As the moon slips from
Behind a cloud and shines,
So the master comes out
From behind ignorance and shines.
Swans rise and fly toward the sun.
What magic!
So do the pure conquer
The armies of illusion
And rise to fly.
~ The Buddha in the Dhammapada | quote courtesy of Daily Zen | www.dailyzen.com
The sound of peaceful music, the sound of terrible noise, are both clearly revealed as they are and nothing else. Nonetheless, we prefer the peacefulness and dislike the irritation of the noise. We try to control, to change things to how we want them. This can be done with a certain degree but cannot be done completely and eternally. If, on the other hand, we accept things as they are and see things as clearly revealed as they are, that acceptance itself is the first step toward unbreakable peacefulness.
~ Eido Tai Shimano
The Meditation Circle of Charleston gathers next 6 to 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, July 28 (and every Tuesday) at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 520 Kanawha Blvd., in Charleston, W.Va., across from the Kanawha River. Bring a meditation cushion or chairs are available. Newcomers to meditation are welcome and basic instruction is available. We begin 30 minutes of silent sitting meditation promptly at 6 p.m., followed by discussion and questions. We conclude the night with a 15-minute sitting. Come join the circle.
“Mandala: The Perfect Circle,” opening August 14 at Boston’s Rubin Museum of Art is the first of three shows to explore how different cultures have pictured the universe. The exhibit features “The Mandala of Enlightened Speech,” an animation created by Cornell University’s Department of Computer Science that will help viewers better understand the three-dimensional structure of the mandala. (Doug notes: This took awhile to download completely onto my home computer, but is well worth the wait). The Rubin Museum site goes on to say:
“The mandala is a mysterious and sacred realm. Its most recurrent graphic form is circular in shape. While the word itself means both center and circumference, it is created by Buddhists as a model for contemplative visualization practice, thus becoming an aid to meditation which in turn enables the practitioner to attain a state of Enlightenment. This exhibition will explore the various manifestations of the mandala. While simultaneously explaining its symbolism it will describe the means by which it fulfills its function and demonstrate its correlation with our physical reality.
The Meditation Circle of Charleston practices breath and body-centered meditation in the Buddhist tradition. You need not be a self-identified Buddhist to benefit from meditation practice. We encourage everyone to seek out established teachers to deepen their practice. See the ‘About‘ page of themeditationcircle.com for more, including a guide to other area sitting and yoga sessions. Feel free to forward this e-mail to interested friends.
When they discover the center of the universe
a lot of people will be disappointed to discover
they are not it.
~ B. Bailey
NOTE TO MEMBERS of the CIRCLE: Send prospective blogposts, tips, quotes, events and other news to douglas @hundredmountain.com.
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