(Scroll Down for EVENTS)
The Book of Joy
by HH Dali Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu
with Douglas Abrams
Co-author Douglas Abrams summarizes a rich and delightful week-long conversation between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who came together in April 2015 in Dharamsala, India, to celebrate the 80th birthday of His Holiness. In the midst of laughter and tears, the two spiritual leaders grapple with the enduring question: How do we find joy in the face of life’s inevitable suffering?
Despite their years of hardship--decades of exile (for the Dalai Lama, from his homeland of Tibet) or violence and racism (as Tutu experienced in South Africa), these two Nobel Laureates nonetheless lead lives of exceeding joy. In The Book of Joy, the two men emphasize a shift in perspective—from oneself and toward others, from anguish to compassion, from counting your burdens to counting your blessings. They also share the daily Joy Practices that anchor their own spiritual and emotional lives.
It is the authors' hope that their time together, and this book, will create a lasting gift for others. In selecting this book, the VYCR hopes to inspire conversations we might otherwise not have. Please join us this year in reading The Book of Joy.
Click HERE for an interesting review of The Book of JOY.
EVENTS
Tibetan Monks from Gaden Shartse Sacred Arts
The Virginia Read was excited to host visiting monks from Gaden Shartse Monastic University while they were on their 2017-18 tour in the West. The monks brought aspects of this year's VYCR selection to life as they shared the Tibetan Perspective of the Buddha's teachings through ceremony, presentation and Q&A sessions. All events were held at the Colusa County Library, 738 Market Street, Colusa.
Tuesday, March 27, 2018
7:00 pm, Slide Show Presentation/Discussion: A Monk's Life
The visiting Tibetan Monks shared slides and video that taught us about their way of life at the Gaden Shartse Monastery in South India. Question & Answer session followed.
Wednesday, March 27, 2018
3:00 pm, Family Activity: Sand Mandala Painting and Calligraphy
Children of all ages created miniature sand mandalas and practiced the art of Tibetan calligraphy with the visiting Monks at the Colusa County Library.
7:00 pm, Presentation: World Peace and Unity of all Religions
The Colusa County Library hosted a special evening with the monks from Gaden Shartse. They presented an intellectual and philosophic discussion on the quest for world peace and the unity of all religions. A Question & Answer session followed.
Friends of the Library Book Club Meeting
Thursday, April 5, 2018
6:30 pm, Morse Conference Room, Colusa County Library
The Friends of the Library Book Club read The Book of Joy and discussed the book at their April meeting. This book club is open to the public, and everyone is welcome.
Virginia Read Day
Saturday, April 28, 2018
9:00-11:15 am, Sankey-Elmwood Park, 4th and Webster Streets
Yoga and Meditation Morning
Yoga Alliance teacher Wendi McCaskill and Lindsay Miguel from Urban Soul Yoga visited Colusa to lead us in a special yoga and meditation exercises. Two different classes were given:
- 9:00-9:30 Mindful Movement This class was for families! Children and parents participated in active story time, partner yoga poses and imaginative play. Teacher Wendi McCaskill is a trained and certified Baptiste Yoga teacher. She teaches yoga and meditation in Davis, and she works throughout Northern California as a mediation coach and consultant.
- 10:00-11:15 Yoga/Meditation This class was geared for all levels, and was the perfect opportunity to explore how a yoga and meditation practice may bring joy to our lives. Teacher Lindsay Miguel is the owner and lead instructor at Urban Soul Yoga in Woodland. Her studio specializes in Vinyasa, Acrovinyasa, Yin Yoga, and Stretch Yoga.
2:00-3:30 pm, Colusa County Library, 738 Market Street
Panel Discussion
What are the common denominators across religions regarding the true nature of joy? How do other cultures view the right to pursue happiness?
Many community members joined us at the library on Virginia Read Day as we posed these and other questions to Chico State University professors from the Comparative Religion Department, Kate McCarthy, Micki Lennon, and Joel Zimbelman.
“There are going to be frustrations in life. The question is not: How do I escape?
It is: How can I use this as something positive?”
“Suffering is inevitable...but how we respond to that suffering is our choice. Not even oppression or occupation can take away this freedom to choose our response. Right”
Dalai Lama XIV, The Book of Joy
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