Online stream of events – YouTube and Zoom

New Year Blessing Service Monday (04/13/2020) at 9:00 am

The live-stream New Year blessing service will be held at the Vihara tomorrow (April 13th at 9: 30 am).  According to Sri Lankan time, the New Year dawns Monday 13th of April at 08.23 pm, which means that it is 9:53 AM Monday in Houston. The Maha Sangha will be chanting when the New Year dawns.

You can participate in the blessing service through YouTube or Zoom live-streaming. On YouTube, please open the link and click on live-steaming event.

HB Vihara YouTube link:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLYkdpllIW2xEyis2G1ULUw
Live streaming event direct link: https://youtu.be/9HfZngdf8sQ
Zoom Link:
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/5374337077?pwd=MG5sWmJzRjVQY1llRVlZeFpaMnJJQT09

Live-Stream Dhamma Programs from the Vihara

Beginning from April 12th, the Vihara will begin live streaming of the daily chanting that the Maha Sanga continued ever since the corona-viral infections escalated. Chanting will begin at 7:00 pm every day. Please open the following zoom link Sunday and send a request to join so that we can add you to the live chanting. If any technical problems arise, we will fix them Sunday morning.

you can also attend daily chanting today at 7:00 pm through either YouTube or Zoom live steaming. Today’s chanting direct link on YouTube:  https://hbvihara.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0f1e55dfde3129b61119dd3be&id=233c75ecd9&e=b5cce0e53f 

Besides, Sunday’s morning service on children’s Dhamma class days will also be live streamed at 8:30 through Zoom or YouTube. We will confirm later this week. The next Dhamma class day is April 26.

We are also considering  having children’s classes, monthly Dhamma talks, and the Sri Lankan New Year blessing service through live stream. Dr. Kumari Weeratunge taught her Dhamma class through Zoom last Sunday, and it was a great success.

Stay well and healthy during these difficult days.
May you be blessed and Protected by the Triple Gem!

New Preventive Measures at the Vihara for April

New Preventive Measures at the Vihara for April

In an effort to safeguard the well-being of the resident monks and the community, the Vihara is extending the preventive measures taken previously.

Accordingly,

1. No classes or services will be held at the Vihara during April

2. Sri Lankan New Year festival and the food fair planned for April 19th has been cancelled.

3. Other than for exceptional reasons, visiting the Vihara will not be encouraged. If any of you expect to visit, please call 713 944 1334.

4. Dayaka families of the monthly Dana list are requested not to bring cooked or raw food until April 15th. Depending on the situation in mid-April, we will either continue with this decision or change it. The monks will prepare the Dana, and they have enough stocks of all raw food.

5. Daily chanting to bless the community will continue without participants from outside. Resident monks will chant everyday from 6:30 to 7:30 pm.

Please note that these measures are for the month of April only. We do not know what the trend of the country will be. Depending on how things turn out to be, we will inform you later.
May you stay well and healthy! 

Corona Endemic: Current Situation and Our Preparations towards Near Future

Corona Endemic: Current Situation and Our Preparations towards Near Future
Corona virus is raging in the USA, and the death rate is skyrocketing. At the moment of writing this message (on April 4th at 4:30 pm), total infections in the USA have passed 300,000 and the deaths 8,000. Each of the last two days, daily deaths exceeded 1000, and today by this time it is already 946, which means that today seems to be worse than yesterday.Comparatively, infections in Houston area are less, and thankfully, no known infections are there in our community so far, but we all have to be extremely cautious. I do believe and insist and implore that you take the situation seriously and follow the guidelines strictly. I am glad that our community has already taken the situation very seriously.

Extreme Fragility of the Human Being

Nothing has exposed the fragility, stupidity, and meaningless of arrogance of the human being more than what the present infections have done. We adamantly believe that we are the best and the most privileged living being on earth. Based on that belief, we manipulate everything–nature and all other forms of life–at will, just for our own comfort, easiness, and indulgence. Global devastation caused by coronaviral infections has humiliated us and brought us to the enormously embarrassing realization that our attitudes and actions are profoundly erroneous. We have to eat a humble fie.

