Quick Scan - This Month's Headlines

Local Events

This weekend at CMA: Tibet: A Buddhist Trilogy

The Cleveland Museum of Art is screening "Tibet: A Buddhist Trilogy" at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 24 and 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 26. This is one of only four scheduled showings in the U.S. The film was originally released in 1979, when it was four hours long. It has been recut, restored and re-released this year as one two-hour film. Locations include Dharmasala, Nepal and Ladakh and examines the Dalai Lama's dual role as spiritual leader and head of state as well as the mystical inner world of monks and the Buddhist response to death. Cleveland premiere. Admission is $7; $5 for CMA members; $4 for seniors 65 and over; $3 for students. Check the CMA film listing for November for details.

Coming to CMA in January: Director John Bush's documentary Vajra Sky Over Tibet will be shown in Cleveland January 28 and 31 according to the film's Web site. The CMA film schedule for January is not posted yet.

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Jewel Heart hosts Khen Rimpoche Geshe Lobsang Tsetan Nov.20-26

Jewel Heart Cleveland will welcome Khen Rimpoche Geshe Lobsang Tsetan, abbot of Tashilumpo Monastery and founder of the Siddhartha School Nov.20-26. All are welcome to attend.

• Monday, Nov. 20, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.: "Considering Reincarnation"; Suggested donation $15
• Tuesday, Nov. 21, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.: "The Purpose and Power of Mantra"; Suggested donation $15
• Sunday, Nov. 26, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.- "Mind Training (Lojong)"; Suggested donation $35

For more information, contact Terry Keller. 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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BPF Cleveland participates in Peace Walk on Saturday, Dec. 2

On Saturday afternoon, Dec. 2, the Buddhist Peace Fellowship's Cleveland Chapter will join many local organizations in a walk for peace being organized by U.S. Labor Against War. The walk is part of a three-day conference the group is holding at the Crowne Plaza at E.6th and St. Clair.

The walk begins at 2:30p.m. Anyone who would like to join the walk is invited to meet BPF Clevelanders around 2:15 p.m. in front of the Board of Education building at E. 6th and St. Clair. The group will join the walk from the Crowne Plaza to the Federal Building where there will be an anti-war rally. U.S. Representative Dennis Kucinich is expected to attend. Visit their Web site above or download the rally flyer (PDF, 272k) for more details.

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CBT holds memorial service for animals Sunday, Dec. 3

The Cleveland Buddhist Temple will hold a memorial service for animals on Sunday, Dec. 3 at 10:30 a.m. Tim McCarthy, a Soto Zen priest and founder of the Kent Zendo will speak. The service is open to people of any faith who want to show gratitude for the unconditional love of pets, acknowledge our dependence on animals for food, honor animals used in medical research and mourn the loss of wildlife. Attendees may bring a photo or remembrance of a pet to place on the altar during the service. Everyone is welcome to attend the 10:00 a.m. sitting meditation before the service and stay afterward for light refreshments in the downstairs social hall.

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 the temple at 216/ 692-1509.

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Cleveland Shambhala offers Drala level training with Dr. Rita Gross Dec. 8-10

The Cleveland Shambhala Meditation Group will offer Shambhala Training Level Drala Dec. 8-10, directed by Dr. Rita Gross. The course fee is $125 (discounts available) and requires completion of Shambhala Level Windhorse. Register online; For more information, please contact Sheri,voice: 330/342-3679. Gross is the leader of the Eau Claire Shambhala Meditation Group and is the author of Buddhism after Patriarchy, Feminism and Religion, and Soaring and Settling: Buddhist Perspectives on Contemporary Social and Religious Issues. The Cleveland Shambhala Meditation Group meets at the Tyler Building, 3615 Superior Ave. near downtown Cleveland (Directions). For more information, contact Fred Schwieg, CSMG Coordinator, voice: 440/331-3581.

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Northeast Ohio Soto Zen Group schedules half-day sitting on Dec. 9

In observance of Rohatsu, the celebration of Buddha's enlightenment, the Northeast Ohio Soto Zen Group will hold a half-day sitting (zazenkai) on Saturday, Dec. 9, from 8;30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church on Hilliard Blvd. in Rocky River. The sitting will be in the newly remodeled church's beautiful Fireside Room. There will be periods of seated and walking meditation, a short Soto chanting service, and Dharma study/discussion. Everyone is welcome from any tradition to join in the rare experience of a few hours of focused, quiet retreat from the holiday hustle. After the sitting, anyone who wishes can join the group for lunch at Lakewood's new Indian restaurant, India Garden. E-mail lbrakeman@cox.net for more info.

