Category Archives: Uncategorized

As the days become shorter and deep darkness comes to our particular place on this earth we have several opportunities for practice.

Waves and Water Sangha will host a Day of Mindfulness at the Mountain Rain Meditation Hall on Saturday, October 27, from 10:00 to 3:00. We will study the teaching on the Five Ways of Putting an End to Anger with the accompanying recitation “Mastering Anger.” We will learn to chant together the Gatha on Impermanence. Please arrive by 9:50 and bring a bag lunch for our formal meal. If you plan to attend, or if you have any questions, please contact wwsangha@gmail.com

You will find the location and a map on the website at http://wavesandwater.org/site/location/

This Thursday, October 25, will be our final evening for studying the Heart of Perfect Understanding. We will begin our study and practice of the Discourse on the Full Awareness of Breathing in November.

There will be a Day of Mindfulness for Children (2-9 years old), with their grown-ups, on Sunday, October 28, from 10:30 to noon at Kim Boivin’s home. Please contact Kim at 778-773-1702 or riveroftheheart@yahoo.ca for more information and the address.

On New Year’s Eve, Waves and Water Sangha will join with Mountain Rain Zen Centre and other local Sanghas to celebrate in a multi-tradition Ceremony with 108 bells. Our practice will take place early in the evening with the possibility of socializing to follow!

Please note that the North Shore Mindfulness Sangha has moved to St. Stephen’s Church, 885 – 22 Avenue in West Vancouver. They meet on Tuesday evenings from 7:00 to 9:00 and all are welcome and encouraged to attend!

Waves and Water Sangha holds ORIENTATION for new practitioners and anyone else interested in, or having questions about, Sangha practice on the last Thursday of each month at 6:00. This is also an opportunity to receive feedback on sitting posture and options for comfortable practice!

With smiles and best wishes for a lovely week, Bethan

Dear Friends,
We are sorry to announce that due to health and various other reasons, Waves and Water Sangha is cancelling our Day of Mindfulness scheduled for Saturday, Sept 29. We apologize for any inconvenience. A blog post will be sent out as soon as we are able to schedule another one.
May you have a joyful day.
susu, on behalf of Waves and Water Sangha

Good afternoon dear Sangha!

What a wonderful autumn we are having – full of sunshine, crisp evening air and many practice opportunities!  Please contact us at wwsangha[at]gmail.com if you have questions about any of the information below or if you would like to register for any of the Waves and Water Sangha events.

First, there is information about upcoming events. Then, there is information about our fall and winter practice periods and books we will be using to support our practice. We will continue to have Mindfulness Training Recitations once a month – and every second month (starting October 4) there will be a panel of Sangha members to present their experience with the Trainings as a way to begin our Dharma discussion. We will also be scheduling days of practice on the second and fourth Saturday of each month.

Monday, September 17, members of the different Vancouver Sanghas will have the opportunity to practice with the Plum Village Monks and Nuns at St. James Church (303 Cordova St. E.). There are chairs available or you may want to bring a cushion or bench. Please arrive by 6:20.

Thursday, September 20, some of the Monks and Nuns will practice with the Waves and Sangha at 2016 Wall Street. Everyone is welcome! Please arrive by 6:50.

Saturday, September 29, Waves and Water welcomes everyone to a Day of Mindfulness that will begin at the Mountain View Cemetery at 10:00 where we will have sitting and walking meditation at the fountain until 12:00. Then, we will move to a Sangha member’s home for a silent brown bag lunch – and access to washrooms! Following lunch we will have a Sutra Service and Dharma study based on the Discourse on the Eight Realizations of Great Beings. The Day will finish at 3:00 with optional training for bells and chants until 4:00. Please register for the day by contacting wwsangha[at]gmail.com

Thursday, October 4, Waves and Water encourages attendance at our regular gathering to support our friends who are speaking on the first Five Mindfulness Trainings panel!

Saturday, October 13, Waves and Water Sangha welcomes everyone to a Day of Mindfulness  that will include sitting and walking meditation, eating meditation, Sutra Service and Dharma Discussion focusing on every day practices such as brushing our teeth, doing the dishes, waiting for the bus, working on our computer, meeting friends. How do we nourish our Mindfulness and our practice of the Mindfulness Trainings? How do we distract ourselves?

Saturday, October 27, Waves and Water Sangha welcomes everyone to a Day of Mindfulness that will include sitting and walking meditation, eating meditation, Sutra Service and Dharma Study focusing on the Discourse on Putting an End to Anger.

Sunday, October 28, a possible Vancouver Sanghas event focusing on children’s practice! Please look out for more information and contact wwsangha[at]gmail.com if you would like to be involved (without or without children, godchildren, nieces, nephews, grandchildren!)

BOOKS FOR FALL AND WINTER PRACTICE PERIOD

We have developed a nourishing fall and winter practice period schedule! Although it is not essential to have the following books, you may want to find a Sangha buddy to share with or contact Banyen Books to order a copy. They may have a few copies already in stock.

