Presence in the world

Dear Friends,

This week was the birthday of Thich Nhat Hanh.

Sister Chan Kong wrote a letter which is put on the website:

http://www.aandacht.net/leven-in-aandacht/nieuwsberichten/actuele-berichten/1437-happy-continuation-day:

The past 2 months we have been practicing stopping relaxing observing and enjoying.

The journey inwards to come home to ourselves.

This Monday we will view and listen a Dharma talk by Thich Nhat Hanh on the journey outwards. How you act and are present in this world

He talked at the Parliament on World Religions about his practise and the way of life of him and the practitioners who are inspired by him (monks nuns and lay-people.)

He proposes 5 mindfulness trainings to train your awareness of how you interact with the world around you. And to live mindfully in the present moment

The talk will take about 50 minutes, but it is in the usual slow and relaxed form. (English)

Doors will be open at 19h30 for calming down and getting to know new people.

Video will start at 20h

Afterwards we can share our thoughts, experiences and feelings

Kind regards,

Hans

Happiness

Dear Friends, Beste Vrienden,

Today we received a mail from Anna B. , as you might know that next to Anna T. , she too is now treated for cancer. She has had radiation therapy and is resting and getting stronger.

She thanks us for our friendship and support and she sends her love.

As soon as she is strong enough she will join us on Monday evenings.

Until then she is practicing at home at the same time as we are practicing in the Kapel.

Next to these impact full messages, we are still enjoying the wonderful afternoon we had today with the Dharma talk by Cuong Lu.

Cuong talked about better understanding ourselves and the world around us.

The part that touched me most is that

One of the things that are reveiled to you when you start to look deeper is that you can recognize better your happiness.

Our lives are filled with beauty, next to suffering.

Cuong invited us to look deeply and to take good care of our happiness.

That you can fully see it and experience it,

That you can really say:

"This is my happiness"

The past weeks we have practiced stopping resting and observing.

Tomorrow we will be practicing recognizing and enjoying our happiness.

As usual,

Doors will be open at 19h30,

Guided meditation will start at 20h

followed by silent walking and silent sitting.

At about nine o'clock we will have Dharma sharing.

Below a copy of the mail we received from "Leven in aandacht" (Foundation for Living mindfully)

It is an announcement and a call to participate in the Sangha building weekend. (in dutch)

A weekend for people that are or want to take part in building and coordinating Sangha's.

on average 2 or 3 people of every Sangha in the Netherlands and Belgium will participate (total about 120 people)

You are invited!

Have a wonderful night and a beautiful day

Hans

UITNODIGING VOOR HET SANGHA-OPBOUW WEEKEND   De werkgroep Sangha Opbouw nodigt alle sangha's uit deel te nemen aan het Sangha Opbouw Weekend, dit jaar van 8 tot 10 november in Beukenhof (bij Tilburg). Tijdens dit weekend zullen we oefenen hoe we onze sangha’s vanuit ons hart kunnen leiden. De inschrijving loopt via de website van Leven in Aandacht Je bent welkom als je lid bent van de kerngroep van een sangha of dat wilt worden, of als je op een andere manier helpt bij de opbouw van je sangha. Er kunnen meerdere mensen vanuit één sangha komen. Dit geldt ook voor jongeren van Wake Up. Het weekend wordt georganiseerd door de werkgroep Sangha-Opbouw van St. Leven in Aandacht, waaraan ook jongeren deelnemen. Lees meer op de website. Wacht niet te lang met inschrijven!

Total Relaxation

Dear friends,

 

We have practised stopping and listening and observing.

Observing our body, our thoughts and our emotions.

 

Often we are so stressed and in a hurry that we do not observe what is driving us or bothering us.

And we even forget to enjoy the beauty around us and in us.

 

Stopping and resting is a way to give room to the present moment.

Also resting in itself is very healing and all your muscles and organs have the chance to recover.

 

This monday (sept 23) we will do an exercise together that is called : "Total Relaxation"

It is a form of guided meditation where you are invited to lie down and totally relax.

 

For this it is good to bring a blanket or sleeping bag and if you have a yoga mat to lie on (I'm not sure if we have enough)

 

For practical reasons the guided part will be in Dutch

 

Doors will be open at 19h30 for calming down and some tea.

Meditation will start at 8

Afterwards we will have a silent walking meditation

and silent tea.

If we feel like it we will also do a Dharma sharing.

 

Have a wonderful weekend

 

Hans

Clear mind

Dear Friends,

On facebook I saw the following post by Thich Nhat Hanh:

Imagine a river reflecting the full moon. 

The river must be calm in order to reflect the full moon. 

If the river or the ocean is full of waves, if it is too turbulent, then it can never reflect the beautiful image of the moon. 

Our body, if it is not calm, if it is not restful, then it will not be able to restore itself, to heal itself. 

