Notice:
No Tuesday night sitting group on June 12th so we can all attend Gregory Kramer's public talk at 7pm in Acuff Auditorium (details below).
No Wednesday night sitting group on July 4th for the holiday.
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Dear Sangha Members,
About a year ago, my sister-in-law came with me to a Friday night dharma talk that served as the kick-off for a weekend retreat. Afterward she asked, "But what about the joy?"
I admit I was taken aback. I knew that Buddhism can sometimes be interpreted as a stoical approach to life that leaves no room for fun. That wasn't my experience, but I found it hard to pin down an answer. What about the joy?
It wasn't until I later, when I heard a teacher quote a sutta, that I remembered her question and responded with an inner "ahh…", the sensation of the heart settling into peace. The sutta went something like: "For one who is awake, the beautiful things of this world do not cease to be beautiful. One only ceases to be driven by craving for them."
June brings us a public talk and retreat with Gregory Kramer, a bead party as a sangha get-together and fundraiser to aid African mothers, and Ginny's new class on Monday mornings, "Conscious Living, Conscious Dying," with just a few spaces left.
In this month of blessed practice opportunities, burgeoning green, and blooming flowers, may the beautiful things of this world be ever so beautiful for you and may you be free.
-Tonda March, SMD Teachers' Collective
Thank you to all for your commitment to Show Me Dharma. Please know that your presence is a true gift to the sangha, whether it's expressed through participation in sangha activities or through heart and mind. If you would also like to give a donation to support activities, you may send a check to Robert Hodge, Treasurer, SMD, 5004 Dustin Ct., Columbia, MO 65203.
May our practice - shared or alone, on or off the cushion - be dedicated to the benefit of all beings.
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*UPCOMING EVENTS*
registration required
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COMMITTED PRACTICE CLASSES
Committed Practice Classes will begin again in late June. The subject of this summer's class is Conscious Living, Conscious Dying. The class will focus on the Buddha's teachings on anatta or non-self and will include contemplative exercises, class interaction, and Dharma talks. There are still a few spaces left in the Monday Morning Class. That class meets from 8:30 to 9:30 on Monday mornings. There is an optional early sitting from 8 am until 8:30. Please email Ginny at virginia028@centurytel.net or call 817-9942 to register. This class requires a commitment to daily practice and a basic understanding of the practice of Insight Meditation.
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Creating Mindful Relationships: The Challenges and Joys
A Public Talk by Gregory Kramer, PhD
Tuesday, June 12, 7-8:30pm
Free and open to the public
Acuff Auditorium, University of Missouri School of Medicine
Co-sponsored by UMC Student Health Center, the Mindfulness Practice Center and Show Me Dharma
Gregory Kramer has taught Vipassana Meditation and Lovingkindness practice since 1980. He created the practices of Insight Dialogue and Dharma Contemplation and is the founder and director of the non-profit Metta Foundation www.metta.org . Gregory is a core faculty member at Barre Center for Buddhist Studies.
INSIGHT DIALOGUE with Gregory Kramer
A Residential 5-Day Retreat
June 13-17, 2007
Columbia College, Columbia, Missouri
Registration required.
Cost: $250 ($275 if paid after May 30)
Insight dialogue is an interpersonal meditation practice based on Buddhist insight practice that can bring clarity out of confusion and compassion out of self-centeredness. We will interweave silent practice, listening and speaking meditations, and loving-kindness and compassion practices. As we meditate with each other, insights into the patterns that bind us arise. As the practice deepens, the insight dialogue guidelines function as powerful meditation instructions, pointing the way toward spiritual awakening.
Some previous meditation experience is recommended. CEU credits are available at a cost of $10 for nurses, counselors, and social workers.
• To register, contact: Jan Colbert, 707 Crestland, Columbia, MO 65203 ColbertJ@missouri.edu (573) 442-4802 or register online at: www.retreat0706.homestead.com
• For more information about the retreat, contact Lynn Rossy at HYPERLINK "mailto: RossyL@health.missouri.edu" RossyL@health.missouri.edu .
• For more information about Insight Dialogue or Gregory Kramer, go to http://www.metta.org .
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BEAD FOR LIFE party
Saturday, June 30
717 Hilltop Drive, Columbia, MO
Show Me Dharma will host a "Bead for Life 'BeadWear' Party," an opportunity to support women in Uganda who make beautiful paper beaded jewelry to support themselves. More information will be made available as we set the time and organize details, but if you will be in Columbia, please pencil in this event.
The Acholi people in northern Uganda have been displaced from their home villages by a relentless civil war that is now in its 18th year. These refugees live in a slum on the edge of Kampala, the capital of Uganda, where women were working in the hot sun crushing rock into gravel for $1 per day. The bead project was created when American visitors to the area noticed the jewelry the women were wearing. Now the beaders of the Acholi Quarter have established an income generating cooperative business to sell beads both in Uganda and North America. Besides bringing money to the more than 100 beaders directly, all profits go to a development fund that is growing for projects that will create sustainable development.
At the BeadWear party, there will be several styles of necklaces, bracelets, and anklets to choose from. Although there's no obligation to buy, the jewelry is affordable and makes great gift. The party will also offer sangha members a chance to enjoy each others' company.
So....for June 30th, skip the Tupperware party, the PartyLite party, the Pampered Chef party, and the Tastefully Simple party.....and come to our Bead For Life party. Help our sisters in Uganda build better lives for themselves and their families.
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*ONGOING SHOW ME DHARMA ACTIVITIES*
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TUESDAY NIGHT BASICS OF INSIGHT MEDITATION GROUP
Meets Tuesdays, 7:30 to 8:30pm at 717 Hilltop Drive
No registration required – come as you are. Please try to arrive a bit early and get settled.
A brief Dharma talk, meditation instruction, & a 30-minute meditation period.
Led by the Show Me Dharma Teachers Collective.
June 5 – Open topic with Richard Reuben
June 12 – no sitting – Public Talk by Gregory Kramer at Acuff Auditorium
June 19 – "What is insight meditation & how to start" with Terry Furstenau
June 26 – "Mindfulness of the body" with Bob Hodge
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WEDNESDAY NIGHT CONTINUING PRACTICE MEDITATION GROUP
Meets Wednesdays, 7:30 to 8:30 pm at 717 Hilltop Drive
No registration required - come as you are
A 40-minute meditation period & a short Dharma talk for experienced practitioners.
Led by the Show Me Dharma Teachers Collective.
June 6 – Kim James
June 13 – Joe McCormack
June 20 – Tonda March
June 27 – Lynn Rossey
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BOOK/PRACTICE DISCUSSION GROUP
Meets Sunday afternoons every 4 to 6 weeks
915 Maryland Ave
Next meeting: July 22
This is a peer-led group that explores off-the-cushion practice, using Buddhist writings as a starting point. The next book will be Best Buddhist Writing 2006 (edited by Melvin McLeod) & we'll be reading up through 148 for the July meeting.
For more information, please contact Helen Roehlke at 573-446-6232 or helenj@tranquility.net
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DHARMA CONTEMPLATION & INSIGHT DIALOGUE GROUPS
These groups won't be meeting until after the Gregory Kramer retreat, when they will undergo a change in format. Details will be announced.
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For more information about Show Me Dharma activities, Buddhist teachings, contact information, or helpful links, go to http://dharma.missouri.org
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