Kalyan Mitta

Kalyanamitta Buddhist Fellowship Proposal

December 1, 2007 [Working Draft]

Venerable Ananda: “Venerable Sir, this is half of the holy life, that is, good friendship, good companionship, good comradeship [Kalyanamitta in Pali]. Buddha: “Not so, Ananda! This is the entire holy life, Ananda, that is good friendship, good companionship, good comradeship. When a disciple has a good friend, a good companion, a good comrade, it is to be expected that he will develop and cultivate the Noble Path.” [Upaddha Sutta, Samyutta Nikaya 45.2, trans. by Bhikkhu Bodhi]

Table of Content 2

Section Section 1: Proposal Overview Summary Vision Audience Background Mission Structure of Fellowship Description Accountability Budget Section 2: Three Main Components of Fellowship Practice Guiding Principles for Daily Living Daily Schedule Study Organizing Potential Organizing Projects Section 3: The Future: Long-Term Vision for Engaged Buddhism Overview Stages of Long-Term Vision Chart Intergenerational Sustainability Chart Section 4: Appendix Part 1: Biography of Fellow Part 2: Sample Handouts & Articles “Basic Guidelines for Buddhist Practice” Handout “Basic Tips for Sitting Meditation” Handout “A Love Beyond Supreme” Article on Metta “Introduction to Buddhism Reading” List “Five-Tier Buddhist Organizational Model” Chart Part 3: DBRA Reactivation Plan 2008

Page 5 6 6 7 8 9 9 9 10 12 12 13 14 15 15 17 18 19 21 22 23 24 25 26 27

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Section 1:

Proposal Overview

Summary The Kalyanamitta Buddhist Fellowship is an independent project not officially affiliated with any

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particular organization. Initiated by Thien Huu Nguyen (the Fellow), its purpose is to create a structured and paid full-time position that will support the Fellow’s Buddhist practice, study and community organizing work for the duration of one year and potentially longer depending on the availability of funding and resources in the future. The overall vision of the Kalyanamitta Buddhist Fellowship is to support the development of strong Buddhist leadership and institutions dedicated to promoting the Buddhist Teachings, particularly among young adults, communities of color, and social justice activists and organizers. There is a compelling vision and strong need for this type of work to be done in order to help strengthen and build the capacity of Buddhist communities in the West and worldwide. The geographic scope will initially be centered on the San Francisco Bay Area and expand outward from there. The audience that the Fellowship seeks to benefit is: (1) Young Adults: Young people ages 18-35 years old, (2) Communities of color, including Asian American, African American, Native American, and Latino/as, (3) Activists and organizers involved in social justice and social change work. The idea behind the name for the Fellowship, “Kalyanamitta (roughly translated as “Spiritual Friend”) is to promote spiritual friendship among people interested and/or committed to the Buddha’s Path of liberation. In the Buddhist tradition, spiritual friendship plays an essential and respected role in realizing the spiritual path. Currently, the Fellowship is in its initial stages and is focused on setting up infrastructure and raising funds in order to launch the Fellowship.

Vision “Go forth to teach the Dharma for the welfare of the many, for the happiness of the many, out of

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compassion for the world, for the benefit, welfare and happiness of the people. Let not two of you go the same way. Spread the Dharma which is excellent in the beginning, excellent in the middle and excellent in the end.” -the Buddha As Buddhism and particularly Engaged Buddhism emerges in the West and in the San Francisco Bay Area, there is a growing and strong need to develop effective leadership and to build sustainable infrastructure to preserve its traditions, promote its transmission and application, and ensure that people and society continue to benefit deeply from it. It is with the deep wish to promote Buddhism in order to benefit people and society that the idea for the Kalyanamitta Fellowship Program was born. The short-term vision of the Kalyanamitta Buddhist Fellowship is to create a full-time paid “Fellowship position” and therefore provide the financial, institutional, and practical platform for the Fellow to fully and systematically engage in Buddhist practice, study, and community organizing, for the duration of at least one year and possibly longer depending on the availability of funding and resources in the future. In the next several years, the overall vision of the Kalyanamitta Buddhist Fellowship is to support the development of strong Buddhist leadership and institutions dedicated to promoting the Buddhist Teachings in the Bay Area, particularly among young adults, communities of color, and social justice activists and organizers. The culmination of the Fellowship program is to establish within the next several years an enduring and strong Engaged Buddhist network that would link up and empower the various Buddhist groups, organizations, and institutions in the Bay Area and deepen their connection to social and political activism and the social justice movement. The idea behind the name for the Fellowship, “Kalynanamitta (roughly translated as “Spiritual Friend”) is to promote spiritual friendship among people interested and/or committed to the Buddha’s Path of liberation. In the Buddhist tradition, spiritual friendship plays an essential and respected role in realizing the spiritual path. There is a compelling vision and strong need for this type of work to be done in order to help strengthen and build the capacity of Buddhist community institutions and leadership in the Bay Area

