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Quick
Scan - This Month's Headlines
Upcoming
Local Events
- CBT celebrates
Rev. Ogui's Election as Socho (Bishop) of BCA
- Ani Palmo
offers courses on Buddhism, Death & Dying
- Palyul Ohio
welcomes its spiritual director to Ohio for January lecture series
- Senior Shambala
Teacher, Rita M. Gross, visits Cleveland next weekend for class
on The Three Jewels
- CloudWater
announces monthly Pure Land service beginning Jan. 14; and a Year
of the Monkey celebration Jan. 24
- Cleveland
Zen Group gets ready for name change and visit of Sojun Diane
Martin Jan. 17
- New NEO
Soto Zen Group cosponsors Reb Anderson retreat in June at Cuyahoga
Valley Center
Regional
News
- Stillpoint
holds three-day retreat with Janet Jiryu Abels, Sensei Jan. 23-25
National
News
- Elderly
Vietnamese Monk, leader of a NC temple, commits suicide in protest
of the Vietnamese government's religious policies
- Giant front-lawn
Buddha statue upsets some neighbors in Memphis, TN
International
News
- Wire service
publishes stunning images of ancient Borobodur Temple complex
Culture
and the Arts
- Major Buddhist
art exhibit coming to Columbus in February
- Robert Thurman
will lecture in Columbus in March
- In search
of: Buddhist calendar authority
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Editor's Note:
We're a bit
early this month...
Normally,
NEO Sangham is published on (or around) the 15th of each
month. However, three different groups have this week e-mailed
announcements of events that will take place before January 15th.
These are events Sangham readers will certainly want to
hear about. Please submit news for the February issue by February
10. Also, you can now browse back issues of NEO Sangham at: http://members.cox.net/lbrakeman.
Please also note the change in my e-mail address: lbrakeman@cox.net.
Upcoming Local
Events
CBT celebrates
Rev. Ogui's Election as Socho (Bishop) of Buddhist Churches of
America
On Saturday,
January 10, at 3:30 pm, the Cleveland
Buddhist Temple (CBT) will hold an appreciation ceremony to
celebrate the election of its supervising minister, Rev. Koshin
Ogui, Sensei, to Socho (Bishop) of the Buddhist
Churches of America (BCA).
Rev. Ogui
was resident minister at CBT for 15 years before becoming resident
minister at Chicago's Midwest Buddhist Temple. He has served as
CBT's supervising minister for the last 10 years. It is no exaggeration
to say that Rev. Ogui can be considered the founding father of
Buddhist studies in Cleveland.
After the
appreciation ceremony, there will be a dinner in Rev. Ogui's honor
at Shinano Japanese Restaurant at 6:00 PM. The dinner will cost
$22 a person. To reserve a seat at the table, contact Peter
Junger before January 8: 216/721-9706.
On Sunday,
January 11, Rev. Ogui will give a Japanese Dharma Talk at CBT
at 10:00 am. At 10:30 he will participate in CBT's service for
New Year's, the Temple Anniversary and the Monthly Memorial.
On Sunday,
January 12, at 7:00 PM, again at CBT, Rev. Ogui will hold a meditation
session with the Joint Zen Shin Sangha, a group he founded many,
many years ago in response to the many requests for Zen instruction
from Temple members.
Rev. Ogui's
visit January 10-12 will be his last as supervising minister of
CBT. However he will visit CBT in April for the Hanamatsuri service
in his capacity as Socho of BCA.
Ani Palmo
offers courses on Buddhism, Death & Dying
Ani Palmo
(Catherine Rybicki), a Buddhist nun for nine years, is offering
two programs that start this week:
Intro to Buddhism
is a survey course for non-Buddhists and practicing Buddhists.
It covers: History of Buddhism; Philosophy and Practices of Zen,
Theravada, Pureland and Vajrayana, Death & Dying, Science-Psychology;
Politics, and Women. The course runs for seven weeks beginning
Wednesday January 7th (7:00-9:00 pm).
The Death
& Dying and Compassion course is open both to the general
public and Buddhist practitioners. Palmo will spend four weeks
on Death & Dying, and three on Compassion. This course runs
for seven weeks beginning Thursday, January 8th (7:00-9:00 pm).
