled,<i> The Prophecy of the Daughter Candrottarā</i>, tells the story of the merchant Vimalakīrti’s daughter, Candrottarā, a young woman striving on the path to enlightenment. Instead of crying when she takes birth, she sings verses about the nature of birth. Pure in body and deed, beautiful to behold and without desires, she is drawn to the Buddha’s voice. The men of the city of Vaiśalī want to marry her, threaten Vimalakīrti, and terrify him. She remains unafraid, calming her father through her understanding of karma. She comforts both parents by agreeing to choose a husband, but asks to meet the Buddha first. On her way, the Buddha’s disciples appear, questioning her. Candrottarā debates with them that sexual identity ultimately has no relevance for attaining enlightenment. The Buddha, listens and is delighted. He prophesies her future enlightenment. Elated, she transforms into a young man to continue her enlightened activities in the world.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
What are the implications about this transformation for us today? Is
this a misogynistic stance against women? Is it an inability to accept
those who have sexual transformations as part of our society? Could it
be a mirror into seeing just how willing we are to open any aspect of
our minds? How does the mind of enlightenment cross the gender boundary
even if, by definition of being human, our physical bodies must have a
gender?<br />
<br />
This paper will examine how Candrottarā reveals that warmhearted,
intelligent, and respectful behavior towards others benefits everyone.
It is a classic yet modern story still applicable now. When we get
caught in our secondary level storylines, Candrottarā shows us how to
bring kindness into our hearts and daily lives.
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<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Annie Bien</h3>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ba3yCVz9KGk/WMbdU3yMHqI/AAAAAAAAFUg/35ShKgXd9nY8pUlGgl0spiJ23mDDObG6gCLcB/s1600/AnnieBien.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ba3yCVz9KGk/WMbdU3yMHqI/AAAAAAAAFUg/35ShKgXd9nY8pUlGgl0spiJ23mDDObG6gCLcB/s200/AnnieBien.jpg" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Annie Bien</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Annie Bien is a writer and a translator of Tibetan Buddhist texts
for <a href="http://84000.co/" target="_blank">84000</a>. She received a seed commission from the <a href="http://www.sohotheatre.com/" target="_blank">Soho Theatre Company</a>
in London, and has published poetry and prose in literary journals and a
poetry collection, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Plateau-Migration-Annie-Bien/dp/0615697208" target="_blank">Plateau Migration</a>. Annie has a new poetry book, <i>Under the Shadow of Stars</i>, available later this year from Kelsay Books. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.<br />
<br />
<b>Find Annie Online:</b><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="http://anniebien.com/" target="_blank">Website</a></li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f-n13-tYQ3Y/WF6rGi1BOuI/AAAAAAAAFIA/-RUfXfI83CQk4hrH-730g2UM5UjMZ_M-ACEw/s1600/SI-Banner_12212016-590x101px.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f-n13-tYQ3Y/WF6rGi1BOuI/AAAAAAAAFIA/-RUfXfI83CQk4hrH-730g2UM5UjMZ_M-ACEw/s1600/SI-Banner_12212016-590x101px.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Learn More About the 15th Sakyadhita International Conference on Buddhist Women</h3>
<br />
The theme for the 2017 conference to be held at The University of Hong Kong is “Contemporary Buddhist Women: Contemplation,
Cultural Exchange & Social Action.” This theme highlights the diversity of
contemporary Buddhist women throughout the world.<br />
<br />
For more information on the conference <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/conferences/15th-si-con.html" target="_blank">please visit the Sakyadhita International website</a> and <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/docs/resources/conferences/15-ENGLISH-SIConferenceBrochure_11222016.pdf" target="_blank">download a brochure</a>.
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466378130719482306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656730165266532760.post-62764476262810018482017-01-23T12:06:00.000-08:002017-02-12T12:44:01.489-08:0015th Sakyadhita International Conference Workshop: Mindful Chinese Calligraphy with Esther Liu<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qBV4A_k-nPg/WKDGbdPPKFI/AAAAAAAAFOU/ny_IDBhDBwchlJ0ZhnApDfYG1F6kGS0QACLcB/s1600/estherLIU-photo%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qBV4A_k-nPg/WKDGbdPPKFI/AAAAAAAAFOU/ny_IDBhDBwchlJ0ZhnApDfYG1F6kGS0QACLcB/s400/estherLIU-photo%2B1.jpg" width="590" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This calligraphic work was created by elders tutored by Esther Liu.</td></tr>
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Chinese calligraphy is the simplest artistic endeavor, being composed of black dots and strokes. The beauty of strokes, composition and integration create various kind of charm in the implicit and symbolic artistic expression.
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<a name='more'></a><br />
The Chinese character of mindfulness (正念) symbolizes the “now” in the presence of calmness, alertness, openness, curiosity and steadiness, with flexible and choice-less awareness of and bare attention to the action of the present moment, including one’s body, body functions and sensations, the contents of one’s consciousness and consciousness itself. It can be interpreted as “being full-hearted right now”, that is, the attention of one’s mind is fully grounded in and focused upon the action of the present moment.
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In a way, the mindful handwriting of Chinese calligraphy is the action of the present moment, a controlled expression of emotions, and a suitable treatment of the relations between the emotions of the calligrapher and the objects and environment around — a harmonious integration of the subject and object to reflect materials while express the emotions of the calligrapher. Chinese characters and writing are two essential elements of Chinese calligraphy. If the characters are the body (contents) of calligraphy, writing is the spiritual practice. Calligraphic creation is a natural exposure of people’s emotions. Such exposure should be meditative, controlled and harmonious, in order to bring into one line the beauty of nature and the beauty of personality. Therefore, the coordination and reunification of the various kinds of organic elements of calligraphy shall be attained through understanding and practice.
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The Mindful Chinese Calligraphy Workshop will offer participants the chance to receive a brief explanation of Chinese characters and an introduction to the skills of writing in order to gain experience in this meditative artistic practice. The workshop will create the space for writing, as well as the tools needed to complete a simple calligraphic work of art. There will be a short meditation and hand/body warm-up before practicing calligraphic writing. No calligraphic writing experience is needed.
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<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Esther Liu </h3>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qVRDWZP0-mA/WKDCf9_0a4I/AAAAAAAAFOI/Fe8ivt-jmOw2VIKaqG16IwW7Qsi80PLKACLcB/s1600/estherLIU-photo%2B2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qVRDWZP0-mA/WKDCf9_0a4I/AAAAAAAAFOI/Fe8ivt-jmOw2VIKaqG16IwW7Qsi80PLKACLcB/s320/estherLIU-photo%2B2.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Esther Liu became a novice nun in 2013.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Esther Liu began her spiritual journey after 22 years of teaching at the <a href="http://www.sd.polyu.edu.hk/en/" target="_blank">School of Design</a>, <i>Hong Kong Polytechnic University</i>.
During this time she also practiced as art director and designer, and had solo and group shows in US, Japan and Hong Kong, also participating in juried international graphic/book design and typography competitions and spoke at international design conferences in Germany, Japan, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.<br />
<br />
Esther was awarded the <i>President’s Award for Achievement in Research and Scholarly Activities</i> from Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and is the recipient of more than forty design awards, with two Golds in ‘WhitePaper’ 1996 and two Golds in ‘thinkCLICK’ 1999. Her works have been published by <i>Idea</i>, <i>Tokyo TypeDirectors Club</i>, <i>Art Directors Club</i>, the <i>USA and Hong Kong Designers Association </i>and is in the collection of the <i>HK Heritage Museum </i>and <i>Osaka City Museum</i>. Esther has also published two books on Chinese Typography.<br />
<br />
25 years ago, Esther Liu founded a creative visual thinking studio for kids aged from 2 to 12. The studio is still very active in the children in the art education field. Since her retirement, she has been contributing her professions to the community, teaching art and Chinese typography to those with mental disabilities, including teenagers with autism, those who have suffered strokes and elders up to age 95.
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<br />
<b>Find Esther Online:</b><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="http://www.aaa.org.hk/Collection/Details/2389" target="_blank">Asia Art Archive</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.tdctokyo.org/awards/award99/99interactive_e.html" target="_blank">Tokyo TDC</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.mccmcreations.com/liu-esther" target="_blank">MCCM Creations</a></li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f-n13-tYQ3Y/WF6rGi1BOuI/AAAAAAAAFIA/-RUfXfI83CQk4hrH-730g2UM5UjMZ_M-ACEw/s1600/SI-Banner_12212016-590x101px.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f-n13-tYQ3Y/WF6rGi1BOuI/AAAAAAAAFIA/-RUfXfI83CQk4hrH-730g2UM5UjMZ_M-ACEw/s1600/SI-Banner_12212016-590x101px.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Learn More About the 15th Sakyadhita International Conference on Buddhist Women</h3>
<br />
The theme for the 2017 conference to be held at The University of Hong Kong is “Contemporary Buddhist Women: Contemplation,
Cultural Exchange & Social Action.” This theme highlights the diversity of
contemporary Buddhist women throughout the world.<br />
<br />
For more information on the conference <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/conferences/15th-si-con.html" target="_blank">please visit the Sakyadhita International website</a> and <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/docs/resources/conferences/15-ENGLISH-SIConferenceBrochure_11222016.pdf" target="_blank">download a brochure</a>.
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466378130719482306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656730165266532760.post-26574265583869838032017-01-16T18:56:00.000-08:002017-01-19T11:53:37.238-08:0015th Sakyadhita International Conference Workshop: Hatha Yoga with Lyudmila Klasanova<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Yoga is a practice of mind and body. The primary goal is to gain balance in one’s life and provide a sense of calmness and inner peace. Like other meditative movement practices used for health purposes, various styles of yoga typically combine physical postures (<i>asanas</i>), breathing techniques (<i>pranayama</i>), relaxation (<i>yoga nyidra</i>), concentration (<i>dharana</i>), and meditation (<i>dhyana</i>).
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<a name='more'></a><br />
Hatha yoga is a path toward creating balance and uniting the opposites within us. The word hatha combines ha meaning “sun” and tha meaning “moon.” This refers to the balance of masculine aspects (sun) and feminine aspects (moon). Hatha yoga is a powerful tool for self-transformation. It helps us to bring our attention to our breath, which allows us to still the fluctuations of the mind and be more present in the unfolding of each moment.
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The workshop will start with series of postures that liberate the principle of movement (<i>pawanmuktasana</i>) to loosen up the joints and make the muscles supple This will be followed by a set of basic asanas performed for general health and balance. Different breathing techniques will be applied to harmonise the pranic body, which is a network of nerve channels carrying the vital force to each and every cell and organ, infusing them with life and dynamism. The workshop will conclude with a deep relaxation practice known as yoga nyidra or yogic sleep – a state of consciousness between waking and sleeping in which the body is completely relaxed, and the practitioner becomes aware of the inner world by following a set of verbal instructions.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Lyudmila Klasanova </h3>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6RRtaJgywRY/WH2FfxHNYMI/AAAAAAAAFLQ/hJ5vgp4CTeYCX9TR_ooqBckbWTCD-3ZlwCLcB/s1600/Samothraki%2Bengl%2Bcopy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6RRtaJgywRY/WH2FfxHNYMI/AAAAAAAAFLQ/hJ5vgp4CTeYCX9TR_ooqBckbWTCD-3ZlwCLcB/s320/Samothraki%2Bengl%2Bcopy.jpg" width="254" /></a></div>
Lyudmila Klasanova received a Ph.D. from the Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski in Bulgaria. Currently, she is a lecturer at the Center for Eastern Languages and Cultures, Sofia University, and a curator at the Asian art section of the National Gallery in Bulgaria. Her research and teaching interests include Buddhist art, Women in Buddhism, and Tibetan Buddhism. She has taught courses on Buddhist art, female figures in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetan culture, and religions of East Asia. She also teaches Hatha Yoga and Kundalini Yoga, based on the system of Yogi Bhajan (1929-2004).
<br />
<br />
<b>Find Lyudmila Online:</b><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="http://tseringdolma.weebly.com/yoga.html" target="_blank">Website</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.buddhistdoor.net/features/connecting-art-women-and-spirituality-with-lyudmila-klasanova-of-sofia-university" target="_blank">BuddhistDoor Global: Connecting Art, Women & Spirituality</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.buddhistdoor.net/features/tuva-sacred-land-of-turkic-shamanism-and-tibetan-buddhism" target="_blank">BuddhistDoor Global: Tuva, Sacred Land of Turkic Shamanism & Tibetan Buddhism</a></li>
<li> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkHcSo_bDQk" target="_blank">Youtube</a></li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f-n13-tYQ3Y/WF6rGi1BOuI/AAAAAAAAFIA/-RUfXfI83CQk4hrH-730g2UM5UjMZ_M-ACEw/s1600/SI-Banner_12212016-590x101px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f-n13-tYQ3Y/WF6rGi1BOuI/AAAAAAAAFIA/-RUfXfI83CQk4hrH-730g2UM5UjMZ_M-ACEw/s1600/SI-Banner_12212016-590x101px.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Learn More About the 15th Sakyadhita International Conference on Buddhist Women</h3>
<br />
The theme for the 2017 conference to be held at The University of Hong Kong is “Contemporary Buddhist Women: Contemplation,
Cultural Exchange & Social Action.” This theme highlights the diversity of
contemporary Buddhist women throughout the world.<br />
<br />
For more information on the conference <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/conferences/15th-si-con.html" target="_blank">please visit the Sakyadhita International website</a> and <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/docs/resources/conferences/15-ENGLISH-SIConferenceBrochure_11222016.pdf" target="_blank">download a brochure</a>.
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466378130719482306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656730165266532760.post-52539143550339053782017-01-16T18:30:00.000-08:002017-01-16T18:32:29.086-08:00U.S. Women's Marches & Events<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m5nucdm2VfQ/WH2AQtZuZkI/AAAAAAAAFK8/Tj4_4jFo03U8BgxE_6J2wnBJrHbnln0WwCLcB/s1600/2014-symposium-wordcloud-600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m5nucdm2VfQ/WH2AQtZuZkI/AAAAAAAAFK8/Tj4_4jFo03U8BgxE_6J2wnBJrHbnln0WwCLcB/s200/2014-symposium-wordcloud-600.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image via <a href="http://www.law.uci.edu/events/race-law/clear-symposium-2014.html" target="_blank">UCI Law</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b></b>The inauguration of United States President Donald Trump on January 20th has become a rallying cry for activists throughout the United States. During the week of January 20th a number of events are taking place in support of women's rights, as well as the rights of minorities, the LGBTQI community, and the environment. Below are links to three major marches, as well as information on an event being held in Washington D.C. by Pema Khandro.<b><br /></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Women’s March on Washington:</b><br />
<a href="https://www.womensmarch.com/" target="_blank">https://www.womensmarch.com/</a><br />
<br />
<b>List of Sister Marches:</b><br />
“Sister Marches are happening in cities across the country and around the world. Find one in your area here.” <a href="https://www.womensmarch.com/alaska/" target="_blank">https://www.womensmarch.com/alaska/</a><br />
<br />
<b>Women’s March on NYC:<br />
</b><a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/womens-march-on-nyc-tickets-29464021682?aff=es2" target="_blank">https://www.eventbrite.com/e/womens-march-on-nyc-tickets-29464021682?aff=es2</a><br />
<br />
<b>More information being updated regularly on Lion's Roar:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.lionsroar.com/buddhists-take-a-stand-the-march-on-washington-and-beyond" target="_blank">http://www.lionsroar.com/buddhists-take-a-stand-the-march-on-washington-and-beyond </a><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Women Meditation & Power
with Pema Khandro
Washington DC Jan 22nd
</b><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-il_Ri2lcR2w/WH2A_EH-TQI/AAAAAAAAFLA/mqA5NGwfXvQlPhShSMQqCy2oH7v30xzMACLcB/s1600/Yeshe-Tsogyal-Ma_flip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-il_Ri2lcR2w/WH2A_EH-TQI/AAAAAAAAFLA/mqA5NGwfXvQlPhShSMQqCy2oH7v30xzMACLcB/s200/Yeshe-Tsogyal-Ma_flip.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Explore how meditation enhances intrinsic power and celebrate the natural dignity of all human beings.
Join <a href="http://pemakhandro.com/" target="_blank">Pema Khandro Rinpoche</a> for a Buddhist teaching, meditation and prayer in honor of the historic Women’s March on Washington DC – Jan 21st.<br />
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<br />
<i><b>This event falls on Sunday, January 22nd from 1pm -3pm. </b></i><br />
<i><b>Free and Open to the Public.
</b></i><br />
<br />
<a href="http://pemakhandro.com/pema-khandro-buddhist-women-at-the-womens-march-jan-21-22/" target="_blank">Register Here</a>
Buddhist Women - Lets March Together<br />
For more information on the walk email <a href="mailto:info@BuddhistYogis.org">info@BuddhistYogis.org</a>.
