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| Buddhist Faith Fellowship at the Mansfield Freeman Center |
Welcome!
Buddhism is a life long education to learn how to realize our human potential by transforming
suffering into peace, joy and liberation.
Come and Join
Us
Come
and practice with us on most Sunday mornings,
overlooking
a Zen garden at the inspirational
Mansfield Freeman Center for East Asian Studies,
Wesleyan University,
Middletown, Connecticut,
between
10 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
Please arrive 10 minutes early
but if you are late,
feel free to join us. Dress informally and comfortably.
Open to all beginners and advanced seekers.
All new guests will receive a free gift book,
Living Meditation, Living Insight
by Dr. Thynn Thynn.
Sunday
morning activities are offered Free of Charge
but
a donation is greatly appreciated.
See our calendar
below.
e-mail
us at
amida@bffct.net
or call us for more information
(860) 805-2078
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| Practice and live a happy life. |
Shin Buddhist Retreat. 7/11-13. Annual
Shin Buddhism Retreat at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies in Barre, Massachusetts. Two well-known father
and son teachers: Dr. Taitetsu Unno and Dr. Mark Unno will lead the retreat. The most highly recommended event of the
year. Perfect for beginners and advanced. Fills up quickly. For more info & registration, see below for
link.
Buddhism in America web
page: Updated
in July 2008 to include the surprising results and problems with Pew Forum's U.S
Religious Landscape Survey. Visit Buddhism in America web page.
Welcome to new NASBA Sangha. We warmly welcome our newest affiliated community in Argentina, called
the Grupo Budista de Córdoba. This group's Practice Leader is
Rodrigo Pedraza Cécere. See our
Connecticut & World-wide Chapters web page for link.
Recommended Books and Buddhist Reading Room. This web page has new suggested Shin books including Shin Buddhism by Taitetsu Unno.
Also we have a Google link to the documentary video of the book The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins.
New Photos on our Community
Album: Includes the TOUCHING PEACE retreat 2008, Memorial day picnic and the Flower Festival (Buddha's
Birthday) 2008. See our Community Photo Album web site for link.
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| A Buddhist Faith Fellowship Sunday Gathering |
MIDDLETOWN BUDDHIST CALENDAR
(Updated on June 18, 2008)
Summer/Autumn Theme:
Buddhism in Everyday Life
.
6/08. The World is on Fire.
A reading and discussion on Buddha's famous Fire Sermon. How does it relate to our lives in present day America?
Presented by Jeff Zyjeski.
6/15. Do
Chimps have Buddhanature? Short essays answering the question of who we really
are. A look into relationship of Buddhanature and the genome, teacher and student, and the importance of simply staying present
in this very present moment. Authors include David Berman, Jiro Osho & Thich Nhat Hanh. From First Thoughts from various editions of Buddhadharma magazine.
6/22. My
Father and Raiders of the Lost Ark: a practical exploration into the Noble Eightfold Path’s Right Concentration
& Right Mindfulness. Third installment in this discussion series; learn about Buddha's practice of paying attention,
awareness and balanced acceptance. From the book It’s Easier than You Think:
The Buddhist Way to Happiness by Sylvia Boorstein. Presented by Yvette Law.
6/29. Beyond Good and Evil. An
insightful look into the Buddhist view of the nature of evil and God, and the psycho-spiritual implications
of our damaging inner critic through the stories of the Buddha's temptations by Mara. From an article
written by Jan Chozen Bays in Buddhadharma Magazine, Winter 2006.
7/6. I Bow with
Inconceivable Light. Learn about the day to day practice of Shin. A discussion
of local people who have experienced spiritual transformation through Buddhist practice. How has the Shin Buddhist teachings
and practice transform the NEIBS’ graduates and the members of the BFF congregation? Includes an exploration on daily
practice strategies.
Includes a short graduation
ceremony of the Buddhism 101 students of the New England Institute of Buddhist Studies. A lovely ceremony covering
the core of Buddhism that is open to all.
Annual Shin Buddhism Retreat
with Dr. Taitetsu
& Mark Unno
7/11-13. Annual Shin
Buddhism Retreat at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies in Barre, Massachusetts. Two well-known father
and son teachers: Dr. Taitetsu Unno and Dr. Mark Unno will lead the retreat. This is a highly recommended event. $190 for
the weekend. Perfect for beginners and advanced.
Visit the Barre Center
for Buddhist Studies web site for more information and to register. Fills up early. We suggest you register asap.
Retreat Info & Registration
7/13. You Choose The Topic!
Jeff Zyjeski will lead a discussion on what's on the sangha's mind at the moment regarding Buddhism, Shin and practice. What
do you want to know about Buddhism?
7/20. Freedom. What
does freedom mean in Buddhism? A lokk into the religion of liberation for all without exception. Presented by Robert Orsi.
This will be the last Sunday morning gathering till September 14th.
Summer Recess from 7/21 to 9/13
Weselyan University
is closed
No Sunday morning
gatherings
BFF Buddhist Pilgrimage
Annual BFF Buddhist
Pilgrimage the Monasteries and Temples in New York State. Includes: Chuang Yen Monastery, Zen Mountain Monastery,
KTD Monastery and the Catskill Zen Monastery.
