We regret to announce that our online retreat with Donald Rothberg has been cancelled. If you have registered, please email mindfulheart@gmail.com for a refund and for information.

AWAKENING THE HEART: PRACTICING THE “DIVINE ABODES” (Lovingkindness, Compassion, Joy, Equanimity) A weekend online Retreat with Donald Rothberg Friday April 23 – Sunday April 25

The Divine Abodes (Brahmaviharas) of lovingkindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity, are the places of the open, awakened heart. In this online retreat, we will learn the formal practices for each of these four qualities, and offer guidance for bringing these practices into daily life. All of these practices strengthen self-confidence, self-acceptance, generosity of spirit, and steadiness of mind and heart, revealing our fundamental kindness. The retreat will be held in the context of silence, alternating sitting meditation and walking meditation. Core instructions in the different practices will be offered, along with short talks and discussion. 

Donald Rothberg, Ph.D., is a member of the Teachers Council at Spirit Rock in northern California. He has practiced Insight Meditation since 1976 and received training in Tibetan Dzogchen practice and the Hakomi approach to body-based psychotherapy.   

Formerly on the faculties of the University of Kentucky, Kenyon College, and Saybrook University, he has helped to guide training programs in socially engaged spirituality through the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, Saybrook, and Spirit Rock.  Donald is the co-editor of Ken Wilber in Dialogue: Conversations with Leading Transpersonal Thinkers and is the author of The Engaged Spiritual Life: A Buddhist Approach to Transforming Ourselves and the World. 

Schedule: (all times Central):
Friday:
7:00-7:30 p.m. - Gathering and socializing on Zoom
7:30-9:00 p.m. - Short sitting meditation, Introduction, Discussion on Zoom
Saturday and Sunday:
10:00 - 11:15 a.m. - Short Talk, Guided Practice, Discussion on Zoom
11:15 -11:45 a.m. - Walking Practice or Home Practice
11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. - Guided Practice or Home Practice
1:00 - 2:00 p.m. - Lunch or Home Practice
2:00 - 3:15 p.m. - Talk, Guided Practice, Discussion on Zoom
3:15 - 3:45 p.m. - Walking Practice or Home Practice
3:30 - 5:00 p.m. - Guided Practice, Talk, Discussion on Zoom

Cost: $30 payable by check or by clicking the Donate button on our website www.mhbsangha.com. Make checks payable to Mindful Heart Buddha Sangha.

Registration: Click here to print the registration form. Mail completed registration form and Confidential Teacher Information form, and check, if applicable, to:

Rothberg Retreat
c/o Mindful Heart Buddha Sangha
Bradford Park Office Complex
600 N. Weinbach, Suite 220
Evansville, IN 47711

For more information, email tom.ballard.56@gmail.com

The Mindful Heart Buddha Sangha is pleased to have Donald Rothberg leading our spring 2021 virtual weekend retreat. The theme will be The Divine Abodes. The Divine Abodes (Brahmaviharas) of lovingkindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity, are the places of the open, awakened heart. In this online retreat, on the foundation of mindfulness, we will learn the formal practices of lovingkindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity. We will also offer guidance for bringing these practices into daily life, including in challenging situations. All of these practices strengthen clear seeing and wisdom, self-confidence, self-acceptance, generosity of spirit, steadiness of mind and heart, and skillful action, revealing our fundamental kindness and wisdom, in a culture in which heart and mind are often disconnected.

The retreat will be held in the context of silence, alternating sitting meditation and walking meditation. Core instructions in the different practices will be offered, along with short talks and discussion. The retreat will be offered via Zoom and will begin on Friday April 23rd @ 7:30 pm to 9 pm (short sit, introduction to weekend, discussion). It will continue on Saturday and Sunday from 10 am until 5 pm with talks, periods of guided practice, discussions, and home practice. Registration fee is $30. If interested, please contact Tom Ballard at tom.ballard.56@gmail.com.

Mindful Heart Buddha Sangha will be holding it’s annual meeting on Sunday February 21st at 6pm via Zoom. There will be a short meditation followed by a financial report by Mollie Pharo, the State of the Sangha presentation by Mike Joest, and a presentation of the new Board of Directors. The meeting will be held on Zoom using our Sunday meeting information. If you do not have the Zoom information, please email Tom Ballard at tom.ballard.56@gmail.com. We look forward to seeing you all!

Everything Arises, Everything Falls Away, by Ajahn Chah

This past Sunday, we started on a new book for Dharma talks: Everything Arises, Everything Falls Away, by Ajahn Chah.

