Half Day of Artful Mindfulness, Saturday, May 8 at Timberlake Earth Sanctuary
The theme will be Connecting with Our Creative Spirit: Artmaking as a way to enhance our practice. This time will offer the opportunity through art and play, to build new ways to deal with stress in challenging times, to connect us to our creative selves, and to connect to one another as we make art together. Please use the link to register by Tuesday, March 4. Registration is limited to 12 participants.
During this half-day mindfulness practice we will start with a welcome and guided sitting meditation to ground us for this time together. We will then start our artmaking session which will last for two and a half hours. Each participant will be using a box form to create their own altar or shadow box art piece. Supplies such as the box forms, paint, brushes, paper, magazine images, and found objects will be provided. If you wish to bring more personal images that can be incorporated into your art making, please bring those.
No prior art making experience is necessary to participate and create a beautiful and personal art piece. After our time of creating art together, we will have a short walking meditation and then time for lunch and sharing about our pieces. This is an opportunity to broaden our mindfulness practice to an activity that expands the arena of our focus and mindful attention. The half-day will be facilitated by Susan Poulos, Robin Mayberry and Donna Anthony.
Date: Saturday, March 8, 2025
Time: 9am - 1pm
Registration Fee: $30 (this includes all materials for art making) Due to space needs this offering is limited to 12 participants. As well, there is a minimum of 8 participants for the program. You are invited to bring a bag lunch. Tea and snacks will be provided.
Location: Timberlake Earth Sanctuary
1501 Rock Creek Dairy Road, Whitsett, NC 27377
The registration fee is payable PayPal payment sent to deepriversangha@gmail.com (please use "Send to Friends and Family" option), by Zelle, also deepriversangha@gmail.com, or pay by cash or check at the time of check-in. Please make checks payable to the Deep River Sangha.
Dana received during this Day of Mindfulness will go to support the Moon Lake Nunnery at Blue Cliff Monastery. Construction is coming along beautifully, yet funds are still needed to make sure it is completed.
We hope you can join us,
CHECK OUT THIS UPDATE ON THE MOON LAKE NUN’S RESIDENCE PROJECT AT BLUE CLIFF MONASTERY:
https://www.facebook.com/bluecliffmonastery/videos/930433955157019
Accompanying Strong Emotions online workshop,
fundraiser for Blue Cliff Monastery
All funds from this online workshop go directly to the new sisters’ residency at Blue Cliff Monastery.
Do people seem more edgy and argumentative these days?
Would you like your own inner voice to be nurturing and supportive during challenging moments?
Are you eager to support the emotional well-being of the people around you during these high-stress times?
Could you use some easy-to-learn tools to care for strong emotions without using punishment, fear, rejection or suppression?
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, this interactive online Resonant Language workshop will offer you many tools to move toward your aspirations.
Over four consecutive Tuesdays– March 4, 11, 18, and 25–from 6:30-8 p.m. (ET), participants will learn practical strategies based on the work of neuroscience educator Sarah Peyton and informed by Plum Village practice. Together, we’ll delve into verbal and somatic strategies to move away from brittle reactivity and into resilient responsiveness.
[IMPORTANT: This event is being offered freely. But we hope you will consider offering a gift in support of a project to rebuild a home for the sisters at Blue Cliff Monastery. To make a donation, please visit https://thichnhathanhfoundation.org/?form=MoonLake]
You will leave this course with an understanding of how neuroscience and resonant language can help strengthen harmony and authentic connection within ourselves and with others.
Participants will receive an electronic set of handouts. Each session is interactive and experiential. Sessions will be recorded so sessions and may be reviewed for up to one month.
The workshop is limited to the first 95 people who register. To register send an email to David Sky dsky227(at)gmail.com with your name and email address.
(After you register, we will email you a packet of materials and the Zoom link for the event.)
For more information about the Blue Cliff project, please visit
https://www.bluecliffmonastery.org/update-about-our-project.
2024/2025
Sangha Core Sutra Study Practice
March 13, 2025
The Lotus Sutra : Wonderful World of Interbeing
Do you need to become a Buddha? Do you need to run after enlightenment?
The wave does not have to seek to become water—she is water, right here and now. In the same way, you are already nirvana, you are already a Buddha. You are already what you want to become. What is essential is to enter the path of practice in order to realize this truth and help others realize it too.
(Opening the Heart of the Cosmos)
– Thich Nhat Hanh
Dear friends on the Path,
We send you the warmest of greetings as we prepare to welcome a month that often brings the first flowers of spring! In our theme for the coming month, we will enjoy a deep look at the refreshing and renewing energy that comes when we recognize our interbeing nature. Settling into this deep truth can bring a lot of peace, and release from the struggles we may be carrying.
This month, many of the organizers have travel plans that conflict with our original date, so we have pushed our evening of practice up a week.
We hope you will join us on Thursday, March 13, at 7 p.m. ET, as we gather to collectively enjoy the teachings on Interbeing in the Lotus Sutra.
