Quick Scan - This Month's Headlines

Local Events

CloudWater Zendo celebrates Bodhi Day Dec. 8

CloudWater Zendo will hold a Bodhi Day service on Thursday, Dec. 8 at 7:00 p.m. The service will be followed by refreshments. CloudWater Zendo is located at 14436 Puritas Ave. on Cleveland's West Side. Call 216/889-1393 or e-mail yingfa@cloudwater.org for more information.

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Three sanghas hold joint weekend retreat near Mansfield Dec. 9-11

The Jijuyu-ji Zen Sangha, Mansfield Zen Sangha and the Zen Society of Wooster will hold a joint weekend retreat Dec. 9-11 at the Templed Hills Camp and Conference Center near Mansfield (map and directions). The retreat costs $75 including all meals and accommodations. For more information, contact Dean Williams.

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Jewel Heart Cleveland holds holiday sale Dec. 9-10

Jewel Heart Cleveland holds its annual holiday Fine Arts and Crafts Sale Friday and Saturday, Dec. 9-10. The event is part of the annual Tremont Art Walk. Hand-crafted items for sale include: boxes and stationery, jewelry, textiles and knit wear, ceramics, cookies, hand-forged iron, hand-made soaps and fine art photography. Hours are 5:30-9:30 p.m. Friday and 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Saturday. Jewel Heart Cleveland is located at 2670 W. 14th Street in the Tremont neighborhood. For more information, call 216/687-1617 or e-mail cleveland@jewelheart.org.

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Zen author and rock musician performs at Beachland Ballroom Dec. 10

Brad Warner, author of Hardcore Zen: Punk rock, monster movies and the truth about reality (Wisdom Publications, 2003), will perform for a reunion of the 1980s band, ODFx, at Beachland Ballroom on Saturday, Dec. 10. Wisdom Publications says Warner will also attend a book signing at Bela Dubby Gallery, 13321 Madison Ave, Lakewood, but it's not clear exactly when that event is scheduled. If you're interested, call the gallery at 216/221-4479.

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Oberlin's Empty Field Community holds all-day sitting on Sunday, Dec. 11

On Sunday, Dec. 11, Oberlin's Empty Field Buddhist Community will hold a long sitting to observe Buddha's enlightenment day. The sitting will begin at 6:25 a.m. at Solaluna Yoga Studio, 40 1/2 S. Main St. in Oberlin (Directions). The schedule alternates 20 minutes sittings with 10 minutes of walking meditation. There will be two breaks for breakfast and lunch at Java Zone at College and Main St. The sitting will end at 3:00 p.m. Individuals may stop in for all or any part of the day. For more information, e-mail John Sabin or call 440/774-1096.

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Buddhist Peace Fellowship meets Sunday, Dec. 18

The Cleveland Chapter of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship holds its monthly meeting on Sunday, Dec. 18 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. BPF Cleveland holds its meetings at members homes. It welcomes people of all faith traditions who are interested in supporting its mission to serve as a catalyst and agent for socially engaged Buddhism. Contact Mark McDermott for time and location.

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Cleveland Buddhist Temple plans New Year's Eve service

The Cleveland Buddhist Temple will hold a Jyoya-Ye Service on Saturday, Dec. 31. The Cleveland Buddhist Temple is located at 1573 E. 214th St. (corner of E. 214th St. and Euclid Ave.), Euclid, OH (Directions). For more information, contact Peter Junger.

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CloudWater announces holiday break and New Year's service

CloudWater Zendo will be closed Dec. 22-30 for its annual winter break. It will hold its New Year's Even service including chanting and fellowship on Saturday, Dec. 31 at 6:30 p.m. CloudWater's regular schedule will resume on Tuesday, Jan. 3. CloudWater Zendo is located at 14436 Puritas Ave. on Cleveland's West Side. Call 216/889-1393 or e-mail yingfa@cloudwater.org for more information.

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Zen Society of Wooster welcomes Cleveland Shambhala's Richard Weiner in January

On Monday, Jan. 9, the Zen Society of Wooster will welcome Richard Weiner as its guest teacher. Weiner is an adjunct professor in the Paralegal Department at at Kent State University and founder of Cleveland Shambhala. On Monday, Jan. 16, Dean Williams of Cleveland's Jijuyu-ji Zen Group will lead the group's sitting. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and the sitting will begin at 7:00 p.m. The Zen Society of Wooster meets every Monday at the Unitarian Church located at 3186 Burbank Rd., Wooster, OH 44691 (Directions). For more information, e-mail info@zensocietyofwooster.org.

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Volunteer opportunity: Homeless Stand Down in February

InterAct Cleveland, a nonprofit group that brings together individuals of different faith traditions, is seeking 60 volunteers to collaborate on its 2006 Homeless Stand Down event. Volunteers can choose from many activities or functions, but all must register by Jan. 6 to participate. The organization is also accepting donations of food, money and clothing. The event takes place over several days in February. "Stand Down" is a military term, which describes soldiers taking care of other soldiers in a safe and secure place.It became an event for homeless veterans in 1988 in San Diego, California, but is now held in many cities across the nation.Cleveland was the first city to offer a Homeless Stand Down for both veterans and civilians in 1994. The Homeless Stand Down is produced in collaboration with the Bishop Cosgrove Center, the City of Cleveland, and the Northeast Ohio o Coalition for the Homeless. For more information, please contact Sarah at 216/271.0230 x17 or sommers@interactcleveland.org.