We continue to do our meditations virtually, on Thursdays and Sundays at 6pm. Peace and metta.

Please join us for a brown bag picnic and meditation at Wesselman Park on Sunday October 25 from 5:30 pm until 8:30 pm. We will be in Shelter House #2 North….that’s the one that faces the tennis courts. All are welcome. Due to the ongoing pandemic, we will not be having the usual potluck, but please feel free to bring a brown bag dinner and drinks. At 6:00 pm we will build a fire in the fireplace and have a 40 minute sitting meditation. Bring lawn chairs to use for the meditation. We ask that all who attend be mindful of the current crisis and practice social distancing and mask up. We very much look forward to seeing you there!

Please join us for a brown bag picnic and meditation at Wesselman Park on Sunday October 25 from 5:30 pm until 8:30 pm. We will be in Shelter House #2 North….that’s the one that faces the tennis courts. All are welcome. Due to the ongoing pandemic, we will not be having the usual potluck, but please feel free to bring a brown bag dinner and drinks. At 6:00 pm we will build a fire in the fireplace and have a 40 minute sitting meditation. Bring lawn chairs to use for the meditation. We ask that all who attend be mindful of the current crisis and practice social distancing and safety protocols. We very much look forward to seeing you there!

Donald Rothberg has been so kind as to share his upcoming teaching schedule. Below, you will find the details for opportunities in the next few months. We’ve also included the link from our friends at Southern Dharma for some of their upcoming retreats. https://www.southerndharma.org/retreat-schedule

All times Pacific time zone, unless otherwise indicated.  For more details and latest updates see http://donaldrothberg.com/schedule. 

August 16, 23, 30 (Sundays):Marin Sangha, 6 to 7:40 or so. Meditation, short break, talk, and discussion. For further information, go to http://marinsangha.org. On a dana (generosity) basis. On Zoom. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5446494268 . If you are asked for a Meeting ID, enter 544 649 4268. 

August 19, 26 (Wednesday morning class), Spirit Rock, 10 to noon. On Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/635273935, Meeting ID: 635 273 935

August 22 (Saturday): Marin Sangha: Showing up for the Planet: A Day of Reflection and Action to Address Climate Change, 10 to 4:30 p.m. (also with James Baraz, Kritee, Thanissara, Teja Bell, and Eve Decker).  In this online daylong retreat, we will explore how mindfulness and clear intention can provide the foundation to actively address the climate crisis, with an emphasis on social change and our relationship to nature. The day will include guided meditations, inspired teachings and discussions, music, and Qigong. Group discussion will allow us to make commitments and reflect on the best ways we can each serve for the betterment of the planet and current and future generations. Several Bay Area organizations will give short presentations and offer resources and guidance on a variety of tangible actions to address climate change. All attendees will be asked to commit to at least one specific action to take during or following the retreat. Teachers will also share reflections on climate action and social justice in relation to the Dharma. This retreat is open to all and will be hosted online on a dana-only basis; there is no cost for the retreat. All the teachers and coordinators are donating their time so that this may be a benefit for organizations that are working to mitigate climate change. Hosted by Marin Sangha. For details and to register: For details and to register go tohttp://www.marinsangha.org/pdf/CrossroadsFlyer.pdf. On Zoom.

September 16, 23, 30 (Wednesday morning class), Spirit Rock, 10 to noon. On Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/635273935, Meeting ID: 635 273 935

September 19-20 (Saturday, Sunday), Reno, Nevada: Dharma Zephyr Sangha: Cultivating Compassion and Equanimity in a Time of Crisis. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. In our challenging times, compassion and equanimity are central–both to our inner work and to our outer responses. Compassion includes both the receptive capacity of bringing the awakened heart to be with what is painful and difficult and the active response to such pain and difficulty. We cultivate compassion both in our practice of insight meditation and through the cultivation of “heart practices,” particularly those of the brahmavihara or “divine abodes.” Equanimity brings forth balance, non-reactivity, spaciousness, and unshakability, as well a firm response, all based on understanding and wisdom. As with compassion, we cultivate equanimity both in insight practice and through “heart practices.” In this two-day “at home” retreat, we will, through meditation, short talks, and discussion, focus on how to cultivate these two beautiful qualities, in the midst of grief and loss, fear and anxiety, anger, confusion, and political polarization, as well as much that is healing, creative, and transformative. This is truly a time to train further in compassion and equanimity, and to step up! For further information:https://dharmazephyr.org/event/retreats-with-donald-rothberg/2020-09-19/ . On Zoom.

