Waves and Water Sangha Vancouver

Good afternoon dear friends –

Investigating Mindful Consumption Please join Waves and Water Sangha for a Day of Mindfulness on December 13. We will be exploring our commitment to MINDFUL CONSUMPTION during this season, taking refuge in living simply and sanely with few possessions and keeping our bodies healthy.

New Years Eve: Cultivating Peace in our Hearts Please join Mountain Rain Zen Community, Waves and Water Sangha, and other sister Sanghas on New Years Eve. Beginning at 7 p.m. there will be 40 minutes of sitting, 10 minutes of walking, 10 minutes of chanting each hour, ending by midnight with the sound of 108 bells to dispel our many delusions. We are welcome to come and go as our schedules permit.

January Retreat with Michael Ciborski The Mindfulness Community of Puget Sound (Seattle) annual retreat (January 16-23, 2015) is almost full! If you are interested, please see this page: http://wavesandwater.org/site/practice/retreats/

An update on our Grandfather Teacher Thich Nhat Hanh
November 30, 2014
To all Plum Village Practice Centers,
To all Practice Centers and Sanghas World Wide, To our Dear Beloved Friends,

As the Winter Retreat continues to unfold in all our practice centers in Europe and America, Thay’s condition in the hospital remains stable.

Thay continues to rest peacefully with the ticking clock on his pillow, and we sense that he is relying on his deep awareness of breathing, rooted in Store Consciousness, to guide his healing process. Even the doctors have been surprised at the consistent level of oxygen in his blood. Thay is truly is the best breather in the world, inspiring us to deepen our full awareness of the breath. Thay continues to remind us that each day we are alive is a miracle, and that simply to breathe is a gift.

The latest scan shows that Thay’s hemorrhage has slightly reduced in size. The edema is still present, but has not worsened. The doctors have met to re-evaluate their approach and review how to nourish Thay’s body more as we enter medium-term treatment. Thay continues to receive 24-hour care from his monastic attendants as well as hospital nurses. We are very grateful for the commitment of the hospital neurologists who are maintaining Thay’s healing process will open hearts and minds.

Earlier this year, Thay accepted an invitation from Pope Francis to go to the Vatican on December 1 & 2 to support a global initiative to end modern slavery. A delegation of 22 monks and nuns, including Sister Chan Khong and Thay Phap An (Director of our European Institute of Applied Buddhism in Germany) are now in Rome to realise Thay’s wish.

We continue to be grateful for your messages of support and the energy of mindfulness and compassion being generated for Thay. Wherever we are, we know that our practice of nourishing and healing ourselves is the best way we can all take care of Thay, and take care of the present moment.

Because suffering is impermanent, that is why we can transform it. Because happiness is impermanent, that is why we have to nourish it. -TNH, 10th June 2014

With trust and love,
The Monks and Nuns of Plum Village

Future reports on Thay health and recovery will be posted officially at plumvillage.org, langmai.org, villagedespruniers.org, and www.facebook.com/thichnhathanh.

PDF LINK: http://bit.ly/1v7Gdj3

Plum Village, 22 November, 2014

To all Plum Village Practice Centers,
To all Practice Centers and Sanghas World Wide,
To our Dear Beloved Friends,

The doctors have expressed surprise at Thay’s resilience and stability over the last week, as the intensive treatment continues. Thay’s blood pressure and pulse are stable, he is still breathing on his own, and he is becoming increasingly peaceful. However, in recent days Thay has been sleeping more deeply and communicating less.

The monks and nuns attend our teacher continuously at his bedside, breathing with him, embracing him with their love, praying that the millions of healthy cells in Thay’s body may become millions of bodhisattvas, helping his brain to heal. As Thay’s condition remains critical, please intensify your practice of generating the energy of Great Compassion of Avalokita for Thay.

Let us support Thay by sustaining our practice of mindfulness throughout the day, wherever we are, keeping Thay alive within us and within our community. With deep conscious breaths and mindful steps, let us allow Thay’s teachings to ripen within us, helping us see Thay’s continuation body and Thay’s sangha body.

May we let go of resentments against those who have hurt us, and release our fear and sorrow, by coming back to the calm and gentle breathing that Thay has transmitted to us. This is the best way we can support Thay and be his beautiful continuation.

With trust and love,

The Monks and Nuns of Plum Village

Future reports on Thay’s condition will be posted officially at plumvillage.org, langmai.org, villagedespruniers.org, and www.facebook.com/thichnhathanh.

