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Local Events
Shambhala's Acharya Eric Spiegel visits Cleveland this weekend
The Cleveland Shambhala Meditation Group will welcome Acharya Eric Spiegel for a weekend program this weekend, May 30, Saturday, May 31 and Sunday, June 1. The program is called: Connecting the Dots: A Community Practice Program on Lineage and Path.
Acharya Spiegel has been of student of the Vidyadhara, Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche and Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, Shambhala's founding teachers, since 1971. Since 1980, Acharya Spiegel has been active in the growth and development of the Shambhala Meditation Center in New York as senior teacher.
Friday evening's talk begins at 7:30 pm and is open to the public, free will donation.The Saturday event is open, with a suggested donation of $75; Students, seniors, and other discounts available. Please contact the Community Practice Program coordinator, Fred Schweig.
On Sunday, Acharya Spiegel will lead a Buddhist Vow Retreat from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm (open), followed by a Boddhisattva Vow Ceremony from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (closed event, requires permission of Shambhala meditation teacher), and a Refuge Vow Ceremony (open to all) at 4:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Shambhala Meditation Group meets at the Tyler Building, 3615 Superior Ave. near downtown Cleveland (Directions).
BPF Cleveland holds Change Your Mind Day celebration this Sunday, June 1
The Buddhist Peace Fellowship's Cleveland Chapter will hold its third annual Change Your Mind Day event this Sunday afternoon at Lakewood Park's Kiwanis Pavilion. The international event sponsored by Tricycle Magazine brings different Buddhist groups together for an afternoon of outdoor instruction and meditation. The event gives the public a chance to experience different meditation techniques, and experienced practitioners get a chance to meet practitioners from other sanghas. Sunday's event will begin with a potluck picnic at noon and starting at 1:00 pm there will be dharma talks, seated meditation, yoga, tai chi, Dances of Universal Peace and peace mandala coloring for families.
This year, the following groups will participate:
- Cleveland Buddhist Temple (Craig Horton)
- Cleveland Shambhala Meditation Group (Sujata Burgess)
- Dances of Universal Peace (Carolyn Horvath, Tom Leonhardt)
- Flowing Water Sangha (Jean Kosmak, Nicki Antonio)
- Insight Meditation of Cleveland (John Cunningham)
- Kent Zendo (Ven. Tim McCarthy)
- Northeast Ohio Soto Zen Group (Lynne Brakeman)
- Ven. Ani Palmo
- Pink Lotus Yoga (Marcia Camino)
- SouthCoast Meditation Group (Mark McDermott)
See images of the past CYMD celebrations here: 2007 CYMD, 2006 CYMD. View MapQuest directions to Lakewood Park.
The Cleveland chapter of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship is affiliated with the international Buddhist Peace Fellowship headquartered in San Francisco. The group meets monthly at members' homes and sponsors activities throughout the year aimed at carrying the organization's message of socially engaged Buddhism.
Cleveland Botanical Garden features
Japanese gardens, Zen arts through June 29
The beautiful Cleveland Botanical
Garden is holding a special exhibition focused on Japanese gardening through
June 29. Zensai, the Horticulture of Japan, includes
special events including authentic Japanese tea ceremonies. Ikebana, bonsai and
superb garden photography from Japan are the focus of the exhibit. The Garden's
beautiful outdoor Japanese garden was in full bloom this weekend when some of
us from Northeast Ohio Soto Zen Group visited. Be sure to check this out before
it ends!
Ven. Thubton Chodron visits Jewel Heart
Cleveland in August
Tibetan nun Ven. Thubten
Chodron will visit Jewel Heart Cleveland August 15, 16 and 17. She is the founder and abbess of Sravasti Abbey
near Spokane, Washington. Ven. Chodron
received novice vows in 1977 and full ordination in 1986. A student of H. H.
the Dalai Lama, Tsenzhap Serkong Rinpoche, and Zopa Rinpoche, she has been
resident teacher at Amitabha Buddhist Centre in Singapore and Dharma Friendship
Foundation in Seattle. She is known for her clear, humorous, and practical
teachings. Her books include Open Heart, Clear Mind; Buddhism for Beginners;
Taming the Monkey Mind; and Working with Anger.
