IWM Sangha News - 6/29/23 - July Newsletter
Save the date! September 17, 2023
25th Anniversary Event
Dharma with Joseph Goldstein & Celebration
Beginning at 2pm on September 17, Joseph Goldstein is offering a benefit teaching event at the Jonathan Edwards Church in Northampton followed by IWM’s Celebration.
Changes in Monday evening practice sessions
In July we will continue our new format for our weekly Monday night open practice sessions, holding two or three sessions every month in person (hybrid when possible) at the center (IWM’s Eastworks space). The topic for June, the Brahma-Viharas, continues into July with the fourth of these heart qualities, Equanimity.
For the rest of July and into August, each Monday eve (except for the Blessing Circle on the first Monday) will focus on one of the Paramis, known as the 10 Perfections or wholesome qualities of the heart and mind leading to liberation.
July 3 Blessing Circle, on Zoom with Jennifer Delozier
July 10 Equanimity or Upekkha, in-person/hybrid with Hal Fales
July 17 First Parami, Generosity, on Zoom with Holly Bishop
July 24 Second Parami, Virtue (Sila), in-person (TBD if hybrid) with Jennifer Delozier
July 31 Third Parami, Renunciation, in-person (TBD if hybrid) with Holly Bishop
White & Awakening in the Dhamma
Thank you to everyone who filled out the information form for White & Awakening in the Dhamma. We are excited to see a strong level of interest in the course! We will be in touch with everyone who signed up about plans for the program by July 3 or 4. If you have not had a chance to fill out this interest form, please feel free to do so here.
Affinity Groups
The first meeting of our newly reopened Queer & Trans (LGBTQIA2S+) Affinity Group was very successful! We look forward to our second meeting, on July 27 in person at the center at 7:15 (TBD if hybrid) – feel free to attend if you are interested. For more information write to: [email protected].
Before the pandemic, we offered the following groups in addition to Queer/Trans folks: Parents, Chronic illness/disability, BIPOC, and Young Adults. If you are interested in hosting one of these, or attending one if it starts, please email us at [email protected].
New Google Group
We are starting a new Google Group for the sangha. It will be a place where sangha members can exchange posts with each other, discuss topics of interest, and post things you think other members might be interested in. Some may recall that the one we used for some time is hosted on InsightPV, our old name and email address. We plan to transfer everyone who is already signed up for the old group to the new group, but if you are not a member of that group and would like to join the new one, please fill out this brief form and we will add you!
25th Anniversary Event
Dharma with Joseph Goldstein & Celebration
Beginning at 2pm on September 17, Joseph Goldstein is offering a benefit teaching event at the Jonathan Edwards Church in Northampton followed by IWM’s Celebration.
Changes in Monday evening practice sessions
In July we will continue our new format for our weekly Monday night open practice sessions, holding two or three sessions every month in person (hybrid when possible) at the center (IWM’s Eastworks space). The topic for June, the Brahma-Viharas, continues into July with the fourth of these heart qualities, Equanimity.
For the rest of July and into August, each Monday eve (except for the Blessing Circle on the first Monday) will focus on one of the Paramis, known as the 10 Perfections or wholesome qualities of the heart and mind leading to liberation.
July 3 Blessing Circle, on Zoom with Jennifer Delozier
July 10 Equanimity or Upekkha, in-person/hybrid with Hal Fales
July 17 First Parami, Generosity, on Zoom with Holly Bishop
July 24 Second Parami, Virtue (Sila), in-person (TBD if hybrid) with Jennifer Delozier
July 31 Third Parami, Renunciation, in-person (TBD if hybrid) with Holly Bishop
White & Awakening in the Dhamma
Thank you to everyone who filled out the information form for White & Awakening in the Dhamma. We are excited to see a strong level of interest in the course! We will be in touch with everyone who signed up about plans for the program by July 3 or 4. If you have not had a chance to fill out this interest form, please feel free to do so here.
