Burlington Buddhist Sangha

This week Jeffrey continued our investigation of racism and buddhism with a review of basic concepts and definitions about racism. This was followed by a discussion of how the self is constructed by both social elements, e.g, racial identity, and personal experiences, e.g., experiences in our families. All of these elements are similarly conditioned and contribute to the illusion of “I” as a self, thus there really is no substantial dichotomy of “personal transformation” and “social transformation.”

See last week’s talk for more resources: https://burlingtonbuddhist.org/2018/04/29/personal-transformation-social-transformation/

Jeffrey guided our reflections this Sunday. We continued investigating the issue of social transformation from a Buddhist perspective that has threaded through many of our meetings. Most recently, Brit hosted a meeting April 1st about angel Kyodo Williams’ conception of “engaged buddhism” that Williams calls “Radical Dharma”. Lorilee followed April 8 with another talk on Engaged Buddhism by Thich Nat Han entitled “The World We Are”.

This past Sunday, Rebecca guided our reflections with readings from Yogi Ramcharaka, on the topic “Omnipresent Life.”

The reading was chapter 2 of Yogi Ramacharaka’s book “Gnani Yoga, the Yoga of Wisdom.”

This past week, Michael led our Sangha in an exploration of the ever-present idea of “self” and all the identifications and attachments that entails. In particular, he looked at traditional Buddhist concepts and how they have evolved in our modern world.

To make the Dharma up-to-date and relevant to our lives, we may set aside traditional Buddhist ideas that many would consider essential to authentic practice.  We explored the roots and results of this move in our own particular cases.

You might want to think of beliefs, even traditional Buddhist beliefs, that you have set to the side, and why.

More notes coming soon.

Building on last week’s exploration of Engaged Buddhism, this week Lorilee offered a talk by one of the world’s best known teachers in this practice: Thich Nat Han.

In a talk given at Plum Village on the last day of 2008, “Thay” as he is often called by his followers, presents “The World We Are”, an experiential explanation of how practicing compassion changes our world, because we “are” our world.

Here is the talk, courtesy of tnhaudio.org:

Britt guided our reflections this Sunday, focusing on questions around radical acceptance and engaged Buddhism — examining where the collective efforts towards the liberation of all beings lies in our individual practice and what we have to give up in order to get there.

She played a wonderful talk by Reverend angel Kyodo Williams, which is available here:

And here is a link to the Radical Dharma website, which is the larger project that involves the Reverend angel:

Home page

Today, Zac led our reflections on the teaching of the Three Characteristics or three marks of existence. The phrase to “see things as they really are,” itself a fascinating and potentially problematic term, refers to experiencing reality through the lens of the three characteristics. An important tenet of the dharma is that learning to see the three characteristics in all phenomena leads to wisdom and liberation.

Zac played a talk by Gil Fronsdal, available here:

http://dharmaseed.org/teacher/74/talk/44106/

Here are some quotes which Zac used during the discussion:

Diamond Sutra: Chapter 32 
(the Diamond Sutra contains the discourse of the Buddha to senior monk Subhuti)
 
“Subhuti, how can one explain this Sutra to others without holding in mind any arbitrary conception of forms or phenomena or spiritual truths? It can only be done, Subhuti, by keeping the mind in perfect tranquility and free from any attachment to appearances.
 
So I say to you –
This is how to contemplate our conditioned existence in this fleeting world:
 
Like a tiny drop of dew, or a bubble floating in a stream;
Like a flash of lightning in a summer cloud,
Or a flickering lamp, an illusion, a phantom, or a dream.
 
So is all conditioned existence to be seen.”
 
Thus spoke Buddha.

The three characteristics are mentioned in verses 277, 278 and 279 of the Dhammapada:

Maggavagga: The Path, translated from the Pali by Acharya Buddharakkhita

276. You yourselves must strive; the Buddhas only point the way. Those meditative ones who tread the path are released from the bonds of Mara.
277. “All conditioned things are impermanent” — when one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from suffering. This is the path to purification.
278. “All conditioned things are unsatisfactory” — when one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from suffering. This is the path to purification.
279. “All things are not-self” — when one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from suffering. This is the path to purification.
280. The idler who does not exert himself when he should, who though young and strong is full of sloth, with a mind full of vain thoughts — such an indolent man does not find the path to wisdom.
281. Let a man be watchful of speech, well controlled in mind, and not commit evil in bodily action. Let him purify these three courses of action, and win the path made known by the Great Sage.
282. Wisdom springs from meditation; without meditation wisdom wanes. Having known these two paths of progress and decline, let a man so conduct himself that his wisdom may increase.

Vipassana specifically means seeing the 3 characteristics (vi = special, deep; pas= seeing)

The 3 characteristics are facets of emptiness (suññatā)

Also doorways into experiencing emptiness/freedom

Dogen: “What is the way of the Buddha? It is to study the self. What is the study of the self? It is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be Enlightened by all things.”

This Sunday, Margaret led our Sangha on the topic of Aversion and its roots. She played a talk by Shaila Catherine that included a guided meditation. That talk is available here:

http://dharmaseed.org/teacher/163/talk/23912/

She also referred to another talk on emotions by Shaila Catherine:

http://dharmaseed.org/teacher/163/talk/48118/

While she didn’t play that talk during the Samgha, she read the following quote:

“Instead of being mindful of emotion, we retell the story; we dwell in the concept that keeps triggering the emotional state.”

So we remove ourselves from what fear and anger really feel like in the body.

“We disconnect from the authenticity of what is happening now.”

This Sunday, Patrick led our Sangha discussion on the topic of Equanimity and how it fits in with the other three Brahmaviharas of Loving-kindness, Compassion, and Sympathetic Joy.

Patrick played a talk by Winnie Nazarko, which is available here: http://dharmaseed.org/teacher/315/talk/47729/

This Sunday, Mike B. led our sangha discussion, exploring the complex question of “what is the goal of Insight practice?”. He played excerpts of a talk by Shaila Catherine, and read some of a controversial piece by Daniel Ingram.

The Shaila Catherine talk can be found here: http://dharmaseed.org/talks/audio_player/163/22632.html

The link to Daniel Ingram’s book in PDF format can be found here: http://integrateddaniel.info/book/