When we blatantly abuse other living beings and nature, we believe that to do so is our right, and that they can do nothing against us. However, we have now been disillusioned. We have been mercilessly counterattacked, and when it rains, it pours.

Of course, an angry herd of lions, tigers, or elephants does not have the ability to take revenge against us—simply because we have destructive weapons, but the enemy is more innovative and tactful. It is an invisible living being that has launched this enormously effective counterattack. We are pathetically helpless.

Preparation towards Near Future: One Specific Practice

This endemic has opened our eyes and drawn us towards two practices that Americans have long forgotten: home cooking and home gardening. For most of them, eating means going to restaurants so that home cooking and home gardening are not a part of their life. Most of you, of course, do home cooking and home gardening, and this is the time to take both of the practices more seriously than ever before.

Spending time on gardening during these at-home days will not only help you beguile the tedium of your daily existence but also save your hard-earned money throughout summer and fall. Early this week, when I visited an Indian grocery store—with all precautions, of course—to buy groceries for the Vihara, I was surprised by the enormously inflated prices of vegetables. One pound of Karavila was $3:99, Vatakolu $3:99, and all vegetable prices were up by over 50%.

There is no sign that this trend will come back to normal. If farmers cannot grow now, you will experience a scarcity of your popular vegetables. Nobody can predict what will happen next, and you can grow now to face that uncertainty.

We have many gardening specialists in our community, and you may communicate with them to learn and share the most effective methods of gardening. In fact, we can grow most of our vegetables, including kale, collard green, varieties of eggplants, many kinds of peppers, tomatoes, okra, spinach,  leeks, cucumber, Karawila, Pathola, vatakolu, beans, long beans, gotukola, pumpkins, and many others. We can grow even potatoes, onion, ginger, garlic, and many spices. Self-sufficiency in vegetables not only saves your money but also make you feel proud about yourself and give you clean vegetable without harsh chemicals.

Separately, here are some interesting links that will be helpful to you:

Stay well and healthy.

May you be blessed and Protected by the Triple Gem!

Newsletter – February 2020

Seven Noble Principles for a Nation to Prosper
The Sutta Pitaka shows that King Ajatasattu, the ruler of Magadha kingdom, never had a close relationship with the Buddha.  Ever since Ajatasattu became a patricide, the Buddha showed no interest in a close relationship with the king.  Ajatasattu, in the meantime, openly insulted the Buddha and attempted to destroy the Buddha’s reputation.  He would support various thinkers and religious leaders, but not the Buddha.However, over the time, the Buddha reached the pinnacle of his popularity as a great spiritual leader while the king had become a nuisance to the neighboring states as a war monger. Ajatasattu’s next preparation was to attack and destroy the Vajji Kingdom, a powerful state.

The king was not that much confident, anyway. He was well aware that Vajji was a powerful kingdom, and that an invasion of that state would not be that easy. However, his enormous power hunger ever increasing, Ajatasattu had no intention to give up the enticing attack.

Now, all of a sudden, Ajatasattu began to think about the Buddha—not as a source of moral support to subdue his uncontrollable hunger for power but as a possible prophet to predict about his war victory!  The king summoned Vassakara, his chief minister in the state of Magadha, and assigned him the following duty: “Visit the Buddha and show him my respect. Then, inform him my intended invasion of Vajji Kingdom.  Keep in your mind what the Buddha will say and report it to me immediately.”

This plan of king Ajatasattu is very shameful and unbecoming indeed if, at least, he remembered what the Buddha had told him during their only meeting many years ago. While explaining his and his disciples’ moral practices, the Buddha asserted on that occasion that he would never make predictions about victories and defeats of kings who would fight in wars. However, Ajatasattu, in his desperation, was now choosing the same Buddha to make a prediction about the war he intended to fight in.

When Ajatasattu’s chief minister visited the Buddha and conveyed to him the king’s message, Ven. Ananda was also there. After listening to the visitor, the Buddha turned to Ven. Ananda and addressed him. He reminded Ven. Ananda the seven noble principles of Vajjis, the principles that the Buddha himself had taught to them.

