June 06, 2008
Pittsfield UU Meditation Sangha
Pittsfield UU Meditation Sangha is, for the moment, the name for our group that sits each Thursday at 6:00 PM at the Wendell Ave UU Church.
Linda, Ron and Craig, founding members, and James, Tim, Mike, Doris and Michael all voted after some group discussion that this name sufficed.
Personally I would like it to be called "The Nose Focusers."
Craig mentioned in this quasi business meeting what he thought were the sangha goals embodying the formation of this group.
The first goal is to provide a safe, comraderly place to meditate.
The second goal is to provide a safe, welcoming place to meditate.
Third, this Sangha is in the UU spirit, fully democratic.
It is Buddhist oriented but not exclusively. Other Eastern philosophies, other spiritual philosophies or practices or a 'good poem', all for discussion, are welcomed.
Each attendee is invited to bring a reading or otherwise a topic for discussion to lead a meeting. The weekly moderator's job is to facilitate a good group discussion.
Three first time attendees Mike, Michael and Doris were welcomed.
Linda, Ron and Craig, founding members, and James, Tim, Mike, Doris and Michael all voted after some group discussion that this name sufficed.
Personally I would like it to be called "The Nose Focusers."
Craig mentioned in this quasi business meeting what he thought were the sangha goals embodying the formation of this group.
The first goal is to provide a safe, comraderly place to meditate.
The second goal is to provide a safe, welcoming place to meditate.
Third, this Sangha is in the UU spirit, fully democratic.
It is Buddhist oriented but not exclusively. Other Eastern philosophies, other spiritual philosophies or practices or a 'good poem', all for discussion, are welcomed.
Each attendee is invited to bring a reading or otherwise a topic for discussion to lead a meeting. The weekly moderator's job is to facilitate a good group discussion.
Three first time attendees Mike, Michael and Doris were welcomed.
Labels: Meditation, Pittsfield, Pittsfield UU Meditation Sangha, Sangha, UU Church
May 20, 2007
Buddhism & Harmony With the Divine
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Inaugural 'Sit' of UU Pittsfield Church Buddhist Meditation Group
Inaugural 'Sit' of UU Pittsfield Church Buddhist Meditation Group
Discussion paper 5/20/07
From the home page of the Unitarian Universalist Buddhist Fellowship.
From the home page of the Unitarian Universalist Buddhist Fellowship.
Since the introduction of the first Buddhist texts to America in the mid-nineteenth century, Buddhism has been as extremely influential force among Unitarians and, over the last thirty years, Unitarian Universalists. Early Unitarians, such as Henry David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, and Ralph Waldo Emerson responded with great enthusiasm to Buddhism's emphasis on individual experience, rather than appeal to scriptures or belief in miraculous events, as the basis for authority in spiritual matters.
In recent years, Unitarian Universalists have increasingly been drawn to explore Buddhist religious practices, especially seated meditation, in order to ground the "free and responsible search for truth and meaning" that is one of the guiding principles of the UU tradition. Meditation invites a direct and immediate experience of reality and provides a balance to purely intellectual inquiry.
A Common Unitarian Universalist Statement
(with comparative comments)
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Love is our doctrine. The ..................(compassion)
quest for truth is its sacrament,...........(reality, enlightenment)
And service is its prayer.....................(merit, good works)
To the end that all souls shall grow
into harmony with the divine...............(find the Buddha mind)
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--Craig Johnson--
Labels: Berkshires, Buddhism, Buddhist, Meditation, Pittsfield, Sangha, Unitarian, UU