Both courses will be held at the Mary Rybicki Building, 4644 Turney
Road in Garfield Heights (next to Rybicki & Son Funeral Home).
Cost is $70.00 per course. To register, call Palmo at 440/526-6577
or e-mail palmoska@yahoo.com.
Palyul Ohio
welcomes its spiritual director for January series on "Discovering
Buddhism"
Palyul
Ohio welcomes its spiritual director, Ven.
Khenpo Tsewang Gyatso Rinpoche for a series of events on the
theme "Discovering Buddhism," to be held January 9 through
20.
The following
events are free, but the organizers are trusting to the generosity
of the Dharma community to help them defray the costs of the entire
visit. Rinpoche will recognize donors of full program sponsorships
($200) and partial sponsorships ($108) with a gift at the closing
event. Traditional Dana offerings will be gratefully accepted.
The organizers
request attendees arrive and enter quietly at least 15 minutes
prior to each program. For more information, call 440/247-9438.
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Visit
of Ven. Khenpo Tsewang Gyatso Rinpoche
Jan. 9-20, 2004
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Friday,
Jan. 9
7:00 PM
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Public
Talk: Cherishing Others |
Family
Life Center of the Federated Church
16349 Chillicothe Rd.
Chagrin Falls
(Rte. 306 between Washington and Bell) |
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Saturday, Jan. 10
2:00-4:30 PM
and
7:00-9:00 PM
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Teachings
of the Four Thoughts |
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Sunday, Jan. 11
10:00 am - 12:00 noon
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Teachings
of Refuge; Refuge Ceremony |
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Wednesday,
Jan. 14
7:00 PM
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Public
Talk: The Matrix and Buddhism; Illusion and Reality |
Hiram
College Interfaith Chapel
Brown Street
Hiram, OH 44234
Hiram Switchboard: 330/569-3211 |
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Saturday,
Jan. 17
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Public
Talk: Developing loving kindness in your daily life. |
Akron
University Student Union
Parking available in the adjacent lot and in the parking garage. |
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Sunday,
Jan 18
1:00-3:00 PM
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Medicine
Buddha Empowerment |
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Senior Shambala
Teacher visits Cleveland for a two-day course on The Three Jewels
A senior Shambhala
teacher will visit Cleveland next weekend for two events to be
held at the Bratenahl
Community Center.
On Friday,
January 9, Dr.
Rita Gross will give a free community talk at 7:30 PM The
program will include sitting and walking meditation and group
discussion.
On Saturday
and Sunday, Gross will lead two full-day sessions from on the
Three Jewels (the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha). The fee
for this event is $100 and includes the cost of breakfast, lunch
and tea on both days.
The two-day
program will explore what it means to take refuge in the Buddha,
Dharma, and Sangha, and to formally become Buddhist. The course
is open to everyone, and is strongly recommended for anyone contemplating
taking refuge vows in the near future.
Gross is Professor
Emerita at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire and author
of several books on Buddhism and feminism, including Buddhism
after Patriarchy (SUNY, 1993) and Buddhists
Talk About Jesus Christians Talk About the Buddha (Continuum
Pub Group, 2003).
For more information,
or to register, contact Sujata
Burgess; phone: 440-286-5017 (home); 216-707-3449 (days).
CloudWater
announces monthly Pure Land service beginning Jan. 14 ; and a
Year of the Monkey celebration Jan. 24
CloudWater
Zendo has a busy winter season planned. Check CloudWater's
"Schedules"
page for details of specific classes and services, including Tai
Chi, Reiki, Meditation, Chanting, Intro to Ch'an (Zen), and others.
CloudWater
will begin holding monthly Pure Land Buddhist services on Wednesday,
January 14 at 7:00 pm. Pure Land practitioners and anyone interested
in learning about Pure Land teachings are welcome.
On Saturday,
January 24, CloudWater will observe the beginning of the Year
of the Monkey from 4:00 to 9:00 pm. Activities will include demonstrations
by students of the Nei Jiao Academy of Internal Martial Arts,
the renewal of Buddhist Vows and a vegetarian potluck dinner.