The following is the list of those seven principles:

  1. They hold regular and frequent meetings.
  2. They meet in harmony, leave in harmony, and carry on their work in harmony
  3. They refrain from imposing new rules and respect and follow the existent rules.
  4. They respect their elders and seek guidance from their elders.
  5. They refrain from abusing and ill-treating women.
  6. They show respect to and protect their religious places.
  7. They facilitate the leaders of other faiths to visit their kingdom and care about those who have already visited there.
After elaborating on these seven noble principles of Vajjis, the Buddha then turned to the minister of king Ajatasattu and said, “Because the Vajjis are placed on these seven great principles, one should expect only their progress, not their decline.” In other words, the Buddha implied that King Ajatasattu would never be able to defeat Vajjis.

Sri Lankan Food Fair – April 19th 2020

Unfortunately this event is cancelled!

Newsletter – January 2020

Meditation Makes You More Resilient to Mental Decline in Old Age
Source: Daily Mail
Writer: Jaleesa BaulkmanMeditating for just one hour a day can buffer the effects of age-related cognitive decline, new research claims.

The researchers at the University of California, Davis, who carried out the study, can’t explain why the practice has this effect, but previous studies have found that it can cause brain changes that help people keep their mental abilities.

The current study, spanning seven years, examines the long-term benefits people gained from meditating.

As cognitive impairment impacts an estimated 16 million people in the US, researchers suggest meditation could help with brain aging.

For the study, investigators followed-up on previous research they’ve done in 2011, which evaluated the cognitive abilities of 60 people who regularly meditated before and after they went on a three-month-long retreat at a meditation center in the US.
Participants meditated daily at the center using techniques that were supposed to calm them, and help generate compassion, love and kindness among them.

Seven years after the study, researchers asked the 40 participants who had remained in the study how much time over the course of seven years they had spent meditating.

They found that 85 percent of them attended at least one meditation retreat, and they practiced about one hour a day for seven years.

They then completed assessments designed to measure their reaction time and ability to pay attention to a task.

Researchers found that continued meditation practice is associated with enduring improvements in sustained attention and response inhibition, or suppression of actions that are inappropriate.

These effects were significant in older adults who meditated more over the past seven years. They did not show typical patterns of age-related decline in sustained attention.

Previous studies have also found that meditation increase attention span. A 2011 study conducted by the Massachusetts General Hospital found that people who meditate are able to quickly adjust their brain waves – which regulate the flow of information – so that they can screen out distractions.

Another study published in 2012 by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles found that people who regularly meditate have larger amounts of gyrification, a process that involved the ‘folding’ of the cerebral cortex – which plays a key role in memory, attention and thought.

The gyrification process allows the brain to process information faster and enhances neural processing.

Researchers of the current study said their findings are the first to ‘offer evidence that intensive and continued meditation practice is associated with enduring improvements.’
However, they said more research is needed to determine if it is effective at countering the effects of aging on the brain.

Morning Puja and Evening Blessing Service on January 1st

Morning Puja and Evening Blessing Service on January 1st

2020 is almost there. To bless the community for the New Year, the Vihara has organized two services: a Kiri Ahara Puja at 7:00 am and the traditional blessing service at 6:00 pm.  You are invited to participate.

The Blessing Service from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. will include a special Puja, Maha Paritta chanting, and a brief Anusasana (Dhamma advice) in English.

As done in the past years, please bring flowers for the Puja and Kiribath and/or other food items for you to share after the service.

 

May the Blessing of the Triple Gem be with you!

Kathina Ceremony 2019 – Atapattama – 2019-12-18

Newsletter – December 2019

Teaching Meditation to Kids in Chicago Swiftly Reduced Crime and Dropout Rates

Source: https://qz.com/432740/teaching-relaxation-to-at-risk-kids-could-lower-crime-and-dropout-rates/The motto “think before you act” may be more powerful than people think.

In a working paper published by the US National Bureau of Economic Research this month, researchers found that a simple, cost-effective after-school program for Chicago high-schoolers focused on slowing down their decision-making process significantly lowered crime and dropout rates for participants and boosted school attendance.

