MISSION STATEMENT:
Nagaloka is a Triratna Buddhist Community center. Our sangha seeks to
teach, explore and live the path towards Enlightenment. We supportively
encourage members to apply the Buddha’s teachings to daily life through
meditation, study, discussion and other activities.

We will discontinue Friday 6:30 PM meditation sessions.

The new meditation session:

Thursday ~ 5:30 PM led by John ~ Alternates between the “mindfulness of breathing” and the metta bhavana” (loving-kindness) meditation practices.

New meditation/discussion session:

Sunday morning ~ 8:30 AM (new start time) – 10 AM. ~Meditation session, tea/coffee and open discussions on Buddhist practices and teachings and how they can influence and enrich our lives.

Happy Holidays!

From all of us at Nagaloka

PLEASE JOIN US ON JAN 1ST FOR OUR OPEN HOUSE. Check out the details on our calendar.

Our Wednesday Friends’ Night has just finished up with the book “Sailing the Worldly Winds” by Vajragupta. We started off this book in conjunction with the Urban Retreat. Our sangha found it to be a very useful and practical guide on identifying how the worldly winds blow in our every day life. Our weekly discussions were full of personal insights into how windy things can be yet also what we can do to slow our swinging between the opposites of gain and loss, praise and blame, fame and disgrace, and pleasure and pain.

Our Friends’ Nights will finish the year out by spending time with the Five Jinas (Buddhas), a puja (devotion ritual) and a talk by Dharmasuri on the system of practice. In January we will start up with a study on ethics. What a great topic to go along with all our New Years Resolutions!

January 1st will bring an open house for Nagaloka. We will have intro to meditation, a mindfulness movement class for children, potluck lunch and information on the Triratna Buddhist Community. Our special guest Ian Tuski will be playing classical guitar. It should be fun for all ages!

Thanks you to Narottama and Amala for coming to Nagaloka to lead day retreats this Fall on the Metta Bhavana. Our sangha so appreciates having visiting Order Members join us for a full day of meditation and study.

Our mitra study of the Bodhisattva Ideal continues into the new year. Thanks you Maitrimani for leading our mitras through this deep and inspiring study. Also thank you to Louise for leading a children’s mindfulness and movement class for 10 weeks this Fall. The children truly
loved it…and LuLu! Louise’s next class starts in January (see our calendar for details).

Please continue to visit our website for upcoming events! Our winter program is in the works with some great events and day retreats.

Thank you.

For Narottama, from his first retreat at Aryaloka in 1993 to my ordination in Spain in 2007 to present day, the Dharma, coupled with ever deepening communication with friends in the Triratna Buddhist Community, has guided and provided a positive framework for personal transformation way beyond anything he might have thought possible. This has given rise to a deeper and richer trust and confidence in the Buddha, himself and his friendships as they train, study and realize. The Buddha, his teachings applied to the 21st century, and all those that follow together in his light for the benefit of all beings have allowed this farmer at heart from Maine to be grateful for each moment in which, with mindfulness, we strive on.

The chill in the air is beginning to find us once again here in Maine as autumn is approaching. Nagaloka bids a farewell to a summer that has really been packed with happenings.

First let us celebrate in Louise Tuski becoming a Mitra (friend)in June this year. Louise is a joyous spirit and has jumped right in to the sangha here at Nagaloka. Louise’s enthusiasm is inspiring and she has been so helpful in spending time working on our fundraising kula, our weekly announcements, joining our council, keeping our kitchen tidy and organized and so much more! Louise has also started a Mindfulness Movement class on Tuesday mornings for children 5 and under. Ian, Louise’s son, performed a classical guitar recital to benefit Nagaloka this summer. He played to a full house and shared his beautiful talent to a very appreciative audience.

We have been studying “The Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path” at our Wednesday Friends’ Nights. This inspiring and very practical teaching as really come to life in our discussions and brought to us many opportunities to relate the Dharma to our daily life. We will be finishing this study just in time to take part in the International Urban Retreat. Our next study on Friends’ Night is the “worldly winds” using newly published book by Vajragupta “Sailing the Worldly Winds.”

Dharmasuri and Maitrimani spent some time in the UK over the summer attending the Triratna Buddhist Order Convention. Thank you to both of them for sharing their experiences there and bringing home to our sangha all that the world wide Triratna Buddhist Community has to offer.

Mitra Study is off to a fresh start with Maitrimani leading us through “The Bodhisattva Ideal”. Here we can also welcome our newest Mitra to be Trish Moulton. Trish is looking forward to her Mitra ceremony on September 25th at 5 PM. All welcome.

We had day retreats this summer with Bodhipaksa, and Amala, a visit and talk by Nagabodhi, a Dharma Day celebration, Women’s and Men’s practice days, a visit from Parami for Mitras, as well as our regular ongoing meditation sessions, intro classes and Friends’ Nights. Narottama is leading two introduction days at Nagaloka, one on Oct 22 and again on Nov 26. Keep your eyes on our website for updates on coming events and our regularly scheduled happenings.

