Wednesday, December 21, 2016

The Buddhamas Carol, Ode to the Vipassana Yogi

Dear Dhamma friends,

I wish you all a Merry but Mindful Holiday season with Compassion and Metta for all those suffering at the hands and minds of Greed, Hate, and Delusion. 
I repost this link to the, Song of Meditation, for your reminder and reflection:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOWZSDUsWuc&feature=youtu.be

Here are the Lyrics:


Ode of a Vipassana Yogi
(Composed by Bhante Yogavacara Rahula)
Silent Night, Peaceful Night,
All is calm, Stars are bright,
Round the hall Yogis sitting still,
Keeping their backs straight, exerting will,
Enduring pain without any ill-will,
Pervading Metta all throughout space,
Wishing good-will to the whole human race.
buddhaeyes_gold
Silent Mind, Peaceful Mind,
Thoughts are few, pain is slight,
Focusing mind at the tip of the nose,
Knowing each breath as it comes and it goes,
Perceiving the light that steadily glows,
Feeling the rapture from head to the toes.
Silent Mind, Tranquil Mind,
Thoughts are stilled, Body is light,
All the Five Hindrances have died down,
The Ego no longer is spinning around,
Mind is one-pointed not moving a bit,
Enjoying at long last the Jhanic Bliss.
Sitting in Rapturous Joy,
Sitting in Rapturous Joy.
Silent Mind, focused Mind,
All is calm, Mind is bright
The Spiritual Faculties are prepared,
Vipassana-Insight has Mara scared,
Scanning the body from head to the toes,
Anicca, Anicca, each moment goes,
Anicca, Anicca, Impermanence shows.
The Five Aggregates appear empty as foam,
The Truth of No-Self is easily known.
Silent Mind, Wisdom Mind,
Awareness is strong, Wisdom is fine,
The six sense-impingements arise and pass,
No desire, no clinging, no ego to grasp,
No holding to present, future or past,
Mara has vanished he’s took his last gasp,
This body-mind house is empty at last,
Sitting and walking the whole night through,
Greeting the dawn completely anew.
Silent Mind, Holy Mind,
Now is the time, Conditions are prime.
The Enlightenment Factors are developed well.
The Four Noble Truths become clear as a bell,
The Eye of Dhamma is opened wide,
The three lower fetters are broken in stride.
Tonight the Yogi enters the Stream,
Tomorrow Nibbana no longer a Dream.
buddha_rightside

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Departing Washington DC


View of the Capitol Mall at sunrise 


Dear friends,
 I completed the vassa period at the Washington Buddhist Vihara and we held the Kathina ceremony on October 16th. A full list of all the talks, sutta study, and meditation sessions is available at this link:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B3q1ohW48nKWVW5WWFFBSExnc1U?usp=sharing

I attended the Kathina ceremony at the Bhavana Society Forest Monastery in West Virginia on October 23rd.
On my way to California I stopped in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and lead a weekend retreat at the Buddha vihara/ meditation center in Burleson.

See my Teaching Travel page for my schedule in the next six months.


Here are a few photos taken during my stay in the nation's capital.




 Washington Monument


Lincoln Memorial




Statue of Abraham Lincoln inside Memorial




US Capitol

WWII Memorial

Rear Entrance of the White House



May all Beings be well, peaceful and wise











Sunday, July 17, 2016

Vassa at the Washington Buddhist Vihara




Dear Dhamma friends in the Washington, Baltimore, Richmond, USA area,

I am spending the vassa  (monks three month rains retreat) period at the Washington Buddhist Vihara on 5017 16th St. Washington, D.C. Here is the schedule of Talks, meditation classes and one day retreats that I will be conducting as part of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Vihara this year. This was the first Theravada Buddhist Vihara or temple established in North America. This is also the same vihara where Bhante Henepola Gunaratana was the abbot before he moved to the Bhavana Society.

