Sunday December 26
We will recite the 14 Mindfulness Trainings and perhaps sing a few Buddhaful carols, along with our usual meditation and Dharma sharing. Marge will facilitate.
💗🎋
practicing mindfulness in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh
Sunday December 19
Dear friends,
On Sunday, I will offer a practice entitled “Touching the Earth to Mother Earth”, based on texts from Thay’s book Love Letters to the Earth (2013). “Touching the Earth” is the name Thay has given to the practice of combining a contemplative text with a deep, mindful, full-body prostration on the ground. Touching the Earth is part of the daily mindfulness practice in Plum Village practice centers around the world, and is usually done after a session of sitting meditation. The whole community touches the earth at the same time after having heard the text being read. We allow the words to fall gently like rain, and slowly penetrate our consciousness, where they can bring about insight, deep healing and transformation. The collective energy of concentration is very powerful and has the capacity to bring healing and transformation. The practice of Touching the Earth deepens over time. For anyone who is unable to do a full body prostration, an alternative version will be demonstrated. I look forward to sharing this beautiful practice with each of you.
Here is a beautiful quote from Thay:
"When we look into our own bodily formation, we see Mother Earth inside us, and so the whole universe is inside us, too. Once we have this insight of interbeing, it is possible to have real communication, real communion, with the Earth. This is the highest possible form of prayer. To express our reverence for the Earth is not to deify her or believe she is any more sacred than ourselves. It is to love her, to take care of her and to take refuge in her. When we suffer, the Earth embraces us, accepts us, and restores our energy, making us strong and stable again. The relief that we seek is right under our feet and all around us. Much of our suffering can be healed if we realize this. If we understand our deep connection and relationship with the Earth, we will have enough love, strength, and awakening to look after ourselves and the Earth so that we both can thrive.”
Flowers to all,
Donna
🙏💗
Sunday November 14
Dear Friends,
The last time I facilitated we explored the deep mystery of death and the teaching of no birth and no death. This time we will enter into another deep mystery.
Perhaps the most profound of the teachings we have been offered by Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) is the teaching that there is no separate self. It is one of the Three Dharma Seals, the requirements for any teaching to be considered a true Buddhist teaching: Impermanance; Non-self; and Nirvana. It is the same as Emptiness, which Thay tells us is emptiness of a separate self, which is one of the Three Doors of Liberation: Emptiness; Signlessness; and Aimlessness. This Sunday we will explore this deep teaching and how we can practice to fully break through to the insight it is pointing us to.
I look forward to being with you,
Keith
🙏💗
Sunday October 24
Dear Sangha,
Recently Liz asked about how we reconcile our teaching of No Birth & No Death with the obvious reality of birth and death. This is a deep question, and we will explore it in our Sangha this Sunday. Liz gave me permission to mention her name.
I look forward to being with you,
Keith
🙏💗
Sunday October 10
Marge will facilitate on Sunday. Our teacher’s 95th birthday/continuation day is on Monday, Oct. 11, and we will spend time on Sunday honoring him, his life, and his teachings. The Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation recently sent out Thay’s call for practitioners to practice deep listening to help heal ourselves, our communities, and our planet. We will contemplate his encouragement to listen to the earth, listen to ourselves, and listen to a loved one
🙏💗
Dear Open Heart Sangha friends,
The Open Heart Sangha is offering an in-person, outdoor Sangha practice gathering once a month, on second Sunday of each month, 4-5:30 pm. Please read carefully the logistics below. We will continue offering two Zoom meetings a week at our usual times on Sunday and Tuesday, for those who are not able or willing to join us in person.
What: Sangha practice get-together. Sitting meditation, walking meditation with others in nature, movement and live singing practices (no muting required!
). Dharma Sharing in a circle.
). Dharma Sharing in a circle. When: the second Sunday of the month, 4-5:30 pm.
Where: we will meet at the Mission Hills park called Pioneer Park. This is a quiet, shady park with a restroom, easy street parking and a bus stop not far away. The address is 1521 Washington Pl, San Diego, CA 92103 . We will meet next to the playground at 3:55 and then find a place to sit together. Google link is below.
Safety: 1. WE ASK ANYONE EXPERIENCING COLD- or FLU-like SYMPTOMS TO STAY HOME. 2. We ask everyone to keep a safe distance from others and be responsive to others' distancing requests. Thank you for your understanding. Masks will be optional. We will keep following the developments and adjust as needed.