You know that when an animal gets wounded because of a hunter, or because of some other accident, that animal in the jungle will find a calm place to lie down. That is the practice of all animals in the forest. And the animal will lie down there very quietly, not eating anything, until the wound is healed; because the animal knows that if it continues to look for something to eat, then its body will have no chance to rest and restore itself. 

So looking at the animal, we see already the wisdom of stopping and resting and calming. 

The animals can do it, why can’t we do it ourselves. 

~ Thich Nhat Hanh

When our mind is troubled with emotions or thoughts, it is difficult to take decisions.

Same is true for reacting to situations that have touched us deeply.

Coming home to ourselves, calming our mind helps us to better observe the true situation.

Also our own emotions and predudice can be observed better, so that we can act on what the situation needs.

Avoiding revenge, greed, false perception.

Sometimes the road to reduction of suffering, or the road to happyness is not immediately clear.

Mindfulness and concentration will help you to see what is the best action.

Including the choise not to act.

The past weeks we have been practising to find stability and peace in ourselves.

This week we will lok on how to keep a clear view on where we want to go.

In the media the drums of war and images of innocent victims are present.

Discusions are raging on how to protect people and on how to reach peace.

We will be practising to observe the stream of our thoughts and emotions

to keep our mind clear and pure.

To act on our concience, with compassion and without hesitation.

Doors will be open at 19h30

Medition will start at 20h

There will be no Dharma sharing,

we will have a Sangha meeting on the organisation of the planned "Day of Mindfulness"

Cuong Lu is enthousiastic on coming to Eindhoven and give a Dharma talk on September 29.

We as a Sangha can organise this together,

by arranging the room, sending invitations, organising lunch and walking meditation etc.

Monday we will make plans together.

Have wonderfull Sunday.

Kind regards

Hans

Island of Self

Dear Friends,

Beste Vrienden,

 

Last week we practised coming home to ourselves, being at home at our selves.

While recognising our roots and drawing nourishment and strength from our roots.

Like a tree digs its roots in healthy soil and becomes firm.

 

This week we focus on the place in ourselves where we feel safe, at ease and at home.

Thich Nhat Hanh calls this place "The Island of Self"

This is the place that is unmistakably yours.

The place where you can relax and heal.

It is accessable anytime, instantly because It is who you are.

It is so liberating to be who you are,

like Thay jokingly said: "If a tree wants to be something else than a tree, we would be in trouble"

 

Leo will lead the meditation and doors will be open at 19h30 for settling down and tea.

Guided sitting will start at 20h

followed by :

Silent walking and silent sitting.

As usual we will close with Dharma sharing.

Afterwards we will have social tea.

 

Have a wounderfull weekend,

Enjoy!

Hans

knowing that a number of members of our Sangha are ill and struggling to recover

We will be practicing this monday in the Kapel during our regular Sangha evening.

We have chosen the theme of the meditation to be:

our roots, our foundation

We are all seeking stability and solidity, especially in times of adversity.

The best place to find stability and peace is in yourself, here and now.

The place where trust and love lives, from this place we can find many sources of support and nourishment.

One of the places where we can find support and nourishment is in our roots and our foundation.

Like a tree draws its nourishment and firmness from its roots.

In Buddhism three kind of roots can be recognized:

Our biological roots

Our roots in our environment, like our friends and colleagues , but also doctors and nurses, teachers

And our spiritual roots, our sources of wisdom

Doors will be open at 19h30 for settling down and getting to know new participants

Guided meditation will start at 20h

after that Silent walking

and silent sitting.

Last part of the evening will be Dharma Sharing (until l about 21h30 -21h45)

We will close with informal tea.

I wish you a wonderful weekend,

Filled with care and compassion, with dear friends,

with beautiful blue sky, and many other opportunities to enjoy.

Kind regards,

Hans

Dear Friends,

 

Summer is treating us with wonderful days and warm nights.

Some of us have swarmed out to enjoy and explore new places.

Others have stayed close to home and enjoyed the relaxed pace of life during the summer time.

 

Our Sangha continious to grow and is getting stronger.

New people are joining, bringing new energy, experiences insights and friendship.

To better communicate in the Sangha and facilitate sharing during the week we have thought of using the internet.

We have opened a blog where some basic info on our group is posted, and these weekly announcements can be read.

please check out the following link:

http://ehv-uni-sangha.blogspot.nl/

This blog is an experiment and work in progress, so share what you think and advise on how it can be improved.

 

Tomorrow we will have a normal meditation evening:

Doors open 19h30 for calming down and getting to know the new participants

followed by guided sitting (20h)

silent walking

silent sitting

Dharma sharing.

 

The theme will be in line with last week where we practised stopping relaxing concentrating.

Tomorrow we will add to this: Enjoying!

According to the advice of Thich Nhat Hanh: your practise should bring you Joy, so that it is easier to integrate it in your dayly life.

Also in the sutra on mindfull breathing, one of the explicit steps is experiencing joy.

 

 

I wish you a wonderful weekend

Hans