Good afternoon dear friends –
What beautiful fresh and sunny days we are having right now! So beautiful for walking. And how wonderful to be gathering again now it is September! We will have a chance to greet each other and catch up a bit on what is happening in our lives and with our practice. We will also be able to discuss and clarify how we will be meeting now that the Zendo will soon be opening.
Thursday, September 3, will still be a Zoom meeting as we recite the Five Mindfulness Trainings followed by Dharma discussion.
The Zoom link and password remain the same. This information can also be found at : http://wavesandwater.org/site/sangha/about/thursday/
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89551327240
Meeting ID: 895 5132 7240
Password: 891639
Over the last couple of months, Mountain Rain Zen Community has developed a protocol for meeting in the Zendo beginning perhaps September 10. Here are some key points of the protocol for meeting in person:
First, there will be WIFI and we are committed to continuing with ZOOM for friends who want to join us from Alberta, Nanaimo, the North Shore – and anywhere else. This includes folk who simply find it more comfortable right now to meet on the internet.
As we indicated previously, please ensure that you identify yourself by using video, displaying a photograph, or displaying your full name so we have a sense of safety and community. We will have two or three computers in the Zendo so everyone can be “present” and Zoom users will be able to see not only each other but also those in the Zendo.
Second, there will be a limit of 12 people in the Zendo at any one time. We will need to have everyone who wants to meet in the Zendo to contact us as early as possible OR before 5:00 on Thursdays to either reserve a place or find out we are fully booked: wwsangha@gmail.com. It would be very helpful if you could respond as soon as possible if you plan to attend even irregularly!
We hope that a solid core group will commit to all Thursdays, or first Thursdays, or Thursdays in October, etc. We will nourish each other and the Sangha by coming together as a community.
Our program over the next two months will include Dharma talks from two Plum Village monastics:
Sister Peace: Cultivating Love & Peace for Racial Healing
Sister Tam Muoi: Racial Justice: What can White people do?
You may be interested in an article by Sister Annabel in Lion’s Roar: Thich Nhat Hanh at home in Vietnam: https://www.lionsroar.com/thich-nhat-hanh-at-home-in-vietnam
Also, the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation has a biweekly e-mail called THE RAFT that provides a varied selection practice resources: thichnhathanhfoundation.org/the-raft
With warm wishes for your health and well-being –
