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All are welcome, regardless of whether you have previously attended.
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As more detail becomes available, this page will be updated. Archived activity calendars: 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003 |
| January | February | March | April | May | June |
| July | August | September | October | November | December |
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Winter Hours For the Winter months of January, February and March, we plan to hold Sangha Gatherings on the second Saturday of each month, and Family Dharma on the fourth Sunday of each month. These meetings will take place at the Dhamma Dena location. Directions to Dhamma Dena. Sangha Times: Winter Saturday Hours January, February, March Sangha Times: April - December Saturday Hours Family Dharma Times: All Year - Sundays
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 In Japan the first day of the New Year is especially considered significant--it is like Christmas and New Year celebrations rolled into one, for it marks a new beginning. By December 31 the custom is to clean house thoroughly, fulfill commitments made the past year, and pay off all debts. On January 1st the family gathers to mark a new beginning in life and goes before the family altar, decorated with fresh flowers, and bow to Amida Buddha with chanting of a scripture. An old story goes that on New Year's Day when a member called on the temple priest to express his Greetings, the priest abruptly replied, "Just say Namu-Amida Butsu." No words of greeting the New Year were exchanged, for he expressed the Shin Buddhist understanding that cherishes each day as a New Day. When we say Namu-Amida Butsu, we are saying that I as a limited NAMU-being finds profound meaning in being affirmed daily by boundless compassion that is AMIDA BUDDHA. With such an appreciation, every day is a New Day for which we are deeply grateful. This is the crucial import of Namu-Amida Butsu that celebrates this gift of life, here and now. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Saturday Jan. 13 Everyone is invited to participate. Interested sangha members are always welcomed to attend. Location: Dhamma Dena. |
Regular Sangha Gathering. Service including Sutra Chanting. The Sangha meeting will begin with cluster presenters Alice Unno and Christina Manning. They will lead a discussion on articles on life and death (in Buddhist understanding) by Toby Kaplowitz, former Ada Comstock scholar at Smith, and a New York Times article on the same topic. Everyone is welcome to attend, so please bring friends! As always, refreshment dana and flower dana will be appreciated. Please bring whatever you'd like to share. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sunday Jan. 28 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM (doors will be open at 10:30) Location: Dhamma Dena. |
Family Dharma for children, parents and everyone. All are welcome! Dharma lesson, storytelling, crafts. Dharma talk continuing the theme of this month's "Reflections." Please bring a brown bag lunch. Parents and children are reminded to bring their ojuzu/nenju beads if you have them (if you don't have them, no problem!) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 On February 15 every year we observe Nirvana Day to commemorate the passing away of the historical Buddha 2,500 years ago in India. His death scene is unique in world religions, because it is very peaceful. The Buddha is lying on his side in a forest grove, surrounded by his disciples and all kinds of animals in the forest--rabbits, bears, deers, elephants, pigeons, and so on--all weeping. But the scene is filled with a feeling of boundless compassion, manifesting the spirit of the Buddha that embraces and affirms all being, whether humans or animals. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Saturday Feb. 10 Everyone is invited to participate. Interested sangha members are always welcomed to attend. Location: Dhamma Dena. |
Regular Sangha Gathering. Service including Sutra Chanting. The Sangha meeting will begin with cluster presenters Fritzie Kelly, Carol Waag and Kerry Homstead. Topic = Self-Reflection as a Process. Everyone is welcome to attend, so please bring friends! As always, refreshment dana and flower dana will be appreciated. Please bring whatever you'd like to share. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sunday Feb. 25 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM (doors will be open at 10:30) Location: Dhamma Dena. |
