June Sangha News
5/30/24
June at IWM
This month, IWM will mark our 26th anniversary with a Potluck Picnic Celebration on Sunday June 9 at Nonotuck Park in Easthampton. We hope you can join us! We’re also looking forward to How to Breathe with a Tree, a Half-day Retreat with Gina Siepel and Bernadine Mellis on Sunday June 30 at Macleish Field Station. We’re excited to host Wednesday Night Dharma Talks with incredible teachers Devin Berry, Aishah Shahidah Simmons, Karen Waconda-Lewis, and Manny Mansbach. We offer many Open Community Practice sessions throughout the week, as well as our weekly Saturday Sangha, and several Affinity Groups meeting monthly.
Looking forward to July, we are happy to welcome Kate Johnson back for a morning retreat on Sat July 13, in person (and likely hybrid) at the center. Registration will open soon! More details on all of our offerings below. Thank you for being part of our sangha.
June 9 Potluck Picnic
26th Anniversary Celebration and Potluck Picnic
Sunday June 9, 11am-1pm at Nonotuck Park, Pavilion 4
Join us for a potluck picnic to celebrate IWM's 26th year, honor IWM's dedicated volunteers and all of our Sangha members, and be together as a community. IWM will provide dessert and drinks - bring a dish to share if you’re able, but please feel free to join either way. There’s a grill available (bring charcoal if you plan to grill), and a playground nearby. IWM will offer a brief program at 12pm, and there will be plenty of time to mingle, relax, and celebrate together. Nonotuck Park is located off Williston and Lownds Avenue on Daley Field Road in Easthampton. If you would like IWM to pay for your parking, tell the parking attendant you're there for the Insight Western Mass event.
RSVP here - not required, but helpful for planning purposes.
From the Board
In the last month we welcomed two new staff members to IWM! These hirings are part of our current campaign to expand and improve our infrastructure for sustainability. Both Mara Poliak and Karen Clay bring a host of talents, expertise and experience that will benefit both our daily operations and our big- picture planning. We are working now on orientation and defining the specifics of how they will work together. Please join us in welcoming them!
Our Town Hall on May 8 was a lovely evening of warmth and connection, truly an expression of sangha! About 45 people were present, half in person and half on zoom. Much gratitude to all who gathered. The Board shared some reflections that night, many of which are included in this document: Recent Growth, Planting New Seeds. We hope all will take the time to read the reflections; we welcome questions and further conversation.
In response to the conversation at the Town Hall about our aspiration to build our base of monthly donors, or “Friends of IWM,” some have asked how they can begin giving on a recurring basis. Please click here to do that. Others have expressed an interest in increasing their monthly giving (we’ll be happy to assist).
Stewarding Our Sangha
Service is a wonderful way to connect and express generosity. If you’re interested in joining the Programming Committee, please click here to read more and apply. If you’d like to join a team of people who tidy up the center from time-to-time, learn more about hosting (in person, Zoom, hybrid), or other volunteer opportunities, please email [email protected].
Second Fridays Community Practice: A small group practices together every Friday, and one of the facilitators can no longer take a turn so there’s an opportunity for a peer leader to open the Zoom room and to hold the space on the 2nd Fridays of the month (5:45-6:30pm). Please write to [email protected] if you're interested in learning more and we'll connect you.
This month, IWM will mark our 26th anniversary with a Potluck Picnic Celebration on Sunday June 9 at Nonotuck Park in Easthampton. We hope you can join us! We’re also looking forward to How to Breathe with a Tree, a Half-day Retreat with Gina Siepel and Bernadine Mellis on Sunday June 30 at Macleish Field Station. We’re excited to host Wednesday Night Dharma Talks with incredible teachers Devin Berry, Aishah Shahidah Simmons, Karen Waconda-Lewis, and Manny Mansbach. We offer many Open Community Practice sessions throughout the week, as well as our weekly Saturday Sangha, and several Affinity Groups meeting monthly.
