What we’re about
Buddhism is a practice and it is actually through practice that you learn how it empowers your life to be all that you can be and reach your full potential.
A good teacher is necessary to walk us through the process. First and foremost, listening to the unchanging Dharma is the key.
Join us for an informal introduction session and let's get to know each other.
Feel free to send us a private message with your contact information if you'd like us to contact you to decide the time and place of our activities.
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Book Club: Radical Acceptance, Embracing Your Life With the Heart of A BuddhaLink visible for attendees
# Hello our Dharma friends,
Hope this message finds you well. As one of the most active Buddhism groups online, we often get so many questions such as the following:
How to be accepting of our fate specially when bad things happen?
How to surrender to our fate? Or do I need to constantly strive to change it?
I'm trying to be kind to myself but why is it not easy?
I suffer feeling I’m constantly struggling; why do we live life?
Compassion in Buddhism means removing suffering and enabling joyfulness. When Siddhartha Gautama reached the enlightenment of a Buddha, he taught us the 4 Noble Truths, the first of which is life is suffering. But he also taught the second Noble Truth, which is there is a cause to suffering. And the third Noble Truth: the cessation of suffering & the 4th Noble Truth: the way to the cessation of suffering.
To the extent we understand the root cause of our sufferings, we can gain confidence in living life and supporting others as well. That adds to our joyfulness and vitality in life!
In our meetups, we talk about the 4 Noble Truths and in this book club gathering, we'd like to go over how karmic seeds we knowingly and unknowingly plant, which cause our sufferings. Then a way to resolve those karmic entanglements come to our view: we move from a state of resistance to a state of embracement.
We're going to read Tara Brach's book Radical Acceptance, Embracing Your Life with a Heart of a Buddha and have discussions about it. From page 9, "When I touched genuine peace and openheartedness, my inner critic continued to assess my level of purity. I mistrusted myself for the ways I tried to be positive when underneath I felt lonely or afraid."
We're planning to read about 2 chapters per month. I'd like for us to share one point each how we got moved by a point or two in the book, why that point or theme is changing our lives, and how we can explain it in a way that MOVES OTHERS' HEARTS as well. My goal for all our meetups is to learn the Dharma and share with others to spread light and love in this world.
Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha https://a.co/d/7zgKXe6
How does self-judgement, fear of inadequacy, or rejection impact your experiences?
Radical Acceptance offers a pathway to inner freedom through personal stories and case histories along with a fresh interpretation of Buddhist tales.March 2025: Pages 1-48 Awakening from the Trance of unworthiness & mindfulness practice of awakening from the trance
April 2025: Pages 48-92 The Sacred Pause & Unconditional Friendliness
May 2025: NO BOOK CLUB GATHERING IN MAY
June 2025: Pages 93-160 Coming Home to Our Body & Radical Acceptance of Desire (discussions needed)
July 2025: Pages 161-221 Opening our Heart in the Face of Fear & Awakening Compassion for Ourselves
August 2025: Pages 221-282 Widening the Circles of Compassion
September 2025: Pages 283-330 Awakening Together: Practicing Radical Acceptance in Relationships
October 2025: NO BOOK CLUB GATHERING IN OCTOBER
Our classes are free for the first 5 sessions. After 5 sessions, if you see the value in joining, please consider offering a contribution.
Our classes & sangha are sustained completely by the dana gratitude contributions of people like you!
Dana gratitude donations for our classes are gratefully accepted on Venmo @Bita-Enayati
If you don't have Venmo, please email me at bitadharma22@gmail.com
so you can offer your contribution through PayPal or Zelle
Suggested donation for the event is $5 - $20.
For one on one sessions by offering a contribution, please email me a bit about your spiritual journey so far at bitadharma22@gmail.com
One on one sessions help us understand our karmic entanglements and move past the hurt of traumas. It does take time to see the big picture but good things come to people who wait.Our zoom password is 426646
Also please be ON TIME and have YOUR CAMERA ON as soon as you enter my zoom room so you don't experience difficulty being admitted to the group. This group is about practicing the Dharma and not just learning theories. If you can't have your camera on or you are going to be late, it's better for you to make appointment for one on one sessions by offering a contribution.
