www.AwakeningHeart.org
InterMindful Weekly - Newsletter for the Sangha - Dallas, Texas
InterMindful Weekly
Week of Mar 2, 2008
Shakyamuni Buddha This week:
  1. Sunday series on "The Teachings of Enlightenment on Happiness and Suffering"
  2. Br. ChiSing is the guest speaker at "Center for Spiritual Living" this Wednesday at 7:00 pm
  3. Regional "Weekend of Mindfulness" Retreat (near Austin) — March 7-9
  4. Monthly Community Potluck Dinner after Meditation — Sunday, March 9
  5. "Day of Mindfulness" Retreat — Saturday, March 29
  6. Request for 10 persons to make a $108 Monthly Pledge
  7. Would you like to purchase meditation mats and cushions?
  8. "Mini-Sanghas" forming for Young Adults, People of Color, 12-Step Recovery, etc.
  9. Gay Men's "Mini-Sangha" Dinner @ Michael Gott's — March 22 or 23 (please vote)
  10. Beginners' Meditation Manual — available online at: weblife.org/beginning
  11. "A Season for Nonviolence" — daily messages at: www.64-days.org
  12. Listen to Br. ChiSing's Dharma Talks online at: www.InterMindful.com
  13. A request from sangha member Julie
  14. We need more volunteers on Sundays at "Breath of Life"
  15. Buddhist "Quote of the Week"
  1. At "Breath of Life" a couple of Sundays ago, we began a two month series (from Lunar New Year to Earth Day) on the Buddha's Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path: "The Teachings of Enlightenment on Happiness and Suffering":
    (past): The Four Noble Truths ("Shit Happens") — Br. ChiSing
    (past): Right View ("The Voice of Big Mind") — Rod Koen
    Mar. 2: Right Thought ("Spiritual Mind Treatment")
        — Dr. Cynthia Rexroat, RScP
    (this is also "Volunteer Appreciation Sunday")
        — Br. ChiSing facilitating
    Mar. 9: Right Mindfulness & Concentration (part 1) — Br. ChiSing
    (plus Community Potluck Dinner afterwards)
    Mar. 16: Right Mindfulness & Concentration (part 2) — Monica Lecrone
    Mar. 23: Right Effort (Easter) — Br. ChiSing
    Mar. 30: Right Speech — The Shambhala Community
    April 6: Right Action & Livelihood (part 1) — Br. ChiSing
    April 13: Right Action & Livelihood (part 2) — Michael Gott, RScP
    April 20: The Four Noble Truths Re-Visited (Earth Day) — Br. ChiSing
    (plus Community Potluck Dinner afterwards)

  2. Br. ChiSing will be the guest speaker at "Center for Spiritual Living" (CSL) in Dallas this Wednesday, March 5, 7:00 pm (near Spring Valley and Inwood). Please come and support him and this wonderful spiritual community. Directions to CSL are at: www.CSLdallas.org

  3. Please attend the "Weekend of Mindfulness" retreat (near Austin, TX) on March 7-9. Join meditators from around Texas and adjacent states for this annual Southwestern weekend retreat inspired by the teachings and practices of Thich Nhat Hanh. Facilitated by Br. Chan Huy, an ordained Dharma Teacher from Canada. Sponsored by the Plum Blossom Sangha of Austin. Theme: "Peace Is Every Step." More info at: www.PlumBlossomSangha.org

  4. Our next Community Potluck Dinner after meditation will be on Sunday, March 9 (meditation is at 5:30 pm, dinner is at 7:30 pm). Please bring a vegetarian dish and/or non-alcoholic drinks to share. Expecting about 50 persons or so. Click here for more info on "Breath of Life".

  5. Please register soon for the next "Day of Mindfulness" retreat facilitated by Br. ChiSing at the Unity Church of Dallas on Saturday, March 29, 9 am - 5 pm. Space is limited to the first 30 registrants. The last retreat became full very quickly, so please register soon to ensure your space for this next retreat. Click here for more info.

  6. We are looking for 10 persons to make a pledge of $108/month for this year in support of the spiritual work that Br. ChiSing and the Interfaith Mindfulness Ministries are doing, not only here in Dallas, but also in other states and countries. Br. ChiSing wants to be able to continue offering free or low-cost retreats and workshops to youth and college students in Texas and around the country. He has already offered or will be offering free retreats and workshops this year in Austin, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Denton and St. Louis, etc. Please help us to bring the message of mindfulness to more people who cannot afford high-cost retreats and workshops.

    You can give online by credit card at: http://intermindful.com/contact/support.htm. Or, you can send a check to:

    Interfaith Mindfulness Ministries
    P.O. Box 863961
    Plano, TX 75086

    Thank you for your practice of "dana" (generosity).

