tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17342432710721672752024-03-13T14:35:01.053-07:00Georgia Meditation Circle - Dhammakaya MeditationAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06474639207404110110noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1734243271072167275.post-67793689281344982552017-08-15T13:23:00.001-07:002017-08-15T13:23:49.258-07:00Invitation Katina Ceremony - October 15, 2017 - Georgia Meditation Center<br />
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You are Invited! All are welcome to join us for this auspicious celebration!</span></b><br />
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<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Sunday, October 15, 2017 </span></b><br />
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">9:30am - Meditaiton</span></b><br />
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">10:30am - Food Offering Ceremony</span></b><br />
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">11:00am - Alms Offering</span></b><br />
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">12pm - Lunch</span></b><br />
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">12:45pm - Katina (Robe Parade)</span></b><br />
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">1:00pm - Katina Ceremony Offering of Robes</span></b><br />
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">3:00pm - End of Ceremony</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: medium;">Kathina Ceremony</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i>Katina </i></span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">refers to the offering of the special robe (<i>Katina </i><i>civara</i>) prepared and presented to monks who have completed the three-month period of retreat called V<i>as </i>in Sinhala, and <i>Vassana </i>in Pali<i>, </i>meaning the period of rain. <i>Katina </i>literally means ‘firm,’ or ‘solid,’ because the offering of a <i>Katina </i>robe helps to earn solid good karma. The <i>Katina</i>Ceremony is over 2500 years old. It is a monastic tradition preserved and observed by Buddhists all over the world because it is an extraordinary opportunity to acquire merit once a year.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>Three Gems of Great Value</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">In Buddha’s time the Triple Gem, which Buddhists the world over venerate was a visible reality – the Buddha, and the Dharma that he evolved and preached, and the Sangha, whom he assiduously trained in mastering his teachings, were all alive. After the Buddha’s passing away the Triple Gem in its entirety was personified in the institution of the monks, who are therefore rightly called the sons of the Buddha.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>When it Rains Monks Must Stay Indoors</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">According to our earliest records, monks did not stay in one place for long periods of time. They traveled distances, from place to place, teaching and preaching the <i>dharma </i>and meditating. As stated in the Mahavaggapali the Buddha instructed the monks thus, “Go forth, O monks for the good of the many, for the happiness of the many, for the welfare, benefit and happiness of gods and men.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">As time passed, the Buddha was made aware of the difficulties the monks faced when traveling during the rainy season, which usually lasted for three months. As a result the Buddha established the practice of V</span><i style="text-indent: 0.5in;">as </i><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">or a retreat during these months of rain when monks would be domiciled in a single monastery. Monks commence the retreat usually starting on the full moon day of the month of July and ending in October.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Although the origin of </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Vas </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">is related to the rainy season, the Buddha’s intention of recommending this practice had loftier intentions and objectives. In time the ideals and practices of the retreat season, transcended the issue of the rainy season and acquired more profound depths and meaning. The Buddha transformed this rainy retreat to a period of intensive practice of the Dhamma. Monks were advised to limit their traveling and spend more time dedicated to spiritual practice and sharing of the Dhamma with lay people. Lay followers are also advised to closely associate with monks and spend their lives committed to spiritual practice.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium; text-align: center;"><b>Invitation to the Monks</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">On one occasion during the time of the Buddha a prominent chief lay lady disciple, Visakha expressed her desire to offer a special piece of cloth to each monk and invite monks for V<i>as </i>observation in the monastery. The Buddha accepted the invitation. Following this custom, Buddhists follow the practice of inviting monks to go into retreat and the invitations is called v<i>as aradana</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: medium;">It is customary for prominent supporters to invite the monks formally to observe the retreat in a temple or other dwelling place. If the monks accept the invitation, the <span style="color: windowtext;">hosts would assume responsibility for providing all the needs of the monks during this period, and this is done with diligence as it is regarded as highly meritorious. </span><span style="color: windowtext;">Vas </span><span style="color: windowtext;">provides an opportunity to lay Buddhists, to express their devotion to Buddhism and to the Sangha with diligence.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>Monastic Confessional</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: medium;">At the close of the V<i>as </i>retreat, the monks perform the <i>pavarana</i>ceremony. During this ceremony, the monks get together and invite one another to point out their faults and lapses. It is friendly and constructive criticism and almost invariably well received. The practice is intended to help the monks purify themselves.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Another benefit of the pavarana ceremony is that it could also help to keep the monastic rules alive. Retreat spent together provides the monks with an opportunity for in depth evaluation of their spirituality and commitment as monks. Each member of the </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Sangha </i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">(community of monks) has equal rights regardless of hierarchy to point out lapses and errors in judgment and conduct of others for the good of the whole Sangha. This tradition is one of the earliest examples of the development and evolution of democratic norms and ideals in human civilization.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">At the end of the pavarana, the </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina </i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">ceremony proper is held. Robes can be offered to monks any time. The offering of </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">a Katina </i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">robe is of utmost significance to a Buddhist who knows the meaning of it, and is of curiosity to someone with no knowledge of it.</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Why is the </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina </i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Robe Special?</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">The </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina </i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">robe is significant because during the three-month </span><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Vas</span><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">period, Buddhist monks are required to remain fully dedicated to purifying themselves through the rigorous practice of meditation and moral conduct. As the monks end the retreat and come back to society, they become deservedly worthy of offering and veneration as ‘punnakkhetta’ or ‘field of merit’ to the fullest extent possible. A robe offered to such a </span><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">monk potent with spirituality and dedication to religious living at this time, helps one to earn solid merit or good karma.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">The offering of the </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina </i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">robe is considered immensely meritorious since it involves three months of preparation and dedication. The ceremony become important and meritorious because of the potency of the merit gathered during the period of retreat, both by the monks and the devotees. The </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina </i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">robe is symbolizes the successful culmination of the rainy retreat. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>And Now for the Robe!</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: medium;">The main event in the <i>Katina </i>ceremony is the offering of the special robe known as the <i>Katina</i><i>-civara </i>to the <i>Sangha</i>. This ceremony is meant to be performed with devotion and is an occasion of religious significance for Buddhists all over the world.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Offering of the </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina </i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">robe started during the time of the Buddha. A group of monks went to a place for retreat. At the conclusion of the retreat they returned to visit the Buddha. On the way they were caught in a heavy downpour of rain and one monk got more wet than the others. The Buddha seeing this monk, advised the monk to accept an extra robe as a </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina. </i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">The extra robe was always given to the one who needed it the most. There are many traditions and rituals of offering a piece of cloth to monks in the name of </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium; text-align: center;"><b>Chance to Gain Great Merit</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: windowtext;">Katina </span></i><span style="color: windowtext;">is the most significant merit making ceremony performed by Buddhist communities in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Laos and Cambodia. Vas is also the time for lay Buddhists to express their devotion and practice generosity by providing their temples with the requisites for maintaining the temples and the inhabitant monks. It is an important period for gathering merit for both the layman and the monks. During this period devotees are given the opportunity to learn the Dharma from the monks by listening to sermons, getting involved in dhamma discussions, participating in meditation programs, and listening to p<i>irith </i>chanting. It is a time to get blessings for good living by </span><span style="color: windowtext;">performing and participating in religious ceremonies. Monks help the community to lead a pure life, emphasizing the importance of practicing the Five Precepts and teachings of the Buddha.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">More significantly V</span><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">as </span><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">is a time to strengthen ties and form bonds between monks and the laity. As spiritual leaders, monks guide the lay people towards ways of resolving problems with compassion and understanding, thereby forming strong bonds with the community. Monks dwelling in one place during V</span><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">as </span><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">have more time to communicate with the laity on a one to one basis. They get the opportunity to listen to the problems of the laity and provide solutions to live a stress free life.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">For the above-mentioned reasons, the offering of the </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina </i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">robe is considered one of the greatest meritorious deeds. Whatever else is offered to a monk on </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina </i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">day is also considered meritorious on this special day. It is even said that one who offers a </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina </i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">robe, to a monk who has observed the spiritual guidance given by the Buddha with diligence and commitment, even on a single occasion in his lifetime, would in </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">samsara </i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">when he is born over and over again-never be in want or destitution and never to be reduced to rags for want of clothes.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>Glory of Giving</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">One of the stanzas chanted during </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina </i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">glorifies the greatness of the merit which one gets from performing </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina</i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">. </span><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">It says that even this solid earth, or a solid rock or a piece of diamond could tremble, shake and break at times. However, the merit obtained by offering of </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina</i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">cannot be nullified by anything until one achieves the ultimate goal of Buddhist aspiration which is </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Nirvana</i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">It is also believed that the merit, or the positive </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">karma, </i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">gained by the offerings at the </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina </i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">ceremony could reduce the negative effects of other minor bad </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">karma </i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">one may have committed. One would be blessed with long life, happiness, good health, good complexion, physical strength, peace and wisdom in this life and many more lives to come until one attains </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Nirvana. </i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">However, it is important to remember the receiver of the </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina </i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">robe needs to be spiritually cleansed and worthy of receiving such a glorious </span><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">offering to get the maximum benefit from the offering. </span><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">What makes Katina ceremony a wholesome meritorious deed, is not the ceremony itself, but the spiritually and purity of the monks in retreat and the devotion and commitment of the laity. The totality of this will bring most merit and make it a solid good karma.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="line-height: 20.7px;">Georgia </span><span style="line-height: 27px;">Meditation</span><span style="line-height: 20.7px;"> Invites You!</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;">We would like to invite our meditation members to come and witness this wonderful ceremony with us filled with an abundance of merit gaining experiences, held this year on October 15, 2017. Feel free to come at any time that is convenient for you, but it is recommend to come before the alms offering portion of the day, which is where lay people offer food to the monks and there is always plenty of food prepared by many to offer to the monastic community, so please join us! *Please wear white which helps to promote inner peace and brightness.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06474639207404110110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1734243271072167275.post-16111566951823880032017-07-06T22:27:00.000-07:002017-07-09T19:38:39.585-07:00Venerable Michael Thanavirro <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Update on Venerable Michael Thanavirro, former </span></div>
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Blogger: Bee Intakanok </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Kokoska - July 12, 2015 North American/Canada Robe Offering<br />
at the Georgia Meditation Center</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: purple;">Words are not able to describe the happiness and joy I feel from reading an update from Michael Kokoska, now Venerable Michael Thanavirro. When he first join the meditaiton group in 2015 he exhibited wisdom beyond his years, he had a deep interest in meditaiton, and always had insightful questions and later on answers that came </span><span style="color: purple;">from within, albeit through his own practice. A year later in 2016 after joining the meditation group Michael expressed an interest to ordain temporarily as a monk, it took until April of 2017 for him to have the experience of ordination. He is the third member from the Georgia Meditation Center's Wednesday meditation group to ordain in Thailand, and our most successful with regards to commitment in Buddhism. He has been the only one who plans to stay in robes for as long as he can, his transformation and story is uplifting particularly as a convert, Michael was never one who claimed to be anything but spiritual, so for him to make such a commitment in Buddhism and his experience with regards to what he is learning is an interesting story in and of itself, much less to be sharing his journey as a Buddhist monk. The happiness I get knowing that I assisted in some way on his journey is priceless. His story is worthy of sharing, giving insight into the life of a monk and the universal teaching that he is learning and passing on....the true purpose in life, which is finding true permanent happiness from within. I am so proud of him and thankful to have had the opportunity to volunteer my time to something bigger than myself. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Note: When Michael left for Thailand April 12, 2017, I was a little worried at the time and wasn't quite sure how meaningful his experience would be, considering the temple was not planning on having an international ordination program this year. However that did not deter Michael, instead he planned to do the program on his own, unknowing of what he would get himself into he was ready to just let destiny unfold. As someone who wanted the best experience for him I tried to influence him to wait, but he felt that if he didn't do it now he may never do and he wanted to seize the opportunity. He left for Thailand, and when I followed up with him about a month-and-a-half later expecting to hear a temporary update of ordination followed by the adventures that he had planned after his 3 week ordination program. I did not expect this, his first update to me is below:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">Hello bee, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">Thanks for the information but I am planning to stay in robes for a while now. Ordination with LP MaPong in PaPae was the perfect way to ease into monkhood as it was a pretty relaxed schedule that allowed me to be independent and focus on meditation in a very serene setting. I stayed in PaPae from <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1750961503" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">April 14th</span></span> to the first Sunday of May at which point I took a bus to the main temple. I stayed with the IDOP monks at the main temple for 6 days and then I went on two 10 day meditation retreats and then flew back to Chiang Mai with LP MaPong on the 5th of June. I plan to stay here in PaPae until the first Sunday of July and then head back to the main temple, disrobe, and then join IDOP 15 and reordain at the main temple on the <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1750961504" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">20th of July</span></span>. I am doing this mainly so that I can get a monk ID through Dhammakaya and be in the system so that they can be fully responsible for me and so I can stay as long as I want without worrying about visa issues. It will also be nice to experience the ordination ceremony at the main temple. After IDOP is over I will enter rains retreat from August to November so that I can learn Thai and study Dhamma at the international Buddhist training center's (IBTC) library. After rains retreat I will stay in robes day by day. As long as I wake up happy, content and motivated to learn and deepen my meditation I will continue my monastic journey. My meditation has progressed tremendously these past month and a half to two months, but I know I am only scratching the surface of what's possible. I have some distant aspiration of joining khong roi (probably spelled that wrong) which is the part of the temple that focuses solely on meditation (often sitting for 4 hour sessions) and therefore the teaching monks only know how to speak and teach in Thai, which is an extra motivation to learn the language. But I am not planning too much into the future so as not to get ahead of myself. I am just living in the moment and practicing diligently aiming to meditate for 40hrs/week or roughly 6hrs a day like it's a full time job. So far so good. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">Also I just want to thank you for being such an integral part of my journey. Without your efforts at the GMC I certainly would not be having this amazing transformative experience so I just want to let you know how grateful I am for you being a catalyst to my spiritual journey.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;"> I'll be sending out a more complete recap of my experience thus far along with some pictures sometime in the near future so look out for that. I hope all is well at the center and I hope you all don't miss me too much ;)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">With metta,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">LP Michael</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: medium;">I was overjoyed with happiness when I received</span><span style="color: purple; font-size: medium;"> his first update as I wasn't expecting that he had an interest to stay in robes and that he was interested in learning how to read/write Thai and get a monk visa! I was so proud. He is the first person from our Wednesday meditation group to have want to take his practice to the level of ordaining for as long as he is content, most do it temporarily. What makes me so excited for him is knowing that he will have the tools and access to elevate his mind, this type of happiness that you feel being a part of someone's journey is priceless and words can't express the joy, it's almost like winning the lottery if I had to guess, only even more powerful than that because it comes from a higher place. Michael sent another update on 7/6/17. I think this will be it for awhile now, this update was for family and friends and it was even more insightful. As I read his update I got goose bumps and found myself yet again elated with so much joy, he is learning so much and I can tell from his writing he is a great teacher in the making! Venerable Michael will be the light that shines so brightly that others can see through the dark! No matter what happens down the road to know that what he is learning right now is valuable and will help him throughout his life makes my work of supporting the Georgia Meditation Center the best thing I could have ever done. Update from Venerable Michael below, it is long, but worth the read for anyone who has an interest in Buddhism or the Life of a Monk this is a must read! I have his permission to share it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Thu, Jul 6, 2017 at 1:23 PM</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Hello Everyone,</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Fair warning: this is going to be an EXTREMELY long e-mail, so sorry if it is longwinded. That’s just how I am with these things. I feel the need to be thorough so as to accurately represent a lifestyle that is completely foreign to most of you. I also want to be thorough, because I don’t plan on doing this again for a long time. It has been very time-consuming and a distraction for my presence of mind. But its ok! I do it for my people! Anyway, feel free to forward this to anyone who you think might enjoy reading it. I couldn't figure out how to create hyperlinks on my tablet so you will have to copy and paste in your browser to see the pictures.