Bhante Rahula’s teaching schedule at Washington Buddhist Vihara during vassa 2016
During this Vassa season each week from July 22nd to Saturday October 8th, Bhante Yogavacara Rahula will be conducting the following programs at the Washington Buddhist Vihara.
Friday evenings from 7-9 pm a sutta study class followed by a meditation session;
  Saturday afternoons from 3-5.30 pm he will deliver a Dhamma talk followed by a meditation session.
On Sundays from 3-5pm he will give a guided  meditation followed by a Dhamma discussion
In addition, on the following Saturdays he will lead a Day of Mindfulness from 9-5 pm: August 13th, September 17th and October 8th.
Please note: Bhante Rahula will be away from the vihara during these  dates when the classes will not meet: September 9, 10,11; September 30, October 1,2
ALL ARE WELCOME 

Friday, June 3, 2016

Standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon in Arizona

Hi Friends,
From April 11th-17th I went on a one week scenic car journey with Gino, an old meditation student/friend from Germany. Having spent a night with me at my mother's house in Riverside we drove through the Joshua Tree National Park, the Grand Canyon and Zion National Parks, Hoover Dam, Death Vally and the High Sierra mountains with a view of Mt. Whitney at Lone Pine. I had not been to most of those places since I was a teenager on camping trips through the Southwest with my parents. And Gino had not seen most of these famous National Parks, so it was good fun.
Then back to work. Over April 22-24 I conducted the annual retreat for the Ventura Buddhist Study Group and then headed up to central California to continue a teaching tour spending five days at the Mountain Stream Meditation Center in Nevada City where there were a few talks and a Daylong meditation. Then over the weekend of May 6-8 there was a weekend retreat at the Vietnamese temple in Morgan City located about 15 miles south of San Jose. I also stayed a few days at the Dhammapala Institute in Milpitas and gave a talk there.
On May 9th I flew from San Jose to Portland Oregon where I gave a talk at the Friends of the Dhamma Center and another talk at the Unitarian Church. This was arranged by Mr. and Mrs Pinit who then also took me on a three day nature outing in Central Oregon before heading up to the Columbia River Gorge near Mt. Hood. I stayed at the Pacific Hermitage in White Salmon with three bhikkhus from the Ajahn Cha lineage and Abhayagiri Monastery. While at this small wonderful secluded hermitage we went out on the traditional almsround in the small town where we received ample alms each day. The three American monks staying there were Ajahn Sudanto, the abbot, and Ajahn Karunadhammo and Ven. Caganando. I had met all three of these bhikkhu in previous visits to Abahayagiri and elsewhere over the past years. I was quite impressed how they have built up quite a devoted following among the local residents of this small conservative of town of White Salmon situated on the bluffs overlooking the Columbia River. I lead a weekend retreat there held at the old Grange Hall with about thirty five participants. After the retreat we made a few trips with hikes in the surrounding mountains and along the Columbia River Gorge.

Following are some photos of the journey.



50 year reunion with old High School friends at Joshua Tree

The mountains of rocks at Joshua Tree


Chola Catus Garden

Ancient volcanic crater in the middle of the Mojhave desert

Gino and I walked a mile from the parking lot to the crater

Inside the crater were two muddy ponds from the recent rain


Famous road through Arizona





 More views of the Grand Canyon


Overcoming fear of Heights


The zig-zag Bright Angel trail leading to the Colorado river at the bottom of the Grand Canyon





                           







 The brilliant Vermillion color of the Grand Canyon

 The beginning of the spectacular Grand Canyon River raft trips at Lees Ferry-- I did not go


Millions of years of eroded rocks


Views of Zion National Park






The Great White Throne






Main Cathedral at Zion



Hoover Dam near Las Vegas

Lake Meade behind Hoover Dam
                                              




Approaching Death Valley

                                                 



Badwater Basin; elevation 282 feet below sea level; Lowest point in North America; White color is one foot of salt when the place was an ocean




The High Sierra Mountains of California





Mt. Whitney from Whitney Portal; highest point in the lower 48; elevation 14, 505 ft.

Photos from Central Oregon 
Three Sisters


Mt. Washington

Walking in the Painted Hills


Scenic Smith Rocks
 
Having Picnics on the Way


Photos along the Columbia River Gorge

Latoule Falls



Punchbowl Falls

Bridge over the Columbia River 


 The Bonneville Dam


Herman the 100 years old Sturgeon

View from Cape Horn

A cool windy afternoon outing

Sleeping Beauty Pinnacle near Mt. Adams, WA

Views from the top






Mt. St. Helens--the jagged rim from the 1980 volcano blast is barely visible under the clouds



Mt. Hood from White Salmon


Alms round in White Salmon, WA

The Retreat

MAY ALL BEINGS BE WELL PEACEFUL AND WISE