This Sunday

Thich Nhat Hanh wrote that "every Buddhist practitioner should be a protector of the environment" (from The World We Have, A Buddhist Approach to Peace and Ecology).  Marge will facilitate and introduce the Earth Holder Bodhisattva and the Earth Peace Treaty Commitment Sheet.  Please consider contemplating the treaty this week before we meet.

This Sunday, December 2nd

The topic will be Practicing Happiness.  Pete will lead us and he advises folks to bring a smile.

From “Be Free Where You Are,” by Thich Nhat Hanh:

“In the exercise 'breathing in, I smile,' you may ask: Why should I smile when there is no joy in me? The answer to that is: Smiling is a practice. There are over three hundred muscles in your face. When you are angry or fearful, these muscles tense up. The tension in these muscles creates a feeling of hardness. If you know how to breathe in and produce a smile, however, the tension will disappear- it’s what I call 'mouth yoga.' Make smiling an exercise. Just breathe in and smile – the tension will disappear and you will feel much better.

There are times when your joy produces a smile. There are also times when a smile causes relaxation, calm and joy. I do not wait until there is joy in me to smile; joy will come later. Sometimes when I’m alone in my room in the dark, I practice smiling to myself. I do this to be kind to myself, to take good care of myself, to love myself. I know that if I can’t take care of myself I can’t take care of anyone else. Being compassionate to yourself is a very important practice. When you are tired, angry or in despair, you should know how to go back to yourself and take care of your tiredness, your anger, and your despair. That is why we practice smiling, mindful walking and breathing and mindful eating.”

We will meet in room 113 at the UU Church.

This Sunday, November 25th

Keith will lead us in reciting the Five Mindfulness Trainings.  We will also focus on Cultivating the Mind of Love as a practice for self transformation and serving our world.

We'll be meeting in room 323 at the UU Church.

This Sunday, November 18th

Loretta will be facilitating sangha and will be doing a "Touching the Earth" Ceremony.  Please bring a yoga mat, towel, or blanket on which to lie while touching the earth.  She will also be doing a mini deep relaxation mediation, so wear clothing that is comfortable for these activities.  Fortunately, we will have extra space to spread out since we will be meeting in Bard Hall on this Sunday which is in the large room on the main floor (there will be signs pointing the way). As always, sharing our practice strengthens it, so we look forward to seeing you there.

This Sunday, November 11th

We will meet in Room 323 at the UU Church.

Heather will be facilitating this week but as several of us will be fresh from a weekend retreat at Deer Park on strengthening the sangha builder, the topic is open to allow for sharing insight from the retreat.

This Sunday, November 4th

Pete will lead us in dealing with strong emotions.

We will be meeting in Room 113 in the long building across the campus from our regular building at the UU Church.

This Sunday, October 28th

We welcome guests Zachiah Murray, author of Mindfulness in the Garden and Natascha Bruckner, editor of the Mindfulness Bell.

We will practice a guided meditation based on the beautiful gathas in the book, then Zachiah will share about her writing of the book and a reading, followed by a dharma discussion.

We will meet in Room 323 at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego.

This Sunday, October 21st

This week we will meet in Room 323
of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego
4190 Front Street, San Diego, 92103 (Opposite the UCSD Medical Center)
For GPS directions use 268 W Arbor Dr                 MTS Bus Route 3

Parking is provided in the Ace lot but you need to put a church pass on your dashboard.

We will be reciting the Five Mindfulness Trainings.


This Sunday, October 14th

This week we will meet at Bard Hall (not room 323) 
of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego
4190 Front Street, San Diego, 92103 (Opposite the UCSD Medical Center)
For GPS directions use 268 W Arbor Dr                 MTS Bus Route 3

Parking is provided in the Ace lot but you need to put a church pass on your dashboard.


Marge will lead us as we complete our study of the Fourteen Verses on Meditation with Verse Fourteen:

Supported by the Sangha Body
my practice flows easier,
allowing me to swiftly realize
my great determination to love and understand all beings.
 

These teachings were offered at Deer Park November 2010-February 2011 much the same as the Moment by Moment teachings this past winter. The Fourteen Verses on Meditation, a course description, weekly handouts and Dharmacasts are available for practice and reflection.

