Sangha Meeting

Some Guidelines for Dharma Sharing in Meetings

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At the beginning of the meeting

During our meeting we want to minimize distractions, so please turn off your cell phones. 

Guidelines for Dharma sharing

In Dharma sharing we bow in when we wish to speak and bow out when we are done. 

Everything said is confidential. 

We’re sharing from our hearts with the whole sangha, it’s not a conversation between individuals. 

We wait for three breaths after someone has spoken before beginning the next share. There is no need to be in a hurry to be the next to share.

After we have shared we wait until everyone has had an opportunity to share before sharing again. 

The bellmaster may invite a bell if something shared is particularly intense or emotional, if there is unmindful speech, or if a pause to breathe is appropriate. 

Experience has shown that interrupting Dharma sharing for questions and answers does not work well and can be disruptive. If you have questions you are welcome to speak to David, Bee, or Jon after the meeting. Also, most subjects in Buddhism are discussed extensively on the internet and you are encouraged to search for answers to any questions there. 

The purpose of our Sangha is to support each other in our practice, mindfulness, awakening, and connection with the absolute. The purpose of Dharma sharing is to discuss what has been presented and how it applies to our lives. In our Dharma sharing we try to avoid divisive language and we don’t assume a specific political viewpoint of anyone in the Sangha. Also, rather than simply bemoaning the state of the world or the actions of other people, we are encouraged to water wholesome seeds by sharing how we are using our practice to reduce our suffering and that of others.

Some upcoming meetings and special events

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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

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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,
🙏🏼