Meditate w/Bhikkhu Bodhi, Vesak, sutra study

CLASS INFO: Wednesdays 7:00–8:00 pm (EDT) with Bhikkhu Bodhi

Our Theravada JuBu teacher Bhikkhu Bodhi

Dear Dharma Students, please join us tonight (May 6, 2026) at 7:00 pm for a meditation session over Zoom by clicking here.

Each Wednesday evening, from 7:00 to 8:00 pm, Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi leads a meditation session over Zoom. The session consists of a 15-minute vandana (chanting Pali verses of homage) followed by a 45-minute guided meditation.

All are welcome to join. The texts for recitation are attached separately. Please see class page on website (BAUS.org/en) for chanting text. Miss it? Don't worry. This is a recurring meeting from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm (EDT, New York time), Wednesdays.

With metta,

Chuang Yen Monastery/BAUS

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• BAUS (The Buddhist Association of the U.S.)
• 美國佛教會, 2020 Route 301 Carmel, NY 10512
• contact@baus.org

More activities at Chuang Yen Monastery (BAUS)­ for May 2026

Dates: Saturdays, May 2, 9, and 23. Time: 6:30 am to 8:30 am (PT) - 9:30 am to 11:30 am (ET) On Saturdays, Bhikkhu Bodhi leads a full morning program of meditation and sutra study.

May 2nd and 9th is a "hybrid" program in-person and online. The May 23rd class online only this month. The online class can be accessed through Zoom. Please note: To participate in this class, one must register with BAUS ahead of time: Sign up for class with Bhikkhu Bodhi

The Sanctuary Within with Ven. Youmin

Instructor: Ven. Youmin Date: May 10th, time: 10:00 am-11:30 am and 1:30-3:00 pm. Place: Woo Ju Memorial Library. Lead by Ven. Youmin, we will explore the ancient mechanics of the mind through the art of breath, deconstruct the filters of our perception, and gain a definitive framework for stress management. This is more than a lecture, it is a mental operating system upgrade. THE SANCTUARY WITHIN with Ven. Youmin 4/19 & 5/10

VESAK 2026: "Buddhist Christmas" in New York: the Buddha’s Birthday Celebration

Date: Sunday, May 17, 2026, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. Place: The Great Buddha Hall at Chuang Yen Monastery. All are invited to celebrate Vesak, commemorating the birth of the historical Gautama Buddha (Shakyamuni). We will recite the Sutra on the Merit of Bathing the Baby Buddha and make a Grand Meal Offering to all the Buddhas. BAUS invites everyone to sponsor the lighting of a blessing lamp or other blessing or memorial services.

• Vesak: The Buddha's Birthday Celebration • May 17, 2026

Group meditation Wednesdays on Zoom

Group Meditation on Zoom w/Bhikkhu Bodhi

Group Meditation over Zoom, Wednesdays, 7:00 pm-8:00 pm. Platform: Zoom. Every Wednesday evening, from 7:00 to 8:00 pm, Bhikkhu Bodhi leads online group meditation. The session consists of a 15-minute vandana (chanting verses of homage), followed by a 45-minute guided meditation, either on loving-kindness or on mindfulness of breathing.

Temple of Enlightenment (TOE)

• 3070 Albany Cresent Bronx, NY 10463
• TOE Meditation Class and Dharma Talk with Ven. Subodha

Instructor: Ven. Subodha, Sundays, 10:00 am to 11:30 am on Zoom and in person at TOE on Tuesdays from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. Location: Temple of Enlightenment Meditation Program. In person only at the Temple of Enlightenment in the Bronx.

Children's Dhamma Class at Temple of Enlightenment in the Bronx, NY

• Bhikkhu Bodhi (BAUS); Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Jesus, Buddha, and Lao Tzu: Same Truth?

(The Lost Gospel)

Village Fall Festival, Pasadena (11/22)

Village Fall Market and Festival, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025 at 12:00 pm | Eventbrite

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WHAT HAPPENED?

Why gather? To build community.

A thousand or so people from the community and far afield gathered on the grounds of Muir High. The main stage moved to the lawn area to accommodate dancing and grooving to live music and DJ Common. The food trucks were barbequing and one maestro of the kitchen had special raw vegan offerings -- three kinds of savory pizza and plantain cinnamon rolls. The most attractive offerings among all the nonprofit stalls and kiosks was the Healing Village with yoga, breathwork, sound baths, reiki, massage, and energy healing under tents. Even visitors from Pacific Palisades enjoyed it. It was six hours of socializing and visiting a booth to go on camera to tell the tale of Altadena and the area before and after the Eaton Fire.

