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April 2008 is
"Celebrate EARTH AWARENESS" Month:
- Buddhist "Quote of the Week"
- Sunday evening meditation topics at "Breath of Life" at Unity Church of Dallas
- Weekend Meditation Workshop through Shambhala — April 11-13
- Public "Earth Day" Walking Meditation at Collin County Community College — April 16, 11 am
- EARTH DAY Meditation & Potluck Dinner -- Sunday, April 20 <--- IMPORTANT !
- Monthly "Mini-Sanghas" (small groups) forming soon
- Request for 10 persons to make a $108 Monthly Pledge
- Ordered meditation mats & cushions will arrive by April 27
- Beginners' Meditation Manual —
available online at: weblife.org/beginning
- We need more volunteers on Sundays at "Breath of Life"
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
"Even in the worst circumstances, acting out
of these four states of consciousness [love, compassion, joy and
equanimity] can have an enormous impact.
"There is a story that survivors of the holocaust tell. It is
about a man named Robert Desnos. One day he was told to climb
onto the bed of a large truck with a crowd of other prisoners.
The truck was headed to the gas chambers. All the prisoners
knew that was their destination. When the truck arrived at
the gas chamber no one could speak. Even the guards were
silent. Suddenly there was a noise and Desnos jumped up and
grabbed one of the prisoners. He told him to show him his
palm so he could read it. Everyone was stunned. He looked
carefully at the palm.
" 'Oh,' he said. 'I see you have a very long lifeline, and
there will be three children!' He was excited and his
excitement was contagious. First one person, then another,
offered his hand, and over and over the prediction was of
longevity and children. As Desnos read the palms even the
guards began to relax, so disoriented by this burst of
positive emotion that they were simply unable to push the
crowd into the chambers. Instead all the prisoners were
packed back into the trucks and returned to the barracks,
their lives saved. Some survived the war.
"So live in joy, in love, even among the grinches of the
world. Live in joy and in health. Let go of winning and
losing. Let go of the need to judge, to insist that everyone
we know should behave exactly as we want them to behave. Let
go of comparisons. The Buddha called this 'conceit.' We
don't need to know who we are relative to everyone else. They
have their own paths and their paths aren't yours."
— by Geri Larkin (from Stumbling
Toward Enlightenment
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At "Breath of Life" on Sundays at 5:30-7:30 pm at Unity Church of
Dallas, we are finishing up our series on the Buddha's Four Noble
Truths and Eightfold Path: "The Teachings of Enlightenment on
Happiness and Suffering"
| APRIL 2008 is "Celebrate EARTH AWARENESS
Month" —
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| April 13: |
Michael Gott, RScP, speaking and sharing music;
Monica Lecrone facilitating |
| April 20: |
EARTH DAY CELEBRATION — Br. ChiSing & several musicians
(plus Community Potluck Dinner afterwards)
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| April 27: |
Spiritual Movie Night, facilitated by Monica Lecrone |
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| MAY 2008 is "ENLIGHTENMENT MONTH" —
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| May 4: |
"Awakening to Enlightenment" (part 1) — Br. ChiSing |
| May 11: |
"Awakening to Enlightenment" (part 2) — Br. ChiSing |
| May 18: |
*** WESAK: Celebration of BUDDHA's Enlightenment Day
!!!
— Br. ChiSing
(plus Community Potluck Dinner afterwards)
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Please sign up for the weekend workshop for beginners'
meditation at Shambhala. Friday, April 11-13. More info
at: www.dallas.shambhala.org/program_details.php?id=12488&cid=217
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Br. ChiSing will lead a public Walking Meditation at Collin
County Community College (Preston Ridge Campus) in honor of "Earth
Day" on Wednesday, April 16, at 11:00 am. For more info:
www.ccccd.edu/earthday
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Our next Community Potluck Dinner after meditation will be on
EARTH DAY, Sunday, April 20 (meditation is at 5:30 pm,
dinner is at 7:30 pm). Please bring a vegetarian dish and/or
non-alcoholic drinks to share. Expecting about 50 persons or so. Click here for more info on "Breath of Life".
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Br. ChiSing would like to encourage members of the "Breath of
Life" community to form "mini-sangha" affinity groups that
could meet once-a-month outside of the larger weekly Sunday
sangha. During the next several months this year, Br. ChiSing will
work closely with those who are strong enough in their own mindful
practice to start and facilitate a "mini-sangha." Please share your
ideas with Br. ChiSing or the "Seva" Volunteer Support Team.
* Br. ChiSing and Monica Lecrone will be co-facilitating a "Diving
Deeper" mini-sangha starting in May for those who are ready to go
deeper in their meditation practice and spiritual growth. Open to
those who are fairly committed to their personal practice and sangha
practice. More info coming soon. . . .
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We are looking for 10 persons to make a pledge of
$108/month for this year in support of the spiritual work that
Br. ChiSing and the Interfaith Mindfulness Ministries are doing, not
only here in Dallas, but also in other states and countries (so
far, we have about 5 persons). Br. ChiSing wants to be able to
continue offering free or low-cost retreats and workshops to
youth and college students in Texas and around the country. He
has already offered or will be offering free retreats and workshops
this year in Austin, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Denton and St. Louis,
etc. Please help us to bring the message of mindfulness to more
people who cannot afford high-cost retreats and workshops.
You can give online by credit card at: http://intermindful.com/contact/support.htm. Or, you can send a check to:
Interfaith Mindfulness Ministries
P.O. Box 863961
Plano, TX 75086
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Thank you to those who contributed to the purchase of more new
meditation mats & cushions. All orders will be arriving by the end of
the month, so if you ordered a personal set, please pick it up on
April 27 or May 4 (and bring your checkbook with you). Thanks!
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One of the best beginners' meditation manuals is available
online in its entirety. It is called "Beginning to See" by
Sujata, based on Vipassana ("Insight Meditation"). Here
is the link: http://weblife.org/beginning.
Here is a link for meditation instructions from a Zen perspective:
http://www.mro.org/zmm/teachings/meditation.php
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Would you like to volunteer on Sundays at "Breath of
Life"? If so, please contact
John Lochner at: JohnLochner
 aol.com
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