Meditation and Dharma Talk
Details
Every Friday FREE meditation with a resident Bhante (ordained monk).
Held at Moreno Valley's Sambuddhaloka Buddhist Vihara (SBV). These sessions are conducted in English with some chanting in the ancient Pali language.
This is the typical schedule:
6:30 PM - Chanting & guided sitting meditation.
6:45 PM - Walking meditation.
7:00 PM - Sitting meditation continued.
7:15 PM - Chanting of Loving Kindness Sutra in English.
7:30 PM - Questions & Answers.
The monks who lead the sessions vary from week to week and month to month. Come 5 times and you may have 5 different experiences. The schedule above is only loosely followed.
For your comfort, we recommend wearing loose pants when you come to meditation (you'll be sitting with legs crossed on a floor cushion).
Please take off your shoes before you enter the building. Grab a cushion or two and get comfortable a little before the 7:00 start time. If you have trouble sitting on a floor-level cushion, please ask for a chair, and we will take care of you.
English is a second language for all resident monks at this temple. Your patience is appreciated, as the monks relay their wisdom to you in a language that is foreign to them.
You can download some basic meditation background information here:
https://a.ooi1.com/Friday-Meditation.pdf
All are welcome. This is not intended to convert you to Buddhism - it's just an introduction to being mindful through meditation. If you are Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, or Atheist, you are welcome.
Theravada Buddhists do bow to the Buddha statue as a sign of respect as one would to a teacher for bestowing wisdom. SBV is Theravada. In contrast, Mahayana Buddhists (from China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam) practice a form that worships various Buddhist deities.
More on bowing: While in the temple, you may also see some devout members of SBV bow to the monks in appreciation for their teaching, service to the sangha, and sacrifice, as a symbol of respect to the robe that the Buddha wore - as a new visitor, you are not expected to do this, so don't sweat it.
Donations are welcome to support the temple and resident monks. But feel free to come a few times to see if this is the right fit for you. A good experience for you in the realm of mindfulness and loving-kindness is the goal - not filling up the till.
- Sambuddhaloka Buddhist Vihara is a non-profit tax-exempt organization. All your donations are tax-deductible. *
Every week on Friday
Meditation and Dharma Talk