Saturday, May 31, 2014

June 1 Tip: Register for "The Art of Pilgrimage: A Creative Exploration" with Terry Taylor

Register now" for "The Art of Pilgrimage: A Creative Exploration" with Terry Taylor

(The June 1 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

The Art of Pilgrimage
A Creative Exploration 
with Terry Taylor of Interfaith Paths to Peace

6:30 pm-8 pm. Three Wednesdays (June 18 & 25 and July 2).
At Thomas Jefferson Unitarian Universalist Church
4936 Brownsboro Rd. in Louisville

Cost: $45 ($55 at the door)

Email back to register:

Built upon his extensive travels in the US and around the world, Terry will lead participants in an exploration of the key elements involved in making a sacred journey. 

He will also work with participants in bringing creative processes to the pilgrimage experience. 

The class will involve reading, discussion and the useof creative exploration tools such as journaling, photography, sketching and more! 

Participants will be invited to visit a location sacred to them in the local area and then respond to this "pilgrimage experience" with one or more creative tools. No experience in art (or religion!) required.

Terry has served for 10 years as executive director of Interfaith Paths to Peace. His sometimes sacred, sometimes secular travels have taken him to 32 countries and all 50 states. Terry is a photographer and writer. He earned a Master of Fine ArtsDegree from the University of Alabama, and is the author of A Spirituality for Brokenness.


May 31 Tip: See the film "Maleficent" (Now Playing)

See the film "Maleficent" (Now Playing)

(The May 31 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

http://movies.disney.com/maleficent

A beautiful, pure-hearted young woman, Maleficent has an idyllic life growing up in a peaceable forest kingdom, until one day when an invading army threatens the harmony of the land. Maleficent rises to be the land's fiercest protector, but she ultimately suffers a ruthless betrayal - an act that begins to turn her pure heart to stone. Bent on revenge, Maleficent faces a battle with the invading king's successor and, as a result, places a curse upon his newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Maleficent realizes that Aurora holds the key to peace in the kingdom - and perhaps to Maleficent's true happiness as well.

Thursday, May 29, 2014

May 30 Tip: RIP Maya Angelo

From FRESH AIR: RIP Maya Angelo

http://www.npr.org/2014/05/28/316707321/fresh-air-remembers-poet-and-memoirist-maya-angelou

In her memoirs, Maya Angelou explored how race and gender affected her life. Her first memoir,I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, was published in 1969 and describes growing up in the segregated South. It includes the story of how, as a child, Angelou was raped by her mother's boyfriend. After the rape, she withdrew into herself and went through a long period of not speaking.
Angelou got pregnant and became a mother when she was 16 and unmarried. Her autobiographies describe how she traveled around the country with her son, Guy, earning her living as a waitress, prostitute, madam, singer, actress and writer. In the '60s, Angelou was active in the civil rights movement and worked with Martin Luther King Jr. as the northern coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. She was the inaugural poet for Bill Clinton when he took office in 1993.
Maya Angelou died Wednesday at 86. She spoke to Fresh Air's Terry Gross in 1986.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

May 29 Tip: Join Jud Hendrix today at noon for a "brown bag" lunch talk on "The Coming of the Inter-Spiritual Age

Join Jud Hendrix today at noon for a "brown bag" lunch talk on "The Coming of the Inter-Spiritual Age

(The May 29 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

Your friends at Interfaith Paths to Peace invite you to join us for a Brown Bag Discussion with Jud Hendrix exploring the movement from interfaith to intra-spiritual based on the reality of the growing "spiritual but not religious" population.  What are characteristics of the movement and how can it be encouraged.

Bring your own lunch and join us for the 1 hour conversation at 12:10 pm, Thursday, May 29 at Christ Church Cathedral, 425 South Second Street.