Audience During his 45 years of teaching, the Buddha taught many people according to their personalities, temperaments, and faculties. With extraordinary skillfulness, he used different methods to teach different people, based on their needs and conditions, in order to guide them towards the realization of their own liberation. He taught the Dharma to men and women, the rich and the poor, kings, peasants, outcastes, murderers and criminals, merchants and ascetics, and he did so with the recognition of the diversity and complexity of the human condition. After more than 2,600 years, the importance of “skillful means” in teaching the Dharma continues to be central to the transmission and growth of the Buddhist tradition. The audiences that the Kalynanamitta Fellowship program seeks to reach out to and work with are populations and communities that have distinct needs and issues and therefore require different ways of approaching the Dharma. A large part of the work of the Kalyanamitta Fellow is to present and share the Dharma in skillful, accessible, and engaging ways to people of different backgrounds and experiences. In many powerful ways and on many different levels, the needs, issues, and conditions of young adults, people of color, and activists and organizers are often radically different from those of the mainstream White Westerner adult audience. Also, these communities often lack the same level of resources, privilege, and access that mainstream audiences typically might have, including resources, information, and access to the Dharma. At the same time, there is an immense potential for these same communities to realize enduring happiness and freedom from suffering through the practice and understanding of the Buddhist Teachings. Therefore it is critical that the Dharma remain accessible to these communities. In the context of sharing and promoting the Dharma, the Fellow will focus on supporting and working

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with the following groups and communities: (1) Young Adults: Young people ages 18-35 years old. (2) Communities of color, including Asian American, African American, Native American, and Latino/as (3) Activists and organizers involved in social justice and social change work.

Background Buddhism’s rapid growth and rising popularity across the world is certain to have a tremendous and immeasurable impact on the lives of many people. Nowhere is this probably more obvious than in the West, and in particular the San Francisco Bay Area, where there is a rich and diverse presence of established and emerging Buddhist spaces, groups, and organizations. The reason for Buddhism’s growing appeal is deceptively simple: The Teachings of the Buddha, known as the Dharma, and the practices connected to these Teachings, provide people with a powerful way to recognize, understand, and alleviate suffering and to cultivate human happiness and freedom. Through the development of moral discipline, compassion, generosity, mindfulness, and the wisdom that leads to deep insight into the nature of reality, Buddhism offers a direct and potent path of liberation from the suffering and sorrow of the world. In doing so, the Dharma offers the promise of and possibility for genuine and enduring peace, on a personal as well as interpersonal and social level. For over 2,600 years, Buddhist teachings and practice has and is benefiting countless people and promises to benefit more and more people. In short, the Dharma is a profound universal message of human happiness, well-being, and liberation that is needed now more than ever. At the same time, there is growing need for spiritual leadership within the social justice movement with the capacity to develop a more effective and sustainable model for advancing social justice, one that is more deeply grounded in spirituality, moral principles, and the practice of personal transformation as a basis for collective liberation. Not surprisingly, many activists and organizers are drawn to the message, practices, and social action of Engaged Buddhism. What we are witnessing across the world and particularly in the Bay Area can be described on one hand as a movement to nurture a more spiritual dimension to social justice activism, and on the other hand, a movement within Buddhism towards a deeper social and political engagement. These two movements are coalescing together in ways that have significant implications for how we do social change work and how we engage in spiritual practice. Thus there are many exciting opportunities for the convergence of social justice activism and Buddhist spiritual practice, and many ways for them to benefit and reinforce one another. Given this, the important need to build strong bridges between the social justice communities and the Buddhist secular and monastic communities in the Bay Area is becoming more evident.

Mission 7

The mission of the Kalyanamitta Fellowship program is to plant the seeds for supporting Buddhist practice, study, organizing and leadership, and to help build the Bay Area’s human and institutional capacity to promote Buddhist teachings (Dharma), with a an emphasis on the following areas of focus:

1.Self-Directed Practice a. Moral Training: Observing moral precepts and cultivating loving-kindness, generosity and joy b. Concentration and Meditation Training: mindfulness practice and devotional chanting/recitation c. Training in Wisdom: Intensive study and contemplation

2.Self-Directed Study a. Study of the Canonical and Scriptural texts: the Suttas, Sutras, and commentaries to them b. Explore the intersection of Buddhism and social justice c. Study and learn Pali, the canonical language of the Theravada Buddhist tradition.

