Dharma Drink: the hangout for Buddhists (& like minded)

 
 
 

Dear Dharma Drink friends,

Join us for a drink on a nice summer evening at ART SoHo rooftop bar on June 9th (Friday) at 6:00 pm. We will drink, chat and connect with friendly folks from our group between 6 pm - 8 pm.

***From the ART SoHo website: "***Get closer to the city skyline at ART SoHo, where drinks are paired with gorgeous views of the Hudson River, the Freedom Tower, our downtown neighborhood and beyond. A spacious year-round setting for work drinks, date nights, and casual hangs with the crew, ART has both indoor and outdoor seating, and a curated menu of craft beer and cocktails, wine and small plates."

 
 
 

Dear Dharma Drink Friends,

Our next book club will be back on The Middle-Length Discourses of the Buddha, Majjhima Nikāya.

Please read/skim through the introduction as Bhikkhu Bodhi helps us understand the background and basics. For our discussions, we will cover the following chapters:

Read Chapters
MN 81 - Ghatikara Sutta: Ghatikara the Potter
MN 91 - Brahmayau Sutta: Brahmayu
MN 123 - Acchariya-abbhuta Sutta: Wonderful and Marvelous

Discussion Preparation:
Please prepare 3-5 points of interests or questions per chapter.

Optional:
Audio Teachings by Bhikkhu Bodhi - https://bodhimonastery.org/a-systematic-study-of-the-majjhima-nikaya.html

NOTE - each book discussion is independent of others, so you can join any meeting without having attended previous ones.

Per Bodhi Monastery: "The Majjhima Nikaya, or 'Middle-length Discourses' of the Buddha, is the second of the five nikayas, or collections, in the Sutta Pitaka of the Pali Tipitaka. This nikaya consists of 152 discourses by the Buddha and his chief disciples, which together constitute a comprehensive body of teaching concerning all aspects of the Buddha Dharma."

Per Bhikkhu Bodhi: “If the Majjhima Nikāya were to be characterized by a single phrase to distinguish it from among the other books of the Pali Canon, this might be done by describing it as the collection that combines the richest variety of contextual settings with the deepest and most comprehensive assortment of teachings.”

The translation we plan to use is by Bhikkhu Nanamoli and Bhikkhu Bodhi. This is a BIG book, so we plan to do the following:

• We will cover only select nikayas, chapters.
• Every meet will cover select nakyas, (each stands on its own)
• Will try to meet regularly, either weekly or every two to three weeks.

Since each chapter or nakaya is independent on its own, you can join at any session provided you have read the material for the discussion.

The book is available in many different formats, from free downloads to ($) hard copies, please see the links below.

ALSO NOTE: that we are here to read, exchange and help each other. We’re not here to expound. If you need deeper learnings, please go visit a Buddhist teaching center.

Intro video to Dharma Book Club (of NY)

*/|*
Eddie

--- Where to get this book (Price as of write up of event) - - -
Free PDF: http://promienie.net/blog/philosophy-spirituality/buddhism/dharma-collection/item/172-middle-length-discourses-of-the-buddha

Free PFD: http://lirs.ru/lib/sutra/The_Middle_Length_Discourses(Majjhima_Nikaya),Nanamoli,Bodhi,1995.pdf

Hardcopy ($75) or Ebook ($30) by Wisdomexperience.org - https://wisdomexperience.org/product/middle-length-discourses-buddha/

Kindle ($38) or Hard Copy ($50), you can find it on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/086171072X?ie=UTF8&tag=bodhimonas-20&link_code=wql&camp=212361&creative=380601

 
 
 

Join us for our summer Friday get-together at Ainsworth Midtown East Terrace Bar on 33rd and Park.

Are you in town this Friday afternoon? If so, why not hang out under the sky with fellow Dharma Drink friends this Friday afternoon.

We are meeting at Ainsworth's 2nd floor terrace. It is conveniently located on 33rd street between Park and Madison Avenue. Don't confuse this with the one on 26th street. We will have three to four small tables, exact location to be determined day off, so look for us.

Note: If possible, order your own separate check from our designated server; we have a minimum to satisfy in order for us to reserve these tables.

 
 
 

Dear Dharma Drink Friends,

"The practice Zen Mind is beginners mind. The innocence of the first inquiry--what am I?--is needed throughout Zen practice. The mind of the beginner is empty, free of the habits of the expert, ready to accept, to doubt, and open to all the possibilities. It is the kind of mind to see things as they are, which step by step and in a flash, can realize the nature of everything." Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind.

Join us for a Dharma book discussion on Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki. This Meetup encompasses the ENTIRETY of the book.
For this book club event, while we prefer that you've read the book, if you just didn't get to finish or barely started, you're welcome to join.

Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind is considered one of the most beloved of all American Zen books. Per Shambhala.com: "In the thirty years since its original publication, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind has become one of the great modern Zen classics, much beloved, much re-read, and much recommended as the best first book to read on Zen. Suzuki Roshi presents the basics—from the details of posture and breathing in zazen to the perception of nonduality—in a way that is not only remarkably clear, but that also resonates with the joy of insight from the first to the last page. It's a book to come back to time and time again as an inspiration to practice."

WHERE TO GET THE BOOK:

1. Amazon Link
2. Shambhala Link
3. Thriftbooks Link

NOTE: that we are here to read, exchange and help each other. We’re not here to expound. If you need deeper learning, please go visit a Buddhist teaching center. We will be adhering to the contents of the book. We will not have any inter-religious discussions. If you like to discuss any topics with anyone not pertaining to the book, we advise you to initiate a conversation with whomever on another zoom at another time, not during the book club discussion. Thank you for understanding.

Intro video to Dharma Book Club (of NY)

- - - About the Author
https://www.lionsroar.com/the-enduring-teachings-of-suzuki-roshi/

Lion's Roar: "Over a period of just twelve years, from his arrival in the United States in 1959 until his death in 1971, Shunryu Suzuki Roshi made a profound and enduring mark on the practice of Zen in the West. Through him, Americans came to know the approach of the Soto tradition, with its quiet emphasis on zazen and sitting as buddha, beyond goals. With his students, he founded San Francisco Zen Center and Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, one of the first Buddhist monasteries outside Asia. But with the publication of Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, he established a conversation with the culture at large, one that continues to this day."