Urban Dharma Podcast

The Buddhist Eightfold Path - A Way To Happiness... Class 1 part 1 of a ten part series of talks given in the spring of 2007 on the Buddhist Eightfold Path at Loyola Marymount University. This course offers a detailed introduction to the Buddhist Eightfold Path. The Buddha in his forty-five years of teaching taught two things: why humans suffer and how to end the suffering. We will explore the Eightfold Path and how it leads to a lifestyle of simplicity and personal fulfillment. Buddhist Precept Practice and Meditation will be investigated through stories and personal examples and finally the course will show how to integrate the Eightfold Path into everyday life. The class web page can be found at: http://urbandharma.org/udharma10/lmu2007.html

A short video of the International Buddhist Meditation Center... I share some of the history of the IBMC as we take a 6 min video tour of where I live and work.

Part 2 of my presentation at the Monastic Institute 2007 Conference at John's School of Theology Seminary in Collegeville, Minnesota on Being a Buddhist in America. Each summer the School of Theology·Seminary of Saint John's University sponsors a Monastic Institute to provide continuing education and spiritual enrichment for American monastics and all interested in monastic spirituality and practice. This year's Institute, co-sponsored by Monastic Interreligious Dialogue, is devoted to interreligious dialogue. Among the presenters were Dr. Ingrid Mattson, President of the Islamic Society of North America, Kusala Bhikshu of the International Buddhist Meditation Center in Los Angeles, and Fr. Pierre-François de Béthune, Secretary General of Dialogue Interreligieux Monastique/Monastic Interreligious Dialogue. -- www.saintjohnsabbey.org

Part 1 of my presentation at the Monastic Institute 2007 Conference at John's School of Theology Seminary in Collegeville, Minnesota on Being a Buddhist in America. Each summer the School of Theology·Seminary of Saint John's University sponsors a Monastic Institute to provide continuing education and spiritual enrichment for American monastics and all interested in monastic spirituality and practice. This year's Institute, co-sponsored by Monastic Interreligious Dialogue, is devoted to interreligious dialogue. Among the presenters were Dr. Ingrid Mattson, President of the Islamic Society of North America, Kusala Bhikshu of the International Buddhist Meditation Center in Los Angeles, and Fr. Pierre-François de Béthune, Secretary General of Dialogue Interreligieux Monastique/Monastic Interreligious Dialogue. -- www.saintjohnsabbey.org

My talk on a variety of subjects to the Long Beach Meditation Group on Sunday 6/17/2007. Long Beach Meditation - www.longbeachmeditation.com/

My talk at Santa Margarita Catholic High School on June 4, 2007 on being a Buddhist. I was invited by a member of the Los Angeles Buddhist/Catholic Dialog to speak to his ethic's class at Santa Margarita Catholic High School on being a Buddhist.

My Talk at Chadwick School in Palos Verdes California (www.chadwickschool.org) This talk is to a comparative religions class composed mostly of questions and answers. I was asked about a Creation Myth in Buddhism... And I read something from the Aggañña Sutta found in the Digha Nikya. In this sutta the Buddha explains about the beginning of the Earth, and the birth of the social order and its structure.

My presentation to the Ventura Contemplative Community on the Five Precepts, Morality and Justice. This day long retreat was held on April 21, 2007 at St. Catherine's-by-the-Sea in Ventura, California. I was asked to focus in a simple, non-technical way on the precepts, justice and morality among other things. The retreat was sponsored by the Ventura Contemplative Community, PO Box 5692 Ventura, CA 93003

My talk at One Spirit center for conscious living in Simi Valley, California on the ups and downs of living a life of service. My talk centers around volunteer work and the personal struggle of finding balance in the suffering of others. For more info on One Spirit please visit there web site: www.OneSpirit.org

Dharma Grass is made up of Kusala Bhikshu, Michelle Payne (www.myspace.com/michellepayne) and Mark Lennon (www.myspace.com/marklennon). We made our live debut as a group on 3/30/2007 at the "Peace is Possible" Concert held at 'One Spirit, Center for Conscious Living in Simi Valley, California. Kusala - rhythm guitar and harmonica... Michelle - guitar, banjo and vocals... Mark Lennon - mandolin and vocals... The event poster can be viewed at: www.urbandharma.org/pdf/2007PeaceConcert.pdf and a photo at: http://urbandharma.org/udharma11/peaceconcert.html