Monday, May 27, we will meet online.
Dear friends,
This week: we will meet Monday from 7-8:30PM EDT online, Wednesday morning from 7-8AM EDT in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW), and Friday 12-1PM EDT online.
Marie will facilitate Monday night. She shares:
On Monday, we’ll continue to explore the topic of sangha, which Ellen introduced last week, from the lens of the Fifth Mindfulness training, Nourishment and Healing.
I was moved by Ellen’s written description, and I’ve been reflecting on sangha and my gratitude for it. To me, sangha inter-is with the Fifth Mindfulness Training, Nourishment and Healing. The practice of coming to sangha - whether it is here at Opening Heart or elsewhere - is like an anchor, calling me back to my true self. I know and take comfort in knowing that sangha will accept me just as I am, and that, in turn, helps me to accept and better understand myself.
While I rarely have insights on the cushion, I often find that in sangha - when words bubble up - whether someone else’s or mine - my heart is more open and I process things at a deeper level than normal. And, when there are no words, we sit and breathe together, and our collective energy feels nourishing and healing.
This month, two parts of the Fifth Mindfulness Training resonated with me:
“I will practice coming back to the present moment to be in touch with the refreshing, healing and nourishing elements in me and around me, not letting regrets and sorrow drag me back into the past nor letting anxieties, fear, or craving pull me out of the present moment…
I will contemplate interbeing and consume in a way that preserves peace, joy, and well-being in my body and consciousness, and in the collective body and consciousness of my family, my society and the Earth.
On Monday night, I hope you’ll share your experience with sangha as a means of nourishment and healing. The entire Fifth Mindfulness Training follows, for your ease of reference.
With a deep bow,
Marie
The Fifth Mindfulness Training: Nourishment and Healing
Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful consumption, I am committed to cultivating good health, both physical and mental, for myself, my family, and my society by practicing mindful eating, drinking, and consuming. I will practice looking deeply into how I consume the Four Kinds of Nutriments, namely edible foods, sense impressions, volition, and consciousness. I am determined not to gamble, or to use alcohol, drugs, or any other products which contain toxins, such as certain websites, electronic games, TV programs, films, magazines, books, and conversations. I will practice coming back to the present moment to be in touch with the refreshing, healing and nourishing elements in me and around me, not letting regrets and sorrow drag me back into the past nor letting anxieties, fear, or craving pull me out of the present moment. I am determined not to try to cover up loneliness, anxiety, or other suffering by losing myself in consumption. I will contemplate interbeing and consume in a way that preserves peace, joy, and well-being in my body and consciousness, and in the collective body and consciousness of my family, my society and the Earth.