The Bozeman Insight Community (BIC) will not meet tomorrow, Thursday, August 29. Please join them next week on September 5th! If you want to make sure and get update from BIC directly, you can sign up for their mailing list here.
Our Intro to Meditation class series begins September 11 and will run for three consecutive Wednesdays! Meditation can help us work with our monkey minds which like to swing from topic to topic nonstop. Learn several different styles of meditation and find a style that works for you. Sign up for the whole series or a single class. Taught by Karen DeCotis and Michãel Palmer.
Week 1: Posture, breath practice, walking meditation, how to start a meditation practice at home
Week 2: Body scan guided meditation, working with a question, mindfulness
Week 3: Metta practice, Tonglen
Feel free to bring water or tea in a closable container. Please do not bring food into the meditation hall. You may want to bring a notebook and pen to take notes although most of our class time will be spent practicing meditation.
We suggest casual, loose and comfortable clothing. Shoes are not worn in the meditation hall; please leave them on the shoe racks provided by the front door.
Please avoid wearing scented products even ”natural” and “herbal” ones! This includes shampoos and conditioners and clothing that has been washed in fragranced detergent. People with fragrance sensitivities are attending and will need this support from all of us in order to be in the room. We aim for a fragrance free meditation hall. THANK YOU!
Joining Rivers Sangha will NOT meet on Monday, September 2. Please join them the following week, September 9, for a recitation of the Five Mindfulness Trainings.
Joining Rivers Sangha follows Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings for practicing mindfulness in order to manifest joy, peace, and compassion in our relationships and daily lives.
All are welcome, and we offer brief instruction and guided meditations as needed to develop our practice and nurture sangha energy. In addition to sitting and walking meditation, we enjoy a special practice each week, and learn from one another through Dharma Sharing
Please visit Plum Village online for more about our tradition, including practice resources and talks.
Open Way Sanghas are the family of Plum Village practice groups here in Montana, offering semi-annual retreats and days of mindfulness.
Practice leader Steve Allison-Bunnell (True Spring Branch) is an ordained member of the Core Community of the Plum Village Order of Interbeing.
Email bozemantnh@gmail.com with questions or to join our email list and receive Zoom links and weekly announcements.
6:45 PM Gather / Fellowship
7:00 Sitting (20 minutes)
7:20 Walking (10 minutes)
7:30 Special Practice (30 minutes) Rotation between Five Mindfulness Trainings recitation, sutra reading, guided meditation and Tea Ceremony
8:00 Dharma Sharing (30 minutes)
8:30 End
September’s SoundGate features Healing Sounds of Compassion offered by Annika Sophia Grace and Marius Michael-George on Friday, September 6 at 7PM. All are welcome to a healing evening of peaceful Buddhist chants and grounding rhythms of a tabla drum. Cultivate compassion for self and others with the gentle support of sound meditation. Transition into a new season together with blessings for all beings. In person, no registration necessary. Any funds collected will be split evenly between the BDC and the guest artists.
Our next Newcomer Orientation will be September 3 from 5-6 PM. We hold these orientations on the first Tuesday of each month. Perfect for people interested in the BDC but wanting to check out the space and get questions answered before coming to a meeting. Receive an orientation to the space, learn about our groups and get some basic meditation instruction. All welcome!
This Dharma Thought is offered by Steve Allison-Bunnell of the Joining Rivers Sangha which meets Mondays at 7PM.
A deluge of misinformation, along with heroic attempts to debunk it, constantly sweeps over us. It may feel like “alternative facts” have reached an all-time high, aided by AI and social media. But when we return to the teachings of the Buddha, we are reminded that self-serving misinformation from those with power, be they religious or political figures, is nothing new. He repeatedly reminds his students not to solely take his word for how to attain liberation from suffering. He also keeps the focus on looking deeply into the causes of our own delusion and confusion before judging others. The question, “Is it true?” is best first applied to our own interpretations of our perceptions. To answer it necessarily means stopping to short-circuit our scripted responses and triggers and softening our inner critic. Where do you make space for examining your assumptions? How do you give yourself the grace to re-see something you thought was true? What happens when you do?