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CloudWater Zendo schedules December Buddha's Enlightenment Retreat

December 7-10 are the dates for CloudWater Zendo's annual Buddha's Enlightenment Retreat. It will be held at the Sunset Shores retreat house in Vermilion. Members of the Nien-Fo Ch'an Order and lay students will participate in periods of sitting walking and chanting meditation, personal interviews and Dharma discourses by Abbott Ven. Shih Ying-Fa.

The cost is $100 for the entire three and a half day retreat;, $80 for participants who join on Friday evening. Registration and a nonrefundable $50 deposit are due by December 5. 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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Cleveland Shambhala plans Children's Day Celebration for Saturday, Dec. 23

In observance of the winter solstice, the Cleveland Shambhala Meditation Group is planning a Children's Day Celebration for Saturday, Dec. 23. The event will include collection of gifts for donation,a potluck, children's skits and music, poetry and Dharma art. The event is still being planned. Contact Gordon Burgess for more details; voice: 440/552-7033. The Cleveland Shambhala Meditation Group meets at the Tyler Building, 3615 Superior Ave. near downtown Cleveland (Directions).

Local News

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 Saturday Nov. 25 and Saturday, Dec. 16. E-mail lbrakeman@cox.net for details and directions.

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Ani Palmo Rybicki offers courses in Rocky River and Medina beginning in January

Buddhist nun Ani Palmo Rybicki recently announced a schedule of weekly classes beginning the first week of January running through March. Sundays (Meditation), Mondays (Buddhism for Mothers) and Wednesdays (Introduction to Buddhism) classes will be at Harmony Path School of Massage Therapy at 20950 Center Ridge Road, Suite 201, Rocky River. On Fridays, in Medina, Palmo will offer Introduction to Buddhism at Rx Yoga Center for the Healing Arts located at 253B South Court Street. To register contact Palmo at 216/320-9589 or palmoska@yahoo.com. Palmo is a student of Tulku Pema Wangyal Rinpoche who resides in France. She has been studying and practicing Buddhism for eighteen years and was ordained in the Tibetan Dzogchen Buddhist tradition 12 years ago.

Regional News

Zen Columbus holds Thanksgiving sesshin led by Rev. KC DaiKai WarEagle

The Zen Columbus Sangha will hold a two-day post-Thanksgiving sesshin at the First Unitarian Church 93 W. Weisheimer Rd., Columbus, Friday, Nov. 24 and Saturday, Nov. 25. The sesshin will be Soto style, conducted by Rev. KC DaiKai WarEagle of the Athens Zen Center. Participants are asked to to bring one vegetarian dish or item and their zafus and zabutons, if possible. If you want to sleep at the zendo, bring a sleeping bag. There is no fee, but the group will be collecting donations (dana) for the teacher. The schedule begins with a potluck at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, check out the full schedule on the Columbus Zen Yahoo Discussion Group. For more details, contact Randy Hester.

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Akron affiliate of Cleveland Shambhala offers class on the Heart Sutra

Cleveland Shambhala's Akron affiliate will offer a class on the Heart Sutra on seven consecutive Thursday evenings beginning November 30, 2006. The class will use a booklet that costs $5.00. Topics covered:

• Emptiness & The Heart Sutra
• Prajna and Prajnaparamita
• Emptiness of Self
• Emptiness of Phenomena - First Half
• Emptiness of Phenomena - Second Half
• Emptiness as the Ultimate Compassion
• Dharma Exchange

The Akron branch of the Cleveland Shambhala Meditation Group meets at the Episcopal Church of Our Savior, 471 Crosby Street. For information or to arrange for meditation instruction in the Akron area, please contact Sheri, voice: 330/342-3679.

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Michigan's Bluewater Community of Mindful Living plans 2007 retreat schedule

The Bluewater Community of Mindful Living recently announced its 2007 retreat schedule. The group will hold two weekend retreats at the Morning Yoga Retreat Center in Vanderbilt, Michigan: May 18-20 and September 21-23. The group is also organizing four Sundays of mindfulness at the Lake Huron Retreat Center in Lakeport, Michigan: January 21, April 22, August 5, and October 28. The Bluewater Community of Mindful Living is a group of people from the Port Huron, Michigan and Sarnia, Ontario area practicing meditation in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh but welcomes individuals of all religions. For more information please email Sam Ewalt, or call 810/679-4625.