I hope your enjoying summer time in Maine and life is happiness for you. I was away the last three week in the UK on a wonderful, inspiring, deep connection with our larger movement (Triratna Buddhist Order) by attending the Chairs’ assembly and convention. At one point, during the mixed convention, I was in the presence of over 600 order members wholeheartedly practicing together in the shrine room. I look forward to seeing many of you, coming together sharing with each other the inspiration we receive from the Three Jewels (the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha).

I am so very grateful Gail and Louise came forward wonderfully facilitating Wednesday evenings while Maitrimani and I were away. Thank you! I hope you are enjoying the inspiring study book “The Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path” by our founder, Sangharakshita. It’s not necessary to read the book to join our study as Gail will lead us in the discussion. She suggests the following for this coming Wednesday (tomorrow) with meditation starting at 7 PM:

This week will be covering chapter 5, Perfect Livelihood. Since many people spend many hours a week or day at what they do to earn money it is a great idea to reflect upon how our jobs affect us, others and society as a whole. Is your job just a job, a career or a vocation? Does your work fall in line with Buddhist Ethics?

Something new is happening at Nagaloka. Louise is starting a creative movement and mindfulness class for young children starting September 13th. Louise has worked as an actor, directed and taught a wide variety of classes in creative movement and drama. She is a wonderful, lovely individual who’s friendliness creates a welcoming atmosphere at Nagaloka. The details are listed on own website and below. If you don’t have young children, but know someone that does, please pass this information onto to them. Thank you.

Come join in the fun! Creative Movement and Mindfulness, an opportunity for young children to move through space, enjoying and appreciating their bodies while they gain an awareness of balance and coordination through a creative investigation of large motor skills using music, simple instruments and props. Children will also focus on their breath as a calming factor and will become aware of centering as a source for mindfulness. All activities are done in a nurturing and safe environment that encourages loving-kindness and compassion at all times.

The next 4 week introduction to meditation and Buddhism starts Tuesday, Sept 6th. Please register now as this class fills up fast.

The Jugglers are coming to town. High Energy Jugglers come to Maine College of Art (MECA) to shake things up!

You may have seen juggling, but you haven’t truly experienced it until you’ve seen the
explosive, inventive juggling of brothers Matthew and Jason Tardy in their show, TWO: High Energy Juggling. MECA and Nagaloka Buddhist Center brings the dynamic duo to Portland for one night only, September 24th at 7:00PM at Osher Hall. The “TWO” brothers are here to show everyone what high energy juggling is all about! Matthew and Jason Tardy have created a show that features everything from high tech juggling and fire eating to physical comedy and full body contortion. They juggle various ‘props-of-doom,’ perform mind bending choreography, and in complete darkness, create streaks of color changing light that glide through the air. This is all choreographed to cuttingedge, upbeat original music!

Photos, video clips, and additional info is available at www.twoshow.com

The donations from this wonderful performance is helping to support Nagaloka programs.

Now that summer is coming to an end, perhaps you will have some opening in your schedule to attend meditation sessions at Nagaloka. The times and days are:
Mondays ~ 6:30 PM Thursday ~ 12 noon Friday ~ 6:30 PM Sunday 9 AM

Be well, be happy and have fun!

With metta,

Dharmasuri
Center Chair

The human body, at peace with itself, is more precious than the rarest gem. Cherish your body, it is yours this one time only. The human form is won with great difficulty, it is easy to lose. All worldly things are brief, like lightning in the sky. This life you must know as the tiny splash of a raindrop: a thing of beauty that disappears even as it comes into being. Therefore set your aspiration and make use of everyday and night to achieve it.
~Tsongkapa

The following Wednesday, July 20th, we are pleased to announce Nagabodhi, a senior Order Member from the UK, will be visiting us and leading the evening starting at 7 PM. His presence is always a delight and we will be sure to be inspired by his talk. The cost is by donation.

Please feel free to attend both of these Wednesday events as they are suited for new and old to Nagaloka.

Please plan on joining us for an evening of celebration!

With metta,

Dharmasuri
Center Chair
Nagaloka Buddhist Center

4 Tuesday, starting June 7th ~ 7-9 PM ~ Introduction to meditation and Buddhism.

2 Fridays, starting July 17th ~ 10:15 – 11:45 AM ~ Meditation and Chanting for mothers and their babies.

Face Painting Booth at the Old Port Festival ~ June 12th ~ 11 AM – 5 PM

June 8th ~ Louise’s mitra ceremony ~ Wednesday 7-9 PM

June 18th ~ Women’s Practice Day ~ Saturday 10 AM – 3 PM (men’s practice day in August ~ watch for the details)

June 26th ~ Amala’s Day retreat ~ Cause and Effect ~ 10AM- 3PM

Go to our calendar, click on the event that you are interested in to find more information. Thank you for checking us out!

Please mark your calendar as all these wonderful events are not to be missed!

With metta,
Dharmasuri
Center Chair