Jud Hendrix is the Compassion In Action Coordinator at Kentucky Refugee Ministries, a consultant and coach with New Possibilities Associates, and an adjunct professor at Bellarmine University.  He was a founding co-pastors for twelve years at Covenant Community Church (PCUSA) and the founding director of the Ecclesia Project with Mid Kentucky Presbytery and the Center For Integral Spirituality.  His work is to join with others in cultivating local and global communities of compassion, consciousness and creativity.  Through consulting, coaching, speaking, teaching, group facilitation, community organizing and spiritual direction he seeks to create environments for personal and social transformation.  He lives, works and plays in Louisville, KY and has three children Hank, Jake, and Bailey.

Free and open to the public. Bring your own lunch.


May 28 Tip: Learning to be a Creative Observer

From "Sounds True": Learning to be a Creative Observer

(The May 28 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

http://www.soundstrue.com/weeklywisdom/?source=tami-simon&p=2061&category=PP&version=full

In this excerpt from The Field, author and investigative journalist Lynne McTaggartexplores how we as observers interact with the world around us. As Lynne says, “Reality isn’t just fixed, but is fluid and open to some sort of influence,” suggesting that it’s even possible to change outcomes across time and space. According to producer Mitchell Clute, “If you’re intrigued by the intersection of science and spirit, this program provides some wild and thought-provoking information.”

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

May 27 Tip: From NPR: Anxious Parents Can Learn How To Reduce Anxiety In Their Kids

From NPR: Anxious Parents Can Learn How To Reduce Anxiety In Their Kids

(The May 27 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

Children are increasingly anxious, stressed out and overly worried. Part of that has to do with increased pressures to excel in school, sports and extracurricular activities. But part of it has a lot to do with parents....

Sunday, May 25, 2014

May 26 Tip: Attend This Morning's Interfaith Memorial Day Service

                       Attend This Morning's Interfaith Memorial Day Service

                  (The May 26 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)
Interfaith Memorial Day Service
11 am, Monday, May 26th
Westwood Presbyterian Church
4432 Greenwood Ave.
  
To reach Westwood Presbyterian Church
(note that travel on city streets will be blocked by a bike event)

  1. Take I-64 westbound through the downtown area to 1-264
  2. Merge left onto I-264 toward Shively
  3. Travel 2.7 miles and take Exit 3 toward Virginia Avenue/Dumesnil St
  4. Turn right onto Hale Ave.
  5. Travel 1/2 mile to South 43rd Street.
  6. Turn right onto South 43rd Street and travel 1/4 mile to Greenwood Ave.
  7. Turn left onto Greenwood Avenue
  8. The Church will Be on your left. [NOTE: Parking is available in a lot behind the church]

Saturday, May 24, 2014

May 24 Tip: Attend Tomorrow's Buddha Birthday Celebration

Attend Tomorrow's Buddha Birthday Celebration

(The May 24 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

Here is an invitation from Rev. Thich Hang Dat, head of the Ten Thousand Buddha's Summit Monastery near Corydon, Indiana

10,000 Buddhas Summit Monastery
3600 Mathis Rd.,

Corydon, IN 47112

We would like to invite you and your family to join our Buddha’s Birthday celebration from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM on Sunday, May 25 of 2014.

Currently, in the United States the two oriental practices that have gone to the mainstream are yoga and meditation. In fact, Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, FORTUNE 500 titans, Pentagon chiefs, politicians, etc., are utilizing meditation to enhance their professional fields successfully. For instance, Tim Ryan, a democratic Congressman from Ohio, has become a rock star among mindfulness evangelist to promote mindfulness as a tool to combat stress, anxiety, depress, etc.

However, many people are unaware that mindfulness practice generally has its roots in Buddhism; namely, this tradition of mind’s training was initiated by the Buddha, i.e. Enlightened One that many people, especially in the West, may not know who the Buddha is, where he was born, etc.

To know more about this historical Buddha, we would like to invite you and your family to join our Buddha’s birthday celebration on Sunday, May 25 of 2014, starting from 2:00 PM at our temple Corydon, IN. We will have lion’s dance, refreshment, and youth’s performances afterward.

