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Saturday 28 January 2023

[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] Tomorrow Evening with Downtown Dharma: The Impossible Task

Kristin Barker kristin@1earthsangha.org

Sat, Dec 3, 2022, 2:20 PM

to Downtown

Greetings Dear Community,

Consider yourself, just as you are, invited to join our Sangha this evening from 7-8:30pm at Yoga District at 1910 14th St. NW. You can also join via Zoom. Details for attending in person and online are below.

Having returned from silent retreat in Western Mass, I'm excited to be with you in practice and the exploration of Buddhist wisdom. My colleague at One Earth Sangha recently wrote:

Why does Buddhism ask the impossible? You might be familiar with Shantideva's vow from the Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life, where he pledges to remain and drive away suffering "as long as space endures," implicitly inviting us to do the same. A similar sentiment can be found in the Four Great Vows of Zen:

Beings are numberless; I vow to save them.
Delusions are inexhaustible; I vow to end them.
Dharma gates are boundless; I vow to enter them.
Buddha's Way is unsurpassable; I vow to become it.

In these four lines, we are given four inconceivable tasks. From a certain perspective, it seems counterproductive. With no hope of success, isn't this a recipe for discouragement? But letting go of the hope of success is exactly the point.

This Sunday, we'll explore the power of the impossible vows and how they can benefit both our well being and that of our worlds.

I look forward to practicing with you, either at Yoga District or online.

With love and endless blessings,

Kristin

Attending In Person

Class is held on the 3rd floor, up two flights of stairs. We regret the restriction this places on those with physical disabilities and invite you to join us online.

COVID19 Precautions

We ask everyone to register and submit proof of boosted vaccination ahead of time to avoid delays.

a) Register through the Yoga District sign-up link -- scroll way to the bottom for (14th street) Sunday 7pm.
b) Submit proof of boosted vaccination to yogadc@yogadistrict.com or present it in person at the studio.
c) Masks are optional
d) Arrive 10 minutes early (6:50 pm) to check-in. (Since we staff these events ourselves, the doors will be locked at 7:10 pm and unfortunately, there will be no one at the desk to admit latecomers.)

Attending Online

Click here to join the zoom meeting
Meeting ID: 466 237 117
Passcode: 546447
Join by phone: (646) 876 9923 US (New York)

kristin barker

One Earth Sangha

Pronouns she, her and hers; on occupied land of the Piscataway.

kristin@1earthsangha.org

No mud, no lotus.

— Thích Nhất Hạnh

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Friday 27 January 2023

[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] Sangha Survey

Hi friends,

Our devoted teaching team wants to know how this sangha is working for you, and what can be done differently to better meet your needs in 2023. Also: we're considering some tech investments to improve the experience on Sundays, and need your feedback to help us make smart use of limited resources.

Would you be kind enough to take a few minutes to share your thoughts, via this survey?

https://forms.gle/BqjByovBUVE9SVe97

We look forward to hearing from you! This will take about 5 minutes to complete. And your responses are confidential.

Thank you!

-Vince

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Tuesday 24 January 2023

[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] follow-up on Sunday's talk

Dear dharma friends,

Thanks so much for joining together this Sunday evening, amidst the rain and muck, to sit together and keep dry under a karmic umbrella :)

We talked a bit about meditation supports, and I wanted to reprint the list for anyone who might benefit. I've also added a few at the end!

Note inhale / exhale, in / out, rising / falling, etc
Count the breaths to 10, restarting whenever the mind is distracted (Or choose another number)
Use a mantra, or repeated phrase(s)
Practice metta (a form of mantra rooted in lovingkind wishes)
Try anchoring mindfulness in one of the other senses - taste, touch, hearing, smell, sight
Noting practice - rest in open awareness and regularly note where the attention is going (taste, feeling, hearing, smell, sight, emotion, thoughts)
Adjust the posture based on what's most helpful - laying, sitting, standing, walking
Eyes open and soft or closed. Eyes closed decreases stimuli, which can be helpful. Some even like an eye mask! And many people sit with eyes open.
A soothing ambient soundtrack, fire, rain, ocean or bird sounds, etc. Alternately, ear plugs.
Guided meditation
Add interval cues during longer sits. If sitting 20 min makes you anxious, it can be helpful to have a cue half way through (like a small bell, or blocks hitting together). Then the mind sees it as two 10 min sits, which may feel easier.

Mipham Rinpoche described the mind as a horse in Turning the Mind Into An Ally, and Shunryu Suzuki told us to give our sheep and cows a large, spacious pasture in Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. If you want to dive deeper into the painting I sent before (a Tibetan thangka), I thought this was a helpful article from Venerable Thubten Damcho.

If you are moved to offer dana (generosity), words and offerings are always welcome. You can PayPal shawnshafner@gmail.com or venmo @shawn-shafner. A portion is shared back to the community.

