May 2007

Dear Sangha members,

 

 

Walking around my yard tonight, I was struck by the unpredictability of changing conditions that give rise to phenomena - in this case, the flowers & trees that aren't blooming this year because of the late frost, the ones that seem to be doing just fine despite the extremes in the weather, & still others that the jury is out on. Just as the growing things around us are in flux, so too can we find our practice in flux.
 
Fortunately, we have priceless teachings sponsored by local groups to help our practice emerge from an inner source of growth.

 

Especially exciting is Gregory Kramer's Insight Dialogue retreat coming up in June. Insight Dialogue is a wonderful practice that helps bridge the gap between meditating silently & interacting with others with clarity & wisdom. Insight Dialogue trains the heart & mind so we learn to listen from a place of openness & speak from a place of deep truth. Gregory mainly teaches in Europe, Australia, & the east coast, so we are blessed to have him returning to Columbia.

 

Note also the half-day retreat in Jefferson City offered by our own Joe McCormack.

 

As always, 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 physical 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 Mary Windmiller, Treasurer, SMD, 705 Medavista, Columbia, MO 65203.

 

May our practice - shared or alone, on or off the cushion - be dedicated to the benefit of all beings.

                -Tonda March, SMD Teachers' Collective
 

 

****************************************************    
    *UPCOMING EVENTS*

              registration required

__________________________________________
 
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 .

 

____________________________________

 
HALF-DAY RETREAT with Joe McCormack

 

Sunday, May 6, from 12:30-4:30

Center for Buddhist Development, 203 East Dunklin, Jefferson City   

Cost: Dana (donation) only

No registration required
 

 

This half-day retreat will focus on deepening both our concentration and our insight meditation practice through mindful inquiry into our experience. In particular, we will explore the ways the mind fashions a sense of identity through clinging, and skillful means for seeing through these identifications.  

 

For more information, please contact Joe McCormack at 573-864-5617 or  metta41856@earthlink.net.

 

*************************************************

 

* EVENTS SPONSORED BY OTHER GROUPS*

____________________________________

 
MEDITATION IN NATURE:  Gans Creek Wild Area

 

Sponsored by Friends of Rockbridge & the Unitarian Universalist Church

Every third Sunday of the month

9:00am to 10:00 am (plan on getting to the parking lot at 8:45am so we can be settled for meditation by 9am)

Free & open to the public
 
Building a connection between spiritual practice and environmental consciousness. Being at home in Nature. Format: Silent meditation with some opportunity to share insights. Location: In an old growth woodland that is part of Gans Creek Wildlife Area. We will sit in a circle under the trees.

 

Directions:

Go south on Hwy 63 to AC exit

Get off Highway 63 onto Grindstone Parkway (west)

Turn left (south) on Bearfield Road and follow it across Nifong, through another stop sign, to where it ends in a parking lot that serves Gans Creek Wildlife Area.

Take the Footpath that leads off the the right (west) and walk for about 10 mins along the ridge until you enter a portion of old growth forest

You will know when you are there because it feels like a cathedral with very tall trees and no undergrowth.
 

Bring: A folding chair or stool. Wear long pants in tick season.

Contact Peter Holmes for more information at 573-814-3632 or   naturemeditation@yahoo.com.

 

**************************************************

 

*ONGOING SHOW ME DHARMA ACTIVITIES*

_______________________________________

 

BOOK/PRACTICE DISCUSSION GROUP

 

Meets Sunday afternoons every 4 to 6 weeks

915 Maryland Ave

Next meeting: June 3rd
 
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 to page 52 for the June 3rd  meeting. If you've been thinking about joining the group, this is an ideal time to jump in.
 

For more information, please contact Helen Roehlke at 573-446-6232 or    helenj@tranquility.net

____________________________________________________________

 

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.

 

May 1 – Mindfulness in everyday life – Joe McCormack

May 8 – Open topic – Tonda March

May 15 – Open topic  – Terry Furstenau

May 22 – Open topic  – Bob Hodge

May 29 – Open topic – Bob Hodge

_______________________________________

 

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.
 

May 2 – Richard Reuben

May 9  – Joe McCormack

May 16 – Tonda March

May 23 – Kim James

May 30 – Terry Furstenau

____________________________________

 

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.

_____________________________________
 
COMMITTED PRACTICE CLASSES

 

Thursday Committed Practice Class --Living Our Love--Classes have started. Registration required and will open again in June.

Friday Committed Practice Class --The Seven Factors of Enlightenment--Classes have started. Registration will open in June.

Monday Morning Class-- Classes have started.  Registration required for attendance.

______________________________
 
For more information about Show Me Dharma activities, Buddhist teachings, contact information, or helpful links, go to   http://dharma.missouri.org
 

 

***************************************************