Lotus School, buddhism, meditation, loving kindness, cosmology, miky way

1. Buddhist Association of Canada Cham Shan Temple 加拿大佛教會 湛山精舍 禪修學佛入門 Introduction to Buddhism and Meditation 2011/08/20

2. Buddhist Association of Canada Cham Shan Temple ná mó fó tuó 南 無 佛 陀 Namo Buddha ná mó dá mó 南 無 達 摩 Namo Dharma ná mó sēng qié 南 無 僧 伽 Namo Sangha

3. Cultivation of Loving Kindness (Metta) Metta is a state of mind. Its object is the lovable being. The aim is to promote the welfare of the lovable being. The method is to purify the mind with meditation, concentration, training, transmission and vipasanna.

4. Cultivation of Loving Kindness (Metta) Practice of giving with non-self in mind: 1. Do not accentuate who is giving. 2. Do not accentuate the given object. 3. Do not accentuate whom you are giving to. 4. Try not to expect obtaining something in return or a better/special treatment from someone. 5. Consider the one you are serving is a Bodhisattva who is helping you.

5. Cultivation of Loving Kindness (Metta) Apply Metta as an effective means: To overcome anger as it is the opposite of violent and destructive mental states, To develop a healthy relationship with every living being you encounter. To build up the required concentration for the development of insight (vipassana),

6. Cultivation of Tranquility The cultivation of loving-kindness is one way by which we can attain tranquility – Practice giving. The cultivation of tranquility is one way by which we can attain enlightenment – Practice appreciating. The cultivation of tranquility is one way by which we can discover our Buddha nature – Practice serving.

7. Cultivation of Tranquility Tranquility refers to the tranquility that is freed of defilements – greed, hatred, delusion, jealousy, resentment, etc. Tranquility refers to let go of ego. Tranquility refers to unification of the mind on the object of meditation. Tranquility refers to the removal of less peaceful states of mind which furthers and deepens into the truth.

8. Path to Purification Purification of morals – of body, speech and mind. Observance of precepts Guarding of our five senses Purity of livelihood Proper use of requisites

9. Path to Purification Cut off all impediments – unnecessary activities Eliminate the concept of obtaining supernormal powers Find a suitable companions Find a suitable place to practice meditation with peers

10. Lotus School

21. OUR MILKY WAY GALAXY Do you know where you are in the Milky Way galaxy? The center of our Milky Way Galaxy lies a supermassive black hole.

22. 心境 在一個寧靜的深夜裡，也許你會看到整個銀河系在你面前，這個時候，面對著數不盡的點點星光，你祇有讚嘆這個宇宙的浩大。也許你會覺得你是站在銀河系的中間，指揮著整個宇宙的運作，週圍的事物都為你而歡呼，你的心境突然間闊然開朗，在這一刻，你會覺得世間一切的事事物物都變得很渺少，人間所有的恩恩怨怨也變得無關重要。 其實，你若能打開這檔案看到這些銀河系的圖片，你已經擁有這個世界上你所需要的一切，你還需要為明天而憂愁嗎？在這一刻你是否應該高歌一曲來慶祝你的存在？人的生命在宇宙的座標上祇是一瞬間，但在這一瞬間，你已經認識了這個宇宙的奧秘，世界上的萬事萬物都因為你的光臨而變得更有意義，你是多麼的神妙啊! 善相2009 Background: This breathtaking patch of sky above you is taken where you are standing at the South Pole of the Earth .

23. You are here. An ambitious survey effort with the Spitzer Space Telescope now offers convincing evidence that we live in a large galaxy distinguished by two main spiral arms (the Scutum-Centaurus and Perseus arms) emerging from the ends of a large central bar.

24. Our colorful milky way galaxy is taken from Asignobservatory.com

25. The Milky Way at 5000 Meters : Climb up to 16,500 feet above sea level, near Cerro Chajnantor in the northern Chilean Andes,

26. Gas giant Jupiter along with the stars and cosmic dust clouds of the Milky Way hang over the southern horizon in the early morning hours as seen from Stagecoach, Colorado, USA.

27. The Milky Road: Inspired during a visit to Fort Davis, Texas, home of McDonald Observatory and dark night skies, photographer Larry Landolfi created this tantalizing fantasy view.

28. The Milky Way: Inspired by the night skies of planet Earth in the International Year of Astronomy, photographer Larry Landolfi created this tantalizing fantasy view.

