September Sangha News
8-29-2024
September at IWM
September heralds the return of beloved Saturday Sangha, as well as our weekly Dharma Talks after a short summer break. We’re looking forward to a Dharma Discussion with Michael Grady, Dharma Talks with James Baraz, and Brent Beresford, and an evening of Metta and Karuna with Cathy Repetti. Open Community Practice sessions continue all month, and our four Affinity Groups continue to meet monthly: 35 & Under, Chronic Illness/Disability, BIPOC (now meeting twice a month!), and Queer & Trans. Michael Grady’s 5-week course begins September 10 – please see below for more information on this, and all of our upcoming offerings. Looking ahead, Bernadine Mellis’ 5-week course begins October 10, and we’re thrilled to welcome Devin Berry and Tara Mulay for an evening benefit at the Florence Civic Center on October 16. Mark your calendars, and stay tuned for more very details soon!
Expression of Gratitude
Volunteer Coordinator Cathy R writes: If you’ve been to the center lately, perhaps you noticed it is a bit tidier than usual. This is due to Peggy and Doyne Loyd, who have taken on the volunteer responsibility of cleaning the center weekly. Many thanks to Peggy and Doyne for offering dana to the center in this way. It is very much appreciated!
Volunteering to help with the daily tasks of running the center is an invaluable form of dana. If you have questions or want more information about other volunteer opportunities -- including hosting, watering plants, off-site schlepper, administrative tasks, and more -- please write to Cathy at [email protected].
New Board Member
Please join us in welcoming Doug Kremm to the IWM Board of Directors.
September heralds the return of beloved Saturday Sangha, as well as our weekly Dharma Talks after a short summer break. We’re looking forward to a Dharma Discussion with Michael Grady, Dharma Talks with James Baraz, and Brent Beresford, and an evening of Metta and Karuna with Cathy Repetti. Open Community Practice sessions continue all month, and our four Affinity Groups continue to meet monthly: 35 & Under, Chronic Illness/Disability, BIPOC (now meeting twice a month!), and Queer & Trans. Michael Grady’s 5-week course begins September 10 – please see below for more information on this, and all of our upcoming offerings. Looking ahead, Bernadine Mellis’ 5-week course begins October 10, and we’re thrilled to welcome Devin Berry and Tara Mulay for an evening benefit at the Florence Civic Center on October 16. Mark your calendars, and stay tuned for more very details soon!
Expression of Gratitude
Volunteer Coordinator Cathy R writes: If you’ve been to the center lately, perhaps you noticed it is a bit tidier than usual. This is due to Peggy and Doyne Loyd, who have taken on the volunteer responsibility of cleaning the center weekly. Many thanks to Peggy and Doyne for offering dana to the center in this way. It is very much appreciated!
Volunteering to help with the daily tasks of running the center is an invaluable form of dana. If you have questions or want more information about other volunteer opportunities -- including hosting, watering plants, off-site schlepper, administrative tasks, and more -- please write to Cathy at [email protected].
New Board Member
Please join us in welcoming Doug Kremm to the IWM Board of Directors.
Doug discovered meditation in 2012 while pursuing a PhD in philosophy. At the time he was looking for a way to explore and heal long-standing symptoms of depression; it worked, and what began as a short daily sit gradually blossomed into a spiritual practice that has completely transformed his life. He has been most influenced by dharma teachers in the Thai Forest Tradition, and he draws a lot of inspiration from the early Buddhist texts as well. Doug is immensely grateful for all the ways that the path has deepened and enriched his life, and he finds great joy in sharing that path with others. At IWM he volunteers as a host/greeter, facilitates the Under 35 Affinity Group, and helps to facilitate the Moon Day Chanting offerings. Doug joined IWM's Board as a provisional member in July 2024. Outside of IWM, he has taught philosophy at Harvard, at Bennington College, and at Deerfield Academy, where he currently teaches a mix of Eastern and Western philosophy. He is also a father, a husband, and a lover of being in the woods.
Update: Diversifying IWM’s Teachers Pool & Offerings
Last September, our Sangha came together for a benefit featuring Joseph Goldstein & IWM’s own Devin Berry, to raise an amazing $35,000 to support diversifying our teachers pool and teachings. We are happy to announce that, as part of that effort, and made possible by the generosity of the sangha, we have invited five guest teachers to offer Wednesday night Dharma talks this fall.
We think of these offerings in two ways: as opportunities for these teachers – who are in various stages from emerging to established on their teaching paths – to offer the Dhamma while getting to know our community; and as seeds IWM is planting as we cultivate new relationships and possibilities for our evolving sangha.
