FALL SEMESTER 2006!!!

BACK TO SCHOOL!

HELLO EVERYONE!

Sorry I haven’t posted, but as usual I’ve been really busy. That’s my excuse for most things I should probably do, I just say “Oh… Im really busy, I cant do that now.” That’s one of my faults im trying to work on, PROCRASTINATION. Well that’s enough of that.

This new semester has already started and I am enjoying it, despite being really sick for the past week!

I arrived back here at CTTB after having spent some time home with my family and friends. I finished the retreat in Australia and I could write and talk about that one for hours, but I won’t… But the picture I posted was taken because I finished memorizing the Surangama mantra, and for anyone who does that, the Dharma Masters present them with a golden bowl! How nice! I gave it to my mom for her B-day, what a perfect gift.

The Dharma Masters going from right to left are Dharma Master Heng Chih, Dharma Master Heng Liang, and Dharma Master Jin Rou. These are the people who have taught, and continue to teach me in many wonderful ways. I feel that through their influence and example I have learned a lot about myself and have deepened my own personal practice. I cannot express my gratitude in words to them. As a whole, the retreat in Australia was the single most powerful experience in my life (short as it may be). I will just leave it at that.

Then I went home, got to see all my family and friends! One of the things I went home with was trying to get everyone I know to drink Chinese tea. I have become a tea enthusiast after having some really good tea in Asia. And I have done the research (and you should too) on just how good it is for you. SO DRINK TEA EVERYDAY (but not the bagged junk…)

On to my new schedule---For all those interested…

I am starting my second year of Chinese language! Chinese is beginning to get more and more fun. I have class 3 times a week, and on Fridays I have classical Chinese! My real goal in learning Chinese is so that I can translate Buddhist and other works into English, and also be able to communicate with my extended family in the temples I visit. That is the real core of my work this semester. But I also have an awesome class in the Fundamentals of Traditional Chinese Medicine, a comparative ethics class, my Chinese orchestra class, Taiko Japanese drumming, and a new class on the Dhyana Paramita Treatise. Heres some fun info---

Dhyana (Sanskrit)= Chan na (in classical Chinese)= Chan (shortened form used today)=Zen (Japanese)--- I put this here because maybe some people would like to know what “ZEN” means… Well it’s the Japanese way of saying CHAN, which is just the ancient Indian way of saying Dhyana-- They all mean MEDITATIVE CONCENTRATION…kinda. You can basically say Chan is meditation skill. And this is what i was taught all about in Australia, and now back here in CTTB. The key for me is after studying all this…I actually have to put it into practice! Otherwise its all just dead words in my head. Well its back to school for me at CTTB, a place that I still consider to be the most beautiful on earth. Take care!

kenny