Family Dharma for children, parents and everyone. All are welcome! This is a very special gathering! Kinsey Hirae will present a dharma talk, and Maria Yeskie will present her original puppet play, "On the Road to Loving Kindness." Please bring a brown bag lunch. Parents and children are reminded to bring their ojuzu/nenju beads if you have them (if you don't have them, no problem!) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Immediately After Family Dharma (1:30) on Sunday, February 25. Jim Nagahiro, President of the NSBS Board of Directors.  In the near future Unno Sensei and Mrs. Unno will be moving to Oregon; although, the date is yet to be set. Thus, as we face the future without their presence, it behooves all of us to keep the Northampton Shin Buddhist Sangha Mission Statement in our hearts and minds and have a clear understanding of our spiritual and religious goals. We are sending this notice to the dharma School parents as well, because you are an important part of the Northampton Shin Buddhist Sangha. Please share your ideas and opinions with us as we discuss the very important future of our Sangha. The main purpose of this Special Meeting is to address the following: 1. To focus on the central concern of our Sangha activities, which is the development of our religious programs for the adults and the youths of our Sangha. 2. Cultivate awareness as Nembutsu practitioners. 3. Incorporating the Shin teachings into our daily life. The discussions at this meeting will hopefully enable us to answer the basic question -- Why I want to be a Shin Buddhist. Discussions: The following are some thoughts on the items listed above. Please feel free to express your ideas and opinions on these subjects at the meeting. 1. Rev. Unno assures us that he will be available as a visiting minister and will help us invite, as much as possible, other visiting ministers of lay speakers. Our Cluster program, as envisioned by Rev. Unno, is going through the second cycle and it appears Cluster members are satisfied with the format and the participation by everyone at the Sangha meetings. Any suggestions for changes, additions, deletions concerning the structure and dynamics of the present Cluster system? Suggestions have been received about the possibility of sessions on: 2. Cultivating awareness as Nembutsu practitioners: One way we could cultivate this awareness may be through the rituals that we practice. The following excerpts (paraphrased in part) from the book TRADITIONS of JODOSHINSHU HONGWANJI-HA, authored by Rev. Masao Kodani and the late Rev. Russell Hamada will shed some light on the significance of the rituals we practice at our services: THE BASIC RITUAL: In English the word "ritual" is very often used to mean a habitual mindless activity. Ritual is often regarded as unimportant relative to the activity of logical thinking. The Buddhists have long known the importance of having a balance in the six senses of sight, sound, smell, taste, touch and thought. Awareness is not limited to mental awareness, but is one which involves the totality of the senses. Buddhist ritual is an exercise towards awareness with ones body, speech, and mind --- the three categories of Karmas or 'action'. The body-action takes the form of various body postures and hand gestures as in Gassho; the speech-action takes the form of chanting, singing, recitations, and breathing; and the thought-action takes the form of study, deep thought, calm thought, etc. Meditation can and does take all three forms of thought, speech, and action. 3. Incorporating the Shin teachings into our daily life. Gassho, Jim Nagahiro | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 One of the unique religious holiday in Japanese Buddhism is called Higan, meaning "Other Shore," marking the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes. They teach us that Nature is integral to our Buddhist life. Farmers in an agrarian society depended on natural forces for survival--sunshine, rain. heat, cold, etc. for planting and harvesting of crops. So too many karmic forces beyond our control, both positive and negative, are necessary parts of our life, and they are all affirmed as necessary to make our life whole. When this is realized, it is called "reaching the Other Shore." | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Saturday March 10 Everyone is invited to participate. Interested sangha members are always welcomed to attend. Location: Dhamma Dena. |
Regular Sangha Gathering. Service including Sutra Chanting. The Sangha meeting will begin with cluster presenters Bernadette Giblin, Peter Gross, and Mary Lynn Brezsnyak. Everyone is welcome to attend, so please bring friends! As always, refreshment dana and flower dana will be appreciated. Please bring whatever you'd like to share. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sunday March 25 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM (doors will be open at 10:30) Location: Dhamma Dena. |
Family Dharma for children, parents and everyone. All are welcome, regardless of whether you have attended before!
