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The Everyday Sangha begins a new study of The Way of the Bodhisattva beginning with the meeting on February 10, 2024
These are the books we will be using:
The main text we will be using is The Way of the Bodhisattva: (Bodhicaryavatara), Revised Edition (Shambhala Classics), by Shantideva and translated by the Padmakara Translation Group. The link below is an Amazon affiliate link to the book:
There are other translations (notably A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life, translated by Stephen Batchelor). If you own that book, it will work, but in my opinion, it does not have the richness of verse that the Shambhala publication has and I believe the "feeling" isn't quite there.
We will also be using a commentary / practice book, Becoming Bodhisattvas: A Guidebook for Compassionate Action by Pema Chodron for the study. Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/3tSfXjI
There is also a wonderful commentary by His Holiness The Dalai Lama, if you are interested. It is: For the Benefit of All Beings: A Commentary on the Way of the Bodhisattva. It will not be officially part of our practice, but as an FYI. Again, the link below is an Amazon affiliate link to the book: https://amzn.to/48U7Amu
The Everyday Sangha is a virtual sangha (via Zoom) held every-other Saturday at 10:00AM EDT U.S.
Feel free to join at any time, even if you haven't yet purchased the book we are studying. The Dharma talks and open sangha discussion touch on things in everyone's life and you don't need to read the book.
Our sangha meetings consist of service first, including a short meditation period, traditional vow recitations and other invocations (refuge, bodhisattva vows, etc.) and some chanting. The service introduces more ritual and liturgy into the structure of our meeting, much like you would find at a non-virtual Buddhist temple, church, or sangha.
The service includes a Dharma talk by one of the practice leaders or myself, Wendy Shinyo Sensei, and, many times a volunteer Dharma Glimpse by a sangha member. After the service, we open it up to discussion of the current book study or anything that was inspired by one of the Dharma talks.
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Listen to the latest Members' Only Bonus Podcast: A Listener's Question on Religion!
This is the first of a multi-part member's only bonus podcast, responding to a listener question about religion and Buddhism. I had originally planned a panel podcast discussion with 3 people coming from diverse religious backgrounds, but who now identify as Buddhist and/or practice Buddhism.