Purpose-Driven Lab: Having a CLEAR-CUT vision of the purpose of life is the key

"Hello, dear Dharma friends!

We're excited to welcome you to our online event. You'll find the passcode at the bottom of this message.
To help our meeting run smoothly, we kindly ask that you:

• Use the same name you use for your Meetup account when you join the Zoom meeting.
• Please activate your camera upon entering our Zoom meeting room.
• Remember our group's name, Online Buddhism for beginners Group from San Antonio, Texas, especially if you're joining us from outside San Antonio, Texas. We may ask for the group name to help us confirm your RSVP.
• If you're RSVPing at the last minute, it would be a great help if you could send a quick email to yuichi@coolbuddhism.com with the group name. This will make it easier for us to find your RSVP and get you into the meeting quickly.

Our events are designed to be friendly and engaging. We start with a 10-minute icebreaker to get to know each other, followed by a 40-minute Dharma talk (similar to a lecture). We then have a 10-minute Q&A session where you can ask questions. (Please note that these timings can sometimes vary.)

Here's a recap of our recent meeting. The main theme was: Ours is a long-term mission.

We all have a purpose that gives us direction and energy. Our ultimate purpose is different from the shorter-term goals we might have, like getting married, finding a job, starting a family, or retiring. Thinking about our mortality and the impermanence of life helps us to focus on what truly matters. Having supportive friends and family is so important as we navigate this world of suffering. Showing compassion and kindness to these people is essential. We all share imperfections, and sometimes we hurt each other because we're human. Self-reflection can help us through those difficult times. We're all in this together, and we all experience struggles and suffering.

The Buddha taught that the purpose of our journey is to discover genuine happiness that goes beyond life's challenges. The eight universal sufferings, as taught by the Buddha, are: birth, aging, sickness, death, being separated from those we love, encountering those we dislike, and being of the flesh (our body), which encompasses all the other sufferings.

When we practice the Six Paramitas (our daily practices), our good efforts will be rewarded. Kind and supportive people will be drawn to us. It might take time, but no effort is ever wasted. Some seeds take longer to bear fruit.

When we're clear about our purpose – self-transcendence – we can overcome our limitations, the obstacles in our path, and the pain we experience on our journey. Self-transcendence means looking beyond our desire for instant gratification, remembering those who will benefit from our efforts, and appreciating the people who have been there for us. If you don't have such people in your life, please make an effort to find at least one. And of course, by joining this meetup, you're becoming part of a supportive community.

We're able to continue offering these Dharma sessions because of the generosity of those who support us. We want to take a moment to express our sincere gratitude. If you're able to support our cause, you can make a donation through PayPal or Venmo to Bita Enayati at **bitadharma22@gmail.com**.

Thank you so much for your support and encouragement, which helps us to keep bringing you quality teachings. It's not the size of the donation that matters, but your willingness to be part of something bigger than ourselves.

Please take good care, and let's continue together towards the light of unconditional goodness! If you'd like to get to know each other better, please feel free to message me at **bitadharma22@gmail.com** with a brief introduction of yourself, and to confirm your RSVP.

If you're interested in learning about Buddhism but your schedule doesn't work, please reach out to me for a one-on-one session. And while you might see a small number of RSVPs here, we usually have about 10-18 people join us, so please don't let that discourage you! We hope to see you soon!

Lastly, once you've RSVP'd, you'll be able to see the link to the Zoom meeting room. When you click on the link and your Zoom application opens, you'll be asked to enter the passcode.
The passcode is 426646.