Tuesday 30 July 2024

[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] Downtown Dharma Reading Group: August 31st - Ecodharma

Hi friends

At our next reading group club we'll discuss this article - Ecodharma: a new Buddhist path?, by David Loy.

"Ecodharma" is a relatively new term that asks how Buddhist thought and practice can help us address contemporary ecological crises; and also how addressing these crises may enhance our Buddhist practice. The article draws fascinating parallels between the causes of our individual suffering (and awakening), and those that lead to ecological destruction (and renewal).  

We'll meet on Saturday, August 31st at 6pm. Sharon has kindly agreed to host us at her place in Bloomingdale (~15min walk from NOMA and Shaw metro stops). 

If you're interested, please RSVP here (space is limited but please put your name on the waitlist as usually we get a last minute cancellation or two).

The address and some discussion questions will be shared closed to the date.

Be well, Nick 
  

 



Read More :- "[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] Downtown Dharma Reading Group: August 31st - Ecodharma"

Sunday 28 July 2024

[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] Sit & chat tonight

Hi all, 

Tonight at Downtown Dharma, we'll have one of our newly branded "sit & chat" sessions at 7. 

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


See you then!

Kavya

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Read More :- "[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] Sit & chat tonight"

[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] FAQ: Downtown Dharma Retreat (Sep 20-22)

Hi friends,

We've gotten many questions in recent weeks from community members interested in Downtown Dharma's weekend mindfulness retreat, on September 20-22.

If you're considering the retreat, but are keen to learn more before signing up, please scroll down for answers to FAQ, such as:
  • Is this retreat appropriate for those new-ish to meditation?
  • Are scholarships available?
  • Are rides available to/from the retreat center in Virginia?
  • How much of it will be in silence?
The official registration page is here:

If you have other Qs that aren't below, please feel free to reach out with any of the friendly volunteers on the retreat planning team (Ana María, Kristin, Travis, Nate).

With love,
Vince

-------

I've never gone on a mindfulness retreat before. Am I welcome to join?


Yes, we hope you will join us! We expect many participants at this retreat who are new to meditation, along with others who have years of experience with retreats. We will be offering lots of guidance and support to help everyone feel comfortable and ready to benefit from the gift of a residential retreat experience.


Are scholarships available? Unfortunately I can't afford the full registration fee.


Yes! IMCW (Insight Meditation of Community of Washington) has a scholarship fund that assists those who'd otherwise be unable to go on retreat. If you need financial assistance, please submit this Scholarship Application. Funds are limited, so please apply early.


I don't have a car. Are rides available to/from the retreat center?


Yes, we will connect those who need a ride with drivers who are able to offer one. When registering, please indicate if you can OFFER a ride, or NEED a ride, and include location details. We'll follow up closer to the retreat to help rideshare folks connect with each other.


How much of the retreat will be in silence? And why would silence be beneficial on a retreat that emphasizes awakening in community?


After meeting each other over dinner on Friday, and breaking into small groups for introductions, we'll enter into a period of shared silence that will extend through Saturday. This is a rare period of quiet that gives our overloaded senses a breather, so that we can spend time connecting intimately with our own hearts and minds. 


Any period of silence can be a little uncomfortable at first, particularly if you've never spent a day without talking before. Yet this stillness is actually a rich sanctuary from the distractions and stimulations that agitate the mind in our busy lives. These distractions keep us from experiencing deeper moments of peace, clarity and perspective. Embedded in nature, and silently supported by a community that values conscious living, we'll explore the possibility of an unexpected sense of connection with others, ourselves, and the natural world.


On Sunday, we will carry the effects of our shared silence into a structured period of mindful speaking and listening, focused on how to integrate mindfulness into daily life.


Do I have to participate in every activity that's scheduled?


We will be creating an atmosphere of shared respect and support for each other throughout the retreat weekend. Within this container, you are not only completely free, but encouraged, to use your own wise discernment.


-------


FAQ here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GfRBmBPRcipPHDy5c9PkWXB-j2yLySqXUIwfgOpngks/edit?usp=sharing


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Read More :- "[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] FAQ: Downtown Dharma Retreat (Sep 20-22)"

Friday 19 July 2024

[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] An Evening with Downtown Dharma Sangha: Homeward Bound: Journey to the Present Moment.

.

