Week 1 - Surprise Guest - David

Sometimes the best things in life are unplanned. This was true with our first guest in the program, David.

David missed his calling in stand-up comedy. He was an engaging speaker throughout his talk. Unfortunately, this comedy is a way of dealing with his lifelong addiction to alcohol. Therefore, any humor that he had was mixed with the bitter lifetime wasted on drink which corroded his income, his health, and most importantly his relationship with his family.

However, he had the uncanny fortune of a family that would continue to love him despite the scares he put them through. The latest scare being his literal deathbed. He discussed his experiences in the hospital, and the revelation that he had to turn his life around. Supporting him in this endeavor were his family including his niece who had come to San Diego to visit from New York.

In fact it was his niece who suggested that he come into the Dharma Bums Temple for the first time ever. Previously, the closest he had come was the front door. However, he must have felt that there was spiritual support from the Temple as he had spent a lot of time in the previous months outside looking in.

After his speech, he was whole-heartedly welcomed to come sit with the Dharma Bums Lifers. He was invited to come every Friday and Sunday as well, when the Temple is open for public meditations.

We’d like to thank David for his story which contained much pain and sadness as well as a determination to give his family a better life by moving them out West outside the ghettos of New York City. We wish him and his family the best, and we thank him for the unexpected and invaluable contribution to the Dharma Bum Life Program.

Written by Dharma Bum Fred

Week 1 - Application Letter

I was so nervous for the first meeting. Would I measure up with the other bums? Would I fit in?

Then I took a deep breath and realized that I was attending an adult program not going starting high school! Also, I have found through the years that no matter how bad something is, I can always meditate. To learn more about this refuge is one of the reasons I started the program in the first place.

Of course, like most of my fears, hates, and even desires, I found them to be unfounded. Many of the people were familiar. Soon we were talking about what drew us to meditation.

Then came the first meditation bell. The sit was nice not just because sitting can be nice, but also because we learned the value of silence which informed the entire Dharma Bums Life program.

For me, one of the biggest draws to meditation is because I am too full of chatter and too undisciplined. After this first meditation, I felt like the program was for real. Silence and appropriate behavior were expected. This made me very happy.

Finally, we read the application letters. When I wrote mine, I thought, “I hope that they pick me.” I never thought that the letter was going to be read in front of so many people. When I heard other people’s letters, I realized that there was more suffering in the world than I ever imagined. I knew, intellectually, that suffering was all pervasive, but through the letter reading this really hit home because the people who wrote the letters seemed so normal and well adjusted. Now I am learning that no matter how happy and successful someone seems, they can harbor a great deal of pain. Also, though, I learned about how intelligent and spiritually advanced the group was. I was glad to be part of such an amazing group of people.

All my life I had longed for Sangha, a practicing community, and the missing piece of the triple refuge (Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha) in my life.

Written by Dharma Bum Fred

Introduction to Dharma Bum Life

The Dharma Bum Life Program is founded on principles known as the Six Perfections. These six principles (generosity, morality, patience, diligence, concentration, wisdom) when carried out in life provide the foundation for peace and happiness in every moment. This program will help you develop proper daily motivation, great compassion and impartial loving-kindness.

The practice of learning how to still the body, silence the speech, and calm the mind through meditation is one of great benefit. You will learn how to live a simple, beneficial and happy life through constant application of mindfulness. There will be lessons on how to live comfortably with little money, how to be mindful in regards to the environment, how to work with the homeless, how to redistribute food, how to lead meditation in the community and how to provide general community service where people are in need.

The Dharma Bum Life Program will consist of 18 group meetings at the Dharma Bum Temple, starting June 2nd and ending July 30th. We will be meeting every Tuesday and Thursday from 7-9pm. Program participants will also meet with their own small groups once a week to work on various projects.

In addition, there will be four dharma bum retreats on a Saturday where we will meet withteachers, work on different projects throughout the community, and practice the art of meditation.