SUNDAY MEETING 

Dear Sangha Friends,

Address: 4190 Front Street, San Diego, CA 92103
GPS: use 298 West Arbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92103 - across the street from UCSD Medical Center.
Parking:  The church parking lot (run by Ace Parking), is directly opposite the main entrance to the UCSD Medical Center main entrance. Parking is free. Print this parking pass to put on your windshield. If you can’t print it, you may get one at the church.

We will meet in Bard Hall, the large social hall on the ground floor of the Welcome Center. Some mats and cushions will be available, as will plenty of chairs. Masks will not be required, but, of course, you may wear one if desired.

We will continue to hold Zoom gatherings on Tuesdays from 5:30-6:30 pm, using the same Zoom link as we have been using.

If you have questions, you may bring them to the Zoom sangha in the meantime and get them answered at the end of the meetings.

🌻🌻💗🌻🌻

  Sunday January 15, 2023

Marge will facilitate on Sunday and lead the group in contemplating "Starting the Year Well with Daily Meditation". We have closed 2022, a year filled with all kinds of experiences, feelings, challenges, and hopefully some joys. During this new year of 2023 how may we pull from a variety of types of daily practices or meditations to begin the year intentionally, perhaps peacefully, with moments of joy, gratitude, and love?

🌻🌻💗🌻🌻

  Tuesday, May 3, 2022

Donna will facilitate.

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  Sunday May 1, 2022

Tree will facilitate

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 Sunday April  24, 2022

Marge will facilitate.
We will be reciting the 5 Mindfulness Trainings.
In addition, since Earth Day is celebrated Friday, April 22, we will honor Mother Earth during our time together.

🌻🌻💗🌻🌻

 Tuesday April 26, 2022

Dear Beloved Community,

I have chosen the topic: WAYS OF PRACTICE

Our practice has been descried by Thay as:  Stop Calm Rest Heal Transform.

How do we practice in order to bring this about? I’ll share what I have learned from Thay about two key ways to do this: naming what is happening in the present moment and using guided meditations which have been developed over the last 2,600 years. I look forward to practicing with you this coming Tuesday.

Keith

Universal Emptiness of the Heart

True Enlightenment Garden

🌻🌻💗🌻🌻

 Tuesday April 19, 2022

Pete will facilitate

🌻🌻💗🌻🌻

 Sunday April 17, 2022

Dear Sangha, 

Thay wrote a book called Cultivating the Mind of Love. Becoming the mind of love is one way of saying what the goal and path of our practice is. It is another way of saying Awakening, Enlightenment, and it involves a radical transformation of consciousness, a breakthrough. It is our journey into the ultimate dimension by a deep communion with what is right in front of us, which Thay calls the historical dimension.

 I look forward to cultivating our individual and our collective Mind of Love together.

Smiling,

 

Keith

Universal Emptiness of the Heart

True Enlightenment Garden

🌻🌻💗🌻🌻

 Sunday March 27, 2022

Dave will lead us in the 14 Mindfulness Trainings

🌻🌻💗🌻🌻

  Tuesday March 29, 2022

Tree will lead

🌻🌻💗🌻🌻

 Sunday March 6, 2022

Donna will facilitate

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 Tuesday March 15, 2022

Anita will facilitate.

🌻💗

 Sunday February 20, 2022

Dave will facilitate

💗🙏

Tuesday February 22, 2022

Pete will lead

🙏💗

 Sunday January 16

Dear Sangha,

The topic for this weeks Sangha is a phrase Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) used which blew me away when I heard it. Taking care of the present moment. I had never heard this phrase in more than 50 years of deep interest in Zen Buddhism and lots of other spiritual and psychological literature. It’s so simple and yet infinitely profound. 

TAKING CARE OF THE PRESENT MOMENT

I discovered today the blessing of walking on earth without thinking, and of enjoying every step as Marge and I climbed a mountain on a steep, rock strewn path. My body knew how to take every step and took every step confidently and easily, effortlessly, spontaneously. My organism knew exactly where to place every foot among the rocks and I was never off balance. I enjoyed the spontaneity with which I did this and the ease I created by not thinking and simply walking and enjoying every step and the beautiful world I was walking in. It was so simple. I was remembering how a neuroscientist was measuring the mental activity of monastics in our tradition and thought her equipment was broken because there was no activity at all when none was required. They actually stopped thinking and simply breathed mindfully when thinking was not needed. This is what Thay had trained them to do and they naturally did it.

 Our practice is designed to enable us to enjoy the present moment and to not generate suffering through regretting the past or worrying about the future. Thay says he doesn’t worry about the future. He knows that if he takes care of the present moment the future will be made of the moments he took care of when it arrives.

 I look forward to being with you this Sunday when we can explore how we can maximize our quality of life in the present moment and thereby maximize the benefit our life will have on our world. 

Be well,

Keith

💗🙏

  Tuesday January 18

Marge will facilitate and the sangha will consider the practice of giving or dana. We usually talk about dana as financial generosity, but Thay will share with us (in video) about giving of ourselves as a way to become freer, heal relationships, and become happier.

🌲💗