We encourage all sangha members to attend these talks and to get to know these teachers, as a way of participating in our process of nourishing, growing, and widening our beautiful community. Please mark your calendars for these offerings:
September 25: Brent Beresford, Relational Dhamma, in-person/hybrid at IWM
October 23: Aishah Shahidah Simmons, via Zoom
October 30: Yenkuei Chuang
November 27: Zeenat Potia
December 11: Melanie Cherng
New Openings in Kalyana Mitta, or Spiritual Friends Group
A current ongoing Kalyana Mitta (KM) group will have a few spots available when the group re-starts this fall after a summer break. If you are interested in joining, please click here to answer a few questions and register. Registration will close on Friday September 13. If we get responses from more people than we have room to include, we will conduct a lottery with everyone who has registered by that date, and we will inform you of the results by the following Monday, Sept 16.
Kalyana Mitta is a Pali word meaning “spiritual friend.” A KM group often reads a dharma book or other dharma materials together. KM groups are small, respectful, peer-facilitated groups that provide an opportunity for:
In this group we’ve read and discussed Radical Friendship by Kate Johnson and You Belong by Sebene Selassie. We’ve focused on spiritual friendship, as described by the Buddha in the Kalyana Mitta sutta, and in Radical Friendship; and sharing passages from the books as prompts for discussion about our meditation practice and our commitment to liberation for all.
We’ve been meeting every other Tuesday afternoon, 3:30 to 5:00pm ET, on Zoom. It will remain on Zoom since several members can only participate in that way, but the day and time could change. The first meeting of the group will be in late September or early October, possibly Sept 24 or Oct 1 if we stick to the Tuesday afternoon time. Please email [email protected] if you have questions.
BIPOC Affinity Sangha Update
IWM’s BIPOC Sangha held its first meeting almost a year ago, the third Friday of October 2023, but beginning in earnest in January 2024. Since then, the group has met consistently on the third Friday of each month from 5:30-7 pm on-site at IWM. (We offered hybrid meetings starting in March.) For the past 8 months, our peer-led group has been reading and discussing Home Is Here: Practicing Antiracism with the Engaged Eightfold Path by Rev. Lien Shutt. A volunteer leader facilitates the meeting, which includes introductions, thoughts on arriving, sitting practice, discussion, and closing. On average there have been 6-8 BIPOC practitioners attending each monthly gathering.
In July and August, the BIPOC Sangha has engaged in two teacher-led discussions about how to grow and structure the sangha. We have discussed a peer-led vs. teacher-led structure; the incorporation of more teachings and rituals into the practice; spiritual friendship and shared BIPOC experience as the foundation for the sangha (what Rev. Shutt calls Indra’s Net); and the creation of a container to hold each other accountable without putting too much stress on one person.
Brent Beresford (they/them), a BIPOC teacher and practitioner, joined the August conversation. They offered some keen insights: “Maybe backing up a bit, rather than jumping to problem solving; undertake a contemplation about what draws me to this community. What am I hoping to find here? What is the being together part?” They also suggested “allowing yourselves to recognize that you have other lineages which might know how to do things differently than colonized ways that erased them.”
In response to Brent’s questions, the BIPOC sangha is asking members and other interested BIPOC people to register their thoughts on a document on their private google drive. The question for response is: What do you hope to build with/give to/receive from the IWM BIPOC Affinity Group? The sangha will continue their discussion on September 6th from 5:30-7pm. Indeed, they have expanded group meetings to twice per month (the first and third Fridays) for sangha building and practice.
Update: Diversifying IWM’s Teachers Pool & Offerings
Last September, our Sangha came together for a benefit featuring Joseph Goldstein & IWM’s own Devin Berry, to raise an amazing $35,000 to support diversifying our teachers pool and teachings. We are happy to announce that, as part of that effort, and made possible by the generosity of the sangha, we have invited five guest teachers to offer Wednesday night Dharma talks this fall.
We think of these offerings in two ways: as opportunities for these teachers – who are in various stages from emerging to established on their teaching paths – to offer the Dhamma while getting to know our community; and as seeds IWM is planting as we cultivate new relationships and possibilities for our evolving sangha.