Dharma talk continuing the theme of this month's "Reflections." Please bring a brown bag lunch. Parents and children are reminded to bring their ojuzu/nenju beads if you have them (if you don't have them, no problem!) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 on Sunday, February 25. I have asked for this meeting as part of a series of meetings over the years to address the future of the sangha including the role that Alice and I have played and plan to play in the future. In this regard, we wish to share with you two important thoughts, both related to the immediate, as well as the long-range, future of the Northampton Shin Buddhist Sangha. First concerns the limited contribution that Alice and I are now able to make to our Sangha, due to advancing age and declining health. We will, of course, continue to assist the Sangha and its religious activities as long as we are here in Massachusetts; and even after we move to Oregon, we would like to support you in any way we can. As we have stated earlier, we have been planning for sometime that we might move to Oregon. Our son Mark has made that a possibility for us by planning for various needs including housing that fits our physical needs. On his part, however, this is an option open for us, when and if we should make a decision in that regard. The decision ultimately rests with us, but as I have mentioned, we are now confronted with increasing limitations with regards to our daily lives here. Even after we make the move, we will try to come to Northampton, as our lives permit, so that we can maintain and develop our connection with you. At some point, we may no longer be able to travel, but we will continue to remain in contact in other ways. If at some point, neither Alice nor I can provide guidance or assistance to you, Mark can be a resource for you. As some of you are aware, Alice and Mark have been my confidants and partners in many of the most important matters regarding life and our sangha, and as a concerned but disinterested party, I am sure that Mark will serve your best interests should you find the need to turn to him. While I alone am responsible for various decisions that I have made regarding the sangha, I refer you to Mark knowing how indispensable he has been for my own work. To this end, we will also set aside funds so that, should you find need for his counsel, his expenses will be covered. Again, it is entirely up to you whether you seek his advice or not. Second is the future of our Sangha as a religious organization. Our Sangha evolved from an informal gathering of friends interested in the Shin Buddhist teachings to a non-profit organization, registered with the state of Massachusetts with its own Board of Directors and officers. Thanks to the interested members and dedicated leaders, both past and present, our Sangha has attained some degree of stability, but hard work still awaits the Sangha to grow and become truly independent. Through personal experience, I have come to realize that a viable Sangha is like a harmonious family in which each family member does his or her share, takes full responsibility for the task assigned, and completes the task given. For our family to function effectively, each must exert his or her fullest energy as resources allow. In the remaining time, whatever that may be, I will try to contribute in the best way that I can. Ultimately, each person is responsible for his or her own spiritual deepening on the nembutsu path, and the community should be a vehicle to serve each person. By serving each other in community, you have an opportunity to serve your own best interests. Like a family, participation requires a significant degree of commitment regardless of like or dislike; it is by working through difficulties that each person grows and deepens awareness. Unlike a family, however, the choice to participate or not depends ultimately on the individual and the decision on whether the sangha is the best vehicle for one's own spiritual path. Regardless of how things may evolve, the crucial matter is knowing that, right under foot, as we speak, the dharma flows, in which we are all one, a realization available to each of us in every moment. We plan to keep you abreast of our plans as they develop. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 As many of you know, Alice and I traveled to Eugene, Oregon, from March 17 through 27. The trip made clear the urgency of our need to relocate to Oregon, while we are still physically capable of doing so. Since this is the selling season nation-wide for houses, we are now involved with various local agencies to that end. Thus, we want you to know that our move to Oregon is now imminent. We are thinking of our relationship with each of you, as well as the Northampton Shin Buddhist Sangha as a whole, and how we might contribute to the continuing spiritual life of each person and the Sangha. We welcome your suggestions and hopes, so that we might respond in a meaningful way. Ty and Alice Unno Bid each other farewell in the mountain. Closing the gate at dusk. When Spring comes again next year, green grass will again grow. Will the honored friend return?  Traditionally in East Asia, the birth of the historical Buddha is celebrated on April 8. In Japan this occasion is observed as Hana Matsuri or Festival of Flowers, recalling the Lumbini Garden in Northern India where Queen Maya gave birth to the baby Buddha more than 2,500 years ago. When the infant Buddha was born, legend states that he took seven steps, pointing one hand to the sky and the other to the earth, and proclaimed, "Above Heaven and below Heaven, I alone am the World-Honored One." This was no ordinary self-affirmation but the affirmation of each being (Namu) by the compassionate Buddha or Amida as unique, irreplaceable, and destined for supreme enlightenment. Indian society was characterized by a rigid caste system, so this proclamation was revolutionary. Thus, today we inherit this liberating tradition, and when we say the nembursu, "Namu-amida-butsu," we bring to life the Buddha's enlightenment experience that celebrates each person's potential as unique, irreplaceable, and destined for supreme enlightenment. Ty Unno | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Palms together, Ty Unno
Saturday April 14 |
Interested sangha members are always welcomed to attend. Everyone is invited to participate. Location: Dhamma Dena. Regular Sangha Gathering. | Service including Sutra Chanting. Happy Hana Matsuri! We will perform the traditional ceremony of bathing the baby Buddha statue in sweet tea to celebrate the birth of the historical Buddha. The Sangha meeting will begin with cluster presenters Rebecca and Geoff Brown. Everyone is welcome to attend, so please bring friends! As always, refreshment dana and flower dana will be appreciated. Please bring whatever you'd like to share. Sunday April 22 |
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM (doors will be open at 10:30) Location: Dhamma Dena. Family Dharma for children, parents and everyone. All are welcome, regardless of whether you have attended before!
