Newsletter
December 2021
|
|
NEW ENGLAND BUDDHIST VIHARA & MEDITATION CENTER
[BOSTON BUDDHIST VIHARA]
|
|
This Newsletter marks the end of 2021. Despite the ongoing covid pandemic, the temple community has shown resilience conducting our regular events remotely. Poya day programs, weekly evening mediation on Wednesdays and the Dhamma school. .
In this issue we celebrate the efforts of our members and especially youth who provided pandemic relief here and in Sri Lanka and the enormous effort to host the Katina ceremony in person. Several Dhamma articles with important aspects of Buddhist teachings and practice by erudite teachers are included to further the spiritual goal of our members.
We wish our readership a healthy and happy 2022.
|
|
The Four Establishments of Mindfulness
“Monks, this is the one-way path for the purification of beings, for the surmounting of sorrow and lamentation, for the passing away of pain and dejection, for the attainment of the true way, for the realization of Nibbāna—namely, the four establishments of mindfulness.
“What are the four? Here, monks, a monk dwells contemplating the body in the body, ardent, clearly comprehending, and mindful, having subdued longing and dejection in regard to the world. He dwells contemplating feelings in feelings, ardent, clearly comprehending, and mindful, having subdued longing and dejection in regard to the world. He dwells contemplating mind in mind, ardent, clearly comprehending, and mindful, having subdued longing and dejection in regard to the world. He dwells contemplating phenomena in phenomena, ardent, clearly comprehending, and mindful, having subdued longing and dejection in regard to the world.”
Bhikkhu Bodhi, In the Buddha’s Words, An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Cannon, pp. 281 - 282
|
|
Reading of the Earth Charter
With all the news of fires and floods, tornadoes and global gatherings, we are acutely aware of the climate crisis in our world. What spiritual resources can empower us to move beyond despair and fear to have a positive impact?
Bhante Pannasiri participated in the recent series on Spiritual Perspectives on Climate Change of the Multifaith Collaborative of Framingham’s Open Sprit, an organization that facilitates dialog among diverse members of our community. NEBV & MC has been working together with Open Spirit and member Neela de Zoysa has served on the Multifaith collaborative for many years.
The first in the series Planting Seeds of Hope: A Gathering For Inspiration, was a reading of the UN Earth Charter, as adapted by the Parliament of World Religions, with reflections from many different spiritual traditions. Bhante Pannasiri chanted the Karaniya metta Sutta and read an English translation on the need to share loving kindness.
The participants included, Pastor Debbie Clark, Edwards Church, United Church of Christ, Framingham, George Burton, Minister, Christian Science Church, Framingham, Layli Maparyan, Chairman, Local Spiritual Assembly. Baha'is of Framingham, Father Carl Chudy of Our Lady Fatima Shrine, Holliston, Fatima Zaidi of the Islamic Center in Hopkinton and Matia Angelou, Rabinic Pastor.
|
|
Discovery of the Buddha
Delusion is the root cause of all ills that beings are subject to, according to the teachings of the Buddha. Simply put, it is ignorance - the persistent false belief that people have of themselves as possessing a “self”. In other words, it is the deep-seated attachment to our sense of permanent identity.
In reality, there is no such thing as individual personality. What we call 'self' is an amalgam of the four elements, five aggregates, and the thirty-two parts of impurities of the body. The so called “self” is a combination of the mind and the body.
To understand the delusionary notion of a “self” is quite a difficult proposition for the untaught or those lacking basic learning, training, or knowledge. All ordinary living beings, from the amoeba to the whale and from the human to the divine and formless Brahma, have a feeling of 'self' although in the real sense of the word, it is a nonentity; something that exists only in the imagination. For example, the case of a building that we know to have existed for many years. When this decays and falls into total ruin, nobody will ever know that a building ever existed there.
So what became of this building? Wasn't it there? Is it there anymore? Will the same building be there again? No way. It was only a mass of material in the form of bricks, cement, sand, iron, and wood that was there. However, for purposes of identification, we fancied it as a single solid entity of a building. There, is a problem for the uninformed here. That is, coming to terms with something that they are not willing to accept. This is because through countless eons, the ordinary living is accustomed to, or in the habit of falsely entertaining a psychotic belief in "me, myself, and I" taking the union of elements such as body, emotions, sensations, and thoughts that constitute the individual as an entity in possession of a permanent soul which in fact is not the case. This simply reflects our inability to distinguish between what is real and what only seems to be real.
