UH Meditation Class 1 - Introduction to meditation

We had a great time today; thanks to those of you who came out today. Even though lots of commotions were going on at UC, we learned the first step in meditation - breath counting. Set up a home practice and try to maintain a regular schedule, even if it is only five minutes. Group sittings are very important too. The energy of a group can help sustain our home practice.

UH meditation class kicked off today

After a whole summer of planning, UH Association of Buddhist Students finally kicked off our weekly mediation today. A total of sixteen (16) people showed up for meditation. I was pleasantly surprised. Among the sixteen people, many were recruited during our table sessions (see July 1, July 19, August 18, and August 24) while more saw our ads on the Daily Cougar and came out of curiosity. Our recruiting efforts seemed to pay off.

Our location at the University Center might not be the most ideal. At the beginning of the semester, many student activities are scheduled at UC where loud music is been broadcasted during our mediation time at noon. Even though lots of commotions were going on outside, today we learned the first step in meditation - breath counting. I encouraged everyone to set up a home practice and try to maintain a regular schedule, even if it is only five minutes. Group sittings are very important too. The energy of a group can help sustain our home practice.

For those of you who cannot make it to our meeting time but are interested in mediation, we have also prepared a short mediation handout. You can reference it at home but I strongly encourage you to join us if you can.

A good start means I just have to work harder. I am pleased to see people showing up. Now my job is to keep them coming back.

Two new Dharma classes at Jade Buddha Temple

Since my last weekly Dharma classes at Jade Buddha Temple were well received, I was asked to lead two new Dharma courses this Fall. One intermediate course will be the continuation from last class. In the previous class, we finished chapter 1 to 3 of “The way to Buddhahood.” In this term, we will continue to discuss chapter 4. In addition to this intermediate class, I was also asked to offer the same beginning class for members who had not had a chance to take the previous class. Again, in the beginning class, we will cover chapter 1 to 3 from the book. The intermediate class will continue to be offered at the same time, weekly on Sundays from 1:00 to 2:30. The new beginning class will be offered weekly on Fridays from 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm.

Beginning class – Fridays – 7:30 – 9:00 pm – Chapter 1 to 3

Intermediate class – Sundays – 1:00 – 2:30 pm – Chapter 4

I certainly appreciate this great opportunity to offer Dharma talks, to discuss Buddhism, and to get to know the members better. As a monk, spreading Buddhism is my duty. However, I do worry if I will be able to do a good job taking on two courses at the same time. All I know is I definitely will try my best in leading these two classes.