Thank you for reading until the end and hope to see you soon! Please don't be discouraged by the few RSVPs on this page as friends join us from other venues as well. Stay kind.
- Karma Lab: How we can make spiritual growth until we all acquire true happinessLink visible for attendees
Hi, our Dharma friends!
Welcome to the gateway to Buddhism 101 for all! Our Karma Lab meeting is a friendly get-together of like-minded people to learn about karma in Buddhism.
Our weekly “intro to Buddhism” meetup group is open to all! No experience in Buddhism is necessary. Each week we prepare a Dharma presentation for you all on that week’s Buddhism topic, followed by Q&A. We kick off each meeting with some introductions and short ice-breaking so that you get to know the other members of our sangha community! We have a good mix of regulars and newbies each meeting.
The first 20 minutes I'd like to get to know who is joining our zoom session so please have your camera on. To ensure a smooth entrance to my zoom room, your camera must be on when you come in.
Our classes are free for the first 5-10 sessions . After those sessions, if you see value in joining, please consider offering a contribution.
Our classes & sangha are sustained completely by the dana gratitude contributions of people like you!
Dana gratitude donations for our classes are gratefully accepted on Venmo @Bita-Enayati If you don't have Venmo, please email me at bitadharma22@gmail.com
so you can offer your contribution through PayPal or Zelle
Suggested donation for the event is $5 - $20.
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To better explain the philosophy behind Karma Lab (our weekly Wednesday events, focusing on Karma):
It is not unusual for people to ask themselves;- Why do bad things happen to me?
- Or simply, "why me?"
Often these questions come up when things are not going well, or when they fall apart. In these moments we may feel like we're confined to a small bubble, and it feels like there's no solution to our problems.
Buddhism does not state that there's some supernatural being that causes bad things to happen or some ancestral curse that shapes it. Rather Buddhism says to practice good deeds and refrain from bad. This does seem like common sense but there's a difference there.
There are two reasons why this applies to our lives.
One reason is that karma has energy. Not only is it invisible, somewhat like a virus which can't be seen, but it also has strength, and it shapes our future. This strength or power has an influence on our daily lives. Buddha said: "Bad karma creates bad consequences and good karma creates good consequences."
Also, when bad things are happening to us, it's an opportunity for us to practice self-reflection and make extra effort to practice simple good deeds such as cleaning, showing a smile to people, and giving gifts to our friends and family.
It's human nature for most people to blame others at times for our unfavorable outcomes or difficulties in life. It's harder to stop and look more closely at ourselves.
So, it is therefore important to regulate our minds because they are the parent, our speech and actions being the children. That is why the Buddha taught us about the Six Paramitas – six types of daily practices.
With patience and practice of these teachings, we will undergo a complete transformation. In addition, our lives will improve. We are all encouraged to practice kindness and compassion, the act of which is always at the top of the list.
Stay well and let's go forward towards the light of unconditional goodness together! We have about 10-20 people join us each week, including the regulars, so hope you don't get discouraged by seeing the few RSVPs here on this page. See you soon too!!!
If you're interested in learning Buddhism but have a schedule conflict, please write to me for a one on one session!- Also please note that we're going to record this zoom session on zoom for later access by our premium members. There will be an announcement from the Zoom app when recording starts.
- We would appreciate it if you use the same name as your Meetup account so that the host of the meeting will easily recognize the participants.
- Please make sure you RSVP 30 minutes prior to the start of the meeting.
4. Our classes are free for the first 10 sessions or so. After 10 sessions, if you see value in joining, please consider offering a contribution.
Our classes & sangha are sustained completely by the dana gratitude contributions of people like you!
Dana gratitude donations for our classes are gratefully accepted on Venmo @Bita-Enayati If you don't have Venmo, please email me at bitadharma22@gmail.com
so you can offer your contribution through PayPal or Zelle
Suggested donation for the event is $5 - $20.
Check out our YouTube channel at
https://www.youtube.com/@right-view-lab!
Last but not least– the Zoom passcode is 426646.
We’re looking forward to meeting you!
Bita and Yuichi Asakura - Happiness Lab for Advanced Sangha MembersLink visible for attendees
Hi our Dharma friends!
Welcome to Buddhism for our advanced members! Our Happiness Lab meeting is a friendly get-together of like-minded people to learn about happiness in Buddhism.
