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Interbeing Sangha of Kingston - Electronic Bulletin Vol. 2, Issue #30 - 29 March 2019

Interbeing Sangha

Weekly Meeting

Please join us for our next weekly gathering, taking place Sunday, March 31st for meditation and dharma sharing, 6:30pm at Unitarian Place (Kingston Unitarian Fellowship), 206 Concession Street. Karl Hardy will be bell minding this week.

No Mud, No Lotus

“It is possible of course to get stuck in the “mud” of life. It’s easy enough to notice mud all over you at times. The hardest thing to practice is not allowing yourself to be overwhelmed by despair. When you’re overwhelmed by despair, all you can see is suffering everywhere you look. You feel as if the worst thing is happening to you. But we must remember that suffering is a kind of mud that we need in order to generate joy and happiness. Without suffering, there’s no happiness. So we shouldn’t discriminate against the mud. We have to learn how to embrace and cradle our own suffering and the suffering of the world, with a lot of tenderness.”

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

Important Message

Registration Shortfall - Please Register Now

Planning continues for our upcoming spring retreat, Peace is Every Step, May 9-12, taking place at St. Lawrence College. We did not set a deadline for registration; however, if we do not meet our budgeted minimum number of registrants before April 5th, our retreat planning committee will have to consider the possibility of cancelling the retreat. In this event, all payments we have received would be refunded.

If you are planning to attend the retreat but just haven't registered yet, registering now could make all the difference for us continuing. We urge you to please register now, if you intend to go on the retreat. If we meet our minimum budgeted registrations by April 5, then we will continue to accept registrations until May 1. Registration and all information can be found at peaceiseverystepkingston.weebly.com. You can download a PDF flyer to help promote the event at interbeingkingston.org/spring-regional-retreat-2019

Community Announcement

Forest Therapy Walks

Sangha Member, ANFT certified Forest Therapy Guide, Mentor and Trainer, Stana Luxford-Oddie from the CRCA, invites you to three Forest Therapy walks in three weeks on Tuesday afternoons on April 2, 9, and 16. Forest Therapy is a mindful, healing and connective practice inspired by the Japanese practice of “Shinrin-Yoku” which translates into “forest bathing”.

Spending time in nature not only strengthens human immune response and reduces stress, but also make us more creative, mindful, and content in our lives. The beauty of Forest Therapy is that it connects humans and nature, so that both benefit from a renewed relationship. Everyone can benefit from Forest Therapy Walks such as, but not limited to, people recovering from illness, youth, active military, veterans, people coping from loss, students, professionals, parents, people looking to better their mental health, first responders and seniors. Anyone who is looking to de-stress, slow down, heal and connect with nature. Start of spring connecting with the land, visit www.crca.ca and follow the links for Forest Therapy. We still have spaces.

Inviting the Opposite Seed

“One way of taking care of our suffering is to invite a seed of the opposite nature to come up. As nothing exists without its opposite, if you have a seed of arrogance, you have also a seed of compassion. Every one of us has a seed of compassion. If you practice mindfulness of compassion every day, the seed of compassion in you will become strong. You need only concentrate on it and it will come up as a powerful zone of energy. Naturally, when compassion comes up, arrogance goes down. You don’t have to fight it or push it down. We can selectively water the good seeds and refrain from watering the negative seeds.”

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

Newsletter Editor: Keith Gawronski-McNinch
Newsletter Assistant Editor: Susan Howlett
Social Media Editor: Cat London

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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