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Noted Zen teacher and scholar Shohaku Okumura visits Cleveland in April 2006

The Jijuyuji Zen Group will host the noted Soto Zen teacher Shohaku Okumura Roshi will visit Cleveland for a weekend event April 14-16, 2006. Okumura Roshi founded the Sanshin Zen Community and currently resides with his family in Bloomington, IN. He has translated many important Zen texts from Japanese into English, most recently Dogen's Extensive Record : A Translation of the Eihei Koroku with Taigen Dan Leighton. For more information on that event, e-mail lbrakeman@cox.net.

Regional News

Jewel Heart's Gehlek Rimpoche will lead a series of classes on Shantideva's Boddhisattva's Way of Life

In 2006, Jewel Heart Ann Arbor will welcome its spiritual leader, Gehlek Rimpoche, for a series of all day Saturday classes on Shantideva's classic Bodhicaryavatara. The classes will cover Chapter IX: Affection of Wisdom. Class will be from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on seven Saturdays: January 28, March 25, April 8, June 3, July 29, September 30 and October 21. The cost per class is $40 for nonmembers, $20 for members. Jewel Heart Ann Arbor is located at 207 East Washington St. (Directions). For more information, e-mail: programming@jewelheart.org

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Columbus Zen announces 2006 sesshins with Daniel Terragno

Columbus Zen announced dates for two week-long sesshins with Daniel Terragno. The spring sesshin is Friday, March 31 through Friday, April 7. The fall sesshin will be Tuesday, Nov. 7 through Sunday, Nov. 12. Daniel Terragno is the Dharma heir of John Tarrant Roshi of the Pacific Zen Institute. Terragno started his spiritual practice in 1967 studying the Gurdjieff Work with W.A. Nyland before taking up Zen. Terragno received authorization to teach Zen in 1995, and in 2001 received Dharma transmission from Tarrant Roshi. Unless otherwise noted, Zen Columbus activities take place at the First Unitarian Universalist Church, Room 8, 93 W. Weisheimer, Columbus, OH (Directions). For more information, e-mail: flemingms@hotmail.com,

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Buddhist Women's Conference will be in Chicago next March

The Buddhist Council of the Midwest and DePaul University, Chicago are jointly sponsoring the Buddhist Women's Conference March 11, 2006. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Rita gross, author of Buddhism after Patriarchy: A Feminist History, Analysis and Reconstruction of Buddhism. There will also be a panel discussion on the topic "Women Living the Dharma." Panel members include Kyoki Roberts, head priest of the Zen Center of Pittsburgh and Abbess Khenmo Drolma of the Vajra Dakini Nunnery. There will also be a number of workshop sessions. For more information, see the conference schedule.

National News

Researchers show meditation produces physical changes that protect the brain

At the recent meeting of the Society of Neuroscience, researchers presented evidence of the protective effect of regular meditation. The researchers used magnetic resonance imaging to compare the brains of 20 people who had been meditating for about 45 minutes a day, six days a week for an average of nine years. They compared the meditators' brain images to those of a 15-person control group. The researchers documented increased thickness in a region called the insula. The thickening may help explain how meditation relieves stress and slows age-related brain loss. For more, see:

"Meditation reshapes the brain," by Susan Brink, Los Angeles Times, November 29, 2005.

"Meditation may boost brain size and increase mental performance," Society of Neuroscience, November 13, 2005.

See also this speech given by the Dalai Lama on Nov. 12 at the annual meeting of the Society in Washington, D.C.: "Science at the Crossroads," by HH the Dalai Lama, Nov. 12,2005.

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Dalai Lama plans visit to Buffalo, NY next September

The University of Buffalo announced that HH The Dalai Lama will speak on Friday, Sept. 21, 2006 at the University's stadium as part of its Distinguished Speakers Series. You can sign up to receive information about ticketing and related events when it is available.

Shopping News

Christmas present time

It's not too late to do a little online last-minute Christmas shopping. Here are some recent publications that might make good gifts:

Complete Tibetan Calendar 2006: Fire Dog Year, by Nitartha International and Nalandabodhi, Snow Lion Publications.

Who ordered this truckload of Dung? Inspiring stories for welcoming life's difficulties, by Ajahn Brahm, Wisdom Publications.

In the Buddha's Words: An anthology of discourses from the Pali canon, Bhikku Bodhi translator and editor, Wisdom Publications

2006 Tibetan Art Calendar, Wisdom Publications.

Like A Dream, Like a Fantasy: The Zen Writings and Translations of Nyogen Senzaki, Eido Shimano, editor, Wisdom Publications

DVD Box Set: The Robert Thurman Collection, a four-disc collection of lectures by Thurman on Tibet and Buddhism, Wellspring, 11% discount now on Amazon.com

In the Buddha's Words: An anthology of discourses from the Pali canon, Bhikku Bodhi translator and editor, Wisdom Publications

Some other places for browsing and shopping:

Samadhi Cushions

Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition Store

Zen Mountain Monastery's Store

Shambhala Shop

Buddhism Shop at ReligionFacts.com

Buddhist Music from Amazon.com