Contemplation: The Objective Realm of the Buddha

After reading the guidelines for practice, take this as your object of meditation:

How can there be any dharma [thing] distinct from the Buddha? [There cannot.] All of the hundred realms and thousand suchnesses are the objective realm of the Buddha.

Great Master Chih-i, quoted in Foundations of T'ien-T'ai Philosophy by Paul L. Swanson, p. 134

Event: Warm-Up Walk and Potluck Lunch

One of my favorite practices at the Tendai Buddhist Institute is called "kokorodo." It means "the path of the heart." It is a practice undertaken outdoors, in a group but also in a contemplative mode: we walk purposefully (not whimsically or without focus) in single file in the woods and along the hills, mindful of our neighbors and our situation in place, while reciting certain prayers and mantra. This practice engages body, speech, and mind in a coordinated way, and it draws the sangha together in harmony.

It is my intention to engage our sangha in the practice of kokorodo this summer. To prepare, I invite everyone to participate in what I am calling a Warm-Up Walk. This is an opportunity to learn how this practice feels, to get to know your body a bit better, and to get to know each other better too. Afterward, we will meet at my place in Fairfax city for a potluck. So, to the details:

On Saturday, July 16, meet at Jikan's home by 10:00 am, rain or shine. Bring with you clothing appropriate for the weather and the practice (athletic shoes or sturdy walkers, and nothing with text or designs printed or sewn on, just plain colors). Also bring some meatless food or drink to share for the potluck after. We will then caravan to a nearby park, where I will instruct the group in how to carry on this practice, and we will get to work at it. We should make it to our back patio for food and conversation by noon.

If you are interested in joining in, please contact Heather at heather_d_s_anderson at yahoo.com (replace "at" with "@", of course). She will give you directions to our home. You can also join in at our meetup page.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Contemplation: Open Up and Serve

After reviewing the guidelines for practice, take this as your object of contemplation:

Open up and serve.

This is the motto for the Red Maple Sangha in Renfrew, Ontario, Canada.

Bowling Night!

Yes, that's right: bowling night for a Buddhist group. The great master Chih-i taught the importance of meditation in all postures and at all times. Why not in the most American of situations, the bowling lane? Let it be an experiment in mindfulness and group practice.

Since our group is growing, this also represents a time for us to get to know each other better in an informal, ordinary environment, so we can learn from each other in times of need and during formal practice too*.

In the words of historian and avid bowler Walter Sobchak: "Calmer than you, Dude..."


Find us at Annandale Lanes, 4245 Markham Street Annandale, VA, on June 10 2011 at 7:30pm.

***

At the risk of sounding too wonky, the rationale behind this and similar activities is given in Peter Hershock's essay, Family Matters: Dramatic Interdependence and the Intimate Realization of Buddhist Liberation. This is a valuable article.

Programming Notice

With apologies for the short notice, I am happy to announce a scheduling change for our regular meetings.

Beginning 7 June, our next sangha meeting, we will practice together on the first and third Tuesdays of each month. With this time shift comes a bend in space: we are moving to a larger room as well, the Walden Room at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington.

In a sense this is a homecoming for our group, which has something of a nomadic history.

I look forward to seeing you now on Tuesdays. Thank you for your patience and support.

Contemplation: One Vehicle

After reviewing the guidelines for practice, take this as your object of contemplation:

There is only one teaching, that is, the One Vehicle
In the Buddha-worlds of the ten quarters.
There is not a second or a third vehicle
Except when the Buddhas teach expediently.

The Buddhas lead all living beings
By tentative names [of vehicles]
In order to expound their wisdom.
They appear in the worlds
Only for the One Vehicle.

The Lotus Sutra, trans. Senchu Murano, p. 36

Jikan's Office Hour: James River Outreach Edition

I will be hosting an office hour on 4 June 2011 at Black Hand Coffee Company in Richmond, Virginia. It has come to my attention that people are interested in these teachings in Richmond and points south. So, this event is in support of Great River Ekayana's James River Dharma Auxiliary, may they live long and prosper.

The idea for this ongoing event is to give a venue for Dharma discussion beyond what we have time or space for during our Wednesday night sangha meetings. Everyone is welcome. Here is the format:

I will meet with whomever shows up and has an earnest question about Buddhism, and offer whatever help I can, on a first-come, first-served basis. Students, if you are interested in this, please come prepared with at least one good question. It might help to review this thing.

Practically speaking, if only one person is around, then I will work with that person until time is up or I am out of coffee. But I would really prefer to make sure everyone with a question gets heard. The format should be dialogic. If you feel you need to speak with me privately, that can be arranged at another time and in another venue. If you need help understanding something you are reading, please email me in advance what you would like to ask me about, so I can come prepared.

I'll be waiting for you at 2:00pm at Black Hand Coffee, 606 N. Sheppard St, Richmond, Virgina, to finish up around 4pm. Cash donations for fuel and other sangha expenses are warmly accepted but not expected at this event.