Lansing Area Mindfulness Community

10/31/2025

In the newly published book Reincarnation, Thich Nhat Hanh reveals that what we call “rebirth” is already happening through our thoughts, words, and actions in each moment of life:

"This body has been there for a long time, for millions of years. It is the continuation of many generations. It has never died."

Edited with commentary by Brother Phap Luu and illustrated by Jeanne Fries, this luminous book is the first in the new Zen Doors series—a collection that opens fresh pathways into Thay’s teachings, making the most-widely known, yet often misunderstood, Buddhist concepts accessible for modern life.

Available now at https://www.parallax.org/product/reincarnation/ and your local bookstore.

10/22/2025

7-9 PM WEDNESDAY 22 OCT 2025
3015 S MLK BLVD LANSING MI

“[T]he end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.” ~ T. S. Eliot

Dear sangha,

This coming Wednesday (Oct 22) we are starting our five-week series on Mingyur Rinpoche’s book In Love with the World: A Monk’s Journey Through the Bardos of Living and Dying. For the first week, we will discuss chapters 1-7, pp. 1-60. Read what you can and no worries if you don’t have time to read. I hope the discussion is accessible and rich for everyone.

In the Pali Canon, the Buddha used a metaphor of a blind turtle surfacing through a flouting piece of wood to illustrate how rare and precious it is to be born as a human and to encounter the dharma. Mingyur Rinpoche comes from the practice lineages, Mahamudra and Dzogchen, the “crown jewels” of Tibetan Buddhism. Rinpoche is a direct lineage holder of these unbroken, precious lineages, upheld and transmitted through many centuries of masters such as Tilopa, Naropa, Milarepa, and the Karmapa. These masters dedicated their whole life to practices that work with the mind and many went through unthinkable challenges. How lucky we are to be able to receive profound teachings from these beautiful lineages in the comfort of our living rooms. May we read Rinpoche’s book with a deep sense of appreciation and homage to all the lineage masters.

Here is more background information about Mingyur Rinpoche if you are interested: https://tergar.org/yongey-mingyur-rinpoche

In this book, Rinpoche used the first few weeks of his wandering retreat as a story thread to present profound pith instructions to work with the mind from these two lineages. He also wove in stories/teachings from his teachers, including his father, and his students, all to show us how to practice these instructions in real life. Oftentimes we see our own confusion and suffering and we see great enlightened masters who are deeply compassionate, joyful, and free. Yet, we do not know how they worked with their minds and how we can get there. In this book, Rinpoche compassionately and generously presented an intimate view into his own mind and the step-by-step processes of working with the mind through various challenging circumstances. This is very rare.

The reason why Mahamudra is so precious is because even modern human beings like ourselves, with demanding lives and ample distractions, can follow these simple, profound instructions during meditation and work with our mind in daily life to achieve direct realization of our true nature.

Rinpoche’s main teachings center on helping us understand, experience, and gain confidence of our true nature through step-by-step practice. We all have awareness, yet when we do not connect with or recognize it, we grasp onto things that are inherently not solid and suffer. The practice of meditation (and all preliminary practices) aims to gradually clear away obscurations that cover our true nature, just like mud covering the diamond nature of our mind.

In Tibetan language, meditation is gom - to be familiar with. To be familiar with and maintain our awareness is the essence of the practice. Resting in awareness, we see reality as it is, which is wisdom. Here is a short video of Rinpoche explaining meditation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWaqudhwrL0

In reading the book, I invite you to pay attention to:

1) How does Rinpoche introduce to us who we truly are and more important who we are not (or what is our true nature and what are obscurations)?
2) How did Rinpoche work with his mind, turn every challenge he encountered into the path as opportunities for practice, for deepening recognition of awareness and seeing reality as it is?
3) Rinpoche described challenges related to comfort, safety, roles, layers of identities and challenging emotions. What challenges are you working with in your current practice? What insights do you gain from these teachings to help your practice?

No worries if you do not have much time to read. If you do have time to read, feel free to also bring teachings that resonate with you and questions you may have.

Thanks everyone! Look forward to our discussion,

Baolian

--
May we be filled with loving kindness
May we be safe from inner and outer harm
May we be healthy in our body and mind
May we find peace and freedom

Born to flourish series
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLphAG0_XlPIENjUohuGkd9DrVHcJc6jie

Discover How Buddhist Wisdom and Neuroscience Can Help You Thrive in a Fast-Paced WorldWorld-renowned meditation teacher Mingyur Rinpoche, neuroscientist Dr....

10/22/2025

Welcome to a 7-week in-depth online learning journey to nurture insight, compassion, community, and mindful action in service of the Earth.

10/14/2025

10/02/2025

Dear Sangha:

Wednesday October 8 from 7-9 PM, we will be looking at two Suttas dealing with removing distracting thoughts. From the Majjhima Nikaya “Two kinds of thoughts “ and “The removal of distracting thoughts “. Also reading from Thich Nhat Hanh,s “ The heart of the Buddha’s teaching “, and “Understanding our minds”.
Peace to all
Terry

09/30/2025

Recite/discuss 5 mindfulness trainings.