| Happy Hana Matsuri! We will perform the traditional ceremony of bathing the baby Buddha statue in sweet tea to celebrate the birth of the historical Buddha. Dharma talk continuing the theme of this month's "Reflections." Please bring a brown bag lunch. Parents and children are reminded to bring their ojuzu/nenju beads if you have them (if you don't have them, no problem!)
| Saturday, April 21, 3 - 5 p.m. Discussion of the book DHARMA BREEZE by Rev. Dr. Nobuo Haneda, (Director of the Maida Institute of Buddhism in Berkeley, Ca.) To read the flyer for more information, click here.
|  Alice will teach the workshop at at Williston-Northampton School, in the Theater Building Workshop. Preregistration with payment of your $20 fee (not $25 as previously reported in "Dandelion")is required by April 22. Directions to the Theater Building will be sent upon receipt of your fee, which covers the cost of flowers and materials. Any funds left over will go to the Sangha Treasury. Checks should be made out to the Northampton Shin Buddhist Sangha (not to Alice Unno) and sent to Rebecca Brown, Treasurer (PO Box 1482, Northampton, MA 01050-1482).
|  Since we observe the birth of Shinran Shonin on May 21, we want to remind ourselves of the basic creed for Shin Buddhists that reads, "Entrusting myself to the Vow of the Buddha and reciting the Sacred Name, I shall proceed through the journey of life with strength and joy." This contains three important teachings for all practicing Shin Buddhists: 1) We cultivate appreciation for the Primal Vow of Amida Buddha, 2) We recite the Sacred Name or Nembutsu, and 3) We live life with strength and joy. The Primal Vow affirms the sacredness of each person's spiritual potential, concretely articulated in our saying of "Namu-amida-butsu" that enables each of us to live life with strength no matter how challenging it may be and experience profound joy for this gift of human life.  As I reflect on the growth of the Northampton Shin Buddhist Sangha, I see it evolving into an ideal Sangha. In the history of Shin Buddhism, the ideal Sangha consists of 1) Amida Buddha as the object of worship, 2) members who manifest the Nembutsu teaching in everyday life, and 3) leaders who work together and help each other to exemplify the Sangha in action. During the time of the historical Buddha, the Sangha consisted of monks and nuns rotating responsibilities in maintaining the organization. During Shinran's time, every one was regarded as sisters and brothers on the nembutsu path. In our Shin temples in America, the frequent rotation of officers, taking on different responsibilities, is a common practice. The basic definition of Sangha is "harmony"-- to revere the Buddha together, manifest the teaching in everyday life, and help each other in times of need.
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Our regular, monthly sangha gathering will not take place in May. Instead, we will have a farewell reception in honor of Rev. and Mrs. Unno. This restriction is necessary due to considerations of time, space and funding. We apologize to those who therefore will not be able to attend. Attendees will be our sangha, as well as close personal friends and associates of the Unnos. All sangha members should receive an invitation by mail. Please be sure to R.S.V.P. A "farewell journal" will be available at the gathering, and all who wish to do so may record their thoughts for Ty and Alice. For those not in attendance, if you wish to send Ty and Alice a Bon Voyage message, please try to do so before their departure date of May 24. You may address your mail in care of Northampton Shin Buddhist Sangha, P.O. Box 1482, Northampton, Massachusetts 01061-1482.
May 17 (Thursday) | 7:30 PM Location: Smith College Student Center, in the lounge across from the cafeteria.
| Book Discussion Group The informal book discussion will explore D.T. Suzuki's The Buddha of Infinite Light. This book on Jodo Shinshu was written by the well-known Zen scholar who encouraged Ty Unno to pursue the study of Buddhism. Suzuki's mother was a Shin Buddhist, and Jodo Shinshu increasingly occupied Suzuki's interest in his later years. "Buddha of Infinite Light" was edited by Ty, from a series of Suzuki's lectures. Ty also wrote the introduction. Sunday May 27 |
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM (doors will be open at 10:30) Location: Dhamma Dena. Family Dharma for children, parents and everyone. All are welcome, regardless of whether you have attended before!
| Our dharma lesson, storytelling, and craft will celebrate Mother's Day! Please bring a brown bag lunch. Parents and children are reminded to bring their ojuzu/nenju beads if you have them (if you don't have them, no problem!)
