First, let me thank everyone who came to the first meeting of the
Spirituality, Empowerment and Wellness Book Club!
I was surprised and delighted that nine people attended!
Not bad for our first meeting.
A nice mix of old friends, and new faces.
We had a great discussion of the major themes of
Green Yoga!
Several had not read the book, and while
a) That's OK! We want you to come and participate
in the discussion even if you haven't read the book!!,
yet also
b) We would like to see River Read selling more
books! (i.e., our selection). First, because it's a nice thank-you
to the store for taking a chance on Downtown, and giving
us space to meet, and also, if we can guarantee selling at
least N books/month, we qualify for a X% discount.
(if I recall correctly, N=6, and X=15...)
This is a basic text on Buddhism, from a Dharma Punx perspective.
I have come to see Buddhism, not as a religion, but as a technology for peace and happiness.
Life of the Buddha, Four Noble Truths, Eightfold Path, Five Hindrances: all of the basic Buddhism 101 stories are there. Important concepts like Suffering, Meditation, Equanimity, Attachment, Loving Kindness, Forgiveness receive nice treatment. Even topics like sexuality and addiction are looked at from the perspective of this "science of mind" (as SN Goenka calls it).
If you are an experienced Buddhist, come join the discussion!
If you are new to Buddhism,
or if you are experiencing anger, fear, desire, worry,
or other forms of suffering,
pick up this book and come to the discussion
and learn how a "spiritual practice" can help!
--------------------------------------------------
One last thing. Please voice your input before Feb 28
about our April selection. In the running are the following:
1: Mindfulness in Plain English: by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana.
This book is a how-to manual for learning Vipassana-style meditation,
which literally means "Insight".
Daily meditation is said to be 80% of a dharma practice, and this book
looks at every aspect. Gunaratana is one of the most venerated teachers
of this authentic form of meditation, taught by the Buddha himself.
2: The Miracle of Mindfulness, by Thich Naht Hahn.
In this book, Hahn expands on the idea of Mindfulness from
just the time spent "sitting on the cushion", into every moment
of living, mindful walking, mindful eating, mindful work.
3: You Can Heal Your Life, by Louise Hay
The classic work on self-healing. Hay shows how most disease
originates in the mind, with negative emotions, thoughts, and
affirmations. "How could I be so stupid?!", etc. Hay has
thousands of testimonials from people who have healed
themselves from nearly every disease, including cancer, by changing
the script to a more positive affirmation. "I love my body just
as it is, I am grateful for this life, and I am growing more healthy
every day".
Please indicate your choice by Feb 28!!!
Also, note the time change.
The March 7 meeting will by at 11am!
Hope to see you then!
-- editor
Note: If you do not want to receive this message,
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--
Bill Huston
Binghamton NY
607-321-7846 c
email: WilliamAHuston at gmail
http://binghamtonpmc.org/bio.html
http://myspace.com/MrMouthyMan
http://WilliamAHuston.blogspot.com
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