Nourishment and Healing

Dear Friends,

Tomorrow evening (Monday Nov-24) we will concentrate on one of the 5 mindfulness trainings.
This time we will look at the 5th:

Nourishment and Healing
Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful consumption, I am committed to cultivating
good health, both physical and mental, for myself, my family, and my society by
practicing mindful eating, drinking, and consuming. I will practice looking deeply into
how I consume the Four Kinds of Nutriments, namely edible foods, sense impressions,
volition, and consciousness. I am determined not to gamble, or to use alcohol, drugs, or
any other products which contain toxins, such as certain websites, electronic games, TV
programs, films, magazines, books, and conversations. I will practice coming back to the
present moment to be in touch with the refreshing, healing and nourishing elements in me
and around me, not letting regrets and sorrow drag me back into the past nor letting
anxieties, fear, or craving pull me out of the present moment. I am determined not to try
to cover up loneliness, anxiety, or other suffering by losing myself in consumption. I will
contemplate interbeing and consume in a way that preserves peace, joy, and well-being in
my body and consciousness, and in the collective body and consciousness of my family,
my society and the Earth.

Doors will be open at 19h30 (at the  Kapel, Kanaalstraat 6)
Meditation will start at 20h with
guided meditation on Nourishment and Healing (ca 25min)
Sielent walking meditation (ca 10 min)
Sielent sitting (ca 25min)

After that we have a short break,
If you want to stay in the silence or go to bed early feel free to go, for those who stay we continue with
Dharma sharing  (30 - 40 min)
and informal tea.

Have a wonderful weekend!
Hans

Loving Speech and Deep Listening

Dear friends,

After an inspiring video and Dharma sharing last week, we will focus this Monday on one of the 5 mindfulness trainings. (location: Kapel at Kanaalstraat 6, Eindhoven)

Loving Speech and Deep Listening
Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful speech and the inability to listen to others,
I am committed to cultivating loving speech and compassionate listening in order to
relieve suffering and to promote reconciliation and peace in myself and among other
people, ethnic and religious groups, and nations.
Knowing that words can create happiness or suffering,
I am committed to speaking truthfully using words that
inspire confidence, joy, and hope.
When anger is manifesting in me, I am determined not to speak.
I will practice mindful breathing and walking in order to recognize and to look deeply
into my anger. I know that the roots of anger can be found in my wrong perceptions and
lack of understanding of the suffering in myself and in the other person.
I will speak and listen in a way that can help myself and the other person to transform
suffering and see the way out of difficult situations. I am determined not to spread news
that I do not know to be certain and not to utter words that can cause division or discord.
I will practice Right Diligence to nourish my capacity for understanding, love, joy, and
inclusiveness, and gradually transform anger, violence, and fear that lie deep in my
consciousness.

Liefdevol spreken en aandachtig luisteren
Bewust van het lijden veroorzaakt door onzorgvuldig spreken en het onvermogen om naar
anderen te luisteren, beloof ik van ganser harte om te leren liefdevol te spreken en met
mededogen te luisteren om zo het lijden te verminderen en verzoening en vrede tot stand te
brengen in mijzelf en tussen andere mensen, groeperingen en naties. Wetend dat woorden
geluk of leed kunnen veroorzaken, heb ik het oprechte voornemen om de waarheid te spreken
en woorden te kiezen die bijdragen tot zelfvertrouwen, vreugde en hoop. Als er woede in mij
opkomt, neem ik mij voor om niets te zeggen. Ik zal dan met aandacht mijn adem volgen en
loopmeditatie doen en diepgaand kijken om zo mijn boosheid te onderzoeken. Ik weet dat
kwaadheid geworteld is in verkeerde waarneming en gebrek aan begrip van het lijden van
mijzelf en anderen. Ik zal op zo’n manier spreken en luisteren dat wij gezamenlijk lijden kunnen
transformeren en een weg kunnen vinden uit moeilijke situaties. Ik neem me voor geen
geruchten te verspreiden en niets te zeggen dat verdeeldheid of onenigheid kan veroorzaken. Ik
zal met de juiste inzet oefenen om mijn vermogen tot begrip, liefde, vreugde en saamhorigheid
te voeden om zo boosheid, geweld en angst, die diep in mij verborgen liggen, langzaam maar
zeker te kunnen transformeren.

