Northeast Ohio Buddhist News
Vol. 5, Issue 3, May 2007

Looking for a Buddhist meditation group to sit with? Check out this list of
Regularly Scheduled Buddhist meditation sittings in Northeast Ohio

Quick Scan - This Month's Headlines

Local Events

Cleveland Shambhala holds garage sale fund raiser

CloudWater's Miso Soup for the Soul considers depression

Kent Zendo's Tim McCarthy at Cleveland Buddhist Temple June 3

Buddhist Peace Fellowship-Cleveland plans Change Your Mind Day event for Sunday, June 10

Jewel Heart announces visits from Ven. Thubten Chodron and Gehlek Rimpoche in July

Local News

Jewel Heart class on White Tara begins May 31

Buddhist precepts study group continues in Lakewood

Insight Meditation of Cleveland plans October Sesshin

Cleveland Zazen Group plans weekend sesshin with Sensei Amala Wrightson in October

Regional News

Former Dharmasala abbot to visit Youngstown in June

Daniel Terragno Roshi returns to Ohio for summer retreat in June

National News

Dancing child doesn't faze Tibetan monks

U.S. Army facilitates Buddhist discussion group in Iraq

International News

Thousands of low-caste Hindus convert to Buddhism in mass ceremony in Mumbai

Shaolin Temple holds first initiation in 300 years

Reference Shelf

Buddhist filmmaker publishes "What Makes You Not a Buddhist"

Blogisattva bestows awards for best Buddhist blogs

Local Events

Cleveland Shambhala holds garage sale fund raiser

The Cleveland Shambhala Meditation Group will hold its first fundraiser as part of an all-street garage sale in Cleveland Heights on Saturday, June 2 beginning at 9:00 a.m.. Ann Palomo will coordinate collecting items to be sold at her house on Clarendon Road. For more information, e-mail Ann. Check out CSMG's other upcoming classes and events at its online calendar.


CloudWater's Miso Soup for the Soul considers depression on Sunday, June 3

CloudWater Zendo's ongoing Miso Soup for the Soul lecture series continues on Sunday, June 3, when Ven. Shih hang-Xin will speak on "Dealing with Depression."

On July 25, at 7:00 p.m. CloudWater's Buddhist Cafe series will discuss two pillars of Buddhism, compassion and wisdom.

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.


Kent Zendo's Tim McCarthy at Cleveland Buddhist Temple June 3

Kent Zendo's Tim McCarthy will hold his annual memorial service for pets at the Cleveland Buddhist Temple on Saturday, June 3. The Cleveland Buddhist Temple is located at 1573 E. 214th St. (corner of E. 214th St. and Euclid Ave.), Euclid, OH.

On June 17, the Kent Zendo plans a one-day sesshin in Cleveland. Email Jayce Renner for more information.

The Kent Zendo is a non-profit group and a sangha in the Soto Zen tradition. Instruction in zazen is free. Tim McCarthy, the group's Zen teacher, is ordained in the lineage of Kobun Chino Otagawa, Roshi. The group meets Sundays from 11 AM to 1 PM in Room 308 at the Kent State Student Center, Kent, Ohio.


Buddhist Peace Fellowship-Cleveland plans Change Your Mind Day event for Sunday, June 10

The Buddhist Peace Fellowship's Cleveland Chapter is organizing its second Change Your Mind Day Event, Sunday, June 10 at Lakewood Park. The event begins at 12:00 p.m. with a potluck lunch, followed by activities such as meditation, tai chi, musical interludes, chanting, dharma readings and Dances of Peace.

The event is patterned after the Change Your Mind Day model promoted by Tricycle Magazine. This year, Tricycle is holding their official CYMD in September. But the Cleveland group decided to stick with June and has arranged to have the pavillion at Lakewood Park in case of rain. Check out the photo journal from the June 2006 CYMD. Contact Mark McDermott for information.


Jewel Heart announces visits from Ven. Thubten Chodron and Gehlek Rimpoche in July

Jewel Heart Cleveland announced Ven. Thubten Chodron will visit its center Friday, July 6 through Sunday, July 8.

Jewel Heart founder, Gehlek Rimpoche, will visit and provide teachings July 21 to 22. Schedule details for both visits will be available in Jewel Heart's July newsletter.

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.


Local News

Jewel Heart class on White Tara begins May 31

Jewel Heart Cleveland will begin a four-week course on the healing practice of White Tara beginning Thursday, May 31. The class will be four Thursdays from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. This course uses visualization techniques relying on the energy of White Tara to overcome physical, mental and emotional suffering. This course is open to all, and Tara practice can benefit non-Buddhists as well as Buddhists. Led by Jewel Heart Dharma Facilitators David Hunter and Dawn Wegenek. The fee is $40.

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.


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. Currently, the group is finishing up Being Upright: Zen Meditation and the Buddhist Precepts by Tenshin Reb Anderson Roshi. The next study dates are Saturday, June 9, July 14 and August 11. E-mail lbrakeman@cox.net for details and directions. Everyone is welcome and anyone who wants to join the study group can help the group identify its next study book.


Insight Meditation of Cleveland plans October Sesshin

Insight Meditation of Cleveland recently launched it's new Web site: www.imcleveland.org. The group announced it will hold a weekend vipassana retreat October 19-21 at the Jesuit Retreat House in Parma. Details and a registration form are available on the site. 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.


