Philadelphia Buddhism for Beginners on Zoom

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/@EquanimityLab2025

Please note that sessions may be recorded on Zoom and made available later for premium members. By attending, you consent to the possibility of being included in these recordings.
Whether you’re working on productivity, health, mindset, or personal growth, this is a place to learn, practice, and grow alongside others walking the same path. Zoom password is 426646
Thank you for reading until the end! We’re planning to read about 40 pages or so for each session.
Come as you are. Stay for the community. Build better habits together.

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 3 sessions . After 3 sessions, if you see value in joining, please consider offering a contribution.
Our classes & sangha are sustained 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!

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Please make sure you RSVP 30 minutes prior to the start of the meeting.

4. Our classes are free for the first 3 sessions. After 3 sessions, if you see value in joining, please consider offering a contribution.
Our classes & sangha are sustained 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/@EquanimityLab2025

Last but not least– the Zoom passcode is 426646.
We’re looking forward to meeting you!

https://www.amazon.com/Purpose-Life-Happiness-transcends-sickness/dp/0960120750

https://www.amazon.com/Atomic-Habits-Proven-Build-Break-ebook/dp/B07D23CFGR/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.aVjxsZgNHJ6wfgiZ01PPLJpA8gqTTPrXgQL_hnQMlWVpcTMgi-NSu4_ojRNf_2ANAdIhYY3XJqfy4QYcYbiBveLmprLtxNldNwi2JVz97LPkT5OTgmDrRPMGWBU0sqKHQbuGuUQ1UA6qioznUVCy_grHgVrFyL0dXHwXwoKvE0S7dPxxGwQlhngE9f5ieZFzHU3Ap03CPBUCKzj8v1Crr7ZZ9dKez3T_tjZd5ZSbdoQ.16TX2S9jWhLcBooD2Xx9fA5rnWa6MbFsgHYFj6I5kWM&qid=1769699082&sr=8-1
Together, we read slowly and reflect deeply, allowing time for honest questions, personal insight, and shared understanding. The atmosphere is calm, respectful, and dialogue-based. No prior background in Buddhism is required—only a sincere interest in understanding life more deeply. We might make references to the book You Were Born For a Reason (million seller in Japan) as we reflect deeply on the fleeting nature of life and its monumental purpose.
Participation & Donations
The first three sessions are free, so you can experience the group and the study if it's something that can support your spiritual endeavors.
After attending three sessions, participants who wish to continue are expected to support the group through offering a contribution. While contributions are not a fixed fee and are offered according to one’s means, they are an important part of sustaining this ongoing study group. No one will be excluded for financial hardship—please reach out privately by emailing Bita at bitadharma22@gmail.com if this applies as one can donate their time if donating money is challenging.
Zoom passcode is 426646
Your camera needs to be on when you first come in and please be punctual so we get to know each other. If your camera is not functioning well, please fix the issue before joining our zoom group. I really appreciate your understanding as we all can maintain our mental health when we see each other on zoom as if it's an in-person event.
It's OK if you don't have the book for the first 3 sessions. I can share my Kindle book until you see if this book is in alignment with your spiritual objectives or not. Stay well my friends and hope to make your acquaintance soon!

Hi, our Dharma friends!
Welcome to the gateway to Buddhism 101 for all! Our Purpose Lab meeting is a friendly get-together of like-minded people to learn about “What is our life’s purpose and meaning?” 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. After that, we will record our presentation and Q&A and upload to YouTube for access by our premium members. Thank you for your understanding.
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.
Check out our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@EquanimityLab2025
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To better explain the philosophy behind Purpose Lab (our weekly Friday events, focusing on our life’s purpose and meaning):
In Buddhism, our life’s purpose is a long-term mission.

1. We all have our purpose in life, which energizes us to move on.
2. Our ultimate goal is different from our short-term goals or mid-term goals in life, such as marriage, landing a job, forming a family, or retirement.
3. If we think about our mortality and impermanence of life, minor issues become less important, and we feel an urgency to accomplish our real purpose.
4. It is helpful to have friends and family members who can support us as we travel through this Saha world of suffering toward our destination.
5. Practicing compassion and kindness to such good people is important.
6. We all have shared imperfections, and sometimes we hurt each other because we are human and are fallible. Self-reflection can help us move through such troubled times. Remember, we’re all in this together, we are all struggling, and we are all suffering.
7. Buddha said the purpose of this journey is to find genuine happiness that overcomes life’s sufferings.
8. The eight universal sufferings taught by the Buddha are: birth ( life), aging, sickness, death, separation from the beloved, encountering the despised, and being of the flesh (our body). This last suffering contains all the other sufferings.
9. When we practice Six Paramitas (our daily practices), our good efforts will be rewarded. Good people will be drawn to us and be a source of support. It might take some time but no effort is wasted. Some seeds take time to bear fruit.
10. When we know our purpose – self transcendence – we can overcome our limitations, the obstacles in our way, and the pain we suffer on our journey.
11. Self transcendence is to forget the desire for instant gratification and remember those people who will benefit from our effort, and to be grateful for the people who have been supporting us.
12. If you don’t have such people please make an effort to find at least one such person. And of course, by coming to this meet-up you will be a part of our sangha community!

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If you're interested in learning Buddhism but have a schedule conflict, please write to me for a one on one session.

1. Also please note that we're going to livestream this zoom session on YouTube for later access by our premium members. There will be an announcement from the Zoom app when it starts.
2. 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.
3. Please make sure you RSVP 30 minutes prior to the start of the meeting.
4. 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!

The Zoom meeting passcode is 426646. 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!!!
We are looking forward to meeting fellow truth-seekers such as yourself, interested in the path to discovering their life’s purpose and meaning!
Bita and Yuichi Asakura