3.Sharing the Dharma a. Produce and distribute publications, handouts, visuals, articles, and essays that promote a deeper understanding and practice of Buddhism. b. Present and share the Dharma in accessible and engaging forms to target communities while still remaining true and faithful to the Teachings. c. Organize and facilitate Buddhist study groups and discussions to promote collective learning, reflection, and knowledge of the Dharma. d. Develop and conduct trainings to introduce people to the basics meditation practice and the content and creative application of the Buddha’s Teachings.

4.Leadership Development & Institution-Building a. Mentoring and supporting potential new young Buddhist leaders and developing their teaching, organizing, and leadership capacities. b. Document, develop and provide models and processes for long-term Buddhist organizing. c. Provide support and assistance to emerging Buddhist groups such as informal meditation groups using a long-term and sustainable institution-building approach. d. Organizing Buddhist practice and study retreats.

5.Collaboration & Mutual Support a. Organize social and community events that build community between the various Bay Area Buddhist groups and organizations (for example, inter-group potlucks and sits). b. Pool and share resources and information between various diverse Bay Area Buddhist groups (Theravada, Mayahana, secular) and monastic and lay communities.

Structure of Fellowship 8

Description The Kalyanamitta Buddhist Fellowship program is broad in its scope and unconventional in its approach to the Fellow’s division of responsibilities and allocation of time. This is because the program not only encompasses and supports the Fellow’s structured organizing and work time, but also the time dedicated to formal practice and study of the Buddha’s Teachings. However, rather than relying on the typical division of “full-time work” into a 40-hour work week, the Fellowship structure is based on a 7day week with a total of 50 hours allocated between practice, study, and organizing work. Although the program is structured to provide feedback and support and ensure accountability, for the most part, the Fellow is asked to practice, study, and work independently and without active supervision. Thus it is important that the Fellow is self-motivated, self-directed, and fully committed to the vision and goals of the Kalyanamitta Buddhist Fellowship program.

Responsibilities and Weekly Time Allocation of Fellow Task/Responsibility Structured Sitting Meditation Practice Structured Walking Meditation Practice Dharma Study Writing, planning, and strategy Meetings and presentations (event planning, outreach, projects) Conducting study groups, discussions and trainings Administrative Work (email, phone, photocopying, mailing, documentation) Attend and participate in events (Dharma talks, ceremonies, workshops, etc.) Total Hours/Week

Hours/Week 10 5 5 10 5 5 5 5 50

Accountability At the start of the program, the Fellow is required to form an Advisory Board made up of 3-5 members who will be responsible for providing regular advice, feedback, and support, as well as keeping the Fellow accountable to the mission and vision of the program. The Fellow should meet with the Advisory Board at least once a month to provide updates on practice, studies, organizing, and finances, and to submit proposals. The members of the Advisory Board must approve of all major proposals and decision using a consensus model of decision-making. The Fellow is expected to have this advisory board up and running by the end of the second month of the program. Examples of major proposals and decisions include:  Major changes to Fellow’s schedule and time commitments  Major changes to the vision, mission, and structure of the Fellowship program as articulated in the Fellowship Proposal  Hiring of contractors  Major expenditures (over $500)  Acceptance of major funding (over $500)

2008-2009 Fellowship Budget* 9

Category

Item

Total $

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Fellow Stipend Food Bills & Payments Health, Hygiene, and Medicine Personal expenses Housing Subtotal

$3,000 $2,000 $1,000 $3,000 $8000 $18,000

Subtotal

$1000 $150 $250 $1,400

Subtotal

$2,000 $1000 $200 $3,300

Subtotal

$600 $50 $50 $700

Subtotal

$500 $300 $1000 $1,800

Materials & Supplies Office supplies (paper, printer ink, etc.) Photo documentation (film, scans, CDs, etc.) Practice instruments (cushions, mats, etc.) Operating Expenses Publishing costs (booklets, brochures, etc.) Contracting (graphic design, admin support, etc.) Misc. operating expenses Community Library Purchase of new library books Protection of books Tracking of books (labels and stamps) Travel Expenses Gas subsidy Public Transportation subsidy Travel expenses for meetings, retreats, etc.

Grand Total

$25,000

*Covering February 1, 2008 to February 1, 2008

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Section 2: 3 Main Components of Fellowship

1. Practice The first component of the Fellowship, Buddhist practice, is the most important component, since it forms the very foundation and basis for the entire Fellowship. It is centered on the practice of the Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path, the detailed and comprehensive path of practice and training as taught by the Buddha. This Path is comprised of the eight components of Skillful View, Skillful Intention, Skillful Action, Skillful Speech, Skillful Livelihood, Skillful Effort, Skillful Mindfulness, and Skill Concentration.