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">As I’m sure most of you know, I flew to Thailand back in April and ordained as a Buddhist monk. So much has happened in the past couple of months or so that I surely won’t be able to cover everything, but I would like to share some of my experiences, discoveries and plans for the future with you. Sitting here on my 1 inch thick bedding with my back propped up against the wall of my 11 square foot kuti (hut or abode for monks) clad in my vibrant orange robes, I’m wondering where to start and what to share…I guess it makes the most sense to start at the beginning, but I won’t always be telling my story chronologically and will often go off on tangents; hopefully it will still be easy to follow. Without further ado, welcome to my memoirs from monkhood.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">So my flight from Atlanta left the morning of <span class="gmail-aBn" tabindex="0"><span class="gmail-aQJ">April 12th</span></span> and after a missed flight from Seoul, Korea to Bangkok and about 22 hours of time in the air, I eventually made it to my final destination, Chiang Mai, on the evening of the 14th. I was greeted at the airport by the ubasok (title for male lay devotee to monks) Phi Prajak who lives in the surrounding village at the Pa Pae meditation retreat center. He drove me an hour from Chiang Mai International through windy mountain roads to the center. We arrived pretty late around <span class="gmail-aBn" tabindex="0"><span class="gmail-aQJ">10pm</span></span>, so he showed me to my kuti to settle me in for some much needed rest. He opened the door and flicked on the lights…nice! electricity! He also showed me to the restrooms about 50 yards away…nice! toilets! And shower heads! I was afraid I was going to be living by candle light, going to the bathroom in a hole and bathing in a river, so I was relieved to see these modern accommodations. My thin bedding wasn’t very comfortable at first, but I soon learned the reason behind this; as Luang Phi (informal title for monk [phi-pronounced like pee]) MaPong explains, the not so comfortable bedding makes it so that we don’t fight with gravity too much in the morning and overindulge in sleeping. I actually have grown to prefer this sleeping arrangement for that very reason. So I woke up the following morning, dressed myself in the all white uniform that they give to all guests at the retreat center (to signify purity and also to encourage mindfulness because white gets dirty easily), and walked down towards the community house for breakfast. The morning sun bathed the retreat grounds in a soft, warm light and illuminated the beautiful natural surroundings that were cloaked in darkness the night before. As I breathed in the cool mountain air, the sound of birds singing, crickets rhythmically chirping, frogs intermittently croaking, roosters and dogs exercising their vocal chords, and the distant hum of the bustling village going about its morning activities below created a beautiful symphony that I have grown to know and love.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I made it down to the community house, Merit House, where I met the upasika (female devotee for monks) Phi Mali and the guy from Japan who was going to ordain with me, Michiharru, or Michi for short. I was further relieved at my first breakfast when I discovered that Thai food, even in a rural village, is very delicious. After breakfast, we met our Phra Ajahn (respectful title for teaching monk) LP MaPong. I can’t say enough positive things about this man. During my stay here in Pa Pae, I have learned much from his Dhamma (universal truths discovered and taught by the Buddha, Dharma in Sanskrit) talks given to the numerous audiences who have come for the 3 day retreats as well as while working and living alongside him. The conversations over breakfast are the times where we have discussed the deeper and more interesting topics and where I have gotten to know him more intimately. He is an immensely intelligent, empathetic, supportive, creative, industrious, kind-hearted man with a great sense of humor and a quick wit, so we get along well. He is also extremely well educated as a non-practicing medical doctor (the Ma in MaPong stands for doctor) and also possesses a solid understanding of the Western mind. These attributes allow him to incorporate science and cultural references into his Dhamma talks to engage and connect with all the farang(non-insulting name for Westerner that I hear all the time) that frequent the retreat center. He also has a knack for design and is the creative mind behind all of the meditation halls and other attractions of the retreat center such as the artificial waterfall, the bamboo meditation platforms hanging from a large tree, and the newly installed swing set with seats big enough for meditation. It’s like a big spiritual playground in the middle of nature that the retreat participants really enjoy exploring. With a focus on comfort and aesthetics, this retreat center contrasts greatly from the strict and often bland nature of other Vipassana retreats that require 7 to 10 days of silence in a white-washed, enclosed building. Although this can still bring about positive changes for a new meditator, it leaves them with the erroneous impression that meditation has to be difficult and very painful. Meditation at the Pa Pae center is staggered with Dhamma talks, free time and gardening/cleaning of the grounds which creates a more relaxed and comfortable schedule for the 3 day retreat, although participants can stay as long as they want. There are also plans to plant rice and various other crops to provide another activity for participants to do to connect with nature and have a break from meditation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Another defining characteristic of this retreat center is the symbiotic relationship that it has with the rural village that it is nestled within. Being only about three years old and given the ambitious pace of LP MaPong, the center constantly has construction projects going on, and all of this work goes to local craftsmen of the village. Also one of the main dirt roads leading from the village to the local agricultural fields runs right through the retreat center’s property. Instead of walling off this road to ensure constant quietude on the grounds, LP MaPong allows open access so as not to inconvenience the villagers. Finally, the retreat participants often support the local economy by purchasing some locally harvested tea, coffee, or other goods after their tour of the village. All these factors have garnered a lot of respect and good will towards LP MaPong and the retreat center in general, making guests at the retreat center feel like a part of a bigger community. So instead of spending your next allotment of vacation time at the beach again, why not escape to the mountains of Chiang Mai, Thailand and leave with a deep cultural experience and spiritual practice that could positively transform your life...then you could go to Phuket afterwards if you really want some beach time;)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Well that’s enough promotion for the retreat center. Lets get back to my experiences as a monk. So about 4 days after I arrived at the center, we had the hair shaving ceremony, which was a very memorable experience. Michi and I were made to meditate upstairs in Merit House while villagers and retreat participants gathered around outside for the ceremony. After a bit of waiting, this pleasantly corny song “The Life of a Monk” started to play which was our queue to pick up our lotus blossoms and walk downstairs to the area where everyone was seated outside. We sat down front and center on our chairs and the villagers came one by one with scissors and started lopping off chunks of our hair and placing them in a pile on a lotus leaf next to us. The group present for the 3 day retreat then followed suit. Participating in the hair clipping ceremony, like every ceremony in Thai Buddhism, is considered to create merit (positive karmic/mental/spiritual energy gained from wholesome deeds) for the participants. After everyone took a snip, LP Mapong lathered us up and shaved off our remaining hair and eyebrows. I knew this moment was coming for a long time, but as I felt the blade scrape across my scalp and brow and looked down at the growing pile of shaving cream coated hair in the bowl in my hands, I experienced a few moments of “haha wow, what am I doing?” However, these moments of doubt were short-lived and quickly replaced by a sense of calm, equanimity and conviction in the spiritual journey which was finally underway after two years of preparation and anticipation. The real moment of truth came when it was time to look in the mirror…gasp! My bald, eyebrowless head actually looks pretty good! I couldn’t help but think that I looked link Ang from Avatar the last airbender, which I could definitely live with. Although the lack of eyebrows took some getting used to, I have grown to really enjoy the low maintenance hair do. You can’t have a bad hair day without hair!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">So a few days after the hair clipping ceremony on <span class="gmail-aBn" tabindex="0"><span class="gmail-aQJ">April 20th</span></span>, it was time to be ordained as a Buddhist monk. Luckily for me, the preceptor (high status monk who ordains all monks within a district) was a really chill guy who allowed us to read off of sheets for our ceremony. At the main temple, the whole process has to be memorized perfectly, but for us, only the alms blessing had to be from memory. There were 7 monks present for the ceremony who acted as witnesses and participated in some chanting and also helped us change into our robes. The retreat participants also played a role and held umbrellas over us as we walked around the chapel 3 times (circumambulation). The whole ceremony lasted about one hour and besides some discomfort from kneeling and hot pavement on my feet, it was pretty painless. I was now officially Phra Michael Thanavirro (Pali name meaning rich in status). I was hoping for a name that had something to do with wisdom, but whatever, its just a name. Plus, I’ll be getting a new one soon when I reordain at the main temple…but more on that later!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">As a brand new monk, it is almost like becoming as ignorant as a child again. You don’t know how to dress, how to eat, how to conduct yourself in public, and many other things that came as second nature to you as a lay person. At this stage, a healthy dose of humility and patience is necessary in order to accept and be grateful for every instance that the teaching monk tells you not to do something and shows you the correct way. It took me about a month and a half to even be able to properly dress myself in the 3 different styles appropriate for various occasions. Here are a few other things that I had to get used to: no singing or whistling (anyone who knows me well knows my affinity for whistling), no biting into food (i.e. you have to eat a banana or a chicken wing with a fork lol), you have to sit when you pee (so as not to make a mess or excessive noise…women probably wish all men followed this one), no dancing, no music, no running, no solid food after midday, oh and one that everyone struggles with—no killing mosquitoes. These are only a few of the 227 precepts or rules of conduct to abide by in Theravada Buddhism. Why so many? Well, in the Buddha’s time over 2500 years ago, there were many instances where a monk would get into some troublesome situation or behave in a way unbefitting for a monk and then the Buddha would make a rule to prevent this situation in the future. For this reason, some of the rules may seem archaic or irrelevant, but Theravada Buddhism preserves the rules in their original format regardless of the times. If you modify or get rid of rules to adjust to modern times, then this could lead to the dilution of the teachings and the eventual loss of the essence of what the Buddha taught. However, instead of stressing over the minutia of the Vinaya (monastic moral code) it is more useful to understand the overarching principles. These are as follows: non-harm, contentment, integrity, restraint, honesty, a devotion to sobriety, and the constant clarification and sharpening of knowing. When cultivated, a strong Vinaya practice leads to harmlessness to others and harmlessness to oneself which is crucial to living a wholesome, happy life, monastic or otherwise. This strict morality also avoids the shame and remorse associated with unwholesome actions thus making the mind clearer, more still and primed for ever deepening states of meditation. With so many rules, it may seem like this lifestyle is repressive, excessively strict, and lacking of any flavor or enjoyment. On the contrary, I have found great contentment in the richness of a simple life based in restraint and mindfulness.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">This is a night and day switch from the American mentality which places high value on the pursuit of happiness through freedom of choice. We constantly pursue happiness by gratifying our senses and bolstering our egos by: going out to nice dinners, expanding our overstocked wardrobes, pursuing that fancy promotion with a fat paycheck, intoxicating ourselves with our friends and family, endlessly browsing and posting on social media, maintaining toxic relationships to avoid loneliness, vacationing at the beach, lining up to buy the iphone 13 the day it comes out, binge watching netflix with a carton of ice cream, going to music festivals, and a slew of other fun and exciting experiences. We have the freedom to pursue happiness in any way that we choose. But it seems like there is no lasting happiness to speak of. Just an everlasting pursuit. Always becoming, but never actually BEING happy. Satisfaction from this sense gratification fades so quickly that we are soon off to find our next fix. Perpetual distraction. Mindless consumption. Is this really freedom? Being a slave to fleeting desires that we barely understand and can never sate? The realization of this reality in my own life and its trivial pursuits is what drew me to giving renunciation a try, and I have discovered something interesting: freedom FROM choice. How often do you stress over what to wear, where to go out to eat, what to make for dinner, what to do on your day off of work, what class to take, who to hang out with, what show to watch, what concert to go to, and in general how to spend your time and resources? So many choices! What a burden! As a monk, I have two sets of robes that I always wear, can only eat what is offered to me, meditate for about a third of my waking hours, and spend the rest of my time chanting, doing chores, and reading books. Every activity is already planned by someone else, so I just go with the flow. The cliché “less is more” has truly taken on a deeper meaning for me. I am living the ultimate minimalist’s dream. I’m a gainfully unemployed, single, college dropout with very little material possessions. By American standards, I’m a failure. But, luckily, I no longer measure myself by American standards. Sure, I’ve given up the freedom to do and have a lot of fun things, but I’ve also entirely given up stress and worry and gained an ever-deepening peace of mind and understanding of myself. A trade I am happy to make.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br />When I told people about what I was doing, a number of them were like, “wow that’s gonna be so fun…well not really fun, but life changing!” This made me realize that we often confuse fun and pleasurable experiences with happiness. No, I wouldn’t describe renunciation and strict morality as fun, but it has allowed me to undo my cultural programming which overemphasizes endless distraction and consumption to indulge our desires as quickly and frequently as humanly possible. Aristotle said, “real show of power is in restraint”. Well, if Aristotle said it, then its gotta be true, right? What I really want you to understand from this little rant is that I did not adopt a lifestyle of suffering in the name of personal development. Yes, like all human beings, I still suffer, but less frequently and in different ways than I did as a lay person. I also don’t want you to misunderstand these sentiments as coming from a place of self-righteousness or a sense of superiority to people who constantly seek satisfaction in the American fashion. This would be awfully hypocritical of me. These sentiments are rather coming from a place of empathy, because I have experienced deeply the pain and dissatisfaction that are inextricably attached to excessive sense gratification and ego inflation. And you don’t have to do something drastic and crazy like quitting your job and becoming a monk to enjoy the benefits of self restraint and morality in your daily life. The positive transformation of the quality and ease of my life at home before leaving for Thailand is a testament to this fact. But ultimately you will have to discover these truths for yourself. Even if what I am saying makes sense to you, when this lifestyle is all you have ever known, its almost impossible just to will yourself into making and maintaining such a lasting change. This is where meditation and mindfulness are most important. You can understand cognitively that you would like to incorporate more restraint and morality in your life, but if you don’t internalize this need through meditation and constantly guard your mind with mindfulness, then you will surely succumb to the sirens of sense gratification and the mind will resort back to its own deeply-entrenched, self-destructive habits…but more on meditation and mindfulness later.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Let’s pick back up where we left off with my experiences as a newly ordained monk. So for the first four days after my ordination, LP MaPong, Michi and I did an alms round throughout every section of the surrounding 200 house village, Pang Mukluay. Many people misunderstand alms round as comparable to a homeless person begging for food, so let me explain the reality of the situation. In order to maximize time for meditation and investigation of Dhamma, Buddhist monks rely on lay people to prepare and offer food to them. If nobody offers food, you cannot eat. Luckily, there is plenty of support for the monastic community in Thailand, so you are pretty much guaranteed 2 meals a day. Lay people offer this food trusting that you are conducting yourself in accordance with the path that the Buddha taught to the best of your abilities. As a monk you can meditate longer, study more Dhamma and hold yourself to a higher moral standard than would be possible as a lay person. Supporting a Buddhist monk in the cultivation of his mind by offering any of the four requisites (food, medicine, robes, and shelter) is considered to accrue much merit for the donor. In addition, the monks can teach Dhamma to the lay people to help them understand and lessen the suffering in their own lives. This is a very symbiotic relationship trading material substance for spiritual substance and therefore differs greatly from the act of begging for food out of desperation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Each one of my alms round experiences have been deeply moving and very memorable. So we start by taking off our shoes (mimicking the monks of the Buddha’s time) and walking barefoot through the village in a single file line with our bowl strap strung over our right shoulder. Typically, we also have some lay people following in a car that we can empty our bowls into as they fill up. The night before an alms round will take place, the village administrator makes an announcement over the loud speaker so that people can be prepared to offer food to the monks. Villagers intending to offer food will put a chair with a basket on top of it out in front of their driveway to signal their intention. After we gather in front of the donor’s house, they will come to the street, take off their shoes and start placing food into our bowls. After all the food is dispensed, they will then kneel down on their shoes and wait for us to chant our blessing. Many times the villagers will pour water onto the ground from some receptacle as we chant. This action is symbolic of sharing merit with deceased relatives who are said to lack the ability to gain merit since they are lacking human form. At the end of our chanting, you usually hear a resounding “Satthuuuuu” which is probably the most used word in Thailand that basically means thank youuuu, but can mean various other things as well. Even though I’m supposed to keep my eyes downcast, I usually can’t help but steal a glance at them. When I do I’m often met with stained, gap-filled yet deeply genuine smiles that make you marvel at their generosity and kindness. Although some of them may be lacking in material wealth, you can observe a wealth of happiness within the softness of their eyes and warmth of their smiles.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">There was one specific instance that I will never forget. We were doing an alms round at a neighboring village and had just received more food than could fit in our bowls by a group of about 10 villagers. There were men, women and children lined up receiving our blessing. Right as the blessing ended, this chubby baby in the arms of its mother let out the most satisfying, Notorious B.I.G.-esque belly grunt you’ve ever heard “aaaAAHHHhh”. Everyone present burst out in hearty laughter at the timing and spontaneity of this moment. It was a moment that transcended the cultural, societal, and language barrier separating foreign monk from rural villager facilitating a connection that accentuated an already beautiful experience. After the first four days of being a monk, I have only participated in two other alms rounds, so these are special occasions. Typically our food is offered by a few villagers and the lay devotees of the retreat center.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Since I have been in Thailand, I have divided my time as a monk between the retreat center and the main temple in Bangkok. I spent the last half of April and the month of June at the retreat center in Chiang Mai and spent the month of May with the international monks from the main temple in Bangkok. The daily schedule and atmosphere of each location differ in many ways, so I will start off by describing monk life at the retreat center first. For the first few weeks, I attended each of the sessions that LP MaPong led for the retreat participants. The day would start off at <span class="gmail-aBn" tabindex="0"><span class="gmail-aQJ">6 AM</span></span> with morning chanting at Bamboo Hall. The activity of chanting originated around 2500 years ago and served as a way for the monks to preserve and pass down the Buddha’s teachings. All the monks would commit these chants to memory and chant them in unison so that any gaps in memory from a single monk could be filled in by his peers. Chanting in Theravada Buddhism is performed in Pali, the language of rural ancient India, and has a threefold purpose: to create a sense of solidarity amongst the monastic and/or lay community as they chant together, to accompany certain ceremonies, to pay homage to the Triple Gem (The Buddha, the Dhamma, & the Sangha[monastic and lay Buddhist community]), and as a breathing and vibrational preparation for meditation. If you have the chants memorized, then the act of chanting becomes much less cognitive and much more meditative. Understanding the translations of what you are chanting also serves to make the experience more powerful.