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Buddhist Women's Conference 2013
The Bodhisattva Path
We hope you can join us for this workshop on compassion! This smaller version of the Women's Buddhist Conference will be smaller and more intimate, but we will still have two great speakers visiting Chicago especially for the event:
Venerable Dr. Pannavati Bhikkhuni, a yogini, former Christian pastor, founding Co-Abbot of
Embracing Simplicity Hermitage, and a founding director of
Sisters of Compassionate Wisdom (a 21st century trans-lineage Buddhist order), ordained in Theravada and Chan Schools. A Zen Dharma Holder and Vajrayana practitioner as well, Pannavati's insight is rich with compassion, wit and humor. Known for her ordination of Thai and Cambodian nuns, work with homeless youth in Appalachia, and ministry to the "untouchables" in India, she is the recipient of multiple Outstanding Women in Buddhism Awards, and received a special commendation from HRH Princess Chulabhorn of Thailand for humanitarian service towards women and children.
Venerable Chang Ji is an ordained nun from
Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist Association in the Chinese Mahayana tradition of Buddhism since 2004. She is committed to teaching the tenets of contemplative action to young adults worldwide, and has led many workshops for young leaders from North America, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. She works to spread awareness of Spiritual Environmentalism as taught by her teacher, the late Venerable Master Sheng Yen.
Schedule
Saturday, March 16, 2013
| 08:00 am |
Registration begins |
| 08:00 am |
Registration begins |
| 09:00 - 10:00 am | Compassion Meditation |
| 10:00 am - Noon | Keynote: "The Bodhisattva - A Present Help in the Time of Need", Venerable Dr. Pannavati Bhikkhuni |
| noon - 1:00 pm | Vegetarian lunch: Informal discussion with our two guests |
| 01:00 - 02:00 pm | The Bodhisattva Path
A panel discussion with Venerable Dr. Pannavati Bhikkhuni, Venerable Chang Ji, and Venerable Chang Zhi. They will discuss: What is a Bodhisattva? What are the Bodhisattva precepts? How can we strive to become better Bodhisattvas? |
| 02:00 - 04:00 pm | Inner Dimensions of Climate Change, Venerable Chang Ji
We will consider how our unexamined assumptions lead to greed and ignorance, which result in multiple social problems. Climate change is one important example. We want to be happy, but our pursuit of happiness leads to unhappiness and social injustice, for ourselves and others. Master Sheng Yen called this spiritual poverty; a solution is spiritual environmentalism. |
| 04:00 pm | Transfer of Merit Closing Ceremony |
| 05:00 pm | Optional Dinner with Guest Speakers and Conference Organizers: Meli and Asayo and others who would like to attend. Cost of dinner not included. |
Location
The workshop will be held at:
The Chicago Chapter of Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist Association (
DDMBA-Chicago)
1234 N. River Road, Mt. Prospect, IL 60056
Registration
The registration cost of the event is $25 and includes a vegetarian lunch. Your participation will help to defray travel costs of our special visitors! To register in advance (and help us reserve a lunch for you), please pay online at the
DDMBA-Chicago donation page, and specify "Bodhisattva Workshop" in the comment area. Alternatively, please email
meli@northwestern.edu or
susan@lincke.org in advance and pay when you come.
Driving Directions
1. From Chicago: Take I90 North to 294 North
2. Exit 294 North at US 14/Dempster Street going West on US 14/Dempster
3. Turn right/north onto US 12/Des Plaines River Road
4. At about 3.3 miles, the shopping center with DDMBA will be on the left hand side
Our shopping center is just before the major traffic light Euclid Ave/W Lake Street. There is a new gas station on that corner
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2011 conference : WEBA award winner
The Buddhist Council of the Midwest is pleased to
announce the recipient of the
2011 Women and Engaged Buddhism Award (WEBA)
The Buddhist Council of the Midwest is pleased to announce the presentation of the 2011 Women and Engaged Buddhism Award to Venerable Pannavati-Karuna to support the work of My Place, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing a positive youth development program for homeless and at-risk youth that heals the whole person.Ven. Pannavati founded My Place two years ago at the Embracing Simplicity Buddhist Hermitage in Hendersonville, NC. Since that time more than 60 homeless youth have stayed in the home environment of a residential, transitional housing program. They receive training in self-responsibility, positive self-expression, the arts, meditation, educational/career training/work readiness, interaction with adult mentors and referral for crisis intervention.
Ven. Pannavati-Karuna founded
My Place two years ago at the Embracing Simplicity Buddhist Hermitage in Hendersonville, NC. Many other people and organizations in the area have collaborated to support this work.
This award will specifically support
Meditation as a Praxis of Cognitive Healing for Homeless Teen Victims of Incest. Over the past two years, over 90% of youth, females and males, living in residence at the monastery were victims of family sexual abuse. An intensive 8 week meditation training and support program will deal specifically with healing for incest victims aged 16-21 with a focus on compassion and present-moment, mind-body awareness. Participants will learn and practice techniques to overcome destructive emotions while cultivating thoughts of self-acceptance and self-esteem. While understanding the shame, anger, guilt, denial and sense of helplessness of teens who have been victims of incest, Ven. Pannavati believes that through meditation and support, these teens can begin to love themselves, to be compassionate towards the perpetrator, realizing his ignorance and pain, and to be able to take appropriate actions to protect themselves and their siblings who may still be at home.
For more information visit
www.myplacewnc.org or
www.embracingsimplicityhermitage.org
The Women and Engaged Buddhism Award is given to recognize and encourage initiatives in Engaged Buddhism by women. It is intended to nurture young or little known projects that are underway at the time of the application. This year's award carries with it a guaranteed monetary grant of $1,000.
The Buddhist Council of the Midwest’s mission is to be a vehicle of mutual aid and fellowship for Buddhist organizations throughout the Midwest, to celebrate the diversity of Buddhist philosophy and culture, and to represent and advocate for the Buddhist community in the public realm, confronting misunderstandings or misrepresentations of the Dharma and engaging in inter-religious dialogue.
Past WEBA Winners
2010
Tibet Girls School Project -
A program of the Tsogyaling Meditation Center of Evanston, it seeks to educate young women in the name of freedom and peace, in an area of Eastern Tibet where lack of education contributes to high rates of maternal and infant mortality.
2009
In 2009, the WEBA was presented to Rev. Kalen McAllister, Sensei of Shinzo Sangha, St. Louis, MO, and Executive Director of Inside Dharma, to support her work
offering Buddhist practice in Missouri prisons.
2008
The 2008 WEBA went to Sensei Joan Hoeberichts of the Heart Circle Sangha, Ridgewood, NJ, and Charika Marasinghe, PhD, of
Sarvodaya, Sri Lanka, for their initiative in partnering to create the Psycho-Spiritual Healing Project to train Sri Lankan counselors to provide psychological support for tsunami survivors and others needing aid.
more »
2007
The 2007 WEBA was granted to the Maekhao Chanthasomphone and Maekhao Keo for the Wat Sila Salalam Pokam school for girls, in Laos, with general recognition given to Venerable Karma Lekshe Tsomo and the
Jamyang Foundation for their long term commitment to address the issues of poverty, literacy, and gender discrimination in some of the neediest and most remote parts of the world.
more »
2006
In 2006 the first Women and Engaged Buddhism Award (WEBA) was presented to Venerables Molini and Dhamma Vijaya of
Dhamma Moli in recognition and encouragement of their efforts to prevent the trafficking of girls in Nepal.
more »
