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Please click on the Blog Archive entries below to find out more about our organization, the Unified Buddhist Church.

Thursday

Christmas and New Year events

scroll down for details 
*Christmas Eve celebrations at  NhapLuu (24th December) 
commences at 4.00pm for those who are able to be there early, with a Dharma talk, 
a shared mindful meal, and some community sharing time.

There'll be an exchange of gifts under the tree in the Meditation Hall, and 
Carols,  at 9.00 pm. Everyone please bring one wrapped gift.

*NewYears Eve, at Nhap Luu, ( December 31st) 
follows a similar format to the above, with starting time in the afternoon also,
except that the Meditation Hall Ceremony commences at 11.30 pm.

You are welcome to come at the time that you can manage, on either occasion. 
Also, of course, you are welcome to stay the night at Nhap luu.

* Let's make it a festive time!
 
24th Dec 2012
 16:00 Gathering at Meditation Hall
          Sitting Meditation
          Dharma Talk
18:00 Happy Dinner
19:30 Be-in
          Sharing of Carol Songs
          Gifts Exchange
21:00 Enjoy the Peace & Goodnight

31st Dec 2012
 16:00 Gathering at Meditation Hall
          Sitting Meditation
          Dharma Talk
18:00 Happy Dinner
20:00 Walking Meditation
21:00 Total Relaxation
23:30 Sitting Meditation
00:00 Begin the New Year's Ceremony
00:30 Be Joyful, Goodnight & Good Morning
(Below extracted from an email from Plum village:)
Dear Sanghas throughout the World,

Our loving Mother Earth is still there for us, right beneath our two feet. She is a miracle, a jewel in the cosmos, refreshing and healing. She has shown unlimited patience throughout human history and an uncanny ability to transform just about anything with equanimity and acceptance. She is now calling us for help. She is suffering from our human activities based on our craving, discrimination, fear, and despair.

The Gift of Practice - This holiday season, we have a chance to express our love and care for Mother Earth by the way we care for our self, our family and our environment. We can practice mindfulness to care for our inner environment, our feelings and our emotions so that we do not lose ourself in worries about the future or regrets about the past, or lose ourself with our feelings and thinking in the present moment. We practice in such a way that we are peaceful, free and happy right in the here and now. We can practice to be more relaxed in our body and mind as we drive our car to work, or cook for our family, or play with our friends, or even rest when we return home. We can look deeply into our relationships with our loved ones, with our environment, our neighborhood, and our workplace and find skillful ways to care, to renew and to improve them. Care is a priceless gift.

Having Enough – Concretely this Holiday Season, we invite you to make an effort to find ways that you can give a gift that does not require you to spend a lot of money or even any at all. The greatest gift is, of course, our practice, our true presence, our understanding and love. The giving of this gift will require more effort, more creativity, and deeper looking into your beloved. You can make something. You can surprise him or her with a message that has been waiting for so long. “Dear Father, I know you are there and I am happy.” “My son, I am here for you completely.” “My dear, I am sorry; let us begin a new chapter.” “Dear Mother Earth, I take refuge in you and bow down deeply.” A reminder, a memory, a simple attention with skillfulness in expression can touch and transform. Understanding and compassion cannot be bought. 

This is an invitation to all practitioners throughout the world to join us this Season for a silent resistance – to the mass pressure to consume, to the forces that cause us to run away from ourself in forgetfulness. Let us change the way we spend our Holiday Season this winter. Let us show our care for the planet in concrete ways. Let us say to Mother Earth that She can have trust in us. And please share this with the larger community by writing about your priceless gift: your gift of practice; your gift of transformation.

 
 
Breathe & Smile, 
 The Sisters at Nhap luu. 

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At the 'Pure Land In Every Step' retreat (see last archive page) a beautiful new bell was erected. Phuoc sounded the bell for the first time at Nhap Luu. Photo below is of everyone who helped to install it, in its temporary ad hoc structure. It was a wonderful moment to see and hear.