South Bay Buddhism for Beginners Meetup

Hi our Dharma friends,
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.

Hi, our Dharma friends!
Welcome to the gateway to Buddhism 101 for all! Our Right View Lab meeting is a friendly get-together of like-minded people to learn about unbiased thinking 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!
If you have a schedule conflict, you can write to us at bitadharma22@gmail.com for one on one sessions by offering a contribution.
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To better explain the philosophy behind Right View Lab (our weekly Monday events, focusing on unbiased thinking):
Finding the “Right View” means trying to find an objective and impartial view of the world – and to remove the biases that we all have when viewing the world. We are unable to see anything except through the prism of thought and emotion. When it comes to examining ourselves in particular, it is impossible to take off the tinted glasses of partiality and self seeking. Egoism clouds our vision.
Here’s a story to illustrate this. One day a princess in the legendary Dragon Palace under the sea held up a jewel and told all the fishes, “I will give a prize to anyone who can tell me what color this is.” Each of them named a different color: the black porgy said it was black, the bluefish said it was blue, and the white-fish said it was silver. Then they asked the princess, “Which one is right?” She replied, “The jewel has no color of its own. It is transparent, and simply reflects each of your colors.”
In regards to how we view life, it's beneficial to remind ourselves that our minds are like an iceberg. There's some of it poking through above the water level, and there's a vast amount of it below which is unseen. Let me give an example of how a young couple moves into an apartment building. Each Saturday the wife would shout to her husband, "Look at our neighbors laundry hanging over there. It looks so dirty! They must be using the wrong detergent!" This went on each week for quite some time. Then one Saturday, the wife woke up and said, "Today they look beautiful and clean." Then the husband said, "I woke up early this morning and cleaned the window."
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 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 5 sessions or so. After 5 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!
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 the Right View!
If you have a schedule conflict, feel free to email me at bitadharma22@gmail.com for one on one sessions by offering a contribution. Stay well now!

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.