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Interbeing Sangha of Kingston - Weekly Electronic Bulletin Vol. 2, Issue #13 - October 7th, 2018

Interbeing Sangha

No Meeting Today

There will be no meeting this evening, due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Our regular weekly meetings will resume next week on Sunday, October 14th, for meditation and dharma sharing, 6:30pm at Unitarian Place (Kingston Unitarian Fellowship), 206 Concession Street. Happy Thanksgiving to our sangha family!

Drinking Tea Mindfully

"This cup of tea in my two hands, mindfulness is held perfectly. My mind and body dwell in the very here and now. Wherever you are drinking your tea, whether at work or in a café or at home, it is wonderful to allow enough time to appreciate it. If the weather is cold, you can feel the warmth of the cup in your hands . . . Breathing mindfully in this way, we recuperate ourselves and the cup of tea reclaims its highest place. If we’re not mindful, it’s not tea that we’re drinking but our own illusions and afflictions. If the tea becomes real, we become real. When we are able to truly meet the tea, at that very moment we are truly alive.”

-- Thich Nhat Hanh, How to Eat

Happy Continuation Day

Thich Nhat Hanh

Thursday, October 11th is the 92nd birthday of our teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh. In Thay's tradition, we call this his Continuation Day. This article, "Celebrating Thay's Continuation Day," published last year on his birthday, notes how students celebrate and continue our teacher around the world. Some members of our sangha will gather on Thursday to mark the occasion (see below).

You're Invited

Tea Ceremony

Tea meditation is a time to be with the Sangha in a joyful and serene atmosphere. You are invited to participate in a tea ceremony on Thay's Continuation Day, Thursday, October 11th at 5:30 pm at our regular meeting place (KUF) in the lower level. Participants can bring a vegetarian snack to share, and a favourite passage from Thay (or your own original poem/song). Following the tea meditation ceremony, we hope everyone will continue to celebrate upstairs at the meditative Crystal Journey concert (see below).

Sangha member Cat London had the idea to gather for a tea ceremony as a way to bring our sangha together for a social time outside of our usual weekly meeting. As this month we also celebrate our sangha's 2 year anniversary, we hope to have another opportunity for a tea ceremony, followed by a festive potluck dinner and time for conversation. Please take this poll to see if we can find a good date for an evening potluck to come together as a community in celebration: Doodle Poll for Sangha Celebration Evening.

Community Announcement

Peace through Music

Crystal Journey will bring meditative vibrations to KUF at 7:00pm on Thursday, October 11th including artist David Hickey and his Quartz Crystal Bowls, Paiste Planet Gongs & Persian Santoors. This sound meditation is a great way to continue our teacher Thich Nhat Hanh by enjoying "peace through music" of many bells of mindfulness on his Continuation Day! Floor seating on meditation cushions or benches is optional. Some members of our sangha will be attending the concert following a tea ceremony on the lower level at 5:30 pm (details above). You can watch a video featuring Crystal Journey here, and buy tickets on Eventbrite for the concert here. We hope to see you there.

Community Announcement

Sharing Abundance

Bell minder Linda Tucker, a founding member of Friends of the North Misiway (a caring partnership with the people in Cree Communities along the western shore of James Bay) invites us once again to donate food bags for needy families in the north. Shipment of your donations will be sent from Kingston during October, November and early December. Note: Linda now has bags donated by Metro that can be used to fill with the items needed (listed on the flyer). Learn more and download the new flyer here. Please share and donate!

Gratitude for Miracles

"People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don’t even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child — our own two eyes. All is a miracle.”

-- Thich Nhat Hanh, The Miracle of Mindfulness

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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