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466378130719482306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656730165266532760.post-3485128193072618962017-01-09T17:52:00.000-08:002017-01-16T17:54:28.907-08:0015th Sakyadhita International Conference Panel: Carla Gionotti on Identity and Religous Status<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
The Lives of the Twenty-four <i>Jo mo</i>s of the Tibetan Tradition: Identity and Religious Status
</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GTIIW2pOiig/WH12XCfeSDI/AAAAAAAAFKY/JMUATK5qwpkL2RV_pHmUNEDPH_McCFJJQCLcB/s1600/machiglabdron-sm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GTIIW2pOiig/WH12XCfeSDI/AAAAAAAAFKY/JMUATK5qwpkL2RV_pHmUNEDPH_McCFJJQCLcB/s320/machiglabdron-sm.png" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Machig Labdron (<a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=215" target="_blank">Ma gcig Lab sgron</a>)</td></tr>
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As a tibetologist and a Buddhist practitioner, I deal with those peculiar feminine figures – earthly, divine, or archetypical – of the Buddhist Indo-Tibetan tradition that are recognized, according to a vision of equilibrium of genres and of a conciliation of genres, as a source of inspiration in the spiritual Buddhist path of contemporary women (and men). In my work, I came across an interesting Tibetan text that contains the hagiographies of twenty-four Tibetan ascetic women of the twelfth century. All except one of these twenty-four <i>jo mo</i>s (venerable women or nuns), who were disciples of the great <a href="http://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Padampa-Sanggye-/2510" target="_blank">Pha Dam pa Sangs rgyas</a> (died in 1117) are all supposed to have reached final enlightenment. Their life-stories are particularly inspiring and should be regarded, as reported in the Tibetan text, as a “message for future generations.”<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
In researching the identities of women ascetics and Dharma teachers in Tibetan Buddhism during the eleventh and twelfth centuries, we meet with two main difficulties: the undervaluation of their roles and the uncertainty of their designations. The undervaluation or understatement of the roles of women Dharma teachers in the Buddhism of Tibet (“Land of Snow”) applies both their numbers and to their religious status. An emblematic case is the identification in one person of two authoritative master <i>yoginīs </i>who lived more and less during the same chronological period but belong to two different schools, i.e., <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=215" target="_blank">Ma gcig Lab sgron</a> (1055-1154 or 1055-1149) and <a href="http://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Machik-Zhama/P1238" target="_blank">Ma gcig Zha ma</a> (1062-1149).<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HAcFPOIVi7k/WH13ZybwnSI/AAAAAAAAFKg/ZeC6TvD4QHga5-SqT86FB_cs8CulhRyVACEw/s1600/machigzhama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HAcFPOIVi7k/WH13ZybwnSI/AAAAAAAAFKg/ZeC6TvD4QHga5-SqT86FB_cs8CulhRyVACEw/s200/machigzhama.jpg" width="181" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Machik Zhama (<a href="http://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Machik-Zhama/P1238" target="_blank">Ma gcig Zha ma</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The second problem, the uncertain designations of women Dharma teachers during this period, is the <span id="goog_1730129209"></span><span id="goog_1730129210"></span>difficulty of translating the religious or spiritual terminology used to identify them, such as <i>ma jo, jo mo, btsun ma, nya ma, ma jo smyon ma</i>, and other terms. In the English translation of the Blue Annals, for example, the Tibetan names of <i>ma jo, jo mo</i> and <i>btsun ma</i> are often translated using the generic term “nun.” In Tibetan Buddhism, women teachers of Dharma seem to present religious identities that are much more fluid, unsettled, and less codified than those of their counterparts who are male Dharma masters. What is more relevant is the absence of terminology to verify the spiritual progress or religious status of women adepts on the path. An analogous situation is the problematic categorization of ascetic women in Hinduism and Indian Buddhism, for example, the terms <i>pravrajitā</i> and <i>parivrājikā</i>. This paper will explore these issues.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N77gKVPo-bg/WH1zRUIv4cI/AAAAAAAAFKM/bjh4elYB4lMoTU5RbFP5ykT-Op3eFa0wgCLcB/s1600/DSC_0646-ed.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N77gKVPo-bg/WH1zRUIv4cI/AAAAAAAAFKM/bjh4elYB4lMoTU5RbFP5ykT-Op3eFa0wgCLcB/s1600/DSC_0646-ed.png" /></a></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Carla Gionotti</h3>
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<a href="http://www.carlagianotti.it/" target="_blank">Carla Gianotti</a> graduated with a degree in Indology at the <i>University of Turin</i>, specializing in Tibetan Studies in Rome and New Delhi. She has taught courses on Buddhism, including Buddhism and Gender, and workshops on maternal philosophy. Since 2010, she has been a professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhism at the <i>Superior School Of Oriental and Comparative Philosophy</i> in Rimini, Italy. Her books include <i>Cenerentola nel Paese delle Nevi; Donne di illuminazione. Çākinī e demonesse, Madri divine e Maestre di Dharma; Il respiro della fiducia. Pratica di consapevolezza e visione materna</i>. Her other publications include, “The srin mo Demoness and her Submission to the Buddhist Tibetan Dharma: Some Different Modes of her Transformation” in <i>Buddhist Asia 2</i>.<br />
<br />
<b>Find Carla Online:</b><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="http://www.carlagianotti.it/" target="_blank">Website</a></li>
<li><a href="https://independent.academia.edu/carlagianotti" target="_blank">Academia.edu </a></li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f-n13-tYQ3Y/WF6rGi1BOuI/AAAAAAAAFIA/-RUfXfI83CQk4hrH-730g2UM5UjMZ_M-ACEw/s1600/SI-Banner_12212016-590x101px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f-n13-tYQ3Y/WF6rGi1BOuI/AAAAAAAAFIA/-RUfXfI83CQk4hrH-730g2UM5UjMZ_M-ACEw/s1600/SI-Banner_12212016-590x101px.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Learn More About the 15th Sakyadhita International Conference on Buddhist Women</h3>
<br />
The theme for the 2017 conference to be held at The University of Hong Kong is “Contemporary Buddhist Women: Contemplation,
Cultural Exchange & Social Action.” This theme highlights the diversity of
contemporary Buddhist women throughout the world.<br />
<br />
For more information on the conference <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/conferences/15th-si-con.html" target="_blank">please visit the Sakyadhita International website</a> and <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/docs/resources/conferences/15-ENGLISH-SIConferenceBrochure_11222016.pdf" target="_blank">download a brochure</a>.
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466378130719482306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656730165266532760.post-83272299409670248062017-01-02T17:59:00.000-08:002017-01-16T18:02:20.000-08:00Registration Now Open! 15th Sakyadhita International Conference on Buddhist Women<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ij00xlKpEpM/WH16Bp_0q2I/AAAAAAAAFKs/v5sLyJcK50MJZdzR2sOp3yQp5OpvDAKiwCLcB/s1600/15ConferenceFacebook_04022016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ij00xlKpEpM/WH16Bp_0q2I/AAAAAAAAFKs/v5sLyJcK50MJZdzR2sOp3yQp5OpvDAKiwCLcB/s640/15ConferenceFacebook_04022016.jpg" width="590" /></a></div>
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://sakyadhita.org/conferences/15th-si-con.html" target="_blank">Visit the Sakyadhita International website to register </a></h3>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f-n13-tYQ3Y/WF6rGi1BOuI/AAAAAAAAFIA/-RUfXfI83CQk4hrH-730g2UM5UjMZ_M-ACEw/s1600/SI-Banner_12212016-590x101px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f-n13-tYQ3Y/WF6rGi1BOuI/AAAAAAAAFIA/-RUfXfI83CQk4hrH-730g2UM5UjMZ_M-ACEw/s1600/SI-Banner_12212016-590x101px.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Learn More About the 15th Sakyadhita International Conference on Buddhist Women</h3>
<br />
The theme for the 2017 conference to be held at The University of Hong Kong is “Contemporary Buddhist Women: Contemplation,
Cultural Exchange & Social Action.” This theme highlights the diversity of
contemporary Buddhist women throughout the world.<br />
<br />
For more information on the conference <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/conferences/15th-si-con.html" target="_blank">please visit the Sakyadhita International website</a> and <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/docs/resources/conferences/15-ENGLISH-SIConferenceBrochure_11222016.pdf" target="_blank">download a brochure</a>.
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466378130719482306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656730165266532760.post-63642324990293984942016-12-27T19:04:00.001-08:002016-12-27T21:11:25.170-08:0015th Sakyadhita International Conference Panel: Kwong-Chuen (Kenneth) Ching on Filial Piety in Buddhism<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Perfection of Filial Piety in Buddhism: A Study of Lady Clara Ho’s Social Welfare Activities in Hong Kong</h3>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TBc4Q1vT9VA/WF6116KxeLI/AAAAAAAAFIU/f5JMgfxTbxsgp2Cb9GR0bsGymO9lRpR8gCLcB/s1600/LadyClara.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TBc4Q1vT9VA/WF6116KxeLI/AAAAAAAAFIU/f5JMgfxTbxsgp2Cb9GR0bsGymO9lRpR8gCLcB/s1600/LadyClara.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lady Clara<br />
Photo Credit: <a href="http://tlky.buddhistdoor.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1&Itemid=12&lang=en" target="_blank">BuddhistDoor</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Lady Clara Ho’s social welfare activities to benefit Buddhism and society in Hong Kong during the 1920s and 1930s in Hong Kong are well known. Her early contributions included providing Buddhist education for nuns and laywomen, and general education for the poor. Later, she established Tung Lin Kok Yuen as a permanent institution for propagating Buddhism.
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The strict application of traditional academic disciplines such as sociology, psychology, and anthropology to explain religious behavior tends to reduce research findings to collective behaviours and neglect individuals’ search for meaning in the religious context. Some theorists using liberal feminist methodologies have also been critiqued for neglecting to study individuals’ everyday lives. This research gap may also extend to the study of Lady Clara’s social welfare activities.
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<a name='more'></a><br />
In this research project, I will adopt a Buddhist Studies approach to gender, based on historical texts that record the life of Lady Clara. I would like to draw on scholarly studies of the Buddha’s teachings on filial piety at different stages of Buddhist development, i.e., early Buddhism, Mahāyāna Buddhism, and Chinese Buddhism. Within this framework, I will then examine the social welfare activities of Lady Clara during different periods of her life: prior to the 1920s, the 1920s, and the 1930s. The paper will conclude with an analysis of Lady Clara’s vision and her view of women’s roles and abilities to the teachings of Buddhism on filial piety. Lady Clara pointed out the importance of Buddhism for transforming the world and the important roles women play in the family, society, and country. In particular, I will investigate whether or not she regarded perfecting the Buddha’s teachings on filial piety to be of equal importance for women and for men.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-44KFLWhz_5s/WF66LyRmO8I/AAAAAAAAFIg/vMmBiVGGtdQpFtXtujVTOLldLJinPWw2QCLcB/s1600/PoKokGirlsSchool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="382" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-44KFLWhz_5s/WF66LyRmO8I/AAAAAAAAFIg/vMmBiVGGtdQpFtXtujVTOLldLJinPWw2QCLcB/s640/PoKokGirlsSchool.jpg" width="590" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">In 1931, Lady Clara had established<i> Po Kok Free School for
Girls</i> and in 1932, she formed the<i> <br />Po Kok Society</i> for the Study of
Buddhism, which was dedicated to the promotion of Buddhism <br />and
education. These provided women with the opportunity to
receive education. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Kwong-Chuen (Kenneth) Ching</h3>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JnVxO5msoBc/WGMrbHElO6I/AAAAAAAAFJE/hJspj2lPjt0xr7MnQQ2UV9I-wfpr4kDgQCLcB/s1600/Kenneth-KwongChuenChing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JnVxO5msoBc/WGMrbHElO6I/AAAAAAAAFJE/hJspj2lPjt0xr7MnQQ2UV9I-wfpr4kDgQCLcB/s200/Kenneth-KwongChuenChing.jpg" width="160" /></a></div>
Kwong-Chuen (Kenneth) Ching is currently a post-graduate student in the Master of Buddhist Studies program at <i>The University of Hong Kong</i>, Hong Kong. He also obtained a M.A. degree in Religious Studies from <i>The Chinese University of Hong Kong</i>, Hong Kong in 2015. His academic interests include Buddhist ethics and Chinese Pure Land Buddhism. He is also interested in Chinese religious thoughts and Chinese philosophy. Additionally, Ching received a B.Sc. degree in Mechanical Engineering from <i>The University of Hong Kong </i>and a M.B.A. degree from <i>The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology</i>, Hong Kong. Before returning to university to obtain his Master's Degree in Religious Studies Ching spent more than twenty years in banking where he oversaw several international banks after passing both American financial professional qualifications to use the designations of Chartered Financial Analyst and Financial Risk Manager.<br />
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Ching came across the profound teachings of Buddhism in 2012 and, very quickly, he converted to Buddhism in Hong Kong, taking Refuge in the Triple Gem at <i>Chi Lin Nunnery</i> in 2013. He took the Bodhisattva Precepts at <i>Tung Lin Kok Yuen</i> in 2015. It is his ambition to explore the knowledge of the profound teachings of Buddhism in academic institutions as well as to share his knowledge in Buddhism with the younger generations in the society.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f-n13-tYQ3Y/WF6rGi1BOuI/AAAAAAAAFIA/-RUfXfI83CQk4hrH-730g2UM5UjMZ_M-ACEw/s1600/SI-Banner_12212016-590x101px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f-n13-tYQ3Y/WF6rGi1BOuI/AAAAAAAAFIA/-RUfXfI83CQk4hrH-730g2UM5UjMZ_M-ACEw/s1600/SI-Banner_12212016-590x101px.jpg" /></a></div>
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Learn More About the 15th Sakyadhita International Conference on Buddhist Women</h3>
<br />
The theme for the 2017 conference to be held at The University of Hong Kong is “Contemporary Buddhist Women: Contemplation,
Cultural Exchange & Social Action.” This theme highlights the diversity of
contemporary Buddhist women throughout the world.<br />
<br />
For more information on the conference <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/conferences/15th-si-con.html" target="_blank">please visit the Sakyadhita International website</a> and <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/docs/resources/conferences/15-ENGLISH-SIConferenceBrochure_11222016.pdf" target="_blank">download a brochure</a>.
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466378130719482306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656730165266532760.post-54241778204526918032016-12-23T19:29:00.000-08:002016-12-27T19:30:59.276-08:0020 Nuns Conferred Geshema Degree by H.H. Dalai Lama<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<center>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" id="ls_embed_1482895484" scrolling="no" src="https://livestream.com/accounts/5587887/events/6768486/videos/144991012/player?width=560&height=315&enableInfo=true&defaultDrawer=&autoPlay=true&mute=false" width="560"></iframe></center>
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<br />
On Thursday, December 22nd, twenty Tibetan nuns have been awarded the Geshema degree, the highest academic title in Tibetan Buddhism. The degree was conferred by His Holiness the Dalai Lama at a ceremony to honor the nun's achievements at Drepung Monastery in Mundgod, South India.
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<br />
At the conferment ceremony, His Holiness the Dalai Lama spoke about the immense importance of gender equality in education. His Holiness also emphasised the need for secular ethics to make modern education more holistic.
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“Through the power of education, women have been able to rise up to prominent roles including leadership in various societies. Education has played a big role in the advancement of gender equality and material development,” His Holiness said.
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466378130719482306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656730165266532760.post-50542265440767528882016-12-19T10:45:00.000-08:002016-12-24T10:46:40.795-08:0015th Sakyadhita International Conference Workshops: Eva Yuen on ZenVisual<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xc_35ajJKPk/WF7Amw4AHYI/AAAAAAAAFIw/jrQLyUXXvcgFkW8YNPchwxTPkoahKpO_gCLcB/s1600/part_67803_1852351_80751.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xc_35ajJKPk/WF7Amw4AHYI/AAAAAAAAFIw/jrQLyUXXvcgFkW8YNPchwxTPkoahKpO_gCLcB/s640/part_67803_1852351_80751.jpg" width="590" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ways of Seeing</i> - <a href="http://artscenter.web.nthu.edu.tw/files/13-1898-67803-1.php" target="_blank">2014 Eva Yuen Solo Exhibition</a></td></tr>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
The Art ZenVisual workshop- the ways of seeing through sketching
</h3>
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Aim: participants learn about the cognitive process of seeing through sketching, which involves perception and conception, so to understand how to look into the intangible qualities of the objects and how to record such observation visually.
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<a name='more'></a><br />
The workshop begins with a brief introduction of the relationship between art making and meditation touching upon some keywords such as awareness, concentration and absorption. It then carries out some sketching exercises to explore the aesthetic qualities prevailed in both meditation and art making, and to realize that a creative moment is a moment of consciousness, a manifestation of the infinite creativity of living and being.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Eva Yuen </h3>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EFb2eEqWaTw" width="560"></iframe></center>
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Dr. Eva Yuen has had an eclectic life journey: at different times she has been a practicing artist, international exhibitor and curator, an artist-in-residence in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore, an active contributor to non-governmental organization projects, and, for more than 16 years, a teacher of Art and Design and specialist in phenomenographic research on creativity in the <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiazYLFvY3RAhVCLSYKHfmgCUsQFggpMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sd.polyu.edu.hk%2F&usg=AFQjCNFkG2Xs4ynxkj4RJmc6m4cEUUD8fg&sig2=U4X2QA2SAeoClZ4THle1bQ" target="_blank">School of Design in the Hong Kong Polytechnic University</a>.
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She was invited to participate in the 5th Sydney Biennial in 1984. There, she applied innovative techniques to develop the traditional bamboo-paper-binding craft for contemporary contexts, especially relating to human struggles for liberty. In 2003, she built the archive of this particular craft for the <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwj0wJrTvY3RAhVKQyYKHY-LCK8QFggnMAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhk.heritage.museum%2F&usg=AFQjCNESR0P0xRUdZ-CGPI79fibiQLzBDw&sig2=eS3yvvBEQvg5Ly2MgS3s1A&bvm=bv.142059868,d.eWE" target="_blank">Hong Kong Heritage Museum</a>.
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She was the curator, editor and producer of the exhibitions and books (Chinese and English version) of <i>The Calligraphic Meditation: The Mindful Art of Thich Nhat Hanh</i>. She described her experience of meeting the Zen master as being like an encounter with the holy being; what she perceived in him at that moment was his awakened self, his Buddha nature, and what he reflected back to her was her own capacity of being awake.
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In 2015 she completed her MA in Buddhist Studies; the MA program, affiliated with the <i>Postgraduate Institute of Pali and Buddhist Studies</i>, the <i>University of Kelaniya</i> (Sri Lanka), is conducted at <i>The Buddha-Dharma Centre of Hong Kong </i>(BDCHK). Being inspired by the teaching of Venerable Professor K.L. Dhammajoti, she starts to conduct workshops titled “Art ZenVisual - Meditation with Art” in BDCHK in 2016.
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Details of Eva Yuen’s work could be viewed in the following links:
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFb2eEqWaTw </li>
<li>http://artscenter.web.nthu.edu.tw/files/13-1898-67785.php?Lang=en </li>
<li>http://artscenter.web.nthu.edu.tw/files/13-1898-67803-1.php </li>
</ul>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f-n13-tYQ3Y/WF6rGi1BOuI/AAAAAAAAFIA/-RUfXfI83CQk4hrH-730g2UM5UjMZ_M-ACEw/s1600/SI-Banner_12212016-590x101px.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f-n13-tYQ3Y/WF6rGi1BOuI/AAAAAAAAFIA/-RUfXfI83CQk4hrH-730g2UM5UjMZ_M-ACEw/s1600/SI-Banner_12212016-590x101px.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Learn More About the 15th Sakyadhita International Conference on Buddhist Women</h3>
<br />
The theme for the 2017 conference to be held at The University of Hong Kong is “Contemporary Buddhist Women: Contemplation,
Cultural Exchange & Social Action.” This theme highlights the diversity of
contemporary Buddhist women throughout the world.<br />
<br />
For more information on the conference <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/conferences/15th-si-con.html" target="_blank">please visit the Sakyadhita International website</a> and <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/docs/resources/conferences/15-ENGLISH-SIConferenceBrochure_11222016.pdf" target="_blank">download a brochure</a>.