<br />So after morning chanting which would last about 20-30 minutes, we would sit for about 40 minutes of meditation. After this, the monks and retreat participants would go our separate ways to eat breakfast. For the month of June, once the local school was back in session, we would be greeted every morning by the young students running around in their uniforms screeching “Phra Ajahn Phra Ajahn!!” Some were pretty helpful and set up the table with the dishes from the drying rack, wiping away any excess water with a tissue. Others just ran around screaming. The first week or so they were afraid of me and would scream and shy away when I tried to hand them a carton of lactosoy (sweet soy milk that seems to be a staple in Thailand). But they quickly warmed up to me especially when we had caramels to give them. The tall white guy isn’t so scary when he has candy, I guess. After they got their little treats, they would pay respect to us by bowing three times. Then maybe we would be lucky to get them to say, or more accurately yell, their ABC’s or count to 10 in English before they scrambled out the door and stampeded up to school before it started. This not-so-peaceful part of my morning routine was actually kind of nice as it let me observe the joyful innocence of children as well as reminisce on my own unruly, hyperactive childhood.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">So breakfast would be followed by a meditation session and Dhamma talk at <span class="gmail-aBn" tabindex="0"><span class="gmail-aQJ">9:30</span></span> which would lead up to lunch at <span class="gmail-aBn" tabindex="0"><span class="gmail-aQJ">11:30</span></span>. The next session would be from <span class="gmail-aBn" tabindex="0"><span class="gmail-aQJ">2:30</span></span> to about 4 followed by cleaning/gardening from <span class="gmail-aBn" tabindex="0"><span class="gmail-aQJ">4:30-6:30</span></span> or 7. The monks would then have some Panna (afternoon/evening snack consisting of non-solid things: yogurt, coffee, soy milk, etc). Why no dinner? Fasting after midday has a number of benefits. Firstly, eating dinner would cut into meditation time as well as making meditation less productive due to digestion. Also, going to bed on an empty stomach is good for your health. This practice allows you to have a restful sleep devoid of nightmares caused by nocturnal digestion, and it also allows you to wake up and have a good, hearty breakfast in the morning. I’m sure you’ve heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but in most countries, especially America, it is neglected. That’s because our stomachs are still full from the night before, so half a bagel and a cup of coffee it is! It took a little bit of getting used to, but now I really enjoy the benefits of fasting after midday and breaking the fast with a big ole Thai breakfast.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">So after Panna, we would have the evening session around <span class="gmail-aBn" tabindex="0"><span class="gmail-aQJ">7:30</span></span> with meditation and a Dhamma talk that would end around <span class="gmail-aBn" tabindex="0"><span class="gmail-aQJ">9:30</span></span>. I would then prepare for bed and usually fall asleep around <span class="gmail-aBn" tabindex="0"><span class="gmail-aQJ">10:30</span></span>. This was my schedule for April, but for the month of June it was much freer. LP MaPong allowed me to meditate on my own instead of joining the sessions, so the only schedule I had was breakfast, lunch, gardening, and sharing my story with the participants once per retreat. This freedom was great for me, because I could meditate for longer hours and then fill in the remaining time with reading Dhamma. In addition to my desire to deepen my practice and knowledge, I feel like I have an obligation to the lay supporters to practice myself as diligently as possible. In my eyes, being a lazy monk is the ultimate disrespect to the lay supporters who make this lifestyle possible. So for the month of June my schedule was usually to wake up at <span class="gmail-aBn" tabindex="0"><span class="gmail-aQJ">4:30</span></span>, do some stretching and then meditate in my kuti by candlelight for an hour and a half or two. I would then go to breakfast at <span class="gmail-aBn" tabindex="0"><span class="gmail-aQJ">7:30</span></span> and try to meditate another hour before lunch. After lunch, I would read a bit while my food digested and then meditate for a bit. Once my body ached too much, I would get up and do about an hour of yoga. My Yoga practice compliments my meditation practice by limbering the body so it is not a distraction as well as calming down the mind. After a nice Yoga session, I will sit down again for about an hour of meditation until gardening time. Gardening usually consists of deweeding with spades/hoes and planting grass. This is actually pretty labor intensive, but it is another good way for me to stay in shape as well as to give back to this center that has given me so much without charging a dime. This time also provides me with an opportunity to talk to the Westerners visiting the center. In addition to fulfilling my social needs, this interaction gives me an opportunity to share what I have learned with like-minded people at different stages in their spiritual journey. I can answer questions they have about the monastic life or offer them guidance rooted in direct experience or Dhamma that I have studied. It is very satisfying to be able to connect so deeply with strangers from all over the world without having to actually travel anywhere. I try to be as open and transparent as possible with these people to show them that even though I have no hair or eyebrows and am dressed in orange robes, I am not so different from them; I too want fulfillment and happiness out of life and have experienced many of the same suffering they do. We are just on different paths. So after gardening, I would shower, get some Panna, chant the Dhammacakka Sutta (the first teaching the Buddha gave after enlightenment), and then meditate a bit more before going to bed around <span class="gmail-aBn" tabindex="0"><span class="gmail-aQJ">10:30</span></span>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">That pretty generally sums up what my life was like at the retreat center. I spent the month of May and will be spending the following months at the main temple which is more near Bangkok. I am planning to disrobe on <span class="gmail-aBn" tabindex="0"><span class="gmail-aQJ">July 7</span></span> and join IDOP on <span class="gmail-aBn" tabindex="0"><span class="gmail-aQJ">July 8</span></span> which is a training program at the main temple for new international monks. I will be joined by 30 other English speaking men and about 50 Chinese speaking men of widely ranging ages from around the world. We will ordain on <span class="gmail-aBn" tabindex="0"><span class="gmail-aQJ">July 22nd</span></span> at the main temple. I am doing this for a couple of reasons. One is so that I can be trained more thoroughly in discipline and experience the special ordination ceremony offered at the main temple. The main reason, however, is so that I can get a monk ID which will act as my visa and allow me to stay in Thailand as a monk for as long as I want. The IDOP program lasts 45 days, and when it ends in August I will join the rains retreat. In the Buddha’s time, monks used to travel during the rainy season, and they would incidentally ruin some of the farmers’ crops when treading through rain-soaked fields. To avoid creating such problems, the Buddha mandated that the monks stay in one place for the 3 month rainy season and focus on meditation and study of Dhamma. This tradition is still observed to this day, so I will be joining the rest of the monks at the temple’s library to learn Thai and study Buddhist scriptures from August to November. After rains retreat, I will continue to be a monk day by day. Every day that I wake up content with this simple life and excited to deepen my meditation and understanding of myself, I will stay in robes. Upon leaving the states, I had so many plans of travelling, getting my yoga teacher certification, working abroad and much more, but I have started to let go of these things. As my uncle so wisely told me before I left, “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” I think he was just being his typical goofy self, but this has been such a relevant piece of advice for me. There’s no need for me to pursue some other shiny, romantic goal when I am so deeply content and happy with the opportunity at hand. I may pursue these things later on down the road but for now, I am living completely in the moment and doing my best to let go of any expectations for the future.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">So now I need to address something that I don’t like having to talk about and was thinking about avoiding altogether. Maybe I will regret bringing it up at all, but I dislike secrecy and feel that it is necessary for you to understand my situation and the temple that I am a part of. If I just let you read the propagandized articles on the internet then you would certainly get a very negatively skewed picture of the temple. So the name of the temple that I am a part of is called Wat Phra Dhammakaya. In addition to some dazzling pictures of their pagoda of 1 million golden Buddhas, a quick google search will bring up numerous articles about recent allegations against the temple’s abbot for money laundering. These allegations were levied by the current military-run government that overthrew the democratic government in a military cout a number of years ago. It is also of importance to understand that Thailand’s economy is not experiencing any economic growth at the moment. Now this government may or may not be corrupt; they may or may not be intimidated by the influence of Wat Phra Dhammakaya as the largest Buddhist temple in Thailand; they may or may not be fabricating stories to defame and lessen the influence of the temple and take the focus off of poor economic conditions, and finally there may or may not be free speech in Thailand. Just kidding on that last one. There definitely is no free speech or public criticism of the government in Thailand, hence all the “may or may nots”. I have not definitively said anything! These allegations claim that the temple accepted money that the donator had acquired through embezzlement. Somehow the temple was supposed to know where the funds were coming from, which is pretty ridiculous. The only way I see this as being possible is if the temple asked each donor, “excuse me, was this donation obtained legally?” which is obviously not appropriate. Unfortunately, the media is completely against the temple and their reputation has been tainted because of this. This issue was the reason I postponed my ordination from 2016 to this year. However, the situation has settled down quite a bit, and daily activities resume as normal.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Am I trying to imply that the temple is completely innocent of any blame? No, because I couldn’t possibly know that answer. I can certainly see why these stories would be believable due to the temple’s massive structures and huge fund-raising ceremonies. These ceremonies on the first <span class="gmail-aBn" tabindex="0"><span class="gmail-aQJ">Sunday</span></span> of each month and on Buddhist holidays seem very impersonal to me and lack a genuine connection between teaching monks and the rest of the congregation. Everything is on a mass scale and follows the industrial model that bigger is better. On these occasions, the grand airplane hangar-esque meditation hall is packed with over a thousand monks, and many more thousands of lay people in all white. The Dhamma talks are given over a loud PA system that echoes over the noisy hall, and meditation is done in the same way. It was very intimidating for me walking through the crowd on my first <span class="gmail-aBn" tabindex="0"><span class="gmail-aQJ">Sunday</span></span> as the only Western monk present in the entire place. It didn’t have the same intimate atmosphere that I had grown accustomed to at the Pa Pae retreat and the Georgia meditation center. There have been times of doubt when I fantasized about seeking out the more austere and secluded life of the Thai forest monks filled with more quietude and meditation. However, there are a number of aspects of the temple that I have deeply connected with that heavily outweigh the negative aspects. These positive aspects of the temple are often overlooked and poorly understood by critics on the outside looking in, so I will provide you with some insider perspective.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">The aspect of the temple that inspires the most confidence in me is the meditation technique, because I have directly experienced the transformative power of a still mind resting at the center of the body. Although I’m sure I could experience benefits from practicing other techniques such as observing the breath, I am convinced that observing an unmovable point leads to a deeper transformation of the mind. The center of the body is also a very special place and is said to be the home of intuition. Ever have a strong “gut feeling” that a person or situation just wasn’t right? I’m sure you’ve noticed that these intuitive feelings seem to emanate from the area of your stomach. This is the center of the body at work trying to lead you out of harm’s way. It is not a logical or analytical process. It is a feeling. It is intuition. When you learn to calm the mind and allow it to gravitate and eventually rest at the center, you can hone your intuition. Once you locate the center through a habit of meditation, you can connect with it throughout your day. It then becomes much easier to surrender to the flow of life and not overanalyze things, because you have a clear mind, understand your intentions and therefore trust in the decisions you make. You learn not to regret the mistakes you make but rather to accept and appreciate them as some of the best teachers that life has to offer. This process started for me shortly after I began attending the weekly sessions at the Georgia Meditation Center, and it steadily lifted my life from a dark place of delusion and suffering to a purpose driven life led with clarity and a respect for others and myself. But I have already told most of you that story in the email I sent a year ago, so I won’t elaborate on that anymore. I also won’t elaborate further on the technique and the various other reasons why it is effective and will instead put some links at the bottom for those wanting to dive deeper.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">The next aspect that endears me to this temple is the deep sense of belonging that I feel due to the way I am treated by my monastic brethren. Respect and consideration of others are the pillars that support our speech and behavior. This eliminates petty talk and gossip which always seemed to be present in my life outside the temple. This is such a refreshing change of pace. I always seem to leave conversations having gained something valuable as opposed to just exchanging noises to fill the silence. Although there are plenty of deep, philosophical conversations, most monks also have a great sense of humor, so there are many light-hearted, laughter-filled moments as well. Every monk is like a friend, mentor, and brother who has your best interests in mind and genuinely wants to see you grow into the happiest version of yourself that you can be. A conversation with the Phra Ajahn for international monks really exemplifies this fact. I expressed my concern about the environment of the temple and whether or not it was suitable for deepening my inner peace and contentment. He responded by telling me that it was my journey, and that if I wanted to study under another temple at some point, then I was more than welcome to if I got permission from that temple’s abbot. He didn’t try to persuade me that this was the best place for me to be a monk. He didn’t try to defend the temple or downplay the obstacles that many westerners face trying to find their place within this organization. He instead made it clear that it was my journey, and ultimately I have to trust in and follow my own intuition and wisdom to the path of most fulfillment. This attitude that emphasizes individual happiness over allegiance to an organization provides me with a sense of ease knowing that I can disrobe or study under another temple at any time and no feelings of ill-will or betrayal will be held against me. The amazing empathy, understanding and support that I feel from my fellow brothers in orange has really made this temple feel like home. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Another thing that most people don’t understand about Wat Phra Dhammakaya is their mission to spread meditation around the world. Now this may sound a little evangelistic, but notice how I said meditation and not Buddhism. A large portion of the funds donated to the temple are funneled straight into these initiatives which are rebranded without the Dhammakaya name. Besides being a smart marketing tactic, this shows that the temple does not care about name recognition, pushing their ideology on others or growing their membership. I have found that this is actually more generally a Buddhist mentality than a characteristic that is unique to the temple. Whether you believe in one god, many gods or no god, it doesn’t really matter; meditation and the teachings of the Buddha can still enrich your life and decrease your suffering. In this vein, Dhammakaya has some programs like Peace Revolution that focuses strictly on meditation without incorporating Buddhist teachings to reach people who shy away from religious ideology but yearn for a spiritual practice. With the motto “world peace through inner peace,” the goal is to spread meditation to as many people as possible, which I believe is the only way to redirect humanity towards harmony and away from the path of destruction that we are currently on. It is very clear to meditators that lasting change and peace originate from within the individual. The most effective social activists like Mahatma Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr. knew this fact very well. Nowadays we are facing so many social, economic, and environmental issues, and yes: they are real; they are scary, and we are also more aware of them due to our instant access to information. The channels through which we receive this information frame the situation in such a way that always identifies some enemy who is the source of the problem. For this reason, we are always looking for someone to blame. We always require some external enemy to fight. If we aren’t overcome by apathy and our own perceived inability to help, we may be inspired to join some relief efforts or go to protest rallies or something of the sort to raise awareness. But these are often only Band-Aids placed over a deep wound. A wise person once said that the same mode of thinking that created the problem cannot fix the problem. What is needed is a global shift in consciousness. If we continue operating from an Us vs. Them mentality, we will just perpetuate the problems that we strive to fix. We need to stop looking for some external enemy to eradicate and have the courage to look within ourselves to see the forces of greed, hatred, anger, fear and ignorance that are present and work to let them go.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">The only way this inner change is possible is through meditation. Meditation steps out of the confused cognitive mind and allows us to see ourselves and the world around us more clearly. The mind is the lens through which we view the world. When the lens is distorted by greed or blurred by anger or hatred, we observe a misrepresentation of reality. When ignorance is present in large amounts, it is like looking through the lens into darkness with no source of light to illuminate the way things really are. In this way, we stumble through life always running into sources of suffering for ourselves and others without ever understanding why. Meditation allows us to systematically become aware of these impurities of mind, accept them, understand them, and then slowly let them go. It also cultivates empathy, compassion, understanding and a realization that we are all human beings experiencing suffering and just trying to be happy. We are all indelibly interconnected and only through caring for each other and the world around us will we ever live in peace and harmony. But it starts with us. It starts with you. People often believe that you have to do some grand thing or be someone exceptional to change the world. But the reality is, we change the world every day just by existing in it. The way you treat every person you come into contact: your family, friends, significant others, coworkers, strangers in traffic, and even the people you dislike, has ripple effects that you will never grasp. Its up to you whether those are positive or negative ripples. Don’t underestimate your power to shape the world at large by shaping the world around you. Through the power of meditation and mindfulness we can exercise patience and understanding in the face of all the difficulties that we experience in our daily lives. As MLK once said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” We have to stop focusing on the impossible task of trying to change others, and face the forces of darkness within us. Only then can we work to overcome them and discover the light within each of us and let our best selves shine through. This is the most effective way to “be the change you wish to see in the world”.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Soooo…those are some of my thoughts about the temple and meditation and why I think both of them are pretty great. The temple is not perfect, but I also don’t believe that a perfect place exists. Running around seeking out the perfect set of circumstances is a fool’s errand and wouldn’t lead me to any deepening peace. I connect with the people and the mission of this temple and my meditation hasn’t been near as good at any other place, so that is good enough for me. Hopefully, my little ramblings didn’t come off as too preachy, but I’m sure it might have to some of you. Ultimately, if even one of you is inspired to meditate or if this plants the seed for you to look into it later down the road, any amount of misunderstanding is worth it. Also if you need more scientific proof that meditation benefits the body and strengthens the brain, just google the scientific/health benefits of meditation. Well, I think I better wrap it up here with some resources for your further exploration. At the very least, I hope you enjoyed reading and learned a few things about the life of a monk, Buddhism and meditation. And as a gift for those of you who have read this far, here are some pictures! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Just so you are aware, monks aren’t supposed to smile in pictures, so that’s why we look so serious :)I will not have internet for the next month and a half but feel free to reply to this email and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Peace Revolution – <a href="https://peacerevolution.net/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://peacerevolution.net/</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">This organization provides you with a 42 day program to learn meditation at your convenience. If you complete this fellowship program, set up 2 group meditations, and complete an interview you are elligible to come to Thailand for a 2 week retreat. If you are under 30 you could get the flight paid for too!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Georgia Meditation Center— <a href="http://www.meditationcircle.org/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://www.meditationcircle.<wbr></wbr>org/</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">For all my people in GA, the most effective way to create a habit of meditation is to have a weekly group of like-minded individuals on the same path to keep you accountable. Venerable Dr. Nicholas who has a Ph.D. in education and over 20 years of experience as a monk is present on every <span class="gmail-aBn" tabindex="0"><span class="gmail-aQJ">Wednesday</span></span> night at 7 for the meditation group to teach you in the calmest British accent you’ve ever heard. He delivers Dhamma in easily understandable ways that readily apply to all the difficulties you face in your daily life. He is one of the best meditation teachers around and can really help you thrive in your spiritual practice. Here is a link to one of his talks. It’s a little old but still very good </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Pa Pae Meditation Retreat—<a href="http://www.papaemeditation.org/en" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://www.<wbr></wbr>papaemeditation.org/en</a><br />If you ever find yourself in Thailand and would like to learn how to meditate in a relaxed natural environment or even ordain as a monk for a month, then look no further.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Further reading:<br />Simple Teachings on Higher Truths by Ajahn Anan—an easily digestible introduction to mindfulness, meditation and Buddhist concepts</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Snow in the Summer by Sayadaw U. Jotika—the inspirational, simply delivered thoughts of a monk from Myanmar</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Pali blessing invoking the protection of the Triple Gem</i>: sabba Buddha nubavena, sabba Dhamma nubavena, sabba Sangha nubavena, satta sothi, bavantu te. May your spiritual journey be fruitful and bring brightness into your life and into the lives of those around you. May you be well and happy, and may you be free from all suffering and misfortunes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">With Metta, </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">LP Michael Thanavirro </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06474639207404110110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1734243271072167275.post-7372374596777969932016-10-05T11:13:00.000-07:002016-10-05T11:20:43.234-07:00Katina Ceremony ~ Oct 30th, 2016 ~ Georgia Meditation Center<br />