September 22-27 (Tuesday to Sunday): Insight LA, formerly at Big Bear Retreat Center (withKaira Jewel Lingo): Cultivating the Wise Heart on the Cushion and in the World: Practicing Mindfulness and the “Divine Abodes” (Lovingkindness, Compassion, Joy, Equanimity). The Divine Abodes (Brahmaviharas) of lovingkindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity, are the places of the open, awakened heart. In this retreat, on the foundation of insight meditation and the development of mindfulness, we will learn the formal practices of lovingkindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity. We will also offer guidance for bringing these practices into daily life, including in challenging situations—whether in our relationships, our work and community lives, our being present in the pandemic, or in our efforts at social change. All of these practices strengthen clear seeing and wisdom, self-confidence, self-acceptance, generosity of spirit, steadiness of mind and heart, and skillful action, revealing our fundamental kindness and wisdom, in a culture in which heart and mind are often disconnected.
Core instructions in the different practices will be offered in periods of sitting meditation, complemented by talks, discussion, meetings with the teachers, walking meditation, and brief daily guided movement sessions. This retreat is suitable both for those wanting a dedicated at-home retreat, much like a residential retreat, and for those with some responsibilities wanting a home retreat with many hours of formal practice but also time for other activities. For all, there will be an emphasis on bringing practice both into our time together and our time away from the group. We have designed this retreat so that it can work well for those in the Pacific time zone as well as the Eastern time zone, and time zones in between. For further information: https://insightla.org/event/wise-heart-online/2020-09-22-16-30/. On Zoom.

October 2 (Friday), Oakland: East Bay Meditation Center, 7to 8.30 p.m., with Syra Smith: Meditation, talks, and discussion. 285 17th St., Oakland (near 19^thSt. Oakland BART), 510-268-0696, no fee, support for center and teacher on a dana (generosity or donation) basis. Info:http://www.eastbaymeditation.org/. On Zoom.

October 11 (Sunday):Marin Sangha, 6 to 7:40 or so. Meditation, short break, talk, and discussion. For further information, go to http://marinsangha.org. On a dana (generosity) basis. On Zoom. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5446494268. If you are asked for a Meeting ID, enter 544 649 4268.

October 16 – 22 (Friday to Thursday), Heartwood Refuge and Retreat Center: Walking “The Path of Insight” (with Ronya Banks). In the midst of troubling times, it is more imperative than ever to orient yourself to walk on the “Path of Insight” – a spiritual awakening journey that turns your challenges into fuel for wisdom and freedom. During this online Zoom retreat and from the comfort of your own home, you will be able to receive the expert guidance of Vipassana teachers Donald Rothberg and Ronya Banks, wherein you will be directed to delve deeper into the many gifts these troubling times have to offer as well as the opportunity to immerse yourself in the mindfulness and Buddhist practices that bring you on the “Path of Insight” and set your heart and mind free. This meditation retreat’s schedule will include formal sitting meditation, walking meditation, daily dharma talks, specific instructions, Q&A periods, group meetings, and chanting. This retreat is appropriate for those who have attended a previous silent meditation retreat, as well as experienced daily meditation practitioners. For further information: https://www.heartwoodrefuge.org/retreats/396/walking-the-path-of-insight-zoom-retreat-scholarship-eligible/. On Zoom.

October 25 – November 1 (Sunday to Sunday), Southern Dharma Retreat Center: Transforming the Judgmental Mind: At Home Retreat (with Eve Decker). Judgments of a reactive nature are very strong in most of our lives, and in the dominant culture. They can distort our perceptions, make relationships difficult, and undermine our work in the world. In this retreat, we will explore such judgments (and their difference from non-reactive discernment) and how to transform them. We will cultivate mindfulness of judgments; inquiry into the deep roots of judgments (often in long-held “limiting beliefs”); and heart practices such as lovingkindness, forgiveness, joy, and compassion. We will also explore the somatic and social dimensions of judgments and, near the end of the retreat, how to cultivate skill in speech and interaction in the midst of judgments. These tools will help us to preserve the intelligence and energy often found in judgments, using them for discernment and compassionate action, while working through judgments’ destructive, compulsive aspects.The retreat sessions will be held mostly in silence, with a number of guided meditations, along with group and individual practice discussions. Those attending the retreat will have the option of continuing with follow-up sessions after the retreat. This retreat is suitable both for those wanting a dedicated at-home retreat, much like a residential retreat, and for those with some responsibilities wanting a home retreat with many hours of formal practice and instruction but also some time for other activities. For all, there will be an emphasis on practice both in our sessions together and in our time away from the group, our “home practice.” Prerequisite: One four-day or longer mindfulness retreat or permission of the instructor. The main aim of the prerequisite is to ensure that everyone has received and practiced for some time basic mindfulness instructions; if you meet the spirit of the prerequisite and are interested, but haven’t done a four-day or longer retreat, please inquire. For further information, go to: https://www.southerndharma.org/retreat-schedule/720/at-home-retreat-transforming-the-judgmental-mind/

