Saturday, April 19
Transforming Our Powerlessness to help heal a hurting world
A Half-Day of Empowerment
with John Bell, Dharma Teacher & Beloved Community Circles CTC Member
Saturday, April 19, 2025
9:00 am to 1:00 pm PT/12:00 pm to 4:00 pm ET*
Register here.
What would you do if you were not afraid?
How are feelings of powerlessness hindering you?
What helps you feel your power to make a difference?
How can our mindfulness practice help?
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You are invited to join other practitioners to explore our feelings of powerlessness, its root causes,
and how to heal and transform these feelings
to even better fulfill our aspiration to make a difference to help a suffering world.
John Bell is a dharma teacher and serves on the Beloved Community Circles CTC. In his wide world work, he is a founding staff and former vice president of YouthBuild USA, an international non-profit that provides learning, earning, and leadership opportunities to young people from low-income backgrounds. He has done training for the Peace Corps in Africa and South America. He is an author, lifelong social justice activist, and trainer facilitator. His blog is www.beginwithin.info. His recent book from Parallax Press, Unbroken Wholeness: Six Pathways to the Beloved Community, can be ordered here.
This retreat is offered free of charge, but your generosity of Dana is gladly accepted as a contribution to the Beloved Community Circles. Donate on the website here. Checks can be sent to Beloved Community Circles, 366 Marsh St, Belmont, MA 02478, or use John’s Venmo account: @John-Bell-728, marked for BCC.
CHECK OUT THIS UPDATE ON THE MOON LAKE NUN’S RESIDENCE PROJECT AT BLUE CLIFF MONASTERY:
https://www.facebook.com/bluecliffmonastery/videos/930433955157019
2024/2025
Sangha Core Sutra Study Practice
April 17, 2025
TThe Lotus Sutra : Tales of Practice
Earth Holder and Bodhisattvas
The quality of our action depends on the quality of our being: skillful action arises from the foundation of being, and being is non-action. So the calm, mindful, fully present quality of our being, the quality of our non-action, is already a kind of "action" in this sense.
(Opening the Heart of the Cosmos)
– Thich Nhat Hanh
Dear friends on the Path,
Like the flowers of plum trees in spring, we are all blessed by our five new Dharma teachers coming back from Plum Village just a few days ago. Our theme this coming month is very appropriate since we can see their dedication to protect Mother Earth and manifest the values exemplified by Bodhisattvas over myriads of time and space. You are invited to come and share that renewed energy of Mindfulness, Concentration and Insight. We hope you will join us on Thursday, April 17, at 7 p.m. ET, as we gather to collectively enjoy the teachings on Earth Holder and Bodhisattvas in the Lotus Sutra.
Our Core Sutra Study Sangha meets on the third Thursday of each month. Our practice sessions are open to anyone who would like to participate; there is no requirement to have attended prior sessions. Here are the materials you can use if you would like to prepare for and attend this month’s meeting:
1. Link to the Pre-Readings:
2. Zoom link for 7 p.m. (Eastern Time):
https://zoom.us/j/780647439?pwd=bCt3N2EyOSs1NXVObVhaVXphMXl4Zz09
Meeting ID: 780 647 439 - Password: 031129
3. Schedule:
Please sign on by 6:50 p.m. (ET) so that you are settled when practice begins.
* Welcome and facilitation :
Gilles Breton, Mindfulness Practice Center, Montreal, QC
* Guided Meditation
* Introduction of Topic and Speakers
* Dharma Reflection 1 :
George Hoguet, Laughing Rivers, Pittsburgh, PA
* Dharma Reflection 2 :
Paticia Redshaw, Laughing Rivers, Slippery Rock, PA
(Pittsburgh)
* Movement/Singing
* Dharma Sharing
4. Remaining Sangha Core Sutra Study Program 2024-2025
May 15, 2025
No Here No There: The Two Dimensions
June 19, 2025
Trust and Faith
5. Links to recordings of previous talks in this year's program:
September 26, 2024
October 17, 2024
November 21, 2024
December 12, 2024
January 16, 2025
Never discouraged : The Magic City
February 20, 2025
March 13, 2025
We look forward to seeing you soon, dear Buddhas to be!