  7. We are also looking to raise $600+ this month so that we can purchase 10+ more sets of meditation mats & cushions to accommodate our growing numbers of meditators (each set costs about $60 each). Also, if you would like to purchase your own set for personal use at home, this will help us get the discount rate for bulk orders. If we can put in just one order by next month, then we will only have to pay one fee for shipping and handling. Please let us know soon if you would like to purchase a set, or if you would like to make a generous donation toward helping us to buy more sets for sangha use. Thanks.

  8. Br. ChiSing would like to encourage members of the "Breath of Life" community to form "mini-sangha" affinity groups that could meet once-a-month outside of the larger weekly Sunday sangha. During the next several months this year, Br. ChiSing will work closely with those who are strong enough in their own mindful practice to start and facilitate a "mini-sangha." Some possibilities include a "Young Adults" mini-sangha, a "People of Color" mini-sangha, a "GLBT Friends & Allies" mini-sangha, a "12-Step Recovery" mini-sangha, a "Musicians" mini-sangha, etc. Please share your ideas with Br. ChiSing or the "Seva" Volunteer Support Team.

  9. The newly formed "Gay Men's Mini-Sangha" will meet at Michael Gott's beautiful house in Dallas for meditation, sharing, dinner, music and games on either Friday or Saturday evening, March 21 or 22. Please vote on which evening works best for you. If this weekend does not work for you, PLEASE suggest an alternative weekend ASAP.
    Send e-mail to: GMminisangha //at// AOL //dot// com

  10. One of the best beginners' meditation manuals is available online in its entirety. It is called "Beginning to See" by Sujata, based on Vipassana ("Insight Meditation"). Here is the link: http://weblife.org/beginning.

    Here is a link for meditation instructions from a Zen perspective: http://www.mro.org/zmm/teachings/meditation.php

  11. Go to the "Season for Nonviolence" website every day to get your daily message of peace now through April 4 at: www.64-days.org

  12. Listen to Dharma Talks by Br. ChiSing at: www.InterMindful.com (audio/visual page)

    I Am Home (16 min.)   NEW  
    Lunar New Year "Celebration of Joy"
    Breath of Life (Interfaith Mindfulness Fellowship)
    Feb 10, 2008 - Dallas, Texas
    ►Play stream ▼Download ♦Transcript

  13. From sangha member Julie Ryan:

    I love attending not only "Breath of Life" (BoL) on Sundays, but also the "Awakening Heart Sangha" (AHS) on Thursdays (7:00 pm) at the Korean Zen temple in Richardson. I'm writing friends from BoL who might like to attend occasionally to join me. And because I live in Grapevine now, especially to carpool if you live in the Mid-Cities or 635 corridor.

    At AHS, the beautiful, hushed temple environment is very calming and supportive to practice. The group is smaller and we have more time to sit, to walk and to share. This space is provided by the generosity of Temple leader Venerable Boep Joon Sunim. It's facilitated by Monica Lecrone and Cornell Kinderknecht, with the gentle and humorous presence of Ven. Boep Joon Sunim. As you know from weekly e-mail bulletins, this sangha is also established by Br. ChiSing.

    Maybe somebody who comes on Sundays would like to carpool to AHS on Thursdays once in awhile, or when you can't come to BoL on Sunday. Wherever you live, you may enjoy this spiritually refreshing time. Please say hello! And be well.

    — Julie Ryan (jtexana //at// yahoo //dot// com)

    P.S. There is a billboard at Coit and IH 75 now that says:
    EXPERIENCE. WELLNESS. EVERYWHERE.
    Blue Cross-Blue Shield enlightenment!

  14. Would you like to volunteer on Sundays at "Breath of Life"? If so, please contact
    John Lochner at: JohnLochner //at// AOL //dot// com

  15. QUOTE OF THE WEEK — "Liberation and enlightenment do not exist outside of your own self. We need only open our eyes to see that we ourselves are the very essence of liberation and enlightenment. All things, all beings, contain the nature of full enlightenment within themselves. Don't look for it outside yourself. If you shine the light of mindfulness on your own self, you will realize enlightenment immediately. You already are what you are searching for. If you practice according to this teaching, you will surely realize liberation."
         — Buddha (from Old Path, White Clouds, by Thich Nhat Hanh)

 

HOME   ABOUT   CALENDAR   LOCAL GROUPS   AUDIO & VIDEO   WRITINGS   RESOURCES & LINKS   CONTACT   GIVE A GIFT

© 2011 Awakening Heart
All rights reserved.