Hi, <<First Name>>. We hope that as we welcome February, you are finding both time and ease on your cushion. As we approach Valentine's Day, a holiday that has been taken over by retail marketing as one slanted towards spending money to display romantic love, we have an opportunity to reflect on the Buddhist concept of maitri. Maitri can be defined as the intention to offer love, benevolence, and compassion to both ourselves and others, equally and without condition. In maitri, there is not clinging or attachment. The 17th Karmapa said:
"When you feel authentic love toward others, you will be deeply moved to act. You will not rest until you have found ways to secure the happiness of all those you are able to include in your feelings of love. As you learn to love more and more widely, your love will motivate you to act to benefit not just the few people in your inner circle, but your whole society, and eventually, the whole world. This makes love an immensely powerful basis for social action of any sort."
If you're interested in a deeper exploration of love through the practice of metta (loving-kindness), meditation teacher, Anushka Fernandopulle is offering a day-long, donation-based loving-kindness retreat on Valentine's Day! A link has been included below.
Online Meditation will continue to be hosted by SEBC every Wednesday in February. Turn your meditation practice into a routine! The Zoom meeting link can be found below and will be the same for all February sessions.
In this month's newsletter, you'll find links to other online events and resources. Additional information about SEBC - and more resources - can be found on our website and Facebook.
We at SEBC affirm our commitment to inclusivity, diversity, and interconnection. If you'd like to chat, have ideas for the community, want to help, etc., please let us know - we'd love to hear from you! And if you haven't joined us in a while (or ever), we'd love to see you (feel free to attend meetings as regularly or as infrequently as you'd like)! May we stand stronger as Beloved Community through our Dharma practice and understanding, and in our larger society as a whole. Let's keep the Dharma wheel turning!
Much metta,
Your friends at SEBC |
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Online Meditation Sessions
Our monthly meditation sessions will meet each Wednesday in February; however, due to the need for greater precautions with COVID-19, we will meet online through Zoom. Our recommendation is to have the video on whenever possible, to allow a greater degree of connection during the meetings. OPEN TO ALL & FREE TO ATTEND!!
* Wednesday, February 3rd, 7 - 8pm
* Wednesday, February 10th, 7 - 8pm
* Wednesday, February 17th , 7 - 8pm
* Wednesday, February 24th, 7 - 8pm
Same link (ID/password) for all February sessions:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87680661563?pwd=VmdTK0sxdU9JTTJ4enUxaGVkRTkwZz09
Meeting ID: 876 8066 1563
Passcode: 834396
- To dial with phone by your location, find your local number here.
- Click here for information on how to join a Zoom meeting.
ALL levels of meditators are welcome to attend, including those with no previous experience; however, we encourage people to “bring your own practice.” We're a practice group of fellow travelers, not teachers.
Note: Click here for more info on our Wednesday meditation sessions. |
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Other Online Events & Resources
* Valentine's Day Meditation Virtual Meditation (Donation-Based) - "Metta is translated as lovingkindness, friendliness, goodwill, and more... We will be engaging with the practice and ideas behind Metta in the Buddhist teachings. There will be guided meditations and time for questions..."
* Socially Engaged Buddhism (SEBC) - "We encourage you to visit our resource list on Socially Engaged Buddhism and we invite your participation, perspectives, and solidarity, as together we undertake the hard work necessary for transformation."
* Dharma Seed - "an online resource dedicated to making the Buddhist teachings of Insight Meditation and associated practices available to all. Our intention is to be a support for meditation teachers, their communities, students and meditation practitioners, and to provide access to the teachings to those who might not otherwise have access to them."
* Southern Dharma Retreat Center, Hot Springs, NC - "For more than 40 years, Southern Dharma Retreat Center (SDRC) has offered affordable, teacher-led retreats with a unifying thread of meditation, contemplation, and silence. SDRC continues its tradition of excellence as the preeminent meditation retreat center in the southeast and is historically ranked top 10 nationally."
* Atlanta Buddhism.org - "Due to the Coronavirus outbreak (Covid-19), all people are encouraged to stay home whenever possible, and help stop the spread. We have compiled this list of groups that are now meeting virtually."
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Monthly Article: The Four Qualities of Love, by Thich Nhat Hanh
– “The first aspect of true love is maitri (metta, in Pali), the intention and capacity to offer joy and happiness. To develop that capacity, we have to practice looking and listening deeply so that we know what to do and what not to do to make others happy. If you offer your beloved something she does not need, that is not maitri. You have to see her real situation or what you offer might bring her unhappiness."
-"Maitri can be translated as “love” or “loving kindness.” Some Buddhist teachers prefer “loving kindness,” as they find the word “love” too dangerous. But I prefer the word “love.” Words sometimes get sick and we have to heal them. We have been using the word “love” to mean appetite or desire, as in “I love hamburgers.” We have to use language more carefully. “Love” is a beautiful word; we have to restore its meaning."
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