Lansing Area Mindfulness Community

7-9 PM Wednesday 03 JUN 2026
3015 S MLK BLVD Lansing MI

Hello everyone hope you’re all well. This week we will continue our look at the lessons from the “Lotus Sutra”. I’m hoping to cover the parables of the “Phantom City” and the “Hidden Jewel “.
In peace
Terry

7-9 PM,!Wednesday 06 May 2026

Good morning, dharma friends!

Most of us have an understanding that "Nirvana" means "peace," and generally speaking, it does. But it also has a more specific, actionable meaning that we can actually practice with! In short, "Nirvana" means to put out the fires that cause suffering.

What fires? The fires of greed, ill-will and delusion, small and large, that can manifest in our hearts and minds. These include irritation, impatience, hostile feelings, contempt or judgement towards those different from ourselves, fantasies of various sorts, lust for people and things that can cause suffering in our minds and in our lives.

I have found it fruitful to see and understand how those fires manifest in myself and to practice putting them out through a combination of mindfulness, meditation, and the cultivation of the beautiful qualities that are the opposites of kinds of greed, ill-will and delusion. Because these can be practiced with, the peace of Nirvana can be experienced in moments and situations and hopefully for the long term.

I love this stuff and am excited to talk about it with you! The attachment has the first sutta in it is a teaching to lay people (like us!) on Nirvana. Following it is the Buddha's sermon on The Fire Sermon, which I like to pair it with as well as some good definitions of what craving and clinging mean. And there's some lists of good qualities we can cultivate. We will only get to a third of this so we have at least 25-30 mins of discussion, but I wanted to provide all of it for those who have time and inclination to read and think about it.

Grateful thanks and appreciation to you, dharma friends! Hope to see you on Wednesday! Emoji

Warmly,

Elizabeth

PS Was unable to copy link.

"To meditate means to pay full attention to something. It doesn't mean to run away from life. Instead it’s an opportunity to look deeply into ourselves and into the situation we're in."
-Thich Nhat Hanh (How to Relax)