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Sakyadhita Newsletter 13                    
Full Moon, October 29th, 2012

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COMING EVENTS,
and Announcements

 

Vancouver BC
Wed. Nov. 7th
An evening with 
Venerable Pannavati 
 from Embracing Simplicity Hermitage in North Carolina.

Victoria BC
Saturday Nov. 3rd
Public Talk
7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
Garry Oak Room 1335 Thurlow Rd. 

Sunday Nov 4th 
Meditation and Talk
7:00 - 9:00 pm
Lynn Wylie-Helga Beer Yoga Studio
#202-1600 Bay St. (Shakespeare St. entrance)


Ayya Khema
Ayya Khema

This site is dedicated to the teachings of Venerable Ayya Khema (1923-1997), a Theravada Buddhist nun and one of the founding members of Sakyadhita International. Many thanks to Sakyadhita Canada member, Merna Tesarski, for digitalizing Ayya's retreat talks and making them available for to us.


 Yin Kit Sik
Venerable
Yin Kit Sik
Po Lam Buddhist
Association,
Chilliwack BC

Discourse on Life
 (Cantonese)

Location: Shadbolt Centre, Burnaby
Instructor: Ven Yin Kit Sik

Date: Nov 2, 2012
Time: 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm
Friday

Mindfulness Meditation (Cantonese) 

Location: VanDusen Garden, Vancouver
Instructor: Ven Yin Kit Sik
Start Date: Nov 4, 2012
Time: 10:00 am to 4:30 pm
Sunday

Click here for more information re: Po Lam Buddhist association

The Venerable Sik Yin Kit,  also known as "Sister Jessie" to those closest to her, is the head nun of Po Lam Buddhist Association, Chilliwack. She is active throughout the Fraser Valley, and Greater Vancouver area. One of her many roles, the Venerable Sik is a volunteer meditation teacher in Canadian prisons. Although she is a Mahāyāna nun, she draws upon a meditation technique nurtured in the Theravāda tradition: vipassana meditation. As a volunteer meditation teacher, the Venerable Sik sits at the intersection of many worlds-but she also sits at the intersection between different Buddhist schools and practices in an increasingly globalized Buddhist world.

 

Sin Yin Kit - Dhamma in Prison: The True Transformation?
Sik Yin Kit -
Dhamma in Prison:
 The True Transformation?

  Anytime,
 is a Good time...
Sakyadhita Canada's memberships.
Please access the website below for more information. 
Or just print off the donations / membership form and post it to us. 
Thank you for your continued support and donations. 
 

 DONATION / MEMBERSHIP FORM

___________________

Greetings!   
   
 Welcome to Fall, and the first anniversary of Sakyadhita Canada's Newsletter. We hope that you continue to enjoy, and share what you find here.  

 Please visit our web site, which has recently been updated with many interesting additions and a full gallery of photos. Including many from the recent conference. 

 

Click here to visit our web site. 

Sister Sarani and susan
Venerable Sarani Karuna
& Susan Pesut
(Sakyadhita Canada's Newletter editor)

CANADIAN WOMEN IN BUDDHISM CONFERENCE

Venerable Sarani Karuna

There are times in one's life that the unfolding of Kamma can clearly be seen. Such is the case with the first Sakyadhita Canada conference held in

 Calgary in SeptemberWomen conference

Kathleen, Patricia, Jayanta, Sister Tinh Quang, Vererable Sarani, Mavis

 

Like the unfolding of a lotus requires many components to come together at just the right time, so too, does an event that has such profound and lasting effects on so many.

Ayya Kemma's dedication to the Dhamma immediately springs to mind when the seeds of such an event are sought. Due to her depth of understanding and her persistence in sharing that understanding, we, in Canada, have had the very good fortune of reaping the benefit of the continued teachings and continued dedication that she inspired in others. In this, I speak of the current president of Sakyadhita Canada, Jayanta (Shirley Johannesen), and the very dedicated women on the board of directors. 

They, with the help of many others, afforded us with the opportunity to experience the Buddha's teaching 

in a very direct way.

Jayanta
Jayanta

Loving Kindness and Compassion was much in evidence at the conference; and it doesn't get more direct than that. Encouragement for others to continue in their practice seemed to be the foundation for all that took place. Those present at the event had the chance to experience the benefits of the path; to witness acceptance --- it didn't matter which tradition one follows, if any --- and willingness to share and to help others.

On a personal note, my life has been enhanced by attending. I met people with shared interests and developed friendships that are helping me to sustain my commitment to leading the life of a female Buddhist monk. This in turn, inspires me to continue to share the Buddha's Path. Being one of many, I am confident that others have come away feeling the same inspiration. The conference, like the pond in which a lotus grows, brought many components together, thus, enabling numerous beings to blossom in the teaching.

 

Conference organizers
Organizing committee
Wendy McAdam. 2nd row/ left

 

 

CANADIAN WOMEN IN BUDDHISM CONFERENCE

 

(The Ongoing Theme)

Wendy McAdam

Sakyadhita Canada's first conference's theme was to connect, support and share. This theme also applied to the experience of serving on the organizing committee.

Jayanta's vision was to create Sakyadhita Canada's first conference and a small working committee was struck to realize this goal. We connected, supported and shared through the use of technology, since many of us came from different geographical locations. The committee met regularly and shared our time, energy and expertise as we 

worked together towards our goal.

This 3-fold theme also emerged within each meeting and soon we were connecting, supporting and sharing beyond the committee itself. There were volunteers, sponsors, donors, members and other supporters who generously came forward to contribute beyond our expectations.

The venue provided a wonderful location to network with others. There was something special in the coming together of participants who gathered to connect, support and share in the Buddhist teachings. The food bank donations that were collected provided a way to extend the connecting, supporting, sharing beyond our mandate and out to the local community.

The experienced speakers, both lay and monastic, provided excellent content to help each of us to connect, support and share in different ways. The sharing of this content continues as their papers will be posted on the Sakyadhita Canada website.

The event was indeed a rich experience both in the planning and execution and I would encourage those of you who are interested in having more events like this to get involved. It was a rewarding experience!

Thank you, Jayanta, for your vision and leadership! Your clear intentions led to a bountiful result!

 

SC Banner

To read the complete papers 

presented at the conference. 

Please Click Here 

 

 

Wonderful, indeed, it is to subdue the mind, so difficult to subdue, ever swift, and seizing whatever it desires. A tamed mind brings happiness.

 

Dhammapada 35 

 

 

A friend called the other night and when I said that I was working on the Full Moon Newsletter, she responded with

"Oh! Thanks for warning me!" insinuating that full moons can sometimes be challenging and difficult. 

In general, the full moon is often associated with endings and completion...and yes sometimes seems to be

 accompanied with testing times.

In astrology this is explained by the fact that when there is a full moon, it always sits opposite another sign, causing opposing energies. 

But this can invite us to work to achieve a

 balance between those energies. 

Where ever that may be in our lives?

Materially, Spiritually, Emotionally?

 Perhaps by deleting, completing, or ending an unnecessary item in our lives we get rid of that which does not serve us - 

and leaves a little more room for joy.

May you find the joy in every full moon, and in every moment.