~Happenings~

So I just returned from the conference...Really sick. Everyone at CTTB was getting this really bad viral infection and I managed to fight it off for a long time until now. Good reminder for me that this body is impermanent and even though I may be young and strong...I am still susceptible to sickness (that was tough for me to admit).

Onto the Conference-

I can start by saying even though I was getting more and more sick as time went on, I was also becoming more and more happy. All the people around me had come to this conference to help themselves answer some of the difficult questions in life...Who am I, what is life's purpose? How can I be happy?...etc. Lots of good open hearts are contagious and uplifting. I dont get to partake in too many activities like this so it was a real blessing for me to volunteer and take part.

Doug powers spoke on "The Dharma of Relating to People".

Amazing. Why? To paraphrase.

When was the last time you really listened to someone else? How do you relate to other people? These were the questions he posed to us. He said that most of the time we are not genuinely listening to anyone else. We just project out our own wants and desires on the people we are close to (and everyone else), and when they dont meet our expectations and desires there is conflict. The problem is also in that we cant see them for unique individual universes in of themselves, completely different with their own background and understanding, their own wants and desires. If we can first genuinely stop projecting, and start genuinely listening to people, right there is where genuine communication is.

He then continued by making a very important statement. That listening, is practice, is genuine cultivation from the very start, to very advanced levels. Dont think that sitting quietly is when you are practicing (even though it can also be). But cultivation first starts with how we deal with our relationships. The marker, or the meter of how much actual skill we have is directly related to how we react and deal with our relationships, not how long we can sit still (although, dont doubt that it helps!). Interesting huh...

Another key point. We need to accept the fact that who we are is exactly what we have chosen to one degree or another. There are no victims. This can be tough to take. But the idea is that we dont make good decisions. Those dysfunctional decisions lead to our suffering. What we think will make us happy ends up being the opposite because we just follow our desires instead of stopping and contemplating, thinking everything over. This teaching really spoke to me in a big way.

--I also went to Dr. Epstein's talk on "Perfecting the Wisdom Within", and to Dharma Master Jin He's talk about "The 10 signs of a mature spiritual life".

Onto the panel I was invited to speak on--

I greatly enjoyed this experience (test). Even though I was really sick, the sight of all the bright smiling faces in front of me filled me with joy, and nervousness which increased blood circulation which allowed me to actually speak.

Here are the Questions I and three others on the panel were asked-
1. Whats your personal story in regards to coming into Buddhism?
--I spoke about the Kungfu school I came from and the temple I volunteered at in Niagara Falls.

2. What is your personal practice?
--I spoke a little about my personal practice being sitting meditation and mantra recitation. But then brought it back to really my practice is in trying to become a more filial person and responsible in my daily life.

3. What do you think the role of community is relationship to spiritual practice?
--I reiterated a quote from the Buddha mentioned earlier in the panel saying "It is mentioned in Samyutta Nikaya that once Ven. Ananda approached the Buddha and remarked that "half of the spiritual life is based on friendship, companionship and association with the good." to which the Buddha replied " Ven. Ananda, do not say so. Not half, but man's entire spiritual life is established on friendship, companionship and association with the good."
--I thought this was a very important quote so I talked about how, from my own experience this is 100% truth. I then talked a little about how conversely if you disassociated yourself with your good friends and spiritual community through doubt and immaturity then you can really cause harm to yourself and others. As I have come to realize that, based on what I have personally done in the past.

I have matured.

The whole conference was taped. I dont know if it will be made available online but if it is i will post a link. Goto www.dharmaradio.org for lectures.

Also there is a new forum up for Dharma Talk-- goto http://www.berkeleymonastery.org/phpbb3/

please ask any questions you might have. I am on there. My name is Kenny.

Alot of other things are happening...I will post later on my new school pursuits and future endeavors. So many possibilities...life is what you make it. Make it wise and kind. :-)

-Take care-
kenny