Local News
CloudWater Zendo resumes
Tao Te Ching studies June 5; Miso Soup for the Soul series considers eating
disorders
Ven. Shih Ying-Fa will teach
classes on Non-Action, Tao and Nature and the Water principle as part of a
series on the Tao Te Ching. The classes will be June 5, 12, and 19 at 7:00 pm.
The fee is $5 per class or $10 for all three.
On Jun 8, at 6:30 pm, CloudWater's
"Miso Soup for the Soul" series will explore eating disorders. Ven. Shih Zhong-Xin will lead the discussion
of the Zen approach to eating and accepting our bodies.
Continuing courses available on meditation,
Intro to Buddhism and developing compassion
Ven. Ani Palmo, a Tibetan Buddhist
nun who has returned to Cleveland after studying Tibet, is continuing a series
of courses on meditation, Introduction to Buddhism and developing compassion at
East Side and West Side locations.
- East Side: Church of the
Covenant at 11205 Euclid Ave.
- West Side: Harmony Path School of
Massage,
20950 Center Ridge Road, Suite 201.
Visit her Web site for complete details: www.anipalmo.org.
Regional News
Kent Zendo announces Spring retreat June 13-15
The weekend before Aung San Suu Kyi's 63rd
birthday, June 13-15, the Kent Zendo will hold a retreat at the Hermitage at
Beaver Run, giving you an opportunity to "arrest yourself" in
solidarity with the democratically-elected leader of Burma who lives under
house arrest.
The Hermitage at Beaver Run offers a natural
setting in rural Ohio - woods, ponds, frogs, turtles, dewdrops on grass blades.
We will be staying in the renovated barn: a modern facility with bedrooms,
kitchens, bathrooms, showers, a large meditation room and a library.
The cost is $50 and proceeds to go to US
Campaign for Burma/. Two kitchen
scholarships will be available or other arrangements can be made if cost is a
barrier.
Further details about the event can be found at the Kent Zendo web site. The Kent Zendo is a non-profit group and a Buddhist sangha in the Soto Zen Buddhism tradition. The group meets most Sundays from 11 AM to 1 PM in Room 308 at the Kent State Student Center, Kent, Ohio.
Columbus group hosts five-day
meditation retreat May 31 to June 4
The Buddhist Bodhi Association of Columbus will
host a five-day silent meditation retreat with Bhante Y. Rahula, May 31 - June 4 at the
group’s location on 5208 Dierker Rd. The retreat schedule is here. The fee is $60 and
retreatants may sleep at the center.
The Bhante will also deliver a free
public lecture at the Upper Arlington Public Library, 2800 Tremont Road,
Columbus OH 43221 on Friday May 30 at 7-8.30 pm.
For more information, call (614)
326-3871 or e-mail bbac@columbusbuddhist.org to see if there is
still space available.
Tibetan monk visit Youngstown First Unitarian Church June 28
On Saturday, June 28, from 1:00-5:00 pm, Khen Rinpoche Lobzang Tetsan will teach at the First Unitarian Church at 1105 Elm Street in Youngstown (Mapquest). Khen Rinpoche Lobzang Tetsanis a lineage holder in the Gelugpa tradition and is abbot of the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in Exile, the official seat of the Panchen Lama located in southern India. H.H. the Dalai Lama named him to the position, since the recognized Panchen Lama has been imprisoned in China.
Khen Rinpoche Lobzang Tetsan will lead meditation and speak on the 21 Praises of Tara and the Eight Verses of the Training of the Mind. Suggested donation is $25. For more details, contact Julie Thomas, (330) 941-1735, jethomas@ysu.edu.
Jewel Heart Ann Arbor
announces retreat schedule
Jewel Heart (Ann Arbor, Michigan) announced the dates for three upcoming retreats:
- “Compassion in Action,” Friday,
June 27 to Sunday, July 6, Ann Arbor
- Labor Day Retreat, Friday, August
29 to Monday, September 1, Ann Arbor
- Fall Retreat, Friday, October 10 to
Monday, October 13, Garrison Institute, Garrison, NY
Details for these three retreats
are available as PDF downloads from the Jewel Heart home page in the right-hand
column.