Yours in the practice,
The Sangha Core Sutra Study Program (SCSSP) Organizing Team
Our SCSSP Mission
We are an online Sangha that meets monthly to explore the essential Buddhist teachings at the heart of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village tradition. All are welcome for an evening of practice that includes meditation, Dharma reflections by Order of Interbeing members, and small group sharing. We aspire to create a supportive space for deepening our understanding of these core teachings and learning ways to apply them in everyday life.
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Registration Now Open for the October 19-December 27 Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet Course (it fills quickly)
In 2025 there will be just one cohort of ZASP. Plum Village has just opened registrations for this cohort, and we’d love your help spreading the word to friends and colleagues about this wonderful opportunity to bring a spiritual dimension to their concern for the planet. I have taken this course twice and both times it was deeply transformational. I enjoyed being able to access the content on my own schedule and also participate in the global Dharma sharing and other community events. If you are feeling troubled by climate disruption, and many other issues we face, please give yourself the gift of this course.
There are hundreds of scholarships available, especially for young activists and folks from underserved communities. Please register here: plumvillage.org/zasp
Practice Resources
Beautiful music video from Plum Village to honor Thay’s Continuation Day, October 11
Dharma talks, video, songs for the practice, and chants from Thich Nhat Hanh and Plum Village community members and friends
Dharma Talks (video) by Thich Nhat Hanh
https://plumvillage.org/thich-nhat-hanh-dharma-talks/
Thich Nhat Hanh Dharma Talks (audio)
http://tnhaudio.org/
Plum Village on Vimeo
http://vimeo.com/user745118
Dharma talks & video from Magnolia Grove Monastery
Weekly Online Sangha practice sessions (6-7 pm Eastern): Please register to receive the Zoom link
Dharma talks, video, and songs from Deer Park Monastery
Deer Park Dharmacast
http://deerpark.libsyn.com/
Deer Park Recordings on SoundCloud
http://soundcloud.com/deer-park-monastery
Meet the Monastics from Deer Park Monastery As monastics, the most common question asked of us is, you guessed it, why did you become a monastic? I'm Brother Minh-An, a Buddhist monk in the Plum Village tradition of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. And this podcast is for anyone who's ever wanted to ask that question. Each week, we'll bring you my conversations with other fully ordained monks and nuns about their journey to monastic life and what inspires them now. We hope they inspire you to live a happier, kinder, and more meaningful life. And who knows, maybe some of you will even consider monastic life yourself.
You can listen to the weekly episodes wherever you get your podcasts (simply search for Meet the Monastics) or on the Deer Park Monastery YouTube channel. Meet the Monastics: A New Podcast
Video and audio from Blue Cliff Monastery
Videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaX_vxbhs8fgmshMksFpVsUeMfUpv8FsW
Audio: https://soundcloud.com/blue-cliff-monastery
Dharma talks, video, and songs from the Wake Up Movement
Americas | Wake Up International
https://wkup.org/category/america/
Peace Sounds: Wake Up London & Friends
http://peacesounds.bandcamp.com/
Julian + Chad singing "The Island Within" and "Call Me By My True Names"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDr46vMTmdg
Julian + Chad singing "Rainbow Connection"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=851QUg75NAs
"Brother Thây: A Radio Pilgrimage with Thich Nhat Hanh," a profile and interview with Thich Nhat Hanh by Krista Tippett
https://plumvillage.org/thich-nhat-hanh-interviews/thich-nhat-hanh-on-mindfulness-suffering-and-engaged-buddhism/
The Great Bell Chant (The End of Suffering) from Rens Smittenaar
https://vimeo.com/6518109
Sister Dang Nghiem (Adornment with Non-discrimination) on inviting the bell
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6aYE3irqFQ
Thich Nhat Hanh on inviting the bell
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7fzUBz_PWA
YouTube videos
Sister The Nghiem singing "Discourse on Love" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdtnOo7XZts
Sister The Nghiem singing "Watering the Seeds of Joy" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdoE2EU_UyI&feature=channel&list=UL
The Winston-Salem Community of Mindful Living meets weekly on Thursday evenings for sitting practice at The Hub, a community of service groups housed in a former church at 502 N. Broad Street in downtown Winston-Salem.