Affinity Groups
The first meeting of our newly reopened Queer & Trans (LGBTQIA2S+) Affinity Group was very successful! We look forward to our second meeting, on July 27 in person at the center at 7:15 (TBD if hybrid) – feel free to attend if you are interested. For more information write to: [email protected].
Before the pandemic, we offered the following groups in addition to Queer/Trans folks: Parents, Chronic illness/disability, BIPOC, and Young Adults. If you are interested in hosting one of these, or attending one if it starts, please email us at [email protected].
New Google Group
We are starting a new Google Group for the sangha. It will be a place where sangha members can exchange posts with each other, discuss topics of interest, and post things you think other members might be interested in. Some may recall that the one we used for some time is hosted on InsightPV, our old name and email address. We plan to transfer everyone who is already signed up for the old group to the new group, but if you are not a member of that group and would like to join the new one, please fill out this brief form and we will add you!
Dharma Dialogue with Jennifer D.
Aging/Impermanence
I mentioned to my teacher a couple of months ago that I didn’t really like Impermanence. She laughed, kindly, and responded, “Nobody does!” Impermanence is most obvious to me in everyday activity; in the small changes that I notice, especially in my body. Wrinkles are a good example. One day I’ll look and not “see” any. Then a week later, I’ll check again, and there they are. Seemingly out of nowhere. I suppose that believing they do come out of nowhere is one of the ways that I deny that the process that aging is continuous, and shows itself in small and big ways. Dust on my bureau. The last time I dusted was 2 months ago. It keeps accumulating, when what I want is for it to stay clean.
In my formal meditation practice, one of the most prominent and available places to see impermanence is in my breathing. Can I feel it, and stay with it moment-by-moment, bringing all the qualities it has to offer to the forefront? Is it my goal to always have calm and relaxed breathing? I would rather say that my aspiration is to be able to accept whatever comes up when I am paying attention to my breath. The possibilities seem endless, including the pleasant that arises, aversion to the unpleasant, and, as I practice more, being in the present moment to comfort me no matter the sensations that are there in my body, mind and heart.
Thoughts of the mind can sometimes seem like an easy construct within which to experience impermanence. Can I let thoughts pass like clouds on an otherwise blue-sky day? Can I have compassion for the uncomfortable and painful thoughts that appear and reappear, dissipating for what seems like only moments at a time? How about thoughts of the past, future, and even the present which pull me out of the moment? Some have value to be sure, and can I trust myself to feel gratitude for especially those?
In my heart, I want to feel emotions, have compassion for those which bring up pain and suffering, and treat my whole self gently and kindly through the impermanence of all of it. Aging, in the biggest sense, to me means dying moment-to-moment, and I often find it difficult to accept that. But what is living all about, if not change and growth and yes, back to impermanence? My first meditation teacher once said, if I am remembering correctly, that ‘Joy is what’s there when we stop doing everything else.’ I took that to mean that underneath all of what the body, mind and heart have to offer, is our Buddha Nature; that is what she meant by Joy. It doesn’t mean we will always feel joyful or happy. What it does mean to me is that there is my practice that provides a safety net, if you will, to allow for the acceptance that is the root of all we have to live for.
If you would like to join our Dharma Dialogue, please send an offering in an email to [email protected] with cc: Casper Lucia. Anonymity is respected. You don’t have to consider yourself a writer; this format is just to share our experiences about our practice.
Gratefully,
Jennifer D.
Community Dharma Steward
From Rachel:
What came up for me reading this month’s Dharma Dialogue is how much I’ve been struggling against the Truth of aging. I want my body to stay the same but as I see the signs of aging, I cling to how I used to look and suffer greatly. What helps is good friends who know me well and love me for me, not because of the way I look. What also helps is reciting the following quote that I have on my bathroom mirror from How To Wake Up by Toni Bernhard: “I can feel the Truth of my aging without any story or resistance. Aging is a natural, undeniable aspect of life. I breath and take that in.” There’s also another quote from the Buddha that I really enjoy: “Our increasingly fragile and infirm bodies and minds are sacred, and worthy of the greatest kindness and care. To respect our aging at every stage is the greatest kindness we can offer to ourselves and those we love.” Even just typing those words inspires a sense of softness and tenderness, and such love and care for myself and my body!