We look forward to seeing you and your family soon.

Sincerely,

Rev. Thich Hang Dat


Thursday, May 22, 2014

May 23 Tip: Listen to Terry Taylor's talk on "Learning from The Troubles in Northern Ireland

Listen to Terry Taylor's talk on "Learning from The Troubles in Northern Ireland

(The May 23 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

http://wforradio.org/2014/05/18/leaning-from-the-troubles-in-northern-ireland-by-terry-taylor/

Talk presented by Mr. Terry Taylor, Interfaith Paths to Peace, at the April 2014 “Third Thursday” Luncheon Program at The Rudyard Kipling
For several decades beginning in the late 1960′s the citizens of Northern Ireland endured a bloody civil war between Catholics and Protestants. The violence included terror bombings, kidnappings and assassinations. Today the war is over . . . but they don’t yet have peace. In his talk Terry Taylor describes his visit to that country in October 2013, and shares what he learned about how the citizens of Northern Ireland are struggling to get past their history of violence amid the animosities that still linger. He also details the similarities and differences between the Irish struggle and the violence in Louisville’s streets.
Terry is Executive Director of Louisville-based Interfaith Paths to Peace and the author of the 2009 book, A Spirituality for Brokenness.
Visit Interfaith Paths to Peace at www.paths2peace.org.
Follow Terry Taylor on Facebook and on twitter @interfaithterry.


Wednesday, May 21, 2014

May 22 Tip: See the film "Locke"

See the film "Locke" (Now Playing at Baxter Ave. Cinemas)

(The May 22 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

http://locke-movie.com/

Ivan Locke (Hardy) has worked diligently to craft the life he has envisioned, dedicating himself to the job that he loves and the family he adores. On the eve of the biggest challenge of his career, Ivan receives a phone call that sets in motion a series of events that will unravel his family, job, and soul. All taking place over the course of one absolutely riveting car ride, LOCKE is an exploration of how one decision can lead to the complete collapse of a life.

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

May 21 Tip" Pope to visit Holy Land along with Argentine Muslim Leader and Rabbi

Pope to visit Holy Land along with Argentine Muslim Leader and Rabbi

(The May 21 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

http://www.npr.org/2014/05/20/313146618/pope-to-travel-to-holy-land-with-rabbi-and-muslim-leader?sc=17&f=1001&utm_source=iosnewsapp&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=app

The first non-European pope in modern history will makes a pilgrimage to the Holy Land this week, a region with centuries of religious strife.
Francis — the first pope to take the name of the saint of peace — will carry far less historical baggage than any of his predecessors.
When John Paul II visited Israel in 2000, he prayed at the Western Wall and apologized for the church's sins against Jews. Nine years later, at Yad Vashem, the memorial to the Holocaust, Benedict XVI urged that the names of the victims never perish, be denied or forgotten.
Those two popes, one born in Poland and the other in Germany, carried the weight of their countries' histories: centuries of anti-Semitism in Poland; Nazism and the Holocaust in Germany.
Rabbi David Rosen, director of Inter-Religious Relations for the American Jewish Committee, says when Jewish and Catholic religious leaders meet, they focus mostly on the past.
"We have long memories, sometimes for better and sometimes for worse," Rosen says. "And if you don't encounter Christians on the positive human bases in the here and now, you are often captive to those tragic memories of the past, and that requires quite a lot of time and energy before the necessary healing has effect."
But the Argentine-born pope is less interested in history, says John Allen, Vatican analyst forThe Boston Globe.
"With Francis, his focus in interreligious dialogue is much more on the present — it's what are the challenges of today, poverty and war, and what can the religions do together in facing them," Allen says. "It is a mode of interreligious dialogue that is free of the ghosts of the past."
A Clean Slate
As archbishop of Buenos Aires, Francis wrote a book with Skorka called Heaven and Earth. Skorka says growing up in a cosmopolitan city and going to the same schools created a special bond between people of different faiths.
"We shared lot of experience — being together, Jews, Christians — learning [about the other]. We were not in a closed ghetto," Skorka says. "We were in touch, one with the other, maintaining each one his own tradition but knowing that there exists another, that the other can be your friend, being other."
With Francis, the Catholic Church has the opportunity to present itself with a clean slate — and not just with Judaism.
In September, just months after he became pope, Western powers appeared ready to go to war over Syria. But Francis declared his opposition, calling a worldwide day of fasting. It was an anti-war action, says Allen, that won the pope much goodwill in the Islamic world, in many parts of which the memory of the Christian-led Crusades is still alive.
"In the Muslim street, the fact that he came out against Western intentions to invade a Middle Eastern Muslim nation, that is Syria, earned him a lot of political credibility," he says.
Francis will pray with Syrian refugees in Jordan on Saturday. He'll then travel to Bethlehem, Jesus' birthplace in the Palestinian territories. Finally, he'll visit Jerusalem.
He'll also commemorate the 50th anniversary of a historic rapprochement between the Catholic and Orthodox churches. And he'll appeal for an end to the Christian exodus from the Middle East, where more and more Christians are dying in recent conflicts.
In a part of the world where politics and religion are closely entwined, Francis' every word will be carefully analyzed, as well as his new geopolitical strategy, Allen says. "His position on Syria was closer to Putin and China than to the major Western powers. To break that centuries-old attachment to the Western powers and align himself with some of the new rising powers of the world, I think, said something of the new globality of the Catholic Church."
The pope from the global South is forging a new ad hoc diplomacy where the Vatican could play a completely new role on the international stage.