(Rhythms of The Village)

VILLAGE FALL FESTIVAL: The Fall Festival is back at Pasadena's Muir High School, where we’ll host the foothill community for day of healing, joy, and unity! Free. RSVP on EVENTBRITE.

• Village Fall Festival (free, Pasadena's Muir High School), Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, 12:00 PM | Meetup
• Village Fall Festival (FREE, Pasadena's Muir High), Sat, Nov 22, 2025, 12:00 PM | Meetup
• Village Fall Festival (FREE, Pasadena's Muir High), Sat, Nov 22, 2025, 12:00 PM | Meetup

Celebrating the vibrant, multicultural spirit of Altadena, let's DANCE together, EAT together, and SHOP together.

Join us for an afternoon of live music and drumming, food, art, and healing vibes as we celebrate commUnity at our traditional Village Fall Festival presented by Rhythms of the Village and LA Commons and Oh Happy Days Vegan Cafe.

• Village Fall Festival (Rhythms of The Village)
• PHOTO GALLERY from Village Spring Festival

Let's dance, eat, laugh, and sing together so our stories get heard! Explore a vibrant marketplace of art, handmade crafts, jewelry, clothing, and more with 50+ vendors, including Altadena artisans displaced by the Eaton Fire.

Live multicultural entertainment goes throughout the day on the big stage, including the Rhythms Family Band, led by the legendary Baba Onochie Chukwurah. There are also activities for children.

Healing individuals and community

Village Fall Market and Festival

Free healing workshops and sessions go on in the "Altadena Healing Village":

• yoga,
• Reiki,
• acupuncture,
• sound healing,
• massage therapy.

NEW Storytelling Booth: Altadena residents can share and record their stories. Delicious food from various cultures.

Vendors: Makers sell handcrafted or vintage items only: Apply here. Sponsorships are still available.

This magical festival and marketplace unites us. Many cultures coming together as ONE Tribe. There are children’s workshops and a magical line up of entertainment throughout the day. Tasty foods... 50+ makers of items handcrafted with love.

Some of these artisans were displaced from Altadena, crafters who create jewelry, art, wearables and more... Vendors apply here. It runs for six hours starting at noon, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025.

• Location: John Muir High School
• 1905 Lincoln Ave.
• Pasadena, CA 91103
• FREE: Nov. 22, 12:00 pm PST
• Village Fall Market & Festival
• Sat., Nov 22, 2025 at 12:00 pm

How to get there? Covered parking. Family friendly event. Why did the location change? Previous site behind the Rhythms of the Village store and Oh Happy Day Vegan Cafe came down during the Eaton Fire. Organized by Emeka Chukwurah. #arts #music #festival #multicultural #musicfestival #Altadena #familyfriendly #Pasadena

• Emeka Chukwurah, Baba Onochie Chukwurah (rhythmsofthevillage.com); Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Jen B., Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly

Bend the Arc: Jewish Action: Mamdani

(The Katie Halper Show) American Jew brutalized by Zionist Jewish IDF soldiers in Israel

RSVP: Lessons from Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s race - Bend the Arc: Jewish Action

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Power the Jewish fight to resist Trump

Trump works for Israel and for Trump, not US

The Jewish fight to resist Trump's cruel policies and keep our beloved communities safe will take all of us. A gift today will power action alongside our partners, organizing in communities around the country and fighting back in the streets and the halls of power. Bend the Arc: Jewish Action (bendthearc.us)

• ‎شرش | Shoresh | שר”ש‎ (@shoresh_us)

• Neturei Karta: NKUSA.org
• Rabbis for Ceasefire
• Jewish Voice for Peace
• ifnotnowmovement.org
• CODEPINK: Women for Peace
• American Veterans for Peace
• American Civil Liberties Union

Raise a hand if you’ve had a difficult conversation about Jewish antisemitism (Arabs being Muslim Semites) recently. ✋✋✋ Disagreements about NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Jewish safety, and other important issues are happening across Jewish communities. That’s why antisemitism messaging expert Sharon Goldtzvik and BTA are excited to share new messaging guidance and tools — to rise to this challenge and begin the work of bridging us back together. More

Jews were all over Middle East, having wandered far from Palestine ('Israel')

• Katie Halper; Bend The Arc; Sheldon S., CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Zohran sticks it to Trump, Cuomo, Musk

Desi Lydic Foxsplains Zohran Mamdani, NYC's radical new commie mayor | The Daily Show

Older generation of Bibi/Trump-worshipping Zionist Jews in agony: "But WE own this city!"

