Good morning dear friends
This summer I felt at times like I was living inside Thay’s story about the toothache…. When we have a toothache all we want is for the pain to be addressed and soothed. When we don’t have a toothache we forget to dwell in the joy of non-toothache-ness. It is as if we believe non-pain is normal and to be expected. Yet how many of us are free from pain – mental, physical, emotional, spiritual – on a daily basis? How many of us forget to enjoy moments of deep peace, beauty and connection even in the midst of pain??
This summer we did not have the constant presence of wildfire smoke and extreme (for us) heat. Most days, I did not celebrate deep within myself either this absence of discomfort or this presence of wonderful conditions for being out-of-doors. I mindlessly enjoyed them and yet how much more joyful I felt in true mindful awareness of this great gift! I needed the practice of the Six Paramitas to support me….
It is September and we begin anew our practice together as a Sangha after a month when Sangha gatherings were not scheduled. Please consider this an open door to practice! And join us whenever you are able.
During the next months we will continue our pattern of dedicated Thursdays. On the first Thursday we will either practice the full Ceremony to Recite the Five Mindfulness Trainings or (in alternate months) recite the Trainings and share our experiences with them.
On the second Thursday we will engage in the practice and study of the Six Paramitas using both Thich Nhat Hanh – The Heart of the Buddha’s Teachings plus other materials – and Norman Fischer – The World Could be Otherwise: Imagination and the Bodhisattva Path. These teachings support our capacity to deal with the very real pain that we – and others – experience so we do not become caught in suffering.
On the third Thursday we will practice a Sutra Service and look for the ways in which our recitations and sutras support our practices of (1) dana: giving (2) shila: mindfulness trainings (3) kshanti: inclusiveness (4) virya: diligence (5) dhyana: meditation (6) prajna: understanding.
On the fourth Thursday we will explore how practicing the paramitas informs our actions around the importance of sustainability in the context climate change.
When we have a fifth Thursday (October 31 and January 30) we will have a more social evening, including a pot luck supper, that ends with a period of sitting.
