Monday, February 10, we will meet in person.
Go to calendar for our schedule
Address for OHMC meditation space:
3812 Northampton St. NW, Washington DC 20015
Please arrive a few minutes early so we can invite the bell on time. You may also arrive 15 minutes early to practice working meditation by helping us set up cushions.
Dear friends,
This week, we will meet Monday evening, Feb. 10, from 7-8:30PM EST in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); Wednesday morning, Feb. 12, from 7-8AM EST online; and Friday, Feb. 14, from 12-1PM EST in person & online (hybrid).
On Monday, Magda will facilitate. Magda shares:
As a continuation of last week’s topic, No Mud, No Lotus: Reconnecting the Points by Embracing the Mud, Magda will guide us in exploring how we can embrace, examine, heal, and transform our suffering through the Four Noble Truths. This Monday, she will lead us through the last two Noble Truths.
No Mud, No Lotus: Like Lotus Petals Emerging From My Head
3) The Cessation of Suffering (Nirodha): The Energy of Mindfulness Is Like the Sun’s Energy
"Returning to myself is already a miracle.” -Brother Phap An at the European Institute of Applied Buddhism (EIAB)
By transforming this "mud" through mindfulness, I uncover its potential to nourish growth. I now remain vigilant against distractions, especially during periods when fragmentation intensifies, and focus on reconnecting to my wholeness. To protect my peace, I’ve limited my exposure by deleting apps, blocking triggering content, and redirecting my energy toward meditation, reading meaningful content, and nourishing activities like engaged mindfulness projects.
Before discovering this practice, I was easily overwhelmed by negative emotions. I didn’t know how to embrace them with tenderness, explore their root causes, or transform and release them through breathing exercises and meditation. At the EIAB, Brother Phap An guided us in a meditation where we breathed deeply into our lower abdomen and released tension through our legs into the earth. This ritual deeply relaxes my body, and each morning, I practice it until I feel peace and growing wholeness.
In another meditation, Brother Phap An invited us to imagine lotus petals emerging from our heads, symbolizing liberating transformation. This imagery helped inspire the illustration that accompanies this writeup.
These practices harmonize my body and mind, reconnecting my fragmented parts. They foster hope, ease my anxiety, and offer me a path to liberation.
4) The Path to End Suffering (Magga): The Practice That Helps Me Connect the Dots
“Mindfulness of the body in the body connects us to the present moment and reduces ignorance.” -Brother Phap An at EIAB
The path of mindfulness and meditation I have chosen helps me return to myself, deepening my connection to the present moment and to my true aspirations. Mindfulness serves as a bell, reminding me to come back, embrace the mud, and connect the dots. By integrating mind and body—allowing my whole being to breathe out negative energy—I cultivate peaceful detachment. Embracing suffering allows me to transform pain into growth and understanding.
A Less Fragmented Self
“The energy of mindfulness is like the sun’s energy that converts the mud into a lotus flower.” -Brother Phap An at EIAB
Ignorance shatters us into scattered fragments, while mindfulness tenderly gathers those fragments together, restoring our wholeness. Returning to ourselves is a kind of miracle. It is more than an act of healing; it is a profound transformation, in which the mud of our suffering nurtures the blooming lotus of understanding, compassion, and peace.
We will explore the same questions as last week:
1) What practices help me feel more connected to my most genuine self and my truest aspirations?
2) What practices help me recognize my suffering and the suffering of those around me?
3) What practices help me explore “the mud” of my suffering and its root causes?
4) What practices help me feel hope, compassion and liberation during especially challenging and fragmenting times?