Something new soon...

So after five years I assumed that this whole blog would be totally gone, only to discover that it's still hanging around and people still occasionally stumble onto it. I've received a couple of inquiries from these visitors in the last few weeks.

While details are not yet fit for public consumption, something new is in the works. Major changes coming relatively soon -- in this case "relatively soon" meaning in the next few months.

Let's Try Something Different...

Given the lack of participation in evening meetings, we are going to try a different approach.

For the time being at least, the Wednesday evening sittings are suspended.

On Saturday, Oct. 13th from 10am until noon we will hold a "mindful morning." We'll start with discussion of the mission and purpose of the group, then practice sitting and walking meditation, concluding with liturgy chanting.

The future of the group and what kind of schedule it will follow will depend on what happens at this event.

Anyone interested in Buddhism and its practices is invited, even if you don't have an established meditation practice currently.

Email <vimamsaka@gmail.com> for directions.

This week's meditation

Since no one was able to come last week, we will begin our reading and discussion of the Dhammapada this Wednesday at 7pm. New attendees who do not have an established meditation practice are invited to came at 6:30 for instruction.

This section illustrated at Buddhanet:http://www.buddhanet.net/dhammapada/d_twin.htm

This section translated on The Big View:http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/dhammapada-01.html

From Access to Insight:

• Translated by Acharya Buddharakkhita:http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/dhp/dhp.01.budd.html
• Translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu:http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/dhp/dhp.01.than.htm

Wednesday sitting and discussion

This Wednesday we are going to begin to read the Dhammapada, one of the most important of the Pali scriptures. We will read and discuss one section each week. This week we will be reading what is usually the first section in most translations, the first twenty verses.

This section illustrated at Buddhanet: http://www.buddhanet.net/dhammapada/d_twin.htm

This section translated on The Big View: http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/dhammapada-01.html

From Access to Insight:

• Translated by Acharya Buddharakkhita: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/dhp/dhp.01.budd.html
• Translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/dhp/dhp.01.than.html

Change of plans

After our organizational meeting, we decided to dispense with the morning sittings that were initially planned and consequently to shift our evening sessions to Wednesdays. This means our next meeting will be Wednesday, Sept. 12th, at 7pm.

Re-organizational Meeting

The Belmont Buddhist Community has a new life, a new home, and is getting ready for a new start. There will be a re-organizational meeting for anyone interested in participating in the group on Thursday, 6 September, at 7pm. If you are interested in attending, please email us <vimamsaka@gmail.com> for directions.

The Last Tuesday (maybe, for a while anyway)

No, this isn't some strange new prediction about the end of the world.

Because we haven't been able to attract new people to the Community thus far, we can't afford to maintain the lease on our Lundy House space. Therefore we've decided to let it go, take a hiatus for the summer, and revisit what we want to do in the fall.

At a minimum, we hope to be able to find a space that will at least allow us to do a monthly zazenkai or "day of mindfulness."

In the short run, this means that this coming Tuesday, 24 May, will be our last evening meditation session, at least for a while.

Over the next few weeks this website will be repurposed to focus on the third purpose of the Community by providing listings of retreat center events in reasonable driving distance from Belmont County.

Zazenkai Tomorrow (21 May)

EXPERIENCED meditators are invited to participate for all or part of the day -- click on "When" to see the schedule.

Special events in May

We'll be holding our usual Tuesday evening meditation this coming week, May 10th, and any newcomers are welcome to join us at 6:30pm for an orientation to our practice.

More importantly, our evening meditation the following week on May 17th corresponds to the most important day of the year in the Southern or Theravada Buddhist tradition. On the full moon of April/May, which this year falls on Tuesday May 17th, Theravada Buddhists celebrate Wesak or Vesaka Puja, which commemorates the birth, enlightenment, and death of the Buddha over 2,500 years ago.

This conjunction makes that Tuesday evening a very auspicious time for us to meditate as a local sangha, in coordination with the mahasangha around the world.

It also is a very auspicious week for our monthly all-day sitting or zazenkai, which will be on Saturday the 21st. Anyone who is new to meditation should plan to attend a Tuesday evening first before joining the sesshin.