Our Core Sutra Study Sangha meets on the 3rd Thursday of each month. Our practice sessions are open to anyone who would like to participate; there is no requirement to have attended prior sessions. Here are the materials you can use if you would like to prepare for and attend this month’s meeting:
1. Link to the Pre-Readings:
2. Zoom link for 7 p.m. (Eastern Time):
https://zoom.us/j/780647439?pwd=bCt3N2EyOSs1NXVObVhaVXphMXl4Zz09
Meeting ID: 780 647 439 - Password: 031129
3. Schedule:
Please sign on by 6:50 p.m. (ET) so that you are settled when practice begins.
* Welcome and facilitation :
Deborah Brooks, Laughing Rivers, Pittsburgh, PA
* Guided Meditation
* Introduction of Topic and Speakers
* Dharma Reflection 1 :
Denys Candy, River Valley, Northampton, MA
* Dharma Reflection 2 :
Gilles Breton, Mindfulness Practice Center, Montreal, QC
* Movement/Singing
* Dharma Sharing
4. Remaining Sangha Core Sutra Study Program 2024-2025
April 17, 2025
Earth Holder / Bodhisattvas
May 15, 2025
No Here No There: The Two Dimensions
June 19, 2025
Trust and Faith
5. Links to recordings of previous talks in this year's program
If you missed previous events, below are the recordings:
September 26, 2024
October 17, 2024
November 21, 2024
December 12, 2024
January 16, 2025
Never discouraged : The Magic City
February 20, 2025
We look forward to seeing you soon, dear Buddhas to be!
Yours in the practice,
The Sangha Core Sutra Study Program (SCSSP) Organizing Tea
Our SCSSP Mission
We are an online Sangha that meets monthly to explore the essential Buddhist teachings at the heart of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village tradition. All are welcome for an evening of practice that includes meditation, Dharma reflections by Order of Interbeing members, and small group sharing. We aspire to create a supportive space for deepening our understanding of these core teachings and learning ways to apply them in everyday life
Day of Mindfulness in Raleigh, March 1
The Community of Mindful Living at UUFR (Raleigh) invites you to a day of mindfulness on Saturday, March 1, 2025 with the theme: The Island Within, helping us to build a safe harbor within an emotional storm. Please register here by Feb. 24.
This is an opportunity to learn about the practice of mindfulness and how it can guide us through personal and global times of stress, while maintaining peace and happiness. The day will be facilitated by dharma teacher Du Le, a beloved longtime member of the Community of Mindful Living. The day will include practice in mindful sitting, walking, and eating, along with teachings on mindfulness practice, sharing, and Q&A. We anticipate a restful and nourishing gathering. All are welcome from beginners to experienced practitioners.
Date: March 1, 2025
Time: 9am - 4:30pm
Registration Fee: $20
Location: Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh, Founders Hall
3313 Wade Ave.
Raleigh, NC 27607
Directions: https://uufr.org/welcome/contact-us/
The registration fee is payable by Venmo to https://account.venmo.com/u/todd_fields (Community for Mindful Living) prior to Feb. 24, 2025, or pay by cash or check at the time of check-in. Please make checks payable to the Community of Mindful Living.
Registration Form: https://forms.gle/XJBGHWWABNJuP6hF8
More about our teacher: Du Le is a Dharmacharya (Dharma Teacher) in the 43rd generation of the Lam Te Dhyana School, and the 8th generation of Lieu Quan Dharma Line. He received Lamp Transmission from the Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh in 2019 at the Here and Now Great Ordination Ceremony, in the Thai Plum Village International Practice Center, Thailand. Du Le practices with the Community of Mindful Living and with the Tỉnh Thức Sangha in Raleigh, NC.
P.S. If you have any problems with the registration form, please contact Kristin Collins at kristincollins10@gmail.com.
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Practice Resources
Beautiful music video from Plum Village to honor Thay’s Continuation Day, October 11
Dharma talks, video, songs for the practice, and chants from Thich Nhat Hanh and Plum Village community members and friends
Dharma Talks (video) by Thich Nhat Hanh
https://plumvillage.org/thich-nhat-hanh-dharma-talks/
Thich Nhat Hanh Dharma Talks (audio)
http://tnhaudio.org/
Plum Village on Vimeo
http://vimeo.com/user745118
Dharma talks & video from Magnolia Grove Monastery
Weekly Online Sangha practice sessions (6-7 pm Eastern): Please register to receive the Zoom link
Dharma talks, video, and songs from Deer Park Monastery
Deer Park Dharmacast
http://deerpark.libsyn.com/
Deer Park Recordings on SoundCloud
http://soundcloud.com/deer-park-monastery
Meet the Monastics from Deer Park Monastery As monastics, the most common question asked of us is, you guessed it, why did you become a monastic? I'm Brother Minh-An, a Buddhist monk in the Plum Village tradition of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. And this podcast is for anyone who's ever wanted to ask that question. Each week, we'll bring you my conversations with other fully ordained monks and nuns about their journey to monastic life and what inspires them now. We hope they inspire you to live a happier, kinder, and more meaningful life. And who knows, maybe some of you will even consider monastic life yourself.
