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Interbeing Sangha of Kingston - Weekly Electronic Bulletin Vol. 2, Issue #2 - June 24th, 2018

Interbeing Sangha
of Kingston

Weekly Meeting

Please join us for our next weekly gathering, taking place this evening, Sunday, June 24th, for meditation and dharma sharing, 6:30pm at Unitarian Place (Kingston Unitarian Fellowship), 206 Concession Street. Anne Coward will be bell minding.

Facing the Beast

"The only thing worthy of you is compassion —
invincible, limitless, unconditional.
Hatred will never let you face
the beast in man.

One day, when you face this beast alone,
with your courage intact, your eyes kind,
untroubled
(even as no one sees them),
out of your smile
will bloom a flower.
And those who love you
will behold you
across ten thousand worlds of birth and dying.

Alone again,
I will go on with bent head,
knowing that love has become eternal."

-- Thich Nhat Hanh, excerpted from a poem written in 1965, "Recommendation," from Call Me by My True Names: The Collected Poems

Sangha Library

Featured Book

This wonderful book, Call Me by My True Names: The Collected Poems, brings together over 100 poems by Thich Nhat Hanh, composed over forty years. Thay wrote many of these poems in response to his experience of the Vietnam War, the country of his birth, in his journey of transforming the pain and difficulty of war and exile, through compassion and mindfulness, into a celebration of awareness and the human spirit. To borrow this book, speak with sangha librarian, Anne Graham.

Community Announcement

Forest Therapy on Gould Lake

Sangha member Stana Luxford Oddie will be guiding a public Forest Therapy walk at Gould Lake Conservation Area on Saturday July 7, 2018. Forest Therapy is a mindful, healing and connective practice inspired by the Japanese practice of “forest bathing”. More info and online registration here.

Sunday at KUF

Counting our Blessings

Today, Sunday, June 24th, at 10:30 am, Rev Beckett Coppola leads the final service of the fellowship year for Kingston Unitarian Fellowship, sharing gratitude for this exciting first year together - followed by the annual picnic. Next Sunday Service will be on August 26th. (Interbeing Sangha of Kingston continues to meet as usual, weekly at KUF, every Sunday evening at 6:30 pm throughout the summer).

Responses that Heal

"When we react out of fear and hatred, we do not yet have a deep understanding of the situation. Our action will only be a very quick and superficial way of responding to the situation and not much true benefit and healing will occur. Yet if we wait and follow the process of calming our anger, looking deeply into the situation, and listening with great will to understand the roots of suffering that are the cause of the violent actions, only then will we have sufficient insight to respond in such a way that healing and reconciliation can be realized for everyone involved."

-- Thich Nhat Hanh, Calming the Fearful Mind: A Zen Response to Terrorism

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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