Upāsika Day : Sun., Aug. 17th - Using the Suttas Wisely in Practice
We hope you can join us at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery for the Upasika Day on Sunday August 17, a day of community, Dhamma study, meditation, and renewal.
Our theme for the day will be “The Suttas: Using the Suttas wisely in practice .” Luang Por Pasanno and other members of the Abhayagiri community have graciously agreed to lead us in an exploration of incorporating the suttas into practice through reading, reflection, memorization, chanting, and meditation. The day will include time for discussion as well as formal practice.
The reading for the day is Phra Payutto’s The Pali Canon: What a Buddhist Must Know, available as a pdf here: http://www.watnyanaves.net/uploads/File/books/pdf/the\pali\canon\what\a\buddhist\must\know.pdf This short document gives a good overview of the suttas and would be helpful to read before the 17th if you have time.
We hope you will also join us for the daily meal, beginning at 11:00 a.m. It’s customary to bring a dish to offer to the monastics and to share with others. Our material support of the monastery community is an important aspect of our role as upasikas (literally, “those who sit close by”), and our generous offerings of food are a tangible means of extending this support.
Attendance at Upasika Days is open both to those who wish to make a formal commitment to the program and to those who may simply wish to attend for the day. All are welcome. Please spread the word among those who may be interested.
The schedule for the day is as follows:
10:45 a.m. Refuges and Precepts.
11:00 a.m. (sharp) Meal Offering (please bring a dish to share)
1-4:30 p.m. Study/Practice Session
4:30 p.m. Tea with the monastics (optional)
Remaining 2014 Upasika Days topics and themes are:
Sunday October 26: Meditation: Anapanasati
Sunday December 7: Daily Life Practice: Sakayaditthi (“personality view”)
For directions on getting to the monastery, please visit www.abhayagiri.org.
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Upasika Program Purpose
*To enhance individual practice and increase self-discipline through making a formal commitment to spiritual training.
*To deepen both the intellectual and experiential understanding of the Dhamma.
*To have more supportive contact with like-minded people and the ordained Sangha.
*To be better equipped to communicate the Teachings to others.
Upasika Program Guidelines
*Undertake to live by the Three Refuges and the Five Precepts, with the Theravada Forest Tradition as the focus of one’s practice.
*Attend regular gatherings with other Upasikas, either at the Monastery or in your own homes.
*Visit the Monastery and formally take the Refuges and Precepts at least quarterly.
*Observe the Uposatha Days of the full and new moon in some fashion appropriate to your living situation.
*Practice meditation daily.
*Find some time each year to go on retreat.
*Attend at least one festival day or communal gathering at the Monastery each year.
*Cultivate a basic working knowledge of the Teachings.
*Support the Sangha according to your means and abilities.
*Keep to the training for at least one year after having made the formal commitment.