Dharmacast for Verse 14

Handout - Verse 14 of 14

This Sunday, October 7th

We will meet at
Room 323 of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego
4190 Front Street, San Diego, 92103

Parking is provided in the Church Parking Lot but you need to put a pass on your dashboard.


We will continue our study of the Fourteen Verses on Meditation with Verse Thirteen:

Not discriminating
between the practice offered by the Tathagata and that of the ancestral teachers,
the Four Noble Truths perfectly interwoven
should serve as the foundation of an authentic transmission. 


These teachings were offered at Deer Park November 2010-February 2011 much the same as the Moment by Moment teachings this past winter. The Fourteen Verses on Meditation, a course description, weekly handouts and Dharmacasts are available for practice and reflection.

Dharmacast for Verse 13

Handout - Verse 13 of 14

This Sunday, September 23rd

We will be returning to the Taoist Sanctuary for a 
Shining the Light Ceremony 
for Keith on his journey as an aspirant 

This Sunday, September 16th

We will continue our study of the Fourteen Verses on Meditation with Verse Twelve:

The Mahayana sutras and teachings
open many fresh, wide gateways
allowing me to enter the depths of the stream of meditation
flowing from the Original Source of the Buddha’s teachings.


These teachings were offered at Deer Park November 2010-February 2011 much the same as the Moment by Moment teachings this past winter. The Fourteen Verses on Meditation, a course description, weekly handouts and Dharmacasts are available for practice and reflection.

Dharmacast for Verse 12

Handout - Verse 12 of 14

This Sunday, September 9th

We will continue our study of the Fourteen Verses on Meditation with Verse Eleven:

The essential sutras, such as the
Discourses on the Full Awareness of Breathing and the Four
Establishments of Mindfulness,
show me the path to transform body and mind,
step by step.


These teachings were offered at Deer Park November 2010-February 2011 much the same as the Moment by Moment teachings this past winter. The Fourteen Verses on Meditation, a course description, weekly handouts and Dharmacasts are available for practice and reflection.

Dharmacast for Verse 11

Handout - Verse 11 of 14

This Sunday, September 2nd

We will continue our study of the Fourteen Verses on Meditation with Verse Ten: 

Nirvana is nonattainment.
Sudden or gradual enlightenment are not different.
True realization is to live in freedom
right now in this moment.
 


These teachings were offered at Deer Park November 2010-February 2011 much the same as the Moment by Moment teachings this past winter. The Fourteen Verses on Meditation, a course description, weekly handouts and Dharmacasts are available for practice and reflection.

Dharmacast for Verse 10

Handout - Verse 10 of 14

This Sunday, August 26th

Starting this week, we will return to meeting at Redwood Circle in Balboa Park during the hot summer/fall months.

This Sunday, we will be reciting the Five Mindfulness Trainings.

This Sunday, August 19th

We will continue our study of the Fourteen Verses on Meditation with Verse Nine:

Emptiness, signlessness, and aimlessness
liberate me from suffering,
so that in my daily practice
I am not caught in mere intellectual understanding.

These teachings were offered at Deer Park November 2010-February 2011 much the same as the Moment by Moment teachings this past winter. The Fourteen Verses on Meditation, a course description, weekly handouts and Dharmacasts are available for practice and reflection.

Dharmacast for Verse Nine

Handout - Verse 9 of 14

This Sunday, Augst 12th

This week we will meet in Redwood Circle in Balboa Park.

We will continue our study of the Fourteen Verses on Meditation with Verse Eight: 

Impermanence is one with nonself.
Nonself is one with interdependent origination,
is one with emptiness, is one with conventional designation,
is one with the middle way, is one with interbeing. 

These teachings were offered at Deer Park November 2010-February 2011 much the same as the Moment by Moment teachings this past winter. The Fourteen Verses on Meditation, a course description, weekly handouts and Dharmacasts are available for practice and reflection. 

This Sunday, August 5th

We will continue our study of the Fourteen Verses on Meditation with Verse Seven:

To dwell in the present moment,
to transform all habit energies,
to give rise to understanding,
liberating ourselves from all afflictions.

These teachings were offered at Deer Park November 2010-February 2011 much the same as the Moment by Moment teachings this past winter. The Fourteen Verses on Meditation, a course description, weekly handouts and Dharmacasts are available for practice and reflection. 

