Interfaith Symposium - 7 April at GMU

Rev Kaz will be participating in an interfaith symposium on April 7th, at GMU. Please attend and show him support.

It is Wed, April 7th from 4- 6:30pm in Enterprise 80 and is sponsored by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Student Association.

Topic: If God Exists then Why Is There Suffering? "The tragic earthquakes of Haiti and Chile have caused tremendous pain and suffering to the world. These great calamities have reignited questions in the minds of many about the existence of God. Join us for a dialogue with the representatives of some of the world's major religions on the question of suffering and its compatibility with a belief in a Just and Merciful God. Presentations from representatives of world religions followed by a Q & A session."

International Buddhist Worship Service

Below are the details for the International Buddhist Worship-Service at George Washington University. The Mason Buddhist Association (MBA) maybe attending as a group so if you are interested please RSVP by commenting on this post or emailing us at gmubuddhists@gmail.com.

Date: SATURDAY APRIL 24th 2010
Time: 7-10PM

Location: MARVIN CENTER [800, 21st Street NW] Room 301, George Washington University Campus

Sponsor: GWU Buddha-Nature Club

Free Diner: after the worship-service. PLEASE RSVP to the MBA if you want to participate in this.

College Youth Retreat!

The Mason Buddhist Association is sponsoring a meditation retreat with Ekoji Temple, April 10th and 11th, 2010.

The retreat will be an all day meditation retreat with a special guest from GWU. It is open to college students, faculty, staff and youth. The total cost is $20 and includes 3 Japanese meals. There is space for an overnight stay on Saturday. Rides are also available from GMU and the Vienna Metro. Questions

To REGISTER visit: http://bit.ly/dxS0H8

Meeting Tomorrow

Hey Everyone,

There is a meeting tomorrow, Tues Feb. 16th, of the Mason Buddhist Association. We are meeting at 8pm in Hanover Hall. It is in the Commons Housing area located behind Southside.

With Palms Raised,

Mason Buddhist Association

No Meeting This Week

Hey Everyone,

Just letting you all know that because of the snow, we are once again NOT meeting this week. More information about the retreat will be coming soon.

Below I posted half of a poem by Wang Ming, a Chinese master from the 6th century. Please take a look at your leisure. I can post the second part in next weeks email and maybe we can talk about it or read it again at the meeting. I am looking forward to seeing everyone again!

Stay warm.

With Palms Raised,

Mason Buddhist Association

Too much knowledge leads to overactivity;
Better to calm the mind
The more you consider, the greater the loss;
Better to unify the mind'

'Excessive thinking weakens the will
The more you know, the more your mind is confused
A confused mind gives way to vexation
The weakened will obstructs the Tao.'
Don't say there is no harm in this;
the ensuing pain may last for ever.
Don't think there is nothing to fear;
the calamities churn like bubbles in a boiling pot.
Water dripping ceaselessly
will fill the four seas.
Specks of dust not wiped away
will become the five mountains.
Protect the branches to save the roots;
though a small matter it is not trivial
Close the seven orifices,
shut off the six senses.

Pay no heed to forms;
Do not listen to sound
listening to sounds you become deaf,
You become blind observing forms.

Literature and art
Are but busy gnats in the air;
Technique and ability
A solitary lamp in the sun.

Those able and talented ones
Are really stupid fellows.
Discarding the pure and simple
They drown in too much beauty.

TBC in Next Weeks email=)

If you want to read the rest, it is available on Google Books: http://books.google.com/books?id=dgiy0VoAWeMC&pg=PA7&lpg=PA7&dq=calming+the+mind+wang+ming&source=bl&ots=BV6ljuxprW&sig=TAJgzR-G3n6vxeejfwTbg5UmxKA&hl=en&ei=QOdxS5yPEs7R8Qab3fGtCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAsQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=calming%20the%20mind%20wang%20ming&f=fals

Meeting Canceled

Sorry for not updating the blog but please note:

Hello Everyone,

Due to the snow, the meeting tonight has been canceled. Mason is also closing at 7pm so everyone get home safe. We will be meeting again next week on Tuesday at 8pm.

Since we are not meeting maybe try this:

"TRY: Recognizing the bloom of the present moment in your daily meditation practice if you have one. If you are up early in the morning, try going outside and looking (a sustained, mindful, attentive looking) at the stars, at the moon, at the dawning light when it comes. Feel the air, the cold, the warmth (a sustained, mindful, attentive feeling). Realize that the world around you is sleeping. Remember when you see the stars that you are looking back in time millions of years. The past is present now and here.

Then go sit or meditate lying down. Let this or any time you practice be your time for letting go of all doing, for shifting into the being mode, in which you simply dwell in stillness and mindfulness, attending to the moment-to-moment unfolding of the present, adding nothing, subtracting nothing, affirming that 'This is it'."

Taken from the book "Wherever You Go There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life" by Jon Kabat-Zinn. Most of the book is available on google books. Enjoy!

With Palms Raised,
Mason Buddhist Association

Meeting Time Spring '10

Happy New Year!

We are excited to be getting off to a good start with the Mason Buddhist Association and in order to keep this momentum going we have to pick a meeting time for next semester.

Without further ado, PLEASE fill out with survey so that we can schedule the semesters meeting time to everyone's convenience. Below just fill in what day works best for you on a weekly basis.

Survey!

We are also planning a retreat for sometime in April.