The Maitreya Broad Meditation Society – 弥勒佛宽广禅会

Meher Baba has said that Broad Buddhism is one of the high roads to God. Pursuant to that, and the request of the the wealthy garment merchant from Singapore who appeared in my dream last night (the night of 3 JAN 12):

LET IT BE KNOWN that for the propagation of the Buddhadharma in the modern era, and for the benefit of all sentient beings, I have established the The Maitreya Broad Meditation Society (弥勒佛宽广禅会), based on the practices described and recommended in these sources:

1. The Pure Land sutras in general, OR Meher Baba’s Wish for my Lovers (In Chinese: 巴巴的希望). [preliminary practice].

2. Meher Baba’s Discourses in general (I highly recommend the 7th edition), and the material therein about meditation in particular, AND/OR adherence to the Buddhist Five Lay Precepts (extended Engilsh/Chinese bilingual document). [intermediate practice].

3. Bhau Kalchuri’s Spiritual Training Programme training manual which is based on Meher Baba’s New Life. We consider Meher Baba’s New Life to be the Buddhadarma brought up to real time, and that it is the fastest and most dependable way to enact the meaning of the Buddha in the modern era. [advanced practice - Bhau has stated in his manual that it could be used by other groups].

This program leads to a life of service, not to monasticism. We do not take full monk’s vows, or wear robes, because we know that these will only get in the way of our service and our presence in the world, which we consider essential to our practice. We are “in the world but not of it,” and in particular, we do not despise wealth. but rather we acquire it and use it to stabilize our practice and our presence in the world, and to help those less fortunate than ourselves, most especially those who are destined to attain on the path of meditation.

The Maitreya Broad Meditation Society that I have founded most definitely belongs to American Buddhism, and it has English for its’ language of instruction, and is based on American core values, but it is open to all without regard to caste, creed, gender, race, ethicity, or nationality. Because the vast majority of practicing Buddhists on this planet have classical Chinese for their liturgical language, I stress Chinese, particularly with regard to the source materials of our practice. Some of these are already available in Chinese as I write, and within my lifetime, all of them will be, for sure. These levels of practice are thoroughly consistent with what already exists in the Chinese cultural sphere of influence, particularly with respect to basic ethics, and I expect them to generalize to that sphere.

I may incorporate this as a non-profit organization, and seek funding for it, when I go back to Hawaii so that some can practice together, and in the meantime you may read, or download, or buy these materials. If you have questions about them, you may ask me. You can either post comments to this post, or correspond with me by email. My email address is on the Bhau Rings graphic on the right sidebar.

By the grace of Maitreya Buddha, aka Meher Baba, and by my vow:

GIVEN on this 4th day of January, 2012.

GATE, GATE, PARAGATE, PARASAMGATE, BODHI, SVAHA!

南无阿弥陀佛 Namu Amida Butsu
Viveshwar Bodhisattva

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