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You are Invited! Please join us!</span></b><br />
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<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Kathina Ceremony Schedule- Georgia Meditation Center </span></b><br />
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">9:30am - Meditaiton</span></b><br />
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">10:30am - Food Offering Ceremony</span></b><br />
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">11:00am - Alms Offering</span></b><br />
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">12pm - Lunch</span></b><br />
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">12:45pm - Katina (Robe Parade)</span></b><br />
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">1:00pm - Katina Ceremony Offering of Robes</span></b><br />
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">3:00pm - End of Ceremony</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: medium;">Kathina Ceremony</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i>Katina </i></span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">refers to the offering of the special robe (<i>Katina </i><i>civara</i>) prepared and presented to monks who have completed the three-month period of retreat called V<i>as </i>in Sinhala, and <i>Vassana </i>in Pali<i>, </i>meaning the period of rain. <i>Katina </i>literally means ‘firm,’ or ‘solid,’ because the offering of a <i>Katina </i>robe helps to earn solid good karma. The <i>Katina</i>Ceremony is over 2500 years old. It is a monastic tradition preserved and observed by Buddhists all over the world because it is an extraordinary opportunity to acquire merit once a year.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>Three Gems of Great Value</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">In Buddha’s time the Triple Gem, which Buddhists the world over venerate was a visible reality – the Buddha, and the Dharma that he evolved and preached, and the Sangha, whom he assiduously trained in mastering his teachings, were all alive. After the Buddha’s passing away the Triple Gem in its entirety was personified in the institution of the monks, who are therefore rightly called the sons of the Buddha.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>When it Rains Monks Must Stay Indoors</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">According to our earliest records, monks did not stay in one place for long periods of time. They traveled distances, from place to place, teaching and preaching the <i>dharma </i>and meditating. As stated in the Mahavaggapali the Buddha instructed the monks thus, “Go forth, O monks for the good of the many, for the happiness of the many, for the welfare, benefit and happiness of gods and men.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">As time passed, the Buddha was made aware of the difficulties the monks faced when traveling during the rainy season, which usually lasted for three months. As a result the Buddha established the practice of V</span><i style="text-indent: 0.5in;">as </i><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">or a retreat during these months of rain when monks would be domiciled in a single monastery. Monks commence the retreat usually starting on the full moon day of the month of July and ending in October.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Although the origin of </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Vas </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">is related to the rainy season, the Buddha’s intention of recommending this practice had loftier intentions and objectives. In time the ideals and practices of the retreat season, transcended the issue of the rainy season and acquired more profound depths and meaning. The Buddha transformed this rainy retreat to a period of intensive practice of the Dhamma. Monks were advised to limit their traveling and spend more time dedicated to spiritual practice and sharing of the Dhamma with lay people. Lay followers are also advised to closely associate with monks and spend their lives committed to spiritual practice.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium; text-align: center;"><b>Invitation to the Monks</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">On one occasion during the time of the Buddha a prominent chief lay lady disciple, Visakha expressed her desire to offer a special piece of cloth to each monk and invite monks for V<i>as </i>observation in the monastery. The Buddha accepted the invitation. Following this custom, Buddhists follow the practice of inviting monks to go into retreat and the invitations is called v<i>as aradana</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: medium;">It is customary for prominent supporters to invite the monks formally to observe the retreat in a temple or other dwelling place. If the monks accept the invitation, the <span style="color: windowtext;">hosts would assume responsibility for providing all the needs of the monks during this period, and this is done with diligence as it is regarded as highly meritorious. </span><span style="color: windowtext;">Vas </span><span style="color: windowtext;">provides an opportunity to lay Buddhists, to express their devotion to Buddhism and to the Sangha with diligence.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>Monastic Confessional</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: medium;">At the close of the V<i>as </i>retreat, the monks perform the <i>pavarana</i>ceremony. During this ceremony, the monks get together and invite one another to point out their faults and lapses. It is friendly and constructive criticism and almost invariably well received. The practice is intended to help the monks purify themselves.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Another benefit of the pavarana ceremony is that it could also help to keep the monastic rules alive. Retreat spent together provides the monks with an opportunity for in depth evaluation of their spirituality and commitment as monks. Each member of the </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Sangha </i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">(community of monks) has equal rights regardless of hierarchy to point out lapses and errors in judgment and conduct of others for the good of the whole Sangha. This tradition is one of the earliest examples of the development and evolution of democratic norms and ideals in human civilization.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">At the end of the pavarana, the </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina </i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">ceremony proper is held. Robes can be offered to monks any time. The offering of </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">a Katina </i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">robe is of utmost significance to a Buddhist who knows the meaning of it, and is of curiosity to someone with no knowledge of it.</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Why is the </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina </i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Robe Special?</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">The </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina </i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">robe is significant because during the three-month </span><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Vas</span><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">period, Buddhist monks are required to remain fully dedicated to purifying themselves through the rigorous practice of meditation and moral conduct. As the monks end the retreat and come back to society, they become deservedly worthy of offering and veneration as ‘punnakkhetta’ or ‘field of merit’ to the fullest extent possible. A robe offered to such a </span><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">monk potent with spirituality and dedication to religious living at this time, helps one to earn solid merit or good karma.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">The offering of the </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina </i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">robe is considered immensely meritorious since it involves three months of preparation and dedication. The ceremony become important and meritorious because of the potency of the merit gathered during the period of retreat, both by the monks and the devotees. The </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina </i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">robe is symbolizes the successful culmination of the rainy retreat. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>And Now for the Robe!</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: medium;">The main event in the <i>Katina </i>ceremony is the offering of the special robe known as the <i>Katina</i><i>-civara </i>to the <i>Sangha</i>. This ceremony is meant to be performed with devotion and is an occasion of religious significance for Buddhists all over the world.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Offering of the </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina </i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">robe started during the time of the Buddha. A group of monks went to a place for retreat. At the conclusion of the retreat they returned to visit the Buddha. On the way they were caught in a heavy downpour of rain and one monk got more wet than the others. The Buddha seeing this monk, advised the monk to accept an extra robe as a </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina. </i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">The extra robe was always given to the one who needed it the most. There are many traditions and rituals of offering a piece of cloth to monks in the name of </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium; text-align: center;"><b>Chance to Gain Great Merit</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: windowtext;">Katina </span></i><span style="color: windowtext;">is the most significant merit making ceremony performed by Buddhist communities in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Laos and Cambodia. Vas is also the time for lay Buddhists to express their devotion and practice generosity by providing their temples with the requisites for maintaining the temples and the inhabitant monks. It is an important period for gathering merit for both the layman and the monks. During this period devotees are given the opportunity to learn the Dharma from the monks by listening to sermons, getting involved in dhamma discussions, participating in meditation programs, and listening to p<i>irith </i>chanting. It is a time to get blessings for good living by </span><span style="color: windowtext;">performing and participating in religious ceremonies. Monks help the community to lead a pure life, emphasizing the importance of practicing the Five Precepts and teachings of the Buddha.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">More significantly V</span><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">as </span><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">is a time to strengthen ties and form bonds between monks and the laity. As spiritual leaders, monks guide the lay people towards ways of resolving problems with compassion and understanding, thereby forming strong bonds with the community. Monks dwelling in one place during V</span><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">as </span><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">have more time to communicate with the laity on a one to one basis. They get the opportunity to listen to the problems of the laity and provide solutions to live a stress free life.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">For the above-mentioned reasons, the offering of the </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina </i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">robe is considered one of the greatest meritorious deeds. Whatever else is offered to a monk on </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina </i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">day is also considered meritorious on this special day. It is even said that one who offers a </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina </i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">robe, to a monk who has observed the spiritual guidance given by the Buddha with diligence and commitment, even on a single occasion in his lifetime, would in </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">samsara </i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">when he is born over and over again-never be in want or destitution and never to be reduced to rags for want of clothes.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>Glory of Giving</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">One of the stanzas chanted during </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina </i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">glorifies the greatness of the merit which one gets from performing </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina</i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">. </span><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">It says that even this solid earth, or a solid rock or a piece of diamond could tremble, shake and break at times. However, the merit obtained by offering of </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina</i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">cannot be nullified by anything until one achieves the ultimate goal of Buddhist aspiration which is </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Nirvana</i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">It is also believed that the merit, or the positive </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">karma, </i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">gained by the offerings at the </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina </i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">ceremony could reduce the negative effects of other minor bad </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">karma </i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">one may have committed. One would be blessed with long life, happiness, good health, good complexion, physical strength, peace and wisdom in this life and many more lives to come until one attains </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Nirvana. </i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">However, it is important to remember the receiver of the </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina </i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">robe needs to be spiritually cleansed and worthy of receiving such a glorious </span><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">offering to get the maximum benefit from the offering. </span><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">What makes Katina ceremony a wholesome meritorious deed, is not the ceremony itself, but the spiritually and purity of the monks in retreat and the devotion and commitment of the laity. The totality of this will bring most merit and make it a solid good karma.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium; line-height: 20.7px; text-align: center;">(Katina Ceremony Author: Swarna Wickremeratne, Book: Buddha in Sri Lanka)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="line-height: 20.7px;">Georgia </span><span style="line-height: 27px;">Meditation</span><span style="line-height: 20.7px;"> Invites You!</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;">We would like to invite our meditation members to come and witness this wonderful ceremony with us filled with an abundance of merit gaining experiences, held this year on October 30, 2016. Feel free to come at any time that is convenient for you, but it is recommend to come before the alms offering portion of the day, which is where lay people offer food to the monks and there is always plenty of food prepared by many to offer to the Venerables, so please join us! *Please wear white which helps to promote inner peace and brightness.</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06474639207404110110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1734243271072167275.post-69810570113682208772016-04-11T23:10:00.002-07:002016-04-11T23:19:24.567-07:00Dhammakaya History 101<div class="MsoNormal">
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Meditation Group - History 101</h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Last blog entry was almost 3 years ago! As of today, this
blog will have more activity! For the past few years, most of our activity has
been posted on our facebook fanpage, and other channels, but when it comes down
to it, blogging is the best way to expand and truly capture class discussions,
summaries, teachings etc. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Since this is the first blog in a long time, I’d like to
start out with a little history of our meditation group. We had our first
meditation session in 2004, we then held a second session in 2006, and both
were a huge success! We didn’t begin to formally meet on a weekly basis until
2007. The beginning of the group had
many challenges, but we persevered and today we are a solid group!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our success in spreading meditation since 2007 would not
have been possible without the vision and support of Venerable Dhammajayo,
Abbot of the Dhammakaya Foundation. Today, we have hundreds of Dhammakaya centers
throughout the world helping to instill meditation practice, morality, and
wisdom to its members. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Year-to-date, our meditation group has helped introduce
meditation to thousands of people, with countless testimonies of people who
have experienced the many benefits of meditation from stress relief, health benefits, more wisdom etc. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In addition, all of our centers
throughout the world have similar initiatives to spread peace and wisdom, thus making the world a
better place and helping to make the vision of our Abbot, Venerable Dhammajayo, a reality, “World
Peace, through Inner Peace.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Below are some pix from our very first session in
2004, followed by 2006. In addition to a video on the history of our Dhammakaya
Center:</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">May 2004</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">August 2006</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Dhammakaya History</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06474639207404110110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1734243271072167275.post-18187749469875945492013-10-20T20:52:00.001-07:002013-10-20T21:00:36.020-07:00Kathina Ceremony - October 27, 2013 ~Georgia Meditation Center<h2 style="background-color: white; margin: 0px 0px 1em; position: relative;">
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Georgia Meditation Center </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Katina Ceremony - October, 27 2013</span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">You are invited to a very special day for us at the Georgia Meditation Center! Please mark October 27, 2013 on your calendar and join us for the auspicious occasion:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sunday, October 27th <span style="font-weight: normal;">- Marks the Kathina Ceremony, which is a robe offering ceremony, presented to monks who have completed their 3 months rains retreat period. In addition, on October 20th, we had meditation members ordain for Kathina Ordination. Kathina ordination is a 7 day period and ends on October 27th, with the commencement of the Kathina Ceremony. It is an e</span><span style="font-weight: normal;">xcellent opportunity for our members to be a part of the Sangha during such a meritorious celebration.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Schedule for Sunday October 27th below.</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yqC6mQ6VM4M/UmSkpyEklhI/AAAAAAAADvU/-1G_WpqS_7Q/s1600/Katina+2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yqC6mQ6VM4M/UmSkpyEklhI/AAAAAAAADvU/-1G_WpqS_7Q/s1600/Katina+2013.jpg" height="640" width="528" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Kathina Ceremony</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; font-weight: normal;"><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i>Katina </i></span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">refers
to the offering of the special robe (<i>Katina </i><i>civara</i>)
prepared and presented to monks who have completed the three-month period of
retreat called V<i>as </i>in Sinhala, and <i>Vassana </i>in Pali<i>,
</i>meaning the period of rain. <i>Katina </i>literally means
‘firm,’ or ‘solid,’ because the offering of a <i>Katina </i>robe helps
to earn solid good karma. The <i>Katina </i>Ceremony is over 2500 years
old. It is a monastic tradition preserved and observed by Buddhists all over
the world because it is an extraordinary opportunity to acquire merit once a
year.</span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>Three Gems of Great Value</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">In Buddha’s time the Triple Gem, which Buddhists the world over
venerate was a visible reality – the Buddha, and the Dharma that he evolved and
preached, and the Sangha, whom he assiduously trained in mastering his
teachings, were all alive. After the Buddha’s passing away the Triple Gem in
its entirety was personified in the institution of the monks, who are therefore
rightly called the sons of the Buddha.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>When it Rains Monks Must Stay Indoors</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">According to
our earliest records, monks did not stay in one place for long periods of time.
