Nourishing our Sangha

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Rebecca Lockman

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Jun 11, 2021, 9:39:21 AM6/11/21
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Dear Friends,

During this last year and a half of COVID, being able to meet in sangha via zoom has been a huge blessing.  It has allowed us to transform our feelings of loneliness and isolation into feelings of happiness, joy, and compassion for ourselves and for our sangha. We have been able to continue our practice together rather than alone. We have been able to give and receive love.  Our teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh, says, " We all need love. Without enough love, we may not be able to survive, as individuals and as a planet. It is said that the next Buddha will be named "Maitreya," the Buddha of Love. I believe that Maitreya might not take the form of an individual, but as a community showing us the way of love and compassion.  Each of us can bring the Buddha into our daily life by practic­ing mindful living. Each of us is a cell in Maitreya Buddha, the Buddha of the twenty-first century, the Buddha of Love. "


Each of us has a role to play in keeping our sangha alive and vibrant, supporting its being a cell in Maitreya Buddha.  I'm sure you have noticed that for the life of our zoom Sangha, the same 7 or 8 people have taken the roles of Bellminder, Music Coordinator, Meditation Leader, Dharma Presenter, and Planning Committee Spokesperson.  These sangha members are not more steeped in the dharma or buddhism than you, they are not more advanced practitioners than you, they are not wiser, more enlightened, nor more sagacious than you.  They are simply fellow sangha members who are walking the path with you, who are willing to stumble and fall when taking on a leading role because they know that the sangha is a place of no judgement but rather a place of acceptance. They know the sangha is there to support them in their efforts, as they walk towards mindfulness, concentration, insight, and love.They know that Buddha Nature is in all of us. They know that Mindfulness is something we can touch in ourselves and share the fruits of that with others. But......they need your help.  To keep our sangha fresh and vibrant, to prevent the 7- 8 who always lead, from growing tired and weary, we need those who are able, to come forward and take a leading role. You don't need to sign up for something every week, but it would be extremely helpful if you could take a role every once in a while. If you need help or guidance in fulfilling the role you chose, that help will be available. You can alternate what role you choose in order to help you learn how to do each one, or you can select only one role that you are willing to take.

I have written the different roles in bold print above.  I will list the dates of our meetings in July through August and ask that each of you sign up for a date and a role that you are willing to take.  Please remember that instruction and guidance are available and that if there is any place where you can truly feel supported and accepted, with no criticism, it is in our sangha!!

The dates for our meetings in July through August are:  July 4th   July 10th   July 18th   July 24th   August 1st   August 7th   August 15th   August 21   August 29th.
Please choose a date and a role you would like to take and email them to me at beckyl...@gmail.com
Thank you so very much!
*******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
 This week the Co-arising Mindful Heart Sangha will gather online Sunday, June 13th, from 9am  to 10:30amish. (connection info below)

We will share music, sitting meditation, and a period of dharma sharing

Please join us wherever you are on the path.

Connection Information for our meetings:

Join Co-arising Mindful Heart Sangha Zoom Meeting
https://BreathingHeart.org/zoom 
- or -

Meeting ID: 847 4192 2975  -  Password: iamhome
Audio-only by phone, tap: +19292056099,,84741922975#,,1#,556500# 
Or dial it:  929-205-6099  -  Meeting ID: 847 4192 2975  -  Password: 556500

May we each water the seeds of happiness, love, and enlightenment in the soil of our Sangha.

Becky Lockman
Interim Communications Coordinator



















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