Join us every Sunday for a special practice
Uposatha Days are special days to dedicate ourselves to the practice of Buddhism as a philosophy of life. In the Muluposatha Sutta, the Buddha established the observance days called Uposatha Days as the “days for the cleansing of the defiled mind.” Originally Uposatha Days were held during the Full Moon in which the monastic and lay members would fully dedicate themselves to the practice of the Buddhist teachings. In order to imitate monastic life, lay members would practice the Eight Precepts instead of the original Five, forgo eating meals after noontime, and practice meditation late. In addition, monastics would practice confession and the chanting of the Patimokkha, the monastic rules of conduct.
Traditionally, Japanese and Japanese-American Shin Buddhists do not practice Uposatha. However, for our uber distracting 21st century North American culture, our founding teacher has provided an updated Shin adaptation of Uposatha by identifying eight elements that members and friends can easily practice once a week on Sundays, the days our community meets for services. These eight elements offer practitioners a profound way to reconnect with an ancient tradition and focus on essential teachings and practices. By deeply listening to and immersing themselves in various aspects of the dharma, and importantly, the workings of Boundless Light and Life, they embrace not just random practices, but a unified One Dharma. This One Dharma, intertwined with deep hearing (monpo) and the cultivation of morality and mindfulness, guides us towards becoming better Buddhists, true Shin followers, and, most importantly, more complete human beings.
Since our Fellowship is not part of a monastic order, but is an independent Shin organization, and completely lay-oriented and controlled, our updated Uposatha practice naturally differs from what is traditionally experienced in Asian Buddhist countries. Our American Shin version includes the following eight elements.
- A concerted effort to practice the Five Precepts.
- A committed effort to let go of screen time and go electronic device free.
- A dedicated effort to attend our Practice & Talk meetings if you live near to our center.
- A concentrated effort to practice sitting and walking meditation & recite the Amida’s name.
- A faithful effort to read and/or listen to some Buddhist literature.
- A keen effort to eat a human diet or vegetarian or raw food meals (Important: Meals should eaten before noon and then fast for the rest of the day, and must be ultraproccessed free, & alcohol & drug free)
- A determined effort to practice generosity & kindness to humans, non-humans and the sangha.
- A resolute effort to practice gratitude for blessings & challenges in life, and the undeserved grace of the Primal Vow.
To learn more about observing Uposatha, and practicing the above Buddhist practices, we highly recommend attending our Practice & Talk meetings at 9 a.m. on twice a month on Sundays.
Special Uposatha Days
The Buddhist Faith Fellowship also recognizes special Uposatha Days that correspond to holidays or when a particular month may have a fifth Sunday of the month. For the extra fifth Sunday of the month, the Fellowship may host a special Satipaṭṭhāna Day (Mindfulness Retreat) to support members and friends in their meditation practice.
These special Uposatha Days for the most part include Buddhist holidays in which the practitioner puts special attention to recollect the significance and qualities of the holiday and the teachings. The Fellowship recognizes both Theravada and Mahayana holidays. The below list shows the months in which these special observance days take place; visit our web site to confirm the specific dates.
April – Flower Festival celebrates the Buddha’s birth.
February – Parinirvana Day recognizes the Buddha death and last teaching.
May – Vesak celebrates the entire life and legacy of the Buddha.
May – Sangha Day celebrates the community and the path.
December – Enlightenment Day celebrates the awakening of the Buddha.
