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Posts Tagged ‘Buddhism’
One Day Meditation Retreat with Master Ji Ru
In About our center, Meditation on January 30, 2012 at 4:11 am
Yang Tai Chi 24-form Video
In Tai Chi, Taiji on November 28, 2011 at 6:40 pm
Dan Bien/Single Whip Posture
I humbly offer this video of my own recent practice while on retreat at MABA. I hope you may find it useful in your own practice.
Free Retreat (libre retiro) June 18
In Meditation on June 5, 2011 at 2:01 amThe Little Village Buddhist Meditation Center will hold its first meditation and tai chi retreat Saturday, June 18 from 10 am- 2pm. All are welcome. No previous experience required. Join us for a day of mindful peace. Free. Donations gratefully accepted. Please silence your cell phones and other electronic devices. Also, please no perfumes or colognes. Register at our website. May all beings experience peace and happiness, Hillary
Hola amigos, La Villita Centro de Meditación Budista celebrarásu primera meditación y retiro de tai chi Sábado, 18 de junio de 10 am a 2 pm. Todos son bienvenidos. No se requiere experiencia previa. Únase a nosotros para un día de paz consciente. Libre. Donaciones aceptada con gratitud. Por favor, tu silencio los teléfonos celulares y otros dispositivos electrónicos. También, por favor, no perfumes o colonias. Inscríbase en nuestro sitio web. Que todos los seres experiencia de la paz y la felicidad, Hillary
Today! Free! First Class at Little Village Buddhist Meditation Center (Hoy en día! Gratis! Primera Clase en el Centro de Meditación Budista de La Villita )
In Tai Chi on May 27, 2011 at 4:17 pm
Hillary in 1st posture 18-form Shi ba shi
FREE! This afternoon and this evening are the first tai chi and meditation classes. We start at 4pm. All welcome. No special clothing required. Soft soled shoes are best. Donations gratefully accepted. GRATIS! Esta tarde y esta noche son las primeras clases de tai chi y meditación. Empezamos a las 16:00. Todos serán bienvenidos. No se permite ropa especial. Blando con suela de los zapatos son los mejores. Donaciones aceptada con gratitud.
Little Village Buddhist Meditation Center Now Open
In About our center on May 23, 2011 at 3:30 pmGreat news!
¡Grandes noticias!
The new center is now open and developing programs and classes. We even have a new WordPress website!
Please visit us online and in person in Little Village. The website will have info about classes and class times. Some classes will be starting right away so look for news before this day is over!
Wishing peace and happiness for all beings.
El nuevo centro ahora es programas y clases abiertos y que se convierten. ¡Incluso tenemos un nuevo Web site de WordPress! Visítenos por favor en línea y sobre clases y tiempos de la clase. ¡Algunas clases comenzarán inmediatamente así que busque las noticias antes de que este día haya terminado!
Peony
In Impermanence, Uncategorized on May 23, 2011 at 2:54 am
by morning, they’ll be gone in the wind and under the rain.
That’s cool. That’s just how it is.
Our job?
Enjoy it while it’s here and accept it as it changes.
New Buddhist Meditation Center in Little Village Chicago
In About our center on May 16, 2011 at 2:41 pmSaturday, May 21 Open House!
The center is opening to serve the families of Little Village and the surrounding communities. Our doors will be open to all. Our intention is to help people reduce their levels of stress. Our classes will help people of all ages attain better health and peace of mind.
We’ll offer classes in meditation, Yang tai chi and Ving Tsun (Wing Chun), a very effective style of Chinese Kung Fu.
For those interested in learning more about Buddhism, there will also be opportunities to learn more about that as well.
And please, tell us what you’d like to see happening at the center. We want to hear from you.
Words of Wisdom from Master Ji Ru (Shifu)
In Wisdom on February 17, 2011 at 2:31 amI think the Buddha had a very special understanding of what life is. He made it very simple: just bring your mind back to this moment. Don’t let the mind go any further than this. Then your mind will be very clear. When the mind is always in meditation, you can handle hardship, more than you know.