They traveled distances, from place to place, teaching and preaching the </span><i style="font-weight: normal;">dharma
</i><span style="font-weight: normal;">and meditating. As stated in the Mahavaggapali the Buddha instructed
the monks thus, “Go forth, O monks for the good of the many, for the happiness
of the many, for the welfare, benefit and happiness of gods and men.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">As time passed, the Buddha was made aware of the difficulties the monks
faced when traveling during the rainy season, which usually lasted for three
months. As a result the Buddha established the practice of V</span><i style="font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">as </i><span style="font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">or
a retreat during these months of rain when monks would be domiciled in a single
monastery. Monks commence the retreat usually starting on the full moon day of
the month of July and ending in October.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">Although the origin of </span><span style="font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">Vas </span><span style="font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">is related to the rainy season, the
Buddha’s intention of recommending this practice had loftier intentions and
objectives. In time the ideals and practices of the retreat season, transcended
the issue of the rainy season and acquired more profound depths and meaning.
The Buddha transformed this rainy retreat to a period of intensive practice of
the Dhamma. Monks were advised to limit their traveling and spend more time
dedicated to spiritual practice and sharing of the Dhamma with lay people. Lay
followers are also advised to closely associate with monks and spend their
lives committed to spiritual practice.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;"><b>Invitation to the Monks</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">On one occasion
during the time of the Buddha a prominent chief lay lady disciple, Visakha
expressed her desire to offer a special piece of cloth to each monk and invite
monks for V<i>as </i>observation in the monastery. The Buddha accepted
the invitation. Following this custom, Buddhists follow the practice of
inviting monks to go into retreat and the invitations is called v<i>as
aradana</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">It is
customary for prominent supporters to invite the monks formally to observe the
retreat in a temple or other dwelling place. If the monks accept the
invitation, the </span><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal;">hosts would assume responsibility for
providing all the needs of the monks during this period, and this is done with
diligence as it is regarded as highly meritorious. </span><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal;">Vas </span><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal;">provides an
opportunity to lay Buddhists, to express their devotion to Buddhism and to the
Sangha with diligence.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>Monastic
Confessional</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">At
the close of the V<i>as </i>retreat, the monks perform the <i>pavarana </i>ceremony.
During this ceremony, the monks get together and invite one another to point
out their faults and lapses. It is friendly and constructive criticism and
almost invariably well received. The practice is intended to help the monks
purify themselves.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">Another benefit of the pavarana ceremony is that it could
also help to keep the monastic rules alive. Retreat spent together provides the
monks with an opportunity for in depth evaluation of their spirituality and
commitment as monks. Each member of the </span><i style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">Sangha </i><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">(community of monks) has
equal rights regardless of hierarchy to point out lapses and errors in judgment
and conduct of others for the good of the whole Sangha. This tradition is one
of the earliest examples of the development and evolution of democratic norms
and ideals in human civilization.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">At the end of the pavarana, the </span><i style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina </i><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">ceremony
proper is held. Robes can be offered to monks any time. The offering of </span><i style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">a Katina
</i><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">robe is of utmost significance to a Buddhist who knows the meaning of
it, and is of curiosity to someone with no knowledge of it.</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Why is the </span><i style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina </i><span style="color: windowtext; text-indent: 0.5in;">Robe
Special?</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">The </span><i style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina </i><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">robe is significant because
during the three-month </span><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">Vas </span><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">period, Buddhist monks are required to remain
fully dedicated to purifying themselves through the rigorous practice of
meditation and moral conduct. As the monks end the retreat and come back to
society, they become deservedly worthy of offering and veneration as
‘punnakkhetta’ or ‘field of merit’ to the fullest extent possible. A robe
offered to such a </span><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">monk potent with spirituality and
dedication to religious living at this time, helps one to earn solid merit or
good karma.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">The offering of the </span><i style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina </i><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">robe is
considered immensely meritorious since it involves three months of preparation
and dedication. The ceremony become important and meritorious because of the
potency of the merit gathered during the period of retreat, both by the monks
and the devotees. The </span><i style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina </i><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">robe is symbolizes the successful culmination
of the rainy retreat. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: large; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: large; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>And Now for the Robe!</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">The
main event in the <i>Katina </i>ceremony is the offering of the special
robe known as the <i>Katina</i><i>-civara </i>to the <i>Sangha</i>. This
ceremony is meant to be performed with devotion and is an occasion of religious
significance for Buddhists all over the world.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">Offering of the </span><i style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina </i><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">robe started
during the time of the Buddha. A group of monks went to a place for retreat. At
the conclusion of the retreat they returned to visit the Buddha. On the way
they were caught in a heavy downpour of rain and one monk got more wet than the
others. The Buddha seeing this monk, advised the monk to accept an extra robe
as a </span><i style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina. </i><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">The extra robe was always given to the one who
needed it the most. There are many traditions and rituals of offering a piece
of cloth to monks in the name of </span><i style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; font-weight: normal; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;"><b>Chance to
Gain Great Merit</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i><span style="color: windowtext;">Katina </span></i><span style="color: windowtext;">is the most significant merit making ceremony performed by
Buddhist communities in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Laos and Cambodia. Vas is
also the time for lay Buddhists to express their devotion and practice
generosity by providing their temples with the requisites for maintaining the
temples and the inhabitant monks. It is an important period for gathering merit
for both the layman and the monks. During this period devotees are given the
opportunity to learn the Dharma from the monks by listening to sermons, getting
involved in dhamma discussions, participating in meditation programs, and
listening to p<i>irith </i>chanting. It is a time to get blessings for good
living by </span></span><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal;">performing and participating in
religious ceremonies. Monks help the community to lead a pure life, emphasizing
the importance of practicing the Five Precepts and teachings of the Buddha.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">More significantly V</span><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">as </span><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">is a time to strengthen
ties and form bonds between monks and the laity. As spiritual leaders, monks
guide the lay people towards ways of resolving problems with compassion and
understanding, thereby forming strong bonds with the community. Monks dwelling
in one place during V</span><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">as </span><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">have more time to communicate with the laity on
a one to one basis. They get the opportunity to listen to the problems of the
laity and provide solutions to live a stress free life.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: large; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">For the above-mentioned reasons, the offering of the </span><i style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina
</i><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">robe is considered one of the greatest meritorious deeds. Whatever else
is offered to a monk on </span><i style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina </i><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">day is also considered meritorious
on this special day. It is even said that one who offers a </span><i style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina </i><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">robe,
to a monk who has observed the spiritual guidance given by the Buddha with
diligence and commitment, even on a single occasion in his lifetime, would in </span><i style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">samsara
</i><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">when he is born over and over again-never be in want or destitution and
never to be reduced to rags for want of clothes.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: large; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: large; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>Glory of Giving</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">One of the stanzas chanted during </span><i style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina </i><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">glorifies
the greatness of the merit which one gets from performing </span><i style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina</i><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">. </span><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">It
says that even this solid earth, or a solid rock or a piece of diamond could
tremble, shake and break at times. However, the merit obtained by offering of </span><i style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina
</i><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">cannot be nullified by anything until one achieves the ultimate goal of
Buddhist aspiration which is </span><i style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">Nirvana</i><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">It is also believed that the merit, or the positive </span><i style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">karma,
</i><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">gained by the offerings at the </span><i style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina </i><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">ceremony could
reduce the negative effects of other minor bad </span><i style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">karma </i><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">one may have
committed. One would be blessed with long life, happiness, good health, good
complexion, physical strength, peace and wisdom in this life and many more
lives to come until one attains </span><i style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">Nirvana. </i><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">However, it is important
to remember the receiver of the </span><i style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">Katina </i><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">robe needs to be
spiritually cleansed and worthy of receiving such a glorious </span><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">offering to get the maximum benefit
from the offering. </span><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">What makes Katina ceremony a wholesome meritorious deed, is
not the ceremony itself, but the spiritually and purity of the monks in retreat
and the devotion and commitment of the laity. The totality of this will bring
most merit and make it a solid good karma.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%; text-align: center;">(Katina Ceremony Author: Swarna
Wickremeratne, Book: Buddha in Sri Lanka)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Georgia </span><span style="line-height: 27px;">Meditation</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> Invites You!</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">We would like to invite our meditation members to come and witness this wonderful ceremony with us filled with an abundance of merit gaining experiences, held this year on October 27, 2013. Feel free to come at any time that is convenient for you, but it is recommend to come before the alms offering portion of the day, which is where lay people offer food to the monks and there is always plenty of food prepared by many to offer to the Venerables, so please join us! *Please wear white which helps to promote inner peace and brightness.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06474639207404110110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1734243271072167275.post-12501229176820966332013-06-25T20:29:00.003-07:002013-06-26T09:02:44.738-07:00How Should a Non-Believer in the Law of Karma Conduct His/Her Life?<br />
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<b><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">Dhamma Discussion Topic June 19, 2013</span></b></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 18px;">If you did not attend Meditation Class last week be sure to catch-up with us, this is a great article that talks about the benefits of having Right View with regards to Karma. Karma is a universal phenomenon regardless of religion, read below to find out why!</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We are
living in an
age where scientific
discoveries have caused
great advancement in technology and tremendous changes in
society. Human beings have gone from
agriculture to industry and now
to the age of information
in just a couple of
centuries. In this age of
information with its fast and extensive network of communication, the world has
become a global village.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Scientific
advancement and the corresponding changes in society have an impact on how we
think and what we believe. In ancient
times, people believed in things that they could not see such as deities. This kind of belief was the origin of theism
on which many religions were based. Some of these religions remain to this
day. With technological advances, people
began to put faith in what could be rationalized and proven. During the time period where theism reached
its pinnacle and had worldwide influence, there was an Italian physicist and
astronomer called Galileo. He had made
discoveries that had a negative impact on theism. As Galileo gained popularity because of his
discoveries that could be proven and rationalized, he was persecuted by the
dominant religion of the time throughout the rest of his life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Different
forms of theism persist until now with some modification to fit better with the
current age. Education plays
an important role
in developing human
intelligence and intellect. Recent surveys in regards to
religious belief have been conducted in many countries and it was found that
more and more people do not subscribe to any religious belief. Some people think of religion as being
nonsensical because its teachings cannot be proven. Some people do not see any advantages that
can be gained from having a religion.
They would just as soon live without any religious obligation or
restriction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The results
of these surveys are worrying because if people do not subscribe to a religion,
how would it affect society and the world at large? Without any religious principles to guide the
way one should conduct one</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">‟</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">s life, one would become further and further distant from
morality and other ethical standards.
The difference between right and wrong becomes more and more
blurred. One becomes increasingly
materialistic and lives life as one pleases.
When that is the case, what good then can come out of one</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">‟</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">s life?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The student
has probably learnt about the origin of different religions and found that most
religions provide useful teachings that foster a happy lifestyle and peace in
the community. Here we will mention only Buddhism, which is the religion about
cause and effect. The Buddha taught us
how to live our lives so that we can be happy in this, next, and future
lifetimes and ultimately until we can rid ourselves of all defilements. Even the great scientist Albert Einstein
acknowledged that Buddhism shared the same principle as science in that it is
all about logic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For
individuals who do not subscribe to any religion, which include those that
disbelieve in the Law of Kamma, the Buddha gave concrete instructions for how
they should live their lives. These Teachings were recorded in the “Apannaka
Sutta</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">‟</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">.
Here, relevant teachings of this Sutta which will enable the student to
understand the way non-believers in the Law of Kamma should conduct their lives. The student can then act as a virtuous friend
to these people and help them to live a happy life in the present and to have a
safe journey in the round of rebirth.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For this
purpose, only one example will be given here.
For a more in-depth study on the teaching, the student should consult
the “Apannaka Sutta.</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">‟</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">On one
occasion, the Buddha asked the Brahmins and the wealthy men of <st1:placename w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Sala</st1:place> <st1:placetype w:st="on">City</st1:placetype></st1:placename>,
“Do you have a favorite Master who can inspire you to have faith because his
teachings are logical?” The people answered in the negative. Therefore, the Buddha took the opportunity to
give the “Apannaka</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">‟</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> sermon where He cited different dogmas as well as the
advantages and the harm of each dogma and concluded with the instruction on
right conduct. A part of the teaching
concerning two groups of Brahmins that have opposing views can be cited as
follows:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The 1st Group:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">
These people believe that alms-giving has no consequences, aid-giving
has no consequences, revering those who are worthy of our reverence has no
consequences, bad Kamma
has no consequences,
the hereafter does
not exist, etc. Members of this group refuse to perform
good deeds but commit only misdeeds.
They are immoral. They have “Wrong View</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">‟</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">, “Wrong Thought</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">‟</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">, and “Wrong Speech</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">‟</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">.