You can listen to the weekly episodes wherever you get your podcasts (simply search for Meet the Monastics) or on the Deer Park Monastery YouTube channel. Meet the Monastics: A New Podcast
Video and audio from Blue Cliff Monastery
Videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaX_vxbhs8fgmshMksFpVsUeMfUpv8FsW
Audio: https://soundcloud.com/blue-cliff-monastery
Dharma talks, video, and songs from the Wake Up Movement
Americas | Wake Up International
https://wkup.org/category/america/
Peace Sounds: Wake Up London & Friends
http://peacesounds.bandcamp.com/
Julian + Chad singing "The Island Within" and "Call Me By My True Names"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDr46vMTmdg
Julian + Chad singing "Rainbow Connection"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=851QUg75NAs
"Brother Thây: A Radio Pilgrimage with Thich Nhat Hanh," a profile and interview with Thich Nhat Hanh by Krista Tippett
https://plumvillage.org/thich-nhat-hanh-interviews/thich-nhat-hanh-on-mindfulness-suffering-and-engaged-buddhism/
The Great Bell Chant (The End of Suffering) from Rens Smittenaar
https://vimeo.com/6518109
Sister Dang Nghiem (Adornment with Non-discrimination) on inviting the bell
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6aYE3irqFQ
Thich Nhat Hanh on inviting the bell
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7fzUBz_PWA
YouTube videos
Sister The Nghiem singing "Discourse on Love" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdtnOo7XZts
Sister The Nghiem singing "Watering the Seeds of Joy" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdoE2EU_UyI&feature=channel&list=UL
The Winston-Salem Community of Mindful Living meets weekly on Thursday evenings for sitting practice at The Hub, a community of service groups housed in a former church at 502 N. Broad Street in downtown Winston-Salem.
There is ample parking and a quiet space for us to sit. All are welcome, and there is no cost. Chairs are provided, but bring your own cushion if you want to sit on the floor. We will meet at 6:30 pm until 7:45 pm each Thursday. At this time, we will not be offering online access to the meeting but will focus on in-person attendance. Of course, the Tuesday/Thursday morning online practice continues as is:
Tuesday and Thursday Mornings, 7:00-7:40 a.m. Online Meditation:
Tuesdays: Guided meditation, reading, sharing. Thursdays: Morning Chant, silent sitting meditation, reading, sharing. All are welcome — no experience necessary. For more information, send a message through our Contact tab.
Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82703691204?pwd=YmNEVFNQWXNxQTlPQk44cnliRzRTZz09
Meeting ID: 82703691204
Password: 010101
We are currently reading from the book, At Home in the World, by Thich Nhat Hanh.
Sangha Core Sutra Study
Sangha Core Sutra Study Practice
Thu, June 20, 2024 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
The Sangha Core Sutra Study Practice is an online Sangha that started more than 15 years ago to deepen our understanding and practice of the core sutras. We meet monthly for 10 months each year to explore the essential Buddhist teachings at the heart of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village tradition. All are welcome for an evening of practice that includes meditation, Dharma reflections by Order of Interbeing members, and small group sharing. We aspire to create a supportive space for deepening our understanding of these core teachings and learning ways to apply them in everyday life.This year we are studying the Diamond Sutra, which Thay tells us is one of the most beloved scriptures in the Zen tradition and the earliest text to explore deep ecology.
In this profound teaching the Buddha invites us to let go of four deeply held notions in order to understand our own true nature and the true nature of reality so we may transcend our ignorance and wrong views. We will also be looking at related teachings from Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet. We are inspired to be exploring these deep teachings with you this year!
Remaining date:
June 20, 2024: How to Practice the Buddha's Teachings
Zoom link for 7pm (Eastern Time):
https://zoom.us/j/780647439?pwd=bCt3N2EyOSs1NXVObVhaVXphMXl4Zz09
Meeting ID: 780 647 439 - Password: 031129
Half day of Mindfulness
We are happy to announce that registration is now open for our upcoming Half Day of Mindfulness on Saturday, 4/13, at Timberlake Earth Sanctuary from 1-4:30.
REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT IS NOW FULL. WATCH FOR INFORMATION ABOUT OUR NEXT DAY OF MINDFULNESS.
Due to causes and conditions, the original full Day of Mindfulness scheduled for Sunday, 4/14 will not happen.
Here is a link to register for this beautiful opportunity to practice sitting, walking, deep relaxation, and a Dharma Discussion led by Dharma Teacher Scott Schang in community.
When: Saturday, April 13, 1-4:00 p.m. (Check in 12:45 p.m.)
Where: Timberlake Earth Sanctuary
Cost: Sliding scale of $10 - $40 based on your ability to pay. Please bring a bag lunch.
Space is limited so we will cap registration at 33. Registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Once you register, you will receive confirmation with more information.
Schedule:
1/2 Day of Mindfulness 1:00 - 4:30 (Registrants are welcome to come at 12:00 to enjoy a brown-bag lunch)
1:00 – Welcome, short orientation, introductions
1:30 – Outdoor walking meditation
2:15 – Deep relaxation (bring a yoga mat / blanket) followed by short Mindful Movements
3:00 – Break
3:10 – Dharma Discussion led by Scott Schang
4:10 – Closing
4:30 - Depart
