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Sample American
Buddhist Services

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We have included these sample services for you to use if your Buddhist sangha wishes to have religious services.

Our members volunteer to organize each of our services. Every other week a member volunteers to act as the “chairperson” for that week's service. The chairperson decides what will be read, what sutras will be chanted and what music will be included. They even make sure someone is lined up to bring refreshments to share after the service. This “chairperson” can do the readings themselves or ask another Heartland Sangha member to do the readings.

Our services vary from simple and straightforward to very creative. It is entirely up to that week's chairperson. They can choose from standard texts or bring in poems to share or share personal statements.

One thing we often include in our service is a Nourishment Offering. This was started because several of our members have asthma and the incense was making them ill. We find the nourishment offering is a very meaningful substitute.

Other times we have a symbolic incense offering. We offer incense but don't burn it.

We are fortunate to have a Buddhist minister to give us our Dharma talks. When his schedule doesn't allow him to be with us we arrange to have Dharma talks given by other Buddhist teachers in the area. This adds some variety to our services and allows us to maintain a non-sectarian approach to the teachings.

Don't worry if you don't have a regular dharma teacher. Plan to have a service when you can arrange for a guest speaker to share with you.

Here are a few sample services.
Please feel free to use them and modify them.

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A Basic Buddhist Service
A memorial service we had with our Muslim friends a few days after the Sept. 11th attacks.
Living Life Like A Maple Leaf
A Celebration of the Lotuses
More Than One Root
The Way of Oneness
Giving (Dana)
Religious Thinking...East & West
Spiritual Emergency? Dial 911 Dharma
Summer Rain: Dharma Weather Forecasting
Right Effort: The Fruits Of Our Labor

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