Thanks so much! Happy lunar new year to all, and looking forward to being together again soon.

🙏🏻❤️🌈

Shawn

Body-positive movement classes, meditation, group facilitation and more! ShawnShafner.com

The POOP Project

Homepage! 💩❤🌈

Animated! 🎬 Profiled! 🕵 Lauded! 👏

Get my 📕, Know Your Sh!t, at Barnes & Noble or order online! Published by Cider Mill Press, distributed by Simon & Schuster.

Mailing list! 💌 Instagram! 📸 Twitter! 🐦 Facebook! 👪

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Shawn Shafner

Weekly body-positive movement classes, meditation, group facilitation and more! www.ShawnShafner.com

New book, Know Your 💩, available now! Order online or request a signed copy from me at https://forms.gle/Tw5hFN2Tsno9Yf2Y7
Published by Cider Mill Press, distributed by Simon & Schuster.

Founder: The People's Own Organic Power Project
www.thePOOPproject.org
https://youtu.be/nMATjaylbi8
https://youtu.be/72clhQyV6FY

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Friday 20 January 2023

[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] Sunday evening dharma gathering - Jan 22

Dear dharma friends,

Wishing you so well as we welcome this week's end. It is my honor to be facilitating Downtown Dharma this Sunday, 1/22 from 7-8:30pm at Yoga District at 1910 14th St. NW. You can also join via Zoom. Masks will be OPTIONAL for this session, and are always welcome for those who prefer to wear one.

Depending on whose metaphor you prefer, the mind is like a wild horse, a flock of sheep, an elephant and monkey (see traditional-style shamatha image by Les Walker below and here), and more. It runs amok! It poops all over! But we can learn to work with it. This week, we'll talk a little about how some Buddhist traditions view taming the mind, and cover a number of practical ways to work with our minds when we get to the cushion - and to our lives.

Attending In Person
If you are attending in person, you will need to do the following:

a) Register through the Yoga District sign-up link -- scroll way to the bottom for (14th street) Sunday 7pm.

b) Submit proof of boosted vaccination to yogadc@yogadistrict.com or present it in person at the studio.

c) Masks optional for this class.

d) Arrive 10 minutes early (6:50 pm) to check-in. (Since we staff these events ourselves, the doors will be locked at 7:10 pm and unfortunately, there will be no one at the desk to admit latecomers.)

We ask everyone to register and submit proof of boosted vaccination ahead of time to avoid delays. Class is held on the 3rd floor, up two flights of stairs.

Attending Online

Click here to join the zoom meeting

Meeting ID: 466 237 117

Passcode: 546447

Join by phone: (646) 876 9923 US (New York)

Thanks so much! Looking forward to sitting with you soon.

Shawn

Body-positive movement classes, meditation, group facilitation and more! ShawnShafner.com

The POOP Project

Homepage! 💩❤🌈

Animated! 🎬 Profiled! 🕵 Lauded! 👏

Get my 📕, Know Your Sh!t, at Barnes & Noble or order online! Published by Cider Mill Press, distributed by Simon & Schuster.

Mailing list! 💌 Instagram! 📸 Twitter! 🐦 Facebook! 👪

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Sunday 15 January 2023

[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] DD CANCELLED TONIGHT, 1/15/23

Downtown Dharma is CANCELLED tonight, 1/15. Just resending this alert in case anyone missed Kavya's earlier email.

For transparency, this is because we do not have a trained, Yoga District -approved volunteer available to staff the space tonight. This is not a situation where another sangha member or even one of our teachers can step up and fill the gap -- we get a set number of approved volunteer "slots" and it's a rigorous approval process that involves reference checks etc.

The volunteer team is working to identify a solution to avoid this in the future. In the meantime, HUGE thank you (!!) to our volunteer coordinator Kavya and the small team of dedicated volunteers (I am not among them) who have stepped up every week for more than a year and have kept our community alive. Big thanks also to Yoga District for so generously sharing their space with us.

Enjoy a peaceful sit at home tonight, and see you all next week --

Diane

Diane Adamson

240-281-4235

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Friday 13 January 2023

[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] Sangha cancelled this weekend

Hello everyone,

Downtown Dharma is cancelled this weekend. Hope everyone has a great long weekend!

Kavya

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Wednesday 11 January 2023

[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] Next Downtown Dharma Reading Group - Saturday, January 21, RSVP here!

Hi all!

Happy New Year! For our next reading group meeting we will be watching the movie "Descending the Mountain," followed by a short discussion.

We'll meet at the DC Writer's Salon (1807 18th St NW) at 6 pm on Saturday, January 21st. I'll provide popcorn and snacks :)

If you plan to attend, I recommend listening to this podcast about some of the science behind psychedelic therapy. You may also be interested in reading or watching Michael Pollan's "How to Change Your Mind" (available on Netflix).

Please RSVP here!