November 21 (Saturday): California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco: Daylong workshop: Navigating Through Your Dark Night of the Soul (with Marisa Handler), 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific. At some point in many of our lives, we pass through a “dark night of the soul,” or an extended encounter with the darkness. In this time, it may feel as though we have utterly lost ourselves, and our lives have been drained of joy and hope. This may manifest as depression, anxiety, or a breakdown, affecting our ability to function in the world and baffling ourselves and our loved ones.  In the Western world, we have little framework for these kinds of experiences, and they are often hidden and regarded with shame. But in many other cultures, dark times are viewed as key to the evolution of an individual’s psyche. When we are open to their gifts, these experiences can be times of powerful transformation and purification, leaving us altogether changed for the better. Join meditation teachers Marisa Handler and Donald Rothberg for a supportive experiential workshop exploring the dark night of the soul phenomenon both personally and collectively. Marisa and Donald offer a map of this terrain and of the dark night as a component of the awakening process. They share perspectives and practices that help participants move through these challenging periods and become more open to a greater perspective. This workshop offers periods of both silent and guided meditation, and reflective writing, as well as small and large group sharing.   

We live in challenging times, and many are going through individual periods of darkness. When we are prepared as individuals to navigate these experiences, we can then provide space for others to grow and heal, and ultimately support us all passing through the dark night. Understand the role such experiences play in the awakening process and discover an array of tools for navigating through these times. For further information: https://www.ciis.edu/public-programs/event-calendar/rothberg-handler-november-21-2020.On Zoom.

November 22 (Sunday evening): White Heron Sangha (San Luis Obispo, CA): 6 to 7:30 p.m. Meditation, talk, and discussion. For further information: https://www.whiteheronsangha.org.

November 28-29 (Saturday and Sunday): Spirit Rock:Awakening the Heart: Practicing the “Divine Abodes” (Lovingkindness, Compassion, Joy, Equanimity), Two-day online retreat, 10 a.m. 5 p.m. each day. The Divine Abodes (Brahmaviharas) of lovingkindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity, are the places of the open, awakened heart. In this online retreat, we will learn the formal practices for each of these four qualities, and offer guidance for bringing these practices into daily life. All of these practices strengthen self-confidence, self-acceptance, generosity of spirit, and steadiness of mind and heart, revealing our fundamental kindness. The retreat will be held in the context of silence, alternating sitting meditation and walking meditation. Core instructions in the different practices will be offered, along with short talks and discussion. On Zoom. 

November 30 (Monday evening): Spirit Rock, 7:15 to 9:15 p.m. On Zoom.
December 19-22 (Saturday to Wednesday): Spirit Rock. Winter Solstice Insight Retreat: Embracing the Dark, Inviting the Light (with Oren Jay Sofer and Tuere Sala). On Zoom.  For further information: https://calendar.spiritrock.org/events/winter-solstice-insight-retreat-embracing-the-dark-inviting-the-light/.

Ongoing Wednesdays Class, Spirit Rock, Woodacre, CA: 10 a.m. to noon morning class: Share teaching with Sylvia Boorstein (most Wednesdays, either Sylvia or I will teach): 45 minute meditation, talk and discussion. Donald will be teaching   August 19, 26; September 16, 23, 30; further dates TBD.

Donald’s Talks At: Dharma Seed (www.dharmaseed.org/), Audio Dharma (www.audiodharma.org/).

The Mindful Heart board and leaders are surveying interest in resuming live sits at the sangha in the near future. We would love to hear from you and get your input. It has been such a challenging time for everyone and we want to take the next step with understanding and care. Please feel free to email us at minfulheart@gmail.com. Thank you all. Peace and metta.

Back in March, Mindful Heart hosted our 3^rd annual Buddhist Global Relief Fundraiser. Once again, a great time was had by all. What a wonderful time to spend together with tasty food and a silent auction. Many treasures were taken home. Between proceeds and donations, over $750 was raised! If you missed out and still wanted to donate, check out our online donations button on the website. Thanks to everyone who came out to support such an amazing cause. Extra thanks to Bill for taking this year’s pie in the face. Peace and Metta. MHBS