Now that The WQ Oracle is officially psychic and able to successfully predict wins, we have to extend a special thank you to hated Dictator Trump and Madman Musk for backing corrupt sexual harasser Andy Cuomo. New Yorkers hate Trump and Cuomo, and most love breath-of-fresh-air Mamdani, who is for all the people, including Brooklyn's massive Jewish population, the largest in US.

Reason 'Mike Johnson Grindr' is trending

(Keith Edwards) Mike Johnson Grindr Johnson gets heckled live in post-disaster press conference, lying about who closed down the government, trying to blame Democrats when everyone knows it was the Trump administration. Gerrymandering, California's Prop. 50 (temporary redistricting will hurt Trump's third re-election dream), Muslim Mayor Mamdani, and a member of Congress (Arizona's Adelita Grijalva) is still being kept from her office and official swearing in so she can vote for what the people want and demand: Release the Epstein Files!

• (Democracy Now!) Top World Headlines — Nov. 5, 2025

(The Jimmy Dore Show at jimmydore.com)

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(Kim Iversen) Trump's Biden moment: You ain't a Jew if you vote Mamdani

(Katie Halper) Inside ZM's election night party w/Hasan Piker, Rania Khalek

(Adam Mockler) We swept it and won everything

Connecting with Universal Consciousness

(Gaia) Connecting with Universal Consciousness [or Source]

Can we become angels (devas) by meditating?

Feeling a pull towards deeper understanding and greater connection with the Universe? This could be signs of an impending spiritual awakening, a profound shift that changes our understanding of self and reality.

This post may help in understanding everything we need to know about this transformative experience – from recognizing the early signs to navigating challenges and enjoying its benefits.

Ready for an [Eastern, more Hindu than Buddhist] enlightening journey? Let’s dive in, beginning with this guided meditation.

Key points

• A spiritual awakening is a transformative experience where we become aware of our "true selves" and connect to a higher power.
• Signs of spiritual awakenings can include feeling disconnected, reevaluating beliefs, having vivid or lucid dreams, experiencing shifting relationships, and increased intuition.
• Each person’s spiritual awakening journey is unique and personal, guided by one's own beliefs, experiences, and inner wisdom.
• During a spiritual awakening, individuals may also experience a strong connection to nature and have physical symptoms. More
• Tibetan Meditation Music; EnhancedApp.io, Spiritual Awakening: Everything to Know; Gaia.com on YouTube; Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Jen B. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Brahman, Self, Atman, Shiva: India's seers

Dalai Lama's new message to all religions

It's almost as if John Oliver (HBO's Last Week Tonight) was the only interviewer to ever get real

The Dalai Lama (dalailama.com) important massage (sic) to all religions. #monk #Buddhism #love #fyp e ༄།ནང་ཆོས།། ☸️, June 10, 2025.

Country Stagecoach '25: What happened?

The LGBTQIA+ Country Brigade: Gay cowboys breakthrough at Stagecoach by booze guzzlin'

WHAT HAPPENED?

VIDEO: Lizzo joins DJ Paris Hilton at Stagecoach 2025 (uproxx.com)

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Rich cowgirl Paris "Hot L" Hilton (Palm Beach)

Coachella has a country cousin called Stagecoach. Why? It's getting to be an all-country world, as country music takes over every facet of our lives. No one has sneaker because now they only sell cowboy boots at the boot stores that have replaced the brand name tennis shoes outlets. Who could ever forget country music heroes Backstreet Boys?! Get this: Diplo's Honky Tonk featured billionairess Paris Hilton on the ones-and-twos who brought out country legend Lizzo, who is slimming down (and Chromeo, Sofi Tukker, and others), to do her big hit:

After Coachella disaster, this happened at Stagecoach 2025

Intoxication? The new "Gay Country" sound is very bi, very LGBTQIA+

Jelly, Bunnie Xo, CMT Awards

Not to be outdone, Jelly Roll (on the Mane Stage) rolled out MGK, Shaboozey, Bunnie Xo, Alex Warren, Wiz Khalifa, Lana Del Rey, Ho-di Ho-down Ke$ha, Super Hip MGK, the Wiz Khalifa, or nine featured guests in all. He has lots of friends and even a girlfriend (or possible wife) in Bunnie Xo, his morbid obesity notwithstanding because who has the right to question anyone's weight nowadays especially if that person is rich and famous?

