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Forgiveness MeditationThis is traditionally a preliminary practice, before doing lovingkindness or compassion meditation. Forgiveness should never be forced. Do this practice only within your comfort zone. It is fine not to do it at all.
Get into a comfortable position. Close your eyes. Bring your attention to the heart energy center in the middle of your chest, behind the breastbone or sternum. Feel whatever is there without judgment. Breathe through the heart center. Try to say the words of the forgiveness meditation through your heart. Think of ways in which you have harmed yourself and harmed others. It is better to begin with minor things, not the big acts of harming. As far as you are able to do so, extend forgiveness to yourself for this harming by saying these phrases to yourself: I allow myself to be imperfect. I allow myself to make mistakes. I allow myself to be a learner, still learning life’s lessons. I forgive myself for the harm I have done. If I cannot forgive myself now, may I forgive myself sometime in the future. Think of ways in which you feel others have harmed you — again, beginning with minor harms. As far as you are able to do so, extend forgiveness to them. Just as I am imperfect, I accept that you too are imperfect. Just as I make mistakes, I accept that you too make mistakes. Just as I am a learner, still learning life’s lessons, I accept that you too are a learner, still learning life’s lessons I forgive you for the harm I feel like you have done to me. If I cannot forgive you now, may I forgive you sometime in the future.
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Dear Retreat Friends,
Thank you all for sharing a very meaningful retreat with us. We hope you are continuing to benefit from the experience. The forgiveness meditation is attached here as promised. Also, thanks to Ruth Phillips, here are the titles and authors of the poems that Brian read: "That time I thought I could not go any closer to grief without dying..." Mary Oliver "The Healing Time" Pesha Joyce Gertler "Prayer" Marie Howe Also, Brian's retreat and public talks are available on our website here: http://http//www.salidasangha.org/resources.html Once again we are so grateful for your presence in our special community and we also want to thank you most sincerely for your amazingly generous gifts of dana for Brian! We hope to see you again when Brian is here August 24th and 25th. Registration will be open in late May. With deep blessings, The Salida Sangha Retreat Committee Retreat And Residency With Brian Lesage
Our 9 days with Brian from January 25-February 2 were a huge success with 50 people participating in all or part of the events. The feedback we received was truly heartwarming. The amazing Kevin Wathen recorded all of Brian's talks, including the public one in front a full house at A Church. In case you missed them they are available on our website resource page here: http://http://www.salidasangha.org/resources.html Spring Yard Cleanup At The Sangha House Mark your calendars and please join us on Saturday April 27 at 9:30 a.m. to prepare our yard for spring and summer! Your efforts will be rewarded with a delicious potluck and social time to follow at noon. We sincerely hope that yard care will be a group effort this year and not fall to just one dedicated individual! Thanks! Weekly group meditations Attendance has increased at our Sunday evening 5:00 sits as we continue each week to explore the Buddha's teachings with a year long series of topics which are listed on our website calendar. http://www.salidasangha.org/calendar.html Attendance is also really good at the Tuesday and Thursday noon sits but we always welcome more companionship there. Other events, too numerable to mention here, are also on our website calendar. And finally, just so you know when NOT to schedule your summer vacation.... Our next Non-residential retreat with Brian Lesage is August 24th and 25th. We hope you to see you soon! With blessings from Your Sangha Board All Sangha Annual Meeting December 9th, 5:00 Festive potluck celebration of our fabulous community at 6:00 It is important to get our members feedback on a number of things! We also need to approve the 2019 budget and vote for board members. If anyone is interested in serving on the board we are looking for someone to fill one more position. Please reply to sangha@salidasangha.org if you would care to join us. "Weaving the