There is ample parking and a quiet space for us to sit. All are welcome, and there is no cost. Chairs are provided, but bring your own cushion if you want to sit on the floor. We will meet at 6:30 pm until 7:45 pm each Thursday. At this time, we will not be offering online access to the meeting but will focus on in-person attendance. Of course, the Tuesday/Thursday morning online practice continues as is:
Tuesday and Thursday Mornings, 7:00-7:40 a.m. Online Meditation:
Tuesdays: Guided meditation, reading, sharing. Thursdays: Morning Chant, silent sitting meditation, reading, sharing. All are welcome — no experience necessary. For more information, send a message through our Contact tab.
Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82703691204?pwd=YmNEVFNQWXNxQTlPQk44cnliRzRTZz09
Meeting ID: 82703691204
Password: 010101
We are currently reading from the book, At Home in the World, by Thich Nhat Hanh.
Sangha Core Sutra Study
Sangha Core Sutra Study Practice
Thu, June 20, 2024 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
The Sangha Core Sutra Study Practice is an online Sangha that started more than 15 years ago to deepen our understanding and practice of the core sutras. We meet monthly for 10 months each year to explore the essential Buddhist teachings at the heart of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village tradition. All are welcome for an evening of practice that includes meditation, Dharma reflections by Order of Interbeing members, and small group sharing. We aspire to create a supportive space for deepening our understanding of these core teachings and learning ways to apply them in everyday life.This year we are studying the Diamond Sutra, which Thay tells us is one of the most beloved scriptures in the Zen tradition and the earliest text to explore deep ecology.
In this profound teaching the Buddha invites us to let go of four deeply held notions in order to understand our own true nature and the true nature of reality so we may transcend our ignorance and wrong views. We will also be looking at related teachings from Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet. We are inspired to be exploring these deep teachings with you this year!
Remaining date:
June 20, 2024: How to Practice the Buddha's Teachings
Zoom link for 7pm (Eastern Time):
https://zoom.us/j/780647439?pwd=bCt3N2EyOSs1NXVObVhaVXphMXl4Zz09
Meeting ID: 780 647 439 - Password: 031129
Half day of Mindfulness
We are happy to announce that registration is now open for our upcoming Half Day of Mindfulness on Saturday, 4/13, at Timberlake Earth Sanctuary from 1-4:30.
REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT IS NOW FULL. WATCH FOR INFORMATION ABOUT OUR NEXT DAY OF MINDFULNESS.
Due to causes and conditions, the original full Day of Mindfulness scheduled for Sunday, 4/14 will not happen.
Here is a link to register for this beautiful opportunity to practice sitting, walking, deep relaxation, and a Dharma Discussion led by Dharma Teacher Scott Schang in community.
When: Saturday, April 13, 1-4:00 p.m. (Check in 12:45 p.m.)
Where: Timberlake Earth Sanctuary
Cost: Sliding scale of $10 - $40 based on your ability to pay. Please bring a bag lunch.
Space is limited so we will cap registration at 33. Registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Once you register, you will receive confirmation with more information.
Schedule:
1/2 Day of Mindfulness 1:00 - 4:30 (Registrants are welcome to come at 12:00 to enjoy a brown-bag lunch)
1:00 – Welcome, short orientation, introductions
1:30 – Outdoor walking meditation
2:15 – Deep relaxation (bring a yoga mat / blanket) followed by short Mindful Movements
3:00 – Break
3:10 – Dharma Discussion led by Scott Schang
4:10 – Closing
4:30 - Depart