Howdy, I'm here to meet and mingle!

The FULL Stagecoach 2025 lineup: 49 Winchester Abby Anderson Abi Carter Alana Springsteen Alexandra Kay Angel White Anne Wilson Annie Bosko Ashley McBryde Austin Snell Avery Anna Backseat Boys Blessing Offor Brent Cobb Brothers Osborne Bryan Martin Carly Pearce Chayce Beckham Colby Acuff Conner Smith Creed Crystal Gayle Dasha...

Jelly Roll, that's too much sun! Sunblock, son! - Machine Gun Kelly (MGK) "My Ex's Best Friend"

PHOTOGALLERY: Palm Beach Post

Diplo’s Honkytonk Drake Milligan Drew Parker Dylan Gossett Dylan Scott Flatland Cavalry George Birge Goo Goo Dolls Jelly Roll John Morgan Kashus Culpepper Koe Wetzel Lana Del Rey Lanie Gardner Louie TheSinger Luke Combs Maddox Batson Mae Estes Midland Myles Kennedy Nelly (25 Years of Country Grammar) Nikki Lane Niko Moon Noeline Hofmann Sammy Hagar Scotty McCreery Shaboozey Sierra Ferrell Sturgill Simpson Tanner Usrey The Bacon Brothers The Castellows The Wilder Blue Tiera Kennedy Tigerlily Gold Tommy James & The Shondells T-Pain Tracy Lawrence Treaty Oak Revival Tucker Wetmore Vincent Mason Waylon Wyatt Whiskey Myers Zach Bryan (PLUS lots of secret special guests). It was bouncin':

Country music is now pro-gay?

Event details

Zach Bryan, Luke Combs, Jelly Roll headline 2025 Stagecoach Festival | Whiskey Riff

PHOTOS: Too many girls: Stagecoach 2025 (Andy Abeyta/The Desert Sun via Palm Beach Post)

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Watch live: stagecoachfestival.com

Stagecoach (StagecoachFestival.com) is the name of Coachella's country cousin, coming third in a line of three weekends at the Indio Polo Field (brought to us by the nice folks over at LA's own Goldenvoice productions, one of the first companies/one-man-operations to organize risky punk rock concerts in venues like the Palladium in Hollywood), milking every last drop out of the LA and OC markets by playing to the country music fad that has outlasted rock 'n roll and rap by a few decades now.

Lana Del Rey (aka Lizzy Grant)

It's not a fad. Country's here to stay. So to destroy it and its influence, the music biz has to get it from within. Inject all these inimical forces, LGBTQIA+ influences, watered down crossover hits, and so on. Elijah and the Good Old Boys know what we're talking about.

All your country music favorites are there: Lana "Cowgirl" Del Rey, who's going country on her next release just as the bandwagon is going strong.

There are also these heavy hitting country stars: Jelly "Potato" Roll, T-"Bronco" Pain (doing a cover of country classic Black Sabbath's "War Pigs"), DJ Paris "Rawhide" Hilton, Mumford "General Store" and Sons, "Creeps" Creed, Ol' Nelly, Shaboozey, and a few surprises. Like, maybe, Axel "Cornfed" Rose will show up to wow the crowd of Stetsons and Naugahyde cowboy booties.

Cowgirl Beyonce 'n accused child molester Jay-Z

Maybe Beyonce will show up and show them how country music is really supposed to be (ehem) or that bestselling rap artist gone country with Miley Cyrus' dad, what was his name? The "Old Town Road" gay Illuminati-joining, right in your face Satanic young fella, who was doing it all in jest just to make it in Hollywood and get out of his sister's house. Taylor "Nazi Barbie" Swift! No, she didn't come up with "Old Town Road," but she did start as a clean-cut cookie cutter country artist -- before falling for the allure of Hollywood superstardom over Nashville.

Let's get Beyond Meat to cruelty-free food

All the Black artists prove that country music fans were never racist, just slow to get with the urban vibes and give up their slave trade ancestral riches, y'know, the inheritances of land in a biased nation under one flag, the Confederate flag.

Lil Nas X glamming it up in Glastonbury

It's a Southern thang; y'all wouldn't understand. It's the end of racism, even among all the Trump fans, Republicans, Fundamentalist Evangelical Christians, and secretive interracial lovers.

