Plum Mountain Buddhist Community April 2014 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.
End of March Events
25 March, Wednesday: Chris Richards (Sucarita) arrives in Aberdeen to join the PMR Sangha.
31 March, Tuesday: Kobai on Coffee Talk, 8:15 a.m. 1450AM or 100.5FM
31 March Tuesday: Community Meditation, 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. We do some simple movement and seated meditation, followed by a short talk and sandwich making for "Lunch Under the Bridge," tomorrow. Other details above.
April Events
1 April, Wednesday: Lunch Under the Bridge Meet at 10 a.m. St. Andrew's Episcopal kithchen.
1 April: Thay Kobai & Sucarita leave for Desert Zen Center
4 April, Saturday: Full Moon ?
7 April, 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.
12 April, Sunday Buddha's Birthday Celebration at Desert Zen Center
14 April, Tuesday: Community Meditation, 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. We do some simple movement and seated meditation, followed by a short talk by a senior student and a Q&A discussion. People of any or no faith are welcome. Kobai & Sucarita return today
18 April, Saturday: New Moon ?
21 April, 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 on Mudra in Buddhist Practice & Iconography.
28 April, 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.
Future Events
Shorebird Festival, Hoquiam, Friday May 1 thru Sunday May 3. Link at: www.shorebirdfestival.com
5 May, Tuesday: Dedication of Lady Altar along with Tuesday program, including guest speakers.
16 May, Saturday Mindfulness in the Kitchen, Montesano Community Education, Monte HS Home Ec Rm. 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. $11, register MCE
5 June, Friday: Meditation for People Who Think They Can't Meditate. Register MCE $5.
Some Dharma:
There is no way to count the number of living beings each of us comes across in a day as we go about our ordinary life. All of them, whether they are obnoxious drivers who tail-gate us (while texting) or the crow who squawks because he expects to be fed, or the boring or unprepossessing person who we run into at the market-and who wants to talk. We swim through all these beings on our way downstream, or up, and they need our generosity and our non-judging listening
This is what a life of praying constantly, or living in the presence of God means. It is what our own tradition insists on when we pair mindfulness with loving-kindness. Our encounters with others are the interstices where we get to set aside our own self-cherishing and listen to the cries of the world. As Jeff Miles reminds us, we cannot breathe in the past or in the future. The breath is always right now, as is the opportunity for deep listening to the words and songs of other living beings.
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.
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