Looking forward to July, we are happy to welcome Kate Johnson back for a morning retreat on Sat July 13, in person (and likely hybrid) at the center. Registration will open soon! More details on all of our offerings below. Thank you for being part of our sangha.
June 9 Potluck Picnic
26th Anniversary Celebration and Potluck Picnic
Sunday June 9, 11am-1pm at Nonotuck Park, Pavilion 4
Join us for a potluck picnic to celebrate IWM's 26th year, honor IWM's dedicated volunteers and all of our Sangha members, and be together as a community. IWM will provide dessert and drinks - bring a dish to share if you’re able, but please feel free to join either way. There’s a grill available (bring charcoal if you plan to grill), and a playground nearby. IWM will offer a brief program at 12pm, and there will be plenty of time to mingle, relax, and celebrate together. Nonotuck Park is located off Williston and Lownds Avenue on Daley Field Road in Easthampton. If you would like IWM to pay for your parking, tell the parking attendant you're there for the Insight Western Mass event.
RSVP here - not required, but helpful for planning purposes.
From the Board
In the last month we welcomed two new staff members to IWM! These hirings are part of our current campaign to expand and improve our infrastructure for sustainability. Both Mara Poliak and Karen Clay bring a host of talents, expertise and experience that will benefit both our daily operations and our big- picture planning. We are working now on orientation and defining the specifics of how they will work together. Please join us in welcoming them!
Our Town Hall on May 8 was a lovely evening of warmth and connection, truly an expression of sangha! About 45 people were present, half in person and half on zoom. Much gratitude to all who gathered. The Board shared some reflections that night, many of which are included in this document: Recent Growth, Planting New Seeds. We hope all will take the time to read the reflections; we welcome questions and further conversation.
In response to the conversation at the Town Hall about our aspiration to build our base of monthly donors, or “Friends of IWM,” some have asked how they can begin giving on a recurring basis. Please click here to do that. Others have expressed an interest in increasing their monthly giving (we’ll be happy to assist).
Stewarding Our Sangha
Service is a wonderful way to connect and express generosity. If you’re interested in joining the Programming Committee, please click here to read more and apply. If you’d like to join a team of people who tidy up the center from time-to-time, learn more about hosting (in person, Zoom, hybrid), or other volunteer opportunities, please email [email protected].
Second Fridays Community Practice: A small group practices together every Friday, and one of the facilitators can no longer take a turn so there’s an opportunity for a peer leader to open the Zoom room and to hold the space on the 2nd Fridays of the month (5:45-6:30pm). Please write to [email protected] if you're interested in learning more and we'll connect you.
Rhonda V. Magee's May Visit

Last month’s visit from Rhonda V. Magee came together because a sangha member (thank you Cheryl K) who has been a part of a year-long program with Rhonda through BCBS, invited Rhonda to come to IWM. From there, various sangha members leaned in and together we transported Rhonda from Barre (thank you Sarah S), offered a Friday night BIPOC affinity gathering (thank you Kelley T) -- Many Communities, One Sangha: BIPOC Reflections on Practicing for Healing and Freedom Together In Challenging Times -- which 6-7 practitioners joined, hosted a retreat on Saturday morning (thank you Cathy R and Lucy B) -- Many Communities, One Sangha: Exploring the Realities of Diversity and Belonging Together in Challenging Times -- which 33 attended in-person/Zoom, and then transported Rhonda to Logan Airport (thank you Leya S).
Rhonda very generously packed a lot into her less than 24 hours with Insight Western Mass. She encourages us to continue to explore ways of opening new doors (inner and outer).
On Friday night, Kelley shared that Rhonda “asked the group to sit in a circle which also shifted the hierarchy; instead of teacher and students we all became equals. We shared our journeys that brought us to the BIPOC sangha or even just to the gathering with many reflecting on our search for community in Western MA—a place where we could learn to be in the midst of our constant doing. Rhonda held the space for sharing and nurturing the fledgling community/sangha.”
