Wednesday night Meditation Schedule
Wednesday Zoom link
Meeting ID: 271 179 418 Password: 724813
orientation for new people - by appointment
7:00 Meditation Practice
• Chanting
Evening Bell Chant
Yebul (Homage to the Three Jewels)
Kanzeon Chanting
Heart Sutra (Korean and English)
Great Dharani
• Silent Meditation
Walking 5 min.
Sitting 20 min.
Walking 5 min.
Discussion 20 min.
• Closing
Recitation of Four Great Vows
Sharing of Merit
Formal practice ends at approximately 8:15 pm
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Saturday Morning Meditation Schedule
Saturday Zoom link
Meeting ID: 271 179 418 Password: 724813
orientation for new people - by appointment
11:00 Meditation Practice
• Chanting
Yebul/Homage to the Three Jewels
Kanzeon Chanting
Heart Sutra (Korean and English)
Great Dharani
Kwan Seum Bosal Chanting
Ji Jang Bosal Chanting
• Silent Meditation
Walking 5 min.
Sitting 25 min.
Walking 5 min.
Discussion 25 min.
• Closing
Recitation of Four Great Vows
Sharing of Merit
Formal practice ends at approximately 12:45 pm
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Four Great Vows:
Sentient Beings are numberless, we vow to save them all
Delusions are endless, we vow to extinguish them all
The teachings are infinite, we vow to learn them all
The Buddha Way in inconceivable, we vow to attain it
Sharing of Merit:
May whatever excellent qualities
we have gained from this practice
be extended for the benefit of all beings
(from "Awakening of Faith" by Asvaghosa)
Dharma Discussion: The Life of the Buddha (starting in June, 2022)
Starting on Wednesday night, June 1, 2022, we will be discussing the life of the Buddha as part of our regular group practice.
Schedule of discussion topics (by month):
June:
The Bodhisattva in Tushita Heaven
Birth of the Buddha
Suddhodana, Maha Maya, Maha Prajapati
July:
Growing up in the Palace
Marriage to Yasodhara
Birth of Rahula
Chandaka and the Four Sights
August:
Leaving the Palace
Study of Yoga and meditation
Asceticism
Sujata and the middle way
September:
Enlightenment
October:
Teaching, Part One
Deer Park
Principle Disciples
The creation of the Order of Bikkhunis
November:
Teaching, Part Two
Vishakha and Purvarama
Angulimala
Devadatta
Parinirvana
Resources for The Life of the Buddha:
• 1. "The Awakened One a Life of the Buddha" by Sherab Chodzin Kohn
You can get this book used (but in good shape) on Amazon or at Abebooks.com for less than $10 (including shipping). It's pretty short but does
a great job of giving you just enough detail about the major events in the life of the Buddha.
• 2. "The Life of the Buddha: According to the Pali Canon" by Bhikkhu Nanamoli
"A classic biography of the Buddha collecting details scattered around the Pāli Canon to form a compelling narrative, The Life of the Buddha presents the historical record in quirky translation, relatively undiluted by the later hagiographies."
Follow this link to page where you can find both an online version of this book
and also a donwloadable pdf version.
• 3. "Old Path, White Clouds: Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddha" by Thich Nhat Hanh
From blurb: "Old Path White Clouds presents the life and teachings of Gautama Buddha. Drawn directly from 24 Pali, Sanskrit, and Chinese sources, and retold by Thich Nhat Hanh in his inimitably beautiful style, this book traces the Buddha’s life slowly and gently over the course of 80 years, partly through the eyes of Svasti, the buffalo boy, and partly through the eyes of the Buddha himself."
Available for free download in pdf format here:
link
• 4. "Buddha" by Osamu Tezuka
This is an 8 volume "Manga" (comic book) version of the life of the Buddha. I have Volume 1. It's supposed to be really good - but I have never managed to get into it.
Here's the official website for it:
link
• 5. "Life of the Buddha: A spiritual journey" by the BBC
This is a very brief illustrated overview of some of the main events in the life of the Buddha: link
• 6. "The Life Of The Buddha [BBC Documentary]"
"A BBC/Discovery Channel co-production, this docu-narrative film describes the life of Siddharta Gautama, the process by which he arrived at the fundamentals of Buddhism and the archaeological findings confirming the traditional accounts of his life. In addition it also gives a glimpse of Buddhism today and features interviews by the Dalai Lama and other notable Buddhists."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Heho8bXXLi4
• 7. "Buddhacarita" by Ashvagosha.
