*apologies for the late post
event: SCUBA/YWP Dharma gathering
location: Sakyamuni Buddhist Meditation Center, Riverside, CA
date: Saturday, January 22, 2011
with the UCR Buddhist Student Association, UCLA University Buddhist Association, the Young Wisdom Project, and several indie Buddhists
This is the first of many large gatherings we will be having. Lets hear about the experience of some of the people who attended:
What to say about our first big gathering? I for one can say I was a little nervous. I am not used to being in a position of being a “facilitator,” especially with people my age and older. Of course, nothing is ever as bad as it seems. So I got through my part of the facilitation smoothly. It was a very enjoyable experience to see so many people interested in becoming better people in one room. There was a very loving atmosphere. I genuinely wish we can have more gatherings like this. Its always great to have young wise people hang out together.
~by Binh aka Santivara
It’s a typical morning day at the monastery. The sun is out, the air is fresh, and there’s this feeling of metta (loving-kindness) lingering around us. Today we get the chance to meet others interested in learning about Buddhism and making this world a better place, just like us. Twenty something people arrive in the morning for this event, and we introduce ourselves to each other. After a quick check-in, we all head over to the meditation center, and have ourselves a Q&A session with an elder monk. This then leads up to a meditation session in which a group of active young adults calm their bodies and give their wandering minds a rest. A simple yet appetizing lunch and a quick clean up follows. We are then taken on a tour of the peaceful monastery by a another monk who along the way teaches us some fascinating history of the Buddha. After the tour we gather into a circle and share our amazing stories of how we all got into the Buddhist teachings. Some tell of a similar story, others tell of inspiring tales, but all in all, the appreciation of Buddhist teachings pulls us together. As the end nears and we prepare to leave, a metta circle is called upon, and with each breath, send all the love we can muster into this unpredictable world.
-by Sunbrye aka Jayanta
the young wisdom project 