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466378130719482306noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656730165266532760.post-60431677804424041902016-12-12T09:27:00.000-08:002016-12-24T09:34:03.986-08:0015th Sakyadhita International Conference Workshops: Ruth Richards and Vivian Ting Chuk Lai on Chaos Theory, Gender & Buddhism<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VkMCA1NXud4/WF6pka1eRZI/AAAAAAAAFH0/E7H30Epd3jMqosuuDEH7PWtG5Chl2uzIQCLcB/s1600/woman-in-a-meadow-with-an-umbrella_Chevanon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Designed by Chevanon - Freepik.com" border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VkMCA1NXud4/WF6pka1eRZI/AAAAAAAAFH0/E7H30Epd3jMqosuuDEH7PWtG5Chl2uzIQCLcB/s1600/woman-in-a-meadow-with-an-umbrella_Chevanon.jpg" title="Designed by Chevanon - Freepik.com" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Designed by Chevanon - <a href="http://www.freepik.com/free-photo/woman-in-a-meadow-with-an-umbrella_999791.htm#term=sunrise&page=2&position=1" target="_blank">Freepik.com</a></td></tr>
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Chaos, Creativity & Gender</h3>
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Do join us for a new type of dialogue we hope can help transform society. Our manifest world is full of change, complexity, and surprise. It is not all linear, predictable, or due to limited factors showing simple, or controlling relationships. We are all profoundly interconnected and interdependent, as Buddhists know well. This is now becoming more clear to Western science due to advances including Chaos and Complexity Theory. At a metaphorical level, such advances can be used in engaging and colorful ways to open up and advance understanding of our mutual effects on each other (all of us), the multiplicity and unpredictability of factors in our lives, the wonder and humility of emergent systems and events, the importance of lovingkindness, compassion, equanimity and sympathetic joy, and other spiritual virtues as we advance together, our roles as “open systems” in dynamic interaction, and features that at once honor modes where women have brought great value and benefit, while revealing other areas of stereotyping and gender polarization in society. Women and men alike can benefit.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Our interaction will involve four areas; </div>
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<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>an introductory Power Point presentation to key areas, </li>
<li>activity (brief narratives then with dyadic and group sharing) that illustrates importance of change and “bifurcation” in our own personal lives), </li>
<li>a fun activity with Play Doh in groups of 2-4 people vividly portraying our connected and emergent working and creating (and playing), with discussion, and</li>
<li>general wrap up and Q & A, around issues raised. </li>
</ol>
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Hopefully, attendees will emerge with broader views of life, self, and our fuller potential.
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Chaos Theory as Buddhadharma</h3>
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Do join us for an experience we wish to share in this workshop, one that has been moving to us and varied groups since one of us first heard it 20 years ago.<br />
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We hope it will have at least this effect among Sakyadhita attendees, and can lead to<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>rich reflections and potential artistic expressions along with </li>
<li>deep discussion. This is a creative dialogue between Chaos Theory and Zen Buddhism, originally written by Stephen Muho Proskauer, drawing from classic texts that are both scientific and spiritual. Without any prior exposure or study of these areas, the resonances can be remarkable. This is further amplified by a series of stunning images to be shown in an accompanying Power Point presentation. The dialogue is both contemplative and artistic and can have deep meaning for Buddhist women, as well as for cultural exchange and a dialogue between science and spirituality. </li>
</ol>
A 2-part and Power Point presentation will be followed by a time for personal reflection and subsequent expression related to images that come up, and potential mandala creation. </div>
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This will be followed by small group sharing and general discussion. We hope to explore new awarenesses along with questions for future inquiry. </div>
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<h3>
Ruth Richards</h3>
</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nGmRwj753wo/WF6rzmgghAI/AAAAAAAAFIE/IA-EVK2tycU3tdQn3NdMzuocFiZkWwv-QCLcB/s1600/RuthRichards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nGmRwj753wo/WF6rzmgghAI/AAAAAAAAFIE/IA-EVK2tycU3tdQn3NdMzuocFiZkWwv-QCLcB/s200/RuthRichards.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Ruth Richards is educational psychologist and psychiatrist, professor at <a href="http://degrees.saybrook.edu/?SourceID=38&SourceDetailID=1130&src=GAD_brand&gclid=CjwKEAiA1vjCBRDd-9q3w4OF6WUSJACWv_sV5TYGU86jPFJgTMKNLMWnn1gYpz6OB01uIZQvvRwLEhoCvT7w_wcB" target="_blank">Saybrook University</a>, College of Social Sciences (Consciousness, Spirituality and Integrative Health, plus Creativity Studies), who has been a practicing Buddhist for years and is more than privileged to continue to work with a wonderful Vietnamese Zen teacher. She also has a remarkable Tibetan teacher in the Nyingma tradition. She has worked with some exceptional Saybrook students, one of whom, now with a Ph.D. and Hong Kong appointment, joins her here. She works as well with the interfaith and social change organization, <a href="http://www.ahimsaberkeley.org/" target="_blank">Ahimsa Berkley</a>, does qualitative research, and publishes on issues including creativity, personal and spiritual development and social change. Dr. Richards edited the book <a href="http://www.apa.org/pubs/books/4317134.aspx" target="_blank">Everyday Creativity</a> and <a href="http://www.apa.org/pubs/books/4317134.aspx" target="_blank">New Views of Human Nature: Psychological, Social, and Spiritual Perspectives</a>, and is currently writing one book and co-editing another related to the workshops offered here. </div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<h3>
Vivian Ting Chuk Lai</h3>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<div style="text-align: left;">
Vivian Ting-Chuk Lai currently teaches at <a href="http://www.cihe.edu.hk/eng/index.html" target="_blank">Caritas Institute of Higher Education</a> in Hong Kong. Before her teaching career, Dr. Lai worked closely with bereaved children and their families. As a counselor, she utilized art, play and sandplay in therapy with children. For adults, she integrated mindfulness practices and yoga in individual and group counseling. Dr. Lai is a certified trainer of Mindfulness Training for Youth with ADHD and ASD, as well as a yoga teacher. During leisure time, she enjoys porcelain painting and yoga practices.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f-n13-tYQ3Y/WF6rGi1BOuI/AAAAAAAAFIA/BxBvTzT6bY0Y_tA6ro4tR4lNzOWF7ilzwCLcB/s1600/SI-Banner_12212016-590x101px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f-n13-tYQ3Y/WF6rGi1BOuI/AAAAAAAAFIA/BxBvTzT6bY0Y_tA6ro4tR4lNzOWF7ilzwCLcB/s1600/SI-Banner_12212016-590x101px.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Learn More About the 15th Sakyadhita International Conference on Buddhist Women</h3>
<br />
The theme for the 2017 conference to be held at The University of Hong Kong is “Contemporary Buddhist Women: Contemplation,
Cultural Exchange & Social Action.” This theme highlights the diversity of
contemporary Buddhist women throughout the world.<br />
<br />
For more information on the conference <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/conferences/15th-si-con.html" target="_blank">please visit the Sakyadhita International website</a> and <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/docs/resources/conferences/15-ENGLISH-SIConferenceBrochure_11222016.pdf" target="_blank">download a brochure</a>.</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466378130719482306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656730165266532760.post-40889995866670996112016-12-05T14:30:00.000-08:002016-12-24T09:45:53.926-08:0015th Sakyadhita International Conference Panel: Pema Khandro on Buddhist Identity & Self Esteem Without Self<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dZQLUXoGU_A/WDJylZ-_knI/AAAAAAAAFFo/0MH-mFQSot4tUQ4vjnB-a40G5g7K81P9QCLcB/s1600/11011107_10153433349353094_6634089746534136032_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="391" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dZQLUXoGU_A/WDJylZ-_knI/AAAAAAAAFFo/0MH-mFQSot4tUQ4vjnB-a40G5g7K81P9QCLcB/s640/11011107_10153433349353094_6634089746534136032_o.jpg" width="590" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pema Khandro with Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo at the <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/conferences/14th-si-con/" target="_blank">14th Sakyadhita International Conference</a>. <br />
Photo by Olivier Adam.</td></tr>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Becoming Vajrayogini: Buddhist Identity & Self Esteem Without Self
</h3>
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As Buddhism has crossed borders in the global context, contemporary Buddhist women have drawn heavily on positive female iconography from Tibet: becoming Vajrayogini, praying at the feet of White Tara or echoing the aspiration of Yeshe Tsogyal or other female heroines. What is the philosophical basis of this adaptation if any? While the availability of such positive iconography should not be mistaken as representative of female equality in Buddhist history, does it express a positive potential for how Buddhist philosophies can arise in the lives of western women today?
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<a name='more'></a><br />
Buddhist philosophy does indeed explicitly accept the functional necessity of identity. It does also provide compelling models for constructing positive identity. This paper will provide an overview of these twin notions of non-self and robust identity in the major divisions of Buddhist philosophy in Indian Buddhist Philosophy - Abhidharma, Madhyamaka, Tatagathagarba theory. It will argue that these Buddhist philosophies do provide precedent for accepting the utility of identity and therefore provide an ample basis for the positive identity construction that led to Vajrayana ritual and meditational practices from which modern western women draw a "self-esteem without self."
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Pema Khandro
</h3>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PjTcCeT_Kwc/WDJu2c60VQI/AAAAAAAAFFc/Avpm0x2RnG8DgQhTxYhVSOtEfpqDRmM2wCLcB/s1600/2013P_PemaKhandro39_Ngakpa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PjTcCeT_Kwc/WDJu2c60VQI/AAAAAAAAFFc/Avpm0x2RnG8DgQhTxYhVSOtEfpqDRmM2wCLcB/s320/2013P_PemaKhandro39_Ngakpa.jpg" width="294" /></a></div>
Pema Khandro a Buddhist teacher and academic. She is a PhD candidate specializing in Tibetan Buddhism at the University of Virginia. She was ordained in the Nyingma lineage and is a lama, tulku and lineage holder. She is also the founder and director of the community of <a href="http://www.buddhistyogis.org/" target="_blank">Buddhist Yogis</a>, <a href="https://ngakpa.org/" target="_blank">Ngakpa International</a>. She is also the founder of <a href="http://ngakpa.org/ngakpa-house/" target="_blank">Ngakpa House</a>, which supports the education of children in the Himalayas. Through her academic, educational and humanitarian activities she works to highlight and sustain the understudied culture of Tibet’s yogis and yoginis.<br />
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Pema Khandro can be found online on <a href="https://twitter.com/LamaPemaKhandro" target="_blank">Twitter,</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/PemaKhandro.org/" target="_blank">Facebook,</a> and her <a href="http://www.pemakhandro.org/buddhistwomen_sakyadhitaconference2/" target="_blank">website</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f-n13-tYQ3Y/WF6rGi1BOuI/AAAAAAAAFIM/ONwX-XbVfsorweE4rzYHjv8a4FhHMO0swCPcB/s1600/SI-Banner_12212016-590x101px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f-n13-tYQ3Y/WF6rGi1BOuI/AAAAAAAAFIM/ONwX-XbVfsorweE4rzYHjv8a4FhHMO0swCPcB/s1600/SI-Banner_12212016-590x101px.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Learn More About the 15th Sakyadhita International Conference on Buddhist Women</h3>
<span id="goog_1390391234"></span><span id="goog_1390391235"></span><br />
The theme for the 2017 conference to be held at The University of Hong Kong is “Contemporary Buddhist Women: Contemplation,
Cultural Exchange & Social Action.” This theme highlights the diversity of
contemporary Buddhist women throughout the world.<br />
<br />
For more information on the conference <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/conferences/15th-si-con.html" target="_blank">please visit the Sakyadhita International website</a> and <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/docs/resources/conferences/15-ENGLISH-SIConferenceBrochure_11222016.pdf" target="_blank">download a brochure</a>.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466378130719482306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656730165266532760.post-67414701640109297022016-12-04T15:15:00.005-08:002016-12-04T15:19:40.530-08:00Awakening Buddhist Women Awarded Top 50 Buddhist Blog Award<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
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<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0JIUzSQXZ4M/WESh7vPdgHI/AAAAAAAAFGQ/GjeUERWwv-AELMNal7lld5EFoddpCBcGwCLcB/s1600/Top%2B50%2BBadge.png" /></span><a href="http://blog.feedspot.com/buddhist_blog/" target="_blank">Sakyadhita: Awakening Buddhist Women</a> has been selected by a team of panelists as one of the <b><a href="http://blog.feedspot.com/buddhist_blog/" target="_blank">Top 50 Buddhist Blogs</a> </b>on the web! We are very honored to have been awarded this recognition and sit among the ranks of other amazing Buddhist blogs available online. Thank you!</div>
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The Best Buddhist blogs list was complied from thousands of top Buddhist blogs in their index using search and social metrics. This is
the most comprehensive list of best Buddhist blogs on the internet.<br />
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<br />
These blogs are ranked based on following criteria
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<ul>
<li>Google reputation and Google search ranking</li>
<li>Influence and popularity on Facebook, twitter and other social media sites</li>
<li>Quality and consistency of posts.</li>
<li>Feedspot’s editorial team and expert review</li>
</ul>
To view the complete list of Top 50 Buddhist Blogs please <a href="http://blog.feedspot.com/buddhist_blog/" target="_blank">click this link</a>.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466378130719482306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656730165266532760.post-82990151519304817882016-11-28T14:30:00.000-08:002016-12-24T10:16:09.542-08:0015th Sakyadhita International Panel: Bee Scherer on Buddhist Tantric Thealogy?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2i7YgmMoUMI/WDJpnbxAWQI/AAAAAAAAFFE/UbMt6xq8ri8Nt0FlkCj8ycMVCkCIVGOEwCLcB/s1600/Tara%2BKalasan.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="443" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2i7YgmMoUMI/WDJpnbxAWQI/AAAAAAAAFFE/UbMt6xq8ri8Nt0FlkCj8ycMVCkCIVGOEwCLcB/s640/Tara%2BKalasan.JPG" width="590" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tara Kalasan Tara
8th c. famous Tārā temple near Yogjakarta, Java (Indonesia). <br />
Photo by Patrick de Vries & Bee Scherer.</td></tr>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Buddhist Tantric Thealogy?</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
The Genealogy and Soteriology of Tārā</h3>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xkxIFuQ2XYc/WDJqHVD3jqI/AAAAAAAAFFI/F8yb-qIVkqEKBJ7Pl1RCbUEfx70tMd5wQCLcB/s1600/Tara%2BBodh%2BGaya.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xkxIFuQ2XYc/WDJqHVD3jqI/AAAAAAAAFFI/F8yb-qIVkqEKBJ7Pl1RCbUEfx70tMd5wQCLcB/s200/Tara%2BBodh%2BGaya.JPG" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tara Bodh Gaya
<br />
The wish-fulfilling Tārā; <br />
Pala era (?) relief at the <br />
Mahābodhi temple in <br />
Bodh Gayā (Bihar, India)<br />
Photo credit Patrick <br />
de Vries & Bee Scherer </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The-a-logy can be seen as a feminist religious subversion of (hetero-)patriarchal theology. Thealogy stresses nurturing, motherhood and wisdom; the body and the embodied spiritual journey in aid of liberating women (and men) from patriarchal silencing, power, and oppression. Thealogical narratives have employed empowering female divine archetypes such as Ishtar, Isis, Gaia, Demeter, Diana, Sophia, and the Virgin Mary. I argue that Tārā can provide (and is indeed already providing) such an empowering frame in contemporary global Buddhist traditions.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>In this presentation, I gauge the possibilities of developing ‘Thealogy’ in the Buddhist context by discussing the genealogy, narratives, iconography, and soteriological conceptualisation of Tārā (Chin: Duōluó,Tib: sgrol ma), the “Saviouress”. In her form, Mahāyāna and Vajrayāṇa traditions provide a unique pathway to enlightened female compassion. Tārā first appears as a supporting figure to Avalokiteśvara (Guānyīn or Guānshìyīn), the embodiment of enlightened compassion who remains completely male gendered in South Asia and the Himalayas. I demonstrate that Tārā fulfils many functions within evolving and changing contexts. Such frameworks include her origin in hybridity with the Hindu goddess (Devī/Durgā) traditions; her conceptualisation as Avalokiteśvara's compassion; as saviouress from the ‘eight great dangers’; as transcending the limitation of twofold gender in the form of Princess Ye shes zla ba; her rise in Tantra; in her connection and identification with the Perfection of Wisdom (Prajñāpāramitā); and as consort in the Mahāyoga and Yoginī Tantra traditions. In conclusion I reflect on the challenges and opportunities Tārā provides for liberating female/feminist enlightened thought: Buddhist Tantric Thealogy.
