Our calendar is on order and will be available for sale on November 25. We have ordered only a limited quantity, and they’ll be sold at the 12 South Dharma Center during One Dharma’s meeting hours. Here are a few images:
Photo by Patsy Cutillo
Calendar Cover, image by Tracy Wilson
Special thanks for Shelley Davis Wise for putting together these wonderful images.
Once again this year, One Dharma will a Refuge and Precepts Ceremony each December for committed practitioners. If you’re interested, here is some general information:
About the Refuge Ceremony
Taking refuge means relying wholeheartedly on the Three Jewels of the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha to inspire and guide us toward a constructive and beneficial direction in our lives. The real taking of refuge occurs deep in our hearts and isn’t dependent on doing or saying anything. Nevertheless, we may wish to participate in the refuge ceremony by requesting a dharma teacher to formally give us refuge. The refuge ceremony is simple: we repeat the passages after the teacher and open our hearts to make a strong connection with the Three Jewels. The ceremony also “officially” makes us a Buddhist.
About Taking Precepts
Precepts are a joy, not a burden. They aren’t designed to keep us from having a good time and to make us feel deprived. The purpose of taking precepts is to give us internal strength so that we won’t act in ways that we don’t want to. Having understood that killing, stealing, selfishness and so forth only lead us to harm ourselves and others now and in the future, we’ll want to avoid these. Taking precepts give us energy and strength to do so. Therefore, it’s said that precepts are the ornaments of the wise.
To help people overcome their disturbing attitudes and stop committing harmful actions, the Buddha set out five precepts. During the refuge ceremony, in addition to taking refuge in the Three Jewels, we can take any or all of the five precepts, and become a lay Buddhist.
The five precepts
1. I observe the precept of abstaining from the destruction of life.
2. I observe the precept of abstaining from taking that which is not given.
3. I observe the precept of abstaining from sexual misconduct.
4. I observe the precept of abstaining from falsehood.
5. I observe the precept of abstaining from intoxicants that cloud the mind and cause carelessness.
The refrain “I observe the precept of abstaining from …” which begins every precept clearly shows that these are not commandments. They are instead codes of conduct that lay Buddhists undertake out of clear understanding and conviction that they are good for both themselves and for society.
If you are interested or have questions, please contact ernst.lisa@gmail.com
Currently many people are still struggling financially and I am receiving more requests than usual for reduced fee slots for the December residential retreat at Bethany Hills. Our regular fee doesn’t provide enough extra to fund all of these requests. Because of this need, I am creating a One Dharma scholarship fund to assist those in financial need, opening the door to people who would otherwise be unable to experience an extended retreat. Scholarships are offered at a reduced rate, but are not free except in the case of extreme hardship – reduced fee slots are generally offered at half price and up.
This is an excellent way to practice generosity, one of the foundational aspects of spiritual life according to Buddha. Any amount you are able to contribute will allow deserving students to more fully immerse themselves in the practice. If you would like to help, you can donate through Paypal here or pay by check if you prefer (address is on the Paypal donation page.) Your donations are tax deductible and much appreciated.
Before dawn, not yet light
crickets touch the dark
with their soft sounds
Rain drops, slow and steady
tap the leaves, fall to the ground
So close, unbound by walls
My skin is dry
but the rain soaks me through.
– Lisa Ernst
Peony with Rain photography by Lisa Ernst
A lot of talented photographers attended the October 5 retreat. Everyone has uploaded images to a “mindful photos” Flickr account, which you can view here. Enjoy their talent while viewing the beautiful grounds of Penuel Ridge.
10/5 Meditation and Photography Retreat by Lisa Ernst
Living in The Divine Abodes
Saturday, November 16 8:30 a.m. – Noon
Led by Lisa Ernst
Nashville Friend’s House
Please join us as we learn to cultivate what the Buddha called “the immeasurable states of heart and mind” – the Brahma Viharas or Divine Abodes. These are the qualities of love, compassion, joy and equanimity that reside in us all. We will learn powerful practices to reduce anger, greed and pride by opening our hearts to love for all beings. As our hearts awaken, we can discover a deeper sense of openness and interconnection with all of life.
Led by meditation teacher Lisa Ernst of One Dharma Nashville, this retreat is appropriate to newcomers as well as experienced meditators. It will include guided and silent meditation, walking practices, instructions and dharma talk.