The holding fast to this illusion of a permanent self despite indisputable evidence to the contrary has driven the being to further ills as craving, hatred and to the commission of more and more reprehensible acts, thus generating demerit after demerit unwittingly ensuring the continued suffering in the cycle of births and deaths generally known as Samsara -To be continued-
By late Ven. Kurunegoda Piyatissa Maha Thero
(The Founder President of New York Buddhist Vihara, New York)
|
|
Life saving equipment donated for COVID relief in rural Sri Lanka
The community of NEBV & MC generously donated towards COVID relief organized by the temple. These funds were donated to hospitals in Central Province in Sri Lanka to improve the critical care facilities at Immediate Care Centers (ICCs) during the COVID pandemic. The Central province was the most severely affected province (i.e highest infection rate and death rate) during the COVID pandemic and the lack of facilities and critical life saving treatments severely jeopardized care. The donation was used to purchase10 multi-parameter units and 10 jumbo oxygen cylinders.
|
|
How do we know when we reach the First Jhana ? How does it feel ?
When you reach the First Jhana, you know for sure. When you look at your mind, all the hindrances are not there. Your greed, anger, restlessness and worry, sleepiness and drowsiness, and doubt about the practice -- they are not there. Your mind is very quiet.
Also, you have no inclination whatsoever to talk. Then you experience a great deal of happiness because you are secluded from various kinds of activities associated with sensual pleasure. Your mind is free from all these things.
The First Jhana is not a very deep, concentrated state of mind. There is concentration, but you can hear and feel and so forth. You are so focused on your experience of peace and happiness that you are not interested at all in talking. So verbalizing stops when you attain the First Jhana.
From - WHAT , WHY, HOW by Bhante Gunaratana
|
|
Helping community access COVID vaccinations
When the COVID vaccinations first rolled out, most people found it hard to get an appointment due to the high demand. A young adult group from the NEBV & MC community observed this need and donated their time and energy to help out many in our community. They arranged for 350 vaccinations over a period of 4 months. The voluntary efforts of Nimindu, Udani, Sandani, Chirstina, Chirusha and Natasha were recognized and appreciated at an award ceremony at the Hopkinton State Park in July.
|
|
End of Year Program Dhamma School 2021
Another successful year of Dhamma learning at the Boston Buddhist Vihara Dhamma School concluded on December 18th. We had the year end celebration with the participation of staff, students and their families. It was a wonderful event celebrating the achievements of our students during a challenging year done through remote learning.
|
|
Katina Ceremony 2021
The Katina ceremony was successfully held on October 30th at the Grafton High School, and was attended by Monks from New York, New Jersey, Staten Island and Long Island Buddhist Temples. The ceremony was held with the participation of community members with covid protocols in place.
|
|
Tonight's meditation session was led by Bhante Pannasiri. After meditation we finished
our discussion on the Sammaditthi Sutta. We discussed the sections on Formations, Ignorance and Taints. There are three types of formations: bodily, verbal and mental. These formations rise out of ignorance and cease when ignorance ceases. Cessation of ignorance is realized by following the Noble Eightfold Path. Ignorance rises from not knowing and understanding suffering. Ignorance ceases by following the Noble Eightfold Path. There are three Taints: sensual desire, the taint of being and the taint of ignorance. The cessation of the taints is accomplished by following the Noble Eightfold Path. Perfect confidence in the Dhamma is gained when we follow the Noble Eightfold Path: Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration.
By Joyce Schauer
12-22-21
Guided meditation sessions for adults, Wednesdays conducted by Bhante Pannasiri
|
|
Newsletter Contributors:
Bhante Pannasiri - Advisor
Committee Members
Neela De Zoysa
Joyce Schauer
Gayani Weeraratne
Lasitha Yahampath
Richard Murphy
Asanya Wawlagala
Sanath Wijeratne
Udaya De Silva
Lakmini Prematillake
Nigel Karunarathne
|
|
NEW ENGLAND BUDDHIST VIHARA & MEDITATION CENTER
162 OLD UPTON ROAD
GRAFTON MA 01519
Web: www.nebvmc.org
Email:
information@nebvmc.org
bostonbuddhistvihara@gmail.com
Phone: (508) 8395038
Copyright © 2021 NEBVMC,
All rights reserved.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
