Mindful Heart Buddha Sangha will be holding its Annual Meeting and Potluck for all sangha members on Sunday, February 16, at 6 pm in the Meditation Hall. We will enjoy our meal and socializing first and around 7:00 there will be a short sit followed by the State of the Sangha talk and the introduction of the new Board of Directors. Please bring a vegetarian dish, snack, or dessert to share. Water and hot tea will be provided. Come and join us!
Begin your New Year’s Eve with Meditation!
A gatha is a short poem or song that is committed to memory. When Mary MacGregor was at Plum Village, France, she sang these songs over and over again. So simply by use of the poems they would arise to consciousness. Thich Nhat Hanh wrote the poems and one of the nuns put them to music.
This New Year’s Eve, Mary will lead meditation from 6:00 until 8:00 pm at Mindful Heart Buddha Sangha. The focus will be on Thich Nhat Hahn’s gathas which help mindfulness.
Upcoming Class: Introduction to Meditation, Mindfulness and Buddhism
Please join us for a three class sequence on developing a meditation practice. The classes will explore meditation practice as a support to living more mindfully. Also contained in the classes are discussions of basic Buddhist teachings and the role of meditation and mindfulness in the personal investigations of these teachings. The class will take place February 2nd, 9th and 16th from 4:00 pm to 5:45 pm. Directly after the February 16th session there will be a potluck dinner which all are invited to participate.
There is no fee for the course, but we welcome donations.To register please send an email to: mindfulheart@gmail.com. It would be useful to the class teachers if you include in your registration email some basic information on your level of experience with the class topics.
Cultivating the Wise Heart: Spring 2020 Retreat May 1-3
The Mindful Heart Buddha Sangha is happy to have Donald Rothberg leading our spring 2020 weekend retreat. The topic will be Cultivating the Wise Heart: Practicing the “Divine Abodes” (Lovingkindness, Compassion, Joy, Equanimity).
The Divine Abodes (Brahmaviharas) of loving kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity, are the places of the open, awakened heart. In this retreat, on the foundation of mindfulness, we will learn the formal practices of loving kindness, 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 generally alternate silent sitting meditation and walking meditation. Core instructions in the different practices will be offered, along with talks, discussion, and brief daily guided movement sessions.
Vegetarian meals will be prepared by Common Ground Kitchen, which specializes in vegetarian and vegan cooking, and will include breakfast, lunch, and dinner Saturday. Breakfast and lunch on Sunday.
The cost for the retreat will be $185 and will include meals and private room with a private bathroom. Please return registration form, teacher questionnaire, and the $185 fee to the Dana box at MHBS or mail to Mindful Heart Buddha Sangha, 600 N. Weinbach Ave. #220, Evansville, In. 47711. Registration deadline is April 1, 2020. Scholarships are available.
For more information, contact: Michael Joest at md2113@wowway.com
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.
Save the date: Donald Rothberg Retreat May 1-3 at Sarto
Mindful Heart Buddha Sangha will host a residential retreat with Donald Rothberg on May 1-3, at the Sarto Retreat Center in Evansville. The retreat will be centered on the 4 Brahmaviharas: Buddhist Virtues and will begin Friday evening and closing around 2pm on Sunday. Meals will be catered by the Common Ground Community Kitchen. Keep posted for more information to follow.
Reminder: Sangha Picnic October 27th
Please join us for a potluck picnic at Wesselman Park on Sunday October 27 from 4:00 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. Please bring a vegetarian dish to share and your own drinks. The sangha will supply plates, napkins, cups, and knives/forks/spoons. 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 look forward to seeing you there!
New Dhamma Book
On September 12th, we will begin using a new book to guide our Dhamma talks: Old Path White Clouds: Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddha by Thich Nhat Hanh. This book is available for purchase on Amazon, new and used, if you would like a copy. Please reach out if you have any questions.
Save the date: October 27th 2019 Sangha Picnic
Please join us for a potluck picnic at Wesselman Park on Sunday October 27 from 4:00 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. Please bring a vegetarian dish to share, and your own drinks. The sangha will supply plates, napkins, cups, and plastic knives/forks/spoons.You are welcome to bring a game or Frisbee. 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 look forward to seeing you there!
“Wholehearted Living” retreat July 24-28 hosted by Louisville Vipassana Community
Glenda Hodges Cook and Phil Lloyd-Sidle are leading a retreat entitled “Wholehearted Living” July 24-28, 2019, a silent four-day or weekend retreat on the grounds of the Loretto Community.
It is a retreat with two options:
- Option One — from Wednesday evening July 24 to Sunday noon July 28 — a four-day silent retreat. The first two days will be devoted to deepening our meditation practice. The last two days (the weekend) will focus on the “three commitments” or vows in Buddhist practice (mentioned above) that lead us into wholehearted living.
- Option Two — the weekend only from Friday evening July 26 to Sunday noon July 28 — a two-day silent retreat devoted to the “three commitments.”
At this point there are still have a few openings. If you are interested in this retreat, see the flier attached or go directly to the LVC website: http://www.louisville-vipassana-community.org and click the “Retreats” link. The deadline for registration is June 30 (not June 15).
Vesak Celebration Sunday, May 19th
Vesak, often referred to as Buddha Day, occurs on the first full moon of May. This holiday celebrates the life (the birth, awakening and death) of the historical Buddha (Shakyamuni Buddha). Please join us on Sunday May 19th, 6 PM to celebrate this important event.
The evening will begin at 6 PM with a potluck dinner. Bring a vegetarian dish or treat to share. Water and tea will be provided. Please join us even if you cannot bring food as there is always enough to share. Following the meal there will be a short sitting period followed by a discussion of the Buddha’s awakening.
The evening also offers the opportunity for individuals to take refuge and precepts. Taking refuge and precepts is a public ceremony that allows one to express their willingness and intent to work with the teachings and practices of the Buddha. Taking refuge means seeking comfort and inspiration in the “Three Jewels” of the Buddha (the physical embodiment and example of the teachings), the Dharma (the teachings on awakening and liberation), and the Sangha (the community of practitioners). The Five Precepts are areas of one’s life, behavior, and habits that have the potential to generate suffering or awakening with which one commits to work. These include working on refraining from killing and supporting life, respecting the property of others and refraining from stealing, being truthful and refraining from lying, regarding all beings with respect and dignity and refraining from objectifying others (especially through sensual misconduct), and working to maintain a clear mind and refrain from harming ourselves and others with intoxicants. Those who take precepts will receive a commemorative certificate. If you have questions about taking refuge and precepts, please contact Rev. Ryongwan Karuna (nirvanasamurai@aol.com) or talk with him at an upcoming weekly sitting. Those who have taken the precepts before but who would like to do so again please let him know so that he can prepare certificates.
A common Vesak practice is to offer flowers, which are placed near the statue of the Buddha. Please feel free to bring flowers if you choose.
We look forward to celebrating with you!