Our August Day of Mindfulness

Our Day of Mindfulness with Dharma teacher Jeanne Anselmo was rich. We were inspired to deeply take care of ourselves on an ongoing basis while we are trying to work in the world for change. Part of taking care of ourselves was to nourish ourselves by being with sangha, including playing with sangha.

Deep Relaxation Meditation

A pause in walking meditation

We sat in meditation together, sang together, walked mindfully together on a beautiful summer afternoon. 




 

We ate delicious food from our summer bounty together and roasted marshmallows for s'mores together under the almost-full moon with wispy clouds floating by. 

Thanks to everyone who helped create this event through generosity and love! - Nancy Stewart

Engaged Mindfulness Monthly Meeting

Engaged Mindfulness Monthly Meeting

Sunday, April 22 at 11:30 AM - 1 PM

Just Be Cause Center 1013 W State St, Ithaca, New York 14850   Engaged Mindfulness Ithaca is on Facebook!

Cedar Cabin Sangha/Mindfulness Meditation News

Wednesday night meditation continues, 7:30-9:00pm in the lower room at Hospicare. We have been asked to remind our meditators to enter through the upstairs/main entrance. This is for the security of the staff and residents in the care facility. A sangha member will be on "door duty" from roughly 7:20-7:40 to welcome you. Please do your best to arrive in that time. If conditions are such that you must arrive later, you may need to ring the door buzzer and a staff person will buzz you in. *Please do not knock on the lower door for entrance.* This can be disturbing to staff who may be working late.

We had our final discussion of "Mindfulness as Medicine" a little over two weeks ago. Those who have read this book have found it both interesting and supportive. Our discussion was deep and real. The sangha care-taking group would like to continue our (more or less) monthly discussions, with a return to discussion of the Five Mindfulness Trainings. For discussion of the First Mindfulness Training, we are looking at Saturday afternoons in late February to mid-March. Those dates are Feb. 24, March 3 or 10. Interest and availability seems to be leaning to Saturday March 10 - but please let me/us know if you want to join this discussion and if one of the other Saturdays is better for you. We will go with the date which is best for most.

The Five Mindfulness Trainings discussion will be preceded by a Sangha care-taking group meeting and a vegetarian pot-luck lunch. All those who are interested in caring for our sangha are welcome to join us. Again, let us know whether Feb. 24, March 3 or March 10 is possible (and which date best) for you if you are interested in joining us.

Lastly, in addition to our Wednesday evening group and once a month Saturday afternoon discussions, there are two other practice groups which may be of interest to you. Engaged Mindfulness Ithaca meets once a month, on the 3rd Sunday - most recently at 1pm at "Just Be Cause" near the Ithaca Inlet. This group is open to everyone. A WakeUp! group is starting, for people ages 18-35 held on Saturday morning at the St. Paul's Methodist Church.

Day of Mindfulness Saturday, October 21st, with Sr. Ocean

Sr. Hai An (Ocean) will be joining us for a Day of Mindfulness on Saturday October 21, 2017 from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM at the home of Pamela Goddard.  The address is 888 Comfort Road in Danby, NY.  For those utilizing a GPS the town will be shown as Spencer, NY.

Sister Ocean is a Buddhist nun ordained in the Plum Village tradition. Originally from Ontario, Canada, she received novice ordination in 2012 and full ordination in 2016. For the past 2.5 years she has been living at Blue Cliff Monastery in upstate New York. She is a musician and a poet, and has been writing the Mindful Living series for Buddhist Door Global since 2013. She is also a member of ARISE: Awakening through Race, Intersectionality, and Social Equity. 

You may call Pamela at 607.273.8678 for more information.  Please bring something vegan to share for lunch.

The next Engaged Mindfulness Ithaca meeting will be Sunday, July 16 at 4 PM - 5:30 PM at the Southside Community Center, 305 S Plain St, Ithaca, New York 14850. See their Facebook Page for more information.

Blooming Lilac Sangha to Hold a Day of Mindfulness "Developing Stability in the Practice of Mindfulness"

Blooming Lilac Sangha to Hold a Day of Mindfulness "Developing Stability in the Practice of Mindfulness"

When: Sun, June 25, 12:30pm – 6:00pm
Where: 257 Fishell Rd, Rush, NY 14543, USA (map)

Description

We hold a monthly day of mindfulness at a member's home or public venue. This practice time is held in Noble Silence. The day includes sitting meditation, walking meditation, guided meditations, audio or video dharma talks, mindful movements, earth touchings, and Dharma sharing - Sunday days of mindfulness end with a potluck dinner and conversation.