If you're new to Buddhism, please check out our Sundays 10 AM Eastern time class for beginners to Buddhism.
Our weekly “Advanced” meetup group is open to those who have completed our basic course and are a contributing, sustaining member of our Sangha community. Each week we prepare a Dharma presentation for you on that week’s Buddhism topic, followed by Q&A. We kick off each meeting with some introductions and short ice-breaking to encourage one another to take our Dharma practice to the next level!
Check our our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@right-view-lab !
To better explain the philosophy behind Happiness Lab (our weekly Saturday events, focusing on happiness):
The ultimate goal of Buddhism is experiencing true happiness. But if we don't know what it is, we won't know how to go about it. There's a goal, or the finishing point of experiencing happiness that does not abandon us, Buddha teaches us. That is lasting peace of mind and satisfaction.
Buddha teaches us what lasting happiness is in contrast to our fleeting sense of it.
A great master of Buddhism expressed his own experience of attaining such happiness as follows:
"Swiftly receiving the wisdom of Buddha, gaining perfect and flawless satisfaction."
Just visualize the beautiful image of a full moon in the night sky. The full moon has a perfectly circular shape, which is symbolic of something perfect in Buddhism.
How can we experience perfect happiness? It's when darkness of mind or avidya in Sanskrit will get lifted. It takes no time. When the light comes, our dark mind will be instantly gone. That's the moment we achieve true happiness.
Dark mind is like a spiritual illness of not knowing why we suffer, why we're born, why we live. It's the ignorance about our true self as well.
Why do we feel pain when we say goodbye to our loved ones? Why is separation always painful? A popular Japanese singer once said, "Human beings are immersed in pain from the beginning but while we have our loved ones around us, we can forget about our pain. But when we say goodbye to them, the pain comes to the surface. In a sense, our loved ones work like a painkiller." There are all these forms of “painkillers.” – social media, playing games on your phone, drinking, binging Netflix, etc.
Why do we lack energy to move forward? Is it because we feel we're stuck in a circular marathon? When do I reach the finishing line? How long should I continue doing this?
The following are the lines from a popular song of Japan.
Over this hill, happiness lies waiting:
Clinging to that hope,
seven hills have I crossed so far,
this my fiftieth year.
We want to reach a point of completion. Seeking is tiring, you know.
Artists seek perfection in their artwork. But it's difficult to find a point of perfection. One popular singer said this:
"I always focus really hard on an album or a tour, and at the time I'll think, “This is the greatest!" But when it's over, somehow I’m always like “Nope, I still have a long way to go.”
Don't we look for lasting joy through our work/hobbies/relationships? But each time, we feel disillusioned.
The original pain comes from our dark minds. Listening to the Dharma illuminates this pain and eliminates it.
------ Also please note that we're going to record this zoom session on YouTube for later access by our premium members. There will be an announcement from the Zoom app when it starts.
- We would appreciate it if you use the same name as your Meetup account so that the host of the meeting will easily recognize the contributing, sustaining participants. Your camera must be on when you enter the zoom just to greet the hosts.
- Our classes are free for the first 3 sessions. After 3 sessions, if you see the value in joining, please consider offering a contribution.
Our classes & sangha are sustained completely by the dana gratitude contributions of people like you!
Dana gratitude donations for our classes are gratefully accepted on Venmo @Bita-Enayati
If you don't have Venmo, please email me at bitadharma22@gmail.com
so you can offer your contribution through PayPal or Zelle
Suggested donation for the event is $5 - $20.
For one on one sessions by offering a contribution, please email me a bit about your spiritual journey so far at bitadharma22@gmail.com
One on one sessions help us understand our karmic entanglements and move past the hurt of traumas. It does take time to see the big picture but good things come to people who wait.
Our zoom password is 426646
Also please be ON TIME and have YOUR CAMERA ON as soon as you enter my zoom room so you don't experience difficulty being admitted to the group. This group is about practicing the Dharma and not just learning theories. If you can't have your camera on or you are going to be late, it's better for you to make appointment for one on one sessions by offering a contribution.
Thank you for reading until the end and hope to see you soon! Please don't be discouraged by the few RSVPs on this page as friends join us from other venues as well. Stay kind.