Cleveland Zazen Group plans weekend sesshin with Sensei Amala Wrightson in October

The Cleveland Zazen Group will welcome Auckland Zen Center's Sensei Amala Wrightson for a weekend sesshin October 19 to 21.

Sensei Wrightson is the dharma heir of Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede of the Rochester Zen Center.

The Cleveland Zen Group is an affiliate of the Rochester Zen Center (Rinzai), founded by Roshi Philip Kapleau, author of The Three Pillars of Zen. CZG meets for zazen every Tuesday evening and two Sundays a month at a member's home in Cleveland Heights. For more information, e-mail Susan Rakow.


Regional News

Former Dharmasala abbott to visit Youngstown in June

Ven. Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Tenzin will offer Green Tara initiation on Saturday, June 23, at the First Unitarian Church, 1105 Elm St. in Youngstown, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Taking this initiation allows practitioners to engage in the Green Tara practice including mantra recitation, deity yoga practice, etc.

The Rinpoche is a former Abbott of the Dalai Lama's Namgyal Monastery in Dharmasala India and currently teaches at the Chenrezig Tibetan Buddhist Center of Connecticut. The suggested donation for the initiation is $25. Contact Julie Thomas voice: 330/941-1735, for more information.


Daniel Terragno Roshi returns to Ohio for summer retreat in June

Roshi Daniel Terragno, founder and spiritual director of the Rocks and Clouds Zendo in Sebastapol, California, will return for a week-long Zen sesshin hosted by Zen Columbus and the Yellow Springs Dharma Center. Terragno, a native of Chile, is a teacher in the koan tradition of the Diamond Sangha, which was founded by Robert Aitken Roshi. Daniel is the dharma heir of John Tarrant Roshi of the Pacific Zen Institute. Daniel started his spiritual practice in 1967 studying the Gurdjieff Work with W.A. Nyland before taking up Zen. Daniel received authorization to teach Zen in 1995, and in 2001 received dharma transmission from Tarrant Roshi.

The retreat will be at the Grailville retreat center. Fees for the retreat are $250 for the full sesshin and $125 for the weekend. For additional information, please contact Donna Denman at 937.767.7877 or adenman@yellowsprings.com.


National News

Dancing child doesn't faze Tibetan monks

The Kansas City (Mo.) Star reports that, in an unsupervised moment, a small child danced across the meticulously drawn surface of a sand mandala that monks from the Drepung Gomang Monastery in southern India had spent two days creating. A security camera caught the child in action and his mother scurrying off with him without notifying anyone. Volunteers with the Rime Buddhist Center in Kansas City said the Drepung monks just started over, commenting that it was a good reminder of impermanence. See "Buddhist monks take destruction of sand painting in stride," Kansas City Star, May 25, 2007.


US Army facilitates Buddhist discussion group in Iraq

A Department of Defense publication reports that a US Army chaplain is facilitating a discussion group on Buddhism for soldiers in Iraq. The group provides a forum for soldiers with a Buddhist background and those who are interested in learning about Buddhism. See "Discussion Group Provides Direction for Buddhist Soldiers," Defend America, May 23, 2007.


International News

Thousands of low-caste Hindus convert to Buddhism in mass ceremony in Mumbai

An estimated 5,000 untouchables and low-caste Hindus converted to Buddhism in a ceremony at a Mumbai (Bombay) race course this month. Mass conversions are controversial in India and several Indian states have banned such events. Reports said the converts hoped to escape India's rigid caste system by converting.
See: "Mass Dalit conversions in Mumbai" BBC, May 27, 2007. And the latest reports on the controversial event from Google News.


Shaolin Temple holds first initiation in 300 years

China Daily reported the Shaolin Temple is holding its first initiation in 300 years inducting 600 previously approved Buddhists in a 28-day ceremony in Dangfeng, Central China's Henan Province. The leader of the temple told the publication the ritual had been suspended when the three-story-high initiation altar was destroyed. The altar was restored last year.
See: "After 300 years, Shaolin Temple resumes a ritual," China Daily, May 26, 2007.


Reference Shelf

Buddhist filmmaker publishes new book "What Makes You Not a Buddhist"

Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Norbu, director of the 1999 sleeper independent movie "The Cup," published his first book recently: What Makes You Not a Buddhist, (Shambhala). Publishers Weekly says: " With confidence tempered by wit, he cuts to the core of Buddhism: four "seals" --truths that make up a Buddhist "right view" of the world and existence ... There is much food for thought in this short book for Buddhist students and for anyone interested in the ongoing adaptation of traditional Eastern wisdom into postmodern Western settings."

Check it out on Amazon.com.


Blogisattva bestows awards for best Buddhist blogs

For those who enjoy the blogosphere, the Blogisattva Awards site is a great place to find a wide variety of English-language blogs on Buddhism and Buddhist-related topics. The Blog of the Year, Svaha! award was won by Bill Harryman's Integral Options Cafe. The Best Post of the Year Award went to Cliff Jones's Vesak and the Art of Changing Tyres. There's a lot more to choose from at blogisattva.blogspot.com.


Buddhist Groups in Northeast Ohio
Jijuyu-ji Zen Group of Cleveland (Soto)
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)
 
 

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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.