Ozarks Dharma Community

We will be having a day-long retreat at the lovely LittlePortion Retreat Center in Republic on Sunday, Oct. 13th, 9am-4pm. After a short meditation sitting and a Dharma talk and discussion, the rest of the day will be spent in self-paced practice of sitting and walking meditation, inside or outside, whatever you prefer. Bring your own lunch, a refrigerator and microwave are available for our use. Bring your own cushions, benches, and/or blankets if you can, but there will be a few cushions available, as well as folding chairs for those who need one. You can stay the entire day, or just for the morning if it's not possible for you to be here all day. Everyone is welcome, no experience is necessary. The sisters who run the center suggest a donation of $15 per person, and any additional donations will go to Ozarks Dharma. Of course, no one will be turned away for lack of funds! We will need help setting up for the retreat, as well as tidying up afterward. This consists of

EDIT: The flyer has now been updated to include contact information (9/18/2013).  We will be having our 2nd annual Picnic in the Park on Sunday, Sept.22 from 11-3 at Fassnight Park. Please feel free to print the flyer ( jpg or pdf ) and place it somewhere for others to see. We would especially like some up at MSU, Drury or OTC, or other colleges. If anyone has any Dharma books that they would like to give for our outreach table, please bring them to the park so we can give them away to anyone that's interested in Buddhism and meditation. We hope you, your family and friends can attend!

Thank you to everyone who expressed interest and participated in the Beginning Meditation Practice Group! We've enjoyed and appreciated meeting each of you and deepening our practices. We have now completed the Beginning Meditation Practice Group sessions. Although this is a little ahead of schedule, it seemed like the wisest decision in light of everyone's schedules and needs. If you'd like to give feedback about the group, you can find a brief survey (nine questions) HERE . We look forward to meditating together again in the future!

Dears, Our monastery was given several DVD's of talks by Bhikkhu Bodhi and Ajahn Thanissaro. These DVD's are meant to be given to those with an interest in the teachings of the Buddha. If you would like any of the DVD's please let Linda Halford know and we will mail them to her and she can distribute them. Here are a list of what we have: Thanissaro Bhikkhu- Basics 55 Dhamma Talks (we have lots of these) Bhikkhu Bodhi- Exploring the Word of the Buddha (A Systematic Study of the Majjhima Nikaya) Bhikkhu Bodhi- A Study of "In the Buddha's words" (An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon) Bhikkhu Bodhi- Three Blessing Suttas (Ratana, Mangala, Metta Suttas) with friendliness, Ayya Dipa

Beginning a meditation practice can be an overwhelming experience, especially if the mind is flooded with questions. How can I fit one more thing into my already busy life? What do I do when I sit to meditate? Is this what meditation is supposed to feel like? Is this even worth my time? A Beginner's Practice Group is meant to provide you with the encouragement and accountability that helps you establish a regular meditation practice. Whether you're completely new to meditation or are looking to deepen your commitment, you're welcome to join us on the second and fourth Mondays of June - September 2013 (8 meetings, 7 pm to 8:30 pm) as we explore the how and why of starting a meditation practice. For more information, visit: http://begin.ozarksdharma.org/   To r egister, c ontact David: by e-m ail at: register@cccozarks.org by phone at: 417-893-0305

Our friend Steve Berkwitz has informed us that he will be giving a talk at the Missouri Buddhist Meditation Center in St. Louis on Sat. May 25th.  The Center is led by a Sri Lankan bhikkhu, Ven. Pannarama.  It is located at 7102 N. Hanley Rd. in St. Louis.  Here is a schedule of events for Wesak Day: 6.15-7:15 am — Taking Eight Precepts and Buddha Puja 7:15-8:00 — Morning Dana 8:00-9:00 — Meditation 9:00-10:00 — Jataka Story Sermon 10:00-10:45 — Talk by Prof. Steve Berkwitz 10:45-11:30 — Buddha Puja 11:30-12:30 pm — Late-morning Dana 12:30-1:00 — Break 1:00-3:00 — Dharma talk (Sinhala & English) 3:00-3:30 — Tea 3:30-4:00 — Loving-kindness Meditation 4:00-4:30 — Mindfulness Meditation 4:30-5:00 — Ending the Eight Precepts 5:00-6:30 — Devotional singing Everyone is welcome to attend any of the activities on this special day. 

donshushu@cbt-stl.com Apr 25 [I am passing this along in case you all aren't aware of this.] Ayya Dipa Dear Friends, Bhikkhu Bodhi, one of the foremost Buddhist translators and scholars in the world, is coming to the St. Louis area in early June 2013. Please find attached three posters for the upcoming events with Bhikkhu Bodhi here in St. Louis. To register, please contact donshushu@cbt-stl.com ASAP. Information will be provided about the event and overnight stays, seating, etc. Note that seating is very limited for this Teaching Retreat. We have space only for around 40 people. Already almost half the spots have been accounted for. Therefore, people will be accepted on a first-come basis. Regretably, we can only accomodate people who can register for both days. Overnight stays are available also on a limited basis. The events are as follows. 1) Vesak Day -- Sunday, June 2 -- No preregistration needed 2) Bhikkhu Bodhi Teaching Retreat, Friday and Satur

We will be having a one-day retreat on Sunday, April 28th, from 9am-4pm, at Little Portion Retreat Center, 645 S Assisi Way, Republic, MO.  You can find a map HERE . We will begin our day with meditation and a short Dhamma talk by Holly, followed by an optional chanting session in English led by David.  The rest of the day will be spent in self-paced practice of sitting and walking meditation on the grounds of the retreat center.  Please bring a brown bag lunch--a refrigerator and microwave are available for our use.  Stay for the whole day or for the morning, whichever is most convenient for you.  The sisters at the retreat center suggest a donation of $15 per person for the use of the center. Please park in the lot on the left at the end of the drive.  You are welcome to bring your own cushions or benches, but a few cushions and two benches will be available if you need them. For more information, please email us at ozarksdharma.org.

On February 23, 2013 the Saturday Meditation Group will meet for the last time at the Body of Work Yoga Studio.  The studio will be closing, and we will miss sitting in that lovely space after so many years of practice there.  Thanks to Tom Carlson, Joan Rosen, Kirsten Kukal and all the others who have made it possible for us to meet there for so long. But when a door closes, as they say, another opens!  On Saturday, March 2, 2013 we will begin meeting at Dinh Quang Buddhist Temple, 2901 W. High Street, at our usual time of 9 am.  Thay and the Vietnamese community have welcomed us with open arms, and are very happy that we have decided to meet there and make the temple our home.  I hope that you will take the opportunity to come and say goodbye to the BOW Studio, and then come and say hello to Dinh Quang Buddhist Temple! For directions to the temple go  HERE.

Dinh Quang Buddhist Temple will be holding a Lunar New Year Celebration Sat. Feb. 9th and Sunday Feb. 10th.  This lovely Vietnamese temple is located at 2901 W. High Street, in the northwest part of Springfield.  A flyer with a list of events and times can be found here. Photo © Anh Ðào Kolbe/adkfoto.com

Two nuns from the Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist Association will be visiting MSU next Monday night.  One of them, Ven. Chang Ji, will give a talk entitled 'The "Me" I Want To Be: Be Your Own Best Life Coach'.  After the talk, she and Ven. Guo Chan will lead a Q&A session.  This event will be held at 7pm in Rm. 301 of Strong Hall.  A flyer for the event can be found  HERE