This is a epic poem written in Sanskrit composed about 18 hundred years ago.
Here is a free online version of Edward B. Cowell's 1894 translation: link
And here is a not free more recent translation by Patrick Olivelle: link
• 8. Gotama Buddha: A Biography Based on the Most Reliable Texts by Hajime Nakamura
This is an excellent resource, but it is very difficult to find, and very expensive if you do find it.
• 9. A Condemned Saint: Devadatta From "Buddhist Saints in India" by Reginald Ray (in which the author argues that Devadatta was "not an evildoer, but a realized master who in many respects conforms
to the paradigm of the Buddhist saint of the forest.")
• 10. Why Devadatta Was No Saint: A critique of Reginald Ray's thesis of the 'condemned saint' by Bhikkhu Sujato (in which the author argues that Reginald Ray makes some good points, but he "fell into the all-too-common trap of over-dramatizing his thesis.")
• 11. Yasodhara, the Wife of the Bodhisattva by Ranjini Obeyesekere.
"Obeyesekere gives us a masterful translation ... [and] surveys the literary tradition that gave Yasodhara life and also discusses contemporary readings of the story." Buddhadharma: The Practitioner's Quarterly
• 12. Ananda's Hindrance: Faith (saddha) in Early Buddhism by Ellison Banks Findly
A fascinating article in which
stories about Ananda are used to investigate the ambiguous status of "faith" in Buddhism: "In the right person
and used in the right way, faith can enhance religious transformation; used improperly it can hold
one back."
• 13. Great Disciples of the Buddha: Their Lives, Their Works, Their Legacy By Ven. Nyanaponika Thera and Hellmuth Hecker
"The Buddha's first generation of followers established the traditions and values of the early Sangha. Indeed, it is nearly impossible to understand Buddhism without understanding the lives of the early Buddhist saints. This rich and inspiring series of biographies editted by Bhikkhu Bodhi mainly draws from the traditional commentaries of the Theravada tradition and so provides an excellent balance between readability and faithfulness to the source material. A must read for all students of Buddhism."
• 14. Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Deities, Teachings, Dharanis and Teachers
A wide ranging web page (it lives up to its title), that includes a very nice self-contained overview of the life of the Buddha by Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, as well as information about other Buddhas and Bodhisattvas (Vairocana, Amitabha, Medicine Buddha, Dipankara, The Five Dhyani Buddhas, Maitreya, Manjushri, Samantabhadra, Ksitigarbha, etc.)
• 15. The Buddhavamsa (also known as the Chronicle of Buddhas)
This is a Pali text (part of the Khuddaka Nikaya in the Pali Canon), which describes the life of Gautama Buddha and the 24 Buddhas who preceded him.
• 16 The Great Chronicle of Buddhas by Ven. Mingun Sayadaw
Also known as the Mahabuddhavamsa, this book is a large compilation of stories involving the Buddha, formar Buddhas, Buddhist disciples, and former lives. In Theravada Buddhism, biographies of Buddhist monks and nuns are known as Apadana, while the stories of Buddha's former lives are known as Jataka. This great chronicle of Buddhas was compiled by Ven. Mingun Sayadaw.
• 17 "The Play in Full: Lalitavistara"
"The Play in Full (Lalitavistara) is without a doubt one of the most important sutras
within Buddhist Mahayana literature. With parts of the text dating from the earliest days
of the Buddhist tradition, this story of the Buddha's awakening has captivated the minds of
devotees, both ordained and lay, as far back as the beginning of the common era.
In brief, The Play in Full tells the story of how the Buddha manifested in this world and
attained awakening. The sutra, which is structured in twenty-seven chapters, begins with the
Buddha being requested to teach the sutra by several gods, as well as the thousands of
bodhisattvas and hearers in his retinue."
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Our group meditations are free (donations are always welcome - please make online donations directly to Furnace Mountain here). Occassionally practice might be cancelled or rescheduled due to holidays or scheduling conflicts. If you have any doubts, please call ahead! Contact us for detailed maps and directions.
For more information please email us. If for any reason that link doesn't work, just send an email to steinmetz "dot" curt "at" gmail "dot" com.
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