Homeward Bound: Journey to the Present Moment. 

Downtown Dharma Sangha

DATE:  7/21/2024  TIME: 7:00 - 8:30 PM

Location

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

Facilitator- Travis M. Spencer 


Much Peace Downtown Dharma Sangha,


I'm blessed to lead our next Dharma Talk. This Sunday's topic and practice will delve into the benefits of Mindful Living. I will share how curiosity, embracing the present moment, and transforming suffering and hardship are essential to our journey toward awakening to our true nature. We will explore how joy can coexist with hardship and how our approach to suffering, hardship, and pain can lead to personal growth and strength.

Here are three questions for reflection:

1. How does living in the present moment contribute to finding relief and ease amid suffering and hardship?

2. How can we cultivate joy and gratitude while navigating difficult times?

3. How can our understanding of suffering and hardship lead to personal growth and resilience?


Quote 

""Love needs to be nurtured and fed to survive; and our suffering also survives because we enable and feed it. We ruminate on suffering, regret, and sorrow. We chew on them, swallow them, bring them back up, and eat them again and again. If we're feeding our suffering while we're walking, working, eating, or talking, we are making ourselves victims of the ghosts of the past, of the future, or our worries in the present. We're not living our lives."

― ― Thích Nhất Hạnh, No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering


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Read More :- "[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] An Evening with Downtown Dharma Sangha: Homeward Bound: Journey to the Present Moment."

Thursday 18 July 2024

[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] Fwd: Volunteers Needed: Painting and Drywall

In case anyone wants to organize...

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Sierra Early <searly@some.org>
Date: Thu, Jul 18, 2024 at 9:01 AM
Subject: Volunteers Needed: Painting and Drywall
To: Brian <brian.chamowitz@gmail.com>


Hi Brian!


As So Others Might Eat expands, we're reaching out for volunteers with a knack for interior painting and a heart for service.


Our new facility, spread across two floors, requires a team of 10+ individuals or a smaller group willing to work in phases since there is a lot of square footage to cover. We're hoping to complete this important project by the end of August, near our O Street NW headquarters.


If your corporate, religious, or community group can lend us your painting skills, we'd love to hear from you.


Thank you!



Sierra Early 
Volunteer Resource and Training Coordinator | SOME (So Others Might Eat)
www.some.org







This email was sent to brian.chamowitz@gmail.com
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So Others Might Eat · 71 O St NW · Washington, DC 20001-1258 · USA

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Read More :- "[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] Fwd: Volunteers Needed: Painting and Drywall"

Friday 12 July 2024

[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] This Sunday: Insight Dialogue

Hey friends!

All too often, when I'm having a conversation, I find myself reacting out of habit or emotion. Especially when I'm in a conversation that brings up strong emotions (and perhaps particularly in conversations at work), the "monkey mind" can feel like it's jumping relentlessly from thought to thought. Sometimes I realize, at the end of a long conversation or a meeting, that I've been immersed in a constant stream of thoughts the entire time and haven't paused a single time to bring attention to what's happening right now—what emotions are coming up, what's going on in my body.

There is another way. Just as being mindful as we sit silently on the cushion can make us aware of patterns of holding in the mind and body and enable us to loosen their grip, practicing mindfulness when we are in conversation can reveal habits of mind and body that come up when we engage with others. This Sunday at 7 pm, I invite you to join me in exploring the possibility of pausing, relaxing, and speaking from a deeper place of wisdom—the wisdom that's already present in your body and your mind if you just tune into it

This Sunday's practice will be a continuation of our monthly Insight Dialogue practice. Over the past several months, we've explored the first five guidelines: Pause, Relax, Open, Attune to Emergence, and Listen Deeply. This week, we'll be focusing on the final guideline: Speak the Truth or Speak Deeply. We'll have a short silent guided meditation, after which we'll break into pairs for relational meditation.

I hope to see you there—online or in person!

With metta,
Peter

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Read More :- "[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] This Sunday: Insight Dialogue"

Monday 8 July 2024

Re: [Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] Downtown Dharma Retreat - Sit.Move.Connect: Awakening in Community

Hi all - If cost is a barrier, I believe this retreat is eligible for IMCW scholarship consideration (someone please correct me if I'm wrong). IMCW's general scholarship application is here: https://imcw.org/scholarship-form/

Ava

On Sun, Jul 7, 2024 at 12:39 PM Ana María Rocha-Goldberg <anamaria.rocha.goldberg@gmail.com> wrote:
Dear Sangha,

I hope you are all well and keeping cool! Downtown Dharma is going to have a retreat and we would love it if you could join us! Anyone is welcome to participate so please help us spread the word. See details below.

