Q: Is there a fee to attend your weekly class? May anyone attend?
A: There is no fee, but offerings are appreciated. CDA Dharma Friends is a study group based in the Tibetan tradition. Should you like to attend the study group meetings, you are very welcome. We meet Thursday's 5:30 pm to 7 pm at 1319 N. Government Way, CDA ID 83814 - In the yoga studio (Morning Light Yoga). The sign out front reads Life Center Therapies for Well-Being, which is directly across the street from St Vincent's Thrift Store on the corner of Government Way and Walnut (green house). The 4th Thursday of each month is dedicated to a slightly different area of study called compassionate or non-violent communication, based on the work of Marshall Rosenberg. You are also welcome to attend these sessions, but if that isn't of interest to you just skip that week. We also co-sponsor public talks given my Thubten Chodron at NIC - usually in the Spring and the Fall. You can check back on our website late August or September to see when she will speaking again http://cdadharmafriends.org/events.
Buddhism is a very practical practice that many of us have found helpful in navigating our lives and aiding us in resolving problems, feelings of despair or disconnection, and confusion.
A: There is no fee, but offerings are appreciated. CDA Dharma Friends is a study group based in the Tibetan tradition. Should you like to attend the study group meetings, you are very welcome. We meet Thursday's 5:30 pm to 7 pm at 1319 N. Government Way, CDA ID 83814 - In the yoga studio (Morning Light Yoga). The sign out front reads Life Center Therapies for Well-Being, which is directly across the street from St Vincent's Thrift Store on the corner of Government Way and Walnut (green house). The 4th Thursday of each month is dedicated to a slightly different area of study called compassionate or non-violent communication, based on the work of Marshall Rosenberg. You are also welcome to attend these sessions, but if that isn't of interest to you just skip that week. We also co-sponsor public talks given my Thubten Chodron at NIC - usually in the Spring and the Fall. You can check back on our website late August or September to see when she will speaking again http://cdadharmafriends.org/events.
Buddhism is a very practical practice that many of us have found helpful in navigating our lives and aiding us in resolving problems, feelings of despair or disconnection, and confusion.
Q: "I'm really interested in Buddhism and I live near the Coeur d'Alene area, I am an atheist, but can I still be a Buddhist?"
A: This is not an easy question to answer. According to Merriam-Webster an atheist is "a person who believes that God does not exist." Generally speaking Buddhists do not believe in a Creator God along the lines of religions such as Christianity, Judaism and others. We do however believe that there is something after we leave the bodies we currently inhabit - reincarnation, if you will. Although reincarnation is a not a topic I am willing to try to explain here (much too complex), it is something that is widely misunderstood, but it does contain a strong spiritual element to it.
CDA Dharma Friends follows the teachings of the Buddha in the Tibetan tradition. That means His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama is one of our teachers. More directly our teacher is Venerable Thubten Chodron, Abbess of Sravasti Abbey in Newport WA. Here is the link to their websitehttp://www.sravastiabbey.org/index.html.
Buddha means "the awakened one". This means through meditation and using the very methods he taught during his lifetime he was able to see reality as it actually is, rather than they way it is seen by most living beings. Our goals as students is to move us forward in practice, behavior and understanding to that same level of awareness so that we too may become Buddha's...eventually.
CDA Dharma Friends is comprised of students of all different backgrounds and levels of study, from senior students who have been studying and practicing for many years to newcomers (such as yourself perhaps) - some just curious, and some looking for some deeper meaning in their lives. Everyone is welcome. If you are new to Buddhism and are unsure about whether it is something you will be interested in may I recommend some books that may be useful to you. Both of these can be found at the Coeur d'Alene Library.
The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, by Sogyal Rinpoche - you can find it in the non-fiction stacks under call number 155.937 Rinpoche.
And Buddhism for Beginners, by Thubten Chodron (our teacher), which you can also find in non-fiction under 294.3 Chodron
Should you like to to attend the study group meetings, you are very welcome. We meet on Thursday's at 5:30 pm at 1319 N. Government Way, CDA ID 83814 - In the yoga studio (Morning Light Yoga). The sign out front reads Life Center Therapies for Well-Being, which is directly across the street from St Vincent's Thrift Store on the corner of Government Way and Walnut (green house). The 4th Thursday of each month is dedicated to a slightly different area of study called non-violent communication, based on the writings of Marshall Rosenberg. You are also welcome to attend these sessions, but if that isn't of interest to you just skip that week (July 23rd this month). We also co-sponsor public talks given my Thubten Chodron at NIC - usually in the Spring and the Fall. You can check back on our website late August or September to see when she will speaking again http://cdadharmafriends.weebly.com/.
Buddhism is a very practical practice that many of us have found helpful in navigating our lives and aiding us in resolving problems, feelings of despair or disconnection, and confusion.
A: This is not an easy question to answer. According to Merriam-Webster an atheist is "a person who believes that God does not exist." Generally speaking Buddhists do not believe in a Creator God along the lines of religions such as Christianity, Judaism and others. We do however believe that there is something after we leave the bodies we currently inhabit - reincarnation, if you will. Although reincarnation is a not a topic I am willing to try to explain here (much too complex), it is something that is widely misunderstood, but it does contain a strong spiritual element to it.
CDA Dharma Friends follows the teachings of the Buddha in the Tibetan tradition. That means His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama is one of our teachers. More directly our teacher is Venerable Thubten Chodron, Abbess of Sravasti Abbey in Newport WA. Here is the link to their websitehttp://www.sravastiabbey.org/index.html.
Buddha means "the awakened one". This means through meditation and using the very methods he taught during his lifetime he was able to see reality as it actually is, rather than they way it is seen by most living beings. Our goals as students is to move us forward in practice, behavior and understanding to that same level of awareness so that we too may become Buddha's...eventually.
CDA Dharma Friends is comprised of students of all different backgrounds and levels of study, from senior students who have been studying and practicing for many years to newcomers (such as yourself perhaps) - some just curious, and some looking for some deeper meaning in their lives. Everyone is welcome. If you are new to Buddhism and are unsure about whether it is something you will be interested in may I recommend some books that may be useful to you. Both of these can be found at the Coeur d'Alene Library.
The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, by Sogyal Rinpoche - you can find it in the non-fiction stacks under call number 155.937 Rinpoche.
And Buddhism for Beginners, by Thubten Chodron (our teacher), which you can also find in non-fiction under 294.3 Chodron
Should you like to to attend the study group meetings, you are very welcome. We meet on Thursday's at 5:30 pm at 1319 N. Government Way, CDA ID 83814 - In the yoga studio (Morning Light Yoga). The sign out front reads Life Center Therapies for Well-Being, which is directly across the street from St Vincent's Thrift Store on the corner of Government Way and Walnut (green house). The 4th Thursday of each month is dedicated to a slightly different area of study called non-violent communication, based on the writings of Marshall Rosenberg. You are also welcome to attend these sessions, but if that isn't of interest to you just skip that week (July 23rd this month). We also co-sponsor public talks given my Thubten Chodron at NIC - usually in the Spring and the Fall. You can check back on our website late August or September to see when she will speaking again http://cdadharmafriends.weebly.com/.
Buddhism is a very practical practice that many of us have found helpful in navigating our lives and aiding us in resolving problems, feelings of despair or disconnection, and confusion.