Sandpoint Meditation Group
Buddhist Practice in the Serene Reflection Meditation Tradition
Welcome to the Sandpoint Meditation Group site, and thank you for your interest.
We are a group of Buddhists in Sandpoint, Idaho who practice in the Serene Reflection Meditation tradition. At the heart of this practice is formal seated meditation and the intention to live in keeping with the Buddhist Precepts.
Our twice monthly meetings provide the opportunity to practice together, doing meditation, participating in simple ceremonies and studying the Dharma.
Meditation
The purpose of Serene Reflection (Soto Zen) Meditation is to come to know and live from the Buddha Nature within ourselves and all things. All of us have an intuitive knowledge of the Buddha Nature, therefore meditation is not a means to an end but rather a harmonization of oneself with the source of compassion, love and wisdom. It is most helpful to learn the details of how to practice meditation from a teacher. If you are interested in such instruction, please arrive to our meeting 10 or 15 minutes before meditation begins. For more information on Serene Reflection Meditation, please read the article entitled “Main Points in Practicing Serene Reflection Meditation,” located in the “Meditation” tab of this website, or visit the website of the Shasta Abbey Buddhist Monastery.
The Buddhist Precepts
In meditation we engage with our inward experience in order to move toward harmony with the world around us. Working with the Buddhist Precepts, we become mindful of our outward actions and choices and their effects on our inner peace. These two approaches complement each other, assisting us to move towards a balanced and unified way of life. The Buddhist Precepts provide guidance for living in ways most beneficial to our training and to the beings with whom we share our lives.
In their essence, the Precepts can be expressed as The Three Pure Precepts:
1) To cease from evil
2) To do only good
3) To do good for others
“Although the moon is a great, broad light, it lodges in the tiniest bit of water.”
Great Master Dogen