Warm regards,
Ana María

Sit. Move. Connect: Awakening in Community
A Weekend Retreat with Downtown Dharma | Sep. 20-22, 2024

Give yourself a break from daily life, and join us for a two-night residential retreat to deepen your mindfulness practice and open to our natural capacity to be present, loving and spacious. We will connect with ourselves and others via seated meditation, mindful movement, and relational practice. Conceived and designed by the community of Downtown Dharma, all are welcome and encouraged to attend.
  • When: September 20-22, 2024 (Friday to Sunday)
  • WhereSeven Oaks Retreat Center in Madison, VA (about 2 hours from DC)
  • Lead Teachers: Kristin Barker and Travis Spencer
  • More Info and To Register: Check out the IMCW retreat page

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Read More :- "Re: [Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] Downtown Dharma Retreat - Sit.Move.Connect: Awakening in Community"

[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] Fwd: Headless Way in person

Dear Downtown Dharmigos,

I'm writing to cordially invite you all to our next, two-day, weekend 'Headless Way' workshop w/ Richard Lang, Sep 28-29 @ IONA Senior Services in Tenleytown (on the red line!). The link to register is in Richard's e-mail below, and I hope you'll join us! The two guarantees I can make for this event are friendship & fun, both in large quantities!

Love you all!
brian :)
202.808.5277


---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Richard Lang <headexchange@headless.org>
Date: Wed, Jul 3, 2024 at 8:54 AM
Subject: Headless Way in person
To: Brian Chamowitz <brian.chamowitz@gmail.com>


 


87B Cazenove Rd
London England N16 6BB
UNITED KINGDOM


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Read More :- "[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] Fwd: Headless Way in person"

Sunday 7 July 2024

[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] Downtown Dharma Retreat - Sit.Move.Connect: Awakening in Community

Dear Sangha,

I hope you are all well and keeping cool! Downtown Dharma is going to have a retreat and we would love it if you could join us! Anyone is welcome to participate so please help us spread the word. See details below.

Warm regards,
Ana María

Sit. Move. Connect: Awakening in Community
A Weekend Retreat with Downtown Dharma | Sep. 20-22, 2024

Give yourself a break from daily life, and join us for a two-night residential retreat to deepen your mindfulness practice and open to our natural capacity to be present, loving and spacious. We will connect with ourselves and others via seated meditation, mindful movement, and relational practice. Conceived and designed by the community of Downtown Dharma, all are welcome and encouraged to attend.
  • When: September 20-22, 2024 (Friday to Sunday)
  • WhereSeven Oaks Retreat Center in Madison, VA (about 2 hours from DC)
  • Lead Teachers: Kristin Barker and Travis Spencer
  • More Info and To Register: Check out the IMCW retreat page

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Read More :- "[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] Downtown Dharma Retreat - Sit.Move.Connect: Awakening in Community"

Saturday 6 July 2024

[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] [Downtown Dharma Listserv] Tomorrow evening: Fear of a Scary, Uncertain Future

Hi all,

We have a community-led Sangha this Sunday evening which I look forward to facilitating. We will meditate for ~30 minutes, and then I plan to give a talk and guide a discussion on two topics personal to me: fear of the future, and how the teachings of Buddhism have helped me to navigate and grow from that fear.

We start at 7pm and will end by 8:30pm. Looking forward to seeing you there:

All the best,
Nate

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Read More :- "[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] [Downtown Dharma Listserv] Tomorrow evening: Fear of a Scary, Uncertain Future"

Thursday 4 July 2024

[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] [Downtown Dharma Listserv] Second meeting of the Downtown Dharma Community Board

Hi all,

On July 20 we will continue our new tradition of hosting a quarterly board meeting run by the community, followed by a vegetarian potluck dinner.

These are open to the entire Sangha, and are a chance to brainstorm about what we want the future of our Sangha to look like and what actions or initiatives we should take to get us there. Some of the actions that came out of our first board meeting were creating posters with our mission statement, having greeters on Sunday nights, setting up a Downtown Dharma-led meditation retreat hosted by IMCW, and others.

