Plum Mountain Buddhist Community
January 2015 Newsletter
Weekly Schedule: Daily 6:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Service with short recitation and half hour seated meditation, at 516 W. Cushing in Aberdeen. This is except for Fridays and when Thay Kobai is away from the Harbor. Our regular community (sangha) gathering is Tuesday evenings at Cushing St. 6:30 to 8 p.m. We do some movement and sitting meditation, with plenty of guidance for newcomers. Thay Kobai or a senior student gives a short talk on Buddhist principles followed by Q&A and discussion.
Events in January
3 January, Saturday: Celebrate Transit! All who wish may join Thay Kobai in a fare-free bus ride to celebrate the restoration of Saturday bus service. We'll board the #10-B at Thay's place, 516 W. Cushing St., at 9:40 a.m., then transfer to the #20 at Aberdeen Station at 10:00 a.m. We'll ride to Hoquiam, get off and then lounge at Tully's before deciding where else to go. Quinalt? Ocean Shores? Elma? Or just a pleasant day in Hoquiam.
6 January Tuesday: Community Meditation, 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. We do some simple movement and seated meditation, followed by a short talk by Thay Kobai on "Meditation, the Eighth Element of the Eight-Part Map of the Path" and a Q&A. See details above.
4 January, Sunday: Full Moon Ο
8 January, Thursday: Kobai on Coffee Talk, 9:10 a.m., 1450 AM, 100.5 FM and streaming.
13 January, Tuesday: Community Meditation, 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. We do some simple movement and seated meditation, followed by a short talk by Thay Kobai and a discussion. People of any or no faith are welcome.
20 January, Tuesday: Community Meditation, 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. We do some simple movement and seated meditation, followed by a short talk by Thay Kobai and a Q&A discussion. People of any or no faith are welcome.
20 January, Tuesday New Moon Ϲ
27 January, Tuesday: Community Meditation, 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. We do some simple movement and seated meditation, followed by a short talk by Thay Kobai and a Q&A discussion. People of any or no faith are welcome. Check with Thay Kobai if you have questions.
TBA Wednesday in January: Lunch Under the Bridge for Chaplains on the Harbor. We meet at 10:00 a.m. in the kitchen at St. Andrew's Episcopal in Aberdeen. We'll make coffee and do hot water for tea and hot chocolate, then pack the carts and walk (and roll) over to the DOT bridge site to start serving about 11:00 a.m. Thay Kobai will announce to local sangha when date is set.
Some Dharma:
My long-time monk friend Santidammo Bhikkhu sent me a box of new books of his for free distribution. The Thai community pays for the printing and distribution of them and I'm very grateful to have them. There are several titles about the life of the Buddha and the Thai Forest monk tradition, including translations of the work of Ajahn Buddhadasa.
In his book called Meditation is Mind Culture, Santidammo describes the process of meditation in very unique and simple ways. "Sitting in meditation is making peace." I have always found this to be true. Our practice is about discovering that we need fewer and fewer enemies.
"When we do this mindfulness practice," he continues, "we become more and more familiar with our mind, and in particular learn to recognize the movement of the mind, which we experience as thoughts. No matter what kind of thought comes up, we should say to ourselves: That may be a really important issue in my life, but right now is not the time to think about it. Now I'm practicing meditation."
I know writers and poets who have insisted on having paper and pencil nearby when they are doing seated meditation. I myself have struggled with this. It's as if I might have a crucial insight during meditation that will never come back unless I make it permanent by writing it down.
But this is just more grasping, more taking these random movements of the mind as if they were important. But they're often no more than hot flashes. If they are truly momentous, we'll remember them later.
It's very hard for us to face this fact, but our thoughts are rarely important.
/Thay Kobai
Copies of Santidammo Bhikku's titles can be requested through Atammayatarama Buddhist Monastery at www.atamma.org.
Our newsletter is now incorporated into Trout Lake Abbey's monthly newsletter. There are photos as well as dharma content on that newsletter. To subscribe, email: [email protected].
We are happy to be a member of the Northwest Dharma Association
and encourage you to consider joining.
We are also affiliated with Open Gate Zen Center in Olympia. For information on their programs go to www.boundlessmindzen.org.
|