They are enemies of Arahats. For
members of this group, the Buddha gave the following advice:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If the hereafter does not exist, after these individuals die,
all will be well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If the hereafter does
exist, these individuals will be reborn in the States of Loss and<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Woe, the States of Unhappiness,
the Place of Suffering, the Hell Realm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Even if the hereafter does not exist, regardless of whether
these individuals</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">‟</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> view is right or wrong, they will still be condemned here
and now for their conduct.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If the hereafter does
exist, these individuals will receive two forms of punishment:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">1) They will be condemned
in the present for their conduct.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">2) They will be reborn in
the Hell Realm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The 2nd Group:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">
These people believe that alms-giving has consequences, aid-giving has
consequences, revering those who are worthy of our reverence has consequences,
etc. As a result,
members of this
group abstain from
any misdeed but
perform only wholesome
deeds. They are moral. They have „Right View</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">‟</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">, „Right Thought</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">‟</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">, and Right Speech</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">‟</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">. They are not enemies of Arahats.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If the hereafter does exist, after they die they will be
reborn in the States of Happiness, in the Celestial Realm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If the hereafter does not exist, regardless of whether these
individuals</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">‟</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">
view is right or wrong, they will most certainly be admired for their conduct
in the present.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If the hereafter does
exist, they will receive two rewards:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">1) They will be admired
in the present for their conduct.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">2) They will be reborn in
the States of Happiness, in the Celestial Realm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Buddha
taught that the first group of Brahmins had “Wrong View</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">‟</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> whereas the second group had “<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1734243271072167275" name="_GoBack"></a>Right View</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">‟</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">. He also advised wrong-viewed individuals on how to change
their view such that they could conduct their lives accordingly. He gave the second group of Brahmins
confirmation that their view was correct and they could confidently continue to
follow their dogma.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This
teaching can be applied to non-believers in the Law of Kamma or in any religion
because it provides them with a guiding principle by which to live their
lives. Whether they believe or
disbelieve in the reality of this world and the hereafter or the Law of Kamma,
they can at least conduct their lives in such a way that they can meet with
happiness in the present by not incurring condemnation from other people for
their misdeeds. And just in case death
is not final and the hereafter does exist, they will not have to endure
horrific suffering in the States of Loss and Woe. Therefore, the belief in the Law of Kamma
provides only advantages to its believer. It provides the correct roadmap for
how to live our lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In
conclusion, the main point of this topic is to enable the student to look at
the Law of Kamma from different angles and to gain a deeper understanding of
the law.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In conclusion, the main point of this topic is to enable the student to look at
the Law of Kamma from different angles and to gain a deeper understanding of
the law.</span><o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Class Photos June 19, 2013:</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06474639207404110110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1734243271072167275.post-54031213761939877582013-06-25T19:37:00.001-07:002016-04-11T20:26:10.872-07:00Edison & Alba Geromele Testimonial Dhammakaya Meditation<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">Edison and Alba Geromele have both been members with us for over a year and almost never miss a weekly meditation session! Edison and Alba really impressed me with their testimonial. Truly inspiring indeed! I actually learned a few things myself!</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; line-height: 18px;"> Enjoy!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Georgia Meditation Circle www.meditationcircle.org is an affiliate of the Georgia Dhammakaya Meditation Center. Our meditation group meets every Wednesday at 7pm, the group was formed in 2007 with the support of our then Abbot, Venerable Nine, and today with the support of our current Abbot, Venerable Sanguan, along with the current staff members of our center. Today, six years later we have helped introduced meditation to over 2000 members! The commitment of our core members is the reason for our continued growth. </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06474639207404110110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1734243271072167275.post-40528396872962982172013-06-25T19:25:00.001-07:002016-04-11T20:23:17.421-07:00Karl Rosenblum Testimonial Dhammakaya Meditation<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">
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Karl Rosenblum Testimonial Dhammakaya Meditation</h3>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The dedication of our core members is the reason for our meditation group’s success in meeting every Wednesdays since 2007. Today, six years later we have helped introduced meditation to over 2000 members! Here is a testimonial from our member Karl Rosenblum, he has been a member with us for over a year. If you need inspiration to meditate listen to the testimonials! I have 3 more coming! For now let me present Karl Rosenblum. Enjoy!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Georgia Meditation Circle www.meditationcircle.org is an affiliate of the Georgia Dhammakaya Meditation Center. <span style="color: #333333; line-height: 17px;">The meditation group meets every Wednesday at 7pm, the group was founded in 2007 by Bee Intakanok Prete and her brother Nat Intakanok, with the support of our then Abbott, Venerable Nah, and today with the support of our current Abbott, Venerable Sanguan, along with the current staff members of our center. The commitment of our core members is the reason for our continued growth.</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06474639207404110110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1734243271072167275.post-31370928893667023212013-06-05T07:48:00.001-07:002016-04-11T20:24:53.259-07:00<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Ann Munkel-Laffoon Testimonial Dhammakaya Meditation</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The dedication of our core members is the reason for our
success in meeting every Wednesdays since 2007. Today, six years later we have
helped introduced meditation to over 2000 members! For the next six weeks I
will upload a new testimonial given by a few of our core members. I would like
to thank Ann Munkel-Laffoon, Karl Rosenblum, Mike Howard, Alba and Edison
Jeromel, and Islene Born for their commitment to helping us spread inner peace. There is nothing that makes me happier than hearing stories that give me the
dedication and motivation to continue to grow our meditation group here in <st1:city w:st="on">Atlanta</st1:city>. Thank you, thank
you, thank you for being my virtuous friends, the very best kind! And with that
may I present Ann Munkel-Laffoon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Georgia Meditation Circle www.meditationcircle.org is an affiliate of the Georgia Dhammakaya Meditation Center. Ann has been a member with us for two years and this is her testimonial. The meditation group meets every Wednesday at 7pm, the group was founded in 2007 by Bee Intakanok and her brother Nat Intakanok, with the support of our then Abbot, Venerable Nine, and today with the support of our current Abbot, Venerable Sanguan, along with the current staff members of our center. The commitment of our core members is the reason for our continued growth. We have a total of 5 testimonials that will be shared each week starting with this one. Enjoy!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06474639207404110110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1734243271072167275.post-67795269310660418172013-04-11T11:36:00.000-07:002016-04-11T20:17:32.057-07:00Dhamma April 10th Wed Meditation Class – There will always be obstacles in life<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 13.5pt; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18pt;">Happy
Birthday to My Hero!</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">April 7</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">Dharma – There will
always be obstacles in life</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">This past Sunday (April
7) at Alms Offering Service, for the Dhamma portion, Venerable Na Long spoke
about a lady at our center who has been coming to the center every day, and has
never missed Alms Offering. However today, her seat is empty. The Venerable
went on speaking about this lady’s situation and the wisdom that we can gain.
The Venerable stated that there will be challenges and obstacles in life, but
we must always stay the course and use the accumulation of merit as your
refuge.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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incident since there is wisdom that one can learn from her situation.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">There is a member at the
temple that started coming since the inception of the Georgia Meditation Center
in 1998. She never missed an Alms Offering Service held every Sunday and always
is in attendance for all ceremonies. She is very involved at the center always
helping to motivate others to accumulate good deeds, and has introduced many to
join the center and attend service. She conducts her life accordingly to the
teaching of the center with daily practice of meditation, upholding the 5
precepts, and acts of generosity. She truly is an inspiration for others and is
a true virtuous peace leader. She has proven time and time again, by her
actions and service to the center how dedicated and genuine she really is...my
mother.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">Recently, an unfortunate
situation occurred, my mother was injured. All I could wish for is merit
not to fail my family now, wishing that for any situation that might be heavy
to be light instead, and for my mom to ultimately be fine. I am so relieved to
say my mother will be fine, and her scars will heal. My mother has proven that
she is not only a warrior with the ultimate love for her child, but she is also
a soldier of goodness. She is my hero, and my captain, who has guided me to be
who I am today, a lover of doing good for the world, a soldier for peace.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">The next day after her
injury my mother asked for us to go to the temple to accumulate more good deeds
for our family. She reminded us (myself and my brothers) that when it comes to
relaying on anything we must rely on our good deeds to get us through, and that
she knows she is protected, because of all the good she has done thus far.
My mother is a great example of perseverance of accumulating good deeds
and believing in merit no matter what. That though challenges come in our
life we will not back down, and wonder why our goodness did not protect us.
When it comes to Karma we just never know what consequence will bear its fruit,
all we can wish for, if unfortunate situations are to occur due to remnants of
Karma, let them be light, not heavy circumstances. We have confident and faith
in the good deeds that we accumulate and our goodness and virtues will always
protect us. And even if it doesn’t, we will realize that sometimes some things
are just meant to be and we have no control. And that my friends is Karma.
Believe in Merit, Believe in doing good and recall on them to protect you.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">Today is my mother’s
birthday and to celebrate her birthday she made an offering to the Venerable. I
wanted to share her story with you in hopes that it may help inspire you to
accumulate good deeds for yourself by meditating, upholding precepts, and acts
of generosity, her story is one that we can learn something from. Those of you
who know my mom, know how dedicated she is in accumulating good deeds.
Instead of buying her a present, she asked each of her children (me, Nat,
and Timmy) to share in making a birthday offering with her, she wanted no
material object, but rather wanted to make merit. Since monks meditate 4-6
hours a day, and uphold 227 precepts, for us, we believe they are our fertile
fields of merit. Thus, just like a seed that is to be planted, we should be
selective with the type of soil we plant the seed in, the more fertile the soil
the better the yield. Likewise, the more purified a person is, an act of good
deed towards that person, accumulates a high return of merit accordingly.
Merit and Demerit are behind all things, accumulate only good deeds, and
protect yourself. Believe in merit. It is real!</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">A photo
of my family performing merit offering together:</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06474639207404110110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1734243271072167275.post-14234741015214425552013-04-10T06:36:00.000-07:002013-04-10T06:40:27.634-07:00Wed Meditation Class Dhamma Talk April 6th<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Dhamma (Wisdom) Discussion after Meditation Session</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">with Venerable Na Long Dhammakaya</span></div>
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Which things do Buddhists do differently to those of other
religions? <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7rQEL96vvXA/UWVqe_-BCCI/AAAAAAAAB8I/CJfBbyb41Kk/s1600/Ven+Nick.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7rQEL96vvXA/UWVqe_-BCCI/AAAAAAAAB8I/CJfBbyb41Kk/s1600/Ven+Nick.png" /></a>Answer by: Venerable Nicolas Thanissaro<o:p></o:p></div>
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Buddhism is a very old and diverse religion. Thus, there
have been many attempts to summarize the features which Buddhists have in
common and hence how these differ from those of other religions. The most
famous of these are Colonel Henry Olcott's fourteen points: Buddhists are
taught to show the same tolerance, forbearance, and brotherly love to all men
(people, ed.), without distinction and an unswerving kindness to the members of
the animal kingdom.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The universe was evolved, not created; and it functions
according to law, not according to the caprice of any god.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The truths upon which Buddhism is founded are natural. They
have, we believe, been taught in successive kalpas, world periods, by certain
Illuminated beings called Buddhas, the word Buddha meaning enlightened.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The fourth Teacher in the present kalpa (aeon) was Sakyamuni
or Gautama Buddha, who was born in a royal family of India about 2,500 years
ago. He is an historical personage and his name was Siddhartha Gautama.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sakyamuni taught that ignorance produces desire (craving
unsatisfied desire is the cause of rebirth, and rebirth the cause of sorrow).
To get rid of sorrow, therefore, it is necessary to escape rebirth; to escape
rebirth, it is necessary to extinguish desire; and to extinguish desire, it is
necessary to destroy ignorance.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ignorance fosters the belief that rebirth is a necessary
thing. When ignorance is destroyed, the worthlessness of every such rebirth,
considered as an end in itself, is perceived, as well as the paramount need of
adopting a course of life by which the necessity for such repeated rebirth can
be abolished. Ignorance also begets the illusive and illogical idea that there
is only one existence for man (humankind), and the other illusion that this one
life is followed by states of unchangeable pleasure or torment.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The dispersion of all this ignorance can be attained by the
persevering practice of an all-embracing altruism in conduct, development of intelligence,
wisdom in thought, and destruction of desire for the lower personal pleasures.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The desire to live being the cause of rebirth, when that is
extinguished, rebirths cease, and the perfected individual attains by
meditation that highest state of peace called Nirvana.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sakyamuni taught that ignorance can be dispelled and sorrow
removed by the knowledge of the four Noble Truths, i.e. the miseries of
existence the cause productive of misery, which is the desire (craving, ed.),
ever renewed, of satisfying oneself, without ever being able to secure that end
the destruction of that desire or the estranging of oneself from it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The means of obtaining this destruction of desire. The means
which he pointed out is called the Noble Eightfold Path: i.e.: Right Belief,
Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Means of Livelihood, Right
Exertion, Right Remembrance, Right Meditation. Right meditation leads to
spiritual enlightenment, or the development of that Buddha like faculty which
is latent in every man, The essence of Buddhism, as summed up by the Tathagata
(Buddha) himself, is " 'to cease from all sin, to get all virtue, to
purify the heart'.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The universe is subject to a natural causation known as
karma. The merits and demerits of a being in past experiences determine his
condition in the present one. Each man (person, ed.), therefore, has prepared
the causes of the effects which he now experiences.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The obstacles to the attainment of good karma may be removed
by the observance of the following precepts, which are embraced in the moral
code of Buddhism: i.e.: (1) kill not; (2) steal not; (3) indulge in no forbidden
sexual pleasure; (4) Lie not (5) take no intoxicating or stupefying drug or
liquor.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Five other precepts which need not here be enumerated should
be observed by bhikkhus and all those who would attain, more quickly than the
average layman the release from misery and rebirth. Buddhism discourages
superstitious credulity. Gautama Buddha taught it to be the duty of a parent to
have his child educated In science and literature.<o:p></o:p></div>
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He also taught that no one should believe what is spoken by
any sage, written in any book, or affirmed by tradition, unless it accords with
reason, If I were a school student, I would be focusing on points 1. (no
violence is allowed even in the name of one's religion), 2. (no creator god is
needed to account for existence) and 9, (salvation is achievable by a man's own
efforts in meditation).<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06474639207404110110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1734243271072167275.post-11383508181326266282013-02-08T06:57:00.003-08:002013-02-08T06:58:41.456-08:00Wed Meditation Class ~Feb 6, 2013<br />
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Wednesday Feb 6 Meditation Class</div>
