Meditation (Monthly) Retreat

Greetings,

I hope this message finds each of you doing well. I am writing on behalf of the Georgia Buddhist Vihara to invite you to the next vipassana (mindfulness) meditation retreat on Saturday, July 18, 2015 from 7:30am to 5pm. This one-day, monthly meditation retreat will be held on-site at the Georgia Buddhist Vihara (3153 Miller Road, Lithonia, GA 30038). For this retreat, all meditation instructions and discussions will be conducted in English. This retreat is open to everyone - those who are new to meditation as well as those who are experienced meditators.

Below is a tentative schedule of the day's events:

MORNING PROGRAM

7:00–7:30am - Arrive at the vihara and prepare the space for breakfast

7:30–8:00am: Observance of Refuge and the Eight Precepts and traditional Buddhist chanting

8:00–8:45am: Breakfast (as a group) and clean-up

8:45–10:00am: Guided vipassana ("mindfulness") meditation 

 
10:00–10:30am: Break (coffee/tea)

10:30–11:30am: Metta ("Loving-Friendliness") meditation 

11:30am–12:00pm: Preparing lunch & traditional Buddhist chanting

12:00–12:45pm:  Lunch (as a group) and clean-up

AFTERNOON PROGRAM

12:45–1:30pm: Walking meditation

1:30–2:30pm: Vipassana meditation

2:30–3:00pm: Break (coffee/tea)

3:00–4:30pm: Sutta Discussion led by Ven. Wajirabuddhi Thera. The topic of the discussion will be the Cūḷahatthi­padopamaSutta (The Shorter Discourse on the Simile of the Elephant's Footprint) - Majjhima Nikaya #27. You can access the sutta that will be used for the discussion online here - https://suttacentral.net/en/mn27 (this is the Bhikkhu Bodhi translation from Wisdom Publication's The Middle Length Discourses). Please print out a copy of the sutta and bring it to the Dhamma discussion.

4:30–5:00pm:  Termination of the Retreat: Observance of the Five Precepts and concluding chanting

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PLEASE NOTE:

Participants will need to bring (1) a light breakfast food (e.g., fruits, bagels, etc.) and (2) a lunch dish (preferably vegetarian) to share with the resident monks and the retreat participants as a form of dana (offering).  It is also customary to bring flowers, candles, or incense to place on the shrine as an offering. It is traditional and customary to wear white clothing when participating in a meditation retreat, though this is not a requirement for attendance.

During this special time, please consider making a monetary donation to the vihara as a form of dana (an offering to the monastic community) so that we can continue to support the monks who make the teachings available to us and to keep the vihara open so that all people are able to practice and learn about the Dhamma.

I look forward to seeing you on Saturday, July 18 at the vihara.  I would ask that you RSVP (by email) in order to let us know that you will be joining us so we can adequately prepare for those who will be participating in the retreat. To confirm that you are planning on attending the retreat or if you have questions about our program, please feel free to contact me by email (justinhowell2112@gmail.com). 

I hope that you will be able to join us for this day of quiet contemplation, meditation, and sutta study. If you are unable to make this retreat, please know that we will be having regular, day-long vipassana retreats throughout the year. Additionally, I would like to encourage you to join us for meditation, sutta study, and Dhamma discussion on Wednesday evenings from 7:00 to 9:00 pm.  

May you, your friends, and family members be well, happy, and peaceful…

With metta,

Justin

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Justin Howell
Cell phone: 404.375.0264

QUEEN MAHĀ MĀYĀ’S DREAM

A long time ago in India, there lived a king named Suddhodana and a queen named Mahā Māyā. One full moon night on moth of July, the Queen dreamt of four guardian devas (deities) carried her with the soft bed where she is sleeping, to the Lake Anotatta in the Himalayan Mountain Range. The the maids clothed her in heavenly cloths, anointed her with perfumes, and bedecked her with divine flowers. A white baby elephant (baby tusker) holding a white lotus flower in its trunk went round her three times and entering her womb through her right side of the abdomen. The dream came to an end and the Queen was suddenly awakened. 

Wise men explained that the Queen was going to give birth to a prince. "A great joy is to be yours, O' king, O' queen. A son will be born to you, distinguished by the favor of the Gods. If, one day, he should renounce royalty, leave the palace, cast love aside; if, seized with compassion for the worlds, he should live the wandering life of a monk, he will deserve marvelous praise, he will richly deserve magnificent gifts. He will be adored by the worlds, for he will give them that which they hunger after. O' master, O' mistress, your son will be a Buddha!"