| Sat 28 January 2017 | Lunar Calendar New Year – Monastery
Location: Perris Meditation Center, Perris, CA, USA Program: · 10am: Members of the Sunyata Sangha and lay students gather to pay respect to the Buddha, Patriarchs and to celebrate Master’s high longevity · 3pm: Cultural celebration of the Lunar New Year at the Monastery. Students from all practice communities are invited to come to the Monastery to celebrate the Lunar New Year and contribute cultural numbers. · Participate in events in Southern California to celebrate the Lunar New Year · Participate in the Ordainment ceremony at the Monastery, sharing the merits and peacefulness of fellow meditation students who have made the vow to follow in the footsteps of the Buddha, Patriarchs and Master and renounce the worldly life to follow the path of self enlightenment – enlighten others until the end of their life. |
| February – March – April |
Spring Retreat for Sunyata Sangha – Monastery
Location: Perris Meditation Center, Perris, CA, USA Program: Members of the Sunyata Sangha will practice precepts and discipline, strengthen their knowledge of Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, science and meditation techniques, and undertake a focused practice. Co-retreat: this year, our Meditation Master has agreed to have lay students come to the Perris Meditation Center and participate in the retreat together with members of the Sangha, for a duration that suits their availability. The retreat for lay students could take the form of a short term stay, or week end stays, or longer stays and has the purpose of practicing samādhi meditation with the Sangha. Master will provide guidance on the method to attain the samādhi-without-inner-talk-and inner-dialogue state and the full-and-clear-awareness-samādhi state. Lectures on Early Buddhist and Developmental Buddhist suttas: as a special feature of this year’s retreat, Master will teach: o Some short suttas from the Nikāyas that directly relate to our practice of samādhi meditation o The essence of the following Developmental Buddhist suttas: – Lotus Sutra (Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra) – Vimalakīrti Sutra – Diamond Sutra (Vajracchekidā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra) – Flower Garland Sutra (Mahāvaipulya Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra) – Amitabha Sutra (Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra) – Etc. Master will give these lectures on Saturdays and Sundays in February and March. The detailed program will be communicated at a later date. Meditation students from all practice communities are cordially invited to attend the lectures and gain an insight into the suttas from the perspective of Zen meditation. Students who wish to participate in the co-retreat should register early to allow suitable accommodation arrangements to be made. Students who wish to attend week-end lectures should also register by contacting Mr. Tuệ Nguyên before 20 January 2017. Organizing committee: Mr. Tuệ Nguyên toanhtuan@yahoo.com |
| Thu 2 February 2017 | Ordainment Ceremony – Monastery
Location: Perris Meditation Center, Perris, CA, USA Time: 10:00 am All students are welcome The ceremony will take place on the 6th day of the Lunar New Year and consist of two parts: Official renunciation: 1. Ms Tiềm Như (France) 2. Mr. Chúc Hải (Southern California) 3. Mr. Trần Văn Thành (Southern California) 4. Mr. Nguyễn Lập (San Jose) Seed-sewing one-month trial renunciation: from 2 February to 28 February, at which date the removing the cloth and precepts ceremony with take place: 5. Ms Như Sương (Southern California) |
| March 2017 | Election of Management Committees of all Sunyata Meditation Associations and Practice Communities
In accordance with the constitution of the Sunyata Meditation Association, elections will be held for the 2017-2019 term of the office of chairperson of Sunyata Meditation Association branches (if an association has been formed) or Sunyata Meditation Practice Communities (if an association has not been formed) in all locations. Election process: candidates can nominate themselves. In the case where there are no self-nominating candidates, the meeting will nominate at least two candidates. Voting then takes place by secret ballot. Eligibility: students need to have completed the Fundamental Meditation course and have regularly attended practice community meetings to be eligible for being a candidate, a nominee or a voter. Result: voting is adjudicated by simple majority of the vote. The association or practice community chairperson-elect will then make appointments to other positions on the management committee such as: secretary, treasurer, heads of sub-committees, etc. without the need for voting. However, if an appointment is questioned by one or more students, then a voting by secret ballot is organized for this position to ensure consensus. Outgoing chairperson or management committee members are all eligible to stand for re-election as they have done good work in their current term of office. Minutes of the election meeting are to be provided by the secretary to the central office during the month of April. The results of the election are only considered valid once they have been approved. The term of the new management committees starts on 1 May 2017. |