Verse 7 Dharmacast

Handout - Verse 7 of 14

This Sunday, July 15th

We will continue our study of the Fourteen Verses on Meditation with Verse Six:

Looking deeply into the heart of reality
to see the true nature of things,
practicing vipashyana enables me to let go
of everything I am searching for, my desires, and my fears.


These teachings were offered at Deer Park November 2010-February 2011 much the same as the Moment by Moment teachings this past winter. The Fourteen Verses on Meditation, a course description, weekly handouts and Dharmacasts are available for practice and reflection. 

Verse 6 Dharmacast

Handout - Verse 6 of 14

This Sunday, July 8th

We will continue our study of the Fourteen Verses on Meditation with Verse Five:

To calm, to relax the body and mind; to nourish, to heal,
to protect the six senses; and to maintain Right Concentration.


These teachings were offered at Deer Park November 2010-February 2011 much the same as the Moment by Moment teachings this past winter. The Fourteen Verses on Meditation, a course description, weekly handouts and Dharmacasts are available for practice and reflection. 

Verse 5 Dharmacast

Handout Verse 5 of 14

This Sunday, July 1st

We will continue our study of the Fourteen Verses on Meditation with Verse Four:

My breathing and my steps
enable me to generate the energy of mindfulness,
so that I can be aware of and touch
the wonders of life within and around me.
 

These teachings were offered at Deer Park November 2010-February 2011 much the same as the Moment by Moment teachings this past winter. The Fourteen Verses on Meditation, a course description, weekly handouts and Dharmacasts are available for practice and reflection. 

Verse 4 Dharmacast

Handout Verse 4 of 14

This Sunday, June 17th

Pete will continue to lead us in our study of the Fourteen Verses on Meditation with Verse Three:

The practice of vipashyana is to look deeply
into the nature of the five skandhas,
so that I may develop understanding
and transform suffering.


These teachings were offered at Deer Park November 2010-February 2011 much the same as the Moment by Moment teachings this past winter. The Fourteen Verses on Meditation, a course description, weekly handouts and Dharmacasts are available for practice and reflection. 

Verse 3 Dharmacast

Handout Verse 3 of 14

This Sunday, June 10th

Dmitry will lead us in our study of Verse Two of the Fourteen Verses on Meditation:

The practice of shamatha is to stop,
so that I may recognize and touch,
nourish and heal,
settle down and concentrate.

These teachings were offered at Deer Park November 2010-February 2011 much the same as the Moment by Moment teachings this past winter. The Fourteen Verses on Meditation, a course description, weekly handouts and Dharmacasts are available for practice and reflection. 

Verse 2 Dharmacast: Stopping means to be still

Handout for Verse 2 of 14

This Sunday, June 3rd

Pete will lead us in an introduction to the Fourteen Verses on Meditation with the First Verse:

Like the two wings of a bird,
the practices of stopping (shamatha) and looking deeply (vipashyana)
rely upon each other
and belong together, side by side.


These teachings were offered at Deer Park November 2010-February 2011 much the same as the Moment by Moment teachings this past winter. The Fourteen Verses on Meditation, a course description, weekly handouts and Dharmacasts are available for practice and reflection. 

Verse 1 Dharmacast: Just as a Bird has Two Wings

Handout Verse 1 of 14

This Sunday, May 13th

Shamatha: The Art of Stopping, Calming and Resting
facilitated by Pete

Thay often tells the old Zen story about a man riding on a galloping horse. As the rider rushes by, another man, standing alongside the road, shouts to the rider, asking him where he is going. To this, the rider replies, "I don't know! Ask the horse!" Thay suggests that we need to stop the horse to reclaim our liberty and dignity. This is the foundation of Buddhist meditation and everyday mindfulness practice.

When we stop we gain the capacity to calm our body and mind. We begin to master the art of breathing in and out as a source of stability and joy. Then we can face strong emotions without being swept away by them. We can let go of the “story” and attend to the feeling in the here and now. Buddha offered a number of techniques for this and Thay suggests the following:

1. Recognizing when they are feeling a strong emotion such as anger.
2. Accepting that they are feeling the strong emotion and not trying to deny it.
3. Embracing their strong emotions "like a mother holding her crying baby."
4. Looking deeply to understand the causes of their strong emotions.
5. Reflecting on the many primary and secondary factors that resulted in the strong emotions.