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GOODNESS – Venerable Na Long’s Dhamma (Wisdom) Talk last night.<br />
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What is goodness? Goodness is good deed. Good deeds are through:- thinking, speaking, and acting. When we do good deeds, such as learning to still the mind through meditation, performing acts of generosity, or good moral conduct, we gain merit for ourselves. Merit is pure power. Merit is delicious food for the mind. When we perform merit we will feel calm, joy, bright, and happy. We will feel generous, compassionate, and grateful. When we get used to performing good deeds, it will transform into good habits.<br />
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A Person with good habits is a person of the people, a super person; a super man! People will share, support, protect and sacrifice for a good person. Everyone will love you because of your goodness, and will respect your words. You will be a good representation for society. This is the character of a great person, live humble but do high. Notably, good or bad person can be rich. But good person is rich with happiness that is permanent.<br />
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Good deeds which is merit is similar to pure water. Bad deed, demerit is similar to salt. When you do bad deed, you put salt into pure water which is unsuitable for drinking. You are useless man. People need pure water/good person. In conclusion, you do good, you get good. You get what you give. This is the universal law of life.<br />
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Blessing You ~ Venerable Na Long<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06474639207404110110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1734243271072167275.post-24867543576873282042013-01-16T09:44:00.000-08:002016-04-11T20:29:03.542-07:002 Day Meditation Retreat with Venerable Nicholas Thannissaro March 9th and 10th at the Georgia Meditation Center<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>World Peace Starts with YOU!</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Georgia Meditation Center will be hosting a 2 day retreat with Venerable Nicholas on March 9th and March 10th, 2013! Join us for one day or both! This retreat introduces meditation skills and their application in working constructively with negative emotions including anger, obsession, delusion, stinginess, arrogance, dissatisfaction and blindness to virtue. Venerable Nicholas Thanissaro MA, BSc., PGCE is a Buddhist monk of UK origin. He has been a monk for fourteen years and has over twenty years of meditation experience. He has been giving popular mediation courses in Europe since 1997 and has several TV guest spots, audio CD's, books, book translations and academic articles to his name.</span><br />
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Creating Peace for the World starts with YOU!</span><br />
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World peace can become a reality only when everyone finds peace within himself or herself, which is inner peace. Each person can experience inner peace when his or her mind is cleared of all thoughts and becomes focused and still at the center of the body. This practice of mediation is the link to world peace.</span><br />
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Wisdom obtained from mediation will help one solve problems and guide one through life. The mind will be purified and clarified. All the impurities in one’s mind will vanish. Love and kindness will be in one’s mind. He/she will wish that everyone in the world would meditate, that everyone in the world were purified, and that everyone in the world would know true happiness forever.</span><br />
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If we are all united in spreading peace through Inner peace, the world will change from darkness to rightness, from impurity to purity, from selfishness to sharing, and be filled with love and genuine smiles. The idea of taking advantage of, or hurting others, anger, and resentment will vanish. On the other hand, loving kindness, well-wishing, forgiveness, devotion, sharing, purity, and happiness will be everywhere, creating the world peace that everyone has long wished for.</span><br />
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World Peace through Inner Peace starts with YOU! Join us and learn the ancient art of meditation, and begin your inner journey for true happiness and inner peace. For all my friends that have ever had an interest to learn meditation, the time is NOW! Join us for a 2 Day Meditation Retreat with a Top Meditation Teacher, Venerable Nicholas Thannissaro of Dhammakaya International Society of United Kingdom. The two day retreat will be on Saturday, March 9th and Sunday, March 10th from 9:00-5:30pm. Money collected will be donated to our visiting Venerable and our Meditation Center. To register for this event or for more information visit www.meditationcircle.org</span><br />
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Venerable Nicholas has twenty years of meditation experience. He has been giving popular meditation courses in Europe since 1997 and has several TV guest spots, audio CD's, books and book translations to his name. We are honored and excited to have him conduct a retreat for our group, this is sure to be a profound experience for us all!</span><br />
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Dhamma Teaching from Venerable Nicholas on the Power of a Still Mind and Cultivating a Pure Mind and the 5 Hindrances.</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06474639207404110110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1734243271072167275.post-17352468945589837162013-01-15T08:55:00.005-08:002013-01-15T11:00:26.281-08:002013 Dhammachai Dhutanga Jan 2-Jan 27<br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">Pilgrimage Walk (1128 monks) explained by Venerable Sander. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">Many lay people all over Thailand have come together to rejoice in the merits and support 1,128 monks participating in this year’s Dhammachai Dhutanga, ( January 2-Janary 27th) this is a pilgrimage walk and designed for monks who have dedicated to train themselves by voluntarily taking on ascetic practices in order to cultivate renunciation and contentment, and to create good energy, for all those around. The dhutanga austerities are meant to deepen the practice of meditation and assist in living the Holy Life. The aim is to help the practitioner to develop detachment with material things including the body.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">The monks will travel through different provinces in Thailand and end their pilgrimage on January 27th. This pilgrimage walk is an inspiration for all laypeople who come together to pay respect and also to rejoice in the merits of the monks practicing dhutanga. It restore's and revive's people's spirit and morale in Buddhist practice across the country. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">Dhutanga in general helps the practitioner to overcome the attachment to things like clothes, food, the comfort of one's sleeping place, etc. In Thai language, 'Thudong', derived from Pali Dhutanga, colloquially refers to the practice of walking and staying in the open, maybe with a mosquito net, without much property and without any other business to do travelling around to find good meditation teachers and practice for oneself. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">Venerable Dhammajayo, the Abbot of Dhammakaya tries to use the Dhutanga walk as a way to inspire people to learn more about the monk's life, and involve people more in Buddhist practice. Finally, and most importantly, it is a way to honor Venerable Sodh, our grandfather Abbot who rediscovered the Dhammakaya meditation technique, and to establish the practice of honoring the important places in his life. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">Spreading the flowers is a way for people to learn to honor the Sangha, and honor Buddhism. The fact that the pilgrimage is very popular indicates people have a need for showing their support for Buddhism.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06474639207404110110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1734243271072167275.post-41025074693845226552012-12-11T21:05:00.004-08:002016-04-11T20:27:39.855-07:00Pearls of Wisdom<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">After our guided meditation we watch the first part of a dhamma talk given by Robert Mawson to a group of soon to be novices participating in the International Oridination Dhammadayada Program. A 30 day training period to ordain as a novice Buddhist monk, which is offered 4 times throughout the year check out www.ordinationthai.org for more information.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I had meditation members request a copy of this dhamma talk given by Robert Mawson and uploaded the talk to our youtube page. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Robert Mawson gave some great points that I would like to highlight.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial";">1) Realize the power of your mind, that you have more potential than any human being that has ever lived before you. The only thing that limits you is your mind, your only limited by how you think. You can actually meditate to such a degree that you are no longer are here, there is nothingness. </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: large;">You are one with the whole universe and beyond, and when that happens you can’t feel anything. </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: large;">This is where I'd like to insert that we truly are part of this universe, and when we connect to the center by meditating we are connecting to the universe. When you connect with the universe and become one with it, you cannot feel your own body.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: large;">2) Don’t give up on yourselves, don’t ever doubt your inner power. I don’t know how you have talked to yourself, all your lives, but start talking to yourself different from today. Start reminding yourself how powerful you are. When I say powerful I mean it in the best sense of the word, because all of you, each of you has the opportunity when you leave here to make a huge difference in the world, because you are so powerful. And remember when you touch only one life, that person touches someone else live, and it goes out and it goes onward and with meditation it is like quantum physics it travels at the speed of light. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">3) You all came here seeking something, you came to the right place because this is where you find it. You probably came here seeking yourself trying to find out who you are, remind yourself you are very powerful, because you have a mind, and you know where to place that mind. And you know that this place 2 finger widths above your naval is the most powerful place that your mind can be, and when it is there fantastic things can happen in your life. </span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06474639207404110110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1734243271072167275.post-5198558240156592882012-11-20T19:18:00.001-08:002012-12-11T21:08:22.134-08:00Katina Ceremony - Nov 25th - Georgia Meditation Center<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial;">Georgia Meditation Center </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial;">Katina Ceremony - Nov 25th, 2012</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial;">You
are invited to a very special day for us at the Georgia Meditation Center!
November 25</span><sup style="font-family: Arial;">th, </sup><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial;">2012 marks the Katina Ceremony which
is a robe offering ceremony presented to monks who have completed their 3
months rains retreat period.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;">For
2600 years families have gathered to take part in the largest alms-giving
ceremony of the Buddhist year, the Katina. Friends, old and new, parents and
children join together in a celebration on the theme of harmony. Katina occurs
at the end of Buddhist Lent. For an ordained monk, the period of Lent is a
time for serious devotion to the ways of the Buddha, when he must strenuously
observe his commitments to the 227 Buddhist precepts, meditate, and study
dharma (teachings of the Buddha).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;">From
that time until now, lay supporters have made a point of offering cloth at the
end Buddhist Lent. The Sangha is not allowed to request the offering, so it is
important that the initiation of the offering and its organization be done
entirely by the lay people. Actually, the ceremony is held in such high esteem
that it is rare that the Katina doesn't take place. The cloth, according to the
Buddha's advice, must be offered to the whole Sangha, not to any particular
individual, so that the bhikkhus have to formally agree as to which of them
should receive the cloth<br />
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We would like to invite our meditation members to come and witness this
wonderful ceremony with us filled with an abundance of merit gaining
experiences. The schedule of the ceremony is below feel free to come at any
time that is convenient for you, but I would recommend to come before the alms
offering portion of the day, which is where lay people offer food to the monks
and there is always plenty of food prepared by many to offer to the Venerables,
so please join us!<br />
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9:30am - Meditation<br />
10:30am – Observe 5 precepts, Food Offering Ceremony, Blessing from Monks<br />
10:45am - Alms Offering<br />
11:30am - Lunch<br />
12:30pm – Robe Parade<br />
1pm - Robe offering<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">For Buddhists and non-Buddhist alike, it is a great
opportunity to observe the 2,600-year-old noble tradition of the<span class="apple-converted-space"><b> </b></span><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">saffron
robe parade and presentation.</span></strong></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"><b>Gain Merit with Us</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 15pt;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1734243271072167275" name="_GoBack"></a></span><span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 15pt;">If
you would like to accumulate merit from the offering of the Katina robe to the
Sangha with the lay community please send your donation of any amount by
clicking on our paypal button at </span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.meditationcircle.org/HTML/gainmerit.html%C2%A0">http://www.meditationcircle.org/HTML/gainmerit.html </a></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 15pt;"> No amount is ever too small to make a difference, and it is the intention that
counts more than the amount! Rejoice in your merits!</span><span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 15pt;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"><b>Special Merit for a Special
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;">The wonderful
tradition of Katina-Robe Offering has been performed consistently since the
time of the Buddha. The merit gained from Kathina is considered exceptional
since it does not occur easily given that there are many requirements. For
instance, there is a time limit – it has to be completed within a month after
the end of Buddhist Lent. Thus, Kathina-Robe Offering cannot be performed
whenever one wishes. This year’s Kathina is especially distinguished than any
other year because it perfectly commemorates the 2600<sup>th</sup> anniversary
of the Lord Buddha’s Enlightenment. If this opportunity is missed, one would
have to wait another 100 years before the next centennial arises.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06474639207404110110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1734243271072167275.post-24782621637887680572012-11-20T08:47:00.002-08:002016-04-11T20:35:29.342-07:00Alms Offering Services Sundays<h2 style="text-align: center;">
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Alms Offering Every Sunday </span></h2>
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Georgia Mediation Center </span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sunday marks a day where we dedicate our day to accumulating
merit (positive energy accumulated from good deeds performed). Every Sunday a
lay person takes on the role of Master of Ceremony, there are many different
reasons one decides to take on the leadership role of offering food to the
Sangha (order of monks) it can range from celebrations such as marriage, a
birthday, a new home, to gaining merit for a deceased relative.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are many ways to gain merit that can be summed up into
three basic practices; generosity, keeping the 5 precepts, and meditation.
Every Sunday we have the opportunity to participate in all 3 practices. We must
try to achieve these practices so that we can continue to cultivate good deeds
and merit into our lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Recently on November 11<sup>th</sup> we had a Meditation
Member, Fausta Chavez, who also attends Alms Offering Service on Sundays take on the lead role
as Master of Ceremony for her birthday.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I look forward to more of our meditation members joining us
to gain merit on Sunday’s and to take on the leadership role to present
offerings to our Sangha!</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06474639207404110110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1734243271072167275.post-11876286922092517152012-10-25T06:37:00.002-07:002016-04-11T20:30:35.139-07:00Meditation Class Oct 24th<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Georgia Meditation Center</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After guided meditation we watched an educational program called "Buddhism & Science" this video does an excellent job putting Buddhism in a nutshell. Watching it makes me feel so fortunate that I am blessed to learn the teachings left from the Buddha. In the film there is a segment that talks about how few people will understand nirvana, and from my experience this is true. If people truly study the teachings of the Buddha and come to a deep understanding of the wisdom that he left for us to learn from, it is a gift! I can't stress enough how lucky we are to have a center that teaches us to pursue perfections, and that we have teachers, such as the Sangha to look-up to as our example of cultivation in meditation and moral conduct. Enjoy the film! Keep in mind No Class Oct 31st (Halloween) </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06474639207404110110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1734243271072167275.post-7744984724656052942012-10-25T06:30:00.000-07:002016-04-11T20:31:56.223-07:003 Year Old Boy Chants in Pali<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">3 Year Old Boy Chants in Pali</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This little boy in north-east Thailand called "Nong Mark" seems to continue to behave like a monk, as he would have done in his previous life: shaving his head, wearing a yellow robe and playing with a bowl. He can give the traditional blessing in Pali quite fluently, and then chants "Itipiso", "Bahum" and "Mahakaruniko" with a few mistakes and some prompting, just like a normal monk would do. He can do most of the usual chanting which takes over half an hour. His grandmother always takes him to the temple, but he started chanting in Pali from the age of 1.5 years. He also started sprinkling "holy water" before he was able to walk and sit cross-legged in meditation quietly by himself, which is unusual for children of his age. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">~Venerable Gavesako</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06474639207404110110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1734243271072167275.post-51205758642015125212012-10-18T06:47:00.001-07:002012-12-11T21:10:40.932-08:00World Peace Through Meditation<br />
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Center<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">October 17<sup>th</sup>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Venerable Teelapad visited our meditation group yesterday
and he was great! I hope to invite him back to our class. Venerable Teelapad is
currently staying at our Florida center; he has his Doctorate in Engineering,
and lived in the US for 20 years. After being in the corporate world, he yearned for more spiritual balance in his life.
