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"Compassion and kindness is the
medicine that dispels anger. If your mind is compassionate and all-embracing,
then people will naturally enjoy being with you."
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We welcome all to pay homage to Guan Yin at the Blessing Ceremony on Sunday, April 25th from 9:30am to 12:00pm. Guan Yin Bodhisattva is the manifestation of compassion, who hears the cries of all sentient beings and liberates them from their suffering.
 Blood Drive on May 29th
Every minute of every day, someone
needs blood. That blood can only come from a volunteer donor, a person like you
who makes the choice to donate. On Saturday, May 29th from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, Buddha Gate Monastery will host
a blood drive. To prepare, it’s helpful to eat vegetarian iron-rich foods several days before donating: brown rice, tofu, all berries, lentils, beets, beans, iron-fortified cereals, raisins, prunes, or oranges. Please help save lives by giving blood.
From now through May 29th, Buddha Gate Monastery is conducting a Vegetarian Food Drive to benefit our local Food Bank. Food donations must be non-perishable (i.e. rice, pasta, canned goods) and non-expired. Ingredients such as alcohol, meat, seafood, eggs, gelatin, rennet, garlic, onions, scallions, leeks, chives, Chinese chives, and cilantro are NOT recommended. In these difficult economic times, please consider giving generously to those less fortunate. You may drop off your donations at any time.
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On Saturday, May 22nd at 9:30 am, Buddha Gate Monastery will host the annual ceremony of Bathing the Buddha and celebrate Buddha's Birthday. Following with tradition, an outdoor altar will be arranged as a flower garden, representing the Garden of Lumbini where Buddha was born. The Abbess will use a special ladle to pour fragrant herb water over the infant Buddha statue. The assembly will then be invited to do the same.
Bathing the Buddha signifies inner purification. By cleansing away our vexations, defilements, and deluded minds, we bring forward our Buddha nature and become enlightened. We invite you to join us in honoring the birth of the Buddha. |
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On Sunday, May 22nd at 2:00pm, please join us for the Medicine Buddha Gratitude Ceremony that begins the Sangha Summer Retreat. From May 22nd to August 22nd, Buddha Gate Monastery invites all Dharma friends and disciples to join us in the daily recitation of the Sutra of the Medicine Buddha Lapis Lazuli Radiance Tathagata and help us observe the Sangha Summer Retreat. (View article and schedule).
Buddha Gate Monastery will offer an Infinite Life Retreat for Seniors (65 and older) on Sunday, June 13th from 10:00am-3:00pm. Some of the activities planned include sitting and walking meditations, calligraphy, and tai chi. All activities will be at a low activity level. We hope you will encourage your senior family members and friends to attend. A vegetarian lunch will be provided. Please contact the monastery for more information and to register for this interesting event.
From August 4 to August 7, BGM will again host the full day Bodhi Seed Summer Camp for children ages 5 to 15. Applications will be available soon; please call 925-934-2411 or email mail@buddhagate.org for more information.
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Buddha Gate’s next series of classes starts April 26. You can sign up for classes online or call the monastery at (925) 934- 2411. Read more about the classes or view the schedule. |
Family and friends gathered at the Monastery lecture hall for a reunion lunch on Chinese New Year's eve. During and after the hot pot lunch, members came up to the stage and shared heart-warming tales and reflections of their experience at the Monastery and how their life has been transformed by Buddhism. (view pictures)
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A record number of participants came to Buddha Gate
Monastery to partake in the special Chinese New Year Blessing Ceremony. The meditation
hall and back room were packed; latecomers spilled into the parking area to
listen to the special Dharma Talk from the Abbess, Master Jian Sheng. The ceremony concluded with everyone taking turns striking the giant
bell, symbolizing the awakening from our delusions and liberation for all
sentient beings. Then all
participants were invited to stay for a vegetarian meal. (view pictures) |
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Kindness and compassion can dispel the anger we feel. The Buddha said, "Great is the kindness that is unconditioned; great is the compassion when all are one." Unconditioned compassion is to treat all people (strangers, relatives, friends and even enemies) with a mind filled with compassion. Another great teacher, Confucius, stated that we should, "Respect our elders and respect others' elders; care about our young and care for others' young." Buddhism also states that we should strive for "equality between friends and foes, and among all beings." Do not discriminate. With a mindset of kindness, we can treat all equally and in the appropriate respectful way. Read more about the cultivation and practice of compassion and kindness.
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 When driving, enclosed in our cars,
unable to see, hear or communicate with other drivers, we often disconnect from
others on the road. Sometimes we take others' driving habits personally, and
become angry or stressed. How do we keep our Bodhisattva practice in the midst
of the Bay Area Traffic?
When traffic reporters talk about
roads, they use words like 'flow,' 'blocked,' and 'diverted,' as if they were
describing water. If we were rafting down a river, would it do any good to get
mad at the boulders in our way? Wouldn't we simply go around them? Taking this
analogy, other drivers are like the boulders in the water. Annoyance and anger
will only ruin our day. Acknowledge the situation and let it go.
Driving is the perfect time to practice
your awareness. Instead of thinking about projects at work or home, try just
being aware of your driving and surroundings. This will not only relieve your
stress on the road, it will make you a safer driver. |
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Sing to the tune of Do-Re-Mi from the Sound of Music
Do bring forth your Bodhi mind
Raise awareness of yourself
Meditate twice a day
Follow all the Triple Jewels
So important is respect
Lots of merits and good deeds
Teach yourself and you will see
This will help us to be free-eee-eee-eee (repeat)
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Peggy Bryant is Vice President of the Dharma Support Association at Buddha Gate. She is a microbiologist and Assistant Director of the Clinical Laboratory at Summit Medical Center in Oakland. Her career allows her to be with people and to help patients. Please read about her journey to Buddha Gate and how she practices her compassion in her workplace. |
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Arhat Pindola was known to have pure white hair and long snowy eyebrows which showed longevity, seniority and leadership. He was one of the Four Great Monastic disciples appointed by the Buddha to assist the future Buddha, Maitreya. He was also well-known for his kindness and supernatural powers.
One day, he went to a woman known to be stingy, and requested alms for the sake of several monks who had come from afar. She shooed him away and then went back to cooking her pies. Instead of taking his leave, Arhat Pindola sat and entered into meditation. The woman was frightened to find the monk sitting there and looking as if he had died. Fearing that she would go to court if the monk died there, she asked Arhat Pindola for pardon. She offered him a small piece of pie. Surprisingly, the pie became very large. Then he said to her, "Benefactor, I would not partake of this big pie. I have come to ask for alms to offer the food to the monks who just arrived here from afar and are too tired and hungry to come out." His kindness and sincerity moved the woman, so she decided to give him more pies. But Pindola turned her down and said, "Thank you for your kindness. This big pie is enough. I am very pleased that you have been so benevolent. May your merits and wisdom increase because of your generosity." This woman was moved by Arhat Pindola's kindness and felt remorseful for her stinginess. She decided to cultivate kindness and generosity by making offerings and supporting the Sangha. |
 Pledge to be vegetarian at least one day a week and make a positive change for your health, the environment, and the humane treatments of animals. By refraining from eating any living creatures at least one day a week, every week, you will lower your risk of heart disease and cancer, save the lives of animals, and reduce your contribution to global warming. For more information, find us on Facebook at http://groups.to/goveggie. Also, try some the delicious vegetarian online recipes at Buddha Gate Monastery.
Be kind to your body. Be kind to the animals. Be kind to our planet!
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