Sangha Meeting

Some upcoming meetings and special events

jnimitzLeave a comment

Business Meeting Sept. 22

On Sunday, Sept. 22, we will have our regular chanting and seated meditation followed by a business meeting. At a business meeting all Sangha members present have a chance to voice their opinions and vote on issues affecting the Sangha. One of the agenda items for this time is what to do on the first Sundays of the month when daylight savings ends and we normally move our meeting time to 4:00 p.m. Starting in October, on the first Sundays of the month the Zen Center will be having full-day sits running until 4:00 which means that on those days we will not be able to shift the time. Some of the options to consider are to continue meeting at 5:00 p.m. through the winter, to meet at 5:00 only on the first Sunday of the month and 4:00 on other Sundays, to meet elsewhere, or to have some other event, such as dinner at a restaurant, on those days. Another agenda item is how to handle questions during Dharma discussion. Members are encouraged to ask questions before or after the Sangha meetings rather than during Dharma sharing. The “no crosstalk” rule prohibits answering questions directly during Dharma sharing, but one option would be to suspend Dharma sharing briefly to answer questions. 

If you have any other concerns or business items relating to the Sangha please feel to contact one of the Sangha organizers to add to the agenda, or you may bring them to our business meeting on the 22nd. 

Sangha Dinner Oct. 6

Some members have expressed the desire to have more opportunity to socialize. On Sunday Oct. 6 instead of meeting at AZC we will meet at 5:00 p.m. at Viet’s Pho restaurant. It is located on the south side of Menaul at the corner of Graceland, which is one block west of Washington. The Sangha treasury will pay for a meal for those members who attend. There will be no regular Sangha meeting at the Albuquerque Zen Center on this day.

Day of Mindfulness Oct. 13

On Sunday Oct. 13 please join us from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for a Day of Mindfulness at the Kiwanis Area of the Elena Gallegos Open Space. This is a lovely, rejuvenating practice. A flyer with more details has been posted on this website in a previous post. There will be no regular meeting at the Albuquerque Zen Center that day. 

Quiet Mind Sangha 4:00 p.m. Sunday March 3, 2024 – Please note change in meeting time to 5:00 p.m. next week

jnimitzLeave a comment

Dear Thay, dear Sangha,

Please join us this Sunday from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. at the Albuquerque Zen Center, 2300 Garfield Ave. SE. 
Please note that when Daylight Savings Time begins on the following Sunday, March 10, and we set our clocks forward, on that same day we will start meeting from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m.

Bee will be leading us in talking about The Second Arrow. The Buddha asked, “If you are struck by an arrow, do you then shoot another arrow into yourself?” Thay often teaches, “Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.” This is the essence of the Buddha’s teaching of the “Second Arrow.” The first arrow is the pain we invariably experience in the course of our daily lives. It is often external and happens “to”us. The second arrow is our reaction to the first. It is usually an internal process: anger, resentment, a sense of indignation or injustice. The second arrow heightens our pain.The teaching is not about denying our painful experience; it is about our choice in how we react or proceed. Another way Thay expresses it is “we need to learn to suffer well.”

To maintain an atmosphere of reverence and tranquility in the Zendo we’ll be observing 10 minutes of Noble Silence before each meeting.

Please save the date of April 28 when we’ll be having a Day of Mindfulness from about 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Kiwanis area in Elena Gallegos Open Space. More details will follow.

Please note that the Plum Blossom Sangha in Austin is holding a retreat from April 18-21. More information and registration is available at https://plumblossomsangha.org/retreat/2024-retreat/

Dana (generosity) is one of the virtues cultivated in Buddhism. It is customary to offer Dana in appreciation for the benefits received and to support the Sangha. Dana can be financial and it can also be in other forms such as helping with setup or breakdown of meetings and days of mindfulness. 

With metta,
🙏🏼

NEW TIME 4:00 for meetings, starting Sunday Nov. 5

jnimitzLeave a comment

Dear Thay, dear Sangha,

Please join us this Sunday from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. at the Albuquerque Zen Center, 2300 Garfield Ave. SE.
Please note the change of start time to 4:00. By vote of the Sangha, with the change in the clocks in the Fall we move our meeting time up one hour to give more daylight to drive home after our meeting.

This Sunday we’ll be watching a video of Thay, about 20 minutes long. It will be a teaching on the four elements of true love: loving kindness, compassion, empathetic joy, and equanimity. These are also known as the Brahmaviharas (abodes of the gods) and the four immeasurables, because they can grow without bounds. These are qualities we can cultivate as Bodhisattvas for the benefit of all beings.

To maintain an atmosphere of reverence and tranquility in the Zendo we’ll be observing 10 minutes of Noble Silence before each meeting.

Dana (generosity) is one of the virtues cultivated in Buddhism. It is customary to offer Dana in appreciation for the benefits received and to support the Sangha. Dana can be financial and it can also be in other forms such as helping with setup or breakdown of meetings and days of mindfulness.

With metta,
🙏🏼

Quiet Mind Sangha meeting July 2, 2023 – reciting the 14 Mindfulness Trainings, and Zoom option discontinued

jnimitzLeave a comment

Dear Thay, dear Sangha,

Please join us this Sunday from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. at the Albuquerque Zen Center, 2300 Garfield Ave. SE.

With David leading the meeting, we can enjoy reciting the 14 Mindfulness Trainings. He says “Whenever I read them I always find many little gems of wisdom-which I really need in these chaotic times. The trainings are a storehouse of mindfulness based ethics that I need every day to help me come back to my mindfulness and to be fully present. I look forward to again sharing them together.”

Please note that the Zoom option for our Sangha meetings has been discontinued. For those who wish to attend Zoom meetings in our tradition, every month there are about 100 Zoom meetings of Sanghas worldwide. These are listed at plumline.org.

At last week’s meeting there was a discussion of the Zoom option and all attendees were encouraged to share their comments. Setting up and taking down Zoom equipment requires substantial time and effort. Attendance on Zoom has been extremely low lately, the volunteer who has been setting up and taking down the equipment for three years (Jon) has resigned from this duty, and nobody volunteered to take it over. At the end of the discussion the Sangha voted by a majority to discontinue the Zoom option for our meetings.

All members are encouraged to join us in person. For those concerned about Covid exposure, it is the policy of the Albuquerque Zen Center that everyone attending in-person events must be fully vaccinated. Also, masks are optional so anyone wishing to wear a mask at an in-person meeting may do so. Two HEPA air filters are running in the Zendo at each meeting. If you need transportation to and from meetings please let us know, along with your address, and we can announce it to the Sangha to see if another member can help.

To maintain an atmosphere of reverence and tranquility in the Zendo we’ll be observing 10 minutes of Noble Silence before each meeting.

Dana (generosity) is one of the virtues cultivated in Buddhism. It is customary to offer Dana in appreciation for the benefits received and to support the Sangha. Dana can be financial and it can also be in other forms such as helping with setup or breakdown of meetings and days of mindfulness.

With metta,
🙏🏼