Notes on the December Meeting

We enjoyed our usual tasty treats compliments of Claudine and Ginny and began our discusssion with Nadine relaying her experience of noticing the rising of a thought before it had been formed into words. That morphed into various topics on how to share ones practice with friends who are unfamiliar with Buddhism without proselytizing, how to handle insights that arise in the process of our sitting practice, the distinction between concentration and contemplation (mindfulness) in sitting practice, and others.
    
Ginny and Claudine shared their experience of the Sharon Salzberg weekend, and we disussed a request to add another book - one on the basics of Buddhism, to the book club. Bob suggested Essential Buddhism, A Complete Guide to Beliefs and Practices, by Jack Maguire (see description and Amazon link below). Please go ahead and get the book if it interests you. We will brainstorm how to work it into our meetings while still continuing with Mindfulness in Plain English at our next gathering. Which by the way, will be the third Sunday in January. Sunday January 17th.


Essential Buddhism by Jack Maguire
Available at Amazon both new and used.
Description:
Four hundred million people call themselves Buddhists today. Yet most Westerners know little about this powerful, Eastern-spawned faith. How did it begin? What do its adherents believe? Why are so many Westerners drawn to it?
Essential Buddhism responds to these questions and many more, offering an accessible, global perspective on the religion's past, present, and future. It identifies how the principal concepts and practices originated and evolved through diverse cultural adaptations into three basic formats:
* Theraveda (including Vipassana, brought from Vietnam in the 1960s and including such practitioners as Jack Kornfield and Jon Kapat-Zinn)
* Mahayana (including Zen Buddhism, originally brought to America by Japanese teachers after World War II and popularized by Jack Kerouac and Thomas Merton)
* Vajrayana (including Tibetan Buddhism, from the teachers who fled the Chinese takeover of Tibet in the 1950s as well as the Dalai Lama, and embraced by Allen Ginsberg, Richard Gere, and countless others)
Essential Buddhism is the single best resource for the novice and the expert alike, exploring the depths of Buddhism's popularity and illuminating its tenets and sensible approach to living. Written in the lucid prose of a longtime professional storyteller, and full of Buddhist tales, scriptural quotes, ancient stories, and contemporary insights, Essential Buddhism is the first complete guide to the faith and the phenomenon.

Meeting Sunday December 13

We will be meeting a week early next month - Sunday December 13th at Ginny and Claudine's.
Bring your book, your questions, issues and insights. Look forward to seeing everyone!

Notes on the November Meeting

The meeting started with a teaching (Chapter 5) about how anger cuts one off from positive thinking and helpful, healthy behavior. We had personal anecdotes and political commentary on just this process from everyone. The conversation progressed through complaints, to philosophical perspectives that are at the root of emotional extremes, through Buddhist perspectives on the benefits of mindfulness of our tendency to demonize a "perceived enemy" in order to gain a feeling of efficacy. We talked about ways in which we can be Buddhist in a non-Buddhist work environment. In addition we discussed the need to start with one's self, and letting go of grasping after outcomes or we tend to find ourselves being the very thing we are working to avoid. In other words believing that we are some variation on "God." Impermanence was noted on several occasions.

To all who attended, please feel free to email me with your own notes from the gathering or add to what Bob recorded in the comments section.
Details on December's meeting TBA. Watch this space.

Meeting Number Two

Our next gathering will take place at Ginny and Claudine's this coming Sunday, November 15 at 10am.

October 18th Gathering

Thanks to all who came on Sunday, and an extra thank you to Ginny and Claudine for offering us a warm, beautiful setting in which to have our meeting.
Here is a short synopsis (thank you Bob) of what we covered. I encourage all of you to email me with your own observations so I can add them here, or to leave a comment to further the discussion.
Our next meeting will be November 15th. Same place, same time.

People shared their history with meditation, teachers, retreats, and generally introduced themselves.

Following the breath was discussed as the beginning and foundation of a practice and a way to become more intimate with the "monkey mind." The more we increase this intimacy the more we will have insights into our real nature and have control over obsessions, digressions, and repetitive unhealthy thinking.

It was reinforced that each person has a unique path to follow and finding that path starts with trusting that we will be led to what we need to know or understand as long as we immerse ourselves in study and meditation. Some are proponents of having specific, personal teachers and some were less so, but all agreed that a meditation practice has benefits in and of itself; teacher or self-taught.

It was also reinforced that there is no wrong way to have a practice. We must find our own way with the aid of teachers, literature, and actual time on the cushion, so that it an be translated into life off the cushion.

Reminder! This Sunday!

The first official gathering of the BRS will be this coming Sunday, October 18th at Ginny and Claudine's. You can find directions and a link to a map right over there ...
Please have the first chapter read.
See you Sunday!

Welcome to the Buddhist Readers Sangha!

Hi everyone, and welcome to our new blog, where you will find all the information you need to know about the Winston Salem Readers Sangha. Instead of filling up your email in-boxes with reminders, dates and times, we will be posting all the information you need to know here. Please bookmark this website and check back periodically for changes in meeting location, recaps of what was discussed, suggested readings etc. We welcome comments, so please post your questions, arguments, insights etc. in the comment box found at the bottom of each entry. You do not have to sign up for a Google account to comment, just choose the "Name/URL" option once you click on "comment".
We hope this blog will become a forum for sharing information, furthering the discussion in the comments area and supporting your path. If you have suggestions for the "Helpful Links" section, or other information you think would be of interest, please let us know through a comment or direct email.