April - May 2013 Schedule

BLOOMING LILAC SANGHA:   April - May 2013 Schedule
Tuesday, Thursday,   morning every week from  7:15 - 8:15 a.m.  at the home of Xiaoping and Min.  Their address is: 375 WESTMINSTER ROAD 14607.  On Tuesday, we practice sitting meditation for about 40 minutes and then have  a reading. On Thursdays, we start with a guided meditation, then practice walking meditation, continue to sit silently and have a reading, currently: Creating True Peace: Ending Violence in Yourself, Your Family,Your Community, and the World.  We will be beginning a new book this month. Arrive and leave as needed for all sittings.

-  Thursday, April 18, 7- 8:30  pm  Study and Meditation   375 WESTMINSTER ROAD 14607.  We are reading Teachings on Love.and as we get to the end, we will be discussing our next book,  What would you like to read?

- Sunday, April 21 - ZEN CENTER:   4 - 6 pm, Guided and Silent Meditation;  Readings; Dharma Sharing  If you wish, please bring a reading.

--  Thursday, May 2, 7- 8:30  pm  Study and Meditation   375 WESTMINSTER ROAD 14607.

-- Sunday, May 5  -ZEN CENTER, 7 Arnold Park, 14607:  3 p.m.: Newcomers Welcome  ; guided meditation and sitting instruction (For new and old)  
Please RSVP by May 4, if you or a friend are attending the 3 pm session by responding to this e-mail or calling Janet at 533-1461.
--SUNDAY, May 5, ZEN CENTER:  4 - 6 pm: Meditation, Dharma talk by Thich Nhat Hanh, 5 Mindfulness Trainings, Dharma Sharing.

--  Thursday, May 16, 7- 8:30  pm  Study and Meditation   375 WESTMINSTER ROAD 14607.

- Sunday, May 19 - ZEN CENTER:   4 - 6 pm, Guided and Silent Meditation;  Readings; Dharma Sharing  If you wish, please bring a reading.

-  Opportunities to have a Day of Mindfulness.  Our unscheduled dates and times when most people have off from work are:
Saturday, May 11
Sunday, May 12
Saturday, May 25
Sunday, May 26
Monday, May 27
PLEASE WRITE BACK WITH ALL THE DAYS and times THAT WILL WORK FOR YOU FOR A DAY OF MINDFULNESS.  We will choose the one that the majority of people respond to, so your vote is important!  If you would like a sample schedule for a day of mindfulness, please reply to this e-mail with that request, and an example of one of our days of mindfulness will be sent to you. 

Update Page

Dear readers and followers:

I have started using the update page for this blog. You can find the link just below the header. Here is the link:
http://bloominglilacsangha.blogspot.com/p/latest-update.html

It keeps everything Janet sent in her email.

Thanks

In the Dharmma

Xiaoping

New web site to download dharma talks from Thich Nhat Hanh - FREE

Dear friends,
I have created a new web site for listening to recent dharma talks by our
Teacher. Most talks have been available on the Vietnamese site for some
years, but some English-speaking users find it difficult to navigate and
there is no automatic notification when new talks are posted. Therefore,
this new site will allow you to subscribe using iTunes or RSS. It will
include English language dharma talks and you may listen to the talk on the
web site and/or download the file to your computer.
At this time, the three most recent talks have been posted (from November).
I would highly recommend the talk "Deep Desire: Spiritual Strength" from
November 5. In this talk, Thich Nhat Hanh explore the idea of aspiration. He
also suggests a new part to the Five Mindfulness Trainings Transmission
Ceremony liturgy.
Get started at http://tnhaudio.org
Enjoy. Kenley. Chân Niem Hy - True Recollection of Joy, Ojai, CA

Guidelines for Ordaining North Amerian Aspirants in 2009

Dear Dharma Teachers, Dear Order Members, Dear Aspirants,

In 2009 there will be a number of opportunities for aspirants from North
America to be ordained into the Order of Interbeing. In order to
facilitate the process, five monastics from Deer Park and Blue Cliff
monasteries have worked with eight senior dharma teachers to clarify the
requirements, criteria, and procedures for North American students of
Thich Nhat Hanh.

The Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings offer clear guidance for living
simply, compassionately, and joyfully in our modern world. They are a
concrete embodiment of the teachings of the Buddha and the Bodhisattva
ideal. Anyone who wishes to can live his or her life in accord with
these fourteen trainings.

To formally join the Order of Interbeing means to publicly commit
oneself to studying, practicing, and observing the trainings and, also,
to participating actively in a community which practices mindfulness in
the Plum Village tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh.