29. The Milky Way over Utah: This battle between heaven and Earth was captured dramatically over a rock formation at Capitol Reef National Park Utah, USA in 2003 May. Dark dust, millions of stars, and bright glowing red gas highlight the plane of our Milky Way Galaxy, which lies on average thousands of light years behind Earth's mountains.

30. A True Image from False Kiva: Is there any place in the world you could see a sight like this? Yes! from False Kiva in Canyonlands National Park, eastern Utah, USA

31. The Milky Way over Ontario: After your eyes adapt to the dark, a spectacular sky appears. Such was the case earlier this month over Ontario, Canada, when part of a spectacular sky also became visible in a reflection off a lake.

32. Stars of the Galactic Center : The center of our Milky Way Galaxy is hidden from the prying eyes of optical telescopes by clouds of obscuring dust and gas. But in this stunning vista, the Spitzer Space telescope’s infraredcameras, penetrate much of the dust revealing the stars of the crowded galactic center region.

33. Milky Way Road Trip: In search of planets and the summer Milky Way, astronomer Tunç Tezel took an evening road trip. After driving the winding road up Uludag, a mountain near Bursa, Turkey,Uludag, he was rewarded by this beautiful skyview to the south. (On the left side of the Milky Way, it is a bright planet Jupiter)

34. Three Galaxies and a Comet : Diffuse starlight and dark nebulae along the southern Milky Way arc over the horizon and sprawl diagonally through this gorgeous nightscape.

35. Lyrid Meteor and Milky Way: The Lyrid Meteor Shower visited planet Earth's sky, an annual shower produced as the Earth plows through dust from the tail of comet Thatcher.

36. Fireball at Ayers Rock: The center of our Milky Way Galaxy rises over planet Earth's horizon and the large sandstone formation called Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock. The ground suddenly lit up with the brilliant flash of a fireball meteor.

37. The sky over Chile: The disk of our Milky Way Galaxy is home to hot nebulae, cold dust, and billions of stars. This band crosses the sky in dramatic fashion in the above series of wide angle sky exposures from Chile.

38. A Dark Sky Over Death Valley: This eerie glow over Death Valley is in danger. Scrolling right will show a spectacular view from one of the darkest places left in the continental USA: Death Valley, California.

39. The Milky Way Over Mauna Kea : Have you ever seen the band of our Milky Way Galaxy? In a clear sky from a dark location at the right time, a faint band of light becomes visible across the sky.

40. Heaven on Earth: Sometimes it appears that the entire Milky Way Galaxy is raining down on your head. (It happens twice a day.)

41. The Milky Way Over Paranal : It's not the sky that's falling. More accurately, the Earth is rising. The Earth's rotation gives a continually changing view to all Earth observers, including those measuring the universe at the Paranal Observatory.

42. You are here. An ambitious survey effort with the Spitzer Space Telescope now offers convincing evidence that we live in a large galaxy distinguished by two main spiral arms (the Scutum-Centaurus and Perseus arms) emerging from the ends of a large central bar.

43. Cosmology of Flower Garland Sutra

51. Ven. Shengguang Shi will continue the lecture on Heart Sutra followed by individual presentation: 1.August 20 – Lotus School by Phyllis Parr 2.August 27 – Vinaya School by Anson Law 3.September 3 – No Class (3 days of Shurangama mantra practice in Niagara Falls) 4. September 10 - Wutaishan Video Footages by Moshay Allen 5..September 17 – Iconology by Edward Malek 6. September 24 - Three Sastra School by Grace Lau

52. The Brief History of Buddhism in India Suddhartha Gautama Early Buddhism Schools, Mahayana and Vajrayana Initial Spread of Buddhism in India Asoka and the Mauyan Empire Graeco-Bactrians, Sakas and Indo-Parthians Kushan Empire The Pala and Sena Era The Buddhist Councils (1st Council to 6th Council) Decline of Buddhism in India (400 CE to 12th Century) Revival of Buddhism in India (1891 to Present)

53. Questions and Comments 討論 www.ChamShanTemple.org www.shengguangshi.blogspot.com ShengguangShi@hotmail.com Shengguang Shi 釋聖光 Tom Cheung 張相棠 Kam Cheung 張仁勤 Dennis A. Yap 葉普智