Good news from your salida sangha

BRIAN LESAGE PUBLIC TALK
November 8th at 5 pm via Zoom
 Living in a World of Uncertainty 
Uncertainty surrounds us at each and every step of our lives. How do you navigate it skillfully with a heart that is steady and responses that are compassionate? This talk will share reflections on this question and intertwine it with the teachings of the Dharma which were designed to help us learn to navigate this continual uncertainty.   
This talk will be available to the whole community so if you know anyone who might be interested please share the Zoom link which will be sent out before the talk on the 8th.


VALLECITOS RETREAT WITH ERIN TREAT AND BRIAN LESAGE
Refuge, Re-enchantment, and Nature
With Erin Treat and Brian Lesage
November 13 - 15, 2020
In this course we will be opening to the wisdom of Nature, whether that Nature is found in wilderness, in the city, or within our own homes and hearts.  Our first step will be re-enchanting our relationship with the refuges of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. We will discover how refuge can be found both within and all around. The second step will be to explore the ways Nature is continually revealing the wisdom of the Dharma.  The third step will bring these pieces together in gaining an understanding of how re-enchantment with the Refuges can open us to our sense of belonging, and how this fits with the depth of the Buddha’s teachings. The retreat will include periods of practice, chanting, dharma reflections, and connecting with nature. All are welcome!
Schedule:
4-6pm Pacific / 5-7pm Mountain / 7-9pm Eastern
Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening – November 13, 14, 15
For more information and registration visit:
https://www.vallecitos.org/retreats/659/refuge-re-enchantment-and-nature/
SAVE THE DATES:  Upcoming Brian Lesage Virtual Residency
February 12-23, 2021
Registration details will be sent to you the first week in January 2021.

DAILY MORNING MEDITATIONS WITH THE BOULDER INSIGHT COMMUNITY
Tara-Lloyd Burton, David Chernikoff, Terry Ray Johann Robbins, Peter Williams, Kritee Kanko and David Loy offer meditation and wonderful wisdom every day from 8:00 to 8:40 a.m.  Many of our sangha members are participating in this as a way of maintaining their daily practice in these difficult times.  To receive the weekly Zoom links you may email Peter Williams ptrwllms98@gmail.com and request that the links be sent to you.
 
CARING COMMITTEE
Our Caring Committee is still alive and well under the leadership of Kym Mellsop.  One of our wonderful sangha members is now offering compassionate listening and support to members who might be struggling in any way at this time.  If you are in need of someone kind to talk with please text Kym Mellsop (anonymously if you wish) at 719-207-3077 and she will put you in contact with our support person.
In addition, please know that the Caring Committee is still offering meals and other non-financial support to our members.UPAYA'S ELECTION SERIES

From October 18 to November 8 Upaya is offering extraordinary teachers and social activists for this series of short, powerful programs focused on this upcoming election, on hope, joyful defiance, moral responsibility, and more. To register visit:
https://www.upaya.org/program/upaya-election-series-joyful-defiance/?id=2372

• Oct 18 - Reggie Hubbard: Joyful Defiance in the Call to Courageous Action. 
• Oct 25 - Rhonda Magee: The Dharma of Good Trouble. 
• Oct 31 - Sharon Salzberg: Real Change. 
• Nov 1 - Lama Rod Owens: Love, Fear, and Resiliency as the World Falls Apart. 
• Nov 3 - Roshi Joan Halifax, Kigaku Noah Rossetter and Matthew Kozan Palevsky: Bearing Witness Together on Election Night, 2020. 
• Nov 8 - Roshi Joan Halifax: Practicing with Radical Uncertainty in a World in Turmoil. 

LIBRARY ACCESS
Deb Tannenbaum has graciously offered to meet people at the sangha house who might want to access the great variety of books available in our library.  If you wish to check out books please contact Deb via email at tannenba8@aol.com or via phone at 719-539-5256.
MINDFUL RECOVERY
The Sangha Board wants all sangha members to know about the Mindful Recovery group, a Buddhist-inspired support group for people struggling with every imaginable kind of addiction or compulsion.  That includes alcohol and other drugs of course, but also addictions to toxic relationships, anger, self-doubt, internet websites....the list is long, and the Mindful Recovery group is totally inclusive. Our program will not conflict with any other recovery programs you may have joined, and it doesn’t matter whether you’ve attended any meetings like these before.  What you will find is kindness, acceptance, understanding, and support from people who understand.  What you will not find is judgement, criticism or exclusion.   Meetings are held (currently by Zoom) every Wednesday from 7:00-8:00 PM.  Who attends, and what is said during meetings, is held in respectful confidence.  People can share as much or as little as feels right.  Eight-to-ten participants attend in a typical week, and they are among the most honest, open, caring beings you will encounter anywhere.
If you think this might be a place for you, please contact Denny Radabaugh, active member and recovering alcoholic.  He will give you more information, including details of how meetings are structured and facilitated, and a list of weekly topics for the coming year.  Text him at (740) 816-1603 or email at dcradaba@owu.edu.  He can get you on the weekly invitation list.  If you have friends who have no experience with meditation or Buddhist traditions, they are also welcome.   If this sounds promising, don’t hesitate; this can be a powerful part of your path to personal healing.
Memorial Wall Ceremony
"Light Up A Life"
Tuesday, December 15, 2020
6-6:30 p.m.
Our beloved sangha and board member Stephen C. Bolling Jr. who passed away last year is being honored by the Denver Hospice on a Memorial Wall.  The celebration will be virtual due to Covid restrictions.   Everyone is welcome to attend and the link will be sent out in an upcoming email newsletter.
 
WEEKLY SITS
PLEASE JOIN US ON ZOOM
Sunday 5:00-6:00 pm Sit and Discussion
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/731489839
Meeting ID: 731 489 839
 
Tuesday Noon Sit
https://zoom.us/j/645877836
Meeting ID: 645 877 836

OCTOBER RENT DONATION
This month we sent $650 to the Truth and Reconciliation group organized by Stephany Rose Spaulding in Colorado Springs.  To learn more about their important work visit:
https://truthandconciliation.org/
 
Poem For Belonging, John O'Donohue    
May you listen to your longing to be free.
May the frames of your belonging be generous enough
for your dreams.
May you arise each day with a voice of blessing
whispering in your heart.
May you find a harmony between your soul and
your life.
May the sanctuary of your soul never become haunted.
May you know the eternal longing that lives at the heart of time.
May there be kindness in your gaze when you look within.
May you never place walls between the light and yourself.
May you allow the wild beauty of the invisible world
to gather you, mind you, and embrace you in belonging.

During these difficult times when we cannot gather in person your sangha board sends to you all our heartfelt love and compassion.  We are trying hard to give you resources and support to continue to deepen your practice.  If you have suggestions for additional things we might do please share them with us in a reply to this email.

MAY THE MERIT OF OUR PRACTICE BE OF BENEFIT TO ALL BEINGS EVERYWHERE.

We miss and love you all!
Your Salida Sangha Board