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This Path is often divided into the threefold training in Moral Conduct, Concentration, and Wisdom. Specifically for the purposes of the Fellowship program, the focus will be on the practice of the Five Precepts and structured sitting and walking meditation, as well as some devotional chanting and recitation. The Fellow is expected to adopt a simple, peaceful and semi-monastic lifestyle that would be conducive to serious and sustained Dharma practice, study, and organizing (see daily schedules below). The Five Precepts are the core moral guidelines or “training rules” developed by the Buddha to promote personal happiness and social harmony and to minimize suffering. They consist of:  The  The  The  The  The

First Precept: To abstain from taking life Second Precept: To abstain from taking what is not given (“stealing ” and “exploitation”) Third Precept: To abstain from sexual misconduct (adultery, abuse, assault, rape) Fourth Precept: To abstain from false speech (“lying”) Fifth Precept: To abstain from intoxicating drinks and drugs that causes heedlessness

The meditation practice facet of the Fellowship will center on traditional Theravada Buddhist meditation methods and techniques, including awareness of breathing (Anapanasati) and on a set of four practices traditionally referred to in Buddhist countries as the Four Protective Meditations, which consist of: 1. The 2. The 3. The 4. The

recollection of the Buddha contemplation of the parts of the body meditation on loving-kindness (Metta Bhavana) recollection of death

Guiding Principles for Daily Living The following principles will serve as guidelines for the Fellow’s day-to-day schedule and time commitments: 1. Observe and practice the Five Precepts for Buddhist laypeople. 2. Maintain a balanced and healthy lifestyle, eat well, and get plenty of rest and exercise. 3. Wake up by 6 every morning and go to bed by midnight every night. 4. Sit at least twice a day, for a total of at least 1 hour a day 5. Make time for walking meditation at least once a day for at least 20 minutes 6. Practice everyday mindfulness and relaxation at every available opportunity 7. Continue to study and learn the Buddha’s teachings for at least half an hour each day 8. Do yoga and qigong stretches at least once a day, ideally before sits. 9. Spend more time at home than out – go out at night no more than twice each week. 10. Do chores and gardening mindfully at home. 11. Cook consistently and eat in more often than eat out each week. 12. No Internet after 9pm and no TV at all. 13. Have a quiet day of mindfulness every other Sunday, following the 8 training precepts and with no shows, entertainment, meetings, movies, Internet and going out after noon.

Daily Schedule As mentioned earlier, the Fellow is expected to make a commitment to living a simple, peaceful, and semi-monastic lifestyle that is conducive to serious and sustained Dharma practice, study, and organizing. The Fellow’s basic daily schedule reflects this commitment to the Buddhist Path, both in it’s simplicity and rigorousness.

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Fellow’s Daily Schedule (Weekday) Time 5:30am 6-7am 7-8am 9-10am 10am-12pm 12-1:30pm 1:30-5:30 5:30-7:00pm 7:00-7:30pm 7:30-9pm 9-10pm 10pm-11pm 11pm-12am 12am

Activity Wake up Yoga and qigong stretches, chanting, and sitting Shower, personal hygiene, and breakfast Internet, email, bills, journal writing Work/chores/errands Lunch and rest/free time Work/study/chores/gardening/errands Dinner and rest/free time Walking meditation Study or go out (or Internet only if done studying for the day) Yoga and qigong stretches, chanting, and sitting Study/work/chores/meeting at home, or movie/free time Journal writing & personal hygiene Lights out

Fellow’s Daily Schedule (Weekend) Time 6:30am 7-8am 8-9am 9am-10:30am 10:30am-12pm 12-1:30pm 1:30-5:30 5:30-7:00pm 7:00-7:30pm 7:30-9pm 9-10pm 10pm-11pm 11pm-12am 12am

Activity Wake up Yoga and qigong stretches, chanting, and sitting Shower, personal hygiene, and breakfast Walking meditation Work/chores/errands Lunch and rest/free time Work/study/chores/gardening/errands Dinner and rest/free time Walking meditation Study or go out Yoga and qigong stretches, chanting, and sitting Study, work, chores or free time Journal writing & personal hygiene Lights out

2. Study The second component of the Fellowship is the deep and systematic study of the Buddhist Teachings. The systematic study of the Dharma is essential to the full realization of the Buddha’s Path, in that study not only deepens one’s understanding and knowledge but will also serve to reinforce and inspire one’s practice. It is important here to note that the Fellowship program supports the study of Buddhist Teachings in the context of lived personal and social experience, as a practical and engaged way to better understand, practice, teach, and apply the Dharma in order to concretely benefit other people and society, rather than as a purely academic or scholastic endeavor. In the long-term, the study component of the Fellowship seeks to develop comprehensive Buddhist curriculum in order to aid in the

