Monk on a Bike

Soto Zen Monk 'Mumon' is riding his bike from Washington, DC to San Francisco, CA to raise awareness of Alzheimers which took the life of his father. And he will be passing through our area! He may be dropping into our center as his schedule allows. Follow his travels on his Facebook Page, and watch the ADMC Facebook for an update of when he may be stopping by.

Here's what's happening this week at ADMC

Monday September 23 7:00 - 8:30pm	Western Buddhist Group - We will be reading and discussing Suttra 49: Brahmanimantanika Sutta, or The Invitation of a Brahmā, followed by 1/2 hour meditation.
Wednesday September 25 9:30 - 11am	Western Buddhist Group - (formerly Holston Valley Sangha) - now meeting at ADMC in Johnson City We are currently studying and practicing Lojong. The lojong teachings are organized around seven points that contain fifty-nine slogans that remind us how we can use our difficulties and problems as the raw material to awaken our hearts and uncontrived compassion. Our core text will be The Intelligent Heart: A Guide to the Compassionalte Lifeby Dzigar Kongtrul, but we will us many other texts and audio recordings to enrich our understanding. You may purchase the book, but it is not necessary as we will read it together during our session. This week: Lojong Slogan #17: Practice the five strengths, The condensed heart instructions. The five strengths are: strong determination to train in opening the heart and mind familiarization with the practices (such as tonglen) that help you to do that; the positive seed that is within you, experienced as a yearning to practice and wake up; reproach, which is a tricky one for Western students but is an important practice: realizing that ego-clinging causes you to suffer, you delight in self-reflection, honesty, and in seeing where you get stuck; and the aspiration to help alleviate suffering in this world, expressing that intention to yourself.
Wednesday September 25 6:30 - 7:30pm	Cultivating Qualities of the Heart Beginning Wednesday and for the next four weeks we will be discussing The Four Reminders: Precious Human Birth, Impermanence, Karma and No self. This week - Recognizing the preciousness of being born a human being. Imagine there was one life preserver thrown somewhere in some ocean, with exactly one turtle in all of these oceans, swimming underwater somewhere. The probability that you came about is the same as that turtle sticking its head out of the water -- into the middle of that life preserver. On one try. And with this gift of human birth we have the potential to understand the dharma. All are welcome. No meditation experience is required.
Thursday September 26 7 - 8pm	Mindful Recovery- Anyone recovering from any type of addiction, including alcoholism and drug addiction, is invited to attend this group. The group can serve as an alternative to, or an addition to, traditional 12-step recovery meetings. Respecting the sensitivities of others, please refrain from using heavy fragrances when you attend. For more information contact us here.
Sunday September 29 10am - 12pm	Zen Meditation- Our weekly meeting focuses on Zen teachings and meditation. All are welcome - newcomers and experienced seekers. 10:00-10:30 Introduction 10:30-11:30 Meditation 11:30-12:00 Discussion 12:00-12:30 Tea time This week's topic: Letting Go and Trusting For further information about our weekly meeting contact zen@dharma4et.org.

News

Holston Valley Sangha(Wednesday morning session that used to meet at UU Church) will now be meeting at ADMC in Johnson City.
See the website's embedded Twitter feed for last minute schedule changes and notices. Follow us on Twitter @AppDharma.
Visit our Summer Poetry page for a different perspective on practice.
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Special Notes

Lama Gursam's visit to Appalachian Dharma on May 1, 2015, to speak about the meaning of Om Mani Padme Hum as well as compassion and meditation in everyday life has been preserved in this video.

Appalachian Dharma & Meditation Center's Chairperson was on WETS, 89.5 FM, Thursday, July 28 and Sunday, July 1, 2012. To hear the podcast, go to: religionforlife.podomatic.com/entry/2012-07-03T07_00_00-07_00 or visit the interviewer's Religion For Life web site at www.religionforlife.com.

The vision of the Appalachian Dharma & Meditation Center is to facilitate a community of Buddhist practice that fosters the integration of wisdom and compassion. Our aim, as individuals and as a community, is to cultivate insight into the nature of mind and reality and overcome ego-orientated ways of being. We are a nonsectarian Buddhist center that offers weekly programs in Zen and Western Buddhism.

Appalachian Dharma & Meditation Center is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.