Joseph Goldstein wrote an article on karma and cause and effect that looks at the traditional Buddhist teachings on karma, including discussion of related ideas like rebirth that are not widely accepted in the West. He pointed out that these ideas are not necessary for meditation practice, or even for awakening, but he felt that… Continue reading Updated Resources for Meditation and Support
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Quote for the Week
People want karma to explain everything, but the Buddha did not want karma to explain everything. What the Buddha was trying to do was to point to the tremendous impact that our motivations, our intentions, have on our lives. In looking at the choices that we have to make, the Buddha said that it is… Continue reading Quote for the Week
Meditation Support Group Meets at the Tri-Cities Cancer Center 3/21
Meditation Support Group Meets at the Tri-Cities Cancer Center We’ll continue our monthly mindfulness meditation support group meeting at the Tri-Cities Cancer Center, 7350 West Deschutes Avenue, Kennewick. The next meeting will be Thursday, 3/21/2024. The sessions, which are held on the third Thursday of each month, are meant for cancer patients, cancer survivors, and their caregivers. The session will begin at 12:00 pm at the Cancer Center in the Fireside Room.… Continue reading Meditation Support Group Meets at the Tri-Cities Cancer Center 3/21
Sangha News 3/5/24
Thursday evening Info: After the 7:00 pm online meditation on Thursday, 3/7/24, Chris will give a talk on the Buddha’s teachings on emptiness, which follow from dependent origination, the way that everything depends on causes and conditions. Emptiness speaks to the lack of a self that is independent and unchanging. A positive way of examining… Continue reading Sangha News 3/5/24
Updated Resources for Meditation and Support
Emptiness can be a difficult concept to wrap our mind around. Thich Nhat Hanh uses the Heart Sutra to discuss the relationship of emptiness, interbeing, and fullness in an article that you can find here: The Heart Sutra: the Fullness of Emptiness Thanissaro Bhikkhu describes emptiness as a mode of perception that can allow us… Continue reading Updated Resources for Meditation and Support
Quote for the Week
When Avalokita says that our sheet of paper is empty, he means it is empty of a separate, independent existence. It cannot just be by itself. It has to inter-be with the sunshine, the cloud, the forest, the logger, the mind, and everything else. It is empty of a separate self. But, empty of a… Continue reading Quote for the Week
Meditation Retreat on Saturday, March 23, 2024
Chris Murray will lead an Insight Meditation retreat on Saturday, March 23, 2024, from 9:00 am until 4:30 pm. The retreat will be conducted at All Saints Episcopal Church, 1322 Kimball Avenue, Richland, in the Parish Hall. The topic for the retreat is “A Day of Mindfulness: Exploring the Body, Heart, and Mind.” This in-person… Continue reading Meditation Retreat on Saturday, March 23, 2024
Sangha News 2/20/24
Thursday evening Info: After the 7:00 pm online meditation on Thursday, 2/22/24, Chris will give a talk that will discuss the Buddha’s teachings on the ways we construct our sense of self, and how that’s related to our incessant mental chatter, and to dependent origination, the Buddha’s main teaching on causes and conditions, and clinging… Continue reading Sangha News 2/20/24
New Treasurer Needed for Meditation Group
Li and C.T. have been supporting the meditation group as treasurer for the last two years, but need to step aside now. I’m very thankful for their support! Now IMMC, the non-profit corporation that is the support for the meditation group, needs a new treasurer. The job is not very demanding because our budget is… Continue reading New Treasurer Needed for Meditation Group
Updated Resources for Meditation and Support
One of the processes that the Buddha describes as a way in which we construct our sense of self is the endless proliferation of thought in our minds. In the Pali language, this is known as papancha. Andrew Olendzki describes the mental proliferation that occurs all the time and we often observe during meditation in… Continue reading Updated Resources for Meditation and Support