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teaching, learning, and practicing of the Dharma. The self-directed study component is divided into three major areas of focus: (1) an in-depth study of the canonical and scriptural texts as handed down to us in the discourses of the Theravada and Mahayana traditions and the classical commentaries to these discourses, with a strong emphasis on the Theravada tradition practices, (2) the study of the contributions and creative application of Buddhism to social justice and positive social change (“Engaged Buddhism”), (3) the study of basic Pali, the language of the Theravada canon, for the purposes of better understanding the meaning and significance of the Theravada Teachings in its original language and doing quality translation work. Two other important but less emphasized areas of study are: (1) the reading and studying of introductory texts on Buddhism, which will improve and enhance the Fellow’s skillfulness in teaching and sharing the Dharma, especially to those new to Buddhism or with little or no experience of it, and (2) the intersection of Buddhist meditation, Western psychology, and neuroscience.

Tentative Self-Directed Study Curriculum (One Year) Title “Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha”

Author Bhikkhu Nanamoli & Bhikkhu Bodhi (Trans.) Maurice Washe (Trans.)

Category Canonical

Canonical

“The Buddhist Monastic Code” (The Vinaya)

Bhikkhu Nanamoli & Bhikkhu Bodhi (Trans.) Thanissaro Bhikkhu

“Sutta Nipata”

H. Saddhatissa

Canonical

“Bhavana Vandana” (Book of Devotion)

H. Gunaratana Mahathera (Compiler) Paravahera Vajiranana Mahathera

Canonical/ Pali Study Commentarial

Sarah Shaw

Commentarial

Various

Engaged Buddhism

“Engaged Buddhism in the West “

Christopher S. Queen & Sallie B. King (Ed.) Christopher Queen (Ed.)

“Buddhist Economics: A Middle Way for the Marketplace”

Venerable P. A. Payutto

“The Art of Power”, and other books on Engaged Buddhism

Thich Nhat Hanh

“Introduction to Pali”

A.K. Warder

Engaged Buddhism Engaged Buddhism Engaged Buddhism Engaged Buddhism Pali Study

Introduction to Buddhism texts

Various

“The Brain that Transforms Itself”

Norman Doidge

“Long Discourses of the Buddha” (Selected Discourses) “Connected Discourses of the Buddha” (Selected Discourses)

“Buddhist Meditation in Theory and Practice: A General Exposition According to the Pali Canon of the Theravada School” “Buddhist Meditation: An Anthology of Texts from the Pali Canon” “Radical Conservatism: Buddhism in the Contemporary World”, “Dhammic Socialism”, “Handbook for Mankind, and other works by and about Bhikkhu Buddhadasa “Engaged Buddhism: Buddhist Liberation Movements is Asia”

Canonical

Canonical

Intro to Buddhism Neuro-plasticity

3. Organizing The organizing component of the Fellowship program is the socially engaged and community-oriented aspect of the Fellowship. Centered on the practice compassion and loving-kindness, this component seeks to share with the community the practical knowledge, skills, and benefits resulting from the Fellow’s practice and study of the Buddhist Path. The Organizing component is structured around 3 major areas of work: (1) promoting and sharing the Dharma, (2) developing Leadership and Building Community Institutions, and (3) nurturing collaboration and mutual support.

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Potential Organizing Projects* a. Sharing the Dharma: Write articles and essays on Buddhist Teachings and practice (ex. Basic Guidelines for Buddhist Practice), the intersection of Buddhism and social justice, and other relevant topics. Share and distribute Buddhist literature, articles, and teachings Establish and maintain the Dharma Community Library Organize study groups on the Core Teachings of Buddhism Develop and share Buddhist reading lists Organize talks and panels for Buddhist monastic and lay teachers to share the Dharma Create and maintain Buddhist blog/website Develop Glossary of Buddhist Terms and Dharma Teaching Guide for Activists Develop Glossary of Buddhist Terms and Dharma Teaching Guide for Young People

b. Leadership Development & Institution-Building: Actively coordinate the reactivation of the Dharma Realm Buddhist Young Adults (DRBY) organization and help recruitment and train new young Buddhist leadership through DRBY. Do trainings and one-on-one instruction on meditation practice and basic core teachings Actively mentor young Buddhist leaders committed to the Dharma and social justice Provide technical/moral support to people interested in starting meditation/study groups Lay the foundation for the creation of a Buddhist network that can serve as a central hub for Buddhist groups and organizations in the Bay Area and beyond.

c. Nurturing collaboration and mutual support: Create a Bay Area Buddhist Contact List & Resource Guide Organize Inter-organizational social/practice events Create and maintain Buddhist blog/website Bay Area Buddhist List-serve Organize Bay Area Buddhist Summit *Projects in bold are definite projects that the Fellow is committed to working on for the duration of the Fellowship program.