When practicing sitting meditation Thay suggests that we be like a pebble that is tossed into the air and falls into a river. The pebble allows itself to sink slowly, without struggle, until it reaches the riverbed, where it continues to rest as the water passes by. "When we practice sitting meditation we can allow ourselves to rest just like that pebble. We can allow ourselves to sink naturally into the position of sitting - resting, without effort."

In the coming week consider making a commitment to practice sitting meditation every day for at least 5 minutes. As you sit, do not worry about the quality of your thoughts or the results. Make yourself stable and take a moment to simply enjoy sitting and breathing. Relax with it and know that you are watering the seeds of practice and transformation. Real happiness is as close as our conscious breath.

Between now and Sangha I also invite you to notice the habit energy of rushing. How we habitually act as if our happiness is in the future. Walking to the kitchen are you enjoying your footsteps or thinking about what to eat? While eating do you want the next bite before this one is swallowed? While driving, is the red light as enjoyable as a green? Are we thinking of what we want to say while our friends and loved ones are talking? With kind awareness observe how the mind slips away from the present

This Sunday, May 6th

Jackie will offer pebble meditation as we return our practice to the Taoist Sanctuary.

This Sunday, April 29th

Change in location this week:
Friends Center, 3850 Westgate Pl, San Diego, CA 92105

Mindful Eating Meditation
As part of San Diego Cultivating Food Justice Week, we will be practicing mindful eating led by Pete.  If you would like to bring simple vegan food (e.g. fresh veggies, dried fruit, nuts) to share, it will be most welcomed.

Sunday, April 22nd

As this is the 4th Sunday of the month, Dmitry will lead us in the recitation of the Five Mindfulness Trainings.

Sunday, April 15th

Keith will lead us full circle through the Noble Eightfold Path, as we have just completed following the Moment by Moment course.

This Sunday, April 8th

Jackie will lead us in our continued study of the Moment by Moment course on the Four Noble Truths with Class 2: Right View, which is accompanied by the Session #2 course material.

We continue to meet at the Taoist Sanctuary in the far back room from 4-6pm.

This Weekend March 31st & April 1st Wake Up Tour Events

We will not be holding a meeting in our regular location this Sunday.  Instead, we have these wonderful opportunities to build community and support the Wake Up Tour:
 
Saturday
Sitting is Peace  6pm – 6:30 
at the corners of F, 1st Street and Front in the grassy area 
(right next to Horton Plaza where there is plenty of parking)
Sunday
Sitting Meditation and Sharing   4:30 - 6pm
in Balboa Park in front of the botanical gardens
a San Diego Inter-Sangha event that will immediately precede the walking meditation with the monastics and other lay folks from Deer Park
Walking is Peace   6pm - 6:45 
in Balboa Park, at the fountain at the end of El Prado near Park Avenue

This Sunday, March 25th

On the 4th Sunday of each month, we recite the Five Mindfulness Trainings.

We continue to meet at the Taoist Sanctuary in the far back room.

Topic this Week

This Sunday, March 18th, Loretta will lead us in our continued study of the Moment by Moment course on the Four Noble Truths with Class 1: Right Mindfulness, which is accompanied by the Session #1 course material.

Topic This Week

This Sunday, March 11th, Ann will lead us in our continued study of the Moment by Moment course on the Four Noble Truths with Class 11: The Third Noble Truth-- The End of Suffering and the 'end' of our class with Thich Chan Phap Hai, Thich Chan Phap Ho, and Sister Chan Bich Nghiem

(There are no additional course materials for this class)

Sangha will be held in the larger back room in the Taoist Sanctuary this week.

Topic this Week

This Sunday, February 26th, we have the opportunity to recite the  14 Mindfulness Trainings led by Marge.  If time allows, we will also continue our study of the Moment by Moment course on the Four Noble Truths with Class 10: The Second Noble Truth, the Cause of Suffering with Thich Chan Phap Hai Our friend and teacher Thay Phap Hai has offered a number of short Sutras to read with his talk.