Friends:
At last night's gathering we touched upon desire and its operation. It is a subject we will continually revisit since "craving" or "thirst" is described in the Buddhist literature as the cause of our psychological and existential suffering.
The group decided that it would like to look more deeply into the physiological and psychological processes by which we construct our reality and our sense of self. The Buddha's teachings about the cause of our distress, and the path to its relief, are grounded upon an understanding of these processes. As an entry point, we will read Andrew Olendzki's book, Unlimiting Mind, which I reviewed in a post a few weeks ago. It is listed on the Reading List on the City Center page for The Boulder Mountain Zendo, http://www.thebouldermountainzendo.org. The book will be discussed at our meeting on January 18th, 2011
The City Center group will not meet on December 21st and 28th. This will permit each of us to devote our attention to our families and friends over the Holidays, and to acommodate Diane's and my attendance at The Integral Spiritual Experience II in Asliomar, California between Christmas and New Years. We will reconvene on January 4, 2011, at 1375 Military Way. The Thursday noon sitting group will not meet again until the new year.
Finally, I announced to the group that we have entered into a contract for the build-out of space for The Boulder Mountain Zendo in Salt Lake City at ArtSpace-City Center, 230 South 5th West. Diane and I are excited at the prospect of a permanent space devoted both to more traditional Zen practice and to Diane's broader Integral teachings. This is a major financial commitment to making a place available for all of us in Salt Lake. Your contributions to this capital construction would be deeply appreciated. The cost to outfit the space is in the range of $30,000. In that regard, you should know that The Boulder Mountain Zendo is a 501(c)(3) organization and that contributions to it are deductable as provided by state and federal law.
May you all have a warm Holiday Season.
With palms together,
Michael
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