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5EakxDYbnP4/WDJqnV-YM8I/AAAAAAAAFFM/qj-YgPvUyawfPV-U4RaLUl1p8NTCZtF_gCLcB/s1600/21%2BTaras.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5EakxDYbnP4/WDJqnV-YM8I/AAAAAAAAFFM/qj-YgPvUyawfPV-U4RaLUl1p8NTCZtF_gCLcB/s200/21%2BTaras.JPG" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">21 Taras
Late 20th c. Tibetan <br />
thangka (painted scroll) <br />
of the 21 aspects of Tārā <br />
(private collection). <br />
Photo credit Patrick <br />
de Vries & Bee Scherer
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Professor Bee Scherer, PhD
</h3>
<br />
Bee Scherer is a professor of Religious Studies and Gender Studies and the director of the <a href="http://www.canterbury.ac.uk/incise" target="_blank">Intersectional Research Centre for Inclusion and Social Justice (INCISE)</a> at <i>Canterbury Christ Church University</i>, U. K. A Classical and South and Central Asian philologist by training, and the author of more than a dozen monographs and edited volumes, Bee’s research interests lie in the field of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist philology, philosophy, and contemporary practices; Mythology; Queer Theory; and Transfeminism. Bee is the founder-facilitator of the <i>Queering Paradigms</i> social justice research and activism network and conference series and is the editor of Peter Lang’s <a href="http://www.peterlang.com/?QP" target="_blank">Queering Paradigms</a> book series. A longtime practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism (Karma Kagyu), Bee currently serves as the vice-chair of the <i>International Lay Buddhist Forum</i> (ILBF).<br />
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You can find Prof. Scherer on <a href="http://instagram.com/profbscherer" target="_blank">Instagram </a>or contact her via <a href="mailto:%20b.scherer@canterbury.ac.uk" target="_blank">email</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f-n13-tYQ3Y/WF6rGi1BOuI/AAAAAAAAFIM/ONwX-XbVfsorweE4rzYHjv8a4FhHMO0swCPcB/s1600/SI-Banner_12212016-590x101px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f-n13-tYQ3Y/WF6rGi1BOuI/AAAAAAAAFIM/ONwX-XbVfsorweE4rzYHjv8a4FhHMO0swCPcB/s1600/SI-Banner_12212016-590x101px.jpg" /></a></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Learn More About the 15th Sakyadhita International Conference on Buddhist Women</h3>
<br />
The theme for the 2017 conference to be held at The University of Hong Kong is “Contemporary Buddhist Women: Contemplation,
Cultural Exchange & Social Action.” This theme highlights the diversity of
contemporary Buddhist women throughout the world.<br />
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For more information on the conference <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/conferences/15th-si-con.html" target="_blank">please visit the Sakyadhita International website</a> and <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/docs/resources/conferences/15-ENGLISH-SIConferenceBrochure_11222016.pdf" target="_blank">download a brochure</a>.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466378130719482306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656730165266532760.post-13053271512860150942016-11-23T15:38:00.000-08:002016-12-04T15:39:18.074-08:0015th Sakyadhita International Conference on Buddhist Women<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.sakyadhita.org/conferences/15th-si-con.html" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.sakyadhita.org/conferences/15th-si-con.html" border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QnvBxdpiATs/WESokyOibAI/AAAAAAAAFGc/ecnXwUHaHfsRGKjNefN8TTpAntvXQKsLQCLcB/s640/cover15th-2017.jpg" width="494" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466378130719482306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656730165266532760.post-13170304584845721072016-11-20T14:23:00.004-08:002016-12-24T10:16:44.228-08:0015th Sakyadhita International Conference Workshop: Rotraut Jampa Wurst on Sakyadhita Herstory, LGBTQQI, Buddhist Women and Science Fiction, and Dharma Rap<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X1imZ3IE-IE/WDIT48N7uuI/AAAAAAAAFDs/lLBSJZO2QxsmbiD5d7XJ3U9SfuewWULwQCLcB/s1600/workshops11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="378" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X1imZ3IE-IE/WDIT48N7uuI/AAAAAAAAFDs/lLBSJZO2QxsmbiD5d7XJ3U9SfuewWULwQCLcB/s640/workshops11.jpg" width="590" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rotraut Jampa Wurst leading the Dharma Rap Workshop at the <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/conferences/14th-si-con.html" target="_blank">14th Sakyadhita International <br />Conference </a>held in Yogyakarta, Indonesia in 2015. Photo by Olivier Adam.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://sakyadhita.org/conferences/15th-si-con.html" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="http://sakyadhita.org/conferences/15th-si-con.html" target="_blank">The 15th Sakyadhita International Conference on Buddhist Women</a>
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<br />
What an auspicious conference we will celebrate in Hong Kong in 2017!
You know, it's Sakyadhita's 30th Anniversary!!! Unbelievable, isn´t it? Thank you to Venerable Karma Lekshe Tsomo, who keeps this wonderful project going over so many years, as founder, former Sakyadhita International President, and also as the one who is taking care for all the Sakyadhita branches around the world.
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We all, my Sakyadhita sisters, we have to meet on this very, very special Sakyadhita conference, and we have to share Sakyadhita's herstory.
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<br />
<a name='more'></a>Therefore I had an idea... I asked my Sakyadhita brother, Phan Tuấn Quốc, from Vietnam, who was one of the volunteers at the <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/conferences/11th-si-con.html" target="_blank">11th Sakyadhita International Conference on Buddhist Women</a> in Ho Chich Minh City, Vietnam if he would like to prepare a workshop with me on this amazing herstory. And hey! He said “Yes!” So cool :) And then also former Sakyadhita International President Ranjani de Silva, who too, happened to be a co-founder of Sakyadhita agreed to contribute her experience.
Now, we are preparing a workshop, called;
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Sakyadhita´s Herstory, a Puppet Theatre
</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M_FTNzmft7c/WDIgr9RRXAI/AAAAAAAAFE0/aZp46VozEv8cvPaZxqh8tuO1auKdT5mFQCLcB/s1600/13391436_633249283494799_2754917156731295227_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="443" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M_FTNzmft7c/WDIgr9RRXAI/AAAAAAAAFE0/aZp46VozEv8cvPaZxqh8tuO1auKdT5mFQCLcB/s640/13391436_633249283494799_2754917156731295227_o.jpg" width="590" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rotraut Jampa Wurst at the Tibetan Centre in Hamburg, Germany during a visit from Ven. Jetsunma tenzin Palmo.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The idea of this workshop is to tell the story of the 30 year Sakyadhita herstory (1987–2017) through puppet theatre, using rhymes, various musical genres, mantras, rap, and folksongs. Reciting this herstory will commemorate Sakyadhita’s thirtieth anniversary of giving Buddhist women a voice. The workshop will engage young people by letting them tell their stories based on a common understanding of Buddhism.
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<br />
Participants will discover the power of puppetry arts as a popular tool to share ideas for sustainable development. They will learn how to make puppets using basic materials such as paper, markers, and cartons. We will have the collaboration of puppetry experts and young puppeteers from Mekong Youth Puppetry Group, a network of colleagues based in Mekong region, to share their experience of our common Buddhism heritage. Together, we will bring new inspiration to the Sakyadhita International Conference for Buddhist Women.
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And, as a tradition I will hold a workshop, called
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
LGBTQQI
</h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X94mCvY6hOA/WDIf2t2OaII/AAAAAAAAFEk/3gHFuZ6m3QQ4YMEewGkZl6QBSiTUGPbLwCEw/s1600/13580446_641286846024376_1281151609354572649_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="443" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X94mCvY6hOA/WDIf2t2OaII/AAAAAAAAFEk/3gHFuZ6m3QQ4YMEewGkZl6QBSiTUGPbLwCEw/s640/13580446_641286846024376_1281151609354572649_o.jpg" width="590" /></a></div>
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When the word “lesbian” was mentioned in a talk for the first time at the <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/conferences/10th-si-con.html" target="_blank">10th Sakyadhita Conference in Ulaan Batar, Mongolia</a> (2008), I thought, “wow”; it’s good that this is mentioned. There are different people in the world. And there are different Buddhists on the world. Great! Let’s talk! But the path was somehow much more difficult than I expected. After several Sakyadhita workshops from 2010 onwards, I thought it would be much easier to talk about LGBTQQI issues in Germany, where I come from, and to show that people can confront prejudice, whether they are lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, questioning, or intersexual. But I was mistaken. The situation in Germany was not easier. Often women, especially Buddhist women, are not willing to talk openly about what they think, how they live, what they know about Buddhism and diversity, and similar issues, even if they are living in a diverse partnership.
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At the last Sakyadhita conference, in Indonesia (2015), we were fortunate to have two different LGBTQQI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, questioning, or intersexual) workshops and a panel on Diversity and Multiculturalism. It is clear that there is a strong need to discuss the topic, to get people together, and to share ideas and experiences of Buddhism and diverse lifestyles. At this workshop, we will continue the conversation.
I am looking forward to seeing those of you who have attended the previous workshops, and you, those newly interested in this workshop! Oh, by the way, you don´t have to be scared: We don´t bite :D
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Another idea came up after the last Sakyadhita Conference in Indonesia, the <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/conferences/14th-si-con.html" target="_blank">14th Sakyadhita International Conference on Buddhist Women</a>. On this conference me and Dr. Hsiao-Lan Hu had done a workshop, called <i>Nerdvana: The final Frontier</i>, a very nerdy Buddhist workshop. Much fun. This time I have again asked Dr. Hsiao-Lan Hu to help co-lead a workshop, and also Diana Ingalls-Farrell to do the following workshop on this topic, called
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Find Your Path: Buddhist Women and Science Fiction
</h3>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YpCyYChFQfg/WDIgRBJJmmI/AAAAAAAAFEs/no0LTT1Z0WwsxaYBUcku__eBIh8uUlrFQCK4B/s1600/11040641_10153436846993094_6800316527029788266_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="391" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YpCyYChFQfg/WDIgRBJJmmI/AAAAAAAAFEs/no0LTT1Z0WwsxaYBUcku__eBIh8uUlrFQCK4B/s640/11040641_10153436846993094_6800316527029788266_o.jpg" width="590" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rotraut Jampa Wurst at the <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/conferences/14th-si-con.html" target="_blank">14th Sakyadhita International Conference</a> in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Imagine you are a woman. You are a woman? Oh, congratulations because you are who we are looking for! No matter in which place, dimension, galaxy, or universe you live, being a woman means you have got a problem or being a woman may be seen as a problem. In society, women are not considered as important as men, are not paid equally at work, and do not have the same chances professionally. In Buddhist communities, women need to navigate through layers of hierarchy that block their access to Buddhist education and ordination, and female monastics are still not as well accepted as male monastics. Whether monastic or lay, many texts tell women that the female body presents an obstacle on the path to enlightenment; in fact, they say that women are a problem for men on their path to enlightenment.<br />
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In “nerd” circles, that is, among intelligent people with a keen interest in academic, technical, technological and scientific subjects, being a woman is also a problem. Just as in the Buddhist traditions, these circles mostly cater to men. In science fiction, for example, meaningful characters are overwhelmingly male, just as the enlightened figures in Buddhist traditions are overwhelmingly male. When female characters are found, they are either trivial and/or sexualized, defined by their relations to male characters. Both Buddhism and science fiction point to the possibility of being free from business-as-usual thinking, and Buddhists and nerds both walk unconventional paths. Yet that path is often marked as male. Female Buddhists and female nerds are easily left with the feeling that there is no path for them, just like career women in “boys’ clubs” often feel there is no way to break the glass ceiling.
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The good news is that things are changing, even though very slowly. Since the 1980s, there have been books on Buddhist women and female masters, deities, bodhisattvas, and Buddhas. In science fiction, meaningful female characters have also emerged. Now it seems there is a path for women, but one still needs to look for it, and look hard. This workshop invites participants to find the path through creating skits based on Buddhist women’s experience and science fiction characters. It is a difficult task, but the joy of accomplishing a difficult task is tremendous, and we will enjoy camaraderie along the way, as we explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no [wo]man has gone before.”
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So, join in and find your path :)
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You might be wondering, is there one more workshop? You are right!
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<br />
Here it is :)
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Dharma Rap </h3>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E_36URvKjl4/WDIZo5WkvjI/AAAAAAAAFD8/yVilT_Gp7noPUas4SQXbg5SCWlcN1tAOACLcB/s1600/DJJampa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="391" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E_36URvKjl4/WDIZo5WkvjI/AAAAAAAAFD8/yVilT_Gp7noPUas4SQXbg5SCWlcN1tAOACLcB/s640/DJJampa.jpg" width="590" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rotraut Jampa Wurst and workshop participants performing Dharma Rap at the <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/conferences/10th-si-con.html" target="_blank"><br />10th Sakyadhita International Conference </a>held in Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
</h3>
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Since the 8th Sakyadhita International Conference on Buddhist Women in Mongolia, rap has been part of the Sakyadhita gatherings. This contemporary musical form, the rhythmic intoning of texts, is a way to impart Dharma in a practical way that may help link the generations. Those of us who have been members of Sakyadhita International for many years are getting older. Rap holds the potential to open up the conferences to the next generation in an appealing way and help transmit the Dharma to future generations. Rap is a creative way to motivate people to come together, share ideas about Buddhism, talk about these ideas, and come up with new raps. It is an easy way to put Buddhist ideas into sentences that can be remembered like mantras. Rap is a rhythm that motivates young people, a musical form that they are familiar with. It is also a fun and easy way for those of us who are older to share the experience of learning Dharma with young people.
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-913IgLA4G0U/WDIYNh4HamI/AAAAAAAAFD0/sTjag_9N-MENmncgVrSNeX-60uix9rLpwCLcB/s1600/_MG_2853%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-913IgLA4G0U/WDIYNh4HamI/AAAAAAAAFD0/sTjag_9N-MENmncgVrSNeX-60uix9rLpwCLcB/s320/_MG_2853%2B2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rotraut Jamp Wurst and workshop participants <br />
performing Dharma Rap at the <br />
<a href="http://sakyadhita.org/conferences/13th-si-con.html" target="_blank">13th Sakyadhita International Conference</a> <br />
held in Vaishali, Indiana in 2013.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This workshop will be an opportunity for participants from many traditions to get together and create international Buddhist rap that can be performed and shared with others. We will not only perform rap at this workshop. At the last conference in Indonesia, we also began writing and drawing graffiti, and we began to dance or move, with a little bit hip hop. These three pillars of Dharma rap are new ways to convey Buddhist texts and ideas: through rap, images or graffiti, and dance moves or hip hop.
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Looking forward to rapping with you, doing hip hop, drawing graffiti and having much fun together :)
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<a href="http://www.drwurst.de/DJJampaSausage/DJJampa.html" target="_blank">Visit my website</a> for more information, photos, and links to videos on Youtube. <br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Sakyadhita Germany
</h3>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NmC84IBDQIM/WDIagZa95kI/AAAAAAAAFEE/UvvCFCC1mOMyBoOhU5fVC8tyzCQviz36ACLcB/s1600/FacebookCover1-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NmC84IBDQIM/WDIagZa95kI/AAAAAAAAFEE/UvvCFCC1mOMyBoOhU5fVC8tyzCQviz36ACLcB/s640/FacebookCover1-01.jpg" width="590" /></a></div>
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Sakyadhita Germany was founded in 2013. Would you like to get more info or you like to join Sakyadhita? Great! Send me an <a href="mailto:hilfe@drwurst.de" target="_blank">email </a>or visit our <a href="http://sakyadhita-germany.blogspot.de/" target="_blank">website.</a> Post a comment and I will get back to you as soon as possible. We are waiting for you :)
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Dr. Rotraut Jampa Wurst, <br />AKA, DJ Jampa Sausage, the Dharma Rapper
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N308RScQnjQ/WDIcJXpPIhI/AAAAAAAAFEM/odpfk53tQZYvaNEoMcr80KW9dgbHsWKcQCLcB/s1600/13432209_631978120288582_510192097853828568_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="393" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N308RScQnjQ/WDIcJXpPIhI/AAAAAAAAFEM/odpfk53tQZYvaNEoMcr80KW9dgbHsWKcQCLcB/s640/13432209_631978120288582_510192097853828568_n.jpg" width="590" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rotraut Jampa Wurst and Ven. Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo at the Tibetan Centre in Hamburg</td></tr>
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Rotraut Jampa Wurst has been a member of <a href="http://www.sakyadhita.org/" target="_blank">Sakyadhita International Association of Buddhist Women</a> since 1988. She studied Protestant Theology and Comparative Studies in Religion at the <i>Freie Universität </i>in Berlin and receiving a Ph.D. in 1999. Wurst's dissertation research was on Tibetan
Buddhist nuns and the Sakyadhita network, published as <i>Identität im Exil</i> in 2001. She also took exams in the seven-year systematic Buddhist studies program at the <i>Tibetan Centre</i> in Hamburg in 1998, under the guidance of Geshe Thubten Ngawang. Since 2001 she has worked with young people and disabled adults, offering courses in stress relaxation and meditation. Her focus is especially on motivating people who have a high IQ but problems in school. Wurst is a lifetime member of Sakyadhita and has attended ten international conferences, giving talks and workshops, especially on Dharma rap, of which she is the creator. In 2013, she founded the <a href="http://sakyadhita-germany.blogspot.de/" target="_blank">Sakyadhita Germany</a> branch, which has organized many meetings with Sakyadhita International leaders.<br />
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<b>Contact information:</b><br />
<br />
Dr. Rotraut Jampa Wurst<br />
Sakyadhita Germany<br />
Stralsunder Weg 22
D-24161<br />
Altenholz<br />
ph. +49(0)431-328208<br />
jampawurst@t-online.de | hilfe@drwurst.de<br />
http://www.drwurst.de | https://www.facebook.com/Sakyadhita.Germany | http://sakyadhita-germany.blogspot.de/ <br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Dharma Rap
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KgizQEyA6OU/WDIeI7QDfVI/AAAAAAAAFEY/TOV-vmkjAlg3DKhtCJRbYhXIQz46FyCpwCLcB/s1600/DHARMA%2BRAP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="443" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KgizQEyA6OU/WDIeI7QDfVI/AAAAAAAAFEY/TOV-vmkjAlg3DKhtCJRbYhXIQz46FyCpwCLcB/s640/DHARMA%2BRAP.jpg" width="590" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rotraut Jampa Wurst at the <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/conferences/11th-si-con.html" target="_blank">11th Sakyadhita International Conference</a> in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.</td></tr>
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DJ Jampa Sausage created Dharma rap, a form of conscious rap or education rap, how she calls her raps, for the <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/conferences/10th-si-con.html" target="_blank">10th Sakyadhita International Conference on Buddhist Women</a> in Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia, in 2008. There she did a rap about her work engaging or motivating the younger generation, before her talk, so that the audience became engaged in listening to that topic.
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Dharma rap is about Buddhist ethics. It is also about sharing all of our knowledge on Buddhism.
