4/7-4/21: ♦ The "BUDDHISM" Class: Learn about MEDITATION & BUDDHA & DHARMA (Santa Monica )
Reply to: see below
Date: 2008-04-04, 6:09PM PDT
The "BUDDHISM" Class
___________________
For EASE of viewing
please MAX your screen
___________________
Please Plan Ahead - make your Phone Inquiries now
for Spring Classes that will be starting to bud soon -
BUT, You may start & enter the current Ongoing Class
AT ANY TIME you choose
- ask us how this works ~ thanks . . .
. . . IN LOVE WITH LEARNING ?
♦ The "BUDDHISM" Class: Learn All About BUDDHA & DHARMA & MEDITATION
We offer BUDDHIST MEDITATION Classes, Recommended Books, Resources & Reading Links
BUDDHIST MEDITATION: Simply The Power of Much More Inner-Silence
Silent Sitting in Stillness with your own developing Dharma 'Informed' Mind
Meditation Classes Satsang Q&A Dialogues Dharma-Wisdom Study
♦ IMPORTANT: Please IGNORE All CLASS DATES listed in the Headline-title above - Why ?
Craigs List insists on us posting them in 'their' format. Our time-frame is a bit different.
Join in with our classes AT ANY TIME - continually Ongoing in Santa Monica.
Each & Every Monday Night - Year Round - 'cept Holidays ~
Please feel very welcome to just Phone us n' ask lot'sa questions.
WEB-SITE: Maybe, GO DIRECTLY now to our Web-Page at www.zentrance.com
It's much more colorful, poetic & profound than we can offer on this posting -
OR ~ just continue to scroll on here . . . Thank You & Enjoy !
___^______________________________________________
q(~?~)p
THE LAUGHING BUDDHA SANGHA ♦ Phone: 310-450-2268
__________________________________________________
We offer BUDDHISM WITHOUT ANY BELIEFS: An Uncompromised Awakening
A more Outside-The-Box-Buddhism for a more Maverick Spirited Inner-Quest
SEEKING AN INTELLIGENT SPIRITUAL PRACTICE? ~ Gosh, We Should Hope So . . .
♦ The BUDDHISM Class: Learn about BUDDHA & KARMA & DHARMA & MEDITATION
♦ SATSANG: BUDDHIST 'CONVERSATIONS' on AWAKEN.MENT ~ Inquiry into the illusory "Self"
♦ BUDDHIST MEDITATION Classes, Books, Resources & Reading Links ( some here below )
N a m a 's t e ~ W e l c o m e ~ Glad Your Karma eventually Got You Here
_________________________________________________________
A Path with Heart
Keep me away
from the wisdom
which does not cry,
the philosophy
which does not laugh,
and the greatness
which does not bow
before little children
~ Kahlil Gibran
_______________
_______________
" What is accepted by the majority of people ~ does not mean it is Real "
~ Gautama The Buddha ( 500 BC )
"One easily-made, very common mistake is to think that 'your reality is THE Reality.
You must always be prepared to bravely leave your reality for a greater one."
A spiritual warrior chooses 'A Path with Heart', any path with heart,
and follows it. He 'knows', because he 'sees' - he sees that his life
will be over altogether too soon. He really knows that nothing is more
important than anything else. It all is. And then he rejoices & laughs.
A path is only a 'path' - and there is no affront, to oneself or to others,
in dropping it - if that is what your heart tells you. Look at every path
closely and deliberately. Try it as many times as you think necessary.
Then ask yourself, and yourself alone, one question
Does this path have a Heart?
If it does, the path is good - if it doesn't - it is of no use.
Grateful Thanks to Carlos Castaneda
The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge First Edition (1968)
With strong regard for individual spiritual experiences,
an open heart and free thought and creative expression,
"The Laughing Buddha Sangha" strives to be both erudite,
enlightening and entertaining in it's relation to the "illusory".
~ Akasa Levi, DhMA ~ founder / guide / kalyana mita
Caution: Please, Do Not make any of these 'reading' notes into a 'daunting'
study-assignment & fertile grounds for discouragement, like you sometimes do.
Bottom-line: It's ALL just words. You don't have to read any of this to
come to class or eventually to 'get it'. Just come. Sitting itself works !
We do recommend Jack Kornfield's "A Path With Heart" as all the Dharma-reading
you really need to get into - if it comes down to using just one good book.
If at anytime you have QUESTIONS about different sorts of 'spiritual directions' to go -
or why, how & where to 'seek' what you're Seeking - just phone us and ask !!!
