The Jewish Women's Federation sponsored a series of classes on three religions held in April at Unity Temple on the Plaza. The classes were on April 2, 9 and 16 with both morning and evening sessions offered. The tree religions featured were: Zen Buddhism, the Mennonite faith, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The Zen Buddhism class was led by Dr. Bethany Klug, a member of The Order of Inner Being. Asking the audience to listen with their hearts, not their brains, she said, “We are all teachers.” The ninety-minute session was devoted to demonstrations of some simple, specific practices that she follows daily on her own, and in the Heartland Community of Mindful Living. The Community has regular meetings for practices that come from the teachings of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. Thich Nhat Hanh is the author of Living Buddha, Living Christ, and The Miracle of Mindfulness. He conducts retreats worldwide and lives in southern France. The practices Dr. Klug demonstrated focused on breath and simple, rhythmic songs or poems, all geared to making the mind one-pointed, focusing on the present moment. The idea is that we can do nothing about the past, and the future is only fantasy. So we must live in and concentrate on the present moment. One daily practice is to use a bell to remember to stop what one is doing and breathe, paying attention to one’s breath, and simply enjoying the flow of energy coming into the body and leaving the body in a rhythmical way. One can use a bell, the ringing of a phone, or the chiming of a clock, to trigger this reminder throughout the day. Asked whether Zen Buddhism believed in a Higher Being, Dr. Klug responded, “The idea of a higher being is not really taught, but I feel the divine within me every day.”
