|
Free Will is Mindfulness
"Everything evolves according to the principle of interdependence, but there is free will and the possibility to transform. Free will is mindfulness. When mindfulness intervenes, we are aware of what is going on. If we like our action, we allow it to continue; if we don’t like our action, there are methods to change it with concentration and insight. We don’t want to take a path leading to ill-being; we want to take the path leading to the cessation of ill-being, to well-being. Free will is possible in Buddhism, because we know that we can handle our thinking, we can handle our speech and we can handle our action. We are responsible for our action and it is possible to assure a good continuation. Freedom begins with mindfulness, concentration and insight. With insight, with right view we can practice right thinking. We can change ourselves; we can change the world. Everything is the fruit of action."
--Thich Nhat Hanh, "The Buddhist Understanding of Reality," dharma talk, Plum Village, June 2009
|
|
|
Community Announcement
Loving Hands Kingston
Sangha member Cat London volunteers with Loving Hands Kingston, helping provide supplies and food to the most vulnerable members of our community, including people transitioning out of shelters and homelessness and those who are currently unhoused. The Loving Hands Lunch Time Meal Team cooks and bakes for people who need food. The volunteer time expectation is every second week to provide either lunches (they can be sandwiches and other simple options) OR baked goods for one of two groups (the outreach group is 30 and the integrated hub group is 35). So, even baking 30 muffins every second week would make a huge difference to the team, which is currently short-handed, with many meal slots going unfilled. In addition, Loving Hands is currently seeking the following items for community members:
- men's pajama bottoms and sweatpants in size S, M, L and XL.
- polident tablets
- depends size Medium
- man's winter coat size 5X
- winter boots for men sizes 11 and larger up to size 14
- winter hats, gloves and socks
- winter boots for women sizes 8 and 9
- hand and foot warmers
- individual snacks
- individual beverages ( juice, instant coffee, hot chocolate and pop )
- tents and tarps
- sleeping bags and heavy blankets
This announcement has also been posted on our website where you can share it with others. You can learn more about Loving Hands on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LovingHandsKingston, where they share their updated lists of needs. If you are interested in learning more about the Loving Hands Lunch Time Meal Team by emailing Cat at whencatisaway@yahoo.ca.
|
|
|
Seeing Yourself Everywhere
"I see myself in my students and in my friends. I wish them good luck, because their good luck is my good luck. When my disciples and my friends carry me with them, I wish them the best. My happiness and suffering depend on them. So when I look, I don’t just see me here. I see me there, and there, and there. I wave and say, “Have a good time in there!” That is the way to look. You see yourself not just in this body, you see yourself everywhere, because every moment you produce thought, you produce speech, you produce action that continues you in the world."
--Thich Nhat Hanh, "The Buddhist Understanding of Reality," dharma talk, Plum Village, June 2009
|
|
|
Our Sangha Care Team includes our Bell Minders, the mindful facilitators for our weekly gatherings who take beautiful care of our friends in practice including the bell. Together, we meet for sangha care meetings to plan retreats, mind our library and resources, and coordinate outreach. If you are interested in bell minding and/or helping with sangha care, contact interbeingkingston@gmail.com. |
|
|
|
|