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After her first rap at this awesome conference, she was asked by Venerable Karma Lekshe Tsomo to hold a workshop on "Buddhism and Popculture," to which 13 participants of different countries, cultures, traditions and generations then performed a rap together, educated by DJ Jampa Sausage, or Jampa the Rapper, as she is known among Sakyadhita sisters. The Dharma rap was a text on the topic "From Dharma to Nirvana," a text, that was originally in Newari, a Tibeto-Burmese language, translated and recited by Theravada nuns, who attended the workshop. They performed the baseline by reciting the text, while others raped in English. It was a great success, and since then Dharma rap has spread throughout Buddhist countries and become a tradition at the Sakyadhita conferences.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f-n13-tYQ3Y/WF6rGi1BOuI/AAAAAAAAFIM/ONwX-XbVfsorweE4rzYHjv8a4FhHMO0swCPcB/s1600/SI-Banner_12212016-590x101px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f-n13-tYQ3Y/WF6rGi1BOuI/AAAAAAAAFIM/ONwX-XbVfsorweE4rzYHjv8a4FhHMO0swCPcB/s1600/SI-Banner_12212016-590x101px.jpg" /></a></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Learn More About the 15th Sakyadhita International Conference on Buddhist Women</h3>
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The theme for the 2017 conference to be held at The University of Hong Kong is “Contemporary Buddhist Women: Contemplation,
Cultural Exchange & Social Action.” This theme highlights the diversity of
contemporary Buddhist women throughout the world.<br />
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For more information on the conference <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/conferences/15th-si-con.html" target="_blank">please visit the Sakyadhita International website</a> and <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/docs/resources/conferences/15-ENGLISH-SIConferenceBrochure_11222016.pdf" target="_blank">download a brochure</a>.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466378130719482306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656730165266532760.post-51159912431436430162016-09-28T18:00:00.000-07:002016-09-28T18:00:29.812-07:00Spotlight On: Three Newly Emerging Theravada Bhikkhuni Projects for the 2600th Bhikkhuni Sangha Anniversary<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jvREjyHj5hc/V8WGxPB91YI/AAAAAAAAE9k/XdiGgNcNn4cFTWo7Zk9uKrLPbBQuVu2fACLcB/s1600/KarunaSevena.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="443" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jvREjyHj5hc/V8WGxPB91YI/AAAAAAAAE9k/XdiGgNcNn4cFTWo7Zk9uKrLPbBQuVu2fACLcB/s640/KarunaSevena.JPG" width="590" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Photo courtesy of <a href="https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMnbNkeotJuY4xcYL2qI-E1V5o6SsyUk6aCc75agSIGoP1KFZhBKy-M6aB-l2AHkw?key=alRSTVdLRDJ2X1Y3ODJqeFN0NEtFSjhYNnZXdm5n" target="_blank">Karu</a></i><i><a href="https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMnbNkeotJuY4xcYL2qI-E1V5o6SsyUk6aCc75agSIGoP1KFZhBKy-M6aB-l2AHkw?key=alRSTVdLRDJ2X1Y3ODJqeFN0NEtFSjhYNnZXdm5n" target="_blank">na Sevena</a>.</i></td></tr>
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<i>This year has seen the dedication of two Bhikkhuni monastery projects in the west, while another is taking momentous steps forward.<span style="font-size: 16px;"> This is especially momentus as the Global Bhikkhuni Sangha celebrates its 2,600th anniversary between the
full moon of September 2016 and the full moon of September 2017. To read more on the Bhikkhuni Sangha please read Ven. Ayya Tathaaloka's article from BuddhistDoor Global <a href="https://www.buddhistdoor.net/features/2600th-anniversary-of-the-global-bhikkhuni-sangha-and-fourfold-sangha-of-the-buddha" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>☸ </b></span></span><br />
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<b><i>May the Dhamma flourish!</i></b><br />
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<a href="http://karunasevena.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Karuna Sevena Bhikkhuni Arama </a></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TVoFZkHtqn8/V8Tl1pQE9jI/AAAAAAAAE8Q/W8hKRHjkJt8yhmfgV0lvpJSWOM-_fHv6QCLcB/s1600/KarunaSevena5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="393" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TVoFZkHtqn8/V8Tl1pQE9jI/AAAAAAAAE8Q/W8hKRHjkJt8yhmfgV0lvpJSWOM-_fHv6QCLcB/s640/KarunaSevena5.JPG" width="590" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Opening Blessings.<br />
<i>Photo courtesy of <a href="https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMnbNkeotJuY4xcYL2qI-E1V5o6SsyUk6aCc75agSIGoP1KFZhBKy-M6aB-l2AHkw?key=alRSTVdLRDJ2X1Y3ODJqeFN0NEtFSjhYNnZXdm5n" target="_blank">Karuna</a></i><i><a href="https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMnbNkeotJuY4xcYL2qI-E1V5o6SsyUk6aCc75agSIGoP1KFZhBKy-M6aB-l2AHkw?key=alRSTVdLRDJ2X1Y3ODJqeFN0NEtFSjhYNnZXdm5n" target="_blank"> Sevena</a>.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uiQWbpDLQD4/V8Tn1UJu46I/AAAAAAAAE8c/wE1-F5Z1RfobIN-RqOHUFViFNUUfO6OBACLcB/s1600/KarunaSevena4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uiQWbpDLQD4/V8Tn1UJu46I/AAAAAAAAE8c/wE1-F5Z1RfobIN-RqOHUFViFNUUfO6OBACLcB/s320/KarunaSevena4.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Karuna Sevena</td></tr>
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In 2009, Ven. Bhikkhuni Visuddhi and her Dhamma-friends began to lay the foundation for a small monastic dwelling in the Czech Republic. Over the years, it became apparent that there was a growing need for a larger space that would allow for a more ideal practice space, as well better privacy and accommodations for Ven. Visuddhi, who had been sharing her private space with Dhamma-friends. Therefore, the Karuna Sevena Association decided to enlarge the arama, so people could meet in the Dhamma, and together with Ven. Visuddhi practice towards the realization of nibbana.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Life is short and it is really up to us how we are living it, how we
are treating it. How we use time, what type of people we meet up with,
and what kind of Path we practice. Depending upon that, our life is
either miserable, or happy. Currently, we only need to develop the right
mental energy (viriya) to attain nibbana,"</i> <br />
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-- Ven. Visuddhi. </blockquote>
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On May 29th, amid Vesak celebrations, a completely redesigned and renovated monastery Karuna Sevena was inaugurated. Numerous people worked very hard on this magnificent project for nearly five years, overcoming many challenging obstacles.<br />
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<i><b>For more information on Karuna Sevena please <a href="http://karunasevena.blogspot.com/p/introduction-to-karuna-sevena_22.html" target="_blank">visit their blog</a> or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/karuna.sevena?fref=ts" target="_blank">become a friend on Facebook</a>.</b></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>☸ </b></span></span><i><b><br /></b></i></div>
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.dhammadharini.net/home/offering-a-permanent-bhikkhuni-monastery-vision-mission" target="_blank">Dhammadharini Sonoma Mountain Bhikkhuni Arama </a></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dRdQNLqRhqE/V8ToZ4XnSaI/AAAAAAAAE8g/lHt3Z2AUl8o7yw_TcLtUUKZCo_gGQAmtwCLcB/s1600/Dhammadharini2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="389" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dRdQNLqRhqE/V8ToZ4XnSaI/AAAAAAAAE8g/lHt3Z2AUl8o7yw_TcLtUUKZCo_gGQAmtwCLcB/s640/Dhammadharini2.jpg" width="590" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Opening Blessings.<br />
<i>Photo courtesy of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dhammadharini/" target="_blank">Dhammadharini</a>.</i></td></tr>
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After 10 years of holding the intention and working towards the aim, the Dhammadharini Support Foundation purchased monastery property in Northern California north of San Francisco for the Bhikkhuni Sangha led by Ven (Ayya) Tathaloka Theri, Ven Sobhana Theri and Ven Suvijjana Bhikkhuni. The new Dhammadharini Monastery will allow for sanctuary & practice for bhikkhunis, female novices and trainees, aspirants, and lay friends, as well as for community outreach, alms rounds, and greater accessibility of teaching.
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The new Dhammadharini Sonoma Mountain Bhikkhuni Monastery (ārāma in Pāli) is well located in a 1.33 acre compound at the western foot of Sonoma Mountain at the outskirts of the small city of Penngrove, just north of Petaluma and south of Santa Rosa, ideally placed between the rural area and suburbs. It features a newly repurposed light-filled accessible meditation hall, a residential wing that is currently being remodeled into private monastic cells and visitors’ lodgings, space to build a kuti for solitary retreats and for male visitors, and ample area to develop a Permaculture-inspired ecological meditation garden for sitting, standing and walking meditation, including an outdoor Bodhi tree shrine and stupa garden area. The most outstanding aspects of this space, are its affordability to the community, its excellent potential for good development as a monastery and its accessibility — equidistant by public transportation between three key places: the San Francisco Bay, Sacramento, and Dhammadharini’s Awakening Forest Hermitage on the Sonoma Coast, Aranya Bodhi. While Aranya Bodhi is located in a rustic, rugged and remote cool, misty and dark redwood forest environment located off-grid on steep, mountainous land; the new monastery provides for the needs of the community as its compliment — sunny and bright on flat land and accessible to friends and supporters, as well as monastics, who are elderly or not in strong and vigorous health.
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mPmcQZvPLuc/V8Tt734b0LI/AAAAAAAAE8w/7JnavILZMxsYeqy-KThMzi_Auw2pk5RdwCLcB/s1600/Dhammadharini1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mPmcQZvPLuc/V8Tt734b0LI/AAAAAAAAE8w/7JnavILZMxsYeqy-KThMzi_Auw2pk5RdwCLcB/s320/Dhammadharini1.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">Mara-vijaya Earth Witness Buddha<br /><i>Photo courtesy of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/258032334340869/photos/?tab=album&album_id=890947291049367" target="_blank">Dhammadharini</a>.</i></span></td></tr>
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Between July 15th to 17th, the Mara-vijaya Earth Witness Buddha image from the Shan State of Burma/Myanmar was installed and the new meditation hall inaugurated and unveiled, blessed by the chanting of the Bhikkhu and Bhikkhuni Maha Sangha. The Earth Witness image is the primary image of the Buddha in the new monastery's meditation hall. Very shortly after the unveiling of the image of the Buddha, the crematory relics (saririka dhatu) of the ancient arahant disciple of the Buddha Ven. Sivala Thero, conveyed from Sri Lanka, were offered and enshrined in the monastery meditation hall; followed by the offering and enshrining of the relics of the ancient monastic disciples Ven. Sariputta and Mahamogallana Thero together with the relics of Ven Bakula Thero from Myanmar, making for a wonderful ambiance. Additionally, the venerable Ananda Bodhi tree sapling was planted in an enclosure on the grounds of the new monastery. This Bodhi tree is a seed child of the Ananda Bodhi tree in India, planted by the Ven. Ananda Thero, the disciple of the Buddha, who remembered the Buddha’s teachings recorded in the Sutta Pitaka of the Tipitaka, as well as playing a legendary role in the establishment of the Bhikkhuni Sangha. After the bhikkhunis were formally invited to dwell in the monastery by the president of the support foundation and all supporters, a monastic sima (boundary of shared communion) and Uposatha Hall were established and inaugurated by the Bhikkhuni Sangha, and the site of the future stupa blessed.<br />
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<b><i>For more information on Dhammadharini please <a href="http://www.dhammadharini.net/" target="_blank">visit their website</a> or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dhammadharini/" target="_blank">like them on Facebook</a>. </i></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>☸ </b></span></span><b><i><br /></i></b></div>
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://anukampaproject.org/" target="_blank">Anukampa Bhikkhuni Arama Project</a></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nkxsL0suaos/V8TzEnGTFmI/AAAAAAAAE9I/9LTp3OyKD2sxAVMPrmzPqJOkzPb9TKI8gCEw/s1600/Derbyshire.1.crop2_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="519" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nkxsL0suaos/V8TzEnGTFmI/AAAAAAAAE9I/9LTp3OyKD2sxAVMPrmzPqJOkzPb9TKI8gCEw/s640/Derbyshire.1.crop2_.jpg" width="590" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Photo courtesy of <a href="http://anukampaproject.org/" target="_blank">Anukampa Project</a>.</i></td></tr>
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In October 2015 Ajahn Brahm asked Venerable Bhikkhuni Canda of Dhammasara monastery Perth,
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yRmT-eUEZhk/V8TxC2wXeoI/AAAAAAAAE88/jKx7MdPPUjsSRYu5uH-uxuAeAjPOpUXfACPcB/s1600/anukampa.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yRmT-eUEZhk/V8TxC2wXeoI/AAAAAAAAE88/jKx7MdPPUjsSRYu5uH-uxuAeAjPOpUXfACPcB/s200/anukampa.png" width="200" /></a>to take steps towards establishing a monastery in the UK. In response to this, Anukampa Bhikkhuni Project was born. <br />
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Anukampa Bhikkhuni Project aims to promote the teachings and practices of Early Buddhism, through establishing a Bhikkhuni presence in the UK. The long term aspiration is to develop a monastery with a harmonious and meditative atmosphere, for women who wish to train towards full ordination.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">In June this year, Ven. Canda and </span><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Laura Bridgeman, a </span></span><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">former
Buddhist nun, </span></span> </span>made a <a href="http://anukampaproject.org/2016/07/04/kindness-on-tudong-the-bakewell-manchester-route/" target="_blank">walking pilgrimage</a> from Bakewell, England in her home county of
Derbyshire to the city of Manchester. The pilgrimage ended with a talk on compassion at the
Manchester Centre for Buddhist Meditation. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">Throughout October, Venerable Bhikkhu </span><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Ajahn Brahm will lead </span>a <a href="http://anukampaproject.org/retreats/" target="_blank">series of talks and retreats</a> in England in support of the aims and mission of Anukampa Bhikkhuni Project. The planned monastery’s eventual location in the UK will very much depend on wherever there is the most interest and support.</span> <br />
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<i>Anukampa literally means trembling or resonating with compassion, and is wisdom's response to suffering. A synonym for karuna, anukampa highlights the empathic aspect of compassion, which connects us to ourselves and to each other.</i><br />
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<i><b></b></i><br />
<i><b>For more information on the Anukampa Bhikkhuni Project, </b></i><i><b><i><b>, or to see how you can help please</b></i> <a href="http://anukampaproject.org/" target="_blank">visit their website</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/anukampabhikkhuniproject/" target="_blank">like them on Facebook</a>.</b></i></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466378130719482306noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656730165266532760.post-68771035948968348052016-09-15T04:38:00.001-07:002016-09-15T04:44:17.703-07:00Interviewing Buddhist Women: Jacqueline Kramer, Part 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Kg3d8tS9nVk/V9RbFFnahSI/AAAAAAAAE-U/uKMmWvRh62IfsYjRch1TzNwHzmfUapf0ACLcB/s1600/JacquelineKramer%252BSusanPembroke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="443" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Kg3d8tS9nVk/V9RbFFnahSI/AAAAAAAAE-U/uKMmWvRh62IfsYjRch1TzNwHzmfUapf0ACLcB/s640/JacquelineKramer%252BSusanPembroke.jpg" width="590" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jacqueline Kramer with Susan Pembroke, founder of the Alliance for Bhikkhunis <br />
and Insight Meditation Ventura</td></tr>
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<i>In this two part series, <a href="http://awakeningbuddhistwomen.blogspot.com/p/about-us.html" target="_blank">Ven. Adhimutta</a>
interviews Jacqueline Kramer, author of <b>Buddha Mom</b> and <b>10 Spiritual
Practices for Busy Parents</b>. To read <a href="http://awakeningbuddhistwomen.blogspot.com/2016/08/interviewing-buddhist-women-jacqueline.html" target="_blank"><u>Part 1 please click here</u></a>.</i><br />
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<b>Ven. Adhimutta: How did you become involved with Sakyadhita International (SI) and what are your her opinions on women in Buddhism?
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<b>Jacqueline Kramer:</b> How I got involved with Sakyadhita is another story about being led somewhere I never dreamed I’d go. One thing just led to another. After <i>Buddha Mom</i> came out, I thought I was done with Buddhist work, that I had done what was asked of me. Then emails started coming in from all over the world: New Zealand, England, Ireland, New York (all English-speaking countries because the book had great distribution, but had not been translated into other languages). I couldn’t go to all these places to teach, so I set up online groups and wrote a curriculum related to mothers such as setting up and maintaining a home practice, the 5 precepts for householders, and a number of other classes.
The book, and this work, came to the attention of the people behind the <a href="http://iwmcf.net/awards" target="_blank"><i>Outstanding Women in Buddhism Awards</i></a>, and they picked me as a recipient of this award in 2008. I'd never won an award before, and as averse as I am to travel, I went to Thailand to receive the honor. The award recipients stayed in a women’s safe house just outside of Bangkok. It’s there that I met Ven. <a href="http://www.dhammawiki.com/index.php?title=Bhikkhuni_Dr._Lee" target="_blank">Bhikkhuni Dr. Lee</a>, co-founder of the award. There was a real simpatico between us. She told me about what was happening with women in Buddhism in Thailand, how they were being oppressed and even threatened. I met a young woman there who wanted to leave Thailand but had a child with a Thai man and, because of legal concerns, would have to leave her child [in the safe house] should she return to Ireland. The child’s father was attempting to harm her and steal her child so she was in this safe house.
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All this assaulted my virgin consciousness. I had held Buddhism up on a pedestal and believed that it championed women. Early on I was given a book by one of my teachers, Ven. Piyadassi Thera, called <a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Virgin_s_Eye.html?id=5d4KAAAAYAAJ" target="_blank"><i>The Virgin’s Eye</i></a>, which spoke of how forward thinking the Buddha was in regards to women. Now I saw, in a very heart rending way, how hard women in Buddhism had it, how men were more supported and respected, [and] it broke my heart. During one of our discussions I vowed to Dr. Lee that I would do what I could to support a women’s right to become a fully ordained bhikkhuni (nun). It was another one of those deep commitments, like when I vowed to do what I could to support life on Earth and <i>Buddha Mom </i>issued forth from that. In both cases, I initially had no idea what I would do to fulfill the commitment I’d made. All I had was a deep emotional commitment.
