Here's The Good News!
Join us for Tuesday Sits (led by Denise), weekly at 12pm for meditation and connection with the Sangha.
Please join Tuesday Zoom Meetings here:
https://zoom.us/j/645877836?pwd=S0tDT1ZCTnhLaEJnUnl6QlhydVUyQT09
Password: 160246
And join us for Sunday Sits weekly at 5:00pm with various sit leaders.
Please Join Sunday Zoom Meetings here:
https://zoom.us/j/731489839?pwd=WlpUQXNyNTh3T2dTOHQzVnUyZ1FsQT09
Password: 524677
If you are new to Zoom please
Next Week's Zoom Talks With Brian
Brian Lesage, our guiding teacher, has generously offered to host Zoom gatherings for the whole sangha next Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 8 pm.
April 21:  "Exploring Compassion through Visual Arts"
April 23: "Collective Liberation"
These talks will not be recorded so please plan to join us live.
TUESDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT DHARMA EXPLORATIONS
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84123004279?pwd=dTN4VHRjMmhIQTVCMkk4SWF2ZG5SUT09
Meeting ID: 841 2300 4279
Password: 019870

If you wish to send a donation to Brian for the time he spent preparing and delivering these to us here is where you can do it on his website or via mail:
https://liberatingawareness.com/dharma-and-meditation-in-flagstaff/dana-donations-for-vipassana-meditation-in-flagstaff
Or send it to:
Brian Lesage
3228 N. Grandview Dr.
Flagstaff, AZ  86004
Sangha Donation to Chaffee County Foundation
This month's rent money for the sangha house was donated to the Chaffee County Community Foundation.  They sent us a very heartfelt thank you and are quick to disperse funds to our neighbors in need.  Thank you all for your continuing dana support.
 
Jack Kornfield
Well known Buddhist author and teacher Jack Kornfield has been a wonderful leader during these challenging times.  If you need some support or inspiration there are many wonderful resources on his website: https://jackkornfield.com/
 Denny's Poem of the Month
School Prayer
In the name of the daybreak
and the eyelids of morning
and the wayfaring moon
and the night when it departs,
I swear I will not dishonor
my soul with hatred,
but offer myself humbly
as a guardian of nature,
as a healer of misery,
as a messenger of wonder,
as an architect of peace.
In the name of the sun and its mirrors
and the day that embraces it
and the cloud veils drawn over it
and the uttermost night
and the male and the female
and the plants bursting with seed
and the crowning seasons
of the firefly and the apple,
I will honor all life
—wherever and in whatever form
it may dwell—on Earth my home,
and in the mansions of the stars

Diane Ackerman

We hope to see you soon!
With deepest blessings and best wishes for everyone's good health, safety from all harm and peaceful minds and hearts,

Your Salida Sangha

Denise Ackert is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting for Tuesday meditation.
 
Topic: Salida Sangha Tuesday Sit Noon
Time: Apr 7, 2020 12:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)
        Every week on Tue, 8 occurrence(s)
        Apr 7, 2020 12:00 PM
        Apr 14, 2020 12:00 PM
        Apr 21, 2020 12:00 PM
        Apr 28, 2020 12:00 PM
        May 5, 2020 12:00 PM
        May 12, 2020 12:00 PM
        May 19, 2020 12:00 PM
        May 26, 2020 12:00 PM
Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
Weekly: https://zoom.us/meeting/u5Aof-6vpjgsf9bs3ARsJoPBH7jptdoZLw/ics?icsToken=98tyKu-sqzMtHdyWtlyCc6kvW9r7bvHmkXcXqLAOvS32KS9jQCuhPPJWNr1FPM-B
 
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/645877836
 
Meeting ID: 645 877 836

We had a wonderful group at last evening's meditation.  We hope to see more of you soon.  It's important to stay connected during this difficult time.