May 20 Tip: RIP Civil Rights giant Vincent Harding

RIP Civil Rights giant Vincent Harding

(The May 20 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2014/5/20/rip_vincent_g_harding_historian_who

Friends, I learned this morning of the death of a friend who is a legend in the history of the Civil Rights movement in the US, Dr. Vincent Harding.

Here is an interview that Democracy Now did with Dr. Harding a few years ago.

Democracy Now! has confirmed reports that first appeared on Twitter, that Dr. Vincent Harding has passed away. We will report further details as they become available. Harding was a well-known historian and scholar, and friend, colleague and former speechwriter for Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Harding was a Professor Emeritus of Religion and Social Transformation at Illiff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado. He wrote many books, including Martin Luther King: The Inconvenient Hero and There Is a River: The Black Struggle for Freedom in America. Harding was also the first director of the Martin Luther King Memorial Center in Atlanta, and chairperson of the Veterans of Hope project.
Dr. Harding joined us again in 2011, as the public got its first look at the MLK memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and read from a Carl Wendell Hines poem written shortly after Dr. King’s assassination: "Dead men make such convenient heroes... It is easier to build monuments than to build a better world."
We last spoke with Dr. Harding when he was 81 years old in 2012, during our "Expanding the Debate" special broadcast.

Sunday, May 18, 2014

May 19 Tip: Attend Tonight's 1st Anniversary Celebration of the Dalai Lama's 2013 visit to Louisville

Attend Tonight's 1st Anniversary Celebration of the Dalai Lama's 2013 visit to Louisville

(The May 19 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

Engaging Compassion in 2014:  An Interfaith Discussion in Commemoration of
His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 2013 Visit

(Louisville, KY)  The Drepung Gomang Institute (DGI), Louisville’s Tibetan Buddhist dharma center, announces the commemoration of the 2013 visit of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in an event called “Engaging Compassion in 2014:  An Interfaith Discussion”:  Monday, 19 May, 2014, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m., 411 North Hubbards Lane, Louisville, KY  40207.

“Engaging Compassion in 2014” celebrates the auspicious 2013 visit of the great leader of compassion, His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Over three days and in a number of venues His Holiness spoke to over 17,000 participants about how everyday people can engage compassion in their lives.   Authentic peace, His Holiness told us, will be possible only through interfaith understanding. 