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So, after getting a shocking eyeful in Thailand of the dark side of Buddhist culture, I returned to the States with my vow to do what I could to support women in Buddhism. Later that year, I gave a presentation in Colorado about Buddhism and mothering. At that conference I met a woman, <a href="http://www.insightventura.net/teacher.htm" target="_blank">Susan Penmbroke</a>, who had just started the <a href="http://www.bhikkhuni.net/" target="_blank"><i>Alliance for Bhikkhunis</i></a>. We really hit it off, and remembering my vow to support women’s right to ordain as bhikkhunis, I volunteered to help her with this effort. Like all non-profits, there was a need for more volunteers. It wasn’t long before I was Vice President (VP) of the Alliance for Bhikkhunis , going to meetings and writing articles about women in Buddhism. This was all an adjunct to my original work supporting mothers in their Buddhist practice.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">To view more artwork by Jacqueline Kramer please <a href="http://jacquelinekramer.work/" target="_blank">click here</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The AFB work was mostly in the Theravadan field and I had been practicing Zen for some years. But I believed, and still believe, women have a right to the same spiritual support as men have. AFB seemed like an important way to support women, which is my primary interest in all the work I do. My mother was my first spiritual teacher, my root teacher was a woman, Ven. Anagarika Dhamma Dinna, and I sat with Ven. Ayya Khema so, naturally, I felt a calling to support women in Buddhism.
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As VP of AFB, I met many interesting women and learned about what was happening with bhikkhunis and other women in Buddhism around the world. I met women of great conviction, such as Ven. <a href="http://dharmaseed.org/teacher/468/" target="_blank">Ayya Tathaaloka</a>. I had the privilege of having a front row seat when Ven. <a href="http://dharmaseed.org/teacher/5/" target="_blank">Ajhan Brahm</a> ordained a woman in Australia and was then <a href="https://sujato.wordpress.com/2009/11/07/ajahn-brahm-on-why-he-was-excommunicated/" target="_blank">excommunicated </a>for this. It was yet another eye opener, not only about Thai politics in regards to woman, but also about what was going on in England and even the United States. I saw ways that the archaic misogyny was attempting to translate and transport itself to it’s its new home in the West. I wrote articles about these things -- this was my service. AFB is also where I learned about <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/" target="_blank"><i>Sakyadhita International</i></a> and the good work it does for Buddhist women around the world. I’ve written a few articles for <i><a href="http://sakyadhitausa.org/" target="_blank">Sakyadhita USA,</a></i> but have never been to a conference.
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<b>Ven. Adhimutta: Do you have any additional thoughts?</b><br />
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<b>Jacqueline Kramer: </b>There is something I’d like to add to what I’ve said already. I have been deeply influenced by the work of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlin_Stone" target="_blank">Merlin Stone</a> and others who shed a light on how the divine feminine has been denigrated for centuries in cultures all over the world and how goddess cultures have been denigrated and destroyed. Like a number of others, I think our world has become overly masculinized and feminine values are underrepresented. Undervaluing the feminine values, such as interconnectedness, love and just being, has led to the the eco crisis, the amount of violence we see, and the devaluing of women all over the world. Buddhism professes these feminine values. I think they are at it’s its core. This is one of the things that drew me to it. That may be why it was such a shock to discover the same old misogyny in this beloved practice.
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Where women in general have been denigrated within spiritual systems, mothers have it even worse. Mothers are invisible. Even though the Buddha said he based his teaching on motherly love, actual mothers are at the bottom of the Buddhist hierarchy. In practice, mothers (lay women) are trained and used as servants for monastics and seen as unlikely to awaken. Systems for their awakening have not been seriously developed. The spiritual opportunity of the opening that happens when a woman becomes a mother has been completely missed. There is lots of work to do here and I sincerely hope that in the years to come both monastics and lay teachers will explore this fertile ground.
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<b>Ven. Adhimutta: What is the one thing you would like to accomplish?</b><br />
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<b>Jacqueline Kramer: </b>If I were to say what is the one thing I most want to accomplish in my work, it would be to do my part in bringing some balance into [the above mentioned] area.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;"><b><i>To read Part 1 of this two part series<a href="http://awakeningbuddhistwomen.blogspot.com/2016/08/interviewing-buddhist-women-jacqueline.html" target="_blank"><u> please click here</u></a>.</i></b></span></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Jacqueline Kramer</h3>
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Jacqueline
Kramer has been practicing and studying Buddhism for more than 40
years. Jacqueline holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in painting and
sculpture from Bennington College. She teaches art and music
appreciation to seniors. Jacqueline sings with a swing big band and
performs one-woman shows. She is a freelance writer and the director of
the non-profit <a href="http://hearthfoundation.net/" target="_blank">Hearth Foundation</a>, a place for parents who wish to develop more awareness, calm, and joy in their family and everyday lives.<br />
<br />
You can find Jacqueline's blog at <a href="https://awakeningathome.org/" target="_blank">https://awakeningathome.org/. </a><br />
<br />
Other Awakening Buddhist Women Articles by Jacqueline Kramer:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="http://awakeningbuddhistwomen.blogspot.com/2016/08/interviewing-buddhist-women-jacqueline.html">Interviewing Buddhist Women: Jacqueline Kramer, Part 1 </a></li>
<li><a href="http://awakeningbuddhistwomen.blogspot.com/2015/06/moms-and-dads-wait-lot.html" target="_blank">Moms and Dads Wait - A Lot</a></li>
<li><a href="http://awakeningbuddhistwomen.blogspot.com/2014/01/staying-buoyant-amidst-suffering.html" target="_blank">Staying Buoyant Amidst Suffering</a></li>
<li><a href="http://awakeningbuddhistwomen.blogspot.com/2013/05/what-is-feminine.html" target="_blank">What is "Feminine"? </a></li>
</ul>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466378130719482306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656730165266532760.post-845823946856578052016-08-15T05:18:00.000-07:002016-09-15T04:42:51.552-07:00Interviewing Buddhist Women: Jacqueline Kramer, Part 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TLNE1_oW_Cc/V6fm7QYzy7I/AAAAAAAAE5M/EMewYZFUtMse37EuubZ_UN6niZtYvIdcACLcB/s1600/Lubo%25C5%25A1Ra%25C4%258Dansk%25C3%25BD-Love-edit2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TLNE1_oW_Cc/V6fm7QYzy7I/AAAAAAAAE5M/EMewYZFUtMse37EuubZ_UN6niZtYvIdcACLcB/s1600/Lubo%25C5%25A1Ra%25C4%258Dansk%25C3%25BD-Love-edit2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Courtesy of Luboš Račanský, "<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/bantercz/5518968127/in/faves-83163557@N04/" target="_blank">Love</a>." <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/" target="_blank">Creative Commons</a>.</td></tr>
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<i>In this two part series, <a href="http://awakeningbuddhistwomen.blogspot.com/p/about-us.html" target="_blank">Ven. Adhimutta</a> interviews Jacqueline Kramer, author of Buddha Mom and 10 Spiritual Practices for Busy Parents. Stay tuned for Part 2 in September.</i><br />
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<b>Ven. Adhimutta: What led you to be interested in Buddhism? </b><br />
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Jacqueline Kramer: I was led to Buddhism at a very young age. I had the good fortune to have a mother who was a mystic and spiritual seeker. She was meditating and practicing yoga in the late 1950’s. My birth religion is Judaism and my mother taught Sunday school at our local temple. They didn’t have her continue teaching because she was too ecumenical for them. She imparted this openness to all wisdom paths to me. When I was around 11 years old, she asked me if I wanted to commit to Judaism and become batmitzvahed. I told her there were certain things Judaism taught that I couldn’t go along with. She said, that was fine, but I had to continue my religious training somewhere. I chose a Vedanta temple I had visited in Hollywood. This is the wonder of my mother - she drove me to that temple to hear the sermons every weekend. Then in junior high, I got hold of the Paul Reps book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Flesh-Bones-Collection-Writings/dp/0804831866" target="_blank"><i>Zen Flesh, Zen Bones</i></a>, and carried it around in my purse. I loved its direct, clear expression and have since returned to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C5%8Dan" target="_blank"><i>koan </i></a>practice it introduced to me.<br />
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<b>VA: How have you found your life transformed through your practice and study of Buddhism?</b><br />
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JK: Buddhist practice has seeped into every aspect of my life. At this point it’s hard to even imagine what my life would be like without the Buddhist practices and wisdom I’ve had the great fortune to encounter. The practice has, for over 40 years, seen me through many painful situations with a brighter, happier heart than I would have had if I did not have the perspective it offered. It taught me to turn pain into medicine. Buddhist wisdom and practice continues to transform my life. I am grateful beyond words for the privilege of meeting this great storehouse of wisdom.<br />
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<b>VA: Which Buddhist practices are you particularly drawn to? </b><br />
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JK: At this point I’m drawn to Zen and <i>koan </i>practice. It is a brilliant system that leads one through the various angles and aspects of awakening. The use of words as meditation objects appeals to me as a lover of language. I like the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shikantaza" target="_blank"><i>shikantaza</i></a>, or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahamudra" target="_blank"><i>mahamudra</i></a>, meditation-just sitting.<br />
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<b>VA: What particular Buddhist practices and approaches did you find helped you through painful situations? </b><br />
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JK: The first meditation I learned was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcendental_Meditation" target="_blank">transcendental meditation</a>, when I was about 14 years old. It helped me get centered and calm. I went on to <i><a href="http://www.lionsroar.com/how-to-practice-vipassana-insight-meditation/" target="_blank">vipassana </a></i>when I was in my early 20’s. This was after much study and practice in other traditions such as <a href="https://www.kabbalah.com/" target="_blank"><i>Kabbalah </i></a>and <a href="http://religiousscience.us/" target="_blank"><i>Religious Science</i></a>. The first time I encountered <i>vipassana </i>was on a week-long, silent meditation retreat. It was like sitting on a bed of coals, I wanted to run away so many times. But I stuck it out; and, when I returned home, everything looked different, clearer, brighter, more exciting. I started a pattern of going on retreat once a year with my teacher Annagarika Dhamma Dinna, then meditating and studying the literature back home. When meditating at home I’d go into a state of bliss. It sounds great, but felt uncomfortable. I didn’t understand what I was feeling or know how to integrate it into my life. I later learned that the Zen name for what I was experiencing is "Zen sickness."
Even though my personal life was being turned upside down, everything felt manageable, including very difficult things like giving birth, divorce, family problems, and illness. It was all fodder for awakening. There was a consistent joy that permeated even these painful times. I realized that this practice was the greatest gift anyone could receive. Even in a prison cell, and at times my life felt like a prison cell, with this tool, joy was just a breath away.
I went on to practice Zen <i>shikantaza </i>meditation and <i>koan </i>work. They deepened my understanding and made my experience more ordinary. My feet were finally on the ground and my bliss was grounded.<br />
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VA: Are there any situations you would like to share when Buddhist practice was particularly transformative?<br />
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JK: There were many times when my Buddhist practice was transformative. The most dramatic was while giving birth. During the 20 hours of intense labor, rather than use drugs or <i>Lamaze </i>or other birthing forms, I used <i>vipassana</i>. Imagine meditating for 20 hours straight, under the most intensely painful conditions. Towards the end of labor, when I was getting ready to push the baby out (the strongest part of the birthing process) the pain subsided and I started feeling great ease and bliss. When my daughter came out, I met her in joy and clarity.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of Rajesh Pamnani, "<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/pamnani/28279995190/in/faves-83163557@N04/" target="_blank">Mothers Love-Unconditional.</a>" <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/" target="_blank">Creative Commons</a>.</td></tr>
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<b>VA: What led you to writing <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Buddha-Mom-Jacqueline-Kramer/dp/1585422940">Buddha Mom</a>? </b><br />
JK: Buddha Mom arose out of the experience of buoyancy I felt during my pregnancy and birthing. After giving birth, filled with the bliss of meditative absorption and awash in oxytocin, I was filled with gratitude for the practice and for being alive. It was an arising of sympathetic joy that made me want to share this information with others so that others could also find joy in even in the most difficult situations. I wasn’t sure how to do this. When my daughter was 6 months old, I was out in our back yard looking at the neighbor’s cow. In an instant I realized that life is short and there is nothing more worth doing than sharing this practice. Soon afterwards Buddha Mom (my title was <i>Rekindling the Hearth</i>) starting coming through me. I’d find myself in a diner without paper, grabbing at a half- used napkin to scribble down chapter ideas or ideas for phrases. It was weird and I didn’t fully trust the process. <i>Why me?</i> I wasn’t a writer. I had been a professional singer and artist. I had no interest in writing-didn’t even keep a journal. But these ideas and practices wanted to be shared so I set about learning how to write. The first 10 drafts are horrible! 20 years and many rewrites later, the book took the form it is in now. Since the books release, I’ve grown a lot. I see that the book was written while still in the state of Zen sickness. I am moving towards writing a new book to share these thoughts from a different, broader, perspective.<br />
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<b>VA: What did you enjoy most about writing that book? </b><br />
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JK:
I really enjoyed learning how to write. In the 20 years it took me to write <i>Buddha Mom</i> I often used my own writing to lift me up and remind me of the practice. I enjoyed my contact with others around the material, learning how other women also felt transformed after giving birth. Hearing from women who resonated with what I had experienced was probably the best part<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZxGTK3yqnrk/V6fpz_cX-WI/AAAAAAAAE5k/2RUFybWiFoINaS9JNpL9JulM0uRxNNTFgCLcB/s1600/new-mom-new-baby-1024x678.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="396" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZxGTK3yqnrk/V6fpz_cX-WI/AAAAAAAAE5k/2RUFybWiFoINaS9JNpL9JulM0uRxNNTFgCLcB/s640/new-mom-new-baby-1024x678.png" width="600" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of <a href="https://www.teamtrendier.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/new-mom-new-baby-1024x678.png" target="_blank">teamtrendier.com</a>.</td></tr>
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I’m reminded of the Madonna or whore aspect of womanhood, not only in Buddhism, but throughout religious history. The archetypes have not been very appealing - either an ideal that is unattainable for a human woman or a woman whose life is wasted by motherhood. When I was a young mother, 34 years ago, I couldn’t find anything written about how being a mother informs and awakens a woman and how a spiritual practice puts the mothering experience into a larger context. That is what really interests me, not history, because it’s not been friendly to mothers, but the everyday reality in the context of practice. What better place than mothering to develop unconditional love, generosity and selflessness? Mothering can add rocket fuel to one’s development when tied to a deep practice.<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><b>Stay tuned for Part 2 in September, 2016.</b></i></span></span></span><br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Jacqueline Kramer</h3>
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Jacqueline Kramer has been practicing and studying Buddhism for more than 40 years. Jacqueline holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in painting and sculpture from Bennington College. She teaches art and music appreciation to seniors. Jacqueline sings with a swing big band and performs one-woman shows. She is a freelance writer and the director of the non-profit <a href="http://hearthfoundation.net/" target="_blank">Hearth Foundation</a>, a place for parents who wish to develop more awareness, calm, and joy in their family and everyday lives.<br />
<br />
You can find Jacqueline's blog at <a href="https://awakeningathome.org/" target="_blank">https://awakeningathome.org/. </a><br />
<br />
Other Awakening Buddhist Women Articles by Jacqueline Kramer:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="http://awakeningbuddhistwomen.blogspot.com/2015/06/moms-and-dads-wait-lot.html" target="_blank">Moms and Dads Wait - A Lot</a></li>
<li><a href="http://awakeningbuddhistwomen.blogspot.com/2014/01/staying-buoyant-amidst-suffering.html" target="_blank">Staying Buoyant Amidst Suffering</a></li>
<li><a href="http://awakeningbuddhistwomen.blogspot.com/2013/05/what-is-feminine.html" target="_blank">What is "Feminine"? </a></li>
</ul>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466378130719482306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656730165266532760.post-85977792343174295952016-07-14T18:25:00.004-07:002016-07-14T18:25:59.830-07:0080th Birthday Celebration: Ven. Pema Chodron <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i>Today we celebrate the birthday of one of Sakyadhita International's co-founders, Ven. Pema Chodron
who was born Diedre Blomfield in 1936 in New York City. She grew up in a Catholic family in New Jersey,
earned a master's in education from the University of California, Berkeley and taught elementary school
in California and New Mexico. In 1972, after 2 marriages and 2 children, she discovered Tibetan
Buddhism. From 1974 until his death in 1987, Ven. Pema studied under Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, founder
of the Shambhala school of Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism. In 1981, at the age of 45, Ven. Pema became the
first American in the vajrayana tradition to become a fully ordained Bhikshuni. </i><br />
<br />
<i>We invite you to celebrate Ven. Pema's 80th
birthday with an article that first appeared in <a href="http://www.lionsroar.com/tag/shambhala-sun-sept-98/" target="_blank">Shambhala Sun</a> (Sept '98), <a href="http://www.lionsroar.com/pema-chodron-to-know-yourself-is-to-forget-yourself/" target="_blank">republished here with the gracious permission of Lion's Roar</a>. </i><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fcroGPY5odE/V4g26LxZumI/AAAAAAAAE24/-YBbzWZ_mV45io0_XCMFaOkTcvbHsCzdQCLcB/s1600/SojongBhiksunis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Ven. Pema Chodron, a co-founder of Sakyadhita International Association of Buddhist Women, at the 1st Sakyadhita International Conference held on Bodhgaya, India in 1987." border="0" height="396" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fcroGPY5odE/V4g26LxZumI/AAAAAAAAE24/-YBbzWZ_mV45io0_XCMFaOkTcvbHsCzdQCLcB/s640/SojongBhiksunis.jpg" title="Ven. Pema Chodron, a co-founder of Sakyadhita International Association of Buddhist Women, at the 1st Sakyadhita International Conference held on Bodhgaya, India in 1987." width="590" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ven. Pema Chodron, a co-founder of <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/" target="_blank">Sakyadhita International Association of Buddhist Women</a>, <br />
at the <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/conferences/1st-si-con.html" target="_blank">1st Sakyadhita International Conference</a> held on Bodhgaya, India in 1987.<br />
<i>Pictured top row, 2nd from right.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
To Know Yourself is to Forget Yourself</h3>
<br />
The journey of awakening happens just at the place where we can’t get
comfortable. Opening to discomfort is the basis of transmuting our
so-called “negative” feelings. We somehow want to get rid of our
uncomfortable feelings either by justifying them or by squelching them,
but it turns out that this is like throwing the baby out with the bath
water. According to the teachings of <i>vajrayana</i>, or tantric, Buddhism,
our wisdom and our confusion are so interwoven that it doesn’t work to
just throw things out.<br />
<br />
By trying to get rid of “negativity,” by trying to eradicate it, by
putting it into a column labelled “bad,” we are throwing away our wisdom
as well, because everything in us is creative energy—particularly our
strong emotions. They are filled with life-force.<br />
<br />
There is nothing wrong with negativity per se; the problem is that we
never see it, we never honor it, we never look into its heart. We don’t
taste our negativity, smell it, get to know it. Instead, we are always
trying to get rid of it by punching someone in the face, by slandering
someone, by punishing ourselves, or by repressing our feelings. In
between repression and acting out, however, there is something wise and
profound and timeless.<br />
<br />
If we just try to get rid of negative feelings, we don’t realize that
those feelings are our wisdom. The transmutation comes from the
willingness to hold our seat with the feeling, to let the words go, to
let the justification go. We don’t have to have resolution. We can live
with a dissonant note; we don’t have to play the next key to end the
tune.<br />
<br />
Curiously enough, this journey of transmutation is one of tremendous
joy. We usually seek joy in the wrong places, by trying to avoid feeling
whole parts of the human condition. We seek happiness by believing that
whole parts of what it is to be human are unacceptable. We feel that
something has to change in ourselves. However, unconditional joy comes
about through some kind of intelligence in which we allow ourselves to
see clearly what we do with great honesty, combined with a tremendous
kindness and gentleness. This combination of honesty, or clear-seeing,
and kindness is the essence of <span style="font-style: italic;">maitri</span>—unconditional friendship with ourselves.<br />
<br />
This is a process of continually stepping into unknown territory. You
become willing to step into the unknown territory of your own being.