The minimum requirements for joining the Order of Interbeing, as
established by the Charter of the Order, are that the aspirant:
• Be 18 years or age or older
• Has received the Five Mindfulness Trainings and the Three
Jewels
• Practices with a local Sangha in this tradition
• Is committed to observing at least sixty days of mindfulness a
year
• Has been mentored by members of the Order of Interbeing for at
least a year, and,
• Is ready to begin the work of an Order Member: Sangha building
and support, explaining the Dharma from personal experience, and
nourishing the bodhichitta (the mind of love) in others while
maintaining a regular meditation practice in harmony and peace with
one's family.

The process of becoming an aspirant and receiving support and training
varies depending on the region and on local circumstances. In a region
in which the Order of Interbeing has been established for many years,
there may be clearly defined procedures; Dharma Teachers and Order
Members available to train and support aspirants; and a community of
Order Members that meets regularly for recitation ceremonies, study, and
days of mindfulness. In other regions an aspirant may have to travel a
considerable distance to practice with an Order Member or Dharma Teacher
and the training of aspirants may be much more informal.

The decision that an aspirant is ready for ordination is a joint
decision involving the aspirant, the aspirant's local sangha, the OI
mentors, and one or more monastic or lay dharma teachers who either have
been directly mentoring the aspirant or who have been working with the
OI mentors.

It is not possible to exactly specify the criteria that determine
whether as aspirant is "ripe enough" for ordination – for
ultimately it depends on heart-to-heart insight and recognition of a
mature Bodhisattva spirit – however, some general guidelines can be
stated. To be eligible for ordination into the Order of Interbeing,
there is the expectation that the aspirant:

• is a stable practitioner who has learned to transform suffering
and embodies the practice of mindfulness in his or her own life,
• practices with a spirit of generosity, attentive to the needs
of others,
• is committed to continue deepening his or her practice of the
fourteen mindfulness trainings,
• is able to teach the basic practices to others,
• participates (and will continue to participate) regularly and
harmoniously in his or her local practice community and in the Order of
Interbeing community, and,
• has the intention and capacity to be an active Sangha builder.

In order to be ordained at a retreat in 2009 it is requested that the
aspirant and his mentors put together a packet containing the following:

• OI ordination application form (sent by Phap Hai or Phap Tri to
the mentor of the applicant)
• letters of support from OI mentors and
• letters of support from Dharma teacher(s)
• letters of support from local Sangha members and family members
(when available)
• original letter of aspiration to join the OI (if there is one)
• a letter to Thay presenting the aspirants desire to be ordained
into the OI. This letter should include a brief spiritual history and a
clear commitment that the aspirant will be a Sangha builder in a
community which practices in the Plum Village tradition.
• a copy of the 5MT certificate, or at least the date, place,
teacher of that transmission and the name you received

Is the aspirant wishes to ordain at the Rocky Mountains YMCA, Stone Hill
College, or Blue Cliff retreats, please send a copy of the packet at
least 30 days before to Br Phap Tri (Blue Cliff Monastery, 240 Pleasant
Valley Road; Pine Bush, NY 12566. Email: phaptri@inbox.com).

Is the aspirant wishes to ordain at Plum Village during the 21 day
retreat, or at the Deer Park retreat, please send a copy of the packet
at least 30 days before to Br Phap Hai (Deer Park Monastery, 2499 Melru
Lane, Escondido CA 92026. Email: tphaphai@yahoo.com)

The aspirant should also bring a copy of the full packet to the retreat
at which he or she wishes to be ordained.

These guidelines are a work in process. We have used our collective
wisdom, however, inevitably there are situations and contexts we have
not foreseen. If there are changes to the guidelines you believe should
be made, or individual cases you would like to discuss, please contact
Br Phap Tri (phaptri@inbox.com) or Br Phap Hai (tphaphai@yahoo.com). You
are also welcome to post comments to OI Discuss.

We thank you for your nourishing mindfulness, understand, and compassion
in North America.

Sincerely,

Sr. Huong Nghiem
Br. Phap Tri
Br. Phap Dung
Br. Phap Hai
Sr. Dang Nghiem

Anh-Huong Nguyen
Eileen Kiera
Fred Epsteiner
Jack Lawlor
Joanne Friday
Lyn Fine
Mitchell Ratner
Peggy Rowe

History of Engaged Buddhism

Hanoi, Vietnam – May 6 -7, 2008

Dharma talk by Thich Nhat Hanh

The Order of Interbeing was born as a spiritual resistance movement.

