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Interbeing Sangha of Kingston - Weekly Electronic Bulletin Issue #11 - September 2nd, 2017

Interbeing Sangha
of Kingston

Weekly Meeting

Please join us for our next weekly gathering, taking place this Sunday, September 3rd, for meditation and dharma sharing, 6:30pm at Unitarian Place (Kingston Unitarian Fellowship), 206 Concession Street. Darcy Gawronski-McNinch will be bell minding.

You are Beautiful

"To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don't need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself. When you are born a lotus flower, be a beautiful lotus flower, don't try to be a magnolia flower. If you crave acceptance and recognition and try to change yourself to fit what other people want you to be, you will suffer all your life. True happiness and true power lie in understanding yourself, accepting yourself, having confidence in yourself."

-- Thich Nhat Hanh, The Art of Power

Thank you!

Summer Day of Mindfulness

Gratitude and many lotuses to all who attended our Summer Day of Mindfulness. Thanks to Dale Fainstat, Anne Coward, Ananda Sattler, Darcy & Keith Gawronski-McNinch, Colette Peters, Wendy Luella Perkins, and Linda Tucker for bell minding and sharing many joyful practices, and to all who participated. Bonniespring Farm was blessed by the energy of mindfulness from all 30+ participants (including some friendly goats) and the delicious vegan pot luck feast. It was a day of mindfulness, joy, and peace for all.

Joyful News

Thay in Vietnam

"To all Plum Village Practice Centers, To all Practice Centers and Sanghas worldwide, To our Dear Beloved Friends,

"We are very happy to confirm that earlier today, 29th August 2017, at 12h35 local time, our dear Teacher landed safely at Đà Nẵng airport in Vietnam. This is his first visit to Vietnam since 2008. In recent weeks Thay has expressed a strong wish to visit his home country once more, and the sangha is delighted to have been able to realise his wish. Thay’s trip will include a visit to Plum Village’s Root Temple, Chùa Từ Hiếu, in Huế, where Thay began his monastic training in 1942."

Past & Future

"To dwell in the here and now does not mean you never think about the past or responsibly plan for the future. The idea is simply not to allow yourself to get lost in regrets about the past or worries about the future. If you are firmly grounded in the present moment, the past can be an object of inquiry, the object of your mindfulness and concentration. You can attain many insights by looking into the past. But you are still grounded in the present moment."

-- Thich Nhat Hanh, The Art of Power

Consuming Mindfully

Contemplations Before Eating

At our retreat last Sunday, we read the Contemplations Before Eating before eating our lunch mindfully together. Plum Village practice centers and retreats have always been vegetarian, and since 2007, they have also been vegan. In October 2007, Thay wrote his famous “Blue Cliff Letter“, where he explained why the community was turning vegan to nourish compassion and help save the planet.

Thich Nhat Hanh

Union Medal

Thich Nhat Hanh will be awarded with the Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York's Union Medal on September 6th, 2017. Previous medalists include Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Vice President Al Gore, and Judith and Bill Moyers. Thay received a Masters of Arts in Religion from Union in 1963. The ceremony will be live-streamed at: https://utsnyc.edu/2017-union-medal-live/

Interbeing

"As soon as you know mountains are made of rivers and everything else and rivers are made of mountains and everything else, it is safe for you to use the words “mountains” and “rivers.” In Buddhist practice, what is essential is for you to realize the nature of interbeing and transcend the notion of self and all its constraints. When you touch the reality of non-self, you touch at the same time nirvana, the ultimate dimension of being, and become free from fear, attachment, illusion, and craving.

-- Thich Nhat Hanh, Living Buddha, Living Christ

Our sangha has two teams helping to share leadership and facilitation of our meetings. Our Bell Minders Team are mindful facilitators for our weekly gatherings, as well as retreats, taking beautiful care of our friends in the practice including the bell. Our Sangha Care Team facilitates sangha care meetings, plans retreats, minds our library and resources, and coordinates outreach. If you are interested in helping with either or both, contact interbeingkingston@gmail.com for more information.

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