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When the thought of saying the nembutsu erupts from deep within, having entrusted ourselves to the inconceivable power of Amida's vow which saves us, enabling us to be born in the Pure Land, we receive at that very moment the ultimate benefit of being grasped never to be abandoned. Amida's Primal Vow does not discriminate between the young and old, good and evil - true entrusting alone is essential. The reason is that the Vow is directed to the person burdened with the weight of karmic evil and burning with the flames of blind passion. Thus, in entrusting ourselves to the Primal Vow, no other form of good is necessary, for there is no good that surpasses the nembutsu. And evil need not be feared, for there is no evil which can obstruct the working of Amida's Primal Vow. Shinran, The TANNISHO: Chapter I (Tannisho: A Shin Buddhist Classic, translated by Ty Unno, 1985, Buddhist Study Center Press)
Saturday June 9 |
Interested sangha members are always welcomed to attend. Everyone is invited to participate. Location: Dhamma Dena. Regular Sangha Gathering. | Service including Sutra Chanting. Lay cluster: Geoff Brown, Janet Sinclair, and Mina Harrison will reflect upon Nobuo Haneda�s DHARMA BREEZE, Chapter 2, �What is Hongan?� Discussion will follow. Please feel free to attend whether or not you have done the reading! Ty and Alice Unno have donated the following items, which will be available at the sangha gathering, for a suggested minimum donation - 4 Obutsudans ($20.00 each), 8 brown, plastic beaded nenjus ($7.00 each), 4 black, wood beaded nenjus ($9.00 each). As always, refreshment dana and flower dana will be appreciated. Please bring whatever you'd like to share.
| Saturday, June 9, 3-5:30. The American Buddhist Study Center (New York City) will be discussing "Heard By Me" by Rev. Shuichi Maida, translated by Rev.Nobuo Haneda. For complete details, click here.
CANCELED |
| NSBS Book Discussion Group The Thursday evening Book Discussion Group has been canceled for the duration of the Summer, and will resume in the Fall. More information will be posted at that time. Sunday June 24 |
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM (doors will be open at 10:30) Location: Dhamma Dena. Family Dharma for children, parents and everyone. All are welcome, regardless of whether you have attended before!
| Chris Stetson and Johnny Yetske will lead our gathering through chanting, incense offering and dharma discussion. The theme is "true entrusting." Please bring a brown bag lunch. Parents and children are reminded to bring their ojuzu/nenju beads if you have them (if you don't have them, no problem!)
|  Two essential components of our Shin Buddhist life, based on historical tradition, are 1) the personal, religious commitment to the teaching, Buddha Dharma, and 2) the network of individual practitioners working together to make this commitment a living reality in their life, both personal and social. The first aspect is expressed in the famous saying, "Each of us is born alone and dies alone, departs alone and comes alone." This deep awareness makes us desirous of a dynamic, communal Sangha in which people help each other in both times of need and times of celebration. Both become an opportunity to express gratitude to our Sangha, brought together by the working of the Buddha Dharma. This gratitude is expressed in serving the Sangha, offering help to others and sharing financial responsibility for ongoing activities of the Shin Buddhist Sangha.
Fri. (eve.) 7/20, Saturday 7/21 - Sunday 7/22 |
Location: Barre Center for Buddhist Studies
|  This workshop explores the deeper dimensions of Shin Buddhism in larger philosophical and cultural contexts, taking up the core issues of relative perspectives, dissolving dualistic boundaries, and realizing the oneness of reality. The discussion is based on the words of Shinran (1173-1263) contained in the classical Tannisho (Lamenting the Deviations). The weekend consists of dharma talks, open discussion, and free inquiry, as well as quiet sitting and sutra chanting. Please contact BCBS at (978) 355-2347 or [email protected] for information about availability of space. Hurry!
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Regular Sangha Gathering and Family Dharma Canceled
| Because of the July workshops, there will be no Saturday Sangha gathering and no Family Dharma gathering in the month of July.