STAGECOACH 2025 IS SOLD OUT! Tune in to the official livestream on Amazon Music starting April 25 at 4:00 pm PT. And never mind the rain or cold of the winter wonderland that is Southern California's high desert: Stagecoach

• Stagecoach Festival 2025; I. Rony, Seth Auberon, Pfc. Sandoval, Ashley Wells, Xochitl (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly COMMENTARY

Adventures in Church: Quaker PEACE

Quaker William Penn, 22, in 1666, Penn's Sylvania ("Wooded Land"), Penn State

No, I'm an Eastern Orthodox pilgrim at the Kyiv Monastery of the Caves, Ukraine

Indigenous Peoples' History US

The Quakers really are something else. It's not for show, and there are no oats whatsoever (that was some non-Quaker's marketing gimmick), no big buckle hats or shoes, just progressive British-German thinking, which may sound like an oxymoron except that we're nothing in the West if not good at dreaming up lofty ideals.

It must be an extraterrestrial Scandinavian influence of Nordic ETs spreading their liberal views on how human life should be engaged in by Earthlings (in and around Northern Europe).

• World Happiness Report: Who says Scandinavian Finland is the happiest?
• Finland, Finland, Monty Python sings (Northern Finland is in Scandinavia)

Quaker woman preaching, London

How else might one explain their forward thinking in an Old World setting? These thoughts of Enlightenment, egalitarianism, peace, fraternity, and prosperity for all are not the natural inclinations of people who travel -- as Columbus and Crew did -- across the Atlantic to enslave and oppress others.

Quaker Mary Dyer led to execution, 1660

The Quakers did not come to conquer. Though they were about 25% of the "Pilgrims," the European settler-colonial invaders from England, Germany, Spain, and other imperialistic countries, their goal was to survive and thrive in the "New" World away from the constraints of the Old, not by oppression but cooperation.

• Mary Dyer (born Marie Barrett, circa 1611–1660) was an English and colonial American Puritan-turned-Quaker who was hanged in Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony, for repeatedly defying a Puritan law banning Quakers from the colony. She is one of the four executed Quakers known as the Boston martyrs. More

Who were these mysterious "Friends," and what did they believe in that made them pacifists, independent thinkers, and leave-Europe-behinders? They weren't Puritans, which is a surprising because they are into clean living. And they aren't Amish or Mennonites speaking Pennsylvania Deutsch ("Dutch" that's actually German).

• Friends Committee on National Legislation
• Quakers speaking truth to power
• American Friends Service Committee
• Anyone attracted to Universalist Unitarianism has to love what the Quakers are all about, at least the nonevangelical kind
• Anglo-Saxon migration from Germany to UK
• My country (US) loves war, right Mr. Biden?
• Northern Europe or the Nordic countries?
• Two new wolf packs discovered in Northern California

Advice and Questions for 11th Month: Peace

Colonists (not Quakers), Russian settlers, possibly Molokans, in Mugan steppe of Azerbaijan

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Dissenter George Fox, Friend

Friends (Quakers) oppose all war as inconsistent with [the Protestant God's] will. As every person is a child of this god, we recognize Divine Light also in our adversaries. Violence and injustice deny this reality and violate the teaching of [the God's son] Jesus and other prophets.

Friends challenge their governments and take personal risks in the cause of peace. We urge one another to refuse to participate in war as soldiers or as arms manufacturers [which is completely inconsistent with principles and teachings of the historical Buddha as well].

Become an instrument of peace. At every opportunity, be peacemakers in your homes, workplaces, and communities. Steep yourself in the power of the universal Spirit [Brahman?]

Examine your actions [karma, intentional deeds] for the seeds of violence, degradation, and destructiveness.

Overcome the emotions that lie at the root of violence and nurture instead a spirit of reconciliation and love. Come to know the oneness [unity, yoga] of all creation and oppose the destruction of the natural world.

Questions

• Do I live in the virtue of that life and power that takes away the occasion of all wars?
• How do I nourish peace within myself as I work for peace in the world?
• Do I confront violence wherever it occurs, even when my personal relationships are involved?
• Where there is distrust, injustice, or hatred, how am I an instrument of reconciliation and love?
• What are we doing to remove the causes of war and destruction of the planet and to bring about lasting peace?
• Do we reach out to all parties in a conflict with courage and love?

NOTE: Some questions are intended for individuals. Italicized ones are intended for the Meeting collectively.

• Quackers, Orange Grove Friends Meeting House, Pasadena, CA; Eds., Wisdom Quarterly