Nyingma/Kagyu master visits Chicago July 6-9
H.E. Mindrolling Jetsün Khandro Rinpoche will give a series of three classes sponsored by Chicago's Shambhala Meditation Center July 6-9. Khandro Rinpoche is the daughter of the recently deceased head of the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism. In addition, H.H. the Dalai Lama has recognized her as the reicarnation of a prominent Kagyu lineage Dakini. Her topics will be:
- July 6: The Five Paths
- July 7: The Three Prajnas
- July 8: Karma
Registrations can be mailed to the Shambhala Center, 7331 N. Sheridan Rd., Chicago IL 60626 For more information go to www.chicago.shambhala.org or call 773-743-8147
National News
Buddhist Chaplaincy
program invites new applicants
The Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe,
New Mexico has launched the Upaya
Buddhist Chaplaincy Training, a comprehensive two-year certificated
program intended to prepare people to have the skillful means to transform all
forms of suffering, including suffering induced by structural violence. The
program requires
Faculty for 2009 will include Roshi
Joan Halifax, Margaret Wheatley, Fleet Maull, Stephen Batchelor, Richard
Davidson, and many more. Upaya is now accepting applications for the 2009
training cohort. For more information, contact Maia Duerr, chaplaincy@upaya.org,
and see http://www.upaya.org/training/chaplaincy.php.
International News
Actress Sharon Stone sets off international furor with comments on "karma"
Sharon Stone, speaking off-the-cuff to a Hong Kong film crew at the Cannes Film Festival, suggested that the disastrous earthquakes in China might've been karmic retribution for the way the Chinese government has treated Tibetans.
Her comments were picked up on YouTube and created an international furor. Among the nicest things commentors on YouTube have said is that the actress is "ignorant" and "cold blooded."
According to news reports, the Chinese film industry has banned Stone's movies from Chinese theaters; Chinese retailers have removed advertising that displays Stone's image.
YouTube Video of Stone's Comments
Stone: China earthquake 'was karma for Tibet', The Guardian, May 28, 2008
Anger over star's quake remarks, BBC, May 28, 2008
What is Karma? BBC News Magazine, May 29, 2008
The BBC's feature magazine interviews London Buddhist teacher Dhammadassin who explains why the pop-culture understanding of the word "karma" fails to do justice to the complexity of the concept as it is understood by Buddhists.
Ven. Thich Nhat Hahn presided at two
May conferences; will visit India in October
In May, Ven. Thich Nhat Hahn led a two-week
retreat and conference on Engaged Buddhism for the 21st Century in
Hanoi, Viet Nam.
Immediately following that conference, Thay
presided at a U.N.
International Day of Vesak celebration which welcomed 600 Buddhist
delegations consisting of about 5,000 representatives from 90 countries for a
three-day conference at Viet Nam's National Convention Center. (See, Spectacular UN Vesak celebrations begin, by
Manpreet Singh, Seoul Times, May 27, 2008s
The Engaged Buddhism for the 21st Century
conference took place May 14-17 and was organized around seven themes:
- War,
Conflict and Healing: A Buddhist Perspective
- Buddhist Contribution to Social Justice
- Engaged Buddhism and Development
- Care for Our Environment: Buddhist Response to Climate Change
- Family Problems and the Buddhist Response
- Symposium on Buddhist Education: Continuity and Progress
- Symposium on Buddhism in the Digital Age
Coming up, the Viet Nam-based Plum Village
sangha announced Ven. Thich Nhat Hahn will lead a trip to India in October
which will include a pilgrimage to major Buddhist sites Rajgir, Bodhgaya and
Sarnath and a residential retreat in Rishikesh.
Arts
NYT movie reviewer gives thumbs
up to "The Dhamma Brothers"
New York Times reviewer Jeannette
Catsoulis calls "The
Dhamma Brothers" a thinking-head documentary about finding answers
within for those who can't get out. The movie was filmed in 2002 at the
Donaldson Correctional Facility in Bessemer, Ala., one of the most violent
prisons in North America. It follows nine inmates who volunteer for a strict
course of Vipassana meditation including abstinence from talking, killing,
stealing and intoxicants.
The movie's web site includes video letters from the
inmates, and links to a book of their letters. The movie itself is currently in
limited release doing the art-festival circuit.
Watch for this on DVD, looks
hot! If you belong to Netflix, you can "save" it to your queue by clicking here.
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