Retreat cost is $35 and is due by November 11 to reserve your spot.
Paypal is available here. If paying by check, make it out to One Dharma Nashville and send to: One Dharma Nashville c/o 12 South Dharma Center, 2301 12th Avenue South, Suite 202, Nashville, TN 37204. Please include your email address.
For questions email onedharmaretreat@gmail.com
Orange Bugs on Pod
photography by Lisa Ernst
On October 5 I led One Dharma Nashville’s 2013 Contemplative Photography Retreat at Penuel Ridge in Ashland City. It’s a beautiful retreat site and very conducive to meditation and photography. Rather than writing a general recap, I thought I’d share something written by one of the attendees, Tracy Wilson about her experience at the retreat:
Some Things I Learned on My Contemplative Photography Retreat
by Tracy Wilson
1. Birds, butterflies, caterpillars and bees wait for no one! They are as engaged with their busy little comings and goings as I am. All things change and change is constant and uncontrollable.
2. I tend to stop breathing when taking photos. When I don’t breathe, my shoulders tense up and I feel uncomfortable. So…breathe!
3. I tend to want to make adjustments to the subject of my photo…moving a leaf here, adding something there. The best photos are taken when I just let things BE as they are and accept. When I let go of trying to control them, I am more at ease and mindful and get better shots.
4. Light changes with the whim of the clouds and the turning of the earth. Photography depends on the amount of light available. It changes what and how I see things and what the camera picks up. When the light changed from morning to afternoon, the world was “new” and many things were illuminated that I had not seen before. Light changes everything.
5. Moving through my day mindfully is very relaxing and decreases inner conflict. The more I slow down, the more I see and hear.
6. Focusing on a leaf floating in a reflective pond quiets the mind.
7. Walking a Labyrinth is a lesson in patience and a beautiful way to walk mindfully. I’d love to have one!
Leaf and reflection in pond at Penuel Rigdge, photograph by Tracy Wilson
To see more of Tracy’s shots from the retreat, go here.
Intimate with All Things
Awakening the Wise Heart
Residential Retreat at Bethany Hills, Kingston Springs, TN
Thursday evening, December 5 – Sunday Noon, December 8
Led by Lisa Ernst
The dharma offers a pathway to discover equanimity, freedom and compassion. Through cultivating a wise heart, we come to know what it means to awaken in the midst of our life, to be deeply intimate with the totality of our experience.
This silent retreat will foster a quality of compassionate presence that opens the heart and dissolves the illusion of separation. It will include sitting and walking meditation, instructions, lovingkindness practice and optional meetings with the teacher. The retreat is appropriate for newer as well as experienced meditators.
Retreat cost is $190 if paid in full by Monday, November 4. After, the cost is $215. A reduced fee spot is available if you need financial assistance. Please inquire for rates. Attendance for all three days is required. There will be a separate opportunity at the retreat to make a dana offering (donation) to the teacher.
If paying by check, make it out to One Dharma Nashville and send to: One Dharma Nashville c/o 12 South Dharma Center, 2301 12th Avenue South, Suite 202, Nashville, TN 37204. Please include your email address. Paypal is available here.
Lisa Ernst is the founder and guiding teacher at One Dharma Nashville. She began meditation practice in the late ’80′s in the Zen Buddhist tradition, studying closely with two Rinzai Zen Masters and attending numerous mediation retreats. Lisa has also studied and practiced in the Theravada tradition since the late 90′s. She has been teaching since 2005 and was given dharma transmission from Trudy Goodman in 2010.
For questions, email onedharmaretreat@gmail.com
In a moonlit night on a spring day,
The croak of a frog
Pierces through the whole cosmos and turns it into
a single family!
-Chang Chiu-ch’en
Frog in Spring
The registration deadline for the Contemplative Photography and Meditation workshop is this Friday, September 27th. The location at Penuel Ridge offers many excellent opportunities for interesting and varied photography. Also, I’m pleased that Shelley Davis-Wise has generously offered to create a calendar of our photographs as she did last year. The beautiful calendar was a big success, and also a nice fund raiser for One Dharma.
An image from our 2012 Mindful Photography Calendar
You can see images from last year’s calendar here.
To register for the workshop, go here.
The Lotus Blooms in The Mud 