Urban Dharma

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

My talk at Northwood High School in Irvine, CA on basic Buddhism to a comparative religions class.

My talk at IBMC (www.ibmc.info) on the five precepts. Buddhism has two main types of practice, precept practice and meditation practice. This is my talk on what the five precepts mean to Buddhist.

My talk to the UCLA Buddhist Club on why and how I Volunteer as a Buddhist. The ups and downs of being a volunteer... Some stories and insights on being a Buddhist volunteer in a California State Prison.

My talk at the IBMC on the Buddhist Eightfold Path. IBMC (www.IBMC.info) has a Sunday Service each week. It was my week to speak and I chose the Eightfold Path.

My talk to the UCLA Buddhist club on 2/6/2007 on 'Not Self' or "Who are you, really." The UCLA Buddhist club meets every Tuesday at the University Catholic Center at UCLA. The UCLA Buddhist Club web site is: www.TheUBA.org

My Talk to the 8th graders of Chadwick School on basic Buddhism. Miss Timms a teacher at Chadwick School invited me to speak to her 8th graders on basic Buddhism and answer their questions... www.chadwickschool.org

This is Class 4, Part 2 of an extension class I taught at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles titled, "Intergrating Buddhist Practices Into Everyday Life." This was a four week class that went from... Sept. 28 - Oct. 19, 2006. It is an overview of the Buddhist path, as well as an introduction to a Buddhist way of life. The web page I put together for this class can be found at: www.urbandharma.org/udharma10/lmu2006.html

This is Class 4, Part 1 of an extension class I taught at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles titled, "Intergrating Buddhist Practices Into Everyday Life." This was a four week class that went from... Sept. 28 - Oct. 19, 2006. It is an overview of the Buddhist path, as well as an introduction to a Buddhist way of life. The web page I put together for this class can be found at: www.urbandharma.org/udharma10/lmu2006.html

This is Class 3, Part 2 of an extension class I taught at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles titled, "Intergrating Buddhist Practices Into Everyday Life." This was a four week class that went from... Sept. 28 - Oct. 19, 2006. It is an overview of the Buddhist path, as well as an introduction to a Buddhist way of life. The web page I put together for this class can be found at: www.urbandharma.org/udharma10/lmu2006.html

This is Class 3, Part 1 of an extension class I taught at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles titled, "Intergrating Buddhist Practices Into Everyday Life." This was a four week class that went from... Sept. 28 - Oct. 19, 2006. It is an overview of the Buddhist path, as well as an introduction to a Buddhist way of life. The web page I put together for this class can be found at: www.urbandharma.org/udharma10/lmu2006.html

This is Class 2, Part 2 of an extension class I taught at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles titled, "Intergrating Buddhist Practices Into Everyday Life." This was a four week class that went from... Sept. 28 - Oct. 19, 2006. It is an overview of the Buddhist path, as well as an introduction to a Buddhist way of life. The web page I put together for this class can be found at: www.urbandharma.org/udharma10/lmu2006.html

This is Class 2, Part 1 of an extension class I taught at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles titled, "Intergrating Buddhist Practices Into Everyday Life." This was a four week class that went from... Sept. 28 - Oct. 19, 2006. It is an overview of the Buddhist path, as well as an introduction to a Buddhist way of life. The web page I put together for this class can be found at: www.urbandharma.org/udharma10/lmu2006.html

This is Class 1, Part 2 of an extension class I taught at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles titled, "Intergrating Buddhist Practices Into Everyday Life." This was a four week class that went from... Sept. 28 - Oct. 19, 2006. It is an overview of the Buddhist path, as well as an introduction to a Buddhist way of life. The web page I put together for this class can be found at: www.urbandharma.org/udharma10/lmu2006.html

This is Class 1, Part 1 of an extension class I taught at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles titled, "Intergrating Buddhist Practices Into Everyday Life." This was a four week class that went from... Sept. 28 - Oct. 19, 2006. It is an overview of the Buddhist path, as well as an introduction to a Buddhist way of life. The web page I put together for this class can be found at: www.urbandharma.org/udharma10/lmu2006.html

My interview with Ven. Ajahn Sudanto a monk from Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery, the first monastery in the United States to be established by followers of Ajahn Chah. Efforts to establish this California monastery moved slowly until 1995. As Ven. Master Hsüan Hua, abbot of the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, located in Ukiah, California, approached his death, he instructed his disciples to deed over to Ajahn Chah's disciples 120 acres of forest in Redwood Valley, fifteen miles north of the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. On several occasions Master Hua had made a point of stating that it had been the dream of his life to bring the northern and southern traditions of Buddhism back together again. - http://www.abhayagiri.org/