Love and blessings,
Your Salida Sangha

BRIAN LESAGE PUBLIC TALK
SUNDAY, MARCH 29: 5:00-6:30 PM
SALIDA SCOUT HUT, 210 E. SACKETT AVE.
Free of Charge & Donations gratefully accepted

"Finding Ground on a Spiritual Path"
with Brian Lesage, Insight Meditation Teacher

Deep trust is an essential quality and one of the hallmarks
of being on a spiritual path. This talk will offer reflections
on deep trust through images and stories to support your
capacity to contact and develop this vital quality.
Everyone is welcome to come so please feel free to bring a friend!!!

April 18-19 Retreat 
Our upcoming retreat is full but the wait list is activated.  So if you still wish to attend please follow this link: https://salidasangha.eventsmart.com/?p=6
We usually do have cancellations and you will be notified by email from "Eventsmart" if space becomes available.
April 21st and 23d Evening Sessions with Brian
Brian is generously extending his stay with us in April and will be hosting two evening discussions continuing with the retreat topic "Our Relationship to Time".  They will be held at the sanhga house, 248 D St. from 6:30 to 8:30 pm both evenings.  Anyone may attend even if you are not at the retreat.
Private Sessions With Brian
There are still some available times for private practice discussions with Brian on Tuesday, April 21st and Thursday, April 23d.  Sign up sheets are in the kitchen at the sangha house.
Sangha House Signage
In our efforts to reach a broader more inclusive community the sangha board is considering putting up a nice sign outside our house.  Probably something simple like "Salida Insight Meditation Center" with sit times and Everyone Welcome posted on it.  If you have any thoughts or ideas about this please contact one of our board members or email us at sangha@salidasangha.org.
A Few Donations Needed
Another thing we are working on is sustainability practices within our sangha.
We need a few things at the house and thought that rather than going out and buying them we would see if anyone can donate them to us.  They are:
A recycle bin for the kitchen.
Book ends for the library.
A nice rug for the library.
Any extra slippers you might have lying about and also a big basket we could put them in.
Salida Sangha on Facebook
Thanks to a very dedicated volunteer our Facebook page is very active and receiving lots of views.  Please follow us on FB!
Covid-19
As we are in the habit of gathering together in a small space we want you to know that we will be taking extra measures to regularly disinfect the sangha house and ask that everyone who joins us there is mindful of the CDC recommended safety precautions.  Thanks!
Denny's Poem of the Month
Breath of Life (Danna Faulds)

I breathe in All That Is-
Awareness expanding
to take everything in,
as if my heart beats
the world into being.
From the unnamed vastness beneath the
mind, I breathe my way to wholeness and healing.
Inhalation. Exhalation.
Each Breath a "yes,"
and a letting go, a journey, and a coming home.

May you all be happy, healthy, safe and at peace,
Your Sangha Board

​April 18-19 Retreat with Brian Lesage at MeadowRock Ranch
With additional sessions with Brian the evenings of April 21 and 23
"Our Relationship to Time"
“On this path we are called upon to become aware of our relationship to experience and to open the space for a new and liberating relationship to it. We will specifically be exploring our relationship to time and will be offering a variety of approaches for discovering a new and liberating relationship to it. 
To support this exploration, there will be a weekend retreat followed by two evening gatherings. The weekend retreat will provide the opportunity to explore a different sense of time in our lives. We will practice continuous mindfulness in silence with sitting and walking meditation practice as well as discussions.
The two evening groups following the retreat will continue this exploration through readings and discussion.
This retreat is designed for beginners and experienced practitioners.”
 
Proposed Schedule
            Friday, 4  ½-hour Practice discussions: 3:00-5:30 w/ 4-4:30 open)
            Saturday- (Apr 18),  retreat 9-5
            Sunday – (Apr 19),  retreat 9-4 
Tuesday (Apr 21), 4  ½-hour practice sessions, 2:30-5:00 w/ 3:30-4:00 open)
Tuesday evening session- Our Relationship to Time 6:30 PM – 8:00
            Thursday (Apr 23) 4  ½-hour practice sessions, 2:30-5:00 w/ 3:30-4:00 open)
Thursday session talk- Our Relationship to Time 6:30 PM – 8:00

The weekend retreat registration information will be sent via email on March 1st.  Evening sessions are separate and will be available to all sangha members.  Sign up sheets for individual sessions with Brian will be at the sangha house in March.