Experience the mosaic of
Buddhism from Chinese, Japanese, Tibetan and Korean styles of practice, ritual and architecture. Free but the cost of gas, tolls etc will be shared. Carpooling will be the mode of
transportation.
Participants can either camp
at the Kenneth L. Wilson campground and at a local hotel. Hotel reservations must be made by participants.
Date: weekend of 8/16-17.
Time: leaving Wethersfield on Saturday at 7 a.m. & returning on Sunday 8:00 p.m.
Welcome Back
9/14. Interconnected and Embraced by Great Compassion. Explore the experience
of transcending the egoic self throught our annual Water Ceremony, in which members and friends bring and
pour a vial of water into a large and clear vase. The water represents a place they visited or a certain experience
during the summer break in which they felt interconnected with life and/or being embraced by the Oneness of Reality. The
water may really come from a place or may be symbolic (tap water).
9/21.
Living within Light. An insightful and heartfelt discussion into the day to day practice of Shin using
the lyrics of the Buddhist spiritual "Gassho with Amida" as the basis of discussion.
9/28. Topic to be announced.
BUDDHIST COURSES & ACTIVITIES
SUMMER SOLSTICE HIKE
When:
Sunday, June 22, 2:00 P.M
Where:
Wadsworth
Falls, Middletown CT
Meeting
Location: The Cover Bridge,
Depending On Weather
Open to all
including
the curious, and Buddha Gaia friends & members
Come and join our
eco-sangha Buddha Gaia for a few hours of mindful steps in the tranquility of nature; pondering the diversity
of white pine forests, roaring brooks, and song birds. Before we explore this wilderness, we’ll be meeting for lunch
12:30 P.M. at Thai Gardens on Main Street in Middletown,
following our weekly Sangha gathering starting at 10:00 A.M. Call me if you have any questions, (860) 759-4975.
Visit Connecticut & World Wide Chapters
web page for link. Open to all and the hike is free of charge.
OUR BUDDHIST CHAPTERS WORLD-WIDE
To visit our Chapter/Practice
Groups’ web sites
visit our Connecticut &World Wide Chapters page
Ongoing. Grupo Budista de Córdoba meets
once a month in Córdoba Argentina with meditation and nembutsu. This
group's Practice Leader is Rodrigo Pedraza
Cécere.
Ongoing. North
Country Buddhist Fellowship gathers in Malone,
New York at the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation. Hosted by Practice Leader Mr. David Brunelle.
Ongoing. The Coos Bay Buddhist Fellowship in Oregon
gathers on a regular basis. Hosted by Practice Leader Mr. David Cowan.
Ongoing. The
Shin Buddhist Fellowship of Toledo at The Arch at the University of Toledo, Toledo,
Ohio. This sangha will meet twice a month on Mondays. Hosted
by Practice Leader Dr. Susan Purviance.
Ongoing. The Woodlands Buddhist Fellowship
in The Woodlands in Montegomery County, Texas. Hosted
by Practice Leader Joseph Frechette.
Ongoing. Fukuyama Buddhist Fellowship serves Hiroshima, Mihara, Okayama and Kurashiki areas. Meets on the first and third Sunday of
the month, at the Fukuyama Shimin Sakaku Community Center. Hosted by Shodo.
Ongoing. Asamblea Budista de Durango (Mexico). This
is an active Latin American Shin sangha of more tha two dozen Universidad Benito Juarez students and others that meet weekly
on Saturdays at 4 p.m. See web site. Practice Leader is Héctor Chavez.
Ongoing.
Brevard County Buddhist Fellowship
(BCBF) serves Titusville, Cape Canaveral, Satellite Beach, Merritt Island and
more. This active and growing community has three sanghas. County Coodinator is Shanti Johnson. The BCBF communities
include:
Satellite Beach Brevard
County Buddhist Fellowship
Merritt Island Brevard
County Buddhist Fellowship
Titusville Brevard County Buddhist Fellowship
Ongoing. Southington
Buddhist Fellowship gathers on the first Friday of the month, serving Southington, Chershire,
Wolcott, Waterbury and Meriden Buddhists and Friends. Hosted by Bob W.
Ongoing. Asamblea Budista
de Buenos Aires. Meeting weekly on Tuesdays.
This will be the BFF Argentina affiliated chapter, representing a new South American Shin
Buddhism. BFF Practice Leader is Guillermo Cabanales.
On
recess. Buddhist Practice Group of Rocky Hill meets monthly, on Tuesdays 7-9 p.m. This central Connecticut chapter is in recess
till renovations are finished.
Ongoing. Buddha Gaia. Our active environmental advocacy group meets regularly with field trips and activities. Integrate
Buddhist spirituality with the Earth. Get involved! Visit web site.
Ongoing.
Albuquerque Buddhist Fellowship Group. Meets
on most Sunday mornings at the First Unitarian
Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Hosted by BFF Practice Leader Dug Corpolongo. Visit web site.
Ongoing. Grupo Budista de Cabo Rojo. Meets on Saturday mornings. This Spanish speaking sangha. Visit web site.
Ongoing. Northern Ontario Buddhists.
Meets in Massey,
Ontario. Hosted by S. Southwind. Visit
this Canadian Buddhist web site for more information.
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