In the Saturday morning retreat Rhonda also asked those who were there in person to reposition themselves into a circle and to see how that shift felt. That experience made an impression...
Here are some of the expressions of appreciation sent to Rhonda after Friday and Saturday’s offerings.
· In reflection on inner change with an outer immediate-engaged-experience... having the group change from classroom style to face-to-face oval and then reflecting on their experience of that change. I thought it was a masterful example of dharma teaching: both experiential and intellectual.
· Thank you for fostering wisdom and connection in our community. Keep on pausing!
· As one who often feels like I don’t belong, the guided meditation led me through a visualization that helped me let go—at least a bit—of that false belief.
· After being in an online weekend retreat with you, Rhonda, it was just great being in your actual presence, in person. I was impressed with the live experiment of forming a circle together, bringing us more into relationship with each other. I’ve continued talking with friends about things you said and I’m returning to your book. You are a wonderful teacher and lovely to be around.
· Thank you so much for creating such a warm and inclusive space that allowed me to feel safe and centered as I entered my very first sangha community experience. Your guided meditation alone was exactly what I needed to acknowledge my thoughts and practice the art of letting them go. The best part was us all sharing a little about ourselves and how we entered the practice and how the space can be made better and inclusive for the BIPOC community. Building community is what I needed and I am glad you were there to help guide us that day.
· What a joy, delight and sense of belonging your leadership style brings to the room as we engage in the critical need for wise and compassionate discourse in this world.
Rhonda very generously packed a lot into her less than 24 hours with Insight Western Mass. She encourages us to continue to explore ways of opening new doors (inner and outer).
On Friday night, Kelley shared that Rhonda “asked the group to sit in a circle which also shifted the hierarchy; instead of teacher and students we all became equals. We shared our journeys that brought us to the BIPOC sangha or even just to the gathering with many reflecting on our search for community in Western MA—a place where we could learn to be in the midst of our constant doing. Rhonda held the space for sharing and nurturing the fledgling community/sangha.”
In the Saturday morning retreat Rhonda also asked those who were there in person to reposition themselves into a circle and to see how that shift felt. That experience made an impression...
Here are some of the expressions of appreciation sent to Rhonda after Friday and Saturday’s offerings.
· In reflection on inner change with an outer immediate-engaged-experience... having the group change from classroom style to face-to-face oval and then reflecting on their experience of that change. I thought it was a masterful example of dharma teaching: both experiential and intellectual.
· Thank you for fostering wisdom and connection in our community. Keep on pausing!
· As one who often feels like I don’t belong, the guided meditation led me through a visualization that helped me let go—at least a bit—of that false belief.
· After being in an online weekend retreat with you, Rhonda, it was just great being in your actual presence, in person. I was impressed with the live experiment of forming a circle together, bringing us more into relationship with each other. I’ve continued talking with friends about things you said and I’m returning to your book. You are a wonderful teacher and lovely to be around.
· Thank you so much for creating such a warm and inclusive space that allowed me to feel safe and centered as I entered my very first sangha community experience. Your guided meditation alone was exactly what I needed to acknowledge my thoughts and practice the art of letting them go. The best part was us all sharing a little about ourselves and how we entered the practice and how the space can be made better and inclusive for the BIPOC community. Building community is what I needed and I am glad you were there to help guide us that day.
· What a joy, delight and sense of belonging your leadership style brings to the room as we engage in the critical need for wise and compassionate discourse in this world.
Dharma Dialogue: Difficulty in Formal Meditation Practice
I just got off Zoom with a Dharma friend, and was finding myself somewhat whining… just somewhat… that I didn’t know what to write for Dharma Dialogue in the next Sangha News. I spent time looking back over the topics that had inspired me in the last year and a half since I have been offering this, and nothing clicked, or, it all clicked and I wanted to leave it be and come up with something “new and different.” The bane and the ego of writing in this way.
