Releasing Life Ceremony Oct 2, 2011

Releasing Life Ceremony (Bang-Seng) is a Buddhist tradition of releasing, improving or extending life of living beings. It is usually carried out in a ceremony where living things such as birds, animals, or fish that are destined for slaughter are released into the wild and given another chance for life. This ceremony teaches us that all life is precious and inspires us to be more compassionate, gentle, and kind towards others. The Releasing Life Ceremony consists of a prayer service where the merit of this compassionate deed is transferred to the participants who get to release their very own fish or release one on behalf of a ailing friend, a newborn child, a deceased loved one, or for other personal reasons. Included were prayers for one our member's mother who just recently suffered a stroke as well as a new addition to our extended family baby Blake. May you all be well.

Brazil Charter for So Shim Sa Fellowship presented to Dinair Santana

Dinair Santana recieved a charter and will be the President of the Brazil Chapter of the So Shim Sa Buddhist Fellowship. Andrea Prados will be the treasurer for this first international chapter. Dinair has been studying Buddhism under Ven. Myong Ahn Sunim for 7 years and has completed the Chapter President Course. We look forward to supporting her in this expansion and watching our Sangha grow.

Headwaters of Social Issues

Many people work in different ways towards resolving issues surrounding civil rights, racism, LGBTQ+ issues, violence, pollution, etc.. How does the Zen Center address these issues? It happens that there are many, many lakes which are polluted. Many are poisoned, making them either unsuitable or impossible for life to continue to exist in them. Many inhabitants of the lakes are sick and struggling because the waters are polluted or poisoned. The task of providing a healthy environment for the life of these lakes seems nearly impossible. We cannot seem to remedy the situation quickly enough. These polluted waters further flow into the one great ocean and it, too, becomes polluted. The way we, at the Zen Center, approach the hardships and suffering of the lakes—and ultimately the one great ocean—is by making sure the sources of water are pure. We address pollution by addressing the source. The source waters of the problems facing the LGBTQ+ community, social justice, women’s rights, raci

On Patience

Patience (In-yeok인욕(忍辱) - Patience is not only enduring but also forgiveness without resentment. To cut off anger at an entry point, at one’s own mind. To cut down anger itself, not the person or the thing outside oneself. But we are to be patient not only towards anger. We must be patient towards gain, growth, collapse, loss, honor, glory, praise, mockery, ridicule, slander, blame, hardship, difficulty, joy, pleasure, pain, discomfort…. To be patient is to deal with suffering, physical and mental, and to overcome it well and with grace. Of patience, there are 2 main kinds: Beop-In (법인) is Patience towards Nature, and Seng-In (생인) is Patience towards People. Patience towards Nature (Beop-In법인)- This means being patient towards and enduring climate, weather changes, and natural disasters. Do you grow angry when your beach day is ruined by a storm? When your walk is cut short by rain? Who do you blame when a blow-down branch falls on your car? Patience towards People (Seng-In생인)- This m

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