Thanks,

Madeleine

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Friday 6 January 2023

[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] An Evening with Downtown Dharma

What's Your Dharma?

Downtown Dharma Sangha

DATE: 8/7/2022 TIME: 7:00 - 8:30 PM

Location:

In-person:1910 14th Street NW, 3rd Floor, Washington, DC 20009

Online: Zoom ID: https://zoom.us/j/466237117?pwd=cGxHaTJlTVhBdldVSk8weDZuSW5udz09

Facilitators- Travis M. Spencer

Mindful Helper:

This Sunday's topic and practice will be an opportunity to explore our dharma in 2023.

During our time together we will participate in a heart-centered practice of listening and sharing with one another. We will discuss embracing our dharma to guide our spiritual awakening, healing, and wellness.

Quote

"We can easily get lost in the chaos of all these voices, but once we can access and become attuned to it, our dharma acts as a guiding light. And once we become aware of our true purpose, we can step into our full power and potential."- Saiisha

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[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] New relational process group for healing professionals!

Hi dharma friends,

I know there are some therapists, meditation teachers, yoga teachers, and other healing professionals in this group.

More than anything else—more than daily meditation, reading books, individual therapy—doing weekly group therapy with other therapists the past two years has dramatically transformed my relationship, friendships, and therapy practice.

I'm much more aware of what's happening inside of my body emotionally while relating to others, and much more courageous and skilled at communicating how I feel in the moment in a kind yet honest way.

So... I'm forming a weekly process group for healing professionals starting in February!

Our goals will include here-and-now relational healing of emotional wounds/trauma, increasing self-awareness, reducing shame, and improving relationships.

I will hold space for the group, using mindfulness skills and Internal Family Systems (IFS)-informed therapy to create a safe, non-shaming, and transformative container. I'm an LGPC, have completed the IFS Online Circle training and am supervised by a certified Level 3 IFS therapist (Hetty Barnett, LCSW). Here's more about me!

Here are the details:

What: Internal Family Systems (IFS) Process Group for Healing Professionals

When: Starting in February. Day/time TBD. Fill out this form indicating which times each week work for you. Each session is 75 minutes.

Who: Therapists and other healing professionals, including students/trainees. All members are screened to ensure sufficient motivation, life experience, and relational skills. Group limit is 6. Must reside in DC or MD.

Cost: $100/session, with a sliding scale available for graduate students, new practitioners, and agency employees. Four Corners Counseling & Well-Being is an out-of-network (OON) provider. Participants may be eligible for reimbursement from their insurance carriers by using their out-of-network benefits.

Location: Zoom

Interested? Fill out this form to set up a 15-minute call to see if you're a good fit to join the group. Questions? Email me: jeremy@fourcornerswellbeing.com.

With warmth,

Jeremy

Jeremy Mohler

he/him/his

301-752-8413

jeremymohler.blog

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Re: [Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] Living Dharma Group

Hi Devin,

Happy New Year!

I'm looking forward to meeting with the Living Dharma Group again. Thank you for again offering your time and knowledge!

Would it be okay I give your email to a contact/friend of mine, Selam Mariam? She's a counselor at Recovery Unplugged and is collecting thoughts about recovery dharmas for the purpose of starting one at RU. (She can tell you more but I think right now she wants to start something for/with other staff members since all of them are in recovery). She went to at least one Downtown Dharma meeting and my daughter (her friend) is connecting her to a guy who facilitates a recovery dharma in FL.

I'm sure she'd be grateful for any suggestions, thoughts or readings you could give her.

Thanks & again, Happy New Year!

Karen

On Sun, Jan 1, 2023 at 3:30 PM Devin Maroney <devinmaroney@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi friends,

I wanted to invite anyone who is interested to join the Winter session of the Living Dharma Group. The group is for people who are motivated to bring the teachings into all aspects of their lives.

We will meet from 9:30 - 10:55 on Fridays mornings via Zoom and I will send daily practice instructions to group members. The group will start on January 13th and end on April 28th. There will be no session on February 3rd and possibly one other cancellation at the end of March or beginning of April. I ask that you make an effort to attend at least 11 of the 14 sessions.

If you're interested, please let me know.

All the best,

Devin

--
Devin Maroney (he/him)

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Sunday 1 January 2023

[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] Living Dharma Group

Hi friends,

I wanted to invite anyone who is interested to join the Winter session of the Living Dharma Group. The group is for people who are motivated to bring the teachings into all aspects of their lives.

We will meet from 9:30 - 10:55 on Fridays mornings via Zoom and I will send daily practice instructions to group members. The group will start on January 13th and end on April 28th. There will be no session on February 3rd and possibly one other cancellation at the end of March or beginning of April. I ask that you make an effort to attend at least 11 of the 14 sessions.

If you're interested, please let me know.

All the best,

Devin

Devin Maroney (he/him)

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