We encourage all sangha members to attend these talks and to get to know these teachers, as a way of participating in our process of nourishing, growing, and widening our beautiful community. Please mark your calendars for these offerings:
September 25: Brent Beresford, Relational Dhamma, in-person/hybrid at IWM
October 23: Aishah Shahidah Simmons, via Zoom
October 30: Yenkuei Chuang
November 27: Zeenat Potia
December 11: Melanie Cherng
New Openings in Kalyana Mitta, or Spiritual Friends Group
A current ongoing Kalyana Mitta (KM) group will have a few spots available when the group re-starts this fall after a summer break. If you are interested in joining, please click here to answer a few questions and register. Registration will close on Friday September 13. If we get responses from more people than we have room to include, we will conduct a lottery with everyone who has registered by that date, and we will inform you of the results by the following Monday, Sept 16.
Kalyana Mitta is a Pali word meaning “spiritual friend.” A KM group often reads a dharma book or other dharma materials together. KM groups are small, respectful, peer-facilitated groups that provide an opportunity for:
- Cultivation of a group of Dharma friends who can support each other's practice.
- Deeper exploration and study of Dharma teachings and topics related to our practice in daily life.
- A deepening understanding of the relational aspects of Dharma practice, and the importance of sangha connections.
In this group we’ve read and discussed Radical Friendship by Kate Johnson and You Belong by Sebene Selassie. We’ve focused on spiritual friendship, as described by the Buddha in the Kalyana Mitta sutta, and in Radical Friendship; and sharing passages from the books as prompts for discussion about our meditation practice and our commitment to liberation for all.
We’ve been meeting every other Tuesday afternoon, 3:30 to 5:00pm ET, on Zoom. It will remain on Zoom since several members can only participate in that way, but the day and time could change. The first meeting of the group will be in late September or early October, possibly Sept 24 or Oct 1 if we stick to the Tuesday afternoon time. Please email [email protected] if you have questions.
BIPOC Affinity Sangha Update
IWM’s BIPOC Sangha held its first meeting almost a year ago, the third Friday of October 2023, but beginning in earnest in January 2024. Since then, the group has met consistently on the third Friday of each month from 5:30-7 pm on-site at IWM. (We offered hybrid meetings starting in March.) For the past 8 months, our peer-led group has been reading and discussing Home Is Here: Practicing Antiracism with the Engaged Eightfold Path by Rev. Lien Shutt. A volunteer leader facilitates the meeting, which includes introductions, thoughts on arriving, sitting practice, discussion, and closing. On average there have been 6-8 BIPOC practitioners attending each monthly gathering.
In July and August, the BIPOC Sangha has engaged in two teacher-led discussions about how to grow and structure the sangha. We have discussed a peer-led vs. teacher-led structure; the incorporation of more teachings and rituals into the practice; spiritual friendship and shared BIPOC experience as the foundation for the sangha (what Rev. Shutt calls Indra’s Net); and the creation of a container to hold each other accountable without putting too much stress on one person.
Brent Beresford (they/them), a BIPOC teacher and practitioner, joined the August conversation. They offered some keen insights: “Maybe backing up a bit, rather than jumping to problem solving; undertake a contemplation about what draws me to this community. What am I hoping to find here? What is the being together part?” They also suggested “allowing yourselves to recognize that you have other lineages which might know how to do things differently than colonized ways that erased them.”
In response to Brent’s questions, the BIPOC sangha is asking members and other interested BIPOC people to register their thoughts on a document on their private google drive. The question for response is: What do you hope to build with/give to/receive from the IWM BIPOC Affinity Group? The sangha will continue their discussion on September 6th from 5:30-7pm. Indeed, they have expanded group meetings to twice per month (the first and third Fridays) for sangha building and practice.
Dharma Dialogue: The Middle Way
I first knew and understood about The Middle Way back when I began my formal meditation training, about 40+ years ago, at a Zen Buddhist Monastery in California. At the monastery, we faced the wall to meditate formally, did walking meditation, and we sat in chairs when needed. Ours was a compassionate practice. When my husband, Greg, and I got married in 1992, we did childcare for a year with some wonderful friends, and then we left California in 1993 to move to Massachusetts. That move was especially hard for me; leaving my first teacher, who was the first person in my life to ever offer me unconditional love. Greg moved mostly to advance his career possibilities in the Pioneer Valley, and me to be closer to my younger brother. Both of us got what we wanted. We both have done formal meditation and walking meditation since leaving California. And have had the good fortune of being able to continue to sit in formal meditation and walking meditation with my younger brother at his home, cross-legged on the floor, where it still mattered that we faced the wall. I have felt blessed.