Other logistics: we should be able to find a shady spot to sit on grass or ground. Please bring a comfortable chair or cushion with ground cover, and anything else you need to be comfortable outdoors. We may have several extra chairs available.
If you have any questions, please e-mail Dmitry.
We hope to practice together in person soon!
Dmitry, on behalf of the organizing team.
Sunday August 29
We will be reciting the Five Mindfulness Trainings, and Marge will facilitate. If you have received the Five Mindfulness Training transmission and would like to share your experience with putting one of the 5 into practice, please contact Marge at Margewur@gmail.com by Saturday and she will plan to have you participate in Sunday’s recitation.
💗🙏
Sunday July 11
Sunday we will be trying out a variety of movements in the context of meditation. We will practice some standing meditation, walking meditation, and a variety of other mindful movements that can be a part of sitting or standing meditation. If someone has mobility challenges, the practices may be modified to meet their physical needs. All are welcome! Marge will facilitate.
💗🙏
Tuesday July 13
Dear Sangha,
I found this interview The Divided Brain: A Dialogue with Dr. Iain McGilchrist fascinating and Dr. Iain McGilchrist’s main thesis very helpful in being effictive in our practice. The link also led me to a more extended version of the interview. I’ll present his main thesis and how we can use it to deepen and enrich our meditation practice. I hope to see you next Tuesday, the 13th of July.
Breathe well,
Keith
From the Raft, June 3, 2021
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dmitrypek@gmail.com
May 18, 2021, 10:47 PM
to Open Unsubscribe
Dear Open Heart Sangha friends,
This is a happy moment, and I have great news to share!
As you know, our beautiful city and state are generally moving on an encouraging path of reduced Covid case numbers. The time has come to consider how and when we will wind down self-isolation due to the pandemic. Some of us have more strict safety criteria than others. However, increasing numbers of Sangha members are ready to expand their lifestyle to include small outdoor gatherings. According to city, state and national guidelines, such gatherings are considered quite safe, and even more so for those who have been vaccinated against Covid.
We hear quite a bit in Dharma sharing about missing in-person Sangha connections. Now the conditions are such that we can gradually restart meeting in person (for those who want to).
Our Sangha's Care Taking Council met last weekend to consider ways of reopening. The Council has reached consensus on the following.
From now on the Open Heart Sangha will start offering an in-person, outdoor Sangha practice gathering twice a month, on Sundays 4-5:30 pm, starting this Sunday May 23. Please read carefully the logistics below. Meanwhile, we will continue offering two Zoom meetings a week at our usual times on Sunday and Tuesday, for the time being, for those who are not able or willing to join us in person.
What: Sangha practice get-together. Sitting meditation, walking meditation with others in nature, movement and live singing practices (no muting required!😉). Dharma Sharing in a circle.
When: every second and fourth Sunday of the month, beginning May 23, 4-5:30 pm.
Where: we will meet at the Mission Hills park called Pioneers Park. This is a quiet, shady park with a restroom, easy street parking and a bus stop not far away. The address is 1521 Washington Pl, San Diego, CA 92103 . We will meet next to the playground at 3:55 and then find a place to sit together. Google link is below:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/32%C2%B044'58.1%22N+117%C2%B010'37.6%22W/@32.7494681,-117.1776595,266m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m13!1m6!3m5!1s0x80deab27d388b37b:0xa3f3246112f33d38!2sPioneer+Park!8m2!3d32.749058!4d-117.1775418!3m5!1s0x0:0x0!7e2!8m2!3d32.7494674!4d-117.1771113
Safety: 1. WE ASK ANYONE EXPERIENCING COLD- or FLU-like SYMPTOMS TO STAY HOME. 2. We ask everyone to keep a safe distance from others and be responsive to others' distancing requests. Thank you for your understanding. Masks will be optional. We will keep following the developments and adjust as needed.
Other logistics: we should be able to find a shady spot to sit on grass or ground. Please bring a comfortable chair or cushion with ground cover, and anything else you need to be comfortable outdoors. We may have several extra chairs available.
If you have any questions, please e-mail Dmitry.
We hope to practice together in person soon!
🙏
Dmitry, on behalf of the organizing team.
