This Sunday I will be hosting my first Sunday evening meeting at Faithful Fools in the Tenderloin in San Francisco. Faithful Fools is an outreach program at 230/234 Hyde Street in San Francisco's Tenderloin. It is a community center and copy shop founded by a Catholic nun and a Unitarian minister. On the first floor they have a Buddhist meditation hall wherein meditation sessions are held during weekday mornings. Kay and Carmen (the minister and the nun respectively) accepted my offer to host a session on Sunday nights (since some people there had expressed interest in that time slot and that was a time that I would be available). Anyway, it will begin at 6 pm with 40 minutes of silent sitting (framed by the Odaimoku and generic Mahayana Buddhist prayers and dedications which I have cribbed from Dharmajim). There will then be a five minute break and from 6:45 to 7:30 I will facilitate a free ranginig discussion of Buddha Dharma. From 7:30 to 8:00 pm I will perform a Nichiren Shu style service which will include the chanting of the Hobenpon the Jigage and the Odaimoku. All are welcome, and yes I will provide instructions on sitting and/or chanting for those who have not ever done these practices.
Namu Myoho Renge Kyo,
Ryuei
Comments
Ryuei,
How did it go??
Greg
Yeah, Mike - how did it go? How often do you have these things, anyway? I would like to come some weekend if I'm up there visiting my college rommate. Byrd in LA
Thanks for asking. It went well. Two sisters showed up (biological not nuns) and the UU minister came by briefly. Neither of the two young women had ever meditated before or even been exposed to Buddhism of any kind. So I gave instructions on how to sit, reassured them that being distracted and figity is natural and just one more phenomena to examine with mindfulness, and I introduced them to chanting the Odaimoku. We sat for about 25 minutes. Discussed the ways in which mindfulness and meditation can help to see one's thoughts, emotions and impulses more objectively without having to suppress them or give in to them and how eventually the mind will settle down and one will find a peaceful space and clarity. I also taught them the ways in which chanting Odaimoku can be just as or even more effective than silent sitting (which they had come for but were a bit intimidated by) and in addition the Odaimoku is the expression of a deep aspiration and connection to the Dharma that goes beyond just paying attention to the breath. For the record, I taught them tanden meditation wherein one concentrates on the tanden or a spot just about where the diaghragm contracts and expands when breathing deeply.
They stayed after the meditation and discussion for gongyo and I taught them using the Sacred Services book that the San Jose Temple publishes. They seemed to really enjoy it and chanted the Odaimoku right along with me. If they come by again, I will help them with Hobenpon and Jigage.
Namu Myoho Renge Kyo,
Ryuei
This Sunday (and every Sunday actually) I will again be hosting the Sunday evening meditation at Faithful Fools in the Tenderloin in San Francisco. Faithful Fools is an outreach program at 230/234 Hyde Street in San Francisco's Tenderloin. It will begin at 6 pm with 40 minutes of silent sitting. There will then be a five minute
break and from 6:45 to 7:30 I will facilitate a free ranginig
discussion of Buddha Dharma. From 7:30 to 8:00 pm I will perform a
Nichiren Shu style service which will include the chanting of the
Hobenpon the Jigage and the Odaimoku. All are welcome, and yes I
will provide instructions on sitting and/or chanting for those who
have not ever done these practices.
Namu Myoho Renge Kyo,
Ryuei
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