Surprisingly, we'll offer you some very open, no agenda, impartial responses
that may be very relevant to you - that may or may not include us. Do call.
310-450-2268
NEWCOMERS ~ For the current upcoming classes and to gently Sit you Down -
for a 'well-informed' beginner's sitting 'practice' of Mindfulness Insight Meditation
absorbing these quite sophisticated, and yet important foundational 'basic books'
just below - will be your beginner's main reading-focus. As you are supported by
the Dharma teachings in class itself - and your own 'observations' and 'questionings'
that will naturally follow - because they are naturally arising in you thru your own
silent meditation sitting 'experiences'.
We're going to read & deeply 'inquire' thru these books - in small bite-sized pieces
and parts - at totally your own pace.
♦ "A PATH WITH HEART" by Jack Kornfield is our Gold-Standard working 'manual' for all classes
we offer. A most important, very complete compendium on meditation to continually 'inform' your evolving
Dharma-mind so you'll know 'what' it is you're 'observing' when you sit there in meditation - and what
you're 'experiencing' when you're out there in everyday-life.
This REQUIRED book is in stores or for purchase online.
(Optional) "THE EXPERIENCE OF INSIGHT" (preferred) by Joseph Goldstein
and/or "INSIGHT MEDITATION", "SEEKING THE HEART OF WISDOM", "ALL ONE DHARMA"
by Joseph with Jack - either basic 'practice' book by Joseph or Jack is great.
and next ~
New Books for Winter/Spring 2008 - please procure a copy; stores or online
♦ "THE IMPACT of AWAKENING" ~ Adyashanti -
is always an ongoing challenge - this was his first book
and much more accessible than 'Emptiness' - it's very good!
We WILL use this one in class each time for discussion. $17 or less
____________________________________________________
♦ "THE POWER OF MINDFULNESS" ~ Nyanaponika ~ 40 page assigned booklet FREE online.
A classic guide to meditation. An old, still excellent detailed instruction
on Attentive Mindfulness Practice, written by a monk in the early 1960's -
and is a very traditional tutoring in the 'whys' & 'hows' of Awareness Practice.
____________________________________________________
♦ MINDFULNESS IN PLAIN ENGLISH ~ by Venerable 'Bhante' Henepola Gunaratana -
This is such a good FREE Practice book: step by step, experience by experience.
The book covers most of your possible questions about the ABC's & mechanics
of actual Mindfulness/Awareness Meditation sitting practice. He just spreads it
out there. He offers us so many practical options for you to choose from as to how
to do this meditation 'practice'. BUT he is actually talking about the 'Sitting-Practice'
from the point of view of actually doing 'sitting' - so you need to 'sit' to do this book.
This is not just a 'reading book' to inspire yourself or have insights. It's a 'practice book'.
It's also available in bookstores as a book.
____________________________________________________
Bhante' Gunaratana is an elder meditation-monk from Sri Lanka, so his English
is more British than American. He is one of the most senior ranking monks from
Lanka resident in the States. The reading is detailed but quite easy. There is
nothing tricky or clever here-in, just how to do this meditation.
The explanations are so helpful from a sitting point of view...
DO NOT Break up this long URL string when you copy/paste it into your browser...
>Suggested Reading in MINDFULNESS IN PLAIN ENGLISH
Chapter 7: What To Do With Your Mind
Chapter 11: Dealing with Distractions - 1.
.....Maneuver 5: Canceling One Thought
.....Maneuver 6: Recalling Your Purpose
Chapter 12: Dealing with Distractions - 2.
Chapter 13: Mindfulness Practice
TO OPEN: Just clicking on link may not work... Online you will have
to first highlight & copy, then paste the whole long web-address into your
(browser) search-slot & press go.. obscure stuff is always harder to open.
Beginning to read parts FREE ONLINE. Maybe too much to print out entirely.
Maybe copy/paste to notepad & print out just some good excerpts & segments
for yourself. It's also available in bookstores as a book.
BOOKS: Newcomers CATCH-UP CHAPTERS for Monday 7:30 pm classes:
> BOOKS: FIRST-TIMERS - please wait, if you wish, till you attend a first class before purchasing
any books - EXCEPT maybe "A PATH WITH HEART" by Jack Kornfield which you'll have for a lifetime.
It's THE meditation hand-book: it's available locally - is our gold-standard reference, working-'manual'
for all classes we offer. "PATH" is for your continual SITTING MEDITATION guidance & reference.