All are invited and welcome to join for our second annual Mahasangha Picnic: a Sangha building event on Sunday, August 18 from 3:30-5:30 at the Bozeman Pond Pavilion on 700 S. Fowler. Bring a dish to share and spend time connecting with Dharma friends old and new.
Wondering what to bring? Here are some suggestions based on your last name:
A-G: Beverages
H-M: Appetizer/Snack/Side
N-T: Salad/Main
U-Z: Dessert
Enjoy a relaxed afternoon mindfully creating cards of compassion using collage and paint. Because art can offer a way of exploring things that trouble us and allows us to practice getting to a non-judging place, it can be a useful way to grow compassion. You do not have to consider yourself an artist to enjoy this offering!
Compassion begins when we can accept all aspects of a person, letting go of judgment and recognizing the universality of the human condition. Using collage and paint, we will compassionately explore something troubling us. It could be different aspects of ourselves: what we like to present and what we prefer not to show in public; it could be a strained relationship, it could be trying to have compassion for a friend… you decide what you would like to work on (although we suggest that you start small). We will explore our feelings on postcard size paper and write messages of compassion and encouragement on them. You have the option of having us mail these cards of compassion to yourself or the intended recipient later in the month.
Space is limited. All materials included. Please pre-register so that we can set up the space accordingly.
The BDC Mindful Creativity classes offer creative ways to explore the teachings of the Buddha. Using arts, crafts and/or writing methods, facilitators from our community will lead creative activities with the purpose of expressing the wisdom, inspiration and compassion of the Dharma.
You do not have to practice Buddhism or have prior experience with the art form to join; everyone is welcome.
There will be a suggested sliding scale fee which includes registration and materials costs for every meeting; scholarships are available on request.
Sample Meeting
● Welcome/introduction
● Meditation (10-20 minutes)
● Introduction to creative activity.
● Creative activity
● Group sharing on the experience of practice or the reading
● Clean up
● Short closing sit and Dedication of Merit
Creativity, innovation and imagination have been part of the Buddhist tradition since the first century BCE when the oral tradition of Theravada evolved into the narrative sutras of the Pali Canon etched into palm leaves. Statues of Buddha were created in the 3rd century Pyu period of Burma. The Dunhuang caves of China revealed a multicultural collection of 5th century Buddhist manuscripts and mural paintings. Tibetans have created thangkas and mandalas for 1,300 years inspiring the practice of Vajrayana Buddhism. The history of Zen in Japan is replete with poems, drawings, paintings and books based on Buddhist themes. Modern western Buddhism is currently producing art, in all its forms, as an exploration of the Buddha’s teachings. Our Mindful Creativity Group will continue this tradition.
Tempel Smith Residential Retreat Registration is Open! This is the last week our local community has priority access to the Bozeman Insight Community’s residential retreat at the BBar ranch Oct 17 – 21 with Tempel Smith. Tempel’s students and out-of-state residents will be invited to register after August 1st. We hope you can join us in this beautiful setting for a rich, transformative experience. See details and link to registration here.
This Dharma Thought on “Metta Like You Mean It” is offered by Steve Allison-Bunnell of the Joining Rivers Sangha which meets Mondays at 7PM.
A former President and current candidate nearly assassinated; questions about the future of the sitting President’s candidacy; relentless death and destruction in Gaza, Ukraine, and elsewhere — never has the world, never have our leaders, and never have we needed more to cultivate and amplify lovingkindness toward one another. One source translates the Pali word “metta” as “active interest in others.” I like how that phrasing emphasizes the fullness and commitment involved in practicing it. It goes beyond casual “friendliness” to soften blame and anger in order to genuinely wish happiness for all beings, starting with their safety and basic well-being. Practicing Metta emphatically extends that wish both to those we already care for and those we dislike. What happens when you direct lovingkindness to someone you judge or even hate? If you don’t think you can go that far, might you still try? How is it different to practice in this moment?