Saturday, July 28th, 1-5 p.m. |
Location: Dewey Common Room at Smith College, Northampton, MA
| Also, Mark and Ty Unno will hold their annual afternoon workshop at Smith College on Saturday, July 28th from 1-5 p.m. at the Dewey Common Room at Smith College. Registration is $20. Checks can be made payable to the Northampton Shin Buddhist Sangha and sent to P.O. Box 1482 Northampton, MA 01061 or given to Rebecca Brown, treasurer. The seminar tile is "The Shin Buddhist Path: A Journey of the Heart".
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One of the most important religious observances in Japanese Buddhism, observed in August, is called Obon, popularly known as the Festival of Joy. It is not only a major religious gathering, but celebrated with folk dancing with taiko drums and other musical instruments. It affirms the interdependence of life that includes both those living and those who have passed away, all of whom contribute to making our own life possible and meaningful. For this reason Obon is a special time to honor our loved ones who are no longer with us with deep gratitude for their contributions to our life. We also hold memorial services on a regular basis to remember our loved ones, an important component of what it means to living a Buddhist life.
Saturday August 11 |
6:30 PM Location: Dhamma Dena.
| Join us for a potluck at our Dhamma Dena location in Eastworks. We will all have a chance to relax, enjoy each other's company and attend to: Please come! Also, please bring a light potluck dish/appetizer to share with everyone!
| Look Park (Northampton), Tables 4A, 5A and 5B. EVERYONE IS INVITED! Our annual picnic is a relaxed time for all sangha members, and their friends and families, to gather in appreciation of one another. Whether you attend our monthly sangha gatherings, Family Dharma, or our special workshops, please come to the picnic. Whether you come often are hardly ever, we will be happy to see you! Look Park has many activities available, including playground, zoo, minature golf, pedal boats, bumper boats, and more. For information, directions or a map, see www.lookpark.org. NOTE: there is a park entry fee of $4.00 per vehicle. The location is the same as last year (tables 4A, 5A and 5B). Family Dharma Service will take place at the picnic, starting promptly at 11:00 a.m. Pot Luck Lunch begins immediately after Family Dharma. Bring whatever you want to share. Hotdogs, bugers (including veggie burgers), drinks and papergoods/utensils will already be provided. Questions? Please contact us at [email protected].
|  You can watch a two-part video of Ty Unno teaching at our 2007 BCBS retreat. Click on the URLs below, or copy the URLs (one at a time!) to your browser's address bar. The videos were posted by the Buddhist Faith Fellowship. Thank you, Eli! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJ5dsBKypvM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDv6zNqDUMQ Bernadette Giblen is also on Youtube, practicing "right livelihood" by way of eco-friendly, pet-safe lawn management. You can see all three episodes (so far) at the URL below. http://www.youtube.com/user/catsdogslawns
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Lois Bowman, Marylynn Brezsnyak, Jim and Alice Nagahiro and Susan Olson will be attending the Eastern Buddhist League Conference at Ekoji Buddhist Temple outside of Washington, DC this Labor Day Weekend (August 31-September 3). If you might want to attend, please contact us at [email protected].
|   While the Shin Buddhist path does not require strenuous physical discipline, such as Zen meditation, it demands deep self-reflection, leading to an awareness of one's self-deceptions, as well as the boundless compassion that illuminates it. In the words of Shinran, "When I ponder on the compassionate Vow of Amida, established through five kalpas of profound thought, it was for myself Shinran alone. Because I am a being burdened so heavily with karma, I feel even more deeply grateful to the Primal Vow that is made to decisively save me." (Tannisho Epilogue) The religious observance known as Higan, reflecting on the "Other Shore of Nirvana," every Autumn and Spring reminds us to reflect on (1) our karmic ignorance and (2) boundless compassion that always surrounds and illuminates it.
Saturday Sept. 8 |
Interested sangha members are always welcomed to attend. Everyone is invited to participate. Location: Dhamma Dena. Regular Sangha Gathering. | Service including Sutra Chanting. Lay cluster presentation: Mary Lynn Brezsnyak, Jim & Alice Nagahiro will reflect upon Nobuo Haneda�s DHARMA BREEZE, Chapter 3. Discussion will follow. Please feel free to attend whether or not you have done the reading! As always, refreshment dana and flower dana will be appreciated. Please bring whatever you'd like to share. Sunday September 23 |
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM (doors will be open at 10:30) Location: Dhamma Dena. Family Dharma for children, parents and everyone. All are welcome, regardless of whether you have attended before!
| Dharma talk continuing the theme of this month's "Reflections." The Autumn Equinox service encourages us to sense the constant change and oneness of all existence. During this time, the world seems in balance. The weather is temperate and the days and nights are of equal length. Please bring a brown bag lunch. Parents and children are reminded to bring their ojuzu/nenju beads if you have them (if you don't have them, no problem!)