At the beginning of the seven-day English-language retreat in Hanoi, Thich Nhat Hanh gave a rare glimpse into his early career. This excerpt from two Dharma talks reveals Thay as a teacher, social activist, and prolific writer — and revolutionary advocate of Engaged Buddhism, also called Applied Buddhism.

In 1949 I was one of the founders of the An Quang Buddhist Institute in Ho Chi Minh City, and I taught the first class of novices.The temple was very simple, built of bamboo and thatch. The name of the temple was actually Ung Quang. A Dharma teacher came from Danang, the Venerable Tri Huu, and we both built Ung Quang temple. The war was going on between the French and the Vietnamese resistance movement. Five years later, in 1954, the Geneva Accord was signed and the country was divided into two parts: the North was communist, and the South was anti-communist. Read More

OI information from Dharma teacher Patricia Hunt-Perry

Dear Sangha
...
Thank you to Pam for sharing this wonderful letter (copied below) from Dharma teacher, Patricia Hunt-Perry on the process of joining the OI. I find this so inspiring that tears come to my eyes!
--Janet

Dear One,
Please enjoy. Do not feel overwhelmed by the suggestions--all flows spaciously.
Peace,
patricia

The Core Community honors your clear commitment to live the way of love, understanding, and compassion inspired by the teachings and form of Thich Nhat Hanh. We are happy to support you in your determination to nourish wholesome seeds in yourself and in society for the benefit of yourself and society and in your commitment to deepen your capacity and skill in the
practice of mindfulness in all aspects of daily life.

The intention of this process is to nourish a deepening of your willingness and capacity to transform suffering; practice mindfulness, understanding, and compassion in daily life and community, and to dwell happily in the present moment (the 7th of the 14 Mindfulness Trainings.).

It can be helpful to start this process with attention to shamatha practice (see chapter six in Heart of the Buddha's Teachings). While there are books to read and practices to become comfortable with (to offer to ourselves and others) please remember that there is no "curriculum" for becoming an order member. The process is one of ripening not achieving and is not goal oriented. The Third Door of Liberation in our teachings is goallessness, non attainment. The wave does not need to attain becoming water. ((in here can be added that our teachings are to help us wake up - not a storehouse of knowledge and a brief retelling of the Buddha's not replying to the philosoper Vatsigotra's question))

It is helpful to remember that the ripening process is different for each individual and there is no judgment, failure or success in the length of time. Grapes ripen at different times than peaches, pears or strawberries. There is nothing to achieve, no hurry , the time it takes is the time it takes. The charter suggests a minimum of one year after the dated letter of intention to receive the 14 Mindfulness Trainings.More often, the process takes two or three or even eight to ten years. It is also possible, that due to various causes and conditions, a person may continue as an aspirant without receiving the trainings and joining the Order in a formal ceremony, deepening their practice. It is also possible that someone may see because of causes and conditions that can emerge in life, that this is not the commitment that is appropriate at this time.

The aspirant process includes having two or three mentors and the regional dharmacarya (Dharma teacher) to help guide your process. We will select your mentors together. It is the responsibility of the aspirant to contact the mentors on a regular basis (usually every two to three weeks but at least once a month) and set up times for mentoring sessions in person or by phone. Some mentors offer aspirant groups which we have found very helpful so that is a very good choice if available to you. Mentoring can also be done with mentors on a one to one basis when causes and conditions warrant. Contact with the dharmacarya at least every five weeks is also appropriate.

Be aware that receiving the 14 Mindfulness Trainings and joining the core community of the Order of Interbeing includes a commitment to doing one's best to embody the practice of mindfulness, love, compassion and understanding in our daily lives and relationships, and helping to awaken bodhicitta (a mind of love) in ourselves and others. Other commitments include:

• practicing at least 60 days of mindfulness a year;
• practicing with and offering sustaining energy to a Sangha (sanghabuilding);
• reciting the 14 Mindfulness Trainings with others every two weeks;
• not using alcohol, as stated in the 5th of the Five Mindfulness Trainings, and the 5th of the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings;
• attending a retreat with Thich Nhat Hanh at least once a year, if possible.
• Connection with the monastic community.
  

It is essential to subscribe to the journal The Mindfulness Bell.


Practicing at Centers:

Happily we are within four or five hours of Green Mountain Dharma Center and Maple Forest Monestary. It is our regional center and it is very nourishing to your practice to spend a week or more a year there. It is very helpful to arrange a stay there with your sangha and we can explore going as an aspirant group-perhaps even combining with one or more aspirant groups to go together.


HERE ARE SOME AREAS FOR REFLECTION ABOUT YOUR PRACTICE AND NEXT STEPS.