The study analyzed the effects of a Chicago-based program by the organization Youth Guidance called Becoming a Man (BAM). The researchers invited 1,473 Chicago teens, chosen at random from 18 public schools, to participate in BAM programming and compared them to a control group of similar students who were not invited.

The goal of the program, explains coauthor Harold Pollack, a professor at the University of Chicago and the director of its Crime Lab, was to encourage less violent behavior by slowing their automatic response, rather than telling the students to be less violent. ”If you tell the kids never fight, you’re basically saying don’t listen to anything else we’re going to say,” he tells Quartz.

In psychology, humans are thought to develop automatic responses to common situations to save time. For example, American teenagers from privileged backgrounds learn to automatically comply with authority figures, handing over their smartphone to a mugger, or quieting down when a teacher says so.

Low-income teenagers sometimes learn that submitting to authorities on the street isn’t necessarily the smartest or safest choice. For instance, handing over your wallet, instead of shielding you from further harm, may only invite more aggression.
Much of BAM’s training focuses on what is termed “positive anger expression.”

Students learn simple breathing and meditation exercises—slowly exhale, count to four, control your thoughts—to help manage their emotions while making difficult decisions. They also run through exercises that teach the power of positive reactions. For instance, in an exercise where a participant is tasked with getting a ball from a peer in less than 30 seconds, the students learn that grabbing or stealing the ball is considerably less effective than politely asking to hand it over.

The study found that, based on monitoring the students for a year after the program, those assigned to participate in the BAM program were 44% less likely to commit violent crimes, and performed significantly better in an academic performance index that combines academic measurements including GPA, attendance rates, and dropout rates.

Pollack says the research shows there are easier ways to help reduce crime rates among low-income teens. Many people “believe that there are so many deeply rooted, chronic problems that we have to address before we can reduce the rate of violence and crime among young people,” Pollack says. But programs like these, he adds, can be “cost-effective, and a feasible part of a solution.”

Vihara News
Morning Puja and Evening Blessing Service on January 1st

To bless the Vihara community for the New Year, the Vihara has organized two services: a Kiri Ahara Puja at 7:00 am and the traditional blessing service at 6:00 pm.  You are invited to participate.The Blessing Service from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. will include a special Puja, Maha Paritta chanting, and a brief Anusasana (Dhamma advice) in English.

As done in the past years, please bring flowers for the Puja and Kiribath and/or other food items for you to share after the service.

January Sila Program Conducted by Ven. Sathi Thero

Venerable Sathindriya Thero will conduct the first Sila program in 2020 on Saturday, January 11th.Sila program begins at 6:00 am and ends at 6:00 pm.

Most of you are familiar with Ven. (Bhante) Sathi who has conducted several meditation sessions at the Vihara. He is a leading meditation teacher in the United States. The program will be conducted both in English and Sinhala.

Dhamma Discussion Every Saturday

The Vihara will offer a Dhamma discussion session every Saturday (except Sila observance days) from 5:00 to 6:00 pm, beginning from Dec. 28th. Visiting monk, Venerable Kirama Rathanasiri Thero, will hold the first  session this Saturday (Dec. 28). It is given in the Sinhala language.This series of discussion is based on Suttas. Venerable Thero will discuss Asivisopama Sutta in his initial discussion.

Monthly Dhamma Deshana on Jan. 25th
In 2020, monthly Sila program and the monthly Dhamma Deshana will be given on two different days. The January Dhamma Deshana will be delivered on Saturday 25th. You will receive details of this program in the 2nd week of January.

Newsletter – November 2019

Seven Buddhist Beliefs that Make You Happy, according to Science
Source: https://www.learning-mind.com/I always find it fascinating when new scientific discoveries prove things that religious and spiritual sources have been saying since time immemorial. Recently, science has found some interesting principles of happiness. And it turns out that they are pretty similar to Buddhist beliefs.

I recently read an article by Bodhipaksa the founder of Wildmind, who looked at scientific research published by Yes Magazine. He found some amazing correlations that suggest that living by a few Buddhist beliefs can make you happy.