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Section 3: The Future: Long-Term Vision for Engaged Buddhism

The Future: The Long-Term Vision for Engaged Buddhism 1. Strong sustainable institutions and leadership 2. A stronger sense of Buddhist community and support 3. Diverse intergenerational communities 17

4. Deeper understanding and practice 5. Clearly defined and well-articulated collective vision 6. Model for other Buddhist communities 7. Meaningful dialogue with mainstream society: politics, education, social service, and arts.

8. Creative translation and application of the Dharma through art, literature, media, culture

9. Clear and positive benefit to target groups: young people, activists & organizers, and communities of color 10.Clear and positive benefit on culture of social justice movement (shift towards more principled, healthy, sustainable, compassionate, and effective) and to larger society, other living beings, and the natural environment

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Buddhist Intergenerational Sustainability (v1.0) Role of Elders

Role of Children & Youth

*Wisdom, knowledge & experience of Buddhism *Teaching Dharma: "Skillful means" *Modeling *Transmission of culture and values *Motivation & inspiration for younger Buddhists *Social networks *Political power *Financial resources

Elders (55+)

Children & Youth (0-18)

Adults (25-55)

Role of Young Adults

Role of Adults *Commitment & vigor *Teaching and learning Dharma *Modeling *Transmission of culture and values *Motivation & inspiration for younger Buddhists *Community work and activism *Social networks *Political power *Financial resources

*Curiosity, energy, & joyfulness *Learning & embodying (& teaching) the Dharma *Motivation and inspiration for older Buddhists *Living source & reminder of accountability & responsibility

Young Adults (18-35)

*Time, faith, energy & enthusiasm *People power & labor *Community work & activism *Creative application to modern world *Creative translation *Teaching, modeling, inspiration, & transmission to children & youth

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Section 4:

Appendix: Supporting Documents

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Biography of Fellow Biography Thien Huu Nguyen is an educator, artist, and devoted Buddhist lay disciple. He was born in 1978 in Qui Nhon, Viet Nam. At the age of four, he and his family fled their country by boat and stayed at a refugee camp in Taiwan before coming to the United States and settling in Orange County, CA. In 1994, while he was in high school, he and his mother attended a weekend retreat during the Guan Yin Session at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, where he formally took refuge under the Venerable Master and received the Dharma name Guo Nguyen. From 1996 to 2000, Thien attended college at the University of California at Irvine, where he majored in Social Sciences with an emphasis on Social Studies. It was in college where he discovered and began nurturing his commitment to social service and community work. During the summer of 2006, he had the opportunity to live and volunteer for several weeks at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. The experience benefited him greatly, and he decided to return the following summer (2007) for a four-month intensive retreat. After his first stay at CTTB, he and a friend also started a weekly meditation group in Oakland to support people interested in Buddhist practice. After this retreat, Thien has made a long-term commitment to learning, practicing, and spreading the Buddha’s teachings. In addition to his own personal Dharma study and practice, he is committed to supporting other people in their study and practice, as well as building Buddhist leadership and community. Based on his conviction that his life experiences as a serious practitioner will ultimately benefit all living beings, he is planning on spending a few years devoted to intensive Buddhist practice in a monastic setting. In terms of his work experience, Thien has worked at numerous community-based nonprofit organizations, including Asian American LEAD, the Oakland Asian Students Educational Services (OASES), the Movement Strategy Center (MSC), and the East Meets West Foundation. His nonprofit work experience is primarily in the areas of administrative support as well as in development, event planning, outreach, strategic planning, research, and writing. Thien also has extensive experience in community service. After moving to the San Francisco Bay Area, he began to help build and organize grassroots volunteer-based groups dedicated to benefiting their communities through arts and social service. In addition, he has dedicated himself to supporting and empowering young people, especially in Oakland. For three years, he was an academic tutor and photography instructor for the Westlake Middle School After School program, and has also volunteered to do private tutoring for several youth in Oakland’s Chinatown. His long-term career goal is to dedicate himself to benefiting society through a Buddhist approach to teaching, counseling and community service.

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Getting Started on the Buddha’s Path of Liberation If you already have a basic understanding of the Buddha’s path of mindfulness and liberation, and are ready to deepen your practicing and understanding of it, here are 7 concrete guidelines to help you get started.

♦

Make a commitment to the practice. First and foremost, consider making a genuine commitment to the process of self-transformation and liberation, and to changing your patterns of thought, speech, and actions in ways that will support and create the conditions for your liberation. It might seem obvious, but the stronger your commitment and sincerity, the greater the fruits and benefits of your practice will be.