Dharma into Our Lives" Winter Residency with Brian Lesage Friday January 25th to Saturday Feb 2nd There is still some space abailable in the residency. Also, registration for those who can only attend the weekend retreats will be open after November 23d. For all the details and online registration click here. New Year's Eve Sit Sunday, Dec 30, 4:00-7:00pm On New Year's Eve, we will gather to sit together, setting intentions for the coming year and releasing what is no longer needed into the fire. We hope you can be there...there is so much to celebrate! Sunday Sit Changes In order to re-energize our Sunday evening sits we have prepared a year long schedule of topics based on foundational teachings. After the 35 minute sit the sit leader will give a short presentation from a personal perspective with a discussion to follow. Here is the schedule for the rest of the year:
November 18 -- Loving Kindness November 25 -- Compassion December 2 -- Sympathetic Joy December 16 -- Equanimity December 23 -- Three Jewels December 30 -- Middle Way At the annual meeting there will be a discussion of this new idea and also of changing the sit time from 6:00 to 5:00 or 5:30. If you are unable to attend the meeting please give us your thoughts on these changes via email. Thanks! Annual Sangha Meeting & Holiday Potluck Celebration Sunday, Dec. 9th 5-6pm - Annual Meeting 6-7:30pm - Party and Potluck Each year we have our Annual Meeting to connect with each other and to do a little business: electing Board Members, approving a Budget, and determining our needs & requests for the Sangha for the coming year. After the meeting, we will gather for a delicious Holiday Celebration, so please come with your favorite celebratory dish and we can enjoy each others' company and culinary talent. New Year's Eve Sit Sunday, Dec 31, 4:00-7:00pm On New Year's Eve, we will gather to sit together, setting intentions for the coming year and releasing what is no longer needed into the fire. We hope you can be there...there is so much to celebrate! Weaving the Dharma into Our Lives A 9-day Non-Residential "Retreat" with Brian Lesage Friday, Jan 25 - Saturday, Feb 2, 2019 Registration is now open for this wonderful opportunity to have regular teachings and guidance from Brian for 9 days. Here are the details:
Our aspirations and spiritual practices can often feel removed from the hustle and bustle of the day-to-day unfolding of our lives. This discussion and practice residency provides an opportunity to address this by creating the conditions for intentionally weaving the threads of spiritual practice into our moment to moment awareness throughout the day. We will begin with a weekend retreat followed by daily gatherings and teachings to support this interweaving. The residency will end with a day-long retreat to keep the process going. Priority registration will be given to those who register for the entire program. Please note: this retreat is in lieu of our traditional Spring Retreat. The schedule for Brian's residency is: Friday, Jan 25 (Sangha House at 248 D, Salida) 5:30pm Brian offers Introduction to Weaving the Dharma into Our Lives 6:30pm Potluck for retreatants Saturday, Jan 26 (9am - 5pm) & Sunday Jan 27 (9am - 4pm) Non-residential Retreat (Meadowrock Ranch) Monday, Jan 28 1-5pm Individual Practice Discussions (Sangha House) - optional 6:30-8pm Evening Session on Weaving the Dharma into Our Lives (Sangha House) Tuesday, Jan 29 12pm Noon Sit (30 min) Wednesday, Jan 30 1-5pm Practice Discussions (Sangha House) 6:30-8pm Evening Session on Weaving the Dharma into Our Lives (Sangha House) Thursday, Jan 31 12pm Noon Sit (30 min) 6:30-8pm Public Talk (A Church 419 D St., Salida) Friday, Feb 1 1-5pm Practice Discussions (Sangha House) 6:30-8pm Evening Session on Weaving the Dharma into Our Lives Saturday, Feb 2 Day-long retreat on Weaving the Dharma into Our Lives (Salida Scout Hut 210 E. Sackett Ave., Salida) COST: $50 Registration Fee (non-refundable) to cover retreat facilities rental, Brian's travel, food and lodging, as well as other expenses. Scholarships are available, and no one will be turned away due to inability to pay. Retreatants will have the opportunity to offer dana (donations) to the teacher and to the Sangha throughout the residency. The teacher will receive no other financial compensation. |
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February 2020
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SALIDA SANGHA 248 D Street Salida, CO |