My Dharma friend suggested I take a look at my own formal meditation practice, which I had described to her as difficult, stagnating and dissatisfying. “Ah,” she responded, “but you did notice that, didn’t you?”
What a light bulb that was; to realize that noticing is such a key to flipping the switch from a jumble of thoughts, self-judgement and stories to simply paying attention to what arises in the moment. Simple, but not easy, yes? Yet what else is there to do to help refocus awareness and mindfulness with loving kindness and compassion at the forefront?
Ajahn Sumedho, an American Buddhist monk ordained in 1967 in the Thai Forest tradition who was essential in establishing monasteries in Thailand and in England, talks about having a sense of conviction, as in (‘this is what there is to do now’), having curiosity and arousal around what does arise, encouraging ourselves to persevere, and having the confidence and patience that it will come; that what there is to see will make itself known as it will.
I realize that I do well at confusing myself with conviction and patience, as if the two are opposing forces, and it is an either/or battle of the wills. That’s a clue right there that something is amiss; if it is indeed a battle between habituated patterns of behavior then ego has gotten itself right in the middle, preventing any reconciliation between the two. When I am paying attention, I can see that it is a both/and there need not be a conflict.
Seeing conviction as realizing that all I have is the present moment; there is no time to put off my practice, and I must train in earnest diligence. Having patience in the process means that the more perseverance I exude and the more I can stay off a path of franticness, the easier it is to accept the essence of what my practice is about.
In ending, Ajahn Sumedho says, “Meditation is a skillful letting go; gently but with resolution.”
***If you would like to respond to this topic, or to any other aspect of our practice, send your offering in an email to [email protected]
Anonymity is respected if you would prefer not to have your name in the newsletter.
With gratitude,
Jennifer D.
Community Dharma Steward
Downloadable Flyers
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
I just got off Zoom with a Dharma friend, and was finding myself somewhat whining… just somewhat… that I didn’t know what to write for Dharma Dialogue in the next Sangha News. I spent time looking back over the topics that had inspired me in the last year and a half since I have been offering this, and nothing clicked, or, it all clicked and I wanted to leave it be and come up with something “new and different.” The bane and the ego of writing in this way.
My Dharma friend suggested I take a look at my own formal meditation practice, which I had described to her as difficult, stagnating and dissatisfying. “Ah,” she responded, “but you did notice that, didn’t you?”
What a light bulb that was; to realize that noticing is such a key to flipping the switch from a jumble of thoughts, self-judgement and stories to simply paying attention to what arises in the moment. Simple, but not easy, yes? Yet what else is there to do to help refocus awareness and mindfulness with loving kindness and compassion at the forefront?
Ajahn Sumedho, an American Buddhist monk ordained in 1967 in the Thai Forest tradition who was essential in establishing monasteries in Thailand and in England, talks about having a sense of conviction, as in (‘this is what there is to do now’), having curiosity and arousal around what does arise, encouraging ourselves to persevere, and having the confidence and patience that it will come; that what there is to see will make itself known as it will.
I realize that I do well at confusing myself with conviction and patience, as if the two are opposing forces, and it is an either/or battle of the wills. That’s a clue right there that something is amiss; if it is indeed a battle between habituated patterns of behavior then ego has gotten itself right in the middle, preventing any reconciliation between the two. When I am paying attention, I can see that it is a both/and there need not be a conflict.
Seeing conviction as realizing that all I have is the present moment; there is no time to put off my practice, and I must train in earnest diligence. Having patience in the process means that the more perseverance I exude and the more I can stay off a path of franticness, the easier it is to accept the essence of what my practice is about.
In ending, Ajahn Sumedho says, “Meditation is a skillful letting go; gently but with resolution.”
***If you would like to respond to this topic, or to any other aspect of our practice, send your offering in an email to [email protected]
Anonymity is respected if you would prefer not to have your name in the newsletter.
With gratitude,
Jennifer D.
Community Dharma Steward
Downloadable Flyers
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