[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] This Sunday, Freedom within Interdependence

Greetings Dear Sangha,

This weekend, ideas about independence and freedom are everywhere: in fireworks, speeches, flags, and perhaps an argument at a cookout. On the one hand, we have 250 years of a nation purportedly built on those ideals and, on the other, 2500 years of a contemplative tradition asking what independence and freedom actually mean. Each puts forward its own theory of happiness: what do we need to live a good life and how should we go about that project?

Looking closer, the Dharma insists, right alongside contemporary ecology, that nothing exists independently. And yet that same Dharma, and modern psychology too, keeps pointing us toward something that sounds a lot like independence: don't outsource your peace of mind, learn to stand on your own two feet. We even find "abide independently" in the foundational instructions.

So which is it? Entangled, or autonomous?  When words like "freedom" and "independence" surround us, it's a good time to explore the Dharma's understanding of both. Tomorrow evening we'll ask what a wise, interdependent freedom looks like in the small, barely noticed moments, and how those moments quietly but powerfully shape the lives we actually live.

I hope you can join us this Sunday, in person or online, as we celebrate interdependence and pursue freedom, together.

In-person: Sunday, 7:00 to 8:30pm @ Yoga District — 1910 14th Street NW, 3rd Floor, Washington, DC (please try to arrive at least 10 min. early)

Online via Zoom:  Join here  

Yours In Sangha,

Kristin

--

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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[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] Re: Sunday June 28 Equanimity & Time (and come late if you'd like!)

Greetings Sangha!

Thanks for the lovely evening. I hope our experiments around being with time with my equanimity left you with plenty of questions and curiosity around moving through time with more compassion and acceptance for self and others. And also honoring impatience and punctuality!

 I wanted to leave you with a quote that has stayed with me as an aspiration (and recommend this Jack Kornfield podcast on Freedom): "The Great Way is not difficult for those who are not attached to their preferences." - Sengcan, the Third Chinese Patriarch of Zen

If you'd like to stay connected and continue exploring these ideas:

• Subscribe to my Substack Slow Mindfulness  🦥 
• Pick up Sometimes You Should Be Late wherever books are sold. If cost is a barrier, email paywhatyoucan@slowmindfulness.com for a pay-what-you-can (dana-based) copy.
• If you know people who might enjoy these conversations, I'd be grateful if you'd share my upcoming book tour with them. It's a bit of a duct-tape operation so every person truly helps! 
• Come see me at Politics and Prose on Saturday July 11th at 5pm RSVP

Thanks for being a community focused on slowing down in a fast city and fast world. It's lonely to slow down alone!

Alex

Slowmindfulness.com | Substack | Instagram

Learn more about and preorder my book Sometimes You Should Be Late

On Fri, Jun 26, 2026 at 11:29 AM Alex Snider <alex.snider@gmail.com> wrote:

Downtown Dharma Friends,

One thing I love about our community is that we’re bringing the inspiration of Buddhism and community into our messy lives in DC in the year 2026 for all that entails, not living in a remote village as monks (though these days of flyovers, might not be so bad :) ).

For this Sunday, I’ll be guiding us through a practice of bringing equanimity to our relationship with time.

This week we’ll explore how waiting, rushing, and running late connect to the stillness and clarity that meditation promises. And how each of us might meet the moments of our brief lives with a bit more ease and curiosity rather than judgment. 

This session happens to coincide with the release of my first book (!!)Sometimes You Should Be Late. I’ll share a few reflections from it but the evening won’t be too centered on it. You can read more about it and my tour at the link.

An experiment with our Downtown Dharma Time

• As part of the evening, we’ll experiment with the container itself. 

• Feel invited to arrive 10+ minutes early to settle in or connect with others. After all, that’s part of why we’re gathering right? So maybe your evening starts at 6:50?

• Feel equally welcome to arrive anytime in the first 10 minutes or so after the session “starts” and you’ll be warmly welcomed. Let’s not stress out about destressing.

We’ll also end a little early, leaving space to connect or simply notice how you move into whatever comes next.

In-person: Sunday, 7:00 to 8:30pm (arrive 6:50-7:10ish) @ Yoga District — 1910 14th Street NW, 3rd Floor, Washington, DC

Online via Zoom:  Join here  

Be well,

Alex 

Slowmindfulness.com | Substack | Instagram

Learn more about and preorder my book Sometimes You Should Be Late

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[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] Sunday June 28 Equanimity & Time (and come late if you'd like!)

Downtown Dharma Friends,

One thing I love about our community is that we’re bringing the inspiration of Buddhism and community into our messy lives in DC in the year 2026 for all that entails, not living in a remote village as monks (though these days of flyovers, might not be so bad :) ).

For this Sunday, I’ll be guiding us through a practice of bringing equanimity to our relationship with time.

This week we’ll explore how waiting, rushing, and running late connect to the stillness and clarity that meditation promises. And how each of us might meet the moments of our brief lives with a bit more ease and curiosity rather than judgment. 

This session happens to coincide with the release of my first book (!!)Sometimes You Should Be Late. I’ll share a few reflections from it but the evening won’t be too centered on it. You can read more about it and my tour at the link.

An experiment with our Downtown Dharma Time

• As part of the evening, we’ll experiment with the container itself. 

• Feel invited to arrive 10+ minutes early to settle in or connect with others. After all, that’s part of why we’re gathering right? So maybe your evening starts at 6:50?

• Feel equally welcome to arrive anytime in the first 10 minutes or so after the session “starts” and you’ll be warmly welcomed. Let’s not stress out about destressing.

We’ll also end a little early, leaving space to connect or simply notice how you move into whatever comes next.

In-person: Sunday, 7:00 to 8:30pm (arrive 6:50-7:10ish) @ Yoga District — 1910 14th Street NW, 3rd Floor, Washington, DC

Online via Zoom:  Join here  

Be well,

Alex 

Slowmindfulness.com | Substack | Instagram

Learn more about and preorder my book Sometimes You Should Be Late

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[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] This Sunday - Insight Dialogue: The Pause and Attention as a Form of Love

Dear Sangha,

Tomorrow, Sunday, June 21 at 7:00 PM I will be guiding us in an Insight Dialogue meditation session.

Together, we will explore the guideline Pause, using it as an invitation to come home to ourselves and through awareness, repurpose and direct our attention to what matters most to us. Through this practice, we will inquire into attention itself as a form of love.

All are welcome in person or online. I look forward to sitting with you.

With kindness,
Ana María

In-person: Sunday, 7:00 to 8:30pm @ Yoga District — 1910 14th Street NW, 3rd Floor, Washington, DC (please try to arrive at least 10 min. early)

Online via Zoom:  Join here  

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