Then you realize that this particular adventure is not only taking you
into your own being, it’s also taking you out into the whole universe.
You can only go into the unknown when you have made friends with
yourself. You can only step into those areas “out there” by beginning to
explore and have curiosity about this unknown “in here,” in yourself.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bv4vU-8JWMA/V4g5oq1IwpI/AAAAAAAAE3E/bLvuywZmB00tAhcFoQKWAYkS4itKmebhQCLcB/s1600/PemaChodronQuote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bv4vU-8JWMA/V4g5oq1IwpI/AAAAAAAAE3E/bLvuywZmB00tAhcFoQKWAYkS4itKmebhQCLcB/s400/PemaChodronQuote.jpg" width="400" /></a>Dogen Zen-ji said, “To know yourself is to forget yourself.” We might
think that knowing ourselves is a very ego-centered thing, but by
beginning to look so clearly and so honestly at ourselves—at our
emotions, at our thoughts, at who we really are—we begin to dissolve the
walls that separate us from others. Somehow all of these walls, these
ways of feeling separate from everything else and everyone else, are
made up of opinions. They are made up of dogma; they are made of
prejudice. These walls come from our fear of knowing parts of ourselves.<br />
<br />
There is a Tibetan teaching that is often translated as,
“Self-cherishing is the root of all suffering.” It can be hard for a
Western person to hear the term “self-cherishing” without
misunderstanding what is being said. I would guess that 85% of us
Westerners would interpret it as telling us that we shouldn’t care for
ourselves—that there is something anti-wakeful about respecting
ourselves. But that isn’t what it really means. What it is talking about
is fixating. “Self-cherishing” refers to how we try to protect
ourselves by fixating; how we put up walls so that we won’t have to feel
discomfort or lack of resolution. That notion of self-cherishing refers
to the erroneous belief that there could be only comfort and no
discomfort, or the belief that there could be only happiness and no
sadness, or the belief that there could be just good and no bad.<br />
<br />
But what the Buddhist teachings point out is that we could take a
much bigger perspective, one that is beyond good and evil.
Classifications of good and bad come from lack of <span style="font-style: italic;">maitri</span>.
We say that something is good if it makes us feel secure and it’s bad
if it makes us feel insecure. That way we get into hating people who
make us feel insecure and hating all kinds of religions or nationalities
that make us feel insecure. And we like those who give us ground under
our feet.<br />
<br />
When we are so involved with trying to protect ourselves, we are
unable to see the pain in another person’s face. “Self-cherishing” is
ego fixating and grasping: it ties our hearts, our shoulders, our head,
our stomach, into knots. We can’t open. Everything is in a knot. When we
begin to open we can see others and we can be there for them. But to
the degree that we haven’t worked with our own fear, we are going to
shut down when others trigger our fear.<br />
<br />
So to know yourself is to forget yourself. This is to say that when
we make friends with ourselves we no longer have to be so self-involved.
It’s a curious twist: making friends with ourselves is a way of not
being so self-involved anymore. Then Dogen Zen-ji goes on to say, “To
forget yourself is to become enlightened by all things.” When we are not
so self-involved, we begin to realize that the world is speaking to us
all of the time. Every plant, every tree, every animal, every person,
every car, every airplane is speaking to us, teaching us, awakening us.
It’s a wonderful world, but we often miss it. It’s as if we see the
previews of coming attractions and never get to the main feature.<br />
<br />
When we feel resentful or judgmental, it hurts us and it hurts
others. But if we look into it we might see that behind the resentment
there is fear and behind the fear there is a tremendous softness. There
is a very big heart and a huge mind—a very awake, basic state of being.
To experience this we begin to make a journey, the journey of
unconditional friendliness toward the self that we already are.<br />
<br />
<i><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.lionsroar.com/pema-chodron-to-know-yourself-is-to-forget-yourself/&source=gmail&ust=1468631470310000&usg=AFQjCNGs-apBnU2knJUuLdn7b_2Zr4pxBQ" href="http://www.lionsroar.com/pema-chodron-to-know-yourself-is-to-forget-yourself/" target="_blank">Reproduced with <span class="il">permission</span> of LionsRoar.com</a>.</i><br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Venerable Pema Chodron Bhikshuni</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<i> </i></h3>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jXts9bbNAqA/V4g1-_K5McI/AAAAAAAAE20/Rzb9WTSV9VQESNLmoXkmauLnfqHXZobgwCEw/s1600/Panel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Ven. Pema Chodron, a co-founder of Sakyadhita International Association of Buddhist Women, at the 1st Sakyadhita International Conference held on Bodhgaya, India in 1987." border="0" height="211" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jXts9bbNAqA/V4g1-_K5McI/AAAAAAAAE20/Rzb9WTSV9VQESNLmoXkmauLnfqHXZobgwCEw/s320/Panel.jpg" title="Ven. Pema Chodron, a co-founder of Sakyadhita International Association of Buddhist Women, at the 1st Sakyadhita International Conference held on Bodhgaya, India in 1987. " width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ven. Pema Chodron at the <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/conferences/1st-si-con.html" target="_blank">1st Sakyadhita International <br />Conference</a> held on Bodhgaya, India in 1987.<br />
<i>Pictured 2nd from left.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Ven. Pema Chodron served as the director of Karma Dzong (now the <a href="http://boulder.shambhala.org/" target="_blank">Boulder Shambhala Center</a>) until 1984 when
she relocated to Nova Scotia, Canada to direct the <a href="http://gampoabbey.org/" target="_blank">Gampo Abbey</a>, the first Tibetan monastery in North
America for Western monastics and lay practitioners. Over the last 25 years, her published works have
made Buddhism accessible to a broad Western audience. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466378130719482306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656730165266532760.post-40343525761118102902016-07-04T07:54:00.000-07:002016-07-07T07:59:56.631-07:00Announcement: Sakyadhita E-Book Now Available<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r986NoAJcfc/V35tTBZ7p6I/AAAAAAAAE2A/sZnod_9ItiUZcnHivGaCFdOIE5Xc3FHkwCLcB/s1600/E-Book-Slider.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r986NoAJcfc/V35tTBZ7p6I/AAAAAAAAE2A/sZnod_9ItiUZcnHivGaCFdOIE5Xc3FHkwCLcB/s1600/E-Book-Slider.jpg" /> </a></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
The <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/docs/resources/epublications/Compassion+SocialJustice-BOOKMARKED_SI14.pdf?id=0B7Xpe-gp2em7MWJzODEwU2xUb2c" target="_blank"><i>Compassion and Social Justice</i></a>
E-Book is now available online as both a PDF and a Bookmarked PDF.
Please visit our <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/resources/publications.html" target="_blank">Sakyadhita Publications Page</a> to view our E-Publications, as well as available print publications and conference materials.<br />
<br />
Additionally, <a href="http://sakyadhita.org/docs/resources/epublications/BuddhistWomenInAMulticulturalCommunity-Sakyadhita2009.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Buddhist Women in A Global Multicultural Community</i></a> is also available as an e-book.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466378130719482306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656730165266532760.post-65440619959222468092016-06-20T19:52:00.001-07:002016-06-20T20:02:58.493-07:00Settle Into The Bliss: An interview with Shaila Catherine<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-64e308eb-70c0-b3db-83e4-e44a780e1f29" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">by Vlad Moskovski </span></i></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-casRqkXth7M/V2ikbQOASiI/AAAAAAAAE0g/KzIBug8ntGQuWb0DDIoDz7T0h9xpSrU6gCLcB/s1600/O68I630-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="443" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-casRqkXth7M/V2ikbQOASiI/AAAAAAAAE0g/KzIBug8ntGQuWb0DDIoDz7T0h9xpSrU6gCLcB/s640/O68I630-web.jpg" width="590" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo courtesy of Freepik.com.</span></span></td></tr>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Shaila begins to speak. Her voice, like her personality, fits her well. It is like a warm whisper that washes over the gathered crowd at this public talk. I am moved by her peaceful and calm demeanor and awed by her experience in meditation and the clarity with which she is able to describe the most subtle of concepts. Shaila has been practicing meditation since 1980, with more than eight years of accumulated silent retreat experience and has studied with masters in India, Nepal and Thailand. She has taught since 1996 in the USA and internationally, and is the founder/lead teacher at Insight Meditation South Bay.</span></div>
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<a name='more'></a><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Vlad Moskovski:</b> You have done many long retreats in your life, what is the longest period that you have been silent on retreat, and where?</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Shaila Catherine: </b>My longest retreat was a ten-month retreat at the Forest Refuge in Massachusetts in 2003-2004. During this retreat I emphasized concentration, and practiced jhana as the basis for insight for the first time. Following that retreat I wrote my first book,</span><a href="http://www.imsb.org/teachings/book-focused-and-fearless/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Focused and Fearless</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> in order to encourage the cultivation of concentration, and to share the techniques I had learned for establishing the deep absorption states of jhana.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>VM:</b> Do you think it is important for serious meditation practitioners to do long retreats or can we advance in our practice just going about our lives?</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>SC:</b> We must use whatever opportunities we have, and not long for opportunities that we don’t have. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kAfy-Pd8PF0/V2ilLUfYu8I/AAAAAAAAE0w/Z3BVo6x88BostDDa7CQ1DGGOUraVPVWagCLcB/s1600/Mix%2B%2B2_9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kAfy-Pd8PF0/V2ilLUfYu8I/AAAAAAAAE0w/Z3BVo6x88BostDDa7CQ1DGGOUraVPVWagCLcB/s200/Mix%2B%2B2_9.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo courtesy of Freepik.com.</span></td></tr>
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</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A meditation student who has young children is not going to run off and attend a ten-month retreat—that would be irresponsible. But even with many worldly responsibilities, we can take a lot of care with the daily practice and the continuity of mindfulness throughout the day.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Generally I don’t encourage the average practitioner to do multi-month retreats. Only a small proportion of students have sufficient interest and enough skill in meditation, and also have the social and economic opportunities to make use of such extended periods of seclusion. I usually encourage students to attend regular and frequent retreats of one week, a few weeks, or a month. These are long enough for the mind to settle, for the concentration to develop, and for a rich experience of insight to occur. I introduce jhana practice in ten-day retreats and am pleased with the results.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>VM:</b> You teach jhana and vipassana meditation. Many people have never heard of jhana, can you tell me briefly what the difference is?</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>SC:</b> Jhana refers to deeply concentrated meditative states in which attention is steadily absorbed by the perception of a single meditation object. The Theravada tradition describes four particular absorption states. Skilled meditators can cultivate these peaceful and blissful states, and allow the mind to abide in them for whatever period of time they wish. But the purpose of deepening concentration is not to indulge in meditative bliss. Strong concentration allows deep insight to happen. I never teach concentration or jhana divorced from insight (vipassana). The purpose of cultivating concentration is to realize liberating insight.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Different kinds of concentration develop with different types of meditation objects. For example, when practicing insight meditation (vipassana) we contemplate the characteristics of changing mental or material phenomena, and develop a type of momentary concentration called khanika samadhi. The mind becomes unified through the momentary knowing of perceptions as they arise and perish. Jhana, however, refers to a subset of samadhi practices that use fixed, rather than changing, objects for meditation. When practicing with the breath as a jhana subject, for example, we steadily focus on the breath at the area of the nostrils until it transforms into a mental reflection of the breath, called a nimitta. Essentially, the objects that lead to jhana include certain concepts and mental objects; absorptions do not develop when observing changing sensations or fluctuating feelings.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>VM:</b> Why the dominance of Vipassana, insight meditation, in the US?</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>SC:</b> Vipassana practice is liberating. When we devote time to develop strong concentration, we do so to strengthen our vipassana. A steady mind makes it possible to see things very clearly. The Theravada Buddhist tradition offers a carefully crafted sequence of exercises designed to guide the mind from distracted and obstructed habitual states, to liberation. First we learn to calm, strengthen, and energize the mind through concentration practices. Next, we use the concentrated mind to carefully discern the nature and functions of matter, mind, and their causes and effects. Once the concentrated mind has discerned mind and matter, then we contemplate mind and matter as impermanent, unsatisfactory, and empty of self. Clear seeing of these universal characteristics propels the mind through a sequence of insights that culminate in the realization of nibbana (nirvana in Sanskrit).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Although monastics and very dedicated lay practitioners have, for centuries, practiced deep concentration, most lay people don’t have the time, inclination, or conducive living conditions to engage in rigorous traditional training. Some time ago, a historic movement began to emphasize forms of meditation that could be practiced by lay people. Emphasis was wisely placed on mindfulness and shorter retreats, which can be easily integrated into a lay lifestyle. Mindfulness is the basis of all these practice, and may be the most important factor for developing both concentration and insight.</span></div>
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<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo courtesy of Freepik.com.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>VM:</b> I am sure you have had many amazing teachers, is there one in particular that you would say is your main teacher?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>SC:</b> I really could not say that there is one single teacher in my life; I feel deep gratitude for several teachers who have guided me, and several meditation centers that have provided the opportunity for practice. I started meditating in 1980, and in the mid 80’s I met Christopher Titmuss, an English dhamma teacher who startled me with a rather direct approach to enquiry. I continued to attend retreats with many different teachers, but noticed that my practice progressed most rapidly with Christopher’s guidance. Over the years I returned to his retreats with some regularity, and gradually he came to know my practice well. It was Christopher Titmuss who asked me to serve as a dhamma teacher, and he has remained my mentor.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I cherish the years that I spent in Asia—practicing in monasteries in Thailand, and studying with a guru named H.W.L Poonja in northern India. I lived in Poonjaji’s home for several years in the early and mid 1990’s. He taught a direct realization of the mind and stirred a powerful love of freedom. I also have sat many retreats at the Insight Meditation Society in Massachusetts and I continue to appreciate the clarity and integrity in this community of western dhamma teachers.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In 2006 I met Venerable Pa-Auk Sayadaw—a highly skilled practitioner and teacher of jhana and vipassana. Practicing with him has refined my approach to both jhana and vipassana. I wrote my second book,</span><a href="http://www.imsb.org/teachings/book-wisdom-wide-and-deep/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Wisdom Wide and Deep</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, at his request—to present this systematic training in a form that would be accessible to Western practitioners.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>VM:</b> If at all possible, can you describe what it is like to be on a long retreat?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>SC:</b> Long retreats help us get past our personal stories and particular attachments. Once you settle into the silence and let go of the busyness of daily activities, an impersonal and objective way of seeing the mind and body tends to arise. On retreat we are just less caught up in all the things that stimulate our identities, so we will see how attachment functions as an impersonal process, rather than focus on personal attachments to particular things.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I like long retreats—they are lovely, and allow me to go very deep in the practice. But I also like short retreats, because they allow me to integrate the dhamma into daily life. So I try to do both long retreats and short retreats so that there is both a deepening and integration of the meditative experience.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>VM:</b> That state, the universal or impersonal, does that experience last after the retreat is over?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>SC:</b> Well, we live our lives. We don’t live anybody else’s lives, and we don’t live sequestered in retreat. By “impersonal” I am referring to what is not bound by my particular story, my life, my roles, or my activities. We must integrate our understandings and insight with how we live as unique individuals interacting through personal relationships and making daily choices.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">During meditation we might see, in refined detail, how misperception functions. For example, we might have a fleeting experience of seeing something attractive, and then blinded by ignorance and desire, we misperceive that sight as something that might bring us happiness, if only we could possess it, control it, or keep it. But no impermanent perception can be a reliable source of happiness. With insight we recognize the misperception, contemplate the impermanence of the experience, and discover that when we see with wisdom, equanimity naturally arises. Wisdom, clarity, and equanimity certainly influence our experiences long after a retreat ends. Nothing that we find in the world can actually be possessed as mine, or be identified with as who I am. Attachments fall away, and then we live our individual lives fully, but without, or at least with less, attachment. Suffering diminishes.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>Originally published on Insight Meditation South Bay's <a href="http://www.imsb.org/teachings/written-teachings-articles-and-interviews/settle-into-bliss-an-interview-with-shaila-catherine/" target="_blank">website</a>.</i></span><br />
<i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Republished with permission from Vlad Moskovski. </span></i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i> </i> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 17.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Shaila Catherine</span></h3>
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<a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/RH7-xr_Wa-RVlSOtx9UK3RPM3mfDzIaWe-Vwm09Ca_jnEbXuNzZdCsyUf48_g1olifr7onk6IVGsGa2fpgFVxFAiZctbg_h_Lcbh-LoFlIptUXONyz0W_0lc2mHoF6Qgym2IfpbW" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/RH7-xr_Wa-RVlSOtx9UK3RPM3mfDzIaWe-Vwm09Ca_jnEbXuNzZdCsyUf48_g1olifr7onk6IVGsGa2fpgFVxFAiZctbg_h_Lcbh-LoFlIptUXONyz0W_0lc2mHoF6Qgym2IfpbW" style="border: medium none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="142" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Shaila Catherine</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> is the founder of Insight Meditation South Bay (</span><a href="http://www.imsb.org/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">imsb.org</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">) a meditation center in Silicon Valley, California and Bodhi Courses (</span><a href="http://www.bodhicourses.org/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">bodhicourses.org</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">) an online Buddhist classroom. She authored two acclaimed books on jhana and vipassana—</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Focused and Fearless</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Wisdom Wide and Deep</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. She began meditation practice in 1980, and has dedicated more than eight years to silent retreats. Shaila has been teaching meditation internationally since 1996.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">To find out more about</span><a href="http://www.imsb.org/about-us/founder-and-principal-teacher-shaila-catherine/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Shaila Catherine</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, her books, classes, and</span><a href="http://www.imsb.org/programs/retreats/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">retreats</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> check out</span><a href="http://www.imsb.org/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Insight Meditation South Bay</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.</span></div>