When: Saturday July 20, 5:30pm

Where: DC Writer's Salon, 1807 18th St NW, Washington, DC 20009

Please RSVP here, and also feel free to add notes about any particular topic you'd like to cover. Notes from our previous meeting are here.

Looking forward to seeing everyone there!

-Nate

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Read More :- "[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] [Downtown Dharma Listserv] Second meeting of the Downtown Dharma Community Board"

[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] Space still available: Awakening in Daily Life retreat (July 20-26)

Hi friends,

Sue Brown recently joined the teaching team for this month's Insight Dialogue retreat, Awakening in Daily Life—from July 20-26 in Virginia. Sue's based in Raleigh, and is a wise Insight Dialogue facilitator who I've enjoyed practicing with online for a few years. We'll be blessed to have her with us.

I'll be there, along with a number of Downtown Dharma community members. Space is still available and it'd be amazing if you can join us!

Info and registration here:

Warmly,
Vince

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Read More :- "[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] Space still available: Awakening in Daily Life retreat (July 20-26)"

Wednesday 3 July 2024

[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] CML Community Manager Job Description & Application

Hi friends,

FYI: the Center for Mindful Living is currently hiring for a part-time Community Manager. Please find the job description and application link attached.

This is a great opportunity for someone who loves the dharma, is highly organized, and has a passion for spiritual community. It's a fully remote role (12-14 hours per week).

CML, like Downtown Dharma, is part of IMCW (the Insight Meditation Community of Washington). They heartily encourage interested members of our sangha to apply!

Warmly,
Vince


---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Center for Mindful Living <info@living-mindfully.org>
Date: Mon, Jul 1, 2024 at 12:02 PM
Subject: We are excited to share our new Vision for CML 3.0!
To: <vince.lampone@gmail.com>


Read about our plans and steps we're taking to build a sustainable community.
Visit www.living-mindfully.org.

New at the Center

 
We are excited to share our new Vision for CML 3.0!

Since late 2023, we've been building a new, sustainable CML vision focusing on community growth, deepening dharma practice, expanding teacher- and sangha-led classes and offerings, and streamlining the organization.

In the intervening months, we have, in brief:
  • Created a Working Group made up of teachers Hugh Byrne, Regina Flanigan, and Catherine Flanagan; and community members Geralyn Lutty, Shazzie Bauer, and Jo Cooper. Hugh and Regina have generously agreed to be our Guiding Teachers. 
     
  • Worked with organizational development expert and long-time CML friend Mike DuVall on governance design and key formative decisions.
     
  • Defined a healthy new relationship with our parent organization IMCW, that benefits all in our new phase of growth.
     
  • Adopted a new dana policy to honor all our teachers, with immense gratitude.

  • Developed and began to implement a carefully considered budget.
     
  • Created the new position of a paid p/t Community Manager, a key step for sustainability! The job description will be shared first (soon!) with the community in hopes that a sangha member might be interested.
We believe at the heart of CML are these core values in action:

- Share the Dharma
- Cultivate CML Sangha
- Live the Dharma, live mindfully

Also, as everyone knows, Shazzie has been at the heart of CML, acting out of love for the dharma and the sangha as our multi-talented community host, convener, creator, and engine that's sustained and moved us forward. As the work she has done in the past will settle on the shoulders of the new Community Manager, we will always be grateful to you, dear! (She'll still be around. :)

Many exciting new announcements are yet to come! We'll be sharing details of our Community Survey Results, new dana policy and budget, a wonderful new dharma training and mentoring program for teachers—and much more! 

With love and Metta,
Hugh, Regina, Catherine, Geralyn, Shazzie, and Jo 

Ps—We'll be holding a couple of Zoom gatherings later this summer for those of you interested in learning more about CML 3.0. :)
 
 
May we be held in the heart of lovingkindness.
May we be free from inner and outer harm.
May we be well in mind, body, and spirit.
May we live in the light of our true natures and be free. 

💛
Visit our website!
Community Support

Stay Connected!

Visit our website
Check out our calendar

To join our CML Friends listserv,
volunteer, ask questions, or share ideas—contact us!

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Support our Community! Become a monthly sustaining member or donate!
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Read More :- "[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] CML Community Manager Job Description & Application"