The March Middle
Rajanaka News for March 16th 2024, Sessions, & Spaghetti Night
Saturday, March 16, 2024
Aho’ Rajanaka,
I hope this finds you well. In so many cultures the new year begins in March or April and of course we still preserve those remnants---ever wonder why September is literally the “seventh” (septem) and December the “tenth” (decem) month? This is the sort of thing that keeps me up at night, wondering how the world got the way we think it is. And don’t get me going about Daylight Savings Time. Spring ahead. Does anybody really know what time it is?
We humans don’t particularly fancy that figuring stuff out is entirely up to us, that we can be mistaken, and that, umm, there’s no one in charge coming to rescue us from ourselves. I think my initial attraction to Buddhism was its humanist insistence that “waking up” is our best option. I really wish they would have stopped there and spared us claims to Enlightenment, ‘cause stuff that involves Capital Letters (e.g., the Absolute, God, Self, Consciousness) unless it’s a noun in German makes me Really Uncomfortable. Your call. Call?
Are you bewaring those Ides of March? I rather like the middle of things and “ides” (from idus) means one day after the middle of the month, which 13th for most but the 15th in March, May, July, and October. In case you were wondering.
We are coming along each Satruday in our introduction to Buddhism and you are still most welcome to join us. Each Session comes with its own charms, so dropping in any time is…enlightening and if you want the all of it, we have a recorded Archive available at any time. Join us, the details are below. You register by merely showing up to the Session on Zoom (and using PayPal or Venmo to offer tuition). See you at 5pm? Daylight Saving Time in effect, Enlightenment guaranteed. Well, maybe only enlightenment.
Tantric Ganesha has been a Thrilla’ on Thursdays (7pm Eastern DST which is just the time) and we’re not done and we have recordings. Details down thar’ but why donch’a drop in.
Sunday Mahabharata is also Spaghetti Night at our house. (<- n.b., Capital Letters) Just so you know. Oh, how I love the Epic (<- warrants Another Capital Letter) and the stories just keep getting better. Come anytime, we start at 5pm, and that leave plenty of time before Lassie, Wagon Train, or Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color. Nothing should get in the way of Mr. Ed, so we never go to 7. Gotta love the Sunday night line-up, well, sixty years ago.
Ides, St Patrick, do march on. I am a bit behind on finishing up The Pilgrimage Diaries but I’ll get to it before long. After all, we have an extra hour of daylight all saved up. More soon.
Saprema, with affection, Douglas
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BUDDHISM SESSIONS You are NOT TOO LATE to join us. Here is the ZOOM link AND the Archive where you can hear all of the previous Sessions. Come along, bend some spoon, have a seat beneath the tree, the steam will just rise from your inner bodhisattva.
ZOOM HERE:
https://rochester.zoom.us/j/95057662268
RECORDING ARCHIVE HERE: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/yted2ht281tfrn74ig0c2/h?rlkey=8j5bvomcf9ate80us41n2vj25&dl=0
THURSDAYS WITH TANTRIC GANAPATI is also happenin’ and you are warmly invited. Come, it’s on Thursday at 7pm. That’s Thursday. Zoom here:
https://rochester.zoom.us/j/98183733328
Recording Archive here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/zbs7vlhprzjzumggr56sn/Tantric-Ganapati-1.pdf?rlkey=imz489guhg1dggyjcm7akxsqt&dl=0
Tomorrow is SUNDAY MAHABHARATA @5pm Eastern. It’s nothing like church and the stories are way more crazy but in a good way. Zoom:
https://rochester.zoom.us/j/314987250
You can always listen to the Recordings here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/bfqt15y3n0uglir/AAAB_89LiCOob0hJI1w8BK7_a?dl=0
Rajanaka Summer Camp is July weekend after the 4th. More details soon soon. Let’s make plans.