Portland Buddhism for Beginners Meetup

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/@right-view-lab!
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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!
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.
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!

Hope this message finds you well our friends.
We have had women request a women’s Dharma Workshop, so we’ve decided to try it. We will meet once a month on a Saturday from 12 to 1 pm PST. The format will be brief self-introductions, a dharma slideshow presentation by Lori, followed by questions on the dharma. I will moderate. If you’d like to join us, please send an email to BOTH [bitadharma22@gmail.com](http://mailto:bitae22@hotmail.com/) and Lori at [itsadeal58@gmail.com](http://mailto:itsadeal58@gmail.com/). One email, two recipients is what we’re looking for. In your email, please tell us the following: (1) the names of the Dharma Lab meetups you usually attend, (2) about how many Buddhism meetups you have attended, and (3) where you consider yourself to be along your Buddhist path (e.g. I meditate 3 times a week; I have read extensively about Tibetan Buddhism; I chant twice a day every day; I tried Zen Buddhism, I clean my space every day, I join one of Bita and Yuichi’s meetups each week, etc.); (4) if you’re a contributing member, please let us know. Be sure to sign it with your whole name, especially if you have an email like “itsadeal58”! I don’t want to address you as Ms It Sadeal, that would be rude. Please join us, I think we can make it a good experience for everyone. I’m looking forward to it!
Usually we have about 10-20 women who join us. You won't see all the RSVPs on this page so don't be discouraged by the few RSVPs here! See you soon.This event is about women's empowerment and moving on from a place of hurt to a place of leadership all thanks to the healing power of the Dharma.
I’m Lori. I have been studying Buddhism with Bita and Yuichi for a few years now. I am a retired research chemist and I study French in my spare time (j’adore France). If you’re interested in learning more about mindfulness, or want to learn to meditate, I’m available to help you. I can be reached at [itsadeal58@gmail.com](http://mailto:itsadeal58@gmail.com/), and Bita can be reached at [bitadharma22@gmail.com](http://mailto:bitae22@hotmail.com/) for 1:1 Dharma lessons by offering a contribution.
We have a YouTube channel. Please consider to subscribe and join us:
https://www.youtube.com/@right-view-lab
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.
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To ensure a smooth entry to our zoom room, please make sure your camera is ON as soon as you come in and please be PUNCTUAL.
Once you RSVP, you will see the link to the Zoom meeting room. When you click the link and you Zoom application starts, then you'll be required to type the passcode. The passcode is 426646.

We have had women request a women’s Dharma Workshop, so we’ve decided to try it. We will meet once a month on a Saturday from 12 to 1 pm PST. The format will be brief self-introductions, a dharma slideshow presentation by Lori, followed by questions on the dharma. I will moderate. If you’d like to join us, please send an email to BOTH bitadharma22@gmail.com and itsadeal58@gmail.com. One email, two recipients is what we’re looking for. In your email, please tell us the following: (1) the names of the Dharma Lab meetups you usually attend, (2) about how many Buddhism meetups you have attended, and (3) where you consider yourself to be along your Buddhist path (e.g. I meditate 3 times a week; I have read extensively about Tibetan Buddhism; I chant twice a day every day; I tried Zen Buddhism, I clean my space every day, I join one of Bita and Yuichi’s meetups each week, etc.); (4) if you’re a contributing member, please let us know. Be sure to sign it with your whole name, especially if you have an email like “itsadeal58”! I don’t want to address you as Ms It Sadeal, that would be rude. Please join us, I think we can make it a good experience for everyone. I’m looking forward to it!
Usually there are 10-20 women who join us. You won't see all the RSVPs on this page so don't be discouraged by the few RSVPs here! See you soon.This event is about women's empowerment and moving on from a place of hurt to a place of leadership all thanks to the healing power of the Dharma.
I’m Lori. I have been studying Buddhism with Bita and Yuichi for a few years now. I am a retired research chemist and I study French in my spare time (j’adore France). If you’re interested in learning more about mindfulness, or want to learn to meditate, I’m available to help you. I can be reached at itsadeal58@gmail.com, and Bita can be reached at bitadharma22@gmail.com for 1:1 Dharma lessons.
Also some of our premium YouTube members can't join our meetups live so we're planning to record and upload to our YouTube channel. Please consider to subscribe and join us:
https://www.youtube.com/@right-view-lab

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 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.
------------
Your camera needs to be on when you come into the zoom; please arrive on time to have a smooth entry into the zoom.

Once you RSVP, you will see the link to the Zoom meeting room. When you click the link and you Zoom application starts, then you'll be required to type the passcode. The passcode is 426646.

Either me or a good Dharma friend is going to share the teachings with people new to Buddhism. Once our life is transformed through the Dharma, we can't keep it to ourselves. Hopefully other Dharma friends too will volunteer to share their wisdom too! Join us and study together! We will have Q&As at the end of the presentation too!
The password for zoom is 426646
We will record this session and upload to our YouTube channel for access by our premium Right View YouTube channel members. Thank you for your understanding.
If you're interested in learning Buddhism but have a schedule conflict, please email Bita at bitadharma22@gmail.com
Below is the self-introduction of one of our presenters:
My name is Pam and I am from Nepal. I have been listening to Buddhist teachings, reading books about Buddhism from the sources of what ever was available in my country , I used to listen to Buddhist monks , gurus . In the beginning of 2020 my husband met one sensei through facebook who was teaching Buddhism online so from there we started listening to Buddhism . We listened in daily basis , we had at least one hour session every day where we learned much more than what we had just learned within my country. Listening to dharma has motivated me in many ways specifically if I could share then it would be being a better person every day . no matter what the world throws at you , no matter how people treat you , no matter what you go through but you make sure that you become a better person . and listening to dharma /Buddhism has really helped me a lot , understanding life, relationships and more. It is just the beginning I feel there’s much more to go , so the best thing is you listen to dharma and feel more deep. Be kind have compassion.
And one more best thing you can do is sharing it. So that many people can benefit in many ways.
Before I was just growing by age but after listening to dharma I am sincerely grown up now , I have learned how to communicate, apologize, be truthful and accept accountability of my deeds / karma without blaming someone else. I'll be happy if I can share that with you too.

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.
Also please make sure your camera is on upon entering our zoom room. And be on time. If your camera is not functioning, please try another time when you're ready to listen and hear the Dharma. I appreciate your understanding.