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Marshall Rosenberg, creator of the Nonviolent Communication process, teaches in Columbus in January

Compassionate Communication of Columbus, a group that teaches the principles of Nonviolent Communication, will holst a two-day workshop with the creator of the nonviolent communication movement, Marshall Rosenberg, January 30-31 at the Confluence Restaurant Conference Center in Columbus. The conference theme is "What You Say Next Will Change Your World: Tools for Tough Conversations."Cost is $130 per day and includes lunch. There are discounts for early registration before Dec. 10 For more information, download the advance information sheet on the CCCO web site, call CCCO at 614/558-1141 or ccco112@sbcglobal.net.

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Tenshin Reb Anderson Roshi visits Pittsburgh February 23-25

San Francisco Zen Center's senior dharma teacher and former abbott, Tenshin Reb Anderson Roshi, will visit Pittsburgh Friday, Feb. 23 to Sunday, Feb. 25 at the Kearns Spirituality Center in Allison Park, a suburb in Pittsburgh's North Hills. There will be a free public talk on Friday from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. The Saturday and Sunday programs will be 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The fee is $125 for the full weekend, $65 for Saturday or Sunday, and $20 for the Friday public talk only. For more information, visit the home page of the Northeast Ohio Soto Zen Group to download the retreat brochure. Or contact Jean Leathers or Linda Gaverick of Green Mountains Walking. Registration deadline is January 15.

Tenshin Reb Anderson Roshi is a lineage-holder in the Soto Zen tradition. Born in Mississippi, he grew up in Minnesota and left advanced study in mathematics and Western psychology to come to the San Francisco Zen Center in 1967. He practiced with Suzuki Roshi, who ordained him as a priest in 1970. He received Dharma transmission in 1983 and served as abbot of San Francisco Zen Center's three training centers (City Center, Green Gulch Farm and Tassajara Zen Mountain Center) from 1986 to 1995. Tenshin Roshi continues to teach at Zen Center, living with his family at Green Gulch Farm. He is author of Warm Smiles from Cold Mountains: Dharma Talks on Zen Meditation and Being Upright: Zen Meditation and the Bodhisattva Precepts.

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Buddhist Women's Conference slated for Feb. 24, 2007 in Chicago

The Buddhist Council of the Midwest will hold the 2007 Buddhist Women's Conference on Feb. 24, 2007 at DePaul University in Chicago. The keynote speaker will be Karma Leksay Tsomo, President of Sakyadhita, the International Buddhist Women's Organization.

The council is also encouraging other groups in the region to host "confluent events" between Feb. 17 and March 4, 2007. If your sangha is interested in participating in this festival contact info@dharmawomen.org.

 

International News

Fellowship of Reconciliation and Buddhist Peace Fellowship plan visit to Columbia's Peace Movement

The Fellowship of Reconciliation Colombia Program and the Buddhist Peace Fellowship are sponsoring a trip to Columbia to meet with individuals and groups who are fostering peace in the midst of civil war. The trip will be led by Linda Ruth Cutts, the Abbess of the San Francisco Zen Center, and Sarah Weintraub an SFZC student who worked for human rights in Colombia from 2003-2006, both in the countryside and in the capital, as part of the Fellowship of Reconciliation's (FOR) Colombia Peace Presence. For complete information, visit the web site.

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Ven. Thich Nhat Hahn challenges UNESCO

On Oct. 7, Ven. Thich Nhat Hahn addressed 1,000 UNESCO officials and representatives of member states at the organization's Paris headquarters. In his 20 minute address, he challenged the organization to take action on three initiatives:

• set up an Institute of Peace and Nonviolence
• host a summit meeting of Christian, Muslim and Jewish religious leaders to heal the conflict in the Middle East
• sponsor global "no-car days" every month

On November 11, Thich Nhat Hahn's Deer Park monastery in California sent out a mailing indicating its residents are organizing to promote Global No-Car Day on September 22, 2007. Read the full-text of that mailing, which gives the text of the address to UNESCO and specifics on the efforts being organized at Deer Park. The organizers are seeking volunteers to help publicize the initiative. E-mail deerparkmonastery@gmail.com if you want to stay informed of their progress.