DGI is honored to welcome local interfaith speakers for this important commemoration.  These include peacemaker Christopher 2X, Rev. Dr. Marian McClure Taylor from the Kentucky Council of Churches, Aisha Marzieh Shariful-Atibba from the  Baha’i community, Virginia Peck from Mayor Fischer’s office, Dr. Kathleen Lyons from the Center for Interfaith Relations, Daya Singh Sandhu from the Sikh community, Buddhist leader Rev. Thich Hang Dat, of Ten Thousand Buddhas Summit Monastery, Haleh Karimi from the Muslim community, among others.  They will share reflections on how His Holiness' visit and teaching inspired their community to engage compassion and in what ways we might foster continued growth of interfaith engaged compassion in Louisville Metro.

Terry Taylor, Executive Director of Interfaith Paths to Peace will facilitate an interfaith dialogue following. 

DGI Director and spiritual leader, Geshe Kalsang Rapgyal, explained that when the Dalai Lama blessed the center on May 19, 2013, he challenged the members of DGI to establish a center of education that welcomes interfaith dialogue and shares the philosophy of compassion and non-violence. 


The Drepung Gomang Institute, the Tibetan Buddhist dharma/teaching center of Louisville, is located at 411 N. Hubbards Lane, Louisville, KY 40207.  For more information on the center visit www.drepunggomangusa.com or call Anne Walter, President DGI Board of Directors, at 502-619-1652.

Saturday, May 17, 2014

May 18 Tip: Tonight! Hear the Dick Sisto Quartet perform the complete music from "Soul Searching: The Journey of Thomas Merton

Tonight! Hear the Dick Sisto Quartet perform the complete music from "Soul Searching: The Journey of Thomas Merton

(The May 18 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

The Dick Sisto Quartet 
Performs the Complete Music from

Soul Searching: The Journey of Thomas Merton

 


7 pm, Sunday, May 17
The Clifton Center
2117 Payne Street
Louisville, KY


Dick Sisto and his quartet present the first complete performance of the music he composed for the documentary chronicle of Thomas Merton's life by award-winning filmmaker, Morgan Atkinson. The music, which has been widely praised, was described by one critic as "bringing life and substance to the story."

Tickets are $10 and are available online on the Clifton Center's website - http://cliftoncenter.tix.com/Schedule.asp?OrganizationNumber=2828
Tickets may also be purchased at Carmichael's Bookstore on Frankfort Avenue or by phone at (502) 896-6950

Friday, May 16, 2014

May 17 Tip: Anytime between 3 pm and 11 pm today, stop by a fundraiser for suicide prevention at "Zanzabar"

Anytime between 3 pm and 11 pm today, stop by a fundraiser for suicide prevention at "Zanzabar"

(The May 17 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

Enjoy:

Food,
Beverages,
Live Music,
A Raffle, and
A Silent Auction

Live Music 
Silent Auction
Raffle

Save Lives...Stop Suicide 

Sponsored by The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention - Louisville Metro Chapter

Make the difference, Prevent Suicide

From Nick with Love


https://www.facebook.com/events/1481690772062873/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming


May 16 Tip: Read the Case for "Soft Atheism"

From the NY Times: Read "The Case for Soft Atheism"

(The May 16 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/05/15/the-case-for-soft-atheism/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

Philip Kitcher:  I don’t think focusing on religious doctrine, as opposed to religious experience or practice, is always the best way of considering a religious perspective. Nonetheless, most religions do offer doctrines about aspects of the world that go beyond the things of everyday experience. They tell us about gods or spirits or ancestors who return or special forces or sacred qualities of particular places.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

May 15 Tip: View the Andrew Solomon TED talk: Love No Matter What

View the Andrew Solomon TED talk: Love No Matter What

(The May 15 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

http://www.ted.com/talks/andrew_solomon_love_no_matter_what?v2=0

What is it like to raise a child who's different from you in some fundamental way (like a prodigy, or a differently abled kid, or a criminal)? In this quietly moving talk, writer Andrew Solomon shares what he learned from talking to dozens of parents — asking them: What's the line between unconditional love and unconditional acceptance?