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We have no special Buddhist holiday in October, but we remind ourselves of the Shin awareness for a richer, meaningful life. This poem was written by a lay Buddhist in Japanese and translated into English by me on Nov. 19, 1988. You are you, just right as you are-- Your face, body, given name, and surname, They're just right for you. Poor or rich, your parents, your child. Your daughter-in-law, your grandchildren, They're just right for you. Happiness or unhappiness, joy or sorrow, they're just right for you. The path you have taken in life is neither good nor bad, It's just right for you. Whether you go to hell or to Pure Land, Wherever you go, it's just right. No need to be arrogant, nothing to feel bad about, No one above you, no one below you. Even the day and month that you die, it's just right. This life, together with Amida Buddha, No way that it can't be just right. When you receive your life as just right, A deep, abiding faith begins to open up. Namu Amida Butsu With palms together, Ty Unno Saturday 10/13/07 |
Everyone is invited to participate. Location: Dhamma Dena. Regular Sangha Gathering. | Service including Sutra Chanting. Lay speaker cluster -- Lois Bowman, Susan Olson, Mary Lynn Brezniak and Jim and Alice Nagahiro plan to give us a glimpse of the Eastern Buddhist League conference. They recently attended this biannual Shin Buddhist event at the Ekoji temple in Virginia. They have indicated that this was a fun event in which they received a lot of interest and potential support for our fledgling Sangha from many more established Shin groups. Refreshment dana and flower dana are always welcomed, so please bring whatever you'd like to share.
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 Location: Smith College (Northampton), Campus Center Building Noon - 5:00. FREE and open to the public! A Festival of Buddhism in the Pioneer Valley. Our sangha will participate, along with many of the other nearly 50 Buddhist groups in the Pioneer Valley. We will have an alter in the Carroll Room of the Smith Campus Center, and information table, and we will give a 1:00 - 1:45 workshop titled "Dharma for Kids." Activites will include feature workshops, demonstrations, performances, information tables, and discussions. Please feel free to drop by and stay for as little or as long as you like. A detailed schedule is available on our web site. Sunday 10/28/07 |
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM Location: Dhamma Dena. Family Dharma for children, parents and everyone. All are welcome! | Dharma lesson, storytelling, crafts, kid-friendly quiet sitting and chanting, birthdays, hands-on crafts. Dharma talk continuing the theme of this month's "Reflections." Please bring a brown bag lunch. Parents and children are reminded to bring their ojuzu/nenju beads if you have them (if you don't have them, no problem!) Refreshment dana and flower dana are always welcomed, so please bring whatever you'd like to share.
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Historically in Asia, Buddhism has been monastic-centered; monks and nuns receive support from the laity. In contrast, Shin Buddhism has clearly been a lay path; we have no monks or nuns. We do have an ordained clergy, but they live life like any ordinary member with the same responsibilities to family and society. Thus, our Shin Buddhist Sangha is unique, using the teaching of Buddha to live a rich and creative family life and make positive contributions to society. If a person is interested in monastic Buddhism, he or she should pursue the path of Zen, Theravada, or other forms of ascetic Buddhism. But if a person seeks to enrich family life, then Shin Buddhism provides the tools to make that possible. What are the tools? Every member of the Northampton Shin Buddhist Sangha should be prepared to answer such a question that may be posed by people interested in the lay path in Buddhism. In brief, it is a deep awakening to one's karmic limitations embraced by the boundless and limitless compassion of the Buddha Amida. Without this awareness the Shin path will not make any meaningful sense. Namu Amida Butsu With palms together, Ty Unno Saturday 11/10/07 |
Everyone is invited to participate. Location: Dhamma Dena. Regular Sangha Gathering. | Service including Sutra Chanting. Lay Cluster: Geoff Brown, Ed Bouquet, Christina Manning "Liberation by Limitless Light (Wisdom)," Chapter 4 of Nobuo Haneda's book "Dharma Breeze", explores crucial Shin Buddhist concepts using plain language. Haneda maintains the stripped down approach even while quoting and elucidating passages from Indian and Japanese Buddhist texts. As our teacher, Prof. Taitetsu Unno, prepared to leave his home in Northampton he suggested that we use the series of "Dharma Breeze" essays as a basis for our first year of discussions without him. This month's selection, interestingly enough, talks about the role of the teacher in Shin. Refreshment dana and flower dana are always welcomed, so please bring whatever you'd like to share.