♦

Follow the 5 basic moral precepts or mindfulness trainings. The precepts are the necessary foundation for your mindfulness practice and are meant to be guidelines for how to live a principled life, minimize suffering, and promote happiness for yourself and others. Occasionally and for a specific period of time it might be helpful for you to commit to the 8 training precepts, which are the 5 basic precepts with one modification (no sexual misconduct becomes no sexual activity) and 3 additional precepts (no eating after midday; no dancing, singing, music, watching shows, perfumes, cosmetics, or jewelry; and no using luxurious beds and seats). The 5 precepts are listed below: 1st precept 2nd precept 3rd precept 4th precept 5th precept

No No No No No

killing or harming (Reverence for life) stealing or cheating (Generosity) sexual misconduct (Sexual responsibility) lying (Truthful speech) using intoxicants (Mindful consumption)

♦

Live a simpler, healthier, and more peaceful lifestyle. After making a commitment to the practice and to the precepts, the next important step towards nourishing and building your practice is to live a simpler, healthier, and more peaceful lifestyle. Some helpful lifestyle changes to consider include adopting a moderate healthy diet, getting regular physical exercise (for example, yoga or qigong), getting enough rest and sleep, and living a quieter and more peaceful life by minimizing distractions, stress, and noise.

♦

Start meditating regularly and consistently. For many people, this means starting with serenity (Samatha) meditation practice that stills and concentrates the mind and then developing your practice of insight (Vipassana) meditation. The best way to build your practice is to set aside specific times to sit and/or walk and do the best you can to stick to your schedule. This of course is easier said than done, but meditating regularly and consistently is vital and essential for your practice of liberation. Even sitting for 15 minutes a day can be very helpful. Below are suggestions for a meditation schedule based on how much time you have available and your level of commitment and experience: 1st option 2nd option 3rd option 4th option 5th option

Twice each and every day for an hour each session Twice each and every day for a half hour each session Every other day for a half hour each session 2-3 times a week for a half hour each session Once each day for15 minutes

♦

Outside of structured meditation time, practice everyday mindfulness. There are many basic practices that can develop your mindfulness, including mindfulness of your daily activities, your body’s postures and movements, your breath, your mental states and moods, as well as the loving-kindness meditation. Commit yourself to a few practices that work well for you and stick with those for now. There are also many other practices such as chanting, bowing, and sutra recitation that can complement your structured meditation.

♦

Find a qualified teacher and/or a practice community. The benefits of having a good teacher are many and immeasurable. Because experienced skillful teachers can be hard to come by, another good option is to join a community of fellow practitioners for support, motivation, and advice, either at a temple or meditation center or through an informal meditation group. It’s even better if you can find a teacher and join a community of practitioners.

♦

Learn, discuss, and reflect on the Buddha’s teachings regularly and consistently. Learn in a deeply practical and engaged way the basic core teachings of Buddhism, and discuss and share what you learn with

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other practitioners. This will not only deepen your understanding of the Buddha’s teachings but also will reinforce and inspire your practice. The Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, kamma, the Law of Dependent Origination, the Four Divine Abodes, and the Three Universal Characteristics are all considered among the core of the Buddha’s teachings.

Basic Tips for Sitting Meditation Preparation: ♦ If possible, wait at least an hour after eating as meal before sitting, and make sure you are well rested beforehand.

♦ It is strongly recommended that you stretch before you begin your sit, even if only for a few minutes and especially your lower body. This helps prepares your body for sitting, which is especially important since meditation is as much about the body as it is about the mind. ♦ For many people, it is helpful to chant or recite a Buddhist text or chant before the start of a sit. Some suggestions for chants and recitations are:  The Three Refuges  Karaniya Metta Sutta  Maha Mangala Sutta ♦ Choose a length of time to sit before you actually begin your sit. Try to sit for at least 15 minutes. Half an hour to an hour is typically a good amount of time for one sitting session for most people. ♦ Along the same lines, choose a meditation subject or subjects before beginning your sit. Try not to practice more than 2 subjects in during any one sitting session. Here are some suggestions for a meditation subject or combination of subjects:       

Anapanasati, or awareness of breathing Metta Bhavana, or the meditation on loving-kindness Bare Attention Contemplation on the parts of the body Metta Bhavana followed by Anapanasati Anapanasati followed by contemplation on the parts of the body Anapanasati followed by Vipassana

During the Sit: ♦ For those of us who tend to be a little restless during meditation, give yourself an extra few minutes before you begin timing your sit. During this time you can freely adjust your position, posture and cushion (if any) until you feel comfortable, take a few deep breathes to clear your breathing passageways, and so on. After this initial period, try your best not to change your position and posture and minimize physical movement as much as possible.