Doors of the Kapel will be open at 19h30
Meditation will start at 20h (Guided sitting, walking and silent sitting)
At about nine we have a short silent break before we start with Dharma sharing.
We will close as usual with informal tea.

Have a wonderful weekend !!

Sangha Building Weekend

Dear Friends,

The past weekend (Fri Nov-1 till Sun Nov-10) was the special retreat for supporting Sangha building. At Biezenmortel (near Tilburg).

Of the ca 70 Sangha's in the Dutch language area there were 40 represented. In the retreat (with 65 participants) we exchanged experiences and knowledge on how to make a Sangha work and a pleasant place for the members.We received the new version of the Sangha workbook, to help organise and find topics for our practice.

There were joint meditations, exchange workshops and Dharma talks by 2 of the Dutch Dharma teachers.(Francoise Pottier and Annemiek van Leeuwen)

During the retreat all Sangha's received a gift from the foundation for living peacefully.

5 beautiful new books by Thich Nhat Hanh: (in Dutch)
In de voetsporen van de Boeddha (Old path white clouds)
Verzoening (Recocilliation, Healing the inner child)
Angst (Fear, the essential whisdom for getting through the storm)
Mindfulness
Iedere stap is vrede (Every step is peace)

This is a wonderful start of our new Sangha library. The books are available for borrowing by Sangha members.
We will add books to our collection from now on.



Kind regards
Hans

"Is there a compass for ethics?"

Dear Friends,

Monday evening (nov 11) we will have our monthly evening of Mindfulness input. 

We will watch the second half of the talk that Thay gave on Global awakening.

(Not in the chapel due to GLOW, but in the studio of Leo and Ingrid )

The past month we have been meditating and studying on Interbeing.

Following the talk by Thay we looked our connection and interconnection with people, with society, and with nature. Our existences are interwoven, are part of one system.

From that insight we can look at and choose our behavior.

In the video Thay will offer us 5 topics (or aspects of life) on which we can meditate and express our aspiration.

These 5 aspects have been handed down, studied and practiced during 25 centuries of Buddhist practice.

These are:

Reverence for life

True happiness

True love

Loving speech

Wholesome nourishment

see also: http://plumvillage.org/mindfulness-practice/the-five-mindfulness-trainings/

After the video we have the opportunity to share our thoughts and experiences.

Doors will be open from 19h30

Video starts 20h00 and will take about 40 min.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Hans.

The world and you are one

Dear Friends,

It is a wonder and a privilege to share your life with someone.

Even more, Thich Nhat Hanh said: The wonder is not to walk on water, but to walk this earth is the wonder.

If you think of what conditions should be met in order to be alive and to breathe ...

The past weeks we have been meditating on Interbeing and our presence in this world.

This week we will concentrating on our relationship with the world, the universe, with nature. 

Last week we saw that the rose is made out of non-rose elements, like the sunshine and the cloud.

If we now look at ourselves, our bodies and our consciousness we see the same thing. All made out of non-self elements: from the water in your cells to the calcium in your bones it all existed long before the dinosaurs. Also your personality is formed from the jokes of your friend and the insights of your teacher or parents.

We inter-are as species, we inter-are with nature.

Our evening of mindfulness starts at 19h30 with tea and calming down,

meditation will start at 20h till about 21h.

Feel free to leave after meditation and stay in the silence.

After meditation we will have the opportunity to share our experiences with the Dharma (ca 30 min)

We close as usual with informal tea.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Hans