Please RSVP by replying to this e-mail or contacting Annie at ukemiracle1@gmail.com by June 24. Looking forward to seeing you!

Developing Stability in the Practice of Mindfulness 6/25

12:30 - 12:50               ARRIVE
12:50 - 1:10                 Sitting Meditation with Guided “Cyclone Meditation”
1:10  -  1:20                 Walking Meditation outside
1:20  -  2:20                 Recorded Dharma talk by Thich Nhat Hanh                                                                            “Cultivating Peace, Joy, Happiness”
2:20  - 2:30                  Walking Meditation
2:30 – 3:00                  Writing a gatha to remember positive traits within
3:00 – 3:20                  Sitting Meditation
3:20 -  3:30                 Walking Meditation
3:30- 4:00                   Three earth touchings              
4:00 - 5:00                  Dharma sharing
5:00 - 5:15                  Break and prep for potluck
5:15 - 6:00                  Potluck dinner

Sound/Music Meditation on June 20, 2017

Pamela Goddard will be leading another sound/music meditation at Sadie Hays' Sweet Fern Studio on Brindley Street, on Tuesday June 20 (in time for the Summer Solstice!) starting at 7:30 PM. This is open to all. A "free will donation" is accepted. There will be a mix of chant/song, poetry, bell inviting, and harp music. Bring a cushion if you have one. There are also chairs and couches there. Contact me for more info. Reservations are not necessary, but appreciated if possible.

May 2017 Events Update

We are looking forward to holding a Day of Mindfulness in just a few weeks - on Saturday May 20 starting mid-morning (10:30 or 11am) and going through the mid-afternoon (roughly 3pm or a bit later). The Day of Mindfulness will take place at Pamela Goddard's home - 888 Comfort Road (aka "Slow Lane") in Danby. This is just about 7 miles outside of downtown Ithaca, and quite easy to find. There is plenty of parking.

What will take place during our Day of Mindfulness? Much depends on those who will be attending. What practices would you like included? Is there a particular subject or theme you would like to explore? You can send ideas and suggestions to Pamela, Judy, Nancy Stewart and/or Nancy Koschmann. We will gather ideas, make a plan, and send more information out next week. So, send your ideas in soon!

Some suggestions include a version of "Touching the Earth" to reconcile and help us understand difficult people. There will probably be some inclusion of poetry. There will certainly be some sitting and walking meditation (outside, if the weather is good). And, we will enjoy a mindful pot-luck lunch meal together. If you come, please bring a vegetarian/vegan dish to share.

In other news, our weekly meditation has been solid and so supportive. As a reminder, we still meet every Wednesday evening from 7:30-9:00 at Hospicare of Ithaca, 172 East King Road in Ithaca. All are welcome. Please try to arrive a few minutes early, so that we can get started on time. We encourage each other to "arrive" even before we come through the doors, so that we bring our energy of mindfulness with us. Be considerate of other groups and residents using the facility, and remember that we practice respect and confidentiality with each other and anyone we interact with at Hospicare.

You may also be interested in some of the upcoming events at Blue Cliff Monastery. There is a Mindfulness Retreat for People of Color taking place May 17-21 and then a Mindful Cooking Retreat the weekend of June 2-4. Looking ahead to August, a large retreat with monastics from several Plum Village monasteries will be taking place August 23-27. And, there's a summer family retreat, a Wake Up Retreat for young adults, and more. More information about all of these events can be found at bluecliffmonastery.org.   -  Pamela Goddard

Sound/Music Meditation Saturday, March 25th

Pamela Goddard is offering an afternoon session of sound/music meditation this coming Saturday, March 25 starting at 2:00 PM at the "Lantern School" 391 Turkey Hill Road (next to the Foundation of Light) in Ithaca. Both the space and the afternoon time are planned to encourage families to enjoy this special sensory meditation. There is so much in the world which may add stress and build anxiety and unease at this time. Meditation leader, singer/harpist Pamela Goddard invites you to let go and allow sound vibration to ease that stress and distract that anxiety. This Spring sound/music meditation will take place at the Lantern School, one room schoolhouse at the Foundation of Light. Bring the family for some relaxing sound/music meditation, including chant/toning, guided meditation with a bell (in the Plum Village style), and gentle harp music. This meditation will be directed towards lightening our spirits and connecting us to the wonder of life, helping us to release tension and anxiety. And, we'll celebrate the (eventual) arrival of Spring. Bring cushions or mats for your own comfort. Donations are welcome.