Tuesday, May 13, 2014

May 14 Tip: Finding Grace in the Wake of Destruction

From "Fresh Air": Finding Grace in the Wake of Destruction

(The May 14 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

http://www.npr.org/2014/05/06/310089151/sam-baker-finding-grace-in-the-wake-of-destruction

Sam Baker didn't start writing music until he'd come very close to the other side. In 1986, he was on a train in Peru, en route to Machu Picchu, when a bomb planted by the Peruvian terrorist group Shining Path exploded in the luggage rack above him. The people he was sitting with were killed. His body was torn apart. He had a brain injury and severe hearing loss, and he required more than 15 reconstructive surgeries.
Somehow during his long recovery, songs started coming to him. Several of them are related directly to the attack and his near-death experience, while others are like short stories, written in the voices of characters. Some of his most beautiful songs are like hymns. His latest album is titled Say Grace.
"I think that my job is to reveal as much as I know and hope that it's helpful to somebody," he tellsFresh Air's Terry Gross in an interview about the bombing and the faith he gained in humanity.

Monday, May 12, 2014

May 13 Tip: Attend tonight's "Festival of Faiths" Interfaith Service

Attend tonight's "Festival of Faiths" Interfaith Service

(The May 13 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

http://www.centerforinterfaithrelations.org/festival-of-faiths/

2014 Festival of Faiths
                                                                Sacred Earth, Sacred Self
                                                                Interfaith Service: A Call to Prayer
                                                               
                                                                May 13, 2014 – 5:30pm
                                                                Cathedral of the Assumption

In this Service, all people of faith are called to prayer through the universal language of music.  Participating during the Service will be The River City Drum Corps, the West Louisville Boys and Girls Choirs, and young Hindu dancers, students of Akila Iyer.  In addition, participants include a quartet from the choir of the Cathedral of the Assumption, a choir from The Temple, and a duo representing the Baha’i faith.  The Islamic Call to Prayer will be chanted, as will a Buddhist prayer, with monks employing the long horn, cymbals, and bells. 

The Service will be preceded by a musical event in Founder’s Square (4:15-5:25) of special interest to youth, and it will be followed by a reception in the Cathedral Undercroft (6:45 – 8:00).  At the reception, desserts will be served, prepared by Gourmet Treasures, a catering service established by women refugees now residing in Louisville in their effort to become self-supporting.  Both at the Pre-Service event in Founders Square and at the reception, interested youth can learn about an opportunity to study music free-of-charge through an organization called AMPED, Academy of Music Production Education and Development.  In this initiative, AMPED is supported by New Legacy and Level Seven Recording Studios, along with many local musicians, including Allison Cross and Jibriyll Izsrael.

 In accord with the theme of the Festival, pins reading “I’m sacred, and you are too” will be distributed to all in attendance.  Everyone is welcome to attend.

Sunday, May 11, 2014

May 12 Tip: Savor the poetry of Randall Jarrell

Savor the poetry of Randall Jarrell

(The May 12 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

http://www.poemhunter.com/randall-jarrell/

Poet, critic and teacher, Randall Jarrell was born in Nashville, Tennessee, to Anna (Campbell) and Owen Jarrell on May 6, 1914. Mr. Jarrell attended the Vanderbilt University and later taught at the University of Texas. 

Mr. Jarrell also taught a year at Princeton and also at the University of Illinois; he did a two-year appointment as Poetry Consultant at the Library of Congress. 

Randall Jarrell published many novels througout his lifetime and one of his most well known works was in 1960, "The Woman at the Washington Zoo". 

Upon Mr. Jarrells passing, Peter Taylor (A well known fiction writer and friend of Mr. Jarrell) said, "To Randall's friends there was always the feeling that he was their teacher. To Randall's students there was always the feeling that he was their friend. And with good reason for both." Lowell said of Jarrell, "Now that he is gone, I see clearly that the spark of heaven really struck and irradiated the lines and being of my dear old friend—his noble, difficult and beautiful soul."