CloudWater
will be holding a series of one-day Sunday intensives throughout
the year. The first two Sunday intensives will be February 8 and
April 4. The intensives include periods of seated, walking and
chanting meditation, work practice, a light lunch and a Dharma
Talk by Ven. Shih Ying-Fa. The Sunday intensives will be divided
into short, medium and long sessions, to allow more people to
participate. A three-day Spring intensive is planned for June
1 through June 4. For more information e-mail yingfa@cloudwater.org.
Cleveland
Zen Group gets ready for name change and visit of Sojun Diane
Martin January 17
Chicago-based
Udumbara's Sojun
Diane Martin will visit Cleveland for a one-day retreat on Saturday,
January 17 for an all-day sesshin, including a ceremony to officially
change the name of the Cleveland Zen Group(CZG) to Jijuyu-ji Zen
Center of Cleveland. The name change follows on the formal ordination
of CZG's Dean Williams as a Soto Zen priest last December.
The subject
of Martin's Dharma talk will be Dogen's "Jijuyu
Zamma," which was Williams' inspiration for the name. The
full-day sesshin includes a formal Oryoki meal lead by Sojun Martin.
The event will be at the Cleveland Buddhist Temple. E-mail dwilliams@rwsu.com
for more details.
Williams also
announced that Taigen
Dan Leighton will visit Cleveland the weekend of August 20-22.
Among his many accomplishments, Taigen founded the Mountain
Source Sangha meditation groups in California in 1994. He
received Dharma Transmission in 2000 from Reb Anderson, a direct
student of San Francisco Zen Center's Suzuki Roshi. Details of
Taigen's visit will be announced soon.
New NEO Soto
Zen Group cosponsors Reb Anderson retreat in June at Cuyahoga
Valley Center
The recently
formed Northeast
Ohio Soto Zen Group (NEO SZG) and Pittsburgh's Stillpoint
Zen Practice Community are cosponsoring Reb
Anderson's next visit to the region. Reb is a former abbot
of the San Francisco Zen Center and a direct student of Suzuki
Roshi.
Reb will lead
a five-day Sesshin, Saturday, June 5 to Wednesday, June 9, 2004
at the Cuyahoga Valley Environmental
Educational Center. The center is located at 3675 Oak Hill
Road, Peninsula, OH.
The fee for
the retreat is $375. There is a $100 deposit due with registration.
This includes all meals and sleeping accommodations. Names of
individuals wishing to attend less than the full sesshin will
be placed on a waiting list with preference being given to full-time
participants. Registration forms will be available soon.
Nancy Wolf
(buddhagirl54@hotmail.com)
and Jennie McMullen (Jennie@PeacefulWarriorYoga.com)
are serving as coordinators for this retreat and are available
to answer any questions.
Regional News
Stillpoint
holds three-day retreat with Janet Jiryu Abels, Sensei Jan. 23-25
Stillpoint,
a Soto Zen Practice Group in Pittsburgh, is holding a three-day
retreat with Janet Jiryu Abels, Sensei, January 23-25, 2004. Abels
is a Dharma successor of Roshi Robert Jinsen Kennedy. She is the
founder of Still Mind
Zendo in New York City and has been its resident teacher since
becoming Dharma Holder in 1998. Contact Neal Griebling 412/481-0971
or e-mail kakuju@bellatlantic.net
for more information about the January retreat.
National News
Elderly Vietnamese
Monk, leader of a North Carolina temple, commits suicide in protest
of the Vietnamese government's religious policies
Reuters reports
that Thich Chan Hy, 74, killed himself in front of a statue of
Avalokita Bodhisattva at the Lien Ha temple in Charlotte-Mecklenburg
in North Carolina before daybreak on Christmas Eve. He left a
letter to his master stating his hope that his death would help
bring about freedom of religion in Vietnam.
For more,
see "Vietnamese
Monk Dies in Fiery Protest in U.S.," Reuters via Yahoo! News,
December 27, 2003.
Giant front-lawn
Buddha statue upsets some neighbors in Memphis, TN
The Memphis
Commercial Appeal reports that a 15-foot-tall Maitreya Buddha
statue installed in the front yard of a residential neighborhood
in southeast Memphis, TN, is creating mixed responses. Some neighbors
are upset at its size, some at its religious reference, and some
don't mind it.
