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Interbeing Sangha of Kingston - Weekly Electronic Bulletin Issue #24 - December 2nd, 2017

Interbeing Sangha
of Kingston

Weekly Meeting

Our next weekly gathering takes place Sunday, December 3rd for meditation and dharma sharing, 6:30pm at Unitarian Place (Kingston Unitarian Fellowship), 206 Concession Street. Anne Coward will be bell minding.

Transforming Suffering

"“Breathing in, I’m aware of the painful feeling in me. Breathing out, I’m aware of the painful feeling in me.” This is an art. We have to learn it, because most of us don’t like to be with our pain. We’re afraid of being overwhelmed by the pain, so we always seek to run away from it. . .The function of mindfulness is, first, to recognize the suffering and then to take care of the suffering. A mother taking care of a crying baby naturally will take the child into her arms without suppressing, judging it, or ignoring the crying. Mindfulness is like that mother, recognizing and embracing suffering without judgement. So the practice is not to fight or suppress the feeling, but rather to cradle it with a lot of tenderness. If we can recognize and cradle the suffering while we breathe mindfully, there is relief already.”

-- Thich Nhat Hanh, No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering

Sangha Care

Meeting Notes

We held a Sangha Care Meeting on November 12th. Two main topics of discussion were 1) the regional retreat we are planning to host in Kingston Thursday, May 9th - Sunday, May 12th, 2019 in conjunction with Ottawa Pagoda Sangha and Blue Cliff Monastery and 2) our plans for the upcoming Sunday service our sangha will lead February 25th, 2018 at Kingston Unitarian Fellowship. Read notes here.

Community Announcement

Forest Therapy Walks

Public Forest Therapy Walks continue into Winter 2018 at Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area, led by sangha member Stana Luxford Oddie. Forest therapy is a mindful, healing and connective practice inspired by the Japanese practice of “Shinrin-yoku” which translates as “forest bathing”. Register now for public walks in 2018 on the CRCA site.

Sunday at KUF

Hope in Today's World

This Sunday, December 3rd at 10:30 am, the College, Careers, Kids and Beyond "younger adults' group at KUF offers a collaborative service on the topic of Hope. How do you maintain hope through serious personal struggles? How can mindfulness help cultivate hope? When does hope become a bad thing? Join us as we discuss the relationship between hope, fear, and truth and explore hope in its many facets.

Hope is Not Enough

"When I think deeply about the nature of hope, I see something tragic. Since we cling to our hope in the future, we do not focus our energies and capabilities on the present moment. We use hope to believe something better will happen in the future, that we will arrive at peace, or the Kingdom of God. Hope becomes a kind of obstacle. If you can refrain from hoping, you can bring yourself entirely into the present moment and discover the joy that is already here. . . I do not mean that you should not have hope, but that hope is not enough. Hope can create an obstacle for you, and if you dwell in the energy of hope, you will not bring yourself back entirely into the present moment. If you re-channel those energies into being aware of what is going on in the present moment, you will be able to make a breakthrough and discover joy and peace right in the present moment, inside of yourself and all around you.

--Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace Is Every Step

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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