May 20, 2018 – Experience the JOY of Mindful Living Are you experiencing the JOY of mindful living? During May, we have been talking about the many wonderful daily practices that are available to us as we strengthen our mindfulness muscles. Recognizing the Dallas Meditation Center as a Practice Center is an important component of that process. Last Sunday, we reviewed practice center etiquette such as removing our shoes, bowing when we enter the meditation hall, bowing to our cushion or chair and stopping when the bell sounds. These gestures are not meant to be obligatory, but rather to show respect and reverence for the practice and the fact that we are the continuation of our spiritual ancestors. All of these customs serve to strengthen our mindfulness muscles. 😊 This Sunday we’ll continue watering the flowers of mindfulness by enjoying chanting and singing some of the Plum Village practice songs. Be assured that how you sound is not important! What’s important is that you open your heart and sing from your heart. Here are Five Contemplations Before Eating that you might like to practice before each meal: This food is a gift of the earth, the sky, numerous living beings and much hard and loving work. May we eat with mindfulness and gratitude so as to be worthy to receive this food. May we recognize and transform our unwholesome mental formations, especially our greed, and learn to eat with moderation. May we keep our compassion alive by eating in such a way that reduces the suffering of living beings, stops contributing to climate change, and heals and preserves our precious planet. We accept this food so that we may nurture our brotherhood and sisterhood, build our Sangha and nourish our ideal of serving all living beings. I look forward to meditating, singing and sharing with you on Sunday, May 20th, when we gather for Awakening Heart Sangha at the Dallas Meditation Center from 5:00 – 7:00pm. A Lotus for you, a Buddha to be, Bobbie Sangha Yum will follow tonight’s gathering. (Children's Sangha available for ages 5 & up during our 5-7pm gathering)

This week we’ll continue sowing Flowers of Mindfulness by looking at our personal daily practice and noticing how we can deepen and/or expand our daily practice. We saw last week that our practice center offers us many tools and techniques to use in our daily practice. We briefly discussed the use of gathas, chanting, daily meditation, time in nature and on retreat, as well as other spiritual practices. On Sunday, we’ll explore those practices more deeply and take the time to experience the benefits we derive from chanting, reciting gathas, expressing gratitude and enjoying walking and sitting meditation. Practicing together we can see which practices we’d like to add to our daily practice routine. Our time together in the practice center gives us a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the support of others and really soak up the energy that sustains us when we are on our own. Sunday is also Mother’s Day so please bring a picture of your mom if you like. We’ll display the pictures in the middle of our circle so that we include and invite the life-giving Mother energy into our gathering. I look forward to meditating, chanting and sharing with you on Sunday, May 13, from 5 – 7pm at the Dallas Meditation Center. A Lotus for you, a Buddha to be, Bobbie Image:A THANGKA DEPICTING A VAJRA NAIRATMYA MANDALA Tibet, 18th Century; art by Kaffe Fassett; Women's Circle Mandala is a painting by Jean Fry

May 6, 2018 – Flowers of Mindfulness: Our Practice Center Dear Friends, A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who shared their April Dharma Rain thoughts and experiences last Sunday! We enjoyed stories, poems, music, dance, laughter and colorful drawings, in addition to peaceful walking and sitting meditation. It was a memorable evening that filled us with joy and love. April’s Dharma Rain theme was intended to help us recognize that the Dharma is a living presence in our lives no matter where we are. Every Sunday we say, “I take refuge in the Dharma, the Way of Understanding and of Love.” Following the Way of Understanding and of Love is a full-time mindfulness practice. During May, we will learn ways to deepen our mindfulness practice while we are in our lovely Dallas Meditation Center, watering the seeds of beneficial mindfulness habits. Our good friend, Aaron Conner, will join Cornell and me to lead a discussion about suggested behaviors when we are in our practice center – practices that will then become beneficial habits in our daily lives. I look forward to meditating, singing and sharing with you on Sunday, May 6th, from 5 – 7pm at the Dallas Meditation Center. A Lotus for you, a Buddha to be, Bobbie

Awakening Heart community members shared their insights on "Dharma Rain" through art, music, movement and poetry.

World Healing Day Retreat

April 29, 2018 – Dharma Rain: Dharma Raindrops Dear Friends, We have been nurtured during April by Sangha members who shared their personal experiences of transformation. A common thread seemed to be the important role that meditation and mindfulness played in their ability to overcome adversity and find the path to well-being. This Sunday, you will have an opportunity to share what the April Dharma Rain has nourished in you. What insights sprouted this month as a result of your experiences in daily life? Did your practice deepen as a result of hearing from fellow sangha members? I look forward to hearing from you and seeing what the April Dharma Rain has awakened in each of you. Bring your Dharma Rain card if you like or just share whatever is in your heart. Join us for meditation, singing and sharing at Dallas Meditation Center from 5 – 7pm on Sunday, April 29th. A Lotus for you, a Buddha to be, Bobbie

“Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.”-Thich Nhat Hanh