Meditation Class Oct 24th

Georgia Meditation Center

October 24th Class

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) 

3 Year Old Boy Chants in Pali

3 Year Old Boy Chants in Pali

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. 

~Venerable Gavesako

World Peace Through Meditation

Georgia Meditation Center

October 17^th Class

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! 

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. 

Merit is Behind All Success!

Georgia Meditation Center

Class Discussion October 10th

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.

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  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.

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  has sealed the deal for me in terms of believing that Merit is behind all success.

Succeed through merit (Wisdom From an Enlightened Mind – Khun Yay’s Teachings)

Whatever  you  set  out  to  accomplish, keep  your  merits  in mind.  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.

Using merit correctly (Wisdom From an Enlightened Mind – Khun Yay’s Teachings)

The act of charity returns to us in good  fortune. The act of mental cultivation brings us deliverance.  Meditate frequently.

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  “field of merit”, an  act  of good  deed, and  the  right combination of everything else. Since merit  is not so easy to come  by, do not waste  an opportunity  to acquire  it. Preserve your merit and  know  how  to use  your merit the right way. Merit is your vehicle to success and happiness

I got married in Mexico last week on October 6^th 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!  Now here is the big KICKER, guest were scheduled to arrive on Thursday, October 4^th 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!

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!   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.

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.

I told the class we need to come together to help spread meditation and invite  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  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 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 :)

Please join us next Wednesday, October 17^th we will have a guest Venerable visit us and he is looking forward to guiding class and teaching us wisdom of life.

True Happiness in Meditation

Georgia Meditation Center Wednesday Meditation Class

September 5th Dhamma Talk

Yesterday for the dhamma portion of the class Venerable Hart focused on meditation.

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.

Happiness is fundamental for every life. According to the Buddhist proverb: Sukhakaamaani bhuutaani, All beings long for happiness.

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.

Therefore continue to meditate every day and dedicate yourself to the practice, only good things will result from your meditation. 

Where is Steve Jobs Part 2?

Georgia Meditation Center August 29^th

Conclusion of Steve Job’s Case Study “Why did Steve Jobs die of Pancreatic Cancer at the age of 56?”

www.meditationcircle.org

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 J

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?”

Where is Steve Jobs?

Where is Steve Jobs Now? Case study submitted to

Venerable Dhammajayo

Georgia Meditation Class August 22^nd

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^th, August 18^th, and August 20^th 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.

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^nd, 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.

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.