In 2009, I became involved with Insight Western Mass in Easthampton, close to the Five College Area and close enough to my younger brother to satisfy that need. I have stayed involved at IWM for the past 15 years and increased my knowledge, once again, of the Middle Way.
Fast forward to 2024. I have spoken with my oldest brother, who lives in Florida, more times in the past few months than we have spoken in the last 10 years. And I found that he too understands the Middle Way. He clearly stated in our last phone call, “avoid the peaks and valleys.” We are both experiencing an increase in health issues as we grow older, which is to be expected; he is 75 and I am 69. He is working on his balance as am I, he has had multiple issues in the past five years, and he lost his ability to play golf since he retired. And now next month he is to have surgery in both legs. He is in excruciating pain all the time and hopes that this surgery will take care of that. As do I. I pray for him and hold him in my meditation all the time.
I am a worrier and have been since I can remember. My husband and friends and family continue to increase the circle of love around me, and all are wishing me well and reminding me to stay in the present moment. They all say to be current, don’t think about the next couple of days or even weeks if you can help it. I am currently incapacitated; spending most of my time in bed, being sleep-deprived, venturing out only for doctors’ appointments of which there are many, using a cane, and sometimes a wheelchair.
I want to be healthy and strong again. And it is happening slowly, too slowly for my liking. But such is life and I am learning to accept that.
All for now –
Thank you for listening –
Gratefully,
Jennifer D.
Community Dharma Steward
Community Service Project
Interested in coming together as community to do service outside the sangha? Some ideas floating are Grow Food Northampton and Manna Soup Kitchen. Other thoughts are welcome! Please fill out this quick form to share your interest.
Free Books at IWM
We're re-organizing our library, and offering books to sangha members before donating them in October. Please feel free to take a look next time you're at the center. We started with several boxes of books on the bench in the foyer that were seeking new homes and are now down to just one. More on the library project next month.
I first knew and understood about The Middle Way back when I began my formal meditation training, about 40+ years ago, at a Zen Buddhist Monastery in California. At the monastery, we faced the wall to meditate formally, did walking meditation, and we sat in chairs when needed. Ours was a compassionate practice. When my husband, Greg, and I got married in 1992, we did childcare for a year with some wonderful friends, and then we left California in 1993 to move to Massachusetts. That move was especially hard for me; leaving my first teacher, who was the first person in my life to ever offer me unconditional love. Greg moved mostly to advance his career possibilities in the Pioneer Valley, and me to be closer to my younger brother. Both of us got what we wanted. We both have done formal meditation and walking meditation since leaving California. And have had the good fortune of being able to continue to sit in formal meditation and walking meditation with my younger brother at his home, cross-legged on the floor, where it still mattered that we faced the wall. I have felt blessed.
In 2009, I became involved with Insight Western Mass in Easthampton, close to the Five College Area and close enough to my younger brother to satisfy that need. I have stayed involved at IWM for the past 15 years and increased my knowledge, once again, of the Middle Way.
Fast forward to 2024. I have spoken with my oldest brother, who lives in Florida, more times in the past few months than we have spoken in the last 10 years. And I found that he too understands the Middle Way. He clearly stated in our last phone call, “avoid the peaks and valleys.” We are both experiencing an increase in health issues as we grow older, which is to be expected; he is 75 and I am 69. He is working on his balance as am I, he has had multiple issues in the past five years, and he lost his ability to play golf since he retired. And now next month he is to have surgery in both legs. He is in excruciating pain all the time and hopes that this surgery will take care of that. As do I. I pray for him and hold him in my meditation all the time.
I am a worrier and have been since I can remember. My husband and friends and family continue to increase the circle of love around me, and all are wishing me well and reminding me to stay in the present moment. They all say to be current, don’t think about the next couple of days or even weeks if you can help it. I am currently incapacitated; spending most of my time in bed, being sleep-deprived, venturing out only for doctors’ appointments of which there are many, using a cane, and sometimes a wheelchair.
I want to be healthy and strong again. And it is happening slowly, too slowly for my liking. But such is life and I am learning to accept that.
All for now –
Thank you for listening –
Gratefully,
Jennifer D.
Community Dharma Steward
Community Service Project
Interested in coming together as community to do service outside the sangha? Some ideas floating are Grow Food Northampton and Manna Soup Kitchen. Other thoughts are welcome! Please fill out this quick form to share your interest.
Free Books at IWM
We're re-organizing our library, and offering books to sangha members before donating them in October. Please feel free to take a look next time you're at the center. We started with several boxes of books on the bench in the foyer that were seeking new homes and are now down to just one. More on the library project next month.