NEWCOMERS: for Basic Catch-Up - PLEASE START YOUR READINGS with
♦ "A PATH WITH HEART".
Please start your initial "Path" reading focused in CHAPTERS 5, 6, 7, 8 - special attention to Ch. 7
and CHAPTERS 13,14 with attention to Ch. 14. We need to know 'WHAT' we're 'observing' as we sit.
PLEASE MARK UP THOSE PAGES with your own Questions & Comments, with pen or Hi-Lite pen !
PLEASE READ THEM ONLINE ( or Print It Out: all or parts/excerpts, as you wish )
♦ "THE POWER OF MINDFULNESS" by Nyanaponika Thera - Online FREE - 40 pages
a classic guide to meditation. An old, still excellent detailed instruction on
Attentive Mindfulness Practice, written by a monk in the early 1960's -
and is a very traditional tutoring in the 'whys' & 'hows' of Awareness-practice.
It is not easily immediately available in book-form. It is a real jewel !
We're mining very ancient treasures here.
All online-editions are the same content, except for the various type-styles.
Use the plain-jane version I may have attached - if not, use one of these:
These are all PDF files. They can all be copy/pasted to Notepad
& then to a Word.doc of your own. See which one appeals to your eye.
"EMPTINESS DANCING" ~ Adyashanti - an ongoing reading challenge as always
"Buddhism Without Beliefs" ~ Stephen Batchelor - last year's brilliant study book
"The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Buddhism" ~ Gary Gach - super good !
Really Optional is
"Ask The Awakened" ~ Wei Wu Wei ~ for the rare lovers
of really difficult concepts to bring you to the end of
all infantile conceptualizing. The author will scold your mind.
Short little pieces, very slow difficult reading. Big 'realizations'.
Hey, COME UP with GOOD QUESTIONS BASED ON YOUR READINGS.
A good question is often a written-down question; on scrap paper,
notebook entry, book margins can be very useful: mark 'em up !
Beginning to read parts FREE ONLINE. Maybe too much to print out entirely.
Maybe copy/paste to notepad & print out just some good excerpts & segments
for yourself. It's also available in bookstores as a book.
LINK WON'T OPEN ? -- Just clicking on link may not work... Online you will have
to first highlight & copy, then paste the whole long web-address into your
(browser) search-slot & press go.. obscure stuff is always harder to open.
When a Link Won't Open? - point, press CTRL, HAND appears, then click to open -
or hand type or copy/paste the Whole e-dress into your browser address-bar
to open it - or any other problematic site you come across in your cyber-life.
IF you get a 'search' page that only lists what you want look for the words:
Cached page - and click that. Should do it.
"There Are NO Answers"
__________________________________________________
"Kindness" is more important than 'Wisdom'
and the clear recognition of this -
IS the beginning of Wisdom." ~ Theodore Issac Rubin
"Your task is not to seek for Love
but merely to seek and find all the 'barriers'
within yourself, that you have built against Love." ~ Rumi
"The Buddhist absence of Attachment
is not necessarily at all, in any way,
the absence of profound loving." ~ Ananda Maitreya
"Love and Compassion are Necessities -
Not luxuries.
Without them humanity cannot survive." ~ The Dalai Lama
"When I see I am Nothing that is Wisdom.
When I see I am Everything that is Love.
And between these two, my life flows." ~ Nisargadatta
___^______________________________________________
q(~?~)p
THE LAUGHING BUDDHA SANGHA ~ Phone: 310-450-2268
__________________________________________________
Weekly MEDITATION & DHARMA Study guided by Akasa Levi
VIPASSANA & ZEN MINDFULNESS ~ Mondays 7:30 - 9:30 pm
BUDDHISM WITHOUT ANY BELIEFS: Uncompromised Awakening
Outside-The-Box-Buddhism for a Maverick Spirited Inner-Quest
Web: http://www.zentrance.com Email: AkasaLeviZZ@msn.com
The SPIRITUAL ADULTHOOD PROJECT Counseling, Therapy & Groups
INDIVIDUAL THERAPY & Buddhist-based RELATIONSHIP COUNSELING
for Couples, Marriages & Workplace 'Reaching Out to Reach Deep In'
ZEN MEN's Groups & Counsel - "Every Guy Could Use a Men's Group"
keyword search headings:
♦ The "BUDDHISM" Class: Learn about MEDITATION & BUDDHA & DHARMA
♦ BUDDHIST MEDITATION Classes, Books, Resources & Reading Links
akasalevizz@msn.com
Santa Monica
Location: Santa Monica
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests