keeping sangha connected Cultivating Right Livelihood · 2017. 10. 24. · In keeping with our mission of teach-ing the Dharma and providing quality ser-vices to the community, succession

vajrabellkeeping sangha connected

AUTUMN 2014

Right LivelihoodCultivating

Also inthis issue

How Music Can Inform Spirituality by Sravaniya

Working for Indian Buddhism by Viradhamma

As Eric Went-worthrsquos time as the editor of the Vajra Bell comes to an end and we prepare for the next issue I am struck by two things The first is the real-ization of how much

mindful work that Eric devoted to the newsletter and how well (and cheerfully) he did it The second is how grateful I am to Mary Schaefer for sharing the editor-ship with me Mary brings intelligence fo-cus organization and energy to the tasks at hand Thank goodness

Lately Irsquove been reading the back is-sues of the Vajra Bell and Irsquom struck by the quality of the journalism essays on the dharma and personal reflections In-deed the distinctions between these cate-gories generally disappear on the pages of Vajra Bell Beginning with Sangharakshi-

ta the Triratna community has celebrated the creation and study of the written word The Vajra Bell has nourished that tradition and we will work to continue that

Since I started coming to Aryaloka more than six years ago I have found that all the other spiritual teachings I hear are echoes of the Dharma Through the work-shops and classes here Irsquove actually devel-oped a practice and Irsquove seen how reflec-tion scholarship and the arts all nourish the practices of sangha members in dif-ferent ways While not everyone reads the Vajra Bell cover to cover every is-sue speaks to the different aspects of onersquos practice and I am happy to be a small part of it

Finally I want to shout out to all of the people who have contributed copy to this issue I salute your willingness to accept the invitations we put out and the quality of your contributions Thanks so much

~ David Watt

wwwaryalokaorgcategoryvajra-bell

VAJRA BELL KULA

CO-EDITOR Mary Schaefermbschaefercomcastnet

CO-EDITOR David Wattdavidwatt1956gmailcom

ADMINISTRATION EDITOR Dh Vihanasarivihanasaricomcastnet

ARTS EDITOR Elizabeth Hellardekhellardcomcastnet

MEDIA EDITOR Jaime Gradyjaimegrady75gmailcom

CONTRIBUTOR Dh Satyadasatyadastephensloancom

DESIGN Eric Wentworthericwintercrowstudiocom

SpiRitUAL VitALity CoUnCiL

Amala (Chair)Vidhuma (Vice Chair)

ArjavaDayalocanaKarunasaraSurakshita

BoARd of diRECtoRS

Arjava (Chair)Barry Timmerman (Secretary)Elizabeth Hellard (Treasurer)

DayalocanaAkashavanda

AmalaJean CorsonPrasannavajri

Surakshita

Aryaloka Buddhist Center14 Heartwood Circle

Newmarket NH 03857603-659-5456

infoaryalokaorg wwwaryalokaorg

Find us on Facebook httpwwwfacebookcomAraloka

or on the Aryaloka Facebook Grouphttpwwwfacebookcomgroupsary-

alokasangha

Connect at The Buddhist Centre Online httpthebuddhistcentrecomaryaloka

Cover art Rijupatha

vajrabellI donrsquot say this

lightly Eric Went-worth is one tough act to follow as Ed-itor-in-Chief of the Vajra Bell He has done an outstand-ing job as design-er (hersquos transformed

the newsletter into a beautiful piece of art) and he is a skillful and kind kula leader who knows his dharma

Eric has stepped aside as editor-in-chief but thankfully has not relinquished his willingness to continue to design the issue That was one condition that enabled me to step into an editor role the other was to opt for ldquoco-editorrdquo instead of ldquochief edi-torrdquo sharing this responsibility with David Watt Thank you David It takes two to follow Ericrsquos act

This issue and the next explores ldquoRight Livelihoodrdquo ndash how to make a living with-out causing harm to others We have in-vited two Order members ndash Viradham-ma from the San Francisco Sangha and Aryalokarsquos Singhatara ndash to share how they practice Buddhism in their work and ca-reers Now retired from what he calls his ldquoregular careerrdquo Viradhamma launched the non-profit DharmaJiva dedicated to raising international awareness of the caste

system and the revival of Buddhism in In-dia His principle focus in the past three years has been arranging visits of Western and Asian Buddhists to India Eric and I joined Viradhamma on such a pilgrimage two years ago In his article Viradhamma describes his most recent journey there

Singhatara talks about Right Liveli-hood as part of the ethical training in the Eightfold Path Her job in human servic-es she writes offers her many opportuni-ties to practice the Five Precepts Mitras Barry Timmerman Ashley Bush and De-nise Martin offer eloquent perspectives on how they practice being aware of the im-plications and consequences of what they do and how they cultivate the conditions for Right Livelihood

The issue also features reviews of pro-grams featured recently at Aryaloka such as the Introduction to Noble Silence Re-treat by Diane Marsden and the Nordic Nirvana Retreat by Dianne Wright Sra-vaniya offers a beautiful reflection on how music informs Buddhist spirituality You also will find previews of several upcom-ing programs including visits by a number of Triratna Order members from the Unit-ed Kingdom who will be visiting Aryaloka this spring and summer Watch for those details in the weeks ahead

~ Mary Schaefer

editors notes Mary Schaefer amp David Watt

VAJRA BELL2 AUTUMN 2014

VAJRA BELL 3AUTUMN 2014

Many of you may have heard about the changes and restruc-turing occurring at Aryaloka The pur-pose for the planning and changes has been to maintain the spir-itual and financial vi-

tality of the Center Aryaloka has grown in leaps and bounds since its inception Thanks to the dedication wisdom and hard work of many people we now have a thriving and continually growing spiritu-al community

In keeping with our mission of teach-ing the Dharma and providing quality ser-vices to the community succession plan-ning was undertaken and is currently being carried out We want to communi-cate these changes to all of you and invite your comments and feedback as we go for-ward in our quest to be a place where the Three Jewels shine brightly

The following restructuring has oc-curred

The Aryaloka Council has become the Aryaloka Board of Directors The prima-ry officers of the Board are Arjava (Chair-person) Elizabeth Hellard (Treasurer) and Barry Timmerman (Secretary) Day-alocana will remain on the Board as out-going Chairperson We owe her a tremen-dous debt of gratitude for many years of guiding Aryaloka in her role as Chairper-son of the Board We are pleased that she will remain on the Board as a mentor Her wisdom is invaluable Surakshita will re-main on the Board as well He brings wis-dom and a strong background in business and ethics

We added three new members to the Board of Directors in June 2014 Jean Cor-son brings a strong background in mar-

keting and team organization Akashavan-da has been a past Treasurer and also has a strong marketing and non-profit back-ground Prasannavajri has experience with programming pledge drives and chap-laincy

There will be four teams under the Board The Finance Team The Adminis-tration Team The Facilities Team and the Development Team

The Spiritual Vitality Kula has become the Spiritual Vitality Council The Spiri-tual Vitality Council is comprised of Or-der members Amala has been elected the Chairperson of the Spiritual Vitality Coun-cil Vidhuma has been elected the Vice-Chairperson Other members are Arjava Dayalocana Karunasara and Surakshita The Spiritual Vitality Council has a team under it - The Program Team

The Chair of the Spiritual Vitality Council will sit on the Board of Directors and the Chair of the Board of Directors will sit on the Spiritual Vitality Council This will ensure that the two bodies are working in concert Although the Board and the Council will have their own sepa-rate monthly meetings there will be joint meetings as well

We have hired a full-time Executive Di-rector We are grateful and pleased that Shrijnana has accepted this position Shri-jnana will sit on the Board of Directors as a non-voting member To assist the Execu-tive Director in the prodigious tasks ahead we have hired a full-time Administra-tive Assistant We are pleased that Vanessa Ruiz has accepted this position Vanessa is a friend of Aryaloka having a connection here prior to her new position through retreats and classes

The Aryaloka board has convened with new and old members to take on the task of managing our growing center Much of

the board discussions have been about the progress our new Executive Director and Administrative Assistant have been mak-ing in bringing office systems up to par with new technology With a member of the Spiritual Vitality Council on the Board and a member of the Board on the Spiri-tual Vitality Council there is good com-munication beween the two bodies The Board has addressed many ongoing proj-ects to improve Aryaloka as well as dis-cussing upcoming improvements to the buildings and land The current Board is re-invigorated with lots of good energy and ideas An important aspect of how the board is operating is to always keep in the forefront Buddhist ethics when making de-cisions and considering changes

Shantikirika has graciously and enthu-siastically volunteered to manage Bud-dhaworks the Aryaloka Bookstore A bookstore kula is in the process of being formed

A debt of gratitude goes out to Steve Cardwell We would not have such a suc-cessful bookstore if it were not for Steversquos creative development and reliable manage-ment of that enterprise over the years We also thank Steve for his administrative sup-port over the years as he worked with Vi-hanasari in the Aryaloka office

We want to thank Vihanasari for her years of work in the Aryaloka office as an administrator Her equanimity and kind-ness as she undertook the daily tasks of op-erating the center have been a blessing She has gone above and beyond the call of duty on many occasions We wish her well as she now gets to put her feet up and watch the river flow by

We welcome your questions and com-ments Feel free to email or call the Ary-aloka office or speak to anyone on the Board of Directors

from the board of directors Barry Timmerman

The Aryaloka Council and Board minutes are posted on the bulletin board at the foot of the stairs

RETREATSCLASSESSOLITARIESThose registering for retreats (including solitaries) and class-

es of any length will be asked to pay a minimum deposit of one-half of the total cost to finalize registration If a registrant can-cels two weeks or more before the retreat she will receive a

credit of the full amount toward another event If the cancella-tion is received less than two weeks before the event the regis-trant forfeits half of the retreat fee and the remainder may be credited toward another event

Note In all situations special circumstances will be taken into consideration

Policy for Retreat Deposits


The following is an outline of the By-Laws and operating principles for the newly created Spiritual Vitality Council Please contact a member of the Spiritual Vitality

Council (members are posted on page two of this issue) if you have any questions or you can also contact the Aryaloka office for more information

Aryaloka Spiritual Vitality CouncilPurpose Definition and Operating Principles

Preface

These By-Laws and Operating Principles are for the Aryaloka Buddhist Centerrsquos Spiritual Vitality Council Aryaloka is a Triratna Buddhist Community Center dedicated to the teachings of its founder Urgyen Sangharakshita The Spiritual Vitality Council has been formally created by the Board of Directors and is written into the Centerrsquos By-Laws

Purpose

The purpose of the Aryaloka Spiritual Vitality Council is to develop maintain and

enhance the continued spiritual well-being of all those who participate in the spiritual community of the Aryaloka Buddhist Center This is done throughout all aspects of the communityrsquos activities including the program of various scheduled activities teaching Order Chapter meetings Order Days the Mitra training program and other community activities The foundation of the Spiritual Vitality Council rests in the Four Acceptances (taken by all Triratna Buddhist Order members during eachrsquos public ordination

These four acceptances are With Loyalty to my Teachers I accept this Ordination In harmony with friends and brethren I accept this ordination For the sake of Enlightenment I accept this ordination For the benefit of all beings I accept this Ordination These Acceptances together with the Precepts form the basis from which spiritual well-being is to be defined in the Aryaloka Buddhist Center Sangha

Composition and Officers of the Spiritual Vitality Council

The Spiritual Vitality Council shall be composed of from 5 ndash 8 members who shall be members of the Triratna Buddhist Order One member shall be the Chairperson of the Aryaloka Board of Directors The womenrsquos and menrsquos Mitra Convenors shall also be members of the Spiritual Vitality Council The remaining members shall be senior Order members who are engaged in activities at the Aryaloka Buddhist Retreat Center The

Council shall have at least two officers a Chair and a Vice Chair The Chair shall be elected by the members of the Council and shall serve for a five year period The Vice Chair will serve on a three year basis Members of the Council shall serve three year terms Members shall be replaced as necessary through nominations from the currently Council members The Chair of the Spiritual Vitality Council shall also serve on the Board of Directors of the Aryaloka Buddhist Retreat Center The Executive Director of the Aryaloka Buddhist Retreat Center shall be invited to all Council meetings If in attendance she or he shall give a report to the Council If not in attendance the executive Director will prepare a written summary report to the Council prior to the meeting

Meetings

The Spiritual Vitality Council shall meet as often as deemed necessary by the Chair

Scope of Activities

The Spiritual Vitality Councilrsquos scope of activities shall encompass all aspects of the spiritual well-being of the Aryaloka community This includes oversight of the quality and appropriateness of the Aryaloka program of scheduled activities as well as the various Mitra and Order events formal and informal Any activity at Aryaloka Buddhist Center that touches the spiritual well-being of the community may be considered under the purview of the Spiritual Vitality Council

from the spiritual vitality council Dh Surakshita

Welcoming the Newest Order Member with CeremonyBy Dh Vihanasari

Aryaloka was full to overflowing on the evening of September 17th as guests gathered to celebrate the ordination of Eric Wentworth into the Triratna Buddhist Order Sangha and Order members family and friends mingled over light refreshments before being seated for the ceremony at 7 pm ldquoEricrdquo whose new Buddhist name had not yet been announced sat on a blue mat and cushion in the middle of the floor facing Dhammarati his public preceptor Dhammarati led the beautiful ceremony an important part of which

was the announcement by Bodhipaksa ldquoEricrsquosrdquo Private Preceptor of his new name - RIJUPATHA (rih-joo-pahrsquo-tah) - which means ldquoHe who walks the path of uprightness directness and honestyrdquo

The ceremony concluded with three ringing shouts of ldquoSadhurdquo (congratulationswell done) from the audience as they showered Rijupatha with rose petals Finally everyone enjoyed a feast of delicious food in the dining area while Rijupatha received informal congratulations and well wishes from all

Sadhu Rijupatha and welcome to the Triratna Buddhist Order


sangha notes

Wersquove had another action-packed spring and summer at Aryaloka

We warmly welcomed Rijupatha (the former Eric Wentworth) into the Triratna Buddhist Order at his Aryaloka ordination ceremony on Sept 17th

Three men became new mitras at Aryaloka - David Watt John Eldredge and Daniel Kenney

The Stupa Project containing a relic of one of Sangharakshitarsquos main teachers Dhardo Rinpoche is almost complete and is beautiful beyond compare

The new office team of Shrijnana as Executive Director and Vanessa Ruiz as Administrative Assistant assumed their duties in May

Aryaloka hosted three major retreats in September the Menrsquos Going for Refuge retreat the Womenrsquos Going for Refuge retreat and the North American Order Convention

Friendsrsquo Night classes included ldquoThe Eightfold Pathrdquo ldquoKarma and Rebirthrdquo and ldquoExploring the Anapanasati Suttardquo

The next session of Friendsrsquo Night classes will be starting on October 21st Topics include ldquoBasic Buddhism the Four Noble Truthsrdquo ldquoBuddhist Storiesrdquo and ldquoCultivating Loving-Kindnessrdquo

Check out our inspiring fall retreat schedule including ldquoAs Metta Unfolds Intermediate Meditationrdquo ldquoMindful Eating After the First Biterdquo ldquoAutumn Joy Mindful Hiking and Bicyclingrdquo ldquoExploring Mindfulnessrdquo and ldquoIntensive Noble Silencerdquo in November

Visit wwwaryalokaorg for more details

~ Dh Akashavanda

This autumn we are evoking the energy of Padmasambhava one of the most engaging figures in Buddhist myth and history Suddhayu will be offering two day retreats on Oct 19th and Nov 22nd to explore this fascinating figure through meditation ritual and discussion

In November Candradasa and Viriyalila will team up to offer an experimental day entitled ldquoRadical Living - Radical Relationshipsrdquo Theyrsquoll be exploring how to bring awareness and kindness to ourselves and others in a way that frees us

And in December Viriyagita will lead a day retreat on the Bardo Thotrol called ldquoPreparation for the Moment of Deathrdquo Using meditation exercises and readings we will explore how we can be more present with ourselves and others in the dying process

Our Sangha Nights and the new Beginnerrsquos Buddhism Night on Thursdays continue to see an abundance of people looking for guidance in meditation and Buddhist practice To celebrate our third year offering a place of practice in Portsmouth wersquoll be holding a PBC Sangha Gathering on November 16th This will be a very special occasion as wersquoll be holding a ritual to welcome and appoint our new Chairperson Suddhayu along with our two new mitra conveners Viriyagita and Narottama All three have been actively involved in helping to shape the Portsmouth Center and the council is delighted to support them in taking these more formal leadership roles

All are welcome to join us for Sangha Nights on Wednesdays Beginnerrsquos Buddhism on Thursdays and our weekly group meditation on Sunday mornings

For more information find us at wwwthebuddhistcentercomportsmouth or email us at portsmouththebuddhistcentercom

Nagaloka has enjoyed an eventful summer We recently welcomed four new mitras into our sangha Beth Matt Susie and Shane All have been attending Nagaloka for some time and we are grateful to have them as part of our spiritual community

In September we held our annual Sangha Picnic at Vienna Farm in Gorham graciously hosted by mitra Jim Jaeger The farm is home to over twenty beautiful horses and an impressive hay barn

Over the summer we switched up

our usual book study after Friendsrsquo Night meditation with a Members Present series wherein each week a different mitra chose one detail of the Dharma to study and present to the sangha using various materials The presentations were thought provoking and made for great sangha discussions

On September 14th and 15th Vimalasara visited and led two workshops on her book Eight Step Recovery Using Buddhist Teachings to Overcome Addiction

On October 8th we begin a new mitra study session entitled What is the Sangha It will be led by Narottama on Wednesdays at 530 pm

ARYALOKA SANGHA(NEWMARKET NH)

PORTSMOUTH SANGHA(PORTSMOUTH NH)

NAGALOKA SANGHA(PORTLAND ME)

Would you like to contribute to Vajra Bell or do you have feedback Wersquod love to hear from you

Please contact any of our kula members listed in the box on the right of Page 2


The average person will spend about 30 of their life at work clearly making onersquos livelihood - and onersquos choices about what that entails - an important place to include our Buddhist practice

The Buddha agrees Right Livelihood is one limb of the Buddharsquos Noble Eightfold Path and a focus of ethical practice that brings us into awareness of the effect that our work has on the larger world and those around us We asked a handful of sangha members to explain to Vajra Bell readers what Right Livelihood means to them and how it manifests in their daily lives

How do you PracticeRight Livelihood

The Vajra Bell asks


A Tentative Practitionerrsquos Perspective on Right LivelihoodBy Barry S Timmerman

What do we mean by ldquoRight Livelihoodrdquo Here are two definitions based on the Buddharsquos Noble Eightfold Path a system of practice embraced by Buddhists

Barbara OrsquoBrien author of Right Livelihood The Ethics of Earning a Living says

ldquoRight Livelihood is first a way to earn a living without compromising the Precepts It is a way of making a living that does no harm to others In the Vanijja Sutta the Buddha said lsquoA lay follower should not engage in five types of business Which five Business in weapons business in human beings business in meat business in intoxicants and business in poisonrsquo rdquo

Thich Nhat Hanh provides this definition in his own compassionate and wise way in The Heart of the Buddharsquos Teaching

ldquoTo practice Right Livelihood (samyag ajiva) you have to find a way to earn your living without transgressing your ideals of love and compassion The way you support yourself can be an expression of your deepest self or it can be a source of suffering for you and others Our vocation can nourish our understanding and compassion or erode them We should be awake to the consequences far and near of the way we earn our livingrdquo

Awareness is a key component in practicing the Precepts and more specifically Right Livelihood Self-examination of our intentions conscious and unconscious sheds light on the potential consequences of our actions Practicing Right Livelihood is difficult on many levels It involves a deeper understanding of conditioned co-production the understanding of ldquofrom this that arisesrdquo It involves trading selfish wants for selfless action

We cannot be perfect in our actions In The Seventh World of Chan Buddhism Ming Zhen Shakya suggests that finding a ldquopurerdquo livelihood is impossible saying that ldquoobviously a Buddhist cannot be a bartender or a cocktail waitress or even work for a distillery or a brewery But may

he be the man who builds the cocktail lounge or cleans it May he be the farmer who sells his grain to the brewerrdquo

If we remember that all beings are interconnected we realize that trying to separate ourselves from anything ldquoimpurerdquo is impossible Despite this impossibility we can make ethical choices that honor our commitment to living the Precepts

Right Livelihood is not an idea that is confined to Buddhism As a child long before I was aware of Buddhism and the Precepts Right Livelihood was an idea that I knew about from the cultural influences of family and religion Growing up in a Jewish home my family valued philanthropy I can remember when my stepfather an engineer decided not to work on projects that had to do with weapons Right Livelihood is an integral part of Judaism as described in this excerpt from the Palestine-Israel Journal

ldquoJewish religious culture has particular structures and institutions that comprise a positive and unique contribution to an environmental agenda These are expressed in halacha the Jewish code of right livelihood which gives shape and form to the central Jewish emphasis placed on the importance of deedsrdquo

As I continued through adolescence my intentions were certainly self-centered ones despite these earlier influences The materialism of western culture overwhelmed whatever generosity seeds that had begun to grow As I settled into many years of active addiction that self-centeredness grew taking a firm hold on my thoughts and actions

When I began the recovery process from addiction I heard repeatedly ldquoWe can only keep what we have by giving it awayrdquo The next several years were devoted to learning recovery skills doing a lot of individual and group therapy and attending more twelve-step meetings than I can count There was less of ldquoMerdquo and more of ldquoWerdquo

As I regained my faculties I immersed myself in further education including reconnecting with Buddhism which I had begun as a teen reading Alan Watts I felt a strong calling to find a profession where I could help others Part of this exploration was an undergraduate thesis project I wanted to inquire deeply into the motivations people have for becoming

therapists Interviewing a number of therapists and looking at my own conscious and unconscious motivations I encountered the concept of the wounded healer If we apply the Four Noble Truths to this template we get suffering cause of suffering cessation of suffering and path to the cessation of suffering

I became a therapist My own suffering led me to a place where I discovered the skills to occasionally help alleviate the suffering of others At the very least I have found a way to provide a holding environment for others in pain I suppose this is a form of Right Livelihood

From the Triratna perspective Sangharakshita suggests that Right Livelihood could involve Buddhists forming Right Livelihood communities In England with socialized healthcare this concept is achievable Windhorse Publications and other Right Livelihood enterprises undertaken by the Triratna Buddhist Community have been quite successful steps toward creating a ldquoNew Societyrdquo This vision of self-supporting communities devoted to practicing and teaching the Dharma is coming to fruition

Living and working under a capitalist system that dehumanizes all beings it is especially challenging to find skillful ways to not be a part of that system Regardless of our job or lack of a job we should be aware of the implications and consequences of what we do Practicing Right Livelihood does not mean one has to quit their current job It may mean that we adjust our relationship to the environment wersquore in and work on changing that environment from within It could take the form of how we relate to others in our workplaces Bringing kindness skillful speech and equanimity to our daily interactions with co-workers is a form of practicing Right Livelihood

Dr Rick Hanson has some sound practices for cultivating Right Livelihood

ldquoMindfulness of the body - by remaining aware of the body you can stay present with the people and the activities involved in your work

Avoiding harms to oneself and othersTending to the mental dimension and

cultivating blameless mindFocusing on the fundamental causes If

the causes are good the result is bound to be goodrdquo


The Vajra Bell asks


By Denise Martin

A number of conditions support my ability to practice Right Livelihood I teach biology at St Michaelrsquos College in Colchester VT a small liberal arts Catholic College founded by the

Society of St Edmundrsquos This academic community recognizes the importance of spiritual development service to others is highly valued and people who follow other faith traditions are welcome It has been my good fortune to be part of this learning community for the past thirty-two years For the last ten years I have been consciously engaging as a practicing Buddhist

At first glance being a biology instructor may not seem like an ideal venue for practicing Right Livelihood For many years biology classes typically involved memorizing lots of facts ndash concrete ldquoimmutable factsrdquo ndash and conducting ldquoexperimentsrdquo in which the instructors knew the outcomes prior to starting and dissecting animals

These approaches do not fit with many of the Buddharsquos core teachings An obvious example is non-harm (ahimsa) Animal dissections not only cause the death of the animal but also bring harm to the people involved in collecting and killing the ldquospecimensrdquo

These types of labs were the hallmarks of the biology program when I arrived at St Michaelrsquos College in 1982 There were some benefits to this approach to teaching Students had to spend a lot of time making observations use their hands to take notes (on real paper) as well as make sketches of what they observed Grading was straightforward because everyone did the same thing and there was one right answer

Although seeing biology as a concrete set of facts may be comforting in some ways this approach to teaching was not sustainable or accurate In the last thirty years there has been an explosion of new information in the biological sciences Some research has refuted previously

accepted facts while other research has opened up completely new horizons

What I find particularly exciting is that many researchers are providing more evidence that supports the Buddharsquos teachings on non-self (anatman) impermanence (anitya) and inter-connectedness (pratitya-samutpada) This is especially true in the fields of ecology and evolution

David Barash wrote in his recently published book Buddhist Biology (2014)

ldquoWe cannot separate the bison from the prairie or the spotted owl from its coniferous forest Since any distinction is

arbitrary the ecologist studies the bison-prairie owl-forest or egret-marsh unit Food webs do not merely describe who eats whom but trace the outlines of their beingrdquo

So more and more biology is focusing on what we have in common with other beings how ever-changing factors interact with and shape our lives as we interact with and shape others Exciting

As this information explosion took place I began shifting the laboratory programs away from the more classical approach This included phasing out dissections as well as the use of live vertebrates for experimentation The one that I had dubbed the ldquofrog Aztec labrdquo was the first to go

What prompted me to retire these labs was the growing conviction that what the first year students gained did not justify taking the life of another animal We do have upper division courses for pre-health students who need to develop firsthand knowledge of mammalian anatomy but their numbers are far fewer

In addition to ethical issues I became concerned that the students werenrsquot having enough opportunities to become independent learners Our student

population changed markedly over the years The students from the early 2000s had a very different childhood than the kids from the early 1980s The latter were more likely to be from blue collar families and were the first to go to college Not so for most of the students we have today including children of former students (yikes) Our post World War II type program needed to evolve in order to meet the needs of current students

After many years of discussing cajoling ndash and occasional whining ndash our department completely revamped the first year laboratory program in the fall of 2006 and we are working with this revised approach to this day Up until that point we had made some changes to the program but this was stepping out into a whole new paradigm for a first-year program

We now spend the entire fall semester studying one ecosystem an endangered fire-mediated sandplain forest that is located near the campus The students are required to keep detailed field notes learn to identify trees and insects Three to four students form a research team come up with a testable question to pursue for the rest of the semester Throughout the semester the students present their work to their peers and are required to write more formal papers along the way

The semester culminates in a formal poster session that is open to the public The work that they are doing is being used for future planning of the forest and facultystudent papers have been published in peer review journals These students are engaged in research that may not have been done before and they are making a contribution It gives the first-year students an actual sense of what field biologists have to do including putting up with very hungry mosquitos

The spring semester also has been revamped into a more open-ended inquiry-based program One of the more popular units focuses on the antibacterial property of spices After being taught basic techniques and doing background reading students choose a direction to pursue and implement the necessary experiments to test their hypotheses As the students work on projects my goal is to get them to design experiments that can have alternate

Reflections on Right Livelihood from a Biology Instructor

I encourage practicing mindfulness of breathing

techniques especially before tests or other

stressful activity

right livelihood


By Dh Singhatara

Right Livelihood is part of the ethical training of the Eightfold Path in Buddhism and is connected to the Five Precepts ndash a set of ethical principles practiced by Buddhists that

are both clear and comprehensive Order members in the Triratna Buddhist Order take on extra Precepts practicing ten ethical principles altogether that provide a comprehensive guide to the moral dimension of human life They are called by Sangharakshita the Ten Pillars of Buddhism We practice with the intention that the Precepts should be observed as an expression of an ever-deepening commitment to the Three Jewels ndash the Buddha the Dharma and the Sangha

The rules of Buddhist ethical training are called ldquosiksapadasrdquo ethical principles that should govern onersquos entire life and are learned from a teacher

The Five Precepts

Abstention from Violence 1 (positive = Love)Abstention from taking the not-2 given (positive = Generosity) Abstention from sexual 3 misconduct (positive = Contentment)Abstention from false speech 4

(positive = Truthfulness)Abstention from intoxicants 5 (positive = Mindfulness)

Ethical behavior is said to express

higher orders of awareness Our teacher Sangharakshita says ldquoIf my intention is to play a useful role in this society in order to support myself and to help others then my work is right livelihoodrdquo He suggests making a living without causing harm to sentient beings and without engaging in the business of weapons producing meat or involving intoxicants

Workplace well-being

The job place offers endless practice opportunities in general for ethical standards by which to live for Buddhist and non-Buddhists As a Buddhist my workplace offers me opportunities to practice the Five Precepts

I work in human services for an agency that protects individuals who have been deemed incompetent by a court of law My job description follows a code of clearly written ethics and principles of practice that guide my decisions as a surrogate decision maker

I am fortunate that the moral code of ethics and principles of my job description are in alignment with my lifersquos commitment to the Buddhist Precepts and the Three Jewels I continue to review the conditions of my workplace my attitude and my physical well-being I reflect on the unsatisfactoriness and impermanence of the job Mostly I have a daily meditation practice I meet with my spiritual friends

and I take time away from technologyI am a human being I make mistakes

and I try to be aware of my shortcomings Examples of ethical behavior could be refraining from office gossip around the water cooler or taking a postage stamp or office supplies for personal use I try not to take up my officematersquos time with frivolous talk or become intoxicated at office parties

My job challenges me with many opportunities to practice and pay attention to the present moment Practicing the positive Precepts in difficult situations is so gratifying ndash I have less anxiety and my energy is clearly focused towards pursuing the good I try to see my shortcomings and discuss the areas I can work on with my spiritual friends I enjoy meeting life in the moment with kindness toward myself and others

Many people work in toxic environments that are physically and emotionally draining especially in other parts of the world People struggle to feed themselves and their families Americans are fortunate in that our conditions are much more favorable But hardships exist here too Many Americans struggle with anxiety stress and trying to make ends meet Irsquove struggled in many jobs over my lifetime My present work has its challenges but my conditions are somewhat flexible here in the modern west If a job is toxic or clearly not in harmony with the Precepts all we need to do is try to find other employment

I have learned that the way to peace wisdom and enlightment is in following the Noble Eightfold Path

Treating the Workplace as Ground for Spiritual Practice

outcomes and to not get attached to a particular view The emphasis is not on the ldquoright answerrdquo but on the ldquoright questionrdquo

If they conduct a properly designed and executed experiment and do not get the expected results they are discouraged from saying ldquoMy results were wrongrdquo They also are not allowed to use the phrase that they have proven their hypothesis when they obtain the results they did expect

All results are conditionally accepted and subject to revision and rejection in the future The distinction between Buddhist and Biological principles continues to blur

On a personal level I have become much more conscious of bringing my Buddhist practice into my day-to-day activities on the job This includes establishing guidelines for acceptable behavior in the lab which I envision as a sangha of potential Bodhisattvas I encourage practicing mindfulness of breathing techniques especially before tests

or other stressful activity I have faced some unpleasant ldquotruthsrdquo

about my tendency to make assumptions based upon external appearances or behaviours or judging students for making ldquowrong decisionsrdquo These and other habitual tendencies are rooted in holding onto fixed self-views Sometimes it is frightening to acknowledge them and then let them go However my faith in the Three Jewels guides me as I accept and embrace that these young adults are my teachers

right livelihooddenise martinContinued from Page 8

By Ashley Davis Bush LICSW

Right Livelihood is the fifth limb of the Noble Eightfold Path In general we think of Right Livelihood as work that is in alignment with the Five Precepts ndash in other words making

a living in a way that does no harm and is ethically sound In the strictest sense this would rule out certain professions such as being an exterminator a bartender or a butcher

However I tend to see Right Livelihood as having an outer layer and an inner layer The outer layer is what ldquolooks and soundsrdquo good So being the director of an orphanage in Calcutta for example might appear better than being a used car salesman

But itrsquos the inner layer (of intention and action) that is really the essence of Right Livelihood If the orphanage director behaves like the unkind Miss Hannigan from the musical ldquoAnnierdquo then she is violating Right Livelihood Likewise if the used car salesman makes ethically sound deals then he embodies Right Livelihood

Although the spirit of Right Livelihood may actually inspire you to change careers at some point the inner layer of Right Livelihood can be applied regardless of your paycheck source The cashier at Market Basket and the heart surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital both have an opportunity to treat their work with Dharmic reverence

For myself I am fortunate to have been working in a profession for the past 25 years that I truly love And I chose this career long before I knew the difference between the Dharma and a Dorito I chose to go to graduate school in social work because I wanted to help people in emotional pain That mission has guided me to see clients in mental health clinics and in private practice to write five self-help books and hundreds of articles to lead professional and community workshops and to host a radio show called ldquoEmbracing Changerdquo

Although the outer layer of my work

ldquolooks and soundsrdquo good itrsquos the inner layer that brings me the most joy And that inner layer has definitely been influenced and enriched by my Buddhist practice My work gives me an opportunity every day to intentionally focus on three key aspects of the Dharma loving-kindness mindfulness and impermanence

Loving-kindness ndash I have always cared about my clients and been concerned about their well-being and growth My motivation has been to assist to guide to facilitate and to shepherd But upon learning the practice of the metta bhavana Irsquove been able to take my feelings of loving-kindness for clients to a new level For

me loving kindness now means that I intentionally wish my clients well either before or after a session I stop take a moment to hold each client in my mindrsquos eye and I think these four phrases may you be happy may you be healthy may you be at peace may you be safe from harm Sometimes I even do this practice during a session while a client is speaking

Mindfulness ndash To do my best work of course I cannot be daydreaming during a session I must be present as I witness suffering trauma emotion conflict and sorrow To that end Irsquove adopted a Buddhist practice a ldquomindfulness transition ritualrdquo that I actually do with my clients at the beginning of sessions to ground myself in the moment I begin each session by having us briefly sit with our eyes closed I invite my client to focus on their breath feel their body relaxing into the moment and then I ring a Tibetan singing bowl three times

I say ldquoWhen you hear the sound of the bell listen to the tone Let the sound relax you calm you and take you deeper

and deeper inside to a place of stillnessrdquo Although this ritual helps the client transition from ldquothe world out thererdquo to the therapy space ldquoin hererdquo itrsquos also a mindfulness practice to help me be fully present for the session

Impermanence ndash Early in my career I specialized in bereavement work Not only did I begin to work with grievers but I also began to research and write my first book Transcending Loss I must confess that there was absolutely no apparent reason why I would be so intensely drawn to grief work No life experience could explain my fascination However it was the lens of reincarnation that gave me an explanation for my specialty I do believe in my heart that it was past life loss that generated a present life karmic contract to help grievers

I have been actively working with grievers now for two decades I have sat with those who have suffered the deaths of babies young children adult children young spouses and older spouses I have borne witness to the grief of sudden death and prolonged illness

Impermanence is on my radar every single day However viewing it from a Dharmic perspective helps me tolerate and even embrace it The upshot for me is that working with grievers has blown the dust off of my life It makes me consciously aware that anyone I love ndash including myself ndash could call today their last day on earth (until the next incarnation of course) Against the chronic background of loss I do not take life for granted

I believe that Right Livelihood is a state of being an intention and that its seed might germinate in almost any profession For me with a Buddhist background my work stimulates an awareness of loving kindness mindfulness and impermanence For anyone their livelihood becomes right to the extent that it activates skillfulness and kindness in their actions and interactions When each of us claims that potential we can help create a little more nirvana on earth

Ashley Davis Bush discovered Aryaloka in 2007 She and her husband Daniel both became mitras in 2009


Enjoying the Continuing Benefits of Right Livelihoodright livelihood

Impermanence is on my radar every single day However viewing it from

a Dharmic perspective helps me tolerate

and even embrace it


By Dh Prasannavajri

Sangharakshitarsquos Guide to the Buddhist Path carries the following definition of Right Livelihood

ldquoThe application of the basic ethical principles of Buddhism to the

whole area of lsquogainful employmentrsquo or working for a living is known as Right Livelihood The essential principle underlying this is that such livelihood in order to be ethical must be non-violent non-exploitative and as far as possible related to the spiritual goalrdquo

The landscape of Right Livelihood is more than a nice spiritual idea or endeavor for earning a living It is a vast spacious inner terrain within onersquos understanding that may suddenly or gradually develop over time In my experience the subtle wisdom of Right Livelihood evolved in both ways

My timeline takes me back to the mid-70s when I returned to New Hampshire after a couple of years in northern New Jersey where I was involved with an esoteric group that espoused the teachings of the Russian mystic Georges Guirdjieff Survival mode was a recurring economic theme in those days Quietly desperate to pay the rent I interviewed for a job with a small manufacturing company was hired on the spot and began working that afternoon Nevertheless financial relief was increasingly overshadowed with an unsettling fuzziness that the job was not a good ethical fit

The company produced one thing only walnut handle grips for Sturm Ruger amp Companyrsquos single-action revolvers I lasted only through the summer when I received a ldquopink sliprdquo in part because I peppered the owner with requests for medical insurance for his employees In his view I was trying to fix something that was not broken In the larger view being fired was a gift and a blessing A month later I was working for the NH Chapter of the American Heart Association ndash slightly more aligned with ethical livelihood

In Bhantersquos words ldquoWe all have to earn

a livinghellip but however we do it no harm should come either to others or to ourselves through the work we dordquo

One cannot underestimate the subtleties of limited understanding when viewed from a larger ethical picture I most likely would never have taken a position selling guns outright However manufacturing and shipping wooden handle grips created sufficient distance in the mind from its intended destination of finishing production of a revolver Distance whether external or internal is a rich ingredient for the makings of denial

Additionally lurking in the conditioned unconscious was a certain ldquookay-nessrdquo about guns I carried the cultural imprint of a TV generation that sat riveted before weekly programs of Roy Rogers Lone Ranger (Kemo Sabe) and Tonto the Range Rider Paladin Gene Autry and many other great Westerns But my heroine my all time favorite was Annie Oakley the first liberated woman of the West They all carried guns and they were the good guys

The years following my days with the Heart Association were punctuated with various employment opportunities that may be considered Right Livelihood occupations Each endeavor gradually revealed deeper levels of discernment In a parallel process I gradually transitioned from an economic survival mode to a clarified enduring mode of self-reliance This was grace The grace of Right Livelihood provides nourishing conditions for hearing the emerging echo of all Precepts within the heartrsquos inner spaciousness The song bird soars through this spaciousness melodically singing ldquoDo no harm do no harm do no harmrdquo

Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh wrote in the The Heart of the Buddharsquos Teaching


There is powerful insight in those

last words ldquoWe should be awake to the consequences far and near of the way we earn our livingrdquo The experience gleaned during my working career highlighted an awareness of not only external consequences but also the inner terrain of karmic complexity In hindsight I perceived how I was unconsciously drawn to and magnetized by a certain level of employment that mirrored my underlying mental and emotional states namely obscurations (I love that word) These employment conditions offered creative learning opportunities that slowly softened the rough edges of my well-honed survival patterns At the same time I was innately naturally drawn to helping people Lacking discernment in those early years that helping spark led the way to relationships that can be described as a rich domain ldquowhere angels fear to treadrdquo Wisdom of the ages tells us that help that is not wanted is not help The ldquoMs Fixitrdquo persona that jumped in uninvited bit the dust more often than not Ahhh more blessings

Carrying a certain amount of pride (understatedhellip) ambition ndash including spiritual ambition ndash a penchant for large institutions and a slightly compulsive yet hardy inner drive I ended up through a host of meandering conditions working in the US Senate in Washington DC I felt at home in the political arena where my position dealt primarily with constituent concerns and requests Working in a Senatorrsquos office gave me influence and opened bureaucratic doors on behalf of citizens back in the home state I thought of it as spiritual leverage Nevertheless impermanence is a true thing Four years later not surprisingly I married a professor who interestingly hosted similar obscurations to my own We relocated to Pennsylvania and later to southern California where it became apparent what an amazingly lovely karmic match we were Within the first year tears of purification began in earnest I could not have asked for a more suitable set of spiritual conditions to purge the fixity of the inner ego-terrain Ten years later I got a ldquopink sliprdquo from the marriage ndash and all of conditional life went into a harrowing gut-wrenching tail spin In a beneficial way I suspected I had ldquopink

Exploring the Inner Terrain of Right Livelihoodright livelihood

continued on page 22



Imag

e by

s m

yers

After personally taking the Refuges from an eminent monk Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar turned and led the crowd in the Refuges and a special set of twenty-two Precepts The Buddhist Renaissance in India had begun

It is a remarkable story but one that is barely known outside of India Today millions of Indians consider themselves to be Buddhists and see the Dharma as a way to change their own lives and rid India of the caste system that oppresses hundreds of millions of people

Making the Connection

One of the basic teachings of Buddhism is that we live in an interconnected world where our choices can affect people ndash even years later and in faraway places I can certainly see this in my own life Dr Ambedkarrsquos decision to embrace Buddhism in 1956 has had a profound impact on my own life and my choice of livelihood

I first encountered the Buddhist Renaissance in 1994 when I traveled to India to take ordination as a Dharmachari In an era when the opposition to Apartheid was in full swing I was surprised to discover a similar struggle going on in India that was virtually unknown ndash even among Buddhists in Asia and the West While on retreat I made friends with Indian mitras and Order Members who came from backgrounds of extreme poverty but who were totally committed to practicing Buddhism and achieving social justice in India These friendships inspired me to see that Dharma practice is about transforming the world as much as it is about personal development

n 1956 a remarkable man climbed a few steps to a speakerrsquos platform in the center of Nagpur India He had spent

his life advocating for the millions of poor Dalit (ldquountouchablerdquo) people and was frail and in poor health but he looked out on a crowd of some 400000 people and firmly appealed to them to leave their traditional religion and become Buddhists

By Dh Viradhamma


I

Working for Indian Buddhism


In the intervening years I made many trips to India to participate in conferences and retreats and in 2008 I retired from my regular career and began to devote more time to supporting the Indian Buddhist renaissance In 2011 I launched a non-profit called DharmaJiva (Dharma Renaissance) with the goal of raising international awareness of the caste system and the Buddhist movement DharmaJiva arranges public talks cultivates networks of supporters and organizes visits by Indian Buddhists to the West but our principal focus in the last three years has been arranging visits to India by delegations of Western and Asian Buddhists

The personal connections created by these tours to India are invaluable We live in a media-rich environment where books and videos can give us some sense of what it is like to live in another culture but it is quite a different thing to actually go to India and meet with people in the slums and listen to their stories It is through these kinds of connections that meaningful support will come for the revival of Dharma practice in the homeland of the Buddha

February 2014 Delegation

This past February DharmaJiva sponsored a special international delegation that included a Shin priest from Japan an expert in Buddhist Studies from Harvard University an English mitra several followers of Thich Nhat Hahn and a Vipassana practitioner from Canada

The group spent ten days in central India and visited a number of Buddhist centers social projects slums and historical sites before traveling north on pilgrimage to Sarnath Nalanda Rajgir and Bodhgaya During the trip we had a wide variety of experiences of life in India and the new Buddhist movement

In Nagpur the group went to the annual Buddha Festival organized by the Nagpur Buddhist Center at the Dhiksha Bhumi grounds ndash the large park where Dr Ambedkar launched the mass conversion to Buddhism in 1956 The Festival is a large outdoor event involving several days of cultural programs talks and music and is attended by thousands

Our delegation members got to meet people visit information displays and shops watch children playing on inflatable slides and eat a tasty meal in the food court before we were all seated in the large hall along with 2000 people for the evening presentation The program included

some very enthusiastic musical groups playing up-tempo popular music and featured several speakers including myself After introducing some of my delegation members I gave a talk about the popularity of mindfulness meditation and Buddhism in the West I noted that Westerners can learn a lot from the Indian movement about the need to have an altruistic focus on transforming society

In Pune we visited one of the twenty-three hostels Triratna has established in India to provide free room and board for boys and girls so that they can have a safe life and access to good schools Many of the children in these hostels come from rural areas where caste oppression is terrible and others are drawn from impoverished families in the city slums When we arrived at the Vishrantwadi Hostel we were greeted by eighty friendly and excited girls who presented us with flowers and treated us to an excellent dance performance performed to Bollywood film music Their ability to memorize seven minutes of non-stop coordinated movements was quite impressive and they obviously loved having a chance to perform for guests Amidst the obvious poverty and social problems in India our evening with the girls was uplifting and encouraging

At various stops during the trip our

indian buddhismContinued from Page 13


hosts arranged seminars where local Buddhists talked about their life and work including some very personal stories At the Nagaloka Center in Nagpur an Order Member named Tejadhamma talked about his ongoing work with a family of Adivasi (tribal) people who lived for several years in some unused sewer pipes in a field near his Buddhist center Adivasis are desperately poor and make their living through begging and stealing Alcoholism violence child marriage and poor health are endemic

Four years ago Tejadhamma started building a relationship with the family gradually working to gain their trust and convince the adults to allow the children to skip some of their begging rounds and get an education At one point the family disappeared and he had to find them again on the outskirts of the city Eventually he got three children to sit under a large tree and begin basic literacy classes Gradually more kids came and Tejadhamma had to provide food to the family to make up for the lost income since the kids werenrsquot begging

Unfortunately the caste Hindus in the neighborhood became upset about the presence of so many Adivasi kids and cut the beautiful tree down to stop the class But Tejadhamma got some funding to

build a shack and re-started the schooling Now several of the children are living in a Triratna hostel and are getting a regular education at a government school perhaps the first-ever people in their community to become literate

Livelihood and Practice

Working for DharmaJiva has been a fantastic experience for me both as a personal practice and as an opportunity to contribute to a very large and positive social movement

On a personal level I find that traveling to India is an opportunity to ldquogo forthrdquo from my normal habits and lifestyle Travel in India helps you notice ndash quite quickly ndash your habits and unexamined assumptions about yourself and the world It shines a light on our views about the value of material wealth the meaning of relationships and what brings us real happiness I find that working in India can be very difficult because of the grinding poverty pervasive corruption inefficiency and deeply ingrained casteism but it is an opportunity to develop the Buddhist virtue of patience ndash a response of careful and mindful effort to help a situation to the degree that we can

On the collective level the DharmaJiva experience has been rewarding because

I get to see firsthand the results of many thousands of people working together to lessen the unnecessary suffering in the world The Triratna sangha in India has accomplished extraordinary things by spreading the Buddharsquos message of freedom personal dignity and human potential to hundreds of thousands of people that were always taught to think of themselves as having no value It is a privilege to be a part of this movement

If you would like to learn more about DharmaJiva and the Buddhist Renaissance please visit wwwDharmaJivaorg

Viradhamma was ordained in 1994 in Bhaja India and is a Council Member of the San Francisco Buddhist Center and the Chairman of the North American Mensrsquo Ordination Team He is the founder and Director of DharmaJiva a non-profit that works on behalf of Buddhism in India


Mens Day at the MFAarts at aryaloka Aryaloka has a deep commitment to the contemplative arts - supporting the art process creativity and artistic expression as tools for communicating spiritual insights and in the process of creation dropping the self

By Dh Sravaniya

Let us ask can music inform our practice of the Buddhist path and help us grow spiritually The American composer Philip Glass who is himself a practicing Buddhist says

ldquoIf someone asked what is the basic practice of Buddhism Irsquod say it is overcoming negativity And I can think of nothing negative about music People love music It is very nourishing because it takes people out of their everyday mentality and brings them to another level Making people happy becomes the motivation for the musicrdquo

For a Buddhist practitioner being a musician is almost the best thing

Let us investigate some of the interfaces between Buddhist spirituality and music Where do Buddhism and music meet what attributes might they share and how might an understanding of these help our practice of both

Music is concerned of course with creativity with expression with imagination All these things are indispensable in the pursuit of the spiritual life We must cultivate them So my music opens up my spiritual life my meditation and even my friendships to a greater openness and inspiration Inspiration is particularly important When we fail to do what we know to be good it is because we donrsquot sufficiently know ourselves Our energies are not integrated Music acts as an integrating force on many levels but it is particularly good at bringing inspiration to the fore And itrsquos much easier to do something when yoursquore inspired

Buddhism is concerned with the attempt to unite opposites to demonstrate that they are illusory In particular it tries to loosen the boundaries between self and other between subject and object Music also seems to be a very good vehicle to do this

Itrsquos easy as we all know to get completely absorbed in music to forget ourselves even to go beyond ourselves Stravinsky in his ldquoPoetics of Musicrdquo suggests that we should subjugate our

Dionysian impulses to the law of Apollo Our wild impulses must be tamed so that the work can retain order

I think this is a mistake Rather we should strive for the paradox and celebrate both simultaneously Despite what Stravinsky says I think he perfects this paradox in the ldquoRite of Springrdquo The Japanese tradition of Zen Buddhism deliberately exploits the use of paradox in the form of koans to try to lessen our ego identity Music can act as such a koan can help us go beyond narrow perceptions of ourselves and the world

We speak of music as being beautiful We want it to be beautiful at least most of the time The more we surround ourselves with the beautiful the more likely it is that our everyday lives will reflect that In this way music becomes a living metaphor for my spiritual life

Finally music concerns connections on all kinds of levels The musicologist Christopher Small points out that music is never still or static Music is an action So he coins the verb ldquoto musicrdquo and the gerund ldquomusickingrdquo when he writes about music

What is it that is being done when people come together to music which is to say to take part in a musical performance

What meanings are being created I believe the answer lies in the relationships that are created when the performance takes place

Relations not only between the sounds that are being made ndash thatrsquos an important part but only a part ndash but also between the participants that is among the performers between the performers and listeners and among the listeners These relationships in turn model or act out ideal or desired relationships as they are imagined to be by those taking part to take part in an act of musicking is to take part in an act of self definition an exploration and affirmation and a celebration of onersquos identity of who one is

The act of musicking provides us with a language by means of which we can come to understand and articulate precisely and clearly those relationships and through them the relationships of our lives

Buddhist spiritual life like music is also concerned with relationships with connecting and attempting to understand that ultimately all there is in life is a vast web of connections It is how we perceive and cultivate and act out these relationships that will help us grow both musically and spiritually

How Music Can Inform Buddhist Spirituality


Week 1 Stopping Assignment sit and do nothing

Ever dutifulGazing at the pellet stoveSitting stopping hereFlame leaps and dancesWhile my mind does not

Somehow just sittingI do not feel accomplishedThe dangling carrot-Where is the carrot Just ropeSilently I muse-Why follow a rope

Week 2 Realizing Reflection in actionAssignment Choose something on your mind and purposefully reflect

My cushion is warmMy closet bleeding incenseStop Sit Think a bitDropping in my thoughts like stonesWhat is that carrotDo I seek answers

Week 3 Reflection on a topicAssignment Reflect on a random idea

Unanswered questionsI see - cause me discomfortMy brain much prefersIntellectualizing AnalyzingFinding solutions

Suddenly itrsquos clearDoubt Unfortunate companion Again drop in my stoneI watch it fall and settleThe lake unperturbedMy answer Sraddha

Week 4 Reflecting on a textAssignment Reflect on a short phrase from a text

Read and digestDeconstruct reconstruct Then repeat - on this

ldquoFaith arises out of listening to the dharma

and this listening is itself grounded in faithrdquo

And this ldquoFaith requires courage to break through the natural inertia and self-preserving tendency of things and mindsrdquo

And thisldquoFaith is the seed of all wholesome states It inspires the mind with confidence and determinationrdquo

And thisldquoIntellect and faith depend on each other support each other and balance each otherrdquo

And finally this ldquoThrough wisdom and understanding faith becomes an inner certaintyrdquo

ldquoBuddhism unfoldsOrganically like a treerdquoSraddha is the seedBecause of faith I listenI hear the DharmaFaith grows and feeds the tree

Week 5 Contemplating BuddhaAssignment Contemplate the Buddha

Considering my shrine And peaceful stone Buddha thereMy daughter wondersldquoDo you talk with Buddha momrdquo

Pause Irsquom uncertain If I did what might he saySilence perhaps OrJust my own mindrsquos voice

Contemplate BuddhaMy heart fills quickly -Joy gratitude loveWondering- WWBSWhat Would Buddha SayI resolve - to listen

First peaceful silenceThen mindrsquos voice begins to sing(Just as I had thought)Quiet Slowly realizing -I hear Buddharsquos voiceOf course Itrsquos my own

Week 6 ImpermanenceAssignment Reflect on impermanence

Faith seed of a treeBecomes the tree then bears fruitSheltering the birdsFruit becomes the birdBird becomes the soil

That nourishes the seedSraddha No separationBeautiful circleWithout beginningWithout any endSraddha grows and growsWho needs a carrot

Reflections - Mitra Study Year 4 Module 1 Towards Insight Reflection and Meditation By Jo Ann Beltre

poetry corner

We just received many new meditation singing bowls from Nepal in different siz-es and designs There are three designs for the two-inch bowls at $20 each and the three-inch bowls have a box with the Bud-dha at $39 The beautiful four-inch lon-gevity bowls are $59 Also we have five-inch lotus bowls for $49 And lastly there are the gorgeous six-inch bowls with ei-ther Green Tara or Blue Medicine Buddha at $79 All the bowls come with a wooden striker and are made by artisans practicing Right Livelihood in a Buddhist communi-ty There are also some fascinating titles in the bookstore that are worth investigation Some are old favorites and others such as Eight Step Recovery have just recently been published

The Way of the Bodhisattva Shantideva

Now in the bookstore we have both a paperback and CD version of The Way of the Bo-dhisattva by Shan-tideva

ldquoTreasured by Buddhists of all tra-ditions The Way of the Bodhisatt-

va (Bodhicharyavatara) is a guide to cul-tivating the mind of enlightenment and to generating the qualities of love com-passion generosity and patience This

text has been studied practiced and ex-pounded upon in an unbroken tradition for centuries first in India and later in Ti-bet Presented in the form of a person-al meditation in verse it outlines the path of the Bodhisattvasmdashthose who renounce the peace of individual enlightenment and vow to work for the liberation of all beings and to attain buddhahood for their sakerdquo

~ Amazon review

Imagining the Fetus By Vanessa R Sasson amp Jane Marie Law

ldquoThis varied collection of approaches to and religious sensibilities about the fe-tus is unique and fascinating The volume is a very creative and informative con-tribution to scholarship on this topic I highly recommend it to scholars and lay-person alikerdquo

~ Jaqueline S du Toit Professor of Af-roasiatic Studies at the University of the

Free State South Africa

World as Lover World as Self By Joanna Macy

ldquoA new beginning for the environment must start with a new spiritual outlook In this book author Joanna Macy offers concrete suggestions for just that show-ing how each of us can change the atti-tudes that continue to threaten our envi-ronment Using the Buddharsquos teachings on Paticca Samuppada which stresses the in-terconnectedness of all things in the world

and suggests that any one action af-fects all things Macy describes how decades of ig-noring this princi-ple has resulted in a self-centeredness that has devastat-ed the environment Humans Macy im-plores must ac-

knowledge and understand their connect-edness to their world and begin to move toward a more focused effort to save itrdquo

~ Amazon review

Eight Step Recovery Using the Buddharsquos Teachings

to Overcome Addiction By Valerie Mason-John (Vimalasara)

amp Dr Parambandhu Groves

ldquoThe Buddha was in recovery Taking this bold statement as a start-ing point this won-derful book shows how we are all ad-dicted to aspects of life and can all benefit from train-ing our minds and

hearts to be free of the tyranny of compul-sion Over the eight steps you are given a priceless gift ndash the possibility to gain mas-


buddhaworks New additions to the bookstore - by Steve Cardwell

BuddhaworksThe Aryaloka Bookstore

Your support brightens Aryalokarsquos futureBuddhaworks is located at the Aryaloka Buddhist Center

Books by Sangharakshita DVDs from Pema Chodron and Lama Surya Das Meditation Journals CDs from Thich Nhat Hanh

Singing Bowls Brass Door Chimes from Nepal and India Meditation Candles Lots and Lots of Great Books

tery over your mind and heart and find freedomrdquo

~ Vidyamala Burch ndash founder and co-director of Breathworks author of Mindful-ness for Health

Living Wisely Further Advice from Nagarjunarsquos Precious Garland

By Sangharakshita

ldquoHow do we live wisely This is the burning question that Sangharakshita seeks to answer in this second volume of commentary on a famous text Pre-cious Garland of Advice for a King the advice being that of the great In-

dian Buddhist teacher Nagarjuna Bhante says we need to use our positive ethical position our momentum in goodness to develop wisdom a deep understanding of the true nature of existence We become good in order to learn to be wiserdquo

~ from Windhorse Publications

Meditating A Buddhist View By Jinananda

ldquoMeditation is a household word ev-eryone has their idea of what it is but does this mean that it is more misunder-stood than understood Here Jinananda an experienced meditation teacher gives us the Buddhist perspective He shows us that ndash far from being a safe patching-up therapeutic tool ndash meditation is a radical transformative waking-up practicerdquo



Please be sure Aryalokarsquos windows stay closed in winter and remember to close them when leaving the center

in warmer months Thank you

Audio-visual resourcesexploring Buddhism

wwwclear-visionorg

By Dh Satyada

There are many ways to learn the Dharma one of the best is to hear it ex-pounded by a skilled Dharma teacher

The organization Dharma Seed makes hundreds of such talks available to stream online at httpwwwdharmas-treamorg The talks are also available for downloading so that they can be heard offline These talks are from a wide vari-

ety of teachers including Achaan Chah Bhikkhu Bodhi Tara Brach and Ayya Khema (in no special order)

Some of the talks are in English and others are in different languages The site offers a way to only get talks in Eng-lish One could spend many pleasant moments browsing through this collec-tion and many more moments absorb-ing some of the profound teachings to be found here

online insight ClearVision Dharma Via Video


your practice focusing on various aspects of meditation and provideing practical tips to help you move into a more deeply concentrated state of mind

Moving Into the DhyanasOctober 19 9am - 1pm

Led by Lilasiddhi

The Dhyanas concentrated states of mind characterized by calm presence and joy are attainable by everyone This workshop led

by Lilasiddhi will explore these refined mental states and provide tools to help us experience them more readily during meditation

Buddhas in the AirNovember 9 9am - 1pm

Led by Amala

In this workshop we will do the joyful practice of chanting together No prior experience or skill is required only a willingness to let air and energy flow

through you in the name of the Buddhas We will do some meditation together some physical movement and warm-ups and plenty of chanting

Menrsquos Practice Day Contemplating the Self

November 2 9am - 3pmLed by Frank Gladu

Menrsquos practice days are an excellent chance every few months for the menrsquos sangha to come together in the context of practice For this session

wersquoll be continuing our exploration of the System of Practice by looking at how we define the ldquoselfrdquo Looking closely at the world demonstrates that nothing is fixed or permanent - all is in flow and interdependent By changing our view of self we discover something transcendent

Exploring Mindfulness The Joy of Bringing Awareness

Into Our Daily LivesNovember 22 9am - 8pm

Led by Akashavanda amp Tom Gaillard

Are you ready to take your mindfulness to a deeper level Treat yourself to a relaxing and spacious day of mindfulness practice including meditation activities

noble silence gentle yoga and small group discussion This mini-retreat will offer you practical ways to apply mindfulness in your relationships communication and work

Keeping It Real Spiritual FriendshipDecember 13 9am - 1pm

Led by Dayalocana

Perhaps you have heard that the Buddha said to Ananda ldquospiritual friendship is the whole not the half of the spiritual liferdquo How is that

relevant for our spiritual journey today Is there a place for friendship along with solitude How do we develop friendship without attachmentJoin us for a morning of exploration of spiritual friendship - Kalyana mitrata

Ancient Wisdom The Vimalakirti Nirdesa

December 20 9am - 1pmLed by Suddhayu

Investigate the nondual nature of Reality through meditation study and profound silence in this day workshop based on the cosmically

imaginative Mahayana Buddhist text known as the Vimalakirti Nirdesa

Young Sangha GatheringsOct 19 amp Dec 14 2pm - 4pm

Led by Alicia Roberts

These classes offer a simple introduction to Buddharsquos teachings by emphasizing kindness and respect for others There is one segment for children ages up to 9

and another for 10 to 17-year-olds

Autumn Work WeekendOct 25 9am - 4pm Oct 26 9am - 2pm

This is a great chance to practice generosity and to work together with friends We will be cleaning tidying working in the gardens and on the grounds ndash whatever

needs doing to make the center shine

Aryaloka Arts EveningNovember 2 6pm - 8pm

Featured Artist Virginia Peck

An evening with the arts at Aryaloka featuring Virginia Peck This will be the artistrsquos reception for the exhibition ldquoThe Faces of the Buddhardquo on view at Aryaloka

from September 23 through November 18

Sangha Day FestivalNovember 8 Time TBA

The Aryaloka community will be joining together in celebration of Sangha This special day of practice discussion and rejoicing will be

co-led by Order members throughout the region with support from kulas of Mitras and Friends It promises to be an inspiring opportunity to experience the diversity and depth of our local sangha

Autumn Joy Hiking amp Biking Retreat

October 10-12Led by Arjava amp Haley Koperski

Join Arjava and Haley Koperski for a weekend of mindful activity in the outdoors This retreat includes two days of bringing mindfulness into

action in contact with nature - with a full day of hiking and a second day of biking interspersed with mindfulness activities and daily reflection and discussion back at the center

Mindful Eating After the First BiteOctober 31 - November 2

Led by Megrette Fletcher amp Amala

You can bring the power of mindfulness into your life by engaging in the practice of mindful eating To transform your mind health and

life learn how to use three steps with food and the act of eating using 2500-year-old wisdom from the Buddhist tradition

Intensive Noble Silence Retreat November 11-18

Led by Bodhana Karunasara amp Lilasiddhi

This intensive retreat creates an atmosphere conducive to extended meditation with the fewest external distractions Retreat participants will have

no responsibilities during their time here so they can focus completely on their meditation practice An emphasis on the collective aspect of

practice using the Five Precepts is woven into the fabric of this retreat

Winter Meditation RetreatDecember 26-30Led by Sravaniya

Tis the season to be still Tis the season to reflect

As we enter the depths of winter we will use the opportunity of this end of year retreat

to do two things We will simply enjoy days of shared stillness deep silence and meditation and we will quietly reap the benefits this will inevitably bring

As Metta Unfolds Intermediate Meditation Course

Wednesdays Oct 8 - Nov 5 7pm - 9pmLed by Amala

In five weeks of evening sessions we will enter the realms of kindness compassion joy and equanimity What if you were more kind to yourself What if

you could develop greater compassion for everyone in this challenging world What

is the gateway to joy Come to this series of classes if you have been meditating for a while and wonder where the heart fits in

Introduction to Meditation CourseWednesdays Oct 15-Nov 5 10am - 12pm

Led by Bodhana

This four-week course provides a thorough introduction to the fundamentals of sitting meditation practice During the course two different

meditation practices will be taught the Mindfulness of Breathing and Meditation on Loving Kindness

Introduction to Meditation DaysNov 23 amp Dec 21 9am - 1pm

Led by Lilasiddhi

These workshops are an intensive introduction to foundational meditation practices Basic methods of setting up our meditation and a

traditional Buddhist meditation form will taught

Sunday November 23 - Metta Bhavana Sunday December 21 - Mindfulness of

Breathing

Meditation Tune-Up SeriesIdeas and Inspiration to Help

Your Meditation Practice Thrive

This workshop series will help revitalize

Upcoming Events You Wonrsquot Want to MissRETREATS

CLASSESWORKSHOPS

INTRODUCTORYINTERMEDIATE

ARTS amp SPECIAL EVENTS




Led by Lilasiddhi




Led by Amala













Led by Dayalocana












































Led by Bodhana




Led by Lilasiddhi




Breathing





CLASSESWORKSHOPS



sliprdquo karma It would be another ten years before

I would venture across the threshold of Aryaloka get ldquocaughtrdquo by the Dharma and eventually learn the holistic language of the Noble Eightfold Path and of Right Livelihood In the meantime I finished graduate school with degrees in psychology and counseling psychology Diverse employment positions continued to move my consciousness to the deeper end of the occupational Right Livelihood pool The array of work involved youth and teens their parents family dynamics group process and building community I met (and continue to meet) so many wonderful individuals whose spirit and actions generously radiate Right Livelihood They are not Buddhists But they GET IT in their own way in the unfolding of their own positive karma Following his Enlightenment the Buddha was not looking for other Buddhists Rather he sought those who would be receptive to the spaciousness the universality of the Dharma that he fully awakened to

ldquoThe Buddha was born as we are bornWhat the Buddha overcame we too can

overcomeWhat the Buddha attained we too can

attainrdquo~ The Triratna Devotional Puja Book

Letrsquos return to Sangharakshitarsquos quote where the essential principle underlying Right Livelihood is ldquothat such livelihood in order to be ethical must be non-violent non-exploitative and as far as possible related to the spiritual goalrdquo ldquoRelated to the spiritual goalrdquo is the direction I wanted to go in but it took a while for that principle to become integrated in my awareness and employment choices

I joined the Aryaloka sangha in February of 2002 After a few months I came across a booklet that listed the retreats that were offered to people who were in the ordination process Looking at that list my mind started drooling (Craving comes in all forms) The following week I wrote and asked for ordination Two weeks later I was informed that it might be a good idea to become a mitra first I dove into the process Over time I heard a great deal about the ldquoteam-based Right Livelihoodsrdquo

that seemed to be thriving in England The ldquoteam-basedrdquo approach involved groups of Buddhists living and working together which allowed them to live out their ethical values in a context that supported spiritual practice meditation and building spiritual community The Buddhist-run businesses supported the ideal ldquoto give what you can and take no more than what you needrdquo with the majority of proceeds contributed to local Buddhist centers andor the wider Triratna movement The more I heard about ldquoteam-based Right Livelihoodrdquo the more I was drawn to England like a moth to a flame Unbeknownst to me powerful lessons lay in wait that were yet to be absorbed So often we are the last to find outhellip

In October of 2003 I find myself in East London living in a Buddhist womenrsquos

community and working in a team-based Right Livelihood business all within walking distance of the London Buddhist Center My idealized thinking went like this ldquoNow Irsquoll really learn about Right Livelihood Surrounded by all these practitioners Irsquoll really deepen my practice Now Irsquoll be able to understand the Order at a fundamental level given that Irsquom planning on joining its ranks Nowhellip Nowhellip Nowrdquo

I was on English soil for two years ndash two years of serious boot camp British flavor otherwise known as culture shock Two years of wonderful retreats and meeting equally wonderful practioners Two years of deepening study and understanding of Dharma Two years of living on an island that thinks of itself as a continent Two years of learning that community living and team-based Right Livelihood are very very very generous with challenging situations resembling a rock tumbler I was a wide-eyed naiumlve lone American surrounded by a seemingly never-ending profusion of individualized views ndash all in the name of the Dharma I often reminded myself of the Buddharsquos aunt who asked him precisely ldquoWhat is the Dharmardquo The Buddha answered ldquoWhatever it is that helps you to grow that is the Dharmardquo

England put me on a fast track of growing out of naiumlvety into discernment I salute the Brits

Like a ticker-tape several years pass following my return from England During that time I am received into the Order which interestingly coincides with employment choices that move in the direction of working with eldersseniors as a Resident Service Coordinator in property management situations A thumbnail sketch of the RSC position is to help residents stay in their apartment as long as possible In some ways this population is more complicated than youth but not as rowdy for which I have great appreciation

In the Fall of 2010 the inner terrain of my Right Livelihood experience gave birth to a significant question It seemed very plausible that I would work way beyond retirement age So what did I want to do Voila Right answer spontaneously follows right question With pristine clarity I wanted a job where I could most fully express my spiritual life The spiritual wheels were set in motion By January I applied for interviewed and was accepted in the 2011 Fall Unit of a Clinical Pastoral Education program in a continuing care organization that specialized in geriatric spirituality I felt Irsquod won the lottery It is a gift that keeps on giving Following two years of CPE training ndash blended with my Buddhist experience and ordination and years of educational and work experiences ndash I was offered a part-time chaplaincy position working in their Health Services Center I also have another part-time employment as RSC in a senior retirement community where residents are ldquoyounger eldersrdquo than in the Health Services Center Each position informs the other Each require a similar skill set of presence reverence and open-hearted empathy for the aging process as well as honoring and supporting the fundamental innate goodness potential and richness of each individual Bottom line it just doesnrsquot get better than this

ldquohellipbefore giving rise to bodhichittardquo writes Lama John Makransky in Awakening Through Love ldquoa practioner may work in a job mainly to earn money for food rent and so forth While there he tries to recall his spiritual practice After giving rise to bodhichitta the bodhisatta goes to work each day so as to further realize and embody wisdom and compassion in action in ways that can inspire others to realize


prasannavajriContinued from Page 11


Right or Perfect Livelihood is an ever

evolving dynamic process of awakening compassionate love

their best potential The money earned from work goes to support a life centered on that purposerdquo

Right or Perfect Livelihood is an ever-evolving dynamic process of awakening compassionate love for self and others and for the benefit of all beings Right Livelihood may be likened to a picturesque meandering river generously fed by various streams of outer experiences blended with the interflow of lived experiences ndash precepts of the heart warmth of spiritual practice and non-egoic wisdom that seeps into the interconnectedness with all of life A vocation takes many forms

many expressions and in Bhantersquos words its pristine source ldquohellipis directly related to what one considers of ultimate importance in onersquos liferdquo In my case I love working with elders not because it fits a description of Right Livelihood but rather it is how elders by their very being have been my spiritual benefactors and taught me to STOP AND JUST BE in the truest sense of the word To my own amazement I metamorphosed from a human ldquodoingrdquo to a maturing compassionate human ldquobeingrdquo I had no idea how much love awareness and joy just being with another is It is an extraordinary love story that repeats itself over and over with each person I have the privilege to sit with

ldquoWe are learning to be a compassionate presence for others that is grounded both in the realities of their suffering and in their potential for freedom And we are learning to act from there As we wish beings freedom from all the levels of their suffering we are also learning to uphold their deepest capacity for freedom in the nature of the mind And there is great joy in thathelliprdquo

~ Lama John Makransky


9 Open meditation session 9 ndash 10 AM led by Bodhana9 Friends Night 645-915 PM all are welcome11 Open meditation session 9 ndash 10 AM led by Bodhana12 Practice Night 7-815 PM13 Keeping it Real Friends on a Spiritual Journey 9 AM ndash 1 PM Led by Dayalocana14 Young Sangha 2 ndash 4 PM Led by Alisha Roberts16 Open meditation session 9 ndash 10 AM led by Bodhana

16 Friends Night 645-915 PM all are welcome18 Open meditation session 9 ndash 10 AM led by Bodhana19 Practice Night 7-815 PM20 Ancient Wisdom The Vimalakirti Nirdesa 9 AM ndash 1 PM Led by Suddhayu21 Introduction to Meditation Mindfulness of Breathing 9 AM ndash 1 PM Led by Lilasiddhi21 Drawing Group 930 ndash 1130 AM Led by Eric Ebbeson23 Open meditation session 9 ndash 10 AM led by Bodhana26-30 Winter Meditation Retreat led by Sravaniya

upcoming eventsContinued from Page 24

TRIRATNA CENTERS IN NORTH AMERICA

Newmarket NHPortland ME

Cambridge MA

New York City NYMissoula MT

San Francisco CA

Seattle WAPortsmouth NHVancouver BC

For Your Information

How Can You Contribute to the Vajra BellAs a sangha one of the most impor-

tant things we do is to share our individ-ual experiences of the spiritual life By contributing our own stories to the rich-ly-flavored stew of Dharma life that sur-rounds our center we create strong connections among each other and strengthen each othersrsquo practices some-times without even knowing it

Just by telling another person about something you know or an experience yoursquove had you may provide the missing part to a puzzle that has been unfinished in their mind You may bring them peace simply in the knowledge that they are not the only one struggling with an issue You might say the right word at just the right moment that will alter their lives forever

With this in mind if yoursquove ever been interested in contributing to the Va-jra Bell this is the time to do it Have you taken an amazing photo lately We can use one Trying your hand at poet-ry Wersquore eager to share one of your po-ems If yoursquove attended a retreat or event at an Triratna center we would love to have you write something about it for us If you have a great website to share a Dharma movie yoursquore eager to talk about or a page-turner of a Buddhist book that you have to let everyone know about let us know

There are so many ways that you can enrich the pages of the Vajra Bell - let your imaginations run wild

So you say that yoursquore not a great writ-

er Well now is the chance to challenge that self-view The Vajra Bell kula has among its volunteers an excellent set of editors to help you on your way Have an idea but yoursquore not sure if itrsquos prime-time material Let us know what yoursquore think-ing - it may grow from a seedling thought into a solid story

The important thing is to take the leap You never know what will happen unless you give it a shot and there may be some-one out there just waiting for what you have to say

To contribute or to suggest an idea for a future issue of the Vajra Bell you can contact any of the kula volunteers listed in the contact column on page two of this issue by email or in person



OCTOBER

6 Faces of the Buddha Art Exhibit opens7 Open meditation session 9 ndash 10 AM led by Bodhana7 Friends Night 645-915 PM all are welcome8-115 As Metta Unfolds intermediate meditation course 5 consecutive Wednesday evenings 7 ndash 9 PM led by Amala9 Open meditation session 9 ndash 10 AM led by Bodhana10-12 Autumn Joy weekend retreat Led by Arjava and Haley Koperski14 Open meditation session 9 ndash 10 AM led by Bodhana14 Friends Night 645-915 PM all are welcome15 Introduction to Meditation Course Four consecutive Wednesday mornings 10 AM ndash 12 PM Led by Bodhana16 Open meditation session 9 ndash 10 AM led by Bodhana17 Practice Night 7-815 PM19 Meditation Tune-up Moving into the Dhyanas 9 AM ndash 1PM led by Lilasiddhi19 Young Sangha 2-4 PM Led by Alisha Roberts19 Drawing Group at Maudsley State Park 930 ndash 1130 Led by Eric Ebbeson21 Open meditation session 9 ndash 10 AM led by Bodhana21 Friends Night 645-915 PM all are welcome23 Open meditation session 9 ndash 10 AM led by Bodhana24 Practice Night 7-815 PM25 amp 26 Bodhisattvas at Play Work Days28 Open meditation session 9 ndash 10 AM led by Bodhana28 Friends Night 645-915 PM all are welcome30 Open meditation session 9 ndash 10 AM led by Bodhana31 Practice Night 7-815 PM31ndash112 After the First Bite weekend retreat Led by Megrette Fletcher and Amala

NOVEMBER

2 Arts Night 6 ndash 8 PM4 Open meditation session 9 ndash 10 AM led by Bodhana4 Friends Night 645-915 PM all are welcome6 Open meditation session 9 ndash 10 AM led by Bodhana7 Full Moon Puja 7 ndash 9 PM8 Sangha Day time TBD9 Buddhas in the Air Chanting Workshop 9 AM ndash 1 PM led by Amala11 Open meditation session 9 ndash 10 AM led by Bodhana11-18 Intensive Noble Silence retreat led by Bodhana Karunasara and Lilasiddhi20 Open meditation session 9 ndash 10 AM led by Bodhana21 Practice Night 7-815 PM22 Exploring Mindfulness the Joy of Bringing Awareness into Our Daily Lives 9 AM ndash 8 PM Led by Akashavanda and Tom Gaillard23 Introduction to Meditation Metta Bhavana (Loving Kindness) 9 AM ndash 1 PM Led by Lilasiddhi23 Drawing Group 930 ndash 1130 AM Led by Eric Ebbeson25 Friends Night 645-915 PM all are welcome27 Thanksgiving Pot Luck time TBD

DECEMBER

2 Open meditation session 9 ndash 10 AM led by Bodhana2 Friends Night 645-915 PM all are welcome4 Open meditation session 9 ndash 10 AM led by Bodhana5 Full Moon Puja 7 ndash 9 PM6 OrderMitra Day time TBD6-7 Womenrsquos GFR Overnight

upcoming events

ongoing events

(All events are subject to change For the latest up-to-date information check our web site at httpwwwaryalokaorg or call the office at 603-659-5456)Events in italics held at Akasaloka Mitra classes amp Order days not included

Sangha Night At Aryaloka Every Tuesday evening 645-915 pm

bull LedbyArjavaAkashavandaAmala Satyada Lilasiddhi and other sangha membersbull Opentoallbull Suggesteddonation$10perclassbull Noregistrationnecessary

Typically our Tuesday night activities includebull 645-Gatheringteaandannouncementsbull 715-Meditationandshrineroomactivitybull 800-Studydiscussionoratalkontheeveningrsquostopicbull 915-End

With any of these activities you are free to participate or to just sit and listen Nothing is compulsory If you have any questions please ask

Full Moon PujaFriday evenings as scheduled (unless noted) See the Aryalo-ka website or Vajra Bell events schedule for dates and locations 700 pm meditation followed by puja

The rich devotional practice of meditation and puja is shared on these special Friday nights by those who find devotion an im-portant part of their practice

When we celebrate the Sevenfold Puja which combines faith and devotion with poetry and sometimes an element of visual beau-ty we find that our emotional energies are to some extent refined When this happens it becomes possible for the vision and insight of the higher thinking center to act through these refined sublimat-ed emotional centers directly on the moving center In this way the whole of life is completely transformed

Sangharakshita ~ Ritual and Devotion


As Eric Went-worthrsquos time as the editor of the Vajra Bell comes to an end and we prepare for the next issue I am struck by two things The first is the real-ization of how much

mindful work that Eric devoted to the newsletter and how well (and cheerfully) he did it The second is how grateful I am to Mary Schaefer for sharing the editor-ship with me Mary brings intelligence fo-cus organization and energy to the tasks at hand Thank goodness

Lately Irsquove been reading the back is-sues of the Vajra Bell and Irsquom struck by the quality of the journalism essays on the dharma and personal reflections In-deed the distinctions between these cate-gories generally disappear on the pages of Vajra Bell Beginning with Sangharakshi-

ta the Triratna community has celebrated the creation and study of the written word The Vajra Bell has nourished that tradition and we will work to continue that

Since I started coming to Aryaloka more than six years ago I have found that all the other spiritual teachings I hear are echoes of the Dharma Through the work-shops and classes here Irsquove actually devel-oped a practice and Irsquove seen how reflec-tion scholarship and the arts all nourish the practices of sangha members in dif-ferent ways While not everyone reads the Vajra Bell cover to cover every is-sue speaks to the different aspects of onersquos practice and I am happy to be a small part of it

Finally I want to shout out to all of the people who have contributed copy to this issue I salute your willingness to accept the invitations we put out and the quality of your contributions Thanks so much

~ David Watt

wwwaryalokaorgcategoryvajra-bell

VAJRA BELL KULA

CO-EDITOR Mary Schaefermbschaefercomcastnet

CO-EDITOR David Wattdavidwatt1956gmailcom

ADMINISTRATION EDITOR Dh Vihanasarivihanasaricomcastnet

ARTS EDITOR Elizabeth Hellardekhellardcomcastnet

MEDIA EDITOR Jaime Gradyjaimegrady75gmailcom

CONTRIBUTOR Dh Satyadasatyadastephensloancom

DESIGN Eric Wentworthericwintercrowstudiocom

SpiRitUAL VitALity CoUnCiL

Amala (Chair)Vidhuma (Vice Chair)

ArjavaDayalocanaKarunasaraSurakshita

BoARd of diRECtoRS

Arjava (Chair)Barry Timmerman (Secretary)Elizabeth Hellard (Treasurer)

DayalocanaAkashavanda

AmalaJean CorsonPrasannavajri

Surakshita

Aryaloka Buddhist Center14 Heartwood Circle

Newmarket NH 03857603-659-5456

infoaryalokaorg wwwaryalokaorg

Find us on Facebook httpwwwfacebookcomAraloka

or on the Aryaloka Facebook Grouphttpwwwfacebookcomgroupsary-

alokasangha

Connect at The Buddhist Centre Online httpthebuddhistcentrecomaryaloka

Cover art Rijupatha

vajrabellI donrsquot say this

lightly Eric Went-worth is one tough act to follow as Ed-itor-in-Chief of the Vajra Bell He has done an outstand-ing job as design-er (hersquos transformed

the newsletter into a beautiful piece of art) and he is a skillful and kind kula leader who knows his dharma

Eric has stepped aside as editor-in-chief but thankfully has not relinquished his willingness to continue to design the issue That was one condition that enabled me to step into an editor role the other was to opt for ldquoco-editorrdquo instead of ldquochief edi-torrdquo sharing this responsibility with David Watt Thank you David It takes two to follow Ericrsquos act

This issue and the next explores ldquoRight Livelihoodrdquo ndash how to make a living with-out causing harm to others We have in-vited two Order members ndash Viradham-ma from the San Francisco Sangha and Aryalokarsquos Singhatara ndash to share how they practice Buddhism in their work and ca-reers Now retired from what he calls his ldquoregular careerrdquo Viradhamma launched the non-profit DharmaJiva dedicated to raising international awareness of the caste

system and the revival of Buddhism in In-dia His principle focus in the past three years has been arranging visits of Western and Asian Buddhists to India Eric and I joined Viradhamma on such a pilgrimage two years ago In his article Viradhamma describes his most recent journey there

Singhatara talks about Right Liveli-hood as part of the ethical training in the Eightfold Path Her job in human servic-es she writes offers her many opportuni-ties to practice the Five Precepts Mitras Barry Timmerman Ashley Bush and De-nise Martin offer eloquent perspectives on how they practice being aware of the im-plications and consequences of what they do and how they cultivate the conditions for Right Livelihood

The issue also features reviews of pro-grams featured recently at Aryaloka such as the Introduction to Noble Silence Re-treat by Diane Marsden and the Nordic Nirvana Retreat by Dianne Wright Sra-vaniya offers a beautiful reflection on how music informs Buddhist spirituality You also will find previews of several upcom-ing programs including visits by a number of Triratna Order members from the Unit-ed Kingdom who will be visiting Aryaloka this spring and summer Watch for those details in the weeks ahead