| Sun 2 April 2017 | Annual Sunyata Tradition Day – Monastery
Location: Perris Meditation Center, Perris, CA Time: 9am to 12noon Content: Includes presentation of 2016 achievements and 2017 program Registration: before 30 January 2017 Contact: Mr Tuệ Nguyên toanhtuan@yahoo.com |
| Mon 3 to Fri 7 April 2017 (5 days) |
Training Seminar for Sunyata Lay Teachers of Fundamental Meditation Classes – Monastery
Location: Perris Meditation Center, Perris, CA, USA Content: Review and examination Participants: Students who wish to become lay teachers of the Fundamental Meditation course through the four teaching specialties: knowledge of Buddhism and Zen Buddhism, meditation practice, science, and qi-gong. Registration: before 30 January 2017 Contact: Mr Tuệ Nguyên toanhtuan@yahoo.com |
| Sat 8 to Wed 12 April 2017 (5 days) |
Annual Skills Training Workshop – Monastery
Location: Perris Meditation Center, Perris, CA, USA Content: The Management Committee, Lay-teacher sub-committee and Qi-Gong sub-committee of each of the practice communities present their achievements and challenges in conducting their practice seminars in the past year. The assembly will discuss and draw lessons. Registration: before 30 January 2017 Contact: Mr Tuệ Nguyên toanhtuan@yahoo.com |
| Thu 13 to Mon 17 April 2017 (5 days) |
Complementary Training on Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, Science and Qi-Gong – Monastery
Location: Perris Meditation Center, Perris, CA, USA Registration: before 30 January 2017 Contact: Mr Tuệ Nguyên toanhtuan@yahoo.com |
| Tue 18 to Thu 20 April 2017 (3 days) |
Rest or Southern California Visit
Content: Visit the following sites in South California: o The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens (1 day) o Visit renowned spiritual sites in South California: Crystal Cathedral; His Lai Temple; Shri Swaminarayan Mandir or renowned Vietnamese Buddhist temples in South California (1 day) o Visit Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach and shopping in Little Saigon etc. (1 day) Registration: before 30 January 2017 Contact: Mr Tuệ Nguyên toanhtuan@yahoo.com |
| Fri 21 to Sun 24 April 2017 (3 days) |
Cruise leisure trip – Southern California
Content: In response to requests from students, we intend to organize a 3-day cruise leisure trip with Carnival Cruise, from Long Beach to Mexico. More details will be communicated at a later date. Time: from Friday 21/4 afternoon to Monday 24/4 morning (3 nights) Registration: before 30 January 2017 Contact: Mr Tuệ Nguyên toanhtuan@yahoo.com |
| Sat 29 April to Wed 3 May 2017 (5 days) |
Residential Bilingual Seminar – Toulouse, France
Contact: Ms Minh Anh hnhanh@hotmail.com |
| Fri 5 to Tue 9 May 2017(5 days) |
Intermediate Meditation Course Level 1 – Paris, France
Location: CREPS, Paris, France Contact: Mr Quang Triết ducthuongngo@gmail.com |
| Thu 11 to Wed 17 May 2017
(6 days) |
Intermediate Meditation Course Level 4 – Paris, France
Contact: Mr Quang Triết ducthuongngo@gmail.com |
| Sun 14 May 2017
|
Public Lecture – Paris, France
Location: Linh Sơn Buddhist Institute Contact: Mr Quang Triết ducthuongngo@gmail.com |
| Sat 20 to Fri 26 May 2017(7 days) |
Advanced Meditation Course Level 1 – Houston, Texas
Contact: Ms Tâm Như tamnhuttk@yahoo.com |
| Sat 27 to Mon 29 May 2017
(3 days) |
Residential and Bilingual Fundamental Meditation Course Level 1 – Houston, Texas
Location: Chân Như Meditation Center Contact: Ms Tâm Như tamnhuttk@yahoo.com |
| Sat 3 to Fri 9 June 2017(7 days) |
Intermediate Meditation Course Level 3 – Southern California
Contact: Mr Tuệ Lạc ngbcuong@hotmail.com |
| Sun 11 to Sat 17 June 2017
(7 days) |
Intermediate Meditation Course Level 1 – San Jose, California
Contact: Mr Hoằng Phương tandiem999@yahoo.com |
| Sun 18 to Sat 24 June 2017
(7 days) |
Intermediate Meditation Course Level 2 – San Jose, California
Contact: Mr Hoằng Phương tandiem999@yahoo.com |
| Sun 25 to Fri 30 June 2017(6 days) |
Residential Seminar – Montreal, Canada
Location: Cây Phong village Contact: Ms Như Chiếu hoangthanhusa@yahoo.com |
| Sat 15 to Sat 22 July 2017
(8 days) |
Intermediate Meditation Course Level 2 – Sacramento, California
Contact: Mr Nguyễn Sơn sontanhkhong@gmail.com |
| Sun 23 to Sun 30 July 2017
(8 days) |
Advanced Meditation Course Level 1 – Sacramento, California
Contact: Mr Nguyễn Sơn sontanhkhong@gmail.com |
| Tue 1 to Mon 7 August 2017
(7 days) |
Residential Samādhi and Paññā Meditation Practice Seminar – Toronto, Canada
Location: Maple Valley retreat center Contact: Mr Thông Như Ngô Gia Trung thientanhkhongontario@gmail.com |
| Tue 8 to Sun 13 August 2017(6 days) |
Explaining Suttas Lectures – Toronto, Canada
Location: Maple Valley retreat center Content: Complementary lectures on a several short Early Buddhist and Developmental Buddhist suttas relevant to the practice of meditation. Contact: Mr Thông Như Ngô Gia Trung thientanhkhongontario@gmail.com |
| Sat 19 to Sat 26 August 2017(8 days) |
Residential Intermediate Meditation Course Level 4 – Switzerland
Location: Vaumarcus, Switzerland Contact: Ms Huệ Thuận Bùi Mai Hương |
| Mon 28 Aug to Sun 3 Sept 2017
(7 days) |
Advanced Meditation Course Level 2 – Washington D.C.