Buddha at Sunrise at Mid-America Buddhist Association, St. Louis, MO
See what you see now. Do not try to see the future. In order to see clearly what you see now, you must clear the mind of distractions. In this country, we are taught how to think, but not how to stop relying on thinking. When you stop relying on thinking, there is no worry or fear, and there are no problems. The mind is the object, and the object is very clear when the mind stops depending on thinking. Learn to abide in conditions, not to abide in your wishes.~ Master Ji Ru (Shifu)
Follow Up: Meditation Changes Your Brain Structure
In Meditation on January 31, 2011 at 3:14 amInteresting Posting from O, The Oprah Magazine March 19, 2010: Learn to Meditate
In Meditation, Uncategorized on January 31, 2011 at 2:58 amfrom the website O, The Oprah Magazine March 19, 2010: Learn to Meditate
This article appeared online back in March and my bad for not finding it sooner. One thing about meditation, is it doesn’t make me feel much like surfing the web a lot. But it’s important to see what people are up to in your own field… SO…
1. Hooray to all the well-known who are bringing attention to wonderful things like meditation practice.
2. On the other hand, Danger Will Robinson! Caution anyhow. Sometimes, those good intentions lead to a over-reduction of practices to simplicity in-extremis.
Of course, if we make stress-reduction practices seem too difficult no one will want to do them. Still, it behooves us to describe things with a bit depth and offer additional direction that will truly help guide those seeking more than the quick fix-of-the-week and then onto something else.
I’m just saying. Here is the article as I found it online. The link above will take you directly Oprah’s website which is full of info on every subject under the sun.
Taking time to sit in silence every day can help you develop focus—and discover purpose—in your life.
Find a quiet, comfortable spot where you won’t be interrupted. Sit in your favorite chair, on a porch swing, on a rock by a river. Lie back in a warm bath, if you’d like, or on a blanket on the grass. If your eyes are open, focus softly on whatever is a few feet in front of you, your gaze, if you’re sitting, slightly down. The idea is to just be still for a few minutes. Be with yourself.
Try to concentrate on your breath—breathing in and breathing out (nothing special, don’t change the way you breathe). You might even want to say those words to yourself at first: “Breathing in, breathing out.” After a while, let the words go. When you find your mind wandering, notice the thoughts—don’t judge them—and let them go. Do this by coming back to your breath.
That’s meditation—simply being there with yourself for a few minutes every day, getting to know your own mind.
Under the article, there’s a place for readers to respond. Awesome, right?
Here is what one reader said, that prompted me to write this blog entry, that you are now reading:
Can it be that simple? I am secretly depressed and have been for years, can I really help myself be meditating in this way for a few minutes a day? I’ve tried it before. Perhaps I didn’t try for long enough…
I decided, uncharacteristically to write back. I just felt that this reader was sounding like they were out there, feeling kinda bad, because like, “I tried it and if it’s that simple how come I don’t feel better yet,” or something like that. I don’t want to put words into the mouth (or pen) of reader Harris 497.
Harris497, The answer to your question, “can it be that simple?” is both yes and no. As a meditation teacher, I’d say that yes, in the beginning, when you first have the seed of an idea to try sitting meditation, it is that easy. Sit down, focus on the breath and when thoughts come along, don’t hold on to them, don’t judge any aspect of your experience and let everything go. Just sit. Just breath. And just be aware that you are sitting there breathing.
On the other hand, as a set of instructions for really developing a daily meditation practice that can seriously help you reduce your suffering, it won’t get you very far.
I don’t know where you live so I can’t make any direct recommendations but in general I suggest this: find a good meditation teacher where ever you do live. If you’re in the Chicago area I could make suggestions. A good guide is an important part of having long term success for establishing real peace of mind.
There are lots of teachers out there. Find one. Some wonderful and some, not so much. Be careful. Choose mindfully and don’t get taken in by any hype. Make a selection that feels right to you.
If you’d like to discuss this, I can be reached through my site and I’m happy to offer what I can. www.calmchicago.org We’re located in Chicago in Chinatown. I know of teachers, who know other teachers, around the country, so if you are not local, maybe I Can help you make some connections. Wishing you all the best in your quest.
What do you think?
PS. Let’s look at this one line for a sec…
That’s meditation—simply being there with yourself for a few minutes every day, getting to know your own mind.
Especially this last bit, “getting to know your own mind.” Getting to know your own mind means, we learn how the mind works and we do this by long careful practice of observing the tiny, micron slices of experience, of action that are the processes through which or by which the mind operates. And that, while not rocket science, in that anyone can learn to do it, is not something that simply happens with a few minutes of even daily sitting and breathing. It takes determination, patience and guidance and that’s just for starters. It’s an amazing, life changing journey that can be a huge benefit to yourself and to all around you and I wish everyone would do it. It’s changed my life! And I see how it benefits others and makes all of life more peaceful, it does take time and attention. And kindness, compassion to ourselves. One of the great amazing things is, that as we go through the process, the whole world becomes more peaceful. How awesome is that?!