Here's a sample:

And yet
the ways
we miss
our lives
are life.

May 11 Tip: Take part in Tibetan Buddhist Green Tara Puja, opportunities today and tomorrow

Take part in Tibetan Buddhist Green Tara Puja--opportunities today and tomorrow

(The May 11 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

 GREEN TARA PUJA
Rare and Sacred Opportunity 

DGI is honored to host a Green Tara Puja on Sunday and Monday, May 11th and 12th.  This puja is rarely offered in the US.  It is being sponsored to convey special blessings on the coming Festival of Faiths, May 13 – 18th
 
We invite all to be part of at least one session of prayer at 9 am, 2 pm, or 5 pm.  Each prayer will last approximately 90 minutes. 

The Green Tara Ceremonies will take place at the Drepung Gomang Institute, 411 North Hubbards Lane in Louisville.
 
Offerings are considered to generate merit for the practitioner and to create further goodness.  Please consider bringing flowers for the altar for any session.  Please bring tsok – offerings of candy, cookies, fruit – and stay for the closing ceremony on Monday at 5 pm
 
If you would like to make a special prayer request, please bring a donation to each of the nine participating monks.  This traditional way of offering your gratitude need not be a lot of money – even $1, offered with a humble heart to each monk, honors the auspiciousness of the prayer gathering.  
 
For more information contact Anne at annekwalt@aol.com  or call her at 619-1652

Who is Green Tara?
Tara is the most beloved of all the Tibetan feminine meditation deities. She represents fearlessness, the swift ability to save beings from danger, and protection from suffering. In the beautiful myth of her creation, Tara is said to have sprung from the tears of Chenrezig, the great bodhisattva of compassion. So great was the scope of suffering he saw around him that Chenrezig shed tears in despair at not being able to help everyone, and from the lake of tears that grew at his feet sprang Tara in two forms: White Tara and Green Tara. With their help, we believe Chenrezig's wish to liberate all beings from suffering can be fulfilled. Tara is also a bodhisattva, someone who has vowed to attain enlightenment for the sake of liberating all beings, but she took a special vow: to attain enlightenment in a female body and so always to be reborn as a woman until this was fulfilled. Tara's vow has, consequently, given hope and inspiration to countless generations of women.

Green Tara is perceived as giving powerful help to remove obstacles. These obstacles may be external or within our own mind - anything that causes us suffering or prevents us from being happy. People pray to Tara for help with worldly problems as well as for help with progress along the spiritual path. Images portray her as quick and fearless in her activity, for example, her outstretched right leg shows her readiness to spring into action whenever she is needed and she is often described as youthful, playful and dynamic. Green Tara is particularly associated with the quality of fearlessness and her special role lies in helping beings to overcome all kinds of fear and the suffering associated with fear.
 
On a worldly level, the Green Tara practice has helped people recover from disease, receive protection from untimely death, achieve success in career and business, find a job, find a partner, and increase wealth. On a spiritual level, the Green Tara puja helps one complete the accumulation of both merit and wisdom and quickly attain enlightenment.

Friday, May 9, 2014

May 10 Tip: (Nostalgia) Watch Natalie Merchant's music video of "Carnival"

(Nostalgia) Watch Natalie Merchant's music video of "Carnival"

(The May 10 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ_Wqtnlv4U


I've walked these streets
A virtual stage
It seemed to me
Make up on their faces
Actors took their
Places next to me 

I've walked these streets
In a carnival
Of sights to see
All the cheap thrill seekers
The vendors & the dealers
They crowded around me 

Have I been blind
Have I been lost
Inside myself and
My own mind
Hypnotized
Mesmerized
By what my eyes have seen? 

