The Sangha was established by Mary MacGregor. She began to have an interest
in Buddhism after reading a book by
Jack Kornfield in
1994. Mary then attended a retreat at the
Insight Mediation Center in Barre, Mass., which led her to return to
Evansville and begin offering silent meditation days once a month. Feeling that
this was not enough practice, Mary began inviting people with similar interest
to mediate weekly at her office. Later she traveled to France to attend a
three-week retreat at
Thich Nhat Hanh‘s center in Plum
Village and embarked on extensive individual study.
After that experience, Mary knew she wanted to focus on meditation as part of a
Buddhist practice. In the fall of 1997 she began weekly meditation sessions in
her home. In February the sangha was officially named as The Mindful Heart
Buddha Sangha. It also participated in its first outside activity as a group
during Global Ethnicity held in New Harmony, Indiana in the spring of 1998.
In November of 1999, Mary began individual study with Matthew Flickstein. Matthew is a long-time student of
Bhante Henepola Gunaranta. He is the resident teacher at Forest Way Insight
Meditation Center. That same year, The Mindful Heart Buddha Sangha was invited
to help establish a sangha at Branchville Correctional Facility in Tell City,
Indiana.
The following year Mary began participating in teacher training retreats with
Matthew Flickstein. The sangha began hosting events in this same year with an
Extended Sitting and Day of Mindfulness with Jack Lawler from Illinois. The
sangha’s first overnight retreat was held in April, 2000 at Kordes Enrichment Center in
Ferdinand, Indiana led by Jack. In 2001, the sangha hosted retreats with Matthew
Flickstein in the spring and later in the year with Genny Morgan.
The Mindful Heart Buddha Sangha is a tax-exempt organization as recognized by
the State of Indiana.
Currently, the sangha is made up of a diverse membership. Several sittings are
offered weekly. Combinations of book discussions, Dharma study, walking and
sitting meditations make up these sessions (See sitting times page for further
details).