September and October

THE HEART SUTRA September and October

Nhat Hanh, Thich. (1988). The heart of understanding: Commentaries on the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra. Berkeley, CA: Parallax Press. (54 pages)

An audio recording of the chant can be found at http://wavesandwater.org/site/resources/heart-of-perfect-understanding-chant/

November and December

THE DISCOURSE ON THE FULL AWARENESS OF BREATHING

Nhat Hanh, Thich. (1996). Breathe! You are alive: Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing. Berkeley, CA: Parallax Press. (103 pages)

January and February

THE DISCOURSE ON THE FOUR ESTABLISHMENTS OF MINDFULNESS

Nhat Hanh, Thich. (2006). Transformation and healing: Sutra on the Four Establishments of Mindfulness. Berkeley, CA: Parallax Press

March

THE SEVEN FACTORS OF AWAKENING

Nhat Hanh, Thich. (1998). Chapter 26: The Seven Factors of Awakening. In The heart of the Buddha’s teachings: Transforming suffering into peace, joy, and liberation (pp. 200-205). Berkeley, CA: Parallax Press

Dear friends –

We just completed a wonderful weekend retreat celebrating the one-year anniversary of the 2011 Vancouver retreat with Thich Nhat Hanh and the Plum Village monastics. Now, Waves and Water Sangha will celebrate our SANGHA CONTINUATION DAY with an informal tea ceremony on Thursday, August 23. Please bring poems, stories, songs — or simply your silent, smiling practice!

If you check our website at www.wavesandwater.org you will see that there are many practice opportunities in Vancouver and at Mountain Lamp this fall.

PLUM VILLAGE monastics will be here for a retreat at Rivendale (which is full) then for a Day of Mindfulness with the Vietnamese community (Sunday, September 9); a public talk and book signing at Banyen Books (Tuesday, September 11, 6:30); a non-residential retreat at the Centre for Peace (Thursday September 13 to Saturday, September 15: Contact ourbowenhome [at] yahoo.com); and a GATHERING FOR GREATER VANCOUVER SANGHAS at St. James Church 303 Cordova St. E. (Monday, September 17, 6:30).

Dear friends –

We have been practicing “Taking refuge” in all its many forms over the last few months. Today, I received the e-newsletter from Mountain Lamp in Washington State and the front page article was an excerpt from a Dharma talk delivered during the recent three-week retreat. I have included information about Mountain Lamp Community at the end of the excerpt and you may want to contact them to become part of their e-mail list.

Bethan, smiling

Mountain Lamp was conceived as a place of refuge where people come to touch the stillness of nature, and to rest in their body and mind. At Mountain Lamp, we find a place to stop in our bodies. We sit still and pay attention to our breath. We sit still and pay attention to the rising mountains. We sit still and see the ever-changing clouds. We sit still so that we can hear the hermit thrush singing. The stability of place, of sitting still, becomes a reflection of our mind, and we learn to embrace that refuge that is always within us.

When we have touched refuge, we can stay stable and solid in the center of whatever is happening. Our mind might be saying right or wrong, our mind might be saying “I want to be here” or “I want to be there” but we come right to the center where the thrush is singing, the mountains rising, our breath breathing.

When the Buddha sat under the Bodhi tree, it is said he was tempted three times by Mara. The first watch of the night, Mara tempted him with lust, desire and wanting in the form of beautiful dancing girls. He smiled at the beautiful dancing girls and came back to his breath and body quietly resting beneath the sheltering branches. He was totally undisturbed, not chasing after anything, and also not pushing anything away. He didn’t see the women as evil temptresses or as objects of desire, but remained unmoved at his core.

At the second watch Mara tempted him with repulsion and disgust. Shakyamuni saw thousands of snakes writhing, biting each other and bloodied, but he was able to look into the heart of what was in front of him without being repelled by the sight.

In the third watch of the night Mara tempted him with self-doubt, and the Buddha reached down and touched the earth. He looked at Mara and said, “I sit here with the purest intention to see through all dualities, and the earth is my witness that I am here as goodness and light.” Mara was defeated and slunk away. The earth was the Buddha’s witness and refuge.

When the morning star rose in the East, the Buddha looked up at the star and immediately knew all beings as none other than himself. All things were reflected in his being, and he reflected all things. He saw into his True Self, One that continues endlessly, even in our day. It is our True Self, as well. Our grandfather in the dharma, Yamada Roshi, called it empty/oneness and drew a large circle in the air when he spoke these words. The circle he drew contained all things. Nothing was left out. All the dualities, all perceptions, all the places our mind gets caught are contained there. Suffering and enlightenment are contained there, and right and wrong are contained as well. The lotus flower and the mud only exist because they are both here together.

It is here that we find our True Home, our true place of refuge. We go to places of refuge to find within the stillness of our heart and mind, our True Refuge is always here, wherever we go. We find it with the great earth, the rising mountains, the drifting clouds and the song of the thrush. It is as close as our body, our breath.