Location: Thiện Đức Center Contact: Ms Tâm Diệu Phú tamdieuphu@gmail.com |
| Sat 9 Sept 2017 | Settling of Buddha Statue Ceremony – Stuttgart, Germany
Location: Grubersgrund Buddhist Meditation Center Contact: Ms Thanh Tâm spthanhtam@yahoo.de |
| Sun 10 to Thu 14 Sept 2017
(5 days) |
Intermediate Meditation Level 1 – Stuttgart, Germany
Location: Grubersgrund Buddhist Meditation Center Contact: Ms Thanh Tâm spthanhtam@yahoo.de |
| Sat 16 to Thu 21 Sept 2017
(6 days) |
Intermediate Meditation Level 2 – Berlin, Germany
Contact: Ms Như Minh Ngọc |
| Sat 23 to Thu 28 Sept 2017
(6 days) |
Intermediate Meditation Course Level 1 – Montreal, Canada
Contact: Ms Như Chiếu hoangthanhusa@yahoo.com |
| Sun 1 to Sat 14 October 2017
(14 days) |
Buddha Statue Invitation Trip to Vietnam
If causal conditions are met, Bhikkhuni Triệt Như and the building committee for the Chân Như Meditation Center plan to travel to Vietnam to invite a venerated statue of Guanyin Avalokiteśvara. We intend to procure a statue made of white stone, with a height of 1m70 or more, however the outcome will depend on causal conditions. Timing: We intend to depart from Los Angeles on Saturday 30 September, arrive in Saigon on Sunday 1 October and meet the rest of the delegation there. We intend for the delegation to spend 14 days together and return to Saigon on Saturday 14 October. Delegates will then return directly to their respective countries, or chose to spend more time in Vietnam as they wish. Program: · During this trip to Vietnam, we intend to visit the sightseeing highlights of South and Central Vietnam while pursuing our objective of finding a suitable statue of Guanyin Avalokiteśvara. · The program may include visits to the cities of Saigon and Bình Dương, the beaches of Vũng Tàu, the Thường Chiếu, Huệ Chiếu, Viên Chiếu etc meditation centers in South Vietnam, the city of Đà Lạt, the Trúc Lâm meditation center, the beaches of Nha Trang and Mũi Né, the city of Đà Nẵng, the areas around Ngũ Hành Sơn and Non Nước, the city of Huế, the Perfume River (Sông Hương), mount Ngự Bình, the burial parks of the Nguyễn Dynasty Emperors, the Thiên Mụ pagoda etc. A detailed program will be developed and communicated at a later date. · Costs of the trip will be communicated at a later date · As at the time of writing, the Building Committee for the Chân Như Meditation Center has closed registration for the trip. · The following is the list of delegates: 1. Head of delegation: Bhikkhuni Triệt Như 2. Responsible for organizational matters in Vietnam: Phạm Trung Thu (San Jose) 3. Responsible for organizational matters: Hoàng Trọng Nghĩa / Tâm Thường (San Jose) 4. Tỷ Liêu / Tâm Minh (Washington D.C.) 5. Nguyên Chánh (Washington D.C.) 6. Hà Phan Quỳnh / Như Quỳnh (Washington D.C.) 7. Hà Đắc Vinh (Washington D.C.) 8. Tâm Đức (Sacramento) 9. Như Huệ (Sacramento) 10. Nguyễn Ngọc Hạnh / Như Ngọc (Sydney) 11. Nguyễn Thị Nhan / Như Ngạn (Sydney) 12. Trương Huỳnh Ký / Quang Lý (Sydney) 13. Lưu Thị Song / Minh Đạo (Sydney) 14. Như Hà (Sydney) 15. Anna Nguyễn / Tâm Như (Sydney) 16. Nguyễn Thị Tiến / Tâm Hoa (Sydney) 17. Như Hiển (Sydney) 18. Chơn Huyền Thạch (Sydney) 19. Phương (Sydney) 20. Như Định (Sydney) 21. Quế Bùi (Southern California) 22. Angie Mai Lê (Southern California) 23. Trương Ngọc Dung / Thích Nữ Tịnh Như (Houston) 24. Nga Lâm / Chân Hiền (Houston) 25. Tuấn Ma / Thông Quang (Houston) 26. Như Hương (Houston) 27. Đoàn Chi Mai / Huệ Không (Houston) 28. Hồ Quá (Houston) 29. Lê Văn Lu (Houston) 30. Minh Tuyết (Houston) 31. Trần Bích Ngọc / Hiếu Như (Houston) 32. Điền Trần / Minh Từ (Paris) 33. Stephanie Bùi (Paris) 34. Zena Quỳnh Giao / Nhuận Lưu (San Jose) 35. Lê Kim Hoàng / Minh Như (San Jose) 36. Lê Thị Kim Tuyết / Huệ Như (San Jose) 37. Cao Xuân Huệ / Hoàn Như (San Jose) 38. Trần Alex (San Jose) 39. Trần Thanh Lan (San Jose) 40. Caroline Cao / Như Trầm (San Jose) 41. Phương Chính (San Jose) |
| Sun 22 to Sun 29 October 2017
(8 days) |
Intermediate Meditation Course Level 1 – Southern California
Location: Sunyata Meditation Center (Orange County) Time: Week ends: 9am – 12 noon, 2pm – 5pm Contact: Mr Tuệ Lạc ngbcuong@hotmail.com |
| Fri 3 to Sun 12 November 2017 (10 days) |
The Art of Organizing, Leading and Managing Practice Communities Seminar – Monastery
Location: Perris Meditation Center, Perris, CA, USA Conducted by Master Registration: before 15 October 2017 All meditation students are encouraged to attend Contact: Mr Tuệ Nguyên toanhtuan@yahoo.com |
| Sat 4 November 2017
(1 day) |
Bilingual Introduction to Meditation Seminar – Adelaide, Australia
Location: Adelaide, SA, Australia Contact: Ms Như Uyển chilavender@gmail.com |
| Sun 5 to Fri 10 November 2017(6 days) |
Meditation Topics Refresher Seminar – Adelaide, Australia
Location: Adelaide, SA, Australia Content: o Revision of the main topics in the Fundamental Meditation course and the Intermediate Meditation Course Level 1. o Practice Samādhi With Inner Talk and Without Inner dialogue, and Samādhi Without Inner Talk and Inner Dialogue Contact: Ms Như Uyển chilavender@gmail.com |
| Wed 14 to Sun 19 November 2017(6 days) |
Residential Intermediate Meditation Course Level 2 – Melbourne, Australia
Location: Quang Minh Pagoda, Melbourne, Australia Contact: Ms Diệu Nguyên tranhpham43@bigpond.com |
| Wed 22 to Tue 28 November 2017(7 days) |
Residential Advanced Meditation Course Level 1 – Sydney, Australia
Location: Govinda Valley, Otford, NSW, Australia Contact: Mr Quang Lý tamkhongk@hotmail.com |
| Sat 9 to Sat 16 December 2017(8 days) |
Advanced Meditation Course Level 1 – Southern California
Location: Sunyata Meditation Center (Orange County) Time: Week ends: 9am – 12 noon, 2pm – 5pm Contact: Mr Tuệ Lạc ngbcuong@hotmail.com |
| Sat 23 to Sat 30 December 2017(8 days) |
Advanced Meditation Course Level 1 – San Jose, California
Contact: Mr Hoằng Phương tandiem999@yahoo.com |
| Notes | · The teaching trip to Brisbane – Cairns – Melbourne (Australia) that was initially envisaged for December 2017 will not be organized.
· Lunar New Year 2018: the Lunar New Year falls on Friday 16 February 2018 · Eighth Pilgrimage to India and Nepal: In November 2018, if causal conditions are met, the Eighth Pilgrimage to India and Nepal will be organized for 15 days, departing on Saturday 3 November 2018 and returning on Saturday 17 November 2018. Details will be provided at a later date. |