Dear friends –

We know so many are holding Thay in their hearts, breathing with him, offering him their practice. For the next while, we will post official updates from Plum Village. Please feel free to attend Sangha on Thursday as we continue our study of the Four Establishments of Mindfulness. We will benefit from each others’ practice as we consider how mindfulness of the mind in the mind frees us from unwholesome reactions – those habit energies that remain an obstacle to peace, love and happiness

Plum Village, 15 November, 2014

To all Plum Village Practice Centers,
To all Practice Centers and Sanghas World Wide,
To our Dear Beloved Friends,

Th?y is now in a hospital with a highly reputable neurologist monitoring his progress. He is in the right place with the best possible care and attention. New tests have been done. Doctors report that Th?y is showing good progress in terms of remaining stable and not having major changes in his condition during this critical part of his recovery. The area of hemorrhage has not grown and his vital signs are normal.

In the early morning, Saturday, November 15, Th?y opened his eyes for the first time since his cerebral hemorrhage, to look at his attendants for a brief moment. He was very conscious and attentive to what was happening around him, lifting his left hand to touch the attendant next to him. Since then, he has also opened his eyes several times and his gestures of communication are clearer, nodding or shaking his head to respond. Th?y has been able to rest and sleep peacefully for several hours each day. The doctors are cautiously optimistic and remind us that Th?y’s condition is still in a critical stage and conditions can change at any moment.

Winter Retreat Opens
The Fourfold Sangha of Plum Village gathered this morning in the Still Water Meditation Hall of the Upper Hamlet to formally open the Winter Retreat and to participate in the “Face To Face and Request for Refuge Ceremony”. We know that it has always nourished our Teacher to see all his students, lay and monastic, gather to practice and take refuge in each other for 90 days. At least in Upper Hamlet this year, we have broken a record high with 60 lay friends taking refuge, 52 Bhikkhus and 18 Novices. We will share this wonderful news and spiritual food to nourish Th?y. All our monasteries around the globe will also host the three month retreat as usual, to deepen our practice and nourish our community and our brotherhood and sisterhood.

Collective Support
We are aware and grateful for the love and practice that people are offering from all around the world to support Th?y’s recovery. Sanghas and groups of practitioners are gathering to send their peaceful energy to our Teacher. He is clearly receiving this energy. Each of our mindful breaths and mindful steps is nourishing Th?y. Please continue to enjoy the blue sky for Th?y, the fresh morning air and the small pathways in nature for Th?y. Especially, please enjoy each other, your loved ones, and our togetherness for Th?y.

If possible, you can dedicate a day to eat vegetarian as a way to generate compassion to send to Th?y. You can reconcile with your loved ones, or to let go of your resentment of someone and write them a love letter. And in the same Winter Retreat spirit being practiced at our monasteries, you can participate in your local Sangha more, support the collective energy of mindfulness, consume less and reduce your time online.

With trust and love,

The Monks and Nuns of Plum Village

Future reports on Thay health and recovery will be posted officially at plumvillage.org, langmai.org, villagedespruniers.org, and www.facebook.com/thichnhathanh.

LINK: http://plumvillage.org/news/an-update-on-thays-health-16th-november/

Dear friends –

Plum Village has officially confirmed that our beloved teacher is in hospital and has experienced a severe brain hemorrhage (the announcement is below). We had earlier cancelled Sangha for this evening because of minimal conditions in the Meditation Hall (Mountain Rain is on retreat at Loon Lake). Now WE WILL BE GATHERING THIS EVENING FOR SITTING WALKING AND PRACTICING THE CEREMONY TO SUPPORT THE SICK. We believe there will be sufficient chairs. You may want to bring your own sitting or kneeling support.

If you cannot join us, the North American Dharma Teachers Association has suggested that we chant at 7:30 p.m. wherever we are to send loving and healing energy. The chanting of Avalokita’s name can be found on Facebook: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNfaXNGJiUc The chant May the Day be Well is posted on the Waves and Water Sangha website: http://wavesandwater.org/site/resources/may-the-day-be-well-chant/

As we sit in stillness and silence we may realize that Thay is exactly as he is – and thus he is well.

With a bow /\

Plum Village, November 12, 2014

To all Plum Village Practice Centers,
To all Practice Centers and Sanghas World Wide,
To our Dear Beloved Friends,

With a deep mindful breath we announce to the world the news that yesterday, the 11th of November 2014 Thay, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, experienced a severe brain hemorrhage. Thay is receiving 24 hour intensive care from specialist doctors, nurses and from his monastic disciples.

At present, Thay is still very responsive and shows every indication of being aware of the presence of those around him. He is able to move his feet, hands and eyes. There are signs that a full recovery may be possible.

For the last two months, Thay’s health had already been fragile due to his advanced age. He was hospitalized in Bordeaux on the 1st of November. He was gaining strength day by day until this sudden and unexpected change in his condition.