These will be areas which can nourish and focus our practice in the aspirant training.

1) Individual practice, including

• daily life relationships (family,friends, workplace, sangha);
  
• transforming grief, anger and fear and other forms of suffering;
  
• reflecting on alcohol consumption, sexual responsibility,etc;
  
• 60 days of mindfulness;
  
• daily "formal"sitting and walking practice, etc;
  

Readings:

• Blooming of A Lotus;
  
• Present Moment, Wonderful Moment;
  
• Peace Is Every Step;
  
• Essential Writings;
  
• Anger;
  
• No Death, No Fear;
  
• The Miracle of Mindfulness.
  

2) Sangha practice, including

• participating in and contributing to local sangha building, for example, offering instruction in sitting, walking, eating, hugging meditation;
  
• sounding the bell;
  
• singing and mindful movement practice.
  
• Practice with mindful communication and conflict transformation practices such as Metta/Lovingkindness Practice;
  
• Beginning Anew;
  
• NonViolent Communication;
  
• Mindful Mediation.

Readings:

• Teachings on Love;
  
• Touching Peace;
• Friends on the Path;
• Joyfully Together;
  
• Being Peace;
  
• A Basket of Plums (songbook and CD);
• Mindfulness Practice Center Manual;
  
• Pamphlets: How to Enjoy Your Stay at PlumVillage;
  
• Sangha Practice.
  

3) Study, including study and practice of the sutras and books especially by Thich Nhat Hanh. You will need a copy of the Plum Village Chanting Book and Thay's commentaries on the following sutras:

• Full Awareness of Breathing (Breathe! You Are Alive!);
  
• Four Establishments of Mindfulness (Transformation and Healing);
  
• The Better Way to be Alone (Our Appointment with Life); and
• Heart of the Buddha's Teachings.
  

Other helpful study/practice books for a group:

• Peace Is Every Step;
  
• Being Peace;
  
• Transformation at the Base;
  
• Call Me By My True Names (poetry);
  
• Old Path, White Clouds;
  
• Essential Writings.
  

4) Service/Socially Engaged Practice, including awareness, service, support for socially engaged meditation and action.
Helpful Texts:

• the five and fourteen mindfulness trainings;
  
• Sr Chan Khong's book Learning True Love;
• Love in Action and
  
• The Raft Is Not the Shore by Thich Nhat Hanh and Daniel Berrigan;
  
• Be Free Where You Are (talk at a prison);
  
• Path of Compassion;
• Engaged Buddhist Reader.
  

5) Wider Sangha Connection-give yourself the gift of time at Plum Village, Deer Park Monastery, Green Mountain Dharma Center/Maple Forest Monastery.

Please be aware that receiving the 14 Mindfulness Trainings also means joining the core community of the Order of Interbeing. It is helpful to understand the history and continuing changing of this Order. Deepen your willingness and capacity for "cross-cultural" communication:

• lay-monastic connection,
• English-speaking/Vietnamese-speaking and other language racial/ethnic group connection;
  
• elders-youngers connection, etc.
  

Readings:

• A Joyful Path;
  
• I Have Arrived, I Am Home;
  
• Stepping into Freedom;
  
• Finding Our True Home: Pure Land Is Here and Now;
  
• Journal: The Mindfulness Bell (subscribe-and read back copies!)
  

6) History

• Buddhism;
  
• Buddhism in Vietnam;
  
• the Order of Interbeing.

Readings:

• Old Path, White Clouds;
  
• Master Tang Hoi;
  
• Hermitage in the Clouds;
• Stone Boy and Other Stories;
  
• A Taste of Earth;
  
• Learning True Love (Sr Chan Khong).

Journal: The Mindfulness Bell (subscribe-and read back copies!)
7) Root Traditions/Interfaith Understandings-
Readings:

• Living Buddha, Living Christ;
  
• Going Home.

8) Twelve Questions- Reading:
The Mindfulness Bell, #21, April 1998, p 13. Many of these questions reflect the above topics, but may be an easier "gateway." The first question is "Why do I want to receive the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings? " In re-visiting this question from time to time, different responses may arise as to your deepest purpose, intention, motivation, andaspiration.
It is also helpful to live comfortably with impermanence and remember that "everything changes" includes changes in the Order of Interbeing itself, as well as this aspirant process. An historical perspective reminds us that the Order now has changed from ten or twenty years ago, and it will continue to change during the next ten or twenty years and more.

Peace and Joy,
patricia hunt-perry
Chan Bao Chau
True Precious Continent
Calming Strength of the Heart