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Interbeing Sangha of Kingston - Weekly Electronic Bulletin Issue #37 - April 12th, 2018

Interbeing Sangha
of Kingston

Weekly Meeting

Please join us for our next weekly gathering, taking place this evening, Sunday, April 15th, for meditation and dharma sharing, 6:30pm at Unitarian Place (Kingston Unitarian Fellowship), 206 Concession Street. Dale Fainstat will be bell minding.

Being in Touch

"It’s important to become aware of what we feel, not just what we think. When we touch the ground with our foot, we should be able to feel our foot making contact with the ground. . . In focusing on that contact with the earth, we stop being dragged around by our thoughts and begin to experience our body and our environment in a wholly different way. Our body is a wonder! Its functioning is the result of millions of processes. We can fully appreciate this only if we stop our constant thinking and have enough mindfulness and concentration to be in touch with the wonders of our body, the Earth, and the sky."

-- Thich Nhat Hanh, Silence: The Power of Quiet in a World Full of Noise

This Saturday

Film Premiere

Walk With Me will have its Kingston premiere at The Screening Room this Saturday, April 14th at 4:00 pm. Please join us for this wonderful event, including a guided meditation before the screening by members of our sangha. Correction (with apologies): tickets go on sale when the box office opens at 12:30 pm on Saturday (just as most films showing at the Screening Room). It is recommended to arrive around 20 minutes prior to the beginning of the show to get good seats, but usually more than 40 minutes is unnecessary.

Request for Help

Mindfulness Study

We have received a kind request from Ville Junttila, student in the School of Psychology at University College Dublin in Ireland, who is doing a study involving interviews with meditation practitioners at Plum Village monastery in France. In an effort to represent practitioners from as many parts of the world as possible, Ville is asking practitioners to complete a short online questionnaire (around 25 minutes) The intention of the study is to better understand people’s difficulties with meditation practice and of the conditions that contribute to them

Ottawa Pagoda Sangha hosts an annual regional retreat led by the monastics of Blue Cliff Monastery, Thursday, May 10th - Sunday, May 13th. Advance registration is required as there is no on-site registration. NOTE: Residential accommodations at Galilee Centre are now full, but non-residential registration is still available:
https://pagodasangha.org/events/monastic-retreat-2018-registration/

Operating in The Present Moment

"The present moment is where we need to operate. When you are truly anchored in the present moment, you can plan for the future in a much better way. Living mindfully in the present does not preclude making plans. It only means that you know there’s no use losing yourself in worries and fear concerning the future. If you are grounded in the present moment, you can bring the future into the present to have a deep look without losing yourself in anxiety and uncertainty. If you are truly present and know how to take care of the present moment as best you can, you are doing your best for the future already.

-- Thich Nhat Hanh

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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