In talking to a number of people, both practicing Buddhists and people interested in Buddhism, about the idea for a New Dharma Center, one of the most universally appealing elements of the concept is the notion that we could integrate singing into the meetings (Note: according to strict Theravada tradition, this is not acceptable—you have been cautioned). Nobody much likes the idea of hymn singing, but everyone seems to spark to the notion that a lot of their favorite folk songs and “folkish” pop songs have lyrics which express a sentiment compatible with the Buddhadharma. So, from time to time, I’ll post the lyrics to such a song, along with a link to Amazon’s MP3 Digital Downloads page where you can purchase the song for 89 or 99 cents.

We’ll start with “Simple Gifts”, a song I’ve loved since I first heard Pete Seeger sing it at Oberlin in 1955.

The song was written by Elder Joseph while he was at the Shaker community in Alfred, Maine in 1848. What appeals to me is the song’s truth, its freedom from dogma, the beauty and singability of its melody, and its clear connection with dance (also verboten to Theravadins). Here are the lyrics:

The song’s been recorded by almost everyone. One of my favorite versions is the short one by Judy Collins, from her album “Whales & Nightingales”. You can get it from AmazonMP3.com for $.99.

(This was first posted, in a very slightly different form, on the New Dharma Center site.)

I’ve been talking with a number of people over the past several months about the kind of practice community that’s needed to respond the growing interest in Buddhism. I am convinced that such an interest exists. i’ve taught a couple of sessions now at the University of Cincinnati’s Osher Lifelong Learning Center on the Teachings of the Buddha, and they have been very well attended, with students who are intensely interested and committed. They see in the Buddhadhamma a path that is accessible and persuasive, and that does not demand their submission to an authority they no longer trust, or their acceptance of a doctrine that seems in conflict with what they know of the world. I’ve seen the same interest when I’ve talked at churches, a humanist Jewish congregation, an Atheist meetup, and among friends about the Buddha’s teachings.

But although people are interested in the Dhamma, that’s not what they typically find on a visit to a Buddhist sangha, at least in our city.

“From what I’ve seen, most Buddhist sanghas in the US are focused very intensively—sometimes almost exclusively—on meditation practice. If a person seeking enlightenment regarding Buddhism (not Buddhist Enlightenment, necessarily) were to visit any sangha in this city, she would find a small group of adults, mostly single or there without their spouses, coming together to chant texts, either in an unknown language or of such esoteric content as to be virtually impenetrable without an extensive crib sheet, and to sit in silence for long periods, punctuated only by shorter periods of walking in silence. While such groups may participate in some social mingling before or after the sitting, that mingling is likely to be excessively informal, with talk of current events or of people the visitor is unlikely to know, and little or no discussion of the Dharma. There are exceptions…, but the picture I’ve painted is not, by and large, unfaithful to the situation that actually exists.”

The quotation is from a concept that I developed for a new type of urban Buddhist sangha, one that is unapologetically designed to appeal to urban families who are seeking community, who are seeking practical ways to deal with the dissatisfactions of life, and who are not finding either of those things in their churches and temples.

I will be developing the site for the New Dharma Center concurrently with this site, and occasionally cross-posting content. I encourage you to visit that other site, and I’d be interested in your response to the idea.