For a photo
and more details, see "Buddha
statue causes gawking," Memphis Commercial Appeal via
GoMemphis.com, December 1, 2003.
International
News
Wire service
publishes stunning images of ancient Borobodur Temple complex
Reuters recently
released two stunning images of the Borobudur Buddhist temple
in Magelang, Central Java province: [Image
1] [Image
2]. The images were taken early New Year's day.
The Borobodur
Temple complex was built between the end of the 7th and beginning
of the 8th century A.D. For about a century and a half it was
the spiritual centre of Buddhism in Java. Then it was lost until
its rediscovery in the 18th century. It is considered one of the
greatest monuments in the world. Reuters via Yahoo!News.
In another
New Year's moment, Worshipers
strike a giant bell to celebrate the New Year at Zojoji Buddhist
temple early Thursday, Jan. 1, 2004 in Tokyo. Looks like fun!
AP via Yahoo!News
The Arts
Major Buddhist
art exhibit coming to Columbus in February
Gotta plan
to hike down to Columbus between February 6 and May 9 to view
The
Circle of Bliss: Buddhist Meditational Art at the Columbus
Museum of Art.
The exhibition
includes Tibetan, Nepalese, Mongolian, Indian and Chinese paintings,
sculptures, textiles and ritual implements that communicate the ideals
and teachings of key Himalayan Buddhist tantras.
The exhibition
has just closed at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (see LACMA's
site devoted to the exhibit). The exhibit was co-curated by
a faculty member at the Ohio State University. So the entire exhibit
is being hosted
online by an OSU server.
There will
also be a "Circle
of Bliss Lecture Series" which includes a visit from
Robert Thurman on March 11.
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Admission
for individual lectures, $10; for the entire series $40. For
reservations, call 614/629-0359.
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Thursday,
February 12
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Paul
Nietupski, Associate Professor of Religious Studies at John
Carroll University, presents Buddhist Ideology and discusses
the basic ideas of Buddhism. |
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Thursday,
February 19
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Dina
Bangdel, co-curator of the exhibition, presents Images of
Enlightenment: An Introduction to Buddhist Art. |
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Thursday,
March 4
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John
Huntington, co-curator of the exhibition, presents Art History
of the Circle of Bliss. |
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Thursday,
March 11
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Robert
Thurman, one of America's leading Buddhist scholars
and the first American to be ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist
monk presents The Blissful Buddhas: A Buddhist View of Reality,
Bliss and Art. Director of the Tibet House, New York, Mr. Thurman
discusses his ideas on the Chakrasamvara Tantra, the meditation
central to the work in The Circle of Bliss. |
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Thursday,
March 18
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Installation
artist Lewis DeSoto, creator of Paranirvana
(self portrait), discusses a contemporary artist's perspective
on his Buddhist-inspired art. |
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Wednesday,
April 14
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A
panel of Buddhist experts will lead a community discussion of
Pema Chodron's new book The Places That Scare You: A Guide
to Fearlessness in Difficult Times. Panelists include William
Eldridge from The Ohio State University, Lama Kathy Wesley
from Karma Thegsum Chöling of Columbus and John Anderson
from Columbus Metropolitan Library. |
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Any one interested
in forming a car-pooling caravan on March 11 to see the exhibit
and attend Robert Thurman's lecture? We probably need to reserve
for that lecture way in advance. If you're interested, e-mail
me: lbrakeman@cox.net.
In search
of: Buddhist calendar authority
NEO Sangham
editor Lynne Brakeman is seeking an authoritative reference calendar
of Buddhist holy days for the next two years or so. I've located
an authority for Theravadin Uposatha
Observance Days, but I'm still chasing an authoritative, comprehensive
source. Preferably, the source would include sacred dates for
all of the major Buddhist lineges (Theravdin, Tibetan, Pure Land,
Soto, etc.) and, if possible, for different ethnic groups (eg.
Thai, Korean). Important: the calendar should show the
actual dates based on the western calendar (not just the lunar
dates). Several evenings of exhaustive Internet search have produced
very little result. Please e-mail
me if you can point me in the right direction.
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