OHS 10th Anniversary Poem by Monica Elrod
Open Heart Sangha
The
sangha cradles me gently like a newborn babe
Easing
suffering, quenching my hunger for spiritual food
Filling
my heart with comfort and deep healing
Dharma
rain falls upon me
Mixing
with my tears
Of
joy, grief, and love
I learn to deeply experience
The
present moment
Songs
make me smile,
I
feel like a six year old child
Singing
quietly, haltingly
Not
knowing all the words or gestures
Others
may be shy too
I
wait for them
During
dharma sharing
Hoping
for the tiny flower buds to unfurl
And
luscious blossoms to spill from open hearts and lips
We
zoom together, and inter are
Our
energies join in cyberspace,
Ebbing,
swirling and flowing
Like
waves surging into shore, and out to sea again
I
feel your pain
I
feel your sorrow
I
feel your compassion,
I
feel your loving kindness
We
are the continuation
Dear
Thay
Although
I have not met you
I
know you (and you know me!)
From
your writings
Your
dharma talks
Through
your precious nuns and monks
And
cherished sangha bodies
You
have polished the three jewels
So
they sparkle with color, brilliance, and energy
Today
we celebrate
10
years
Of
heart opening and deep listening
Breathing
in, we transform our suffering
Breathing
out, we transform the world's suffering
The
bell rings, echoing waves of sound
Bringing
us back to the present moment, wonderful moment
-Monica Elrod
OHS 10th Anniversary Poem by Dianne Pietila
Goodness gracious sakes alive.
The “buzz” around the sangha hive
Is that a Be-in is happening at Open Heart
And all Thay’s friends will joyfully take part.
It’s tea with Thay -- Just you and I
And we will also honor with glee
All others with whom we inter-be.
It’s a day when we can celebrate
Our sweet, wise leader and soulmate.
Whom we honor for his steadfastedness
And seeming foreverlastedness.
I’m grateful, too, for our facilitators.
Such loving, innovative inspirators.
You are so devoted and professional --
Maybe more than some of our Washington congressional.
Open Heart is a place where we can be free,
To not think or worry but just simply be.
In our dharma talk we know we can say
Whatever we’re feeling on a particular day.
We can cry, laugh and give voice
To all we fear, hope or rejoice.
Even dark secrets we’ve thought we must keep.
We can share in the light and bring out of the deep.
Without judgment, we feel safe to unbury
Those dread thoughts we’ve long had to carry.
But today is a day to laugh, smile & giggle,
Let’s sing, let’s dance, and maybe even wiggle.
Let’s raise our teacups and toast our presenters --
With special kudos to our forever mentor.
And following the lead of our dear, wise Thay
Let’s all breathe deeply and release with a sigh.
Of course remembering all the while
The Thai trademark: that sweet half-smile.
- Dianne Pietila
Sunday February 14
Dear Friends,
Emptiness has come up more than once as a troubling concept in our Buddhist practice. It has unpleasant, negative connotations in our normal way to thinking and speaking about it. But in Buddhism it is one of the greatest treasures, one of the Three Doors of Liberation. Can we unite these two ways of experiencing emptiness? What if we dive right into our sense of emptiness, unafraid of the pain of loneliness we think we may encounter? Perhaps we can realize that by embracing our emptiness we are opening ourselves to a much larger identity, to the universe, and even the source of the universe, as our real self. That would make the journey worthwhile. Perhaps we can realize Thay’s insight, “We are empty of a separate self, and filled with the entire universe.” We’ll explore this territory when we gather together.
I look forward to being with you,
Keith
Universal Emptiness of the Heart.
💗🙏
Sunday February 7
Marge will use teachings on love from Thich Nhat Hanh’s book How to Love, and the group will do the Love Meditation (Metta Meditation) from that book. Dharma sharing may be done in break out rooms, and people will be invited to share on Thay’s question “How do we help our hearts to grow?”, as well as any other aspects of our practice.
💗🙏
Sunday January 10
Keith will lead the study and practice of Thay’s teachings on training our minds.
Thay has said, we who practice in his tradition are yogis of the mind. We are training our minds. He has said that nothing in this world causes more suffering than an untrained mind and nothing in this world creates more wellbeing and happiness than a well-trained mind. What are we training our mind to do? How do we train our mind? What are the guidelines we have for this, the teachings, and what are the practices we can use to accomplish this? And what are the benefits? The benefits include the fruits of concentration, liberation, freedom from fear, peace, happiness, maintaining our energy and clarity, not having our vitality sapped by distractedness and a jumpy mind.
💗🙏
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