​Dying and Death of a Sangha Member committee
This group is looking at ways that the Sangha can be respond to the news of a dying Sangha member or the death of a Sangha member.
Our next meeting is on Wednesday, February 19th at 5:00pm at the Sangha house.
We will be discussing:  providing opportunities for education on dying and death;  having a “Vigil” at the Sangha house during the end-of-life process of a Sangha member;  creating an outside garden memorial area at the Sangha house;  other ideas that are brought forward.
Anyone interested may attend.
Men's Sit
The next Men’s Sit with be on Saturday, February 29th at 5:00pm.
 
The Five Precepts & Buddhist Morality
This community practice will be on February 16th at 3:30.  Everyone is welcome.
 
Yogi Jobs
We are still in need of house cleaners and snow shovelers to care for our special sangha home.  Sign up sheets are in the kitchen.
 
Mindfulness In The Jail
MIJ received $4,750 in Grant Funds from METAB for 2020.  MIJ was also the recipient of the first annual METAB "Jane" award given to an organization that exemplifies the generosity and service to the community of our dear friend Jane Whitmer.
Brian sent this response to his birthday message and gift
Dear Salida Sangha,
I just got to watch your video for my birthday.  Wow!  It was so sweet to see all of you in it.  Also, I am touched by your gift of a donation to the Environmental Defense Fund.  It fills my heart.    I appreciate the EDF's efforts to address environmental concerns through partnerships and nonpartisan approaches.
I look forward to seeing all of you in April!
with much gratitude and love,
Brian
 
And Finally, Denny's Poem of the Month
Blessing of Breathing – Jan Richardson

That the first breath
will come without fear.
That the second breath
will come without pain.
The third breath:
that it will come without despair.
And the fourth,
without anxiety.
That the fifth breath
will come with no bitterness.
That the sixth breath
will come for joy.
Breath seven:
that it will come for love.
May the eighth breath
come for freedom.
And the ninth,
for delight.
When the tenth breath comes,
may it be for us
to breathe together,
and the next,
and the next,
until our breathing
is as one,
until our breathing
is no more.

Breathing blessings to you all,
Your sangha board

Filming a Birthday Video for Brian this Sunday
Sunday, January 19 after Sunday sit (6pm)
Brian's 50th Birthday is just around the corner.  His wife, Robin has asked friends far and wide to celebrate Brian for his 50th Birthday. So we would like everyone to join us at the Sangha right after Sunday sit (6pm) to film a short birthday video (should only take a few minutes).  As a Sangha, we have funds that we will donate to one of his charities. Here is Robin's letter that explains her idea:

Hi Friends! Hope you are well as we begin this calendar year on the planet together 😊 
It is 2020, the year my beloved Brian turns 50! His birthday is Feb 5th, and one of his favorite gifts to give or receive is donations to charities. So if you would like to honor his birthday in some way, you could make a donation either to your fav charity / organization or to one of the ones listed below.

Then, please send a short video to me that includes that you made a donation and to which charity. If it is one of yours, tell him something about why you support them. The amount is irrelevant, it’s the movement of generosity. 
If you would like to do this, please send me your video before January 23rd.
And if, by the fates, we are all in the same area some time this year, we’ll have a meal together to say “yay! You made it to 50! So glad we’re in the world together!”

Some of Brian's favorite charities: Kiva, Natural Resources Defense Council, 350.org, Friends of the Earth, Environmental Defense Fund, ACLU.
Love, Robin

Come for sit if you can, or just for the filming.  The Sunday sit topic is Sangha!

With metta and gratitude,
Your Sangha Board