All the monasteries in the tradition of Plum Village are organizing practice sessions to generate the energy of mindfulness and to send Thay this healing and loving energy. We would like to ask the whole worldwide community of meditation practitioners to participate and support us in this critical moment. We know and trust that Thay will receive all your energy and that this will be a big support in his healing and recovery.

Our practice of stability and peace in this very moment is the best support we can offer to Thay. Let us all around the world take refuge in our practice, going together as a river to offer Thay our powerful collective energy. We are all cells of the great Sangha Body that Thay has manifested in his lifetime.

Future reports on Thay health and recovery will be posted officially at www.plumvillage.org, langmai.org, villagedespruniers.org, and www.facebook.com/thichnhathanh.

On behalf of the Monastic Dharma Teacher Council of Plum Village,

Bhikkhu Thich Chan Phap Dang
Bhikkhuni Thich Nu Chan Khong Nghiem

Announcing that our Beloved Teacher has suffered a stroke

Good morning dear friends –

The light is so beautiful this morning – soft and gentle after a fierce night of wind and rain.

THIS THURSDAY and coming weeks:

This week we will have a full Ceremony for the Recitation of the Five Mindfulness Trainings. Lovely chanting, deep looking, touching the earth. . . .

We have completed our series on mindfulness of the feelings in the feelings with great success and much engagement from Sangha members. And for the next two months we will be practicing mindfulness of the mind in the mind. . . . Please join us as we explore how our mental formations arise habitually, informing our actions of body and speech as well as mind.

THURSDAY CANCELLATIONS:

We want to let everyone know that we will NOT be gathering on Thursday, NOVEMBER 13 (the conditions in the meditation hall are not sufficient) or on Thursday, DECEMBER 25 (Christmas).

DECEMBER ACTIVITIES:

Please check the website for holiday activities including a Day of Mindfulness December 13 – taking refuge from consumption by concentrating on living simply and sanely with few possessions, keeping our bodies healthy. Also we have the opportunity to celebrate 108 bells with Mountain Rain Zen on December 31. And we will be gathering on Thursday, January 1, to welcome the New Year and take refuge in stillness and silence.

JANUARY RETREAT AT CAMP INDIANOLA (NEAR SEATTLE)

Also on the website is a link to the annual six-day residential retreat organized by The Mindfulness Community of Puget Sound (January 16 – 23). Dharma teacher Michael Ciborski will be providing leadership and there will be a children’s program on the weekend with full and part-time attendance possible.

Dear friends –

The message below is from a Sangha brother in California – may the many messages he talks about strengthen our sense of community and our Sanghas. Note that you do NOT have to have a Facebook page to access the messages.

Dear Community:

As you may know, yesterday was Thay’s 88th continuation day. Inspired by the Foundation message a couple weeks ago, we posted an invitation on Thay’s Facebook page inviting the world to make a present of the heart – a promise that can be done in each of our lives everyday.

In the last 30-hours, the “birthday” post has been seen by over 1.5 million people and has had over 69k shares, likes, or comments. In fact, the comment category is what I want to bring your attention to in particular. Even if you read only a handful of 4,312 comments, your heart will open wide with joy and happiness.

The sincerity of each comment is definitely a present of the heart. And thought the gift is for Thay, it is truly a gift for all of us.

No need to have Facebook to read these comments.

http://on.fb.me/ZAjmzv

Dear friends –

Impermanence is everywhere around us – the trees turn colours, leaves fall, the air freshens and we begin our preparations for rain and wind and deep darkness. In the midst of it all Waves and Water Sangha gives thanks to all those who support the Sangha and our practice – all those who support the Mahasangha of all beings!

Our teacher Thich Nhat Hanh has his 88th Continuation Day this Saturday, October 11. He acknowledges our deep love and asks that we honour him through “a gift of the heart” – a small promise that we offer such as “I will offer my first sip of morning tea to all beings, in gratitude.” If you would like to offer your gift through a message to Thay and the greater Sangha, the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation suggests posting to their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/ThichNhatHanhFoundation) or Twitter (#HappyContinuation) on Saturday.

Please hold this date! TAKING REFUGE IN MINDFUL CONSUMPTION: A Day of Mindfulness on Saturday, December 13. We will support each others deepest desires to find a stable and peaceful path through the final weeks of the year.

In the past, on New Year’s Eve, Waves and Water Sangha members have joined with Mountain Rain Zen Community and other Sanghas to sit and chant together until, finally, we sound 108 bells to ring in the New Year. More details to follow! On January 1st – Thursday – New Year’s Day – Waves and Water Sangha will gather for a Tea Ceremony – to share stories and songs, readings and experiences.