Here are the principle Buddhist beliefs that can make you happier and more contented.

1. Be mindful

One of the core beliefs of Buddhism is the idea of right mindfulness. When we’re mindful, we stay in the present moment and really pay attention to what we are doing rather than dwelling on past events or worrying about future ones. This is the real heart of Buddhism. Wisdom will emerge if your mind is pure and calm.
Science also suggests that taking the time to savor the moment can increase happiness. A study showed that when people tried to be present in the moment they felt positive benefits. Psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky found that the participants “showed significant increases in happiness and reductions in depression.”

2. Avoid comparisons

The Buddhist principle of equality says that all living entities are equal. In addition, the Buddhist belief that we are all connected makes a nonsense of comparing ourselves to others. There is no superiority or inferiority when we are all parts of a unified whole.
Studies have shown that comparing ourselves with others can damage self-esteem. Lyubomirsky says we should focus on our own personal achievements rather than comparing ourselves with others.

3. Don’t strive for money

Buddhism says that relying on materialism to bring us happiness is a false refuge. While money is important in that it helps us meet our physical needs, we will not find long term satisfaction in striving for money and material goods.
Scientific studies have suggested the same. People who put money high on their priority list are more at risk for depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem, according to researchers Tim Kasser and Richard Ryan. Money-seekers also score lower on tests of vitality and self-actualization.

4. Work towards meaningful goals

Bodhipaksa says that ‘The whole point of being a Buddhist is in order to attain spiritual awakening — which means to maximize our compassion and mindfulness. What could be more meaningful than that?’ The Buddhist principle of right effort tells us to find a balance between the exertion of following the spiritual path and a moderate life.
Again, science agrees. Though it is not necessary for meaningful goals to be spiritual or religious. People who strive for something significant, whether it’s learning a new craft or raising moral children, are far happier than those who don’t have strong dreams or aspirations,” say Ed Diener and Robert Biswas-Diener.

5. Develop close relationships

To the Buddha, spiritual friendship was “the whole of the spiritual life. Generosity, kind words, beneficial help, and consistency in the face of events” are the things that hold people together. Buddhism also emphasizes the idea of non-attachment, which allows us to love our friends and family unconditionally without any need or desire to control or change them.
Research has found that people who have good relationships with family and friends are happier. However, it is not a number of friendships we have that matters. “We don’t just need relationships, we need close ones,” says Yes Magazine.

6. Practice gratitude

The Buddha said that gratitude, among other qualities, was the “highest protection,” meaning that it inoculates us against unhappiness. It is by being grateful and appreciative that we begin to focus on the blessings in our lives, which makes us more positive and happy.
Science has studied the concept of gratitude extensively. Author Robert Emmons found that people who keep gratitude journals on a weekly basis are healthier, more optimistic, and more likely to make progress toward achieving personal goals.

7. Be generous

Buddhism has always emphasized the practice of dana, or giving. As well as giving money or material possessions, Buddhism recognizes the benefit of giving less tangible gifts such as time, wisdom and support.
Make giving part of your life, and it can help you achieve more happiness. Researcher Stephen Post says ‘helping a neighbor, volunteering, or donating goods and services results in a “helper’s high,” and you get more health benefits than you would from exercise or quitting smoking. Listening to a friend, passing on your skills, celebrating others’ successes, and forgiveness also contribute to happiness,’ he says.

These principles are simple enough to live by and as both spiritual and scientific theories say they can make us happier they are well worth giving a try.

Vihara News
Last Sila Program of the Year on Dec. 14thNext monthly Sila program will be held  at the Vihara on Saturday, December 14th, from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm.

It will be conducted by the visiting monk Ven. Kirama Rathanasiri Thero and Ven. Karamidule Sirirathana Thero.

Both breakfast and lunch will be offered by Vihara members.

Next Two Sunday Classes for Children on Dec. 8th & 22ndDec. 8th and 22nd are the last two days in 2019 of the children’s Sunday school.

On 8th, the children will learn the final lessons of the semester, and on 22nd they will do the year-end evaluation of their learning.