He attended a 7 day meditation retreat, and through his meditation gain insight,
later deciding to ordain and contribute to something bigger "World Peace through
Meditation". The Venerable was fascinating yesterday, for the dhamma part of the
class he talked about how moral conduct and meditation go together. When you
meditate you gain inner insight, when you have inner insight you know how to
teach yourself right from wrong. He was a great teacher I hope we are lucky to
have him come back to visit us. After class ended, Nat took the lead in getting
donations together for the Venerable's journey to our center, Kudos to Nat! </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Just want to add how much wisdom we gain from our Venerables, our teacher. I can't stress enough, how much I highly regard our Venerables for their virtues. Meditating 4-6 hours a day, upholding 227 precepts, following the path of the Middle Way. The Venerable talked about how if everyone in the world uphold 5 precepts (no lying, no killing, no sexual misconduct, no stealing, no intoxicants) it surely would be heaven on earth. I raised my hand, and said that this would be impossible with our current society, just look at people who choose not to drink, they are considered an anomaly, the Venerable then reminded me it starts with you. He said start with yourself first and when you discover it you invite other people, "it" being meditation. The Venerable said it all starts from the mind, through meditation and purifying yourself. Again I feel so fortunate to be near a powerhouse of virtues such as our Dhammakaya center. I hope others can discover what I have and that is why I, along with my brother Nat, continue with our efforts every week, rain or shine we are there! One person, 10 person, 20-30 it doesn't matter, in the end it is worth it and nothing brings me more happiness than to help others discover the truth. At this point in our journey I am proud to state that through our 5 years of weekly meeting we have touched on the lives of over 2000 participants. </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06474639207404110110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1734243271072167275.post-43679179326945010592012-10-12T13:07:00.001-07:002012-12-11T21:11:05.196-08:00Merit is Behind All Success!<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Class Discussion October 10th</span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">After our guided meditation, our class discussion centered upon merit. It was very important to me to point out to our class how much faith and conviction I have in creating merit every day, and I will share with you the reason why. I shared with the class that every day I do three things to the best of my ability generosity, upholding the 5 morale conducts, and meditating. Many of our members, are familiar with the acts of accumulating merit. It is important to remember, in order to progress in meditation body, speech, and mind play a part and they must be align with your progression, a topic we often talk about in class. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Something that my mother has always taught me is that merit is behind all success she often repeats this in Thai “boon chuck son” which translate into merit is behind all things working out to the best possible outcome. I have always been a believer in accumulating merit, and I continue to do acts of good deeds, not ever expecting anything in return, because what I get is genuine happiness. The interesting thing is that I have notice positive results do come my way. My mother always says “bee wish upon your merit to help you” this I rarely do, because I am never in dire need, but time and time again when I do wish upon my merit it has never failed me. Others may find it as coincidence and luck, and I probably would have at one time in my life, but now from the core of my being<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I affirm that all success in my life are a result of my good deeds, it just has to be, because so many great things that have happen to me have been remarkable. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">First let’s read from the excerpts from our Master Nun, Khun Yay’s book, and then I will follow it with a recent incident in my life that <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>has sealed the deal for me in terms of believing that Merit is behind all success.<sup><o:p></o:p></sup></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Succeed through merit (Wisdom From an Enlightened Mind – Khun Yay’s Teachings)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Whatever<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>you<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>set<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>out<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>accomplish, keep<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>your<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>merits<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you possess merit, merit will help you succeed in the things that you do. Merit is your refuge. Center your mind in it and everything will fall in place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #1a1114; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Trajan Pro'; mso-text-raise: .5pt; position: relative; top: -0.5pt;">U<span style="letter-spacing: -0.3pt;">s</span>i<span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">n</span>g m<span style="letter-spacing: -0.3pt;">e</span>rit c<span style="letter-spacing: -0.5pt;">o</span>rre<span style="letter-spacing: -0.1pt;">c</span>t<span style="letter-spacing: -0.65pt;">l</span>y</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">(Wisdom From an Enlightened Mind – Khun Yay’s Teachings)</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The act of charity returns to us in good<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>fortune. The act of mental cultivation brings us deliverance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Meditate frequently.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Before merit can be generated, there is a great deal of effort involved. Merit making can be complete only when the following elements are present: faith, a good<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“field of merit”, an<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>act<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>of good<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>deed, and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>right combination of everything else. Since merit<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is not so easy to come<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>by, do not waste<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>an opportunity<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to acquire<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>it. Preserve your merit and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>know<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>how<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to use<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>your merit the right way. Merit is your vehicle to success and happiness</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I got married in Mexico last week on October 6<sup>th</sup> planning this destination wedding had been in the works for at least a year, and finally it was here. My then fiancé and I had headed off to our destination a few days before our guests would arrive. Two weeks before the wedding, I went for a general cleaning and somehow after the cleaning ended up with the worst tooth pain in my life which kept me up for 3 days straight, where I was not able to eat or sleep. Therefore a week before my wedding my dentist suggested that I get a root canal, because I could run the risk of a flare-up, in other words I had a time bomb in my mouth. I was very hesitate to have oral surgery before flying out to Mexico, and totally had mixed emotions as to what to do. Get a root canal running the risk, that if something goes wrong I am in another country, or not doing anything at all and run the risk of being in excruciating pain. That was problem number 1 going into the wedding, I opted to take a chance. Problem number 2, when we arrived to Mexico, the forecast was rain every day, totally depressing as a bride. In fact when we got there it was raining all day and night for 2 days straight, Dan, my now husband, told me about a woman he saw in the lobby who was in tears because of the forecast, and this lady was only in Mexico for her honeymoon, here I was a bride, and everything that we had planned centered on good weather!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now here is the big KICKER, guest were scheduled to arrive on Thursday, October 4<sup>th</sup> we had planned a Welcome Dinner for 46 people, an hour before the Welcome Dinner I was told my little brother, was not allowed to board the plan because his passport wouldn’t scan! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Going into it all I just kept wishing upon my merit to have all my boxes checked no flare-up of tooth, good weather for our activities, and my brother being able to get on a flight the following day. At the time, I felt like I would be pretty lucky if I were able to get 2/3 wishes. All 3 wishes came true for me, and we had an absolutely fabulous time! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My younger brother got on a plane the following day, the weather totally cooperated, and my tooth never flared up. Most people may just find this as being all coincidental that it all worked out, but for me, I can only attest that my good deeds helped everything flow so naturally and perfectly. And this is only one example, out of many that have come true for me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So with that I reminded the class how fortunate we are to have found a place like the Dhammakaya center that helps to create virtuous people and that everything that we learn is logical and it makes sense. The wisdom that we learn from the teachings of the Buddha does not contradict with any faith at all because in the end it is your life, here is wisdom to learn from and use it ever which way you choose. The core being to purify the mind, and with that wisdom develops and all that we learn clicks like a light bulb. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I told the class we need to come together to help spread meditation and invite <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>others to come learn with us, and accumulate good deeds together. I reminded the class that we are fortunate to be blessed with our Sangha who are our fertile field of merit, our <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Venerables uphold 227 precepts, they meditate 4-6 hours a day and they have given up all material possession to pursue perfections, thus they are our fertile fields of merit. Continue to come to meditation class every week and try to accumulate the 3 forms of merit every day. I have a piggy bank at home where I put change in and when it fills up I give it to the Sangha, I uphold my 5 precepts of refraining from lying, sexual misconduct, stealing, intoxicants, and killing, and I meditate, doing all these things every day is something we all can do regardless of religion, and what harm is it to safeguard your future….none! So why not…….I think I inspired people in meditation class that day, at least I would like to think<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>did! :) after class I had a few members tell me how inspired they are now. All I have to say is that we are here on this earth to pursue perfections and when we are fortunate to discover this and truly understand it we should share it to others and that is all I try to do. It's the very best thing I could have ever done with my time :)</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Please join us next Wednesday, October 17<sup>th</sup> we will have a guest Venerable visit us and he is looking forward to guiding class and teaching us wisdom of life.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06474639207404110110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1734243271072167275.post-28369161777416206512012-09-06T09:28:00.001-07:002012-12-11T21:11:23.843-08:00True Happiness in Meditation <div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">September 5th Dhamma Talk</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yesterday for the dhamma portion of the class Venerable Hart focused on meditation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Meditation is highly relevant to daily life. Everybody can benefit from meditation, but most people don’t realize it. The Buddha taught that anyone who meditates regularly will attain seeing and knowing according to reality, wisdom, knowledge and inner brightness – which will allow the practitioner ultimately to uproot their defilements (greed, delusion, anger etc) . Meditation is no less necessary for a person than the air we breathe – because without meditation we miss out on happiness and meaning in life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Happiness is fundamental for every life. According to the Buddhist proverb: Sukhakaamaani bhuutaani, All beings long for happiness.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Most beings think they can find happiness from sensory stimuli – however, real happiness is of a different quality – a happiness that stays with one whether one is sleeping, waking, sitting, lying down, standing or walking along. This kind of happiness is true and long lasting. Meditation is the way people can attain such happiness.. This is because when one’s mind is internalized and united with the center of the body, one will come across the inner sphere of Dhamma which is the origin of the happiness which all human beings are longing for. This source of happiness inside is different from mundane happiness, which is temporary. At the moment one’s mind comes to standstill, one will immediately realize that the feeling one thought was happiness before was actually no more than distraction from one’s suffering. Such mundane happiness tends to be only fleeting, comparatively insignificant, cannot be maintained and still has an admixture of suffering. The true happiness, by contrast, comes from the inside-- illuminating one’s mind from the inside at all times providing happiness together with wisdom – not reliant on external circumstances but merely on the stillness of the mind. It is a sort of happiness one will not get bored with easily and on the contrary, will increase to happiness that becomes more and more profound. Once one reaches the Dhamma sphere inside, one will immediately appreciate that inner wisdom is unlimited, full of wisdom and happiness, which is revealed by the illuminated mind. To attain happiness, safety and satisfaction in life, it becomes obvious that one does not have to search anywhere else but merely allowing their mind to glide down through the stream of brightness at the centre of the body.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Therefore continue to meditate every day and dedicate yourself to the practice, only good things will result from your meditation. </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06474639207404110110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1734243271072167275.post-38663436188902048762012-08-30T11:10:00.002-07:002016-04-11T20:33:43.165-07:00Where is Steve Jobs Part 2?<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial";">Georgia</span></st1:placename><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial";"> <st1:placename w:st="on">Meditation</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Center</st1:placetype></span></st1:place><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial";"> August 29<sup>th</sup><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large;">Conclusion
of Steve Job’s Case Study “Why did Steve Jobs die of Pancreatic Cancer at the
age of 56?”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial";">Nothing
gives me greater happiness than to know I am helping people! When people come
to our meditation group, and tell me how meditation is helping them it truly
does fill my heart with so much joy. There is nothing else I’d rather be doing
with my time then helping others learn about meditation, learn about the wisdom
within, learn about the dhamma and hopefully they are able to gather some
wisdom from what they learn and apply into their life. We truly have a treasure
chest at our Dhammakaya center, and it is my wish that people come with an open
mind, to learn how to build perfections in their life! Because that is what we
are here for; I often tell the class we are born to meditate, eventually
through time, most meditation members begin to understand why this statement
could be true, or why I am strongly passionate about helping others to learn
this ancient art. Meditation is power within us, so shouldn’t we all learn to
unlock this power, and truly devote ourselves to the practice daily<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "wingdings";">J</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large;">Yesterday,
after our guided meditation we watched the conclusion of Steve Job’s case. I
told the class yesterday, before watching the video that as I was creating this
video, and translating the words of our Abbot, Venerable Dhammajayo, I couldn’t
help scratch my head from time-to-time, wondering why I am unable to recall any
of my past lives, and then I realized even in this life, I can’t recall the day
I was born, so how could I possibly recall anything beyond that point. Even as
I was translating the words of the Abbot, I listened and watched the video open
to the possibility that recalling another’s pass life is possible, I can’t say
it is and I can’t say it isn’t, so I am open and in the end there is a lesson
that to me makes all the sense in the world! More than again, nothing
truly explain why bad things happen to good people, or good things happen to
bad people, or why anything happens at all, other than the law of karma, so
that in itself makes me a believer! And that in itself makes me thankful that I
am fortunate enough to study this kind of knowledge, and as a result I am able
to conduct my life on the right track, and even if it is true or if it is not I
am benefiting from it none-of-the-less so with that I give you the conclusion
of Steve Jobs with the last question asked from Tony Seung “Why did Steve Jobs
die of Cancer at the age of 56?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06474639207404110110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1734243271072167275.post-22946576443631256282012-08-23T11:54:00.005-07:002012-12-11T21:12:43.132-08:00Where is Steve Jobs?<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Where is Steve Jobs Now? Case study submitted to</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Georgia Meditation Class August 22<sup>nd</sup></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Last week it was announced that our Abbot would be going
over the Case Study of Steve Jobs which was submitted to him many months ago.
When I first found out that the Abbot has received a submission to talk about
Steve Jobs Case Study I was very curios to find out what the Abbot would
reveal. I told our class this many months ago, from hearing it myself through
the grapevine from one of our Dhammakaya members. And now, finally, after many
months I came across an image that I couldn’t read. I sent it over to a
dhammakaya meditation members that I am friends with, we’ll call him Richard K
and he confirmed to me that sure enough the Venerable would be speaking about
Steve Jobs Case Study to be presented on August 17<sup>th</sup>, August 18<sup>th</sup>,
and August 20<sup>th</sup> during our Abbot’s show, Dream Kindergarten Dream.
This is a show that airs everyday on the DMC channel, where people from around
the world who believe in reincarnation and the high level meditation of our
Abbot, submit various questions that afflict their lives. Often times after cases are explained there
definitely seems to be some sort-of parallel connection that makes perfect
sense. Like the Case Study that we watched in class many weeks ago, about a
little girl the age of 10 years old, who wrote the Abbot asking what her Karma
was to be born in this life, but look like an old lady the age of 60. To
summarize it the Venerable mentioned that in a previous life she was influenced
by her mother to be rude and hurtful to her grandmother, later when her father passed
away, they (her mother and her) cause a lot of suffering and sadness to her
grandmother to the point where she passed away, she would always tease her
grandmother “you old lady, you old hag” so in this life she is a little girl,
who looks 60. Hmmmm well that is possible?! And makes sense nothing you can
prove, but I would hope things have a reason for happening to others and its
not “just because” it just makes sense to me as a human being. So therein lies
one case study that I have listened to. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">However Steve Jobs Case Study had been in the works for many
months. When I found out about the Venerable planning to answer questions written
to him, I was itching to get my hands on the material. I called the staff
person at the Georgia Dhammakaya Meditation Center and asked her to record the
information for me, figured she would have direct access to resources. However
getting the information over to me quickly enough, was not happening and I wanted to present the materials on August 22<sup>nd</sup>, so with that I buzz
in different directions doing plenty of research and downloading until I was
somehow able to get all the videos aired. It took many hours. When I finally
watched the material, I knew it was just too long, each episode was about an
hour long, with that I decided the best way to present the material, since most
of it was in Thai, was work on translating it and presenting it myself. I
honestly did try to figure out the most efficient way where I didn’t have to do
it, but in the end with being crunch for time, since I put a deadline for
myself, it had to be me. With that and the timing of when I received all the
videos, I was crunched to meet my deadline. I ended up figuring out how to
record my voice on the computer and did it in one shot! This is it! In the end when the class
watched it yesterday, I can’t lie that I was proud to create something that I
was able to share with others. It gave my mind happiness to know that I was
helping to spread the teachings of the law of karma, in my own little way. The
Venerable always tells us before going over a case, to listen to the answers
like it’s a fairytale, do not believe it, do not disbelieve it, but if you can
gain some wisdom in the stories, than you have benefited. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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So here is my work. I created this video so that I can share
it with our weekly meditation class, and anything more than 30 minutes wouldn’t
work for us since our dhamma portion of the class is allotted 30 minutes, that
is why this video worked out really well at 20 minutes. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06474639207404110110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1734243271072167275.post-23507328175774035652012-08-21T11:07:00.001-07:002016-04-11T20:38:14.001-07:00The World as One<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>"The World as One"</b></span><br />
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<b>Georgia Meditation Center Class August 15th</b>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We generally try to start the class with some sort-of inspiration before our guided meditation, either an inspirational quote, a teaching, a parody. On August 15th I tried a little something different. I guide our meditation class about once a month. It was my turn, we had about 15 people in class that day and I was trying to set the tone. I showed Video 1 right before we meditated, I felt that this video could help create spaciousness and happiness from the mind. Imagine how awesome it would be to watch scenes of Video 1 on IMAX and to feel engulf and a part of the world, as if you and the world/universe are one. In a lot ways that is exactly what we are trying to achieve when we meditate.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our meditation session lasted for about 40 minutes. It is always such a powerful experience to meditate in a group, having others around helps to encourage the time you devote to meditation, otherwise it is very easy to spoil yourself and stop when you feel like it. There is nothing better than creating merit (pure energy) with others!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When we were done I showed another video (Video 2)...again along with the theme of the day which is "The World as One" this video actually shows you the bigger picture of life. I truly try to help people think bigger! Think farther! Think different! Realize that you don't have all the answers and there is probably a lot of things that we JUST don't know, it goes beyond what we think we know. So be OPEN to the possibilities to go beyond the frontier, kind-of like Star Trek. I hope that this is what the class was able to take away after seeing Video 2 that we are all in this game-of-life together we truly are one, there is no ego when you see the vastness of our universe, there must be something more something beyond what makes sense to us so lets try to meditate and connect to the Universe and find the Stargate within us! Our Venerable NaLong, when he is guiding likes to remind us that we have a Stargate within us and for us to meditate and we will see.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">The last video we watched was the icing on the cake! Why because it was the connection between Buddhism and what the definition of the World Means. Excellent material indeed, this is the stuff that truly is a meal for the mind. I haven't had a chance to load the video online yet, but I plan to, basically Venerable Nicholas, a top Venerable at our Dhammakaya Foundation, who is very knowledgeable on Buddhist concepts, and is a great dhamma teacher. He explained the world in 3 levels the environment level, the lifestyle level, and the level of the mind. When we talk about world, one meaning of the word is the environment around us this, level of world is anything outside of our skin outward, location is an example this is the world on the most distant level, within this sometimes we come across pollution or destructive weather it is a blight of level of environment. This is the world on the largest level the natural environment and problems such as pollution. One step further in is the world of our own lifestyle, on this level our connection with the world is also like a world of our own. It's an individual world, as a result of managing our own world if we do our duties properly than more than likely we'll be rewarded properly, however if we do not do our duties it can be hard for us to get by.So blights in your indivividual life. So if you are immoral than you might go to jail. Another meaning of word world it is the level of the mental qualities this is the world which is private world of our own other people do not know about it, but within us we will probably know it very well. Most people who do not meditate do not know much about this level of individual world at all, because they have never seen their own minds and they do not yet understand the concept of good or bad quality of mind. Some people, for example who are cheerful all the time no matter what, they have a very good outlook of the world and are optimist. Even if they do not meditate but they have a certain level of quality of mind that it is hard to push them down, this is rather the thing that comes with meditation practice as well. As you meditate more, it is easier for your mind to not let defilments interfere with their mind. People who have dellusion it may cause them to treat the world in a way that is bad for other people, which in turn is bad for themselves. What we call the world is interplay of three diff levels of reality. In Buddhism we say what goes on in our mind, the qualities of the mind, the defilments of our mind is an imporatnt factor. More importnat than the rubbision the enviromment we make a connection it goes deeper to the root cause which lies within the mind. In Buddhist we say who threw the rubbish in the first place then to treat environment with such disrespect. Shows quality of your mind, how quality of life can deterorite and if life detoriates then enviornment detorieats. Then we see how we behave is such an important factor, not just chainging ourself but everything in the world. We believe that we can change the world by chaning the root cuase which is within ourselves. This creats a vibration which will spread to other people. Why are we here, why we give time to mental practice it is not just on small individual level it has ramifications that extend further than that. </span>
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<span style="font-size: large;">You see what Buddhism is about it isn't all about worshipping or believing in the Buddha, but more about making connection about life in a certain way. It isn't something that belongs to people but is relevant even now, and if you can learn from these things even if you don't call yourself a Buddhist. Not the idea of putting a lable on youre</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06474639207404110110noreply@blogger.com0