~ Mary Schaefer

editors notes Mary Schaefer amp David Watt































Preface


Purpose







Meetings


Scope of Activities









sangha notes











~ Dh Akashavanda






















The Vajra Bell asks



























The Vajra Bell asks


By Denise Martin
























stressful activity

right livelihood


By Dh Singhatara




The Five Precepts













































and even embrace it


By Dh Prasannavajri





















Imag

e by

s m

yers








By Dh Viradhamma


I




























By Dh Sravaniya













































poetry corner







~ Amazon review









~ Amazon review















By Sangharakshita











wwwclear-visionorg

By Dh Satyada









Led by Lilasiddhi




Led by Amala













Led by Dayalocana












































Led by Bodhana




Led by Lilasiddhi




Breathing





CLASSESWORKSHOPS






Led by Lilasiddhi




Led by Amala













Led by Dayalocana












































Led by Bodhana




Led by Lilasiddhi




Breathing





CLASSESWORKSHOPS


































Cambridge MA


San Francisco CA














OCTOBER


NOVEMBER


DECEMBER


upcoming events

ongoing events








































Preface


Purpose







Meetings


Scope of Activities









sangha notes











~ Dh Akashavanda






















The Vajra Bell asks



























The Vajra Bell asks


By Denise Martin
























stressful activity

right livelihood


By Dh Singhatara




The Five Precepts













































and even embrace it


By Dh Prasannavajri





















Imag

e by

s m

yers








By Dh Viradhamma


I




























By Dh Sravaniya













































poetry corner







~ Amazon review









~ Amazon review















By Sangharakshita











wwwclear-visionorg

By Dh Satyada









Led by Lilasiddhi




Led by Amala













Led by Dayalocana












































Led by Bodhana




Led by Lilasiddhi




Breathing





CLASSESWORKSHOPS






Led by Lilasiddhi




Led by Amala













Led by Dayalocana












































Led by Bodhana




Led by Lilasiddhi




Breathing





CLASSESWORKSHOPS


































Cambridge MA


San Francisco CA














OCTOBER


NOVEMBER


DECEMBER


upcoming events

ongoing events















Preface


Purpose







Meetings


Scope of Activities









sangha notes











~ Dh Akashavanda






















The Vajra Bell asks



























The Vajra Bell asks


By Denise Martin
























stressful activity

right livelihood


By Dh Singhatara




The Five Precepts













































and even embrace it


By Dh Prasannavajri





















Imag

e by

s m

yers








By Dh Viradhamma


I




























By Dh Sravaniya













































poetry corner







~ Amazon review









~ Amazon review















By Sangharakshita











wwwclear-visionorg

By Dh Satyada









Led by Lilasiddhi




Led by Amala













Led by Dayalocana












































Led by Bodhana




Led by Lilasiddhi




Breathing





CLASSESWORKSHOPS






Led by Lilasiddhi




Led by Amala













Led by Dayalocana












































Led by Bodhana




Led by Lilasiddhi




Breathing





CLASSESWORKSHOPS


































Cambridge MA


San Francisco CA














OCTOBER


NOVEMBER


DECEMBER


upcoming events

ongoing events












sangha notes











~ Dh Akashavanda






















The Vajra Bell asks



























The Vajra Bell asks


By Denise Martin
























stressful activity

right livelihood


By Dh Singhatara




The Five Precepts













































and even embrace it


By Dh Prasannavajri





















Imag

e by

s m

yers








By Dh Viradhamma


I




























By Dh Sravaniya













































poetry corner







~ Amazon review









~ Amazon review















By Sangharakshita











wwwclear-visionorg

By Dh Satyada









Led by Lilasiddhi




Led by Amala













Led by Dayalocana












































Led by Bodhana




Led by Lilasiddhi




Breathing





CLASSESWORKSHOPS






Led by Lilasiddhi




Led by Amala













Led by Dayalocana












































Led by Bodhana




Led by Lilasiddhi




Breathing





CLASSESWORKSHOPS


































Cambridge MA


San Francisco CA














OCTOBER


NOVEMBER


DECEMBER


upcoming events

ongoing events















The Vajra Bell asks



























The Vajra Bell asks


By Denise Martin
























stressful activity

right livelihood


By Dh Singhatara




The Five Precepts













































and even embrace it


By Dh Prasannavajri





















Imag

e by

s m

yers








By Dh Viradhamma


I




























By Dh Sravaniya













































poetry corner







~ Amazon review









~ Amazon review















By Sangharakshita











wwwclear-visionorg

By Dh Satyada









Led by Lilasiddhi




Led by Amala













Led by Dayalocana












































Led by Bodhana




Led by Lilasiddhi




Breathing





CLASSESWORKSHOPS






Led by Lilasiddhi




Led by Amala













Led by Dayalocana












































Led by Bodhana




Led by Lilasiddhi




Breathing





CLASSESWORKSHOPS


































Cambridge MA


San Francisco CA














OCTOBER


NOVEMBER


DECEMBER


upcoming events

ongoing events





































The Vajra Bell asks


By Denise Martin
























stressful activity

right livelihood


By Dh Singhatara




The Five Precepts













































and even embrace it


By Dh Prasannavajri





















Imag

e by

s m

yers








By Dh Viradhamma


I




























By Dh Sravaniya













































poetry corner







~ Amazon review









~ Amazon review















By Sangharakshita











wwwclear-visionorg

By Dh Satyada









Led by Lilasiddhi




Led by Amala













Led by Dayalocana












































Led by Bodhana




Led by Lilasiddhi




Breathing





CLASSESWORKSHOPS






Led by Lilasiddhi




Led by Amala













Led by Dayalocana












































Led by Bodhana




Led by Lilasiddhi




Breathing





CLASSESWORKSHOPS


































Cambridge MA


San Francisco CA














OCTOBER


NOVEMBER


DECEMBER


upcoming events

ongoing events












By Denise Martin
























stressful activity

right livelihood


By Dh Singhatara




The Five Precepts













































and even embrace it


By Dh Prasannavajri





















Imag

e by

s m

yers








By Dh Viradhamma


I




























By Dh Sravaniya













































poetry corner







~ Amazon review









~ Amazon review















By Sangharakshita











wwwclear-visionorg

By Dh Satyada









Led by Lilasiddhi




Led by Amala













Led by Dayalocana












































Led by Bodhana




Led by Lilasiddhi




Breathing





CLASSESWORKSHOPS






Led by Lilasiddhi




Led by Amala













Led by Dayalocana












































Led by Bodhana




Led by Lilasiddhi




Breathing





CLASSESWORKSHOPS


































Cambridge MA


San Francisco CA














OCTOBER


NOVEMBER


DECEMBER


upcoming events

ongoing events












By Dh Singhatara




The Five Precepts













































and even embrace it


By Dh Prasannavajri





















Imag

e by

s m

yers








By Dh Viradhamma


I




























By Dh Sravaniya













































poetry corner







~ Amazon review









~ Amazon review















By Sangharakshita











wwwclear-visionorg

By Dh Satyada









Led by Lilasiddhi




Led by Amala













Led by Dayalocana












































Led by Bodhana




Led by Lilasiddhi




Breathing





CLASSESWORKSHOPS






Led by Lilasiddhi




Led by Amala













Led by Dayalocana












































Led by Bodhana




Led by Lilasiddhi




Breathing





CLASSESWORKSHOPS


































Cambridge MA


San Francisco CA














OCTOBER


NOVEMBER


DECEMBER


upcoming events

ongoing events


































and even embrace it


By Dh Prasannavajri





















Imag

e by

s m

yers








By Dh Viradhamma


I




























By Dh Sravaniya













































poetry corner







~ Amazon review









~ Amazon review















By Sangharakshita











wwwclear-visionorg

By Dh Satyada









Led by Lilasiddhi




Led by Amala













Led by Dayalocana












































Led by Bodhana




Led by Lilasiddhi




Breathing





CLASSESWORKSHOPS






Led by Lilasiddhi




Led by Amala













Led by Dayalocana












































Led by Bodhana




Led by Lilasiddhi




Breathing





CLASSESWORKSHOPS


































Cambridge MA


San Francisco CA














OCTOBER


NOVEMBER


DECEMBER


upcoming events

ongoing events












By Dh Prasannavajri





















Imag

e by

s m

yers








By Dh Viradhamma


I




























By Dh Sravaniya













































poetry corner







~ Amazon review









~ Amazon review















By Sangharakshita











wwwclear-visionorg

By Dh Satyada









Led by Lilasiddhi




Led by Amala













Led by Dayalocana












































Led by Bodhana




Led by Lilasiddhi




Breathing





CLASSESWORKSHOPS






Led by Lilasiddhi




Led by Amala













Led by Dayalocana












































Led by Bodhana




Led by Lilasiddhi




Breathing





CLASSESWORKSHOPS


































Cambridge MA


San Francisco CA














OCTOBER


NOVEMBER


DECEMBER


upcoming events

ongoing events













Imag

e by

s m

yers








By Dh Viradhamma


I




























By Dh Sravaniya













































poetry corner







~ Amazon review









~ Amazon review















By Sangharakshita











wwwclear-visionorg

By Dh Satyada









Led by Lilasiddhi




Led by Amala













Led by Dayalocana












































Led by Bodhana




Led by Lilasiddhi




Breathing





CLASSESWORKSHOPS






Led by Lilasiddhi




Led by Amala













Led by Dayalocana












































Led by Bodhana




Led by Lilasiddhi




Breathing





CLASSESWORKSHOPS


































Cambridge MA


San Francisco CA














OCTOBER


NOVEMBER


DECEMBER


upcoming events

ongoing events












Imag

e by

s m

yers








By Dh Viradhamma


I




























By Dh Sravaniya













































poetry corner







~ Amazon review









~ Amazon review















By Sangharakshita











wwwclear-visionorg

By Dh Satyada









Led by Lilasiddhi




Led by Amala













Led by Dayalocana












































Led by Bodhana




Led by Lilasiddhi




Breathing





CLASSESWORKSHOPS






Led by Lilasiddhi




Led by Amala













Led by Dayalocana












































Led by Bodhana




Led by Lilasiddhi




Breathing





CLASSESWORKSHOPS


































Cambridge MA


San Francisco CA














OCTOBER


NOVEMBER


DECEMBER


upcoming events

ongoing events





































By Dh Sravaniya













































poetry corner







~ Amazon review









~ Amazon review















By Sangharakshita











wwwclear-visionorg

By Dh Satyada









Led by Lilasiddhi




Led by Amala













Led by Dayalocana












































Led by Bodhana




Led by Lilasiddhi




Breathing





CLASSESWORKSHOPS






Led by Lilasiddhi




Led by Amala













Led by Dayalocana












































Led by Bodhana




Led by Lilasiddhi




Breathing





CLASSESWORKSHOPS


































Cambridge MA


San Francisco CA














OCTOBER


NOVEMBER


DECEMBER


upcoming events

ongoing events

























By Dh Sravaniya













































poetry corner







~ Amazon review









~ Amazon review















By Sangharakshita











wwwclear-visionorg

By Dh Satyada









Led by Lilasiddhi




Led by Amala













Led by Dayalocana












































Led by Bodhana




Led by Lilasiddhi




Breathing





CLASSESWORKSHOPS






Led by Lilasiddhi




Led by Amala













Led by Dayalocana












































Led by Bodhana




Led by Lilasiddhi




Breathing





CLASSESWORKSHOPS


































Cambridge MA


San Francisco CA














OCTOBER


NOVEMBER


DECEMBER


upcoming events

ongoing events













By Dh Sravaniya













































poetry corner







~ Amazon review









~ Amazon review















By Sangharakshita











wwwclear-visionorg

By Dh Satyada









Led by Lilasiddhi




Led by Amala













Led by Dayalocana












































Led by Bodhana




Led by Lilasiddhi




Breathing





CLASSESWORKSHOPS






Led by Lilasiddhi




Led by Amala













Led by Dayalocana












































Led by Bodhana




Led by Lilasiddhi




Breathing





CLASSESWORKSHOPS


































Cambridge MA


San Francisco CA














OCTOBER


NOVEMBER


DECEMBER


upcoming events

ongoing events






































poetry corner







~ Amazon review









~ Amazon review















By Sangharakshita











wwwclear-visionorg

By Dh Satyada









Led by Lilasiddhi




Led by Amala













Led by Dayalocana












































Led by Bodhana




Led by Lilasiddhi




Breathing





CLASSESWORKSHOPS






Led by Lilasiddhi




Led by Amala













Led by Dayalocana












































Led by Bodhana




Led by Lilasiddhi




Breathing





CLASSESWORKSHOPS


































Cambridge MA


San Francisco CA














OCTOBER


NOVEMBER


DECEMBER


upcoming events

ongoing events

















~ Amazon review









~ Amazon review















By Sangharakshita











wwwclear-visionorg

By Dh Satyada









Led by Lilasiddhi




Led by Amala













Led by Dayalocana












































Led by Bodhana




Led by Lilasiddhi




Breathing





CLASSESWORKSHOPS






Led by Lilasiddhi




Led by Amala













Led by Dayalocana












































Led by Bodhana




Led by Lilasiddhi




Breathing





CLASSESWORKSHOPS


































Cambridge MA


San Francisco CA














OCTOBER


NOVEMBER


DECEMBER


upcoming events

ongoing events














By Sangharakshita











wwwclear-visionorg

By Dh Satyada









Led by Lilasiddhi




Led by Amala













Led by Dayalocana












































Led by Bodhana




Led by Lilasiddhi




Breathing





CLASSESWORKSHOPS






Led by Lilasiddhi




Led by Amala













Led by Dayalocana












































Led by Bodhana




Led by Lilasiddhi




Breathing





CLASSESWORKSHOPS


































Cambridge MA


San Francisco CA














OCTOBER


NOVEMBER


DECEMBER


upcoming events

ongoing events














Led by Lilasiddhi




Led by Amala













Led by Dayalocana












































Led by Bodhana




Led by Lilasiddhi




Breathing





CLASSESWORKSHOPS






Led by Lilasiddhi




Led by Amala













Led by Dayalocana












































Led by Bodhana




Led by Lilasiddhi




Breathing





CLASSESWORKSHOPS


































Cambridge MA


San Francisco CA














OCTOBER


NOVEMBER


DECEMBER


upcoming events

ongoing events














Led by Lilasiddhi




Led by Amala













Led by Dayalocana












































Led by Bodhana




Led by Lilasiddhi




Breathing





CLASSESWORKSHOPS


































Cambridge MA


San Francisco CA














OCTOBER


NOVEMBER


DECEMBER


upcoming events

ongoing events










































Cambridge MA


San Francisco CA














OCTOBER


NOVEMBER


DECEMBER


upcoming events

ongoing events






















Cambridge MA


San Francisco CA














OCTOBER


NOVEMBER


DECEMBER


upcoming events

ongoing events












OCTOBER


NOVEMBER


DECEMBER


upcoming events

ongoing events











keeping sangha connected Cultivating Right Livelihood · 2017. 10. 24. · In keeping with our mission of teach-ing the Dharma and providing quality ser-vices to the community, succession

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