Right now, we are continuing with our study and practice of Mindfulness of the Feelings in the Feelings. So interesting! Tonight we will look at the Five Universal Mental Formations and consider how they arise and become what we commonly call “feelings” and are learning to call “emotions.”

In November we begin to explore Mindfulness of the Mind in the Mind. Please join us on Thursday evenings as we move through two months of new territory. Sangha members who are following this study period are encouraged to practice with Thich Nhat Hanh’s book Understanding the Mind (formerly Transformation at the Base). Here is Verse 6 on the Nature of Consciousness:

The quality of our life
Depends on the quality
Of the seeds
That lie deep in our consciousness.

Movie Nights with Mountain Rain Zen Community are scheduled for this Saturday, October 11 (TOKYO WAKA – a film/poem about a city, its people, and 20,000 crows) and Saturday, October 25 (HALVING THE BONES – Ruth Ozeki’s film focused on the complexities of what to do with “the bones” when one’s racial/ethnic/cultural heritage is dual).
http://www.mountainrainzen.org/events/2014/10/11/dharma-film-night

Everyone is welcome to join us at any time – complete beginners who are curious, practitioners from other traditions, folk who have been away for a while and would like to return. We welcome you!

Dear friends –

Thank you for the wonderful response to our non-residential retreat. On Saturday morning and afternoon we are full to capacity and have a wait-list.

There are a few seats available on Friday evening, Saturday evening and Sunday. If you are interested, you could have a lovely THREE EVENING PRACTICE SERIES followed by outdoor practice on Sunday morning.

Thursday evening is our regular Sangha gathering and we will have an introduction to Mindfulness of the Feelings in the Feelings – the second of our eight week period practicing with feelings. Friday evening we will have the first evening of the retreat with sitting, walking, tea, and a recitation of the Fourteen Verses on Meditation followed by Dharma sharing. Saturday evening we will have two periods of sitting and walking followed by Deep Relaxation.

What could be more lovely!

Then on Sunday morning we gather at Fraserview Cemetery for sitting, long walking and the Five Touchings of the Earth. This will be followed by an informal picnic lunch and Sangha connection.

Please find the link for retreat details on the front page of our website. If you are interested in the evening series and/or Sunday, please let us know as soon as possible at wwsangha[at]gmail.com

Welcome to Waves and Water Sangha

Smiling in the spirit of Sangha. . . . Offering Metta to all. . . .

Dear Friends–

We will begin our next eight week practice period on September 11, 2014 with Mindfulness of the Feelings in the Feelings. We will explore the practice of becoming aware of our feelings, separate from our thoughts and stories about those feelings. We will study and practice with negative feelings such as anger and fear and positive feelings such as happiness and sympathetic joy. We will take the opportunity to distinguish our bodily sensations, our feelings as they arise, our thoughts about our feelings and the influence of our feelings on our intentions and our understanding of the world around us.

During this practice period, we encourage you to study Thich Nhat Hanh’s Transformation and Healing: Sutra on Four Establishments of Mindfulness. It is available for purchase at Banyen Books and for loan at Vancouver and Burnaby Public Libraries.

For the non-residential retreat (Sept 12-14 2014), a gentle reminder to submit your registration form and a deposit as soon as possible. Saturday the 13th is already 75% full. Please visit our website for you registration for and more information.

Good afternoon!

THURSDAY EVENING PRACTICE

We have had a wonderful six week study period experiencing mindfulness of the body in the body. Last night we practiced letting go into practice songs that inspire us to take refuge in the body: Take Your Time, I am a Cloud and, perhaps our favourite: Earth my body/ Water my blood/ Air my breath and/ Fire my spirit! (Two of these songs will be available soon on the website under RESOURCES. A version of the third can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz8BbD8XQgM).

AND there are two more weeks before this period ends – settling into silence on August 21 with three periods of sitting and a Dharma discussion of our bodies/ our earth/ deep ecology on August 28!  Following our Ceremony for the Recitation of the Five Mindfulness Trainings on September 5, we will begin our next eight week practice period September 12: Mindfulness of the Feelings in the Feelings. We will explore the practice of becoming aware of our feelings, separate from our thoughts and stories about those feelings. We will study and practice with negative feelings such as anger and fear and positive feelings such as happiness and sympathetic joy. We will take the opportunity to distinguish our bodily sensations, our feelings as they arise, our thoughts about our feelings and the influence of our feelings on our intentions and our understanding of the world around us.

Our NON-RESIDENTIAL RETREAT Friday evening September 12 through Sunday noon September 13 already has many registrations. We have only 24 spots in this retreat so please send in your registration with deposit as soon as possible: CLICK HERE FOR THE REGISTRATION FORM

Please join us in practice. . . .