I've walked these streets
In a spectacle of wealth & poverty
In the diamond market
The scarlet welcome carpet
That they just rolled out for me 

I've walked these streets
In the mad house asylum
They can be
Where a wild eyed misfit prophet
On a traffic island stopped
And he raved of saving me 

Have I been blind
Have I been lost
Inside myself and
My own mind
Hypnotized
Mesmerized
By what my eyes have seen? 

Have I been wrong
Have I been wise
To shut my eyes
And play along
Hypnotized
Paralyzed
By what my eyes have found
By what my eyes have seen
What they have seen? 

Have I been blind
Have I been lost
Have I been wrong
Have I been wise
Have I been strong
Have I been
Hypnotized
Mesmerized
By what my eyes have found
In that great street carnival
In that carnival?

Thursday, May 8, 2014

May 9 Tip: Take Part in Next Week's "Festival of Faiths"

Take Part in Next Week's "Festival of Faiths"

(The May 9 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

2014 Festival of Faiths -- Sacred Earth, Sacred Self
May 13-18, 2014, Actors Theatre of Louisville


The 2014 Festival of Faiths will explore the sacred relationships we have with ourselves, each other, and all life on earth. Sacred Earth Sacred Self will celebrate compassion, kindness, devotion, and love and will reveal how through intentional living we can reimagine a future where we of many faith traditions and cultures live our individual and shared values while lifting up the sacredness and interconnectedness of all life on earth. The schedule includes daily guided meditations, keynote addresses, films, and photographic exhibits. The Festival will feature international leaders in the areas of environmental and social justice, sustainability, agriculture and interconnectedness. Programs will include daily guided meditations, keynote addresses, films, and photographic exhibits.

On Saturday, May 17, 12:30 – 5:00 p.m., the Pachamama Alliance will conduct a symposium entitled “Awaken the Dreamer.” The Awaken the Dreamer Symposium is an action-oriented program, designed to give participants the opportunity to learn about the current global crisis, how it came about, and what the human family can do to bring about a transformational change on planet Earth through environmental sustainability, spiritually fulfilling lifestyles, and social justice for all living species.

Other highlights include a joint appearance by two of America’s most notable literary figures – poet, farmer, essayist and activist Wendell Berry and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and environmentalist Gary Snyder; Patrick Holden, founder of Great Britain’s Sustainable Food Trust and an advisor to the Prince of Wales; Dr. Monica Weis, SSJ, author of The Environmental Vision of Thomas Merton (2011); Dr. Julian Agyeman, Professor of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts University; and ShaykhHamza Yusuf, president, co-founder, and senior faculty member at Zaytuna College, America’s first Muslim liberal arts college.

Ticket prices for individual programs range from $15 to $25. Student tickets are half-price. Week passes are available for $150. 

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

June 8 Tip: Learn about the Buddhist Peace Fellowship

Learn about the Buddhist Peace Fellowship

(The June 8 Compassionate Living Tip from Interfaith Paths to Peace)

http://www.buddhistpeacefellowship.org/about-bpf/

Vision

Aware of the interconnectedness of all things, the Buddhist Peace Fellowship cultivates the conditions for peace, social justice, and environmental sustainability within our selves, our communities, and the world.

Mission

The mission of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship (BPF), founded in 1978, is to serve as a catalyst for socially engaged Buddhism. Our purpose is to help beings liberate themselves from the suffering that manifests in individuals, relationships, institutions, and social systems. BPF’s programs, publications, and practice groups link Buddhist teachings of wisdom and compassion with progressive social change.
The Buddhist Peace Fellowship works for peace from diverse Buddhist perspectives.
Buddhist Peace Fellowship embraces a triple treasure of compassionate action – learning, speaking, and doing.
Speaking/Communication: Our public voice brings Buddhist teachings into conversation with situations in the world, inspiring and informing action for peace.
Learning/Community: Our trainings strengthen Buddhist leadership for peace, and build socially engaged Buddhist communities.
Doing/Collaboration: As part of the mandala of social change, we act in collaboration with other organizations and individuals, working together to cultivate the conditions for peace.