Downloadable Flyers
Below are downloadable flyers in case you want to share them with a friend or post them on a public bulletin board:
Feedback
If you have comments, questions, or ideas you’d like to share, please contact us: [email protected].
With much care and metta,
IWM Board
Aging/Impermanence
I mentioned to my teacher a couple of months ago that I didn’t really like Impermanence. She laughed, kindly, and responded, “Nobody does!” Impermanence is most obvious to me in everyday activity; in the small changes that I notice, especially in my body. Wrinkles are a good example. One day I’ll look and not “see” any. Then a week later, I’ll check again, and there they are. Seemingly out of nowhere. I suppose that believing they do come out of nowhere is one of the ways that I deny that the process that aging is continuous, and shows itself in small and big ways. Dust on my bureau. The last time I dusted was 2 months ago. It keeps accumulating, when what I want is for it to stay clean.
In my formal meditation practice, one of the most prominent and available places to see impermanence is in my breathing. Can I feel it, and stay with it moment-by-moment, bringing all the qualities it has to offer to the forefront? Is it my goal to always have calm and relaxed breathing? I would rather say that my aspiration is to be able to accept whatever comes up when I am paying attention to my breath. The possibilities seem endless, including the pleasant that arises, aversion to the unpleasant, and, as I practice more, being in the present moment to comfort me no matter the sensations that are there in my body, mind and heart.
Thoughts of the mind can sometimes seem like an easy construct within which to experience impermanence. Can I let thoughts pass like clouds on an otherwise blue-sky day? Can I have compassion for the uncomfortable and painful thoughts that appear and reappear, dissipating for what seems like only moments at a time? How about thoughts of the past, future, and even the present which pull me out of the moment? Some have value to be sure, and can I trust myself to feel gratitude for especially those?
In my heart, I want to feel emotions, have compassion for those which bring up pain and suffering, and treat my whole self gently and kindly through the impermanence of all of it. Aging, in the biggest sense, to me means dying moment-to-moment, and I often find it difficult to accept that. But what is living all about, if not change and growth and yes, back to impermanence? My first meditation teacher once said, if I am remembering correctly, that ‘Joy is what’s there when we stop doing everything else.’ I took that to mean that underneath all of what the body, mind and heart have to offer, is our Buddha Nature; that is what she meant by Joy. It doesn’t mean we will always feel joyful or happy. What it does mean to me is that there is my practice that provides a safety net, if you will, to allow for the acceptance that is the root of all we have to live for.
If you would like to join our Dharma Dialogue, please send an offering in an email to [email protected] with cc: Casper Lucia. Anonymity is respected. You don’t have to consider yourself a writer; this format is just to share our experiences about our practice.
Gratefully,
Jennifer D.
Community Dharma Steward
From Rachel:
What came up for me reading this month’s Dharma Dialogue is how much I’ve been struggling against the Truth of aging. I want my body to stay the same but as I see the signs of aging, I cling to how I used to look and suffer greatly. What helps is good friends who know me well and love me for me, not because of the way I look. What also helps is reciting the following quote that I have on my bathroom mirror from How To Wake Up by Toni Bernhard: “I can feel the Truth of my aging without any story or resistance. Aging is a natural, undeniable aspect of life. I breath and take that in.” There’s also another quote from the Buddha that I really enjoy: “Our increasingly fragile and infirm bodies and minds are sacred, and worthy of the greatest kindness and care. To respect our aging at every stage is the greatest kindness we can offer to ourselves and those we love.” Even just typing those words inspires a sense of softness and tenderness, and such love and care for myself and my body!
Downloadable Flyers
Below are downloadable flyers in case you want to share them with a friend or post them on a public bulletin board:
- July Offerings: click here
- Upcoming Courses & Retreats:
Feedback
If you have comments, questions, or ideas you’d like to share, please contact us: [email protected].
With much care and metta,
IWM Board