Right Livelihood implies not killing, lying, stealing, misusing sexuality or intoxicants as part of one's work. I think of it as "Doing Good Well." We each must spent part of our day insuring we have water, food, shelter, and safety for ourself and others. All of this stems from right view, thought/intention, speech and action. Spending our day doing good can produce value in the form of money, exchanging goods and service, win-win interchange all of which improve interrelationship and a caring community. While some of us cannot always enhance compassion and goodwill constantly through our work, we can strive to lessen suffering.
An example of this is community policing. For example, the mission of police is to protect and serve and from this purposeful intention both goals can be done through compassion for human life. Help can be presented in many ways as can protection. From a economic theory perspective we have "Win-Win." In this scenario parties walk away with value. This value can be dignity, understanding, knowledge, or money. Here is how Thick Nhat Han expresses this Noble Truth:
"To practice Right Livelihood (samyag ajiva), you have to find a way to earn your living without transgressing your ideals of love and compassion. The way you support yourself can be an expression of your deepest self, or it can be a source of suffering for you and others.
" ... Our vocation can nourish our understanding and compassion, or erode them. We should be awake to the consequences, far and near, of the way we earn our living."
(The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching [Parallax Press, 1998], p. 104)
Finally, livelihood can mean the place and effort we choose to build our life in a heartfelt manner. Acknowledging interdependency we grow compassion, and loving-kindness in ways that allow trust and cooperation to flourish....
Sangha Activities
Many Bows _/\_ _/\_ _/\_ _/\_, to Kyoshin, Jackie, and Joe for facilitating the informal service on March 21, 207 while I was away.
Also...be sure to check our website throughout the week (please tell friends) as I add new comments and features. I would also appreciate any feedback and suggestions _/\_.
Notice on our website the link to the 40th Anniversary Celebration of our home temple and training center, The Atlanta Soto Zen Center in July. There will many ways you may participate online or in person!
MARK YOUR CALENDAR:
Our Beach sitting on the Bike-Path at Oyster Pond and Surf Drive begins April 4, 2017, from 6:30AM until 7:00AM then we all go to Pie-in-the-Sky for coffee.
Hanamatsuri (Buddha's BirthDay) will be celebrated on Tuesday, April 11, 2017 at our regular Tuesday Night Sangha Service beginning at 6:30PM.
Our Spring Sesshin will be April 28 starting at 6:00PM and concluding at Noon on April 30, 2017. It will be held in Falmouth at the lake house of Enjitsu Chris Charyk, 45 Beebe Acres Rd, Falmouth, MA 02540. You may stay at the house Friday and Saturday night or return for each day's sessions. There will be more about the agenda in the next few weeks. Please RSVP Chris at chris@charyk.com.
1. Each January-March, we return to the basics, that is discuss the life and teachings of the historical Buddha as the foundation of our Soto Zen practice. This will include the Five Turnings of the Dharma Wheel, The Three/Four Seals, The Four Noble Truths and Noble Eight-Fold Path. This is a good opportunity for new comers to explore these teachings. Please ask friends to join you and us as we do so!
2. Like String for Beads, is a compilation of my Dharma talks, notes, poems and Facebook comments I have produced over the last five years. Special thanks to Enjitsu-san Chris Charyk for pulling the pieces together in this book! There will be copies available every Tuesday night, or let me know if you want me to mail you a copy. The book is $25 for the first copy and $15 for extra copies while they last.
3. Visit our new library named for Diane “Yugen” Tucker. The cart was a donation to the Sangha by Kyoshin Elin Kinney as Dana for her Jukai on November 5, 2016…many bows! The books will be added over the next few weeks and Kyoshin-ni has agreed to be our Librarian. A donation of $1 is recommend to check out books and magazines for up to three weeks. It really is a cute cart drop-by and see it soon. Oh, we wheel it out each Tuesdays and for zazenkai and sesshin, or if you would like to see if we have a book you want, get in touch with Elin <elinkinney@gmail.com>.
4. Meditation is also held each TUESDAY at 10:00AM at the Falmouth Senior Center.
5, Our next book selection for the Buddhism Book Bunch is a wonderful treatise on The Bodhisattva Precepts. We will read this for both April and May, 2017 discussing the first half of the book, chapters 1-13 on April 30 and the remaining chapters 14-23 on May 21. Remember we'll select a book for our summer reading (June-August) at our May 2017 meeting.
6. Our Zendo is open at 6:30PM (good time for newcomers to get aquatinted) at the UUFF, 840 Sandwich Road, for our weekly service which starts at 7:00PM.
Silent Thunder Order (STO) ACTIVITIES: See our website for details.