What we’re about
The principles the Buddha taught 2500 years ago have led to happier lives for countless human beings. Buddhist teachings apply today more than ever in reducing stress, providing peace, encouraging mental stability and enhancing understanding of living and dying. Buddhism teaches that the mind and our concepts are the cause of our unnecessary problems and that the mind can be positively influenced by reflection and meditation.
The Buddhist Meditation and Study Group is an experiment in spiritual participatory democracy, exploring the diversity and inclusiveness within Buddhist thinking and practice. This peer-led approach encourages regular participants to teach/present Buddhist related topics.
We invite beginners, experienced Buddhist practitioners of all persuasions, as well as people curious about Buddhism to attend our meetings. Because of the pandemic, we have moved to the Zoom platform. We 'meet' at 6:30PM every Thursday with a 30 minute meditation, followed by a Dharma talk/presentation, or a book study and group discussion until 8:00 PM. You will receive the Zoom link when you RSVP to each event.
If you wish to remain a member, we ask that you attend a meeting or visit our Meetup web page at least once every 6 months. It is also recommended for those who are not familiar with meditation to request a free brief meeting for individual meditation instruction. This can happen prior to a meeting. You can contact Alida Bryant at info@harbordharma.net.
Upcoming events (4)
See all- Loving Kindness - A practice for our timesLink visible for attendees
As usual, we will begin with meditation, and a reading of The Metta Suta (page vii). We will then be discussing the Forward by Jon Kabat-Zinn, the Acknowledgements and the Introduction. If you by chance have the 2020 25th Anniversary edition of the book, there is an Afterword (page 165) that is helpful in placing the book in the context of our times.
The book is: Lovingkindness: the Revolutionary art of Happiness, (find a copy by clicking the title link) by Sharon Salzburg:
The Four Immeasurables of Love, Compassion, Empathetic Joy and Equanimity are the qualities of enlightenment that we aspire to accomplish through study, reflection and practice. Each week we will begin our sessions with an aspiration prayer and the Metta Suta before discussing the text.
We are the Buddhist Meditation and Study Group. Our community celebrates insight, debate, analysis, fun, and laughter. Some of us have been practicing for 20 years and others are brand new to Buddhist teachings. We love beginners. Feel free to sign in early to enjoy some social time with our Sangha. Through our lively discussions we seek to unpack the nature of reality through the Buddhist perspective. We value your presence and any contributions you may offer. Hope to see you on Thursday!
- Loving Kindness - A practice for our timesLink visible for attendees
As usual, we will begin with meditation, and a reading of The Metta Suta (page vii). We will then be discussing Chapter 1 of Lovingkindness: the Revolutionary art of Happiness, (find a copy by clicking the title link) by Sharon Salzburg. This text is based on The Four Immeasurables of Love, Compassion, Empathetic Joy and Equanimity, which are the qualities of enlightenment that we aspire to accomplish through study, reflection and practice. Each week we will begin our sessions with an aspiration prayer and the Metta Suta before discussing the text.
We are the Buddhist Meditation and Study Group. Our community celebrates insight, debate, analysis, fun, and laughter. Some of us have been practicing for 20 years and others are brand new to Buddhist teachings. We love beginners. Feel free to sign in early to enjoy some social time with our Sangha. Through our lively discussions we seek to unpack the nature of reality through the Buddhist perspective. We value your presence and any contributions you may offer. Hope to see you on Thursday!
