Northeast Ohio Sangham
An E-Newsletter for the Buddhist community in and around Northeast Ohio
Vol. 4, Issue 6, June/July 2006

Quick Scan - This Month's Headlines

Local Events

Local News

Regional News

National News

International News

New Resource Page

Please check out this new summary of Regularly Scheduled Buddhist meditation sittings in Northeast Ohio. The brief listings give links to Web sites or e-mail addresses for more information. E-mail me if you notice errors or omissions. Caveat: The list does not include sittings at the several ethnic Buddhist temples in the area, because the schedule information is not available in English. If members of those sanghas want to send me information about their sittings, I would be glad to add it to the list. Lynne B.

Local Events

CBT's traditional Obon celebration includes folk dance, drumming and food on July 15
The Cleveland Buddhist Temple (CBT) holds its traditional Obon celebration on Saturday, July 15. The event begins with a food sale at 5:00 pm, the dancing (by the Sho-Jo-Ji Japanese folk dance group) and the Taiko drumming (by the Japanese American Citizens League Icho Daiko) begins at 7:30 pm. On Sunday, July 16, CBT will hold a Memorial Service and a Hatsu-Bon service led by supervising minister Rev. Siebuhr.starting at 10:30 am, followed by an Obon lunch. 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.


CloudWater holds next "Miso Soup for the Soul" lecture on Sunday, July 16
CloudWater Zendo will hold its next "Miso Soup for the Soul" lecture on Sunday, July 16 at 6:30 pm. Ven. Shih Ying-Fa will explore the topic of "A Buddhist View of Happines." Free will donation. 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.


Northeast Ohio Anti-War Coalition will hold a protest July 18
The Northeast Ohio Anti-War Coalition (NOAC) is organizing a series of public protests. The next protest will be 4:00 pm on Tuesday, July 18 outside Senator Mike Dewine's office in the 5/3 Bank Building at 600 Superior. NOAC will deliver a packet containing its demands to end the war and pass out leaflets to pedestrians. There will be an action meeting on July 12. For more information e-mail noacinfo@aol.com.


Cleveland Shambhala welcomes Islamic community for discussion August 1
On Tuesday, August 1 at 7:00 pm the Cleveland Shambhala Meditation Group will host two representatives from the Cleveland-based Regional Chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). CSMG members and all Cleveland-area Buddhist students are welcome to take advantage of this opportunity to meet with members of Cleveland's Islamic community. CSMG meets at the Tyler Building, 3615 Superior Ave. near downtown Cleveland (Directions). For more information, contact Gordon Burgess, CSMG Dharmadhatu Coordinator, voice: 440/286-5017.


Palyul Ohio's spiritual director will visit Aug. 29 to Sept 5
Palyul Ohio announced its spiritual director, Khenchen Tsewang Gyatso will visit August 29 to September 5. More details will be available soon. Palyul Ohio's temple is located at 3750 Streetsboro Rd. (Route 303), Richfield, OH (map). Call 330/659-9037.


Local News

SouthCoast Meditation Group adds Friday morning sitting
The SouthCoast Meditation Group announced a new weekly sitting time: Friday mornings at 7:45 a.m. The group practices sitting and walking meditation followed by informal Dharma discussion. It also sits Monday evenings at 5:30 pm. The SouthCoast Meditation Group meets at the Urban Hope Unitarian Universal Church at 3204 Lorain Ave. in Cleveland's Ohio City Neighborhood (Mapquest Directions). For more information, e-mail Mark McDermott or Jack Ricchiuto.


BPF Cleveland's Change Your Mind Day gets feature coverage
The Change Your Mind Day celebration on June 2 in the Rocky River Metroparks organized by the Cleveland Chapter of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship garnered the group its first major press coverage. "Buddhists gather to open Cleveland's mind," by Molly Kavanaugh, was the cover story of the Sunday Metro section of the Plain Dealer and included a half-page image of CBT's Craig Horton leading the opening meditation session (the image was also the paper's Photo of the Day on cleveland.com). Kavanaugh captured the flavor of the day through dozens of interviews with BPF members, attendees from local Buddhist groups and even mothers and Cub scouts who were holding a picnic at the same Metroparks shelter.

The next meeting of BPF Cleveland is Sunday, July 16 at 1:00 pm. Contact Lynne Brakeman for directions. The group will be collaborating on plans for its participation in the Cleveland Peace Show on Labor Day and its signature September 11 remembrance event, which will be held on Sunday, Sept. 10 at the West Shore Unitarian Church in Rocky River. Everyone is welcome.


Cleveland Shambhala continues class on the life of Sakyamuni Buddha
On June 6, Cleveland Shambhala Meditation Group began a series of classes on the life and teachings of Sakyamuni Buddha. The remaining classes are:

  • July 11 - Parinirvana and Lineage
  • July 18 - The Spread of Buddhism
  • July 25 - Dharma Exchange

The is the first course in the fourth cycle of teachings from the Shambhala School of Buddhist Studies. The text for the class is he Awakened One: A Life of the Buddha, by Sherap Chödzin Kohn, Shambhala Publications. CSMG meets at the Tyler Building, 3615 Superior Ave. near downtown Cleveland (Directions). For more information, contact Gordon Burgess, CSMG Dharmadhatu Coordinator, voice: 440/286-5017.


Service opportunities at CBT
The Cleveland Buddhist Temple is (CBT) looking for someone to assist its regular volunteer groundskeeper Talis Monroe. The temple has a small but beautiful landscape surrounding its historic building. In addition, volunteers are needed for a Temple cleaning day on Sunday, August 6 at 8:00 am. CBT generously supports Cleveland's small Buddhist community in many, many unsung ways. Consider enriching your meditation practice with service to this venerable Cleveland institution. 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.