01 OCT 2025 7-9PM

Temple Address = 3015 S Martin Luther King Jr BLVD, Lansing, MI

The Five Mindfulness Trainings have their root in the Five Precepts offered by the Buddha. They have been expanded and updated so that they represent a way to bring mindfulness into every area of life.

09/25/2025

Hello, Everyone!

Last night, those present at the sangha and on Zoom chose In Love with the World by Yongey Mingyar Rinpoche as the group's next book. We'll start our first discussion of it on Wed Oct 22, 7-9 PM and probably conclude in mid or late November, though we can probably extend it out a few weeks into December if people would like to.

I am excited and happy to announce that one of Mingyar Rinpoche's students, Baolian Qin, who has attended our sangha for many years, will join us on Wed Nov 19th to lead our discussion on the last few chapters of the book, which deal with Rinpoche's journey through the bardo of dying. Baolian has attended multiple retreats with Mingyar and other teachers through his Tergar Meditation Community and is a student in their associated teacher training program.

There has also been a documentary made of the book and over the next few months, we'll see if we can arrange a showing of it at someone's house over the next few months. More on that in a few weeks.

I'm sending this email now to give people a few weeks to order/obtain it from a book store or library (it is popular among Buddhists so should be readily available both new and used and in libraries). If possible, please read the first 40-50 pages by Oct 22nd; no worries if you can't. Just read what you can. We'll go over significant passages together each week. Please come with comments on what resonated for you and questions about anything that seemed unclear.

If I know you've read the book before, I'll reach out over the next few weeks to see if you would like to lead a Wed evening discussion on a few chapters.

Here is a link where you can read more about it:

In Love with the World: A Monk's Journey Through the Bardos of Living and Dying


In Love with the World: A Monk's Journey Through the Bardos of Living an...
In Love with the World: A Monk's Journey Through the Bardos of Living and Dying [Mingyur Rinpoche, Yongey, Twork...

Thank you, everyone! I'm excited about reading this book together as a sangha and look forward to our discussions. Emoji

In gratitude,

Elizabeth

09/24/2025

The Lansing Buddhist Association

invites you to

Awaken the Heart:

a Dharma Series with Dharma Heir Gilbert Gutierrez





For msny years Gilbert has taught Chan Buddhism (Zen) at the Riverside Chan Meditation Group in Riverside, California. In 2002 he received Dharma Transmission from Chan Master Sheng-Yen, founder of the Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist Association, making him the only western lay lineage holder of Master Sheng Yen in North America. His weekly Chan classes are broadcasted online and reach students worldwide. Gilbert’s teachings emphasize the importance of Right View as it is expressed in the teachings of the ancient Chinese Chan masters from the Tang and Song dynasties, as well as in the key Mahayana Sutras. In this retreat, hr will introduce both basic and advanced instructions to meditation and will help fine-tuning of participants’ methods. By popular request, this id his 24th visit to Michigan and we cordially invite you to join that auspicious Dharma


Friday, September 26: Lecture and Luncheon at MSU Brody – Conference Room, 2nd Floor
Topic: Patriarch Chan: The Chan Masters’ Expression of the Mind (Thusness) through the practice of Mind Work
Lecture: 10:00–11:30 AM EDT (onsite only)
Luncheon: 11:30 AM–2:00 PM EDT (with Q&A Regarding Chan Mind Work)

Saturday–Sunday, September 27–28
Two-Day Hybrid online or in person Meditation Retreat at Amitabha Village Retreat Center
Theme: The Demonstration of Profound Wisdom in Meditative and Daily Practice:
The Emergence of True, Unbridled Compassion
Saturday, 9/27: 9:00 AM–12:00 PM, 1:30–5:00 PM, & 7:00–9:00 PM EDT
Sunday, 9/28: 9:00 AM–12:00 PM & 1:30–5:00 PM EDT
Open to new and experienced practitioners with online or in person participation . $60 suggested donation for onsite attendance , Scholarships available. Lodging available during retreat .Register at https://forms.gle/i7Pja8kuAKPDutXz9 Arrive to check in and between 8:00–8:45 AM EDT at Amitabha Village. Zoom opend at 8:30 AM


Donate via credit card or through the PayPal Giving Fund: https://www.paypal.com/US/fundraiser/charity/184261 Or mail a check to:
Lansing Buddhist Association

P.O. Box 4605

East Lansing, MI 48826

For more information, contact:

Email: lansingbuddhist@gmail.com

Phone: 517-292-3110

Website: www.lansingbuddhist.org

Location: Amitabha Village Retreat Center, 14796 Beardslee Rd., Perry, MI 48872

Lansing Buddhist Association (蘭莘學佛會) Established in 1995, dedicated to the practice and spread of the Buddha-dharma.