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<h3 dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-64e308eb-70c1-2b33-17cc-9dfdcd72f5b8" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 4pt; margin-top: 14pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 17.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Vlad Moskovski</span></h3>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XcwKUcRaSGM/V2ikOSkp91I/AAAAAAAAE0Y/v4yo-iFN3SQHEBRuSnNxvE6Qhm0dwL4_wCLcB/s1600/vlad-headshot-zesty-03web.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XcwKUcRaSGM/V2ikOSkp91I/AAAAAAAAE0Y/v4yo-iFN3SQHEBRuSnNxvE6Qhm0dwL4_wCLcB/s200/vlad-headshot-zesty-03web.png" width="189" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Vlad Moskovski</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> is a certified NeuroLinguistic Programming (NLP) practitioner, yoga instructor, and meditation teacher. Yoga and meditation have been his life and passion since learning about them at the age of 18. He is dedicated to bringing contemplative practices to a variety of populations and frequently works with homeless, youth, and elderly. Vlad was born in Russia, lived in Israel, and grew up in New Jersey before moving to Berkeley, California where he teaches yoga classes, runs workshops, and hosts dharma events and daylong meditation retreats. He is on the board of</span><a href="http://yogisonwheels.org/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Yogis on Wheels</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, and runs</span><a href="http://www.meditationsecretsrevealed.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Meditation Secrets Revealed</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, a website where he writes articles and publishes his interviews with inspirational leaders. </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466378130719482306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656730165266532760.post-11150360104632023862016-06-06T17:53:00.000-07:002016-06-11T17:54:45.997-07:00In Memory of Zenkei Blanche Hartman (1926-2016)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NK7lDYIs7ig/V1yvmLlEFPI/AAAAAAAAEx8/Y9QrtxnAoFAH9fbWqdHsAUF7GkcsL-avACLcB/s1600/Blancheovertheyears.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NK7lDYIs7ig/V1yvmLlEFPI/AAAAAAAAEx8/Y9QrtxnAoFAH9fbWqdHsAUF7GkcsL-avACLcB/s640/Blancheovertheyears.gif" width="590" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zenkei Blanche Hartman from <a href="http://zenkei.sfzc.org/page/4/" target="_blank">Boundless Life: A Chronicle Dedicated to Zenkei Blanche Hartman</a></td></tr>
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Zenkei Blanche Hartman (1926-2016) was a Soto Zen teacher practicing in the lineage of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shunry%C5%AB_Suzuki" target="_blank">Shunryu Suzuki</a>. From 1996 to 2002 she served two terms as co-abbess of the <a href="http://sfzc.org/" target="_blank">San Francisco Zen Center</a>. She was the first woman to assume such a leadership position at the center. A member of the <a href="http://www.americanzenteachers.org/" target="_blank">American Zen Teachers Association</a>, Blanche was especially known for her expertise in the ancient ritual of <a href="http://www.nozt.org/teachings/kesapractice.shtml" target="_blank">sewing a kesa</a>, called <span style="font-weight: 400;"></span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nyoho-e,</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">
the practice of sewing Zen ceremonial robes
in the lineage of Sawaki Kodo Roshi, which she had learned during the 1970s </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">from Kasai Joshin Sensei, formerly of <a href="http://antaiji.org/en/" target="_blank">Antaiji</a>. She taught this unique form of Zen
practice to hundreds of students at the San Francisco Zen Center, and played an important
role in establishing the practice in North America. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lou and Blanche Wed from <a href="http://zenkei.sfzc.org/page/4/" target="_blank">Boundless Life: <br />A Chronicle Dedicated to Zenkei Blanche Hartman</a></td></tr>
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Born in Birmingham, Alabama to non-practicing Jewish parents in 1926. Blanche was educated in <span id="goog_2109793196"></span>the Catholic school system in the early 1930s, but in 1943 her family moved to California, where her father served in the military. After taking up biochemistry and chemistry at the University of California she married Lou Hartman in 1947, giving birth to four children. In the late 1950s she found work as a chemist, though by 1968 she began questioning the direction of her life. She and her husband began sitting zazen regularly at the Berkeley Zen Center in Berkeley, California in 1969, and in 1972 the two entered <a href="http://sfzc.org/tassajara" target="_blank">Tassajara Zen Mountain Center</a>. The couple lived at all of the other San Francisco Zen Center sites, including City Center and Green Gulch Farm. Shuun Lou Hartman passed away in 2011.<br />
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In 1997 Blanch and Lou were both ordained as priests by Zentatsu Richard Baker, and Blanche was given the Buddhist name Zenkei, meaning <i>inconceivable joy</i>. In 1988 she received <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shih%C5%8D" target="_blank">shiho </a>from <a href="http://berkeleyzencenter.org/author/sojun-mel-weitsman/" target="_blank">Sojun Mel Weitsman</a>, and in 1996 she became installed as co-abbess of the San Francisco Zen Center. Zenkei Blanche was the first female abbess of the City Center, having served just after Tenshin Reb Anderson and Sojun Mel Weitsman. One reason Blanche accepted the position of co-abbess, serving two terms from 1996 to 2002, is that she understood the need for women to have a role model. Among others, <a href="http://zenju.org/" target="_blank">Zenju Earthlyn Manuel</a>, author of <a href="http://www.wisdompubs.org/book/way-tenderness" target="_blank">"The Way of Tenderness</a>," was a student of Zenkei Blanche Hartman, who <a href="http://zenju.org/22/" target="_blank">ordained her in 2008</a>.<br />
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To read the San Francisco Zen Center's obituary in memory of Zenkei Blanche <a href="http://memorials.sfzc.org/2016/05/15/zenkei-blanche-hartman/" target="_blank">please click here</a>, as well as the blog, <a href="http://zenkei.sfzc.org/" target="_blank">Boundless Life</a>, dedicated to Zenkei Blanche's life.<br />
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<a href="http://www.audiodharma.org/teacher/73/" target="_blank"><b>Talks</b></a><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="http://www.audiodharma.org/talks/audio_player/1575.html" target="_blank">Wise Effort</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.audiodharma.org/talks/audio_player/1011.html" target="_blank">Just This</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.audiodharma.org/talks/audio_player/934.html" target="_blank">Life and Death</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.audiodharma.org/talks/audio_player/443.html" target="_blank">The Most Important Thing</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.audiodharma.org/talks/audio_player/164.html" target="_blank">Freedom </a></li>
</ul>
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<b>Articles</b><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><i>Lion's Roar,</i> <a href="http://www.lionsroar.com/good-evening-bodhisattvas/" target="_blank">Good Evening, Bodhisattva</a><i> </i></li>
<li><i>Lion's Roar,</i> <a href="http://www.lionsroar.com/this-life-which-is-wonderful-and-evanescent/" target="_blank">This Life Which is Wonderful and Evanescent </a></li>
<li><i>Tricycle</i>, <a href="http://tricycle.org/trikedaily/zen-not-knowing/" target="_blank">The Zen of Not Knowing</a></li>
<li><i>Tricycle</i>, <a href="http://tricycle.org/trikedaily/zen-practice-each-moment/" target="_blank">Zen Practice Each Moment</a></li>
</ul>
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<b>Books</b><br />
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<li> <i>Shambhala Press</i>, <a href="http://www.shambhala.com/seeds-for-a-boundless-life.html" target="_blank">Seeds for a Boundless Life</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16466378130719482306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656730165266532760.post-5984461736429607672016-05-20T22:07:00.003-07:002016-05-20T22:09:39.331-07:00On Vesak: Venerable Patacara<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i>Author </i><span class="st"><i>Anonymous</i> </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vesak Day honors the birth, Enlightenment, and death of the Buddha.</td></tr>
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It is very useful to regularly reflect on how the things we do affect our minds. When you have done something well, how do you feel about it? There is a feeling of satisfaction and happiness. In turn, this feeling of happiness supports your daily practice, as well as a cause for a successful meditation practice. When we know what habits support the generation of good states of mind we are inclined to develop those habits.
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Again and again, looking at the mind, we can see that the actions, tendencies, and habits are very important. The actions and habits we cultivate in the mind are all important factors contributing to the success of our meditation.
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TGybMyQiXbQ/Vzjr0kB3qJI/AAAAAAAAEuk/8OsZTwEZT3ABSfcbluVxdTle8mJEMTJywCLcB/s1600/BitterStickGirl-Vesak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TGybMyQiXbQ/Vzjr0kB3qJI/AAAAAAAAEuk/8OsZTwEZT3ABSfcbluVxdTle8mJEMTJywCLcB/s320/BitterStickGirl-Vesak.jpg" width="268" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Illustration from <a href="http://www.bitterstickgirl.sg/home/happy-vesak-day" target="_blank">thebitterstickgirl.sg</a></td></tr>
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Today being the day we commemorate the birth of the Buddha<i> (Vesak)</i>, I want to recount a story that will remind us of the qualities that the Buddha possessed.
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This is the story of Patacara, a very important female disciple of the Buddha. In fact, she became the chief disciple of the Buddha with the role of taking care of the training of the monastic rules <i>(vinaya)</i> for female disciples, i.e. the <i>bhikkhuni</i> <i>sangha</i>. According to the story, once she realised all that had to be realised, she became the <i>vinaya </i>expert<i>. </i>Over time Patacara had a huge following of female disciples and students, all of whom also bore the name of Patacara.
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We won't go into detail now about the <a href="http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhism/lifebuddha/28lbud.htm" target="_blank">life of Patacara</a>, so I'll just say that in general I don't think there could be anything worse than what she went through. We can just imagine that what she wanted was freedom from her suffering. <i>She just wanted freedom!</i> She was from a rich family. She had everything that she wanted most probably, but she also had the pressure of her parents and having being born into in the upper class of society. She had parents wanting her to marry the type of person that was agreeable to them according to her caste and to her social status.
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But as a teenager and as a young adult, she was strong minded, independent and she decided to do what she wanted to do. So, she went away with her lover who was just a servant. But they loved each other, and they wanted freedom. They wanted happiness.
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Venerable Patacara<br />
Image, <a href="https://thefemalebuddha.wordpress.com/2012/05/12/a-mother-meets-the-buddha-patacara/" target="_blank">thefemalebuddha.worpress.com</a></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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As you may know, as the story goes on, they did not really find happiness. In fact, after all the dramas of the death of her children, the death of her husband, the death of her parents. She became quite simply mad. Nearly naked, she went from village to village, crying and lamenting.
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Psychologists today would say that someone in that state would have to go into a mental hospital. But in the society of that time they didn't have psychiatrists. Who were the psychologists of those days? They were philosophers. And philosophy was not only something that was talked about, it was practical. So in one respect, the Buddha was a philosopher, in as much as we can say that his was not a philosophy of speculation, his was a philosophy of practice.
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So she eventually came to the Buddha. And, just by being in his presence, and in the presence of the monks and the nuns all around him, she calmed down. She came back to her senses. What happened here? What did the Buddha tell her? We don't know. The story, taken from the commentaries doesn't say exactly which type of dialogue occurred between them.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
The Power of Listening </h3>
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But what I would like to suggest is that the Buddha was listening to her. He was listening to her story. He was listening to her suffering. He was listening to her discouragement, the depression, the madness that she was going through. He was listening. Just listening. The power of listening.
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Je1sIlAluJ8/Vzjv7fqjIXI/AAAAAAAAEvI/UDcqezZjQjQpGDLIMyJf119hdwMggGjGgCLcB/s1600/79a539a2b13af7fe650319f3db353617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Je1sIlAluJ8/Vzjv7fqjIXI/AAAAAAAAEvI/UDcqezZjQjQpGDLIMyJf119hdwMggGjGgCLcB/s1600/79a539a2b13af7fe650319f3db353617.jpg" /></a>Listening has the reciprocal quality of bringing understanding to the person who is being listened to. So when we listen to someone, we are also listening to ourselves. So to have someone listen to us makes us aware of our story, makes us aware of what is happening in our mind.
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The few words of encouragement that were probably spoken by the Buddha were probably to the point. Just what she needed. Why? Because he was very aware of her situation. He knew her very well. He could feel intuitively by listening.
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The questions to ask here relate to ourselves. Do we listen in life? Do we listen to other people? Do we listen to the birds? Do we listen to ourselves? Do we listen to our minds, to our moods, to our emotions, to our feelings? Do we listen to our body -- to all that is happening inside us? To all that is happening outside us? That's life! Are we aware of all this? Do we allow space for the observation? That observation that will bring us to understanding? Do we have that space within ourselves?
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When we are able to observe in an unbiased way, then understanding comes of its own accord. There is great acceptance because observation leads to the idea of perspective, and when we are open minded, we are able to see many sides of a story. And this story is all about understanding.
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So, just by listening to the Buddha, Patacara became peaceful. She came back to her senses; and, then with the help of the other nuns and monks, she put herself together once again. We can imagine that eventually she was ordained and lived her life out as a nun.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Discipline </h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ven. Patacara approaches the Buddha</td></tr>
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As a nun, do you think she was fussing around? This food is no good. These people are no good. My house is not good. That <i>kuti</i> (meditation hut) is no good. For one who has really faced death in its depth, such a person is not fussy any more. There is a direct experience of disenchantment with everything. Everything is clear cut at this point.
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At that time there were torrential rains that caused the rivers to swell and flood, destroying her parent's house. After the rains the sun appeared, but what was the sun for Patacara? It was not her sons. Instead, the Buddha was the sun that brought light to Patacara's life. He was the source of inspiration. The source of dedication. The source of joy.
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Some people say that the training of the monastics involves a lot of rules, but the most important thing is the aspect of <i>ahimsa</i>: the aspect of non-violence, of non-harming.
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So we see in the <i>vinaya </i>that what is related to motivation, to intention, is part of <i>sila </i>(moral conduct), and is one of the aspects of <i>metta</i> (loving-kindness).
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Any action that is done with the spirit and with the volition of <i>metta </i>is generally a very good action, because at that time, we care for the other person. At that time we don't have greed, and at that time we don't have hatred, and most of the time also there is no delusion there. So <i>metta cetana </i>(kind intention) and the <i>cetana sila</i> (the thoughts of one who refrains from killing) are very important aspects of <i>sila</i> (moral conduct), an aspect of ethics and morality.
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Patacara was also endowed with that aspect of discipline.
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What can we learn from these stories? We have heard about the Buddha, we heard about that great lady, Patacara, but what is left for us? We have memory which we can use as a reflection.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Four Reflections </h3>
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Here we can say in general that among other things we have four reflections that we can develop. These four reflections can protect our practice and our life. The first protection for both monastic and lay people is the reflection on the Buddha, <i>Buddhanusati</i>. So we pick any quality of the Buddha, then we remember it, and we get inspiration from that quality; any one of the Buddha's qualities.
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<h3>
<span style="color: purple;">"We listen to ourselves, we understand ourselves, we accept ourselves, and that feeling of acceptance becomes the quality of <i>metta</i>." </span></h3>
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We are able to love ourselves a little bit more, because we consider ourselves and our needs. The second reflection, is the reflection on death. One day or the other, we are going to pass away. Every moment is uncertain; we never know when we are going to die. Reflecting on our eventual death brings us a sense of urgency, a sense of not wanting to waste time. Our time is very precious. What is there in our life that should be given the most importance? What is the most important thing that we want to do with our life? Thinking about the fleetingness of life brings us that sense of urgency. It is important not to fool around with our time. It is important to do the things that are essential.
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The third reflection is the reflection on the foulness of the body, or <i>asubha bhavana</i>. We can reflect that this body is just a corpse, a bag of parts. Our anatomy is quite disgusting really, if we don't wash it it smells bad, its a pain in the neck; this body is really not attractive. But from time to time if we have a lot of desire for sense pleasure we can create self-discipline by reflecting on the repulsiveness of the body.
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The fourth reflection concerns <i>metta</i>, or loving-kindness. The daily practice of <i>metta </i>is very important. Sometimes we can be upset or in a bad mood; that's normal. We have seen that the practice of <i>metta </i>begins with ourselves. Are we really kind to ourselves? Are we really able to understand our problems? Why we are creating our own miseries, and why do we get into so much trouble sometimes? Why is that? The listening, that I mentioned earlier, is also a practice of acceptance and a practice of understanding, as well as a practice of <i>metta</i>. We listen to ourselves, we understand ourselves, we accept ourselves, and that feeling of acceptance becomes the quality of <i>metta</i>. We are able to love ourselves a little bit more, because we consider ourselves and our needs. We understand and then we care. So, by caring about ourselves, we see that all beings are not only the same, but all beings want the same thing. By generating a sense of well-being for ourselves we can also generate a feeling of <i>metta </i>towards other beings.
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These four reflections can be developed in great detail and also can be a source of great potential, or great concentration if we like. I won't go into detail here. It's up to you to choose whether you would like to emphasise or develop one of f these four meditations, but, in general, they have to be considered and practiced every day.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Conclusion </h3>
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We covered a lot of material, but all four of the reflections need to be included in our daily practice, especially meditating on the Buddha and cultivating all aspects of listening to ourselves. We need to remember that listening to ourselves will increase our understanding of ourselves and others. This is the key to our practice, because it creates more maturity and helps us begin to put the pieces together.
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There is no break in our meditation practice, just as there is no break in life. Life is happening all the time. If we can be conscious, we can be aware that the quality of our mind and our consciousness needs to be the best it can. Through meditation we can improve the quality of our minds.
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There are many ways to continue now that you have started. You can continue practicing in a good way. Never take a break from your practice, because you are training your mind in order to better understand, adjust and develop. You might ask, towards what are you developing your mind? Like the Buddha you develop greater wisdom and understanding. You also develop <i>metta</i> and peace for yourself and all beings around you. All beings in the universe.
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