"There is a sign outside a casino in Las Vegas that says, 'You must be present to win.' The same is true in meditation. If we want to see the nature of our lives, we must actually be present, aware, awake. Developing samadhi is much like polishing a lens. If we are looking to see the cells and workings of the body with a lens that has not been ground sufficiently, we will not see clearly. In order to penetrate the nature of the mind and body, we must collect and concentrate our resources and observe with a steady, silent mind. This is exactly what the Buddha did: he sat, concentrated his mind, and looked within. To become a yogi, an explorer of the heart and mind, we must develop this capacity as well.

"Built on the foundation of concentration is the third aspect of the Buddha's path of awakening: clarity of vision and the development of wisdom. In our lives there is much we don't see. We are too busy to see, or we forget or haven't learned about our capacity to see in new ways. Our steady and careful observation of the body, heart, and mind can bring about the growth of understanding and wisdom.

"Wisdom comes from directly observing the truth of our experience. We learn as we become able to live fully in the moment, rather than being lost in the dreams, plans, memories, and commentaries of the thinking mind. There is a big difference between drinking a cup of tea while being there completely, and drinking a cup of tea while thinking about five other things. There is a big difference between taking a walk in the woods and really being there, and taking a walk and spending the whole time thinking about visiting Disneyland or what you are going to cook for dinner, or imagining all the stories you can tell your friends about what a great walk in the woods you had. It is only by being fully in the moment that the fundamental questions of the heart can be answered: it is only in the timeless moment that we can come to that intuitive, silent knowing of the truth. It is the intuitive wisdom that liberates us."

     — by Joseph Goldstein & Jack Kornfield
     (from Seeking the Heart of Wisdom: The Path of Insight Meditation)

JUNE 2008 is "BIG MIND / BIG HEART" Month" —
June 15:	Br. ChiSing facilitating; music by Michael Gott
June 22:	*** Interfaith SUMMER SOLSTICE Celebration !!! Br. ChiSing facilitating; and special guest musicians (plus Community Potluck Dinner afterwards)
June 29:	*** Special "BIG MIND / BIG HEART" Evening Workshop !!! facilitated by Alan Davidson from Houston, TX (training under Genpo Roshi) 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm Suggested donation: $10 - $60 (dinner is provided) * please invite friends; you won't want to miss this!

Please see Dennis Genpo Merzel Roshi's website for a fuller explanation of what "BIG MIND" is: www.Genpo.org. In short, BIG MIND is an innovative and effective process which blends traditional Zen and contemporary psychotherapy to facilitate a maximum number of persons in a relatively short time into the experience of initial "awakening / enlightenment" or "KENSHO" (the Zen word meaning "to see one's true nature"). It does not negate the necessity of further deepening and integration/embodiment through meditation, etc. But it is definitely going to bring your current spiritual practice to a whole new level, in just a few hours rather than several years.

* Br. ChiSing and Monica Lecrone will be co-facilitating a "Diving Deeper" mini-sangha starting in June for those who are ready to go deeper in their meditation practice and spiritual growth (location and day/time to be determined). Open to those who are fairly committed to their personal practice and sangha practice. More info coming soon. . . .

* THIS IS THE LAST CALL FOR YOU TO FILL OUT THE ONLINE SANGHA QUESTIONNAIRE. Click here to participate.

You can give online by credit card at: http://intermindful.com/contact/support.htm. Or, you can send a check to:

Here is a link for meditation instructions from a Zen perspective: http://www.mro.org/zmm/teachings/meditation.php