Tuesday Evening and Upcoming Zazenkai

This Tuesday evening we will again be meeting for meditation, discussion, and liturgy. Click on "When" to see the schedule.

Speaking of the schedule, our next all-day Saturday zazenkai is scheduled for May 21st. Please put it on your calendar. Anyone who is completely new should attend a Tuesday evening session before participating in zazenkai, but experienced meditators are invited to attend. If you can't come for the whole day, you're welcome to participate in as much of the schedule as you can. Click on "When" to see the schedule for the day.

Retreat near Pittsburgh cancelled

The retreat with Tenshin Reb Anderson, sponsored by the Stillpoint community and scheduled for May 6-11, has been cancelled.

Another Tuesday Night

If you are interested in learning about Buddhist practice and meditation, you're invited to join us at the Lundy House in downtown St. Clairsville at 7pm tomorrow.

Change in April schedule

The all-day sitting scheduled for April 16th has been canceled due to a change in schedule at Stillpoint in Pittsburgh.

Zen priest Catherine Gannon, a student of Tenshin Reb Anderson, a senior Zen teacher and former abbot of the San Francisco Zen Center and in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, will be holding the last of a series of zazenkai on Dogen Zenji's Genjokoan. This event was initially scheduled for the 9th, but has been moved. We are canceling our event and encouraging folks to participate in the one in Pittsburgh instead.

The link above will take you to Stillpoint's web site -- note that as of this posting the site has not yet been updated with the new date, which was sent out today on Stillpoint's email list.

Another Tuesday Night

If you are interested in learning about Buddhist practice and meditation, you're invited to join us at the Lundy House in downtown St. Clairsville at 7pm tonight.

Tuesday Evening Meditation

We will be meeting again on Tuesday evening at our Lundy House location in St. Clairsville. Newcomers are welcome -- click on the "When" link on the web site for the schedule, and the "Where" link to access a map to our location.

First Zazenkai

We held our first zazenkai at BBC today -- sparsely attended, but a good start.

All-day meditation sessions are generally going to be held every third Saturday, though there may end up being some pre-announced adjustments or cancellations. We selected the third Saturday to avoid conflicting with the weekend schedule at Stillpoint in Pittsburgh.

We ask that anyone interested in attending one of these sessions come to a Tuesday evening first, though anyone experienced with meditation and familiar with Soto forms should contact us about joining in.

Tuesday Evening Meditation

This coming Tuesday at 7pm we will be meeting for meditation at our Lundy House location in St. Clairsville. We are expecting a few first-timers, so in addition to getting to know each other we will be watching part of a video entitled "The Still Point," created by Zen Mountain Monastery and featuring their late teacher John Daido Loori Roshi. The video explains basic meditation techniques, as taught in the Zen tradition. This would be a good opportunity for anyone new to meditation to learn the basics. All are invited!

BBC Goes International

Belmont Buddhist Community is now listed in the World Buddhist Directory, a global database of Buddhist practice centers maintained by a community of monks in Australia. Click on the post title above to see our entry.

Welcome to our new website...

The Belmont Buddhist Community is a new and experimental endeavor, intended to create a home in the upper Ohio Valley where people interested in the practices and teaching of the Buddha can come together for mutual support.

We invite you to explore our web site to learn more about the Community and its goals. If you like what you see, please consider visiting one of our Tuesday evening sessions. Visit the When page for more information about our schedule of events.

Upcoming retreats at other venues:

A retreat with Edward Espe Brown, Zen priest and author of the well-known Tassajara cookbooks: April 8-10 in Cleveland. For more information, visit <http://tinyurl.com/ed-brown-cleveland-2011>

A retreat with Tenshin Reb Anderson, a senior Zen teacher and former abbot of the San Francisco Zen Center and in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi: May 6-11 at Kearns Spirituality Center near Pittsburgh. For more information, visit <http://gallery.mailchimp.com/6a2ab87b2bba23f35ee08de60/files/2011_Reb_Retreat_Registration_v2.pdf>