AWAKE Meditation

AWAKE Meditation

By Pho Nguyen

There are many different styles of meditation or ways to meditate. The one that is best is the one that works best for you. What follows is the first in a series of articles from various meditation centers in the Houston area. If what you read sounds interesting, we invite you to visit the center and experience that style of meditation for yourself.

Zen Master Thich Dieu Thien is an Awake teacher and founder of Universal Door Meditation Center in Houston (Sugar Land, TX), and has been teaching around the world and helping people of all backgrounds for 16 years to realize the Awakened happiness within! Through her living example, we see that Awake is real and possible. Awake is open, pure, fresh, peaceful, full of unlimited wisdom and compassion, and sees things clearly… disturbed by nothing.

Coming to Universal Door, new students are introduced to Awake through simple language and examples in an orientation session. Living life under the control of habits, perceptions, and illusion, it is like being blind and causes constant stress and suffering for ourselves and those around us. Zen Master Thich Dieu Thien, also known as the Awakened One, steps in to help all realize that because we are blind, we suffer and need to “open our eyes” so illusion falls apart and we can see things as they are. 

With the goal to Awaken, students begin the journey, with step-by-step interactive guidance from the Zen Master who lives Awake every moment. Only an Awakened teacher can guide students to go from blind to open eyes and Wake Up, breaking the system of ignorance, to live with Awakened happiness in any situation, anywhere.

Zen Master's teachings and interactive guidance are very creative, dynamic, spontaneous, and lively, easily attracting listeners, no matter what level of practice they have. Her Dharma talks, whether short or long, are always fresh, simple, and practical, but penetrate directly to the heart, helping people to break through, believe, and realize that they have the capacity to Wake Up. Her direct dialogues and questions pushed back towards the listeners to help them Wake Up, stir up questions about birth and death and the path toward Awake to break free from suffering. With unconditional love, Zen Master Thich Dieu Thien has dedicated her entire life helping people at each step to Light up the Inner Light, diligently practice, and finally return to the "Treasure" already within themselves.

Zen Master teaches us that when we live with our ego, there will be constant inner struggles between good and bad, right and wrong, win and lose ... which lead to sadness, hatred, blame, judgment and competition with each other.  As long as the ego exists, we will never be truly happy.

Awake meditation classes and teachings are open to people of every age, culture, religion, and background. Weekly class in English happens every Thursday night from 7-9pm; pre-registration and orientation are required. Simple meditation instructions, practice time, Q&A, discussion, are often components of class time, as well as Dharma talks by the Zen Master, reflection questions, chanting, and other supportive forms of meditation. The Zen Master always teaches based on what will help people to Wake Up in each moment, no two class sessions are the same. 

There are also public Dharma talks by Zen Master Thich Dieu Thien (with live translation into English through individual headsets) every Sunday from 10:30am to 12:30pm followed by lunch. The Youth & Teen program runs from 11:00am to 12:30pm. Please call 281-575-9718

Location

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Office Hours

Our Regular Schedule

Monday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Tuesday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Wednesday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Thursday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Friday:

8:00 am-3:00 pm

Saturday:

By Appt.

Sunday:

Closed

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