Buddhist precepts study group continues in Lakewood
One Saturday a month from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, Lynne Brakeman will host a study group on the Buddhist precepts This year we are reading from Being Upright: Zen Meditation and the Buddhist Precepts by Tenshin Reb Anderson Roshi. The next study dates are July 8 and August 12. The class will usually be on the second Saturday of each month. E-mail lbrakeman@cox.net for details and directions.


Insight Meditation of Cleveland holds Vipassana retreat Oct. 20-22
Insight Meditation of Cleveland will hold a three-day Vipassana silent meditation retreat Oct. 20-22 at the Jesuit Retreat House in Parma. The retreat will be led by Amy Schmidt and will consist of alternating periods of sitting and walking meditation. Schmidt is a resident teacher at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA. She co-founded Southwest Sangha, a self-retreat center and Buddhist community in southern New Mexico. The retreat fee is $180; $50 at the time of registration, balance due by Sept. 15. Scholarships are available.
Insight Meditation of Cleveland meets on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 7:00 pm at the First Unitarian Church of Cleveland, 21600 Shaker Blvd, Shaker Heights. On the first and third Tuesdays of each month, IM's Brecksville Sangha meets at the Brecksville Library at 7:00 pm
.


Regional News

Louisville's Zen Master Dae Gak leads Fri/Sat retreat near Coshocton July 28-29
Zen Master Dae Gak, guiding teacher at Furnace Mountain Zen Center near Louisville, KY, will lead a silent retreat near Coshocton, OH, Friday, July 28 to Saturday, July 29. In 1994, Dae Gak received dharma transmission in the Korean Kwan Um School of Zen from Zen Master Seung Sahn. He holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Kent State University. In 2000, Dae Gak began teaching independently of the Kwan Um School. The retreat fee is $75 and includes vegetarian meals; participants must provide their own linens. Preregistration is required. Contact Steve Berg at 330/893-2447 or berg@valkyrie.net


Michigan Mindfulness Weekend coming up Sept. 29
The Bluewater Community of Mindful Living (Thich Nhat Hahn) based in Port Huron, MI, announced the second annual Michigan Mindfulness Weekend will be the last weekend of September (September 29 to October 1) at Song of the Morning in Vanderbilt, MI. Last year, more than 35 people from a three-state region attended. The schedule includes sitting and walking meditation,  sunrise walking meditation to greet the dawn, reciting the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings,  dharma discussion, ample free time to enjoy the fall weather on the nature trails and vegetarian meals. The cost is $80  for the weekend. Details will be available soon, contact Sam Ewalt.


Columbus Zen announces 2006 sesshins with Daniel Terragno
Columbus Zen announced dates for two week-long sesshins with Daniel Terragno. The spring sesshin was March 31 through 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,
Columbus Zen 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.


National News

The New York Times profiles Buddhist Churches of America, interviews CBT'S Sensei Ogui
The Cleveland Buddhist Temple's former minister, now Bishop Koshin Ogui, was interviewed in a recent article in the New York Times. The article, "Buddhism With a New Mind-Set," published June 13, reviews some of the challenges facing the 65 temples that make up the Buddhist Churches of America (Pure Land). One of the challenges is the western desire to experience Buddhist meditation, which is not a traditional Pure Land practice. Bishop Ogui explains his reasons for starting the Zen Shin Sangha group at CBT.


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 at the University's stadium as part of its Distinguished Speakers Series. Tickets go on sale to the public on May 30. Complete info.


International News

China opens controversial rail link to Tibet
The Chinese government officially opened the highest railway in the world linking Beijing to Lhasa, Tibet on July 3. The politically controversial rail link cuts the cost of travelling to Tibet from about $370 for an air flight to around $46 for a train ticket. However the train trip is 2,500 miles and takes 48 hours. At its highest point, the line reaches more than 16,000 feet, requiring pressurized first class rail compartments and oxygen masks in coach.

Critics believe the rail link will speed up the demolition of the native Tibetan culture as more ethnic Han Chinese will settle in the previously isolated country. Chinese officials say it will speed the growth of the Tibetan economy.

The spectacular launch of the Tibet rail service garnered international headlines. Some of the best:

  • "Historic India-China link to open," BBC, July 5, 2006
    The rail link between China and India over the 14,000-ft. high Nathu La pass in Sikkim will soon open after being closed for 44 years.

Zen Peacemakers founder will lead Japan tour in September
Roshi Bernie Glassman, dharma successor of Taizan Maezumi Roshi and founder of the Zen Peacemakers, will lead a 16-day tour of Japan's temples and traditions, September 11 - 26. Roshi Glassman will visit ancient and modern day holy sites from his lineage, attend a Kabuki theater performance, travel to Mt. Fuji and a local hot springs, and more. The registration fee is $5,500. E-mail laura@zenpeacemakers.org or call 413/367-2080 ext. 4 for more details.


Buddhist Groups in Northeast Ohio
NEO Soto Zen Group
Palyul Changchub Dargyeling Ohio [Nyingmapa]
SouthCoast Meditation Group
Buddhist Peace Fellowship - Cleveland Chapter
Stillwater Sangha (Thich Nhat Hahn)
True Names Sangha (Thich Nhat Hahn)
 
Nearby Buddhist Groups
Kent Zendo (Soto)
Zen Society of Wooster (nontraditional Soto)
 
 

Northeast Ohio Sangham, Copyright 2006 Lynne Brakeman, All Rights Reserved.
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"Your work is to discover your work
and then with all your heart to give yourself to it,"
Dhammapada, trans. Thomas Byrom.