♦ If you have to move or change your position, especially due to extreme physical pain or discomfort, try doing so slowly and mindfully, while still focused on your meditation subject.

♦ To help you get in a frame of mind and attitude conducive to meditation practice, begin your sit by doing a quick mental checklist in order to cultivate the following helpful qualities of mind:  Contentment & Relaxation  Confidence & Enthusiasm  Kindness ♦ If you find that your mind is very distracted and scattered, try switching temporarily to practicing awareness of breathing and noting your in-breaths and out-breaths either by counting or by repeating “in” during your inbreath and “out” during your out-breaths. Once your mind becomes more noticeably concentrated, return to your meditation subject.

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At the end of the sit: ♦ When you sit is over, maintain your awareness as much as possible and move slowly and mindfully. ♦ Before you get off the cushion, make the commitment to yourself to try to sustain and carry your mindfulness throughout your entire day to the best of your ability, starting with the moment you leave the cushion.

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A Love Beyond Supreme: A Tribute to Metta October 22, 2007 Since I started walking the Theravada Buddhist path, the practice of metta (loving-kindness) has become more and more an important part of my life. If there were one practice that I would say is the most far-reaching practice for me, it would have to be the meditation on loving-kindness. The benefits of this practice become clearer the more you deepen your understanding and practice of it. Metta has become a small but powerful revolution for me. Metta gives me another option, another way to respond, to people, situations, events, myself. It is something practical that I can develop and mobilize for the war within my mind. Too often our minds are flooded by impatience, frustration, and judgment, or even worse, sadness, anger, ill will, hatred, rage. Metta is often the only protection against these roots of suffering, and it is so much more: A haven of hope, good medicine, a reminder to be lovingly mindful, and a blessing. But to alleviate suffering and nourish happiness is not only a blessing, it is the actual lived experience of liberation. Because metta gives us another way of think, it therefore gives us another way to act and live, both individually and collectively. This way is immensely positive, loving, and hopeful. Metta then can be a source of joy and a contribution to personal and social justice. It is such a contrast to a way of life and a human world that is often dominated by the negative, hateful, and hopeless, not to mention the brutal. In the midst of this situation, metta is the concrete act of training our minds to be more loving and expressing this loving-kindness. The positive benefits of this simple act I believe are boundless and immeasurable. So what exactly is metta? Metta is defined as is the strong wish for the happiness, welfare, and liberation of all living beings, starting first and foremost with yourself, and the capacity to act on this wish. The wish for your own happiness and welfare is not only the foundation for the practice of metta, and the Buddha’s path, it is the basis for your happiness and all positive actions you do for the world. At the heart of the practice is the strong wish for the happiness and welfare of others AND the concrete act of promoting their happiness and welfare. Metta is thus very different from our conventional Hollywood understanding of love, which is typically bound up in lust, desire, possessiveness, conditionality, and self-interest. And unlike “respect”, which is so conditional and relative, it is both unconditional and constant. Metta is in fact radically different from anything most of us are used to. It is a love that is boundless and not based on relationships, identity, or conditions. You don’t radiate metta only to people of a particular gender, race, class, personality, or life situation; you radiate it to ALL living beings without distinction. It can be described as a universal unconditional love since it seeks the happiness of literally all living beings throughout the universe without seeking anything in return and without limit. Just ask yourself when was the last time you even considered the happiness and welfare of not just your family, friends, partner, but ALL living beings? Metta is this all-encompassing loving thought cultivated and repeated over and over again; it is the continuous training of our minds and the expansion of its capacity to be more loving and kind. Consider just how powerful of an act this can be. More and more, the importance of deeply expressing a positive and loving attitude in all that we do and all times and at all places, is becoming clearer to me. The practice of metta meditation must be a continuous expression and force if you really want to benefit all living beings, or at least the ones around you. At the most fundamental level, sometimes the most positive thing you can do is to cultivate an attitude of warmth, friendliness, and loving-kindness and radiate this all around you, and to practice metta at every available opportunity. And during those times when it is most challenging and most difficult to practice it, for example, when we are in the midst of anger, frustration, fear, these are the times in which we need to practice it the most. In our lives moment-by-moment, we have a choice to either be a living expression of our negativity and suffering, or an expression of our positivity, joy, and loving-kindness. I wish I could begin to describe just how liberating this practice can be, and why I have so much faith and confidence in it as a means to transform our lives. I strongly believe that by flooding our minds with loving-kindness, we can flood the world with loving-kindness, for the benefit of ourselves, our loved ones, and all living beings. May you and all beings everywhere know happiness, freedom and peace.

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