November 15 (Thursday) | 7:00 PM Location: Smith College Student Center, in the lounge across from the cafeteria.
| NSBS Book Discussion Group Our Book Group plans to meet Thursday November 15 in the Smith Campus Center (Elm St.) at 7 p.m. discussing "Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism" by Chogyam Trungpa. We will convene in the large Lounge opposite the Cafe, main floor. Inexpensive copies (look under "Used") are available from Amazon.com or at several local college libraries. All are welcome for our discussion even if you cannot bring a book copy with you. Sunday 11/25/07 |
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM Location: Dhamma Dena. Family Dharma for children, parents and everyone. All are welcome! | Dharma lesson, storytelling, crafts, kid-friendly quiet sitting and chanting, birthdays, hands-on crafts. Dharma talk continuing the theme of this month's "Reflections." Please bring a brown bag lunch. Parents and children are reminded to bring their ojuzu/nenju beads if you have them (if you don't have them, no problem!) Refreshment dana and flower dana are always welcomed, so please bring whatever you'd like to share.
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The basic teaching of Shin Buddhism can be summed up in one word: "Gratitude." For many years I understood this to mean that we must be grateful to favors done for us and express our thanks to our parents, teachers, friends, and society that make our present life possible. However, I realized that whether we are Buddhists or not, we can be grateful for favors done for us by others and for good things that happen in our lives. Then I realized that gratitude, as understood on the Shin path, comes from a deeper awareness of this life as a gift. Last spring at Smith College, I had an opportunity to share this deeper sense of gratitude at a farewell faculty gathering in memory of a colleague, Professor Dennis Hudson, who passed away on December 11, 2006. I concluded my farewell to Dennis by reading from a Buddhist writer, S. Aoki, author of Coffinman: we lose our fear of death. Forgiving of all things, we enter a state where we hold all things in gratitude. The nembutsu we chant -- Namu Amida Butsu -- is a succinct expression of our profound gratitude that embraces and affirms both life and death. Namu Amida Butsu With palms together, Ty Unno Saturday 12/08/07 |
Everyone is invited to participate. Location: Dhamma Dena. Regular Sangha Gathering. | Service including Sutra Chanting. Lay Cluster: Cathy Fitzgerald, Susan Olson and Geoff Brown will continue discussion of Nobuo Haneda's book "Dharma Breeze," turning to Chapter 5, "What is the Pure Land?" - a place where people are wholeheartedly seeking Dharma [Buddhist teachings]. 'Birth in the Pure Land' is a symbol of becoming part of the Sangha." December 8th is also Jodo-e, Bodhi Day, when Buddhists celebrate Shakyamuni Buddha's Awakening beneath the Bodhi Tree at dawn in ancient India. Refreshment dana and flower dana are always welcomed, so please bring whatever you'd like to share.
12/20/07 (Thursday) | 7:00 PM Location: Smith College Student Center, in the lounge across from the cafeteria.
| NSBS Book Discussion Group Our Book Group plans to meet Thursday 12/20 in the Smith Campus Center (Elm St.) at 7 p.m. discussing "Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism" by Chogyam Trungpa. We will convene in the large Lounge opposite the Cafe, main floor. Inexpensive copies (look under "Used") are available from Amazon.com or at several local college libraries. All are welcome for our discussion even if you cannot bring a book copy with you. NOTE DATE CHANGE! |
Sunday 12/30/07 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM Location: Dhamma Dena. Family Dharma for children, parents and everyone. All are welcome! | Dharma lesson, storytelling, crafts, kid-friendly quiet sitting and chanting, birthdays, hands-on crafts. Dharma talk continuing the theme of this month's "Reflections." Please bring a brown bag lunch. Parents and children are reminded to bring their ojuzu/nenju beads if you have them (if you don't have them, no problem!) Refreshment dana and flower dana are always welcomed, so please bring whatever you'd like to share. | |||||||||||||||||