Sangha Update: Joy of Living July Topics

TibetanMichael Palmer

Apologies to the Tergar Bozeman Joy of Living Group for forgetting to update their topics in the July newsletter! Here they are:

Please join us for the following new practices in July :

July 5th – Meditating with Visual objects and Sounds
July 12 – Meditating with Smell and Taste
July 19 – Integrative practice session on senses
July 26 – We begin a new topic – Essential elements of meditation Practice – Forming a compassionate motivation

Our sense of sight is often the most dominant aspect of our experience. In meditation, all the objects that fill or visual field can be a tremendous support for awareness. Sounds have a naturally soothing quality on the mind. When sounds are experienced with meditative awareness, even those that we ordinarily consider abrasive can elicit a sense of deep stillness and contentment.

Smells and tastes often go unnoticed in daily life. Taking time to bring awareness to them can calm and strengthen your mind.

Those who are subscribed to the Tergar Bozeman weekly newsletter will receive additional information and practice tools related to the topic. You can subscribe to their newsletter here:

Dharma Thought: True Freedom

Dharma ThoughtsMichael Palmer

This Dharma Thought on True Freedom is brought to you by Steve Allison-Bunnell from the Joining Rivers Sangha.

What is true freedom? The Declaration of Independence claims freedom from government interference and control. Over 250 years, this has morphed into a freedom from responsibility toward anyone. With this view, community and connection are hard to come by.

The Buddha offered a profoundly personal path to freedom. The Dharma offers us liberation from our own dissatisfaction with the world. Being a free person on the Eightfold Path is to live with lightness we nurture for ourselves, rather than demanding that others allow us to do as we please. What is your personal definition of freedom? When do you feel liberated?

Image of head of Buddha statue to symbolize this Dharma Thought on True Freedom.

Dharma Thought: Look Up to Look Out

Dharma ThoughtsMichael Palmer

When I see someone walking along with their head down, eyes on the ground, I know from personal experience that they are not actually present. As a sighted person, where my gaze goes, so does my attention and awareness. So when I feel my own perception collapsing inward, turning my suffering into the singularity of a psychic black hole, I practice literally looking up and out. Where am I really? What do I see outside of myself, surrounding me? Instead of feeling alone and insignificant, touching the reality of Interbeing in the present moment — the fact that I am not separate from the rest of the universe — brings me connection and calm. What do you do when you find yourself looking down? What do you see when you look out?

This Dharma Thought is brought to you by Steve Allison-Bunnell of the Joining Rivers Sangha. Joining Rivers Sangha practices in the Plum Village Tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh and meets on Mondays at 7pm (in person only).

Silhouette of a man with hands raised in the sunset

Event: Practicing with Koans

Daylong Retreat, ZenMichael Palmer

Join the Bozeman Zen Group on Saturday, July 8 for a half-day retreat and koan practice.

Practiced by Zen students since the 600s, the study of koans encourages us to leave our beliefs and biases at the gate when we enter its space. While there are many fine collections of traditional koans, we will keep company with examples presented in a contemporary collection referred to as “the miscellaneous koans.” All welcome; no prior experience necessary! $20 donation to the Bozeman Zen Group is requested. Register here.

Schedule Change: MindSpace

Schedule UpdateMichael Palmer

The MindSpace group’s schedule will change for the summer. They will meet June 27 and then start meeting every other week for July and August. Meeting dates for those months are: July 11 & 25 and August 8 &22. MindSpace is a meditation group for people 40 and younger. Group meetings begin at 6:30 PM. All welcome!

Schedule Change: July 4 Holiday

Schedule UpdateMichael Palmer

In honor of the July 4 holiday, Joining Rivers will not meet on Monday, July 3 and we will not have a Kindhearted Awareness meeting, noon sit, afternoon sit, Newcomer Orientation nor MindSpace meeting on Tuesday, July 4. Enjoy the holiday and may your dogs get through it with peace and ease.

Dharma Thought: Contemplation & Practice Suggestion

Dharma Thoughts, Non-denominationalMichael Palmer

Contemplation:

“Whenever we are between here and there, whenever one thing has ended and we’re waiting for the next thing to begin, whenever we’re tempted to distract ourselves or look for an escape route, we can instead let ourselves be open, curious, tentative, vulnerable.

You can always find ways to connect with this in your everyday life. Its very simple, slow down and abruptly stop. Look out, and touch in with the present moment. Doing so breaks up the stream of concepts and mental chatter that overlay your experience. It enables you to touch in with the timelessness of the present moment”.

Pema Chodron, “Welcoming the Unwelcome”

A possible practice session for the next 3 weeks:

Reflect on your motivation and aspiration.

Relax in open awareness:

Don’t try to focus on anything in particular or control your mind.

Leave all the sense doors open, without trying to block any aspect of experience.

After a few minutes, bring your awareness to the physical sensations in your body

Rest your attention on an object in your visual field, or on whatever sense you have chosen to use as support for your meditation

You do not need to change or alter your experience, nor do you need to focus intensely or concentrate the mind.

Simply know that you are feeling/seeing/hearing.

Rest again in open awareness, not distracted and not meditating. Eyes open for the last 1-2 min.

This Dharma Thought is brought to you by Tergar Bozeman: The Joy of Living Practice Group which meets weekly on Wednesdays at 5:30 PM.

Dharma Thought: On Activity

Dharma Thoughts, ZenMichael Palmer

On Activity, from Suzuki Roshi: “When we practice zazen, we limit our activity to the smallest extent. Just keeping the right posture and concentrating on sitting is how we express the universal nature. Then we become Buddha and express Buddha nature…we just concentrate on the activity we do in each moment. When you bow, you should just bow; when you eat, you should just eat. If you do this, the universal nature is there. In Japanese, we call it ichigyo zammai or ‘one-act samadhi.‘ “

Despite our society’s love of “multi-tasking,” science is discovering that we really can only do one thing at a time. Our attempts at multi-tasking are actually our brains serially monotasking. This fragmented attention is the opposite of what the Buddha taught and of what Suzuki Roshi tried to remind us. Do you notice a difference in your mental state when you focus on one thing at a time and when you try to multi-task? Which one feels better?

This Dharma Thought is brought to you by the Bozeman Zen Group.

Event: Summer Solstice Celebration

Non-denominationalMichael Palmer

On Wednesday, June 21, come celebrate the longest day of the year with dharma, a Sound Meditation (bells provided by Ann Marvin) followed by refreshments and socializing. Donations gratefully accepted at the door to help cover the cost of the event. No prior experience or registration needed. Appropriate for friends and families with children 10 years or older.

Celebrate the summer solstice with a sound meditation — Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

Event: BIC Guest Speaker

Non-denominationalMichael Palmer

BIC is excited to have guest Somananda Yogi speak via Zoom on the evening of June 22 at 7PM Mountain time. Somananda Yogi is an American-born master in Thai Medicine and meditation practices. He will Zoom in from Thailand. This promises to be a fascinating evening!

All are welcome. In person or join by the regular, drop-in zoom channel.

No prior experience or registration necessary.

This evening is freely offered; contributions to support the teachings are gratefully accepted in the time-honored generosity practice of dāna.

Subscribe to our newsletter!