– Excerpt from a Dharma talk, Spring 2012

Mountain Lamp Community

PO Box 512

Deming, Washington 98244

360-592-0600

www.mountainlamp.org

ml-info@mountainlamp.org

Dear friends

This video of events from the 21-day retreat at Plum Village has been posted through the link below. It is lovely! There is also a video of the first Dharma talk offered by Thay in the 21-day retreat.

21 day retreat celebrations:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8nN0kHBCu4&feature=youtu.be

talk by Thay:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB_n1gXuB3g&feature=related

If there is anyone in the Sangha who can help us by downloading YouTube video so we can play them during Sangha gatherings please let us know at wwsangha[at]gmail.com

Enjoy!

Dear Friends

We are passing along a notice of an upcoming retreat opportunity sent out by our dharma brother Dzung Vo.  Apologies for cross-posting…

The retreat is on the theme of “Cooking and Nourishment,” and will be facilitated by Brother Phap Hai (from Deer Park Monastery), and resident dharma teachers Eileen Kiera and Jack Duffy. It should be a lot of fun.

The dates are Aug 29 – Sep 2. Location is Mountain Lamp community, a lovely small practice centre near Bellingham, Washington, about two hour drive from Vancouver.

Please visit www.mountainlamp.org for details.  For questions or more information, please contact Tracey Pickup directly (the caretaker of Mountain Lamp): ml-info[at] mountainlamp.org, 360-592-0600.

Dear friends –

Waves and Water Sangha is offering a non-residential retreat on Friday evening, all day Saturday and Sunday morning, August 10, 11 and 12. This is the anniversary of the Vancouver retreat offered by Thich Nhat Hanh and the Plum Village Sangha in August 2011. So many of us were there and received the Five Mindfulness Trainings! We will celebrate Stillness – Silence – Sangha together!

Registration is open until July 31st if space permits. For more information and registration form, please click HERE.
We encourage you to send in your registration form and deposit or fees as soon as possible. (Part-time attendance is possible.)

On Friday evening, we will gather at the Wall Street Meditation Hall to sit and walk in meditation, chant and drink tea. We will meet old and new friends as we ground ourselves in practice. On Saturday morning, we will gather again at the meditation hall to practice sitting and walking meditation, watch a Dharma talk by Thich Nhat Hanh and drink tea together before Dharma discussion. There will be a silent lunch. Saturday afternoon we will practice sitting and walking meditation and the Recitation Ceremony for the Five Mindfulness Trainings. There will be tea and cookies during Dharma discussion, followed by outdoor walking and a silent supper. Saturday evening we will practice sitting and walking meditation, enjoy Deep Relaxation and circumambulate, chanting “May the day be well.”

On Sunday, we will be gathering at Mountain View Cemetery for sitting and walking in the area around the fountain and the still pool. We will offer our stillness, our silence and our Sangha body to ancestors, known and unknown. Aware of each other’s presence, we will also offer gratitude for this peaceful space in the midst of the city. At the still pond, we will Touch the Earth. We will then have a longer walking period followed by Dharma sharing. After a gassho circle, we will give gratitude for our food and after 10 minutes silence, eat together picnic style!

Please let us know if you have any questions – All are welcome.

Waves and Water Sangha Caretaking Council (wwsangha[at]gmail.com)

Dear Friends

August 10-12, 2012, there will be a non-residential retreat in Vancouver organized by Waves and Water Sangha to celebrate the one-year anniversary of our retreat with Thich Nhat Hanh and the Plum Village Sangha. We will have sitting and walking meditation, mindful meals, a videotape Dharma Talk by Thay, chanting, singing and sharing of our practice. There will be Touching the Earth and Deep Relaxation practice. We will also have a Recitation Ceremony for the Five Mindfulness Trainings. Everyone is welcome to attend – you do not have to have attended the 2011 retreat or even practiced in this tradition before. You may register for the full retreat from Friday at 7:00 p.m. to Sunday at 1:30 or for any of the shorter blocks of time!

Detailed schedule and registration form are available HERE.
Please register as soon as possible to help us plan the retreat.
Please pass the information to others who may be interested.

Dear Waves and Waters Sangha,

We’d like to thank you for making Thursday evening May 17 available so that we can celebrate Mountain Rain’s 10th anniversary with our guiding teacher Zoketsu Norman Fischer. (Don’t worry, we won’t make a habit of asking.) And we’d like to invite you to come and join us.

Celebrating Mountain Rain’s Tenth Anniversary: An Evening of Readings and Music and Refreshments with poet Norman Fischer, novelist Ruth Ozeki and more. Guest musicians: Colin MacDonald on saxophone, Takeo Yamashiro on shakuhachi, and more

In dharma friendship,
Myoshin Kate McCandless
Shinmon Michael Newton
for the Mountain Rain Sangha