Tender Shoot of Joy

good friends & colleagues in Milwaukee

with whom we exchange visits throughout the year

Please see these recordings from previous encounters with TSoJ

during Fall of 2014

Free-Empty Mind

a series of Wednesday evening classes (monthly September thru November)

Coming Up >>> September 24 & October 22

Centered on key suttas that illuminate the cluster of Dhammas that Ajahn Buddhadasa highlighted in his term 'cit-waang.' A practical expercise is offered to experience what the teaching points to.

from first half of 2014

The Middle Way of Practice & Understanding:

a series of Wednesday evening classes (monthly January thru May)

The Middle Way of....

~ Understanding: not grasping at opposites, dualities, & positions (Jan 22)

The simple phrase "Middle Way" has profound implications for our practice. This series will explore some of the major challenges we face in how we live our lives. We began with our tendencies to view life and think about things in terms of opposites, such as, 'me' and 'you.' Or "if not 'this,' then must be 'that'." When we do this, we knock ourselves off-kilter from the moment we start thinking and talking. Together, let's explore middle ways of understanding ourselves and the world.

audio > talk | conversation

~ Ethics of Right Relationship (Feb 12)

The core of Buddhist ethics (sila) is non-harming and sila's aspiration is to behave in ways beneficial to others and oneself. Thus, sila is necessary for peace, justice, and harmony in our families, communities, and societies. As our lives are made up of countless dependencies, we find ourselves connecting with and relating to others in rich and complex webs. Based in natural laws, Buddhist ethical principals give us frameworks for exploring how to live and behave within these relational webs, from the personal level into family and community relations and beyond to social and ecological relations. Join us for reflections and conversation concerning this aspect of the Middle Way.

audio > talk | conversation

~ Meditative Balance: effort & calm, inquiry & receptivity (Mar 26)

The theme of balance is pervasive in Early Buddhist meditation teachings, providing more perspectives on the Middle Way. Skillful dhammas are paired off for the sake of balance, such as, effort & calm, investigation & trust, and activity & solitude. At the same time, various extremes are to be avoided, for example, passivity & over-activity and doubt & dogmatism. Come explore the important place of balance in meditation practice as an expression of the Middle Way.

audio > talk | conversation

~ Streams of Dependent Co-Arising (April 23)

'The Middle Way of Dhamma Teaching' is one way to describe the core insight of the Buddha's awakening: everything is process, streams of dependently co-arising phenomena influenced by causes and conditions; consequently, nothing is or has an unchanging, lasting, dependable essence, core, or self that we can safely cling to as 'me' or 'mine.' Join us in an exploration of this profound middle way perspective and the practical insights it gives us.

audio > talk | conversation

~ Dhammic Socialism: Middle Way with Social Practice (May 14)

An important aspect of the middle way is that individuals and society are co-arising natures, that is, inter-dependent. We shouldn't let our concepts about them mislead us into false separations. Ajahn Buddhadasa saw Nature, Life, and Buddhism as basically cooperative and socialist. He wanted to distinguish his perspective from that of Western political socialism, which he saw as fundamentally materialist. So he coined the term 'Dhammic Socialism,' an ethical, middle way understanding of the socially responsible side of Buddhist ethics, spirituality, and practice. Please join us for this next exploration of the middle way perspective on life and society.

audio > talk | conversation

~ Dhamma & Nature - intimacy with & within (Saturday May 17 day-long)

Dhamma is Nature, Nature is Dhamma: this is central to understanding the middle way of Dhamma practice. Look inside and there's nothing but Dhamma-Nature. Look around, it's all Dhamma-Nature. The key is in how we look so that we see; then seeing care deeply, respond wisely, and live freely. That's the middle way. Intimacy with non-human nature can help us toward more profound intimacy with human nature. The reverse is equally true. Join us for a day of reflection and practice intimate with Dhamma-Nature.

audio > talk | conversation