New May Schedule of Topics, retreat and more News

Posted on April 30, 2016 by Buddhist Sangha

Upcoming Schedule

Sunday May 1  Sangha Road Cleanup CANCELLED  due to the weather – new date is May 22

May discussion topics
May 2 – Taking Refuge in the Buddha
May 9 – Taking Refuge in the Dharma
May 13th – 14th Meditation retreat and lectures with John Orr  (details below)
May 16 – The Generosity of Presence
May 23 – Taking Refuge in the Sangha
May 30 – Open Discussion
June 6 – John Wenz will continue our teachings on Mind Training
July 8,9  Lama Gursam will be with us for a  Friday night, Saturday retreat on July 8 and 9.

Please bring either new twin sheet sets or new blankets as donations to Family Promise
Guest Teachers and Our Retreat Info

John Orr is joining us for a Meditation Retreat on May 13-14, Friday night- Saturday all day or partial day Retreat.  We will be using Yardley Friends Meeting , 65 North Main St, Yardley   Friday night, 7:00-9:00, and Saturday, 10:00-5:00  John will be lecturing on  various aspects of the Tibetan 7 Point Mind Training and their value to us as we attempt to deepen our meditation practice. as well as The foundation of a Skilled Dharma Practice , Kindness and WIsdom.
Saturday will consist of periods of Meditation, lectures, Q&A, and lunch. Bring your own lunch, we will have snacks and tea for all.

About John Orr
John received Theravada Buddhist ordination and training for a period of eight years while living in Thailand and India. He has been teaching meditation and leading retreats around the country since 1980. John is an Interfaith minister and teaches at Duke University. Follow this link to read an interview with John http://www.newhopesangha.org/interview.htm

Sangha Road Cleanup Sunday May 22st from 1:30 PM until 3:30 PM is our annual Spring Road Clean Up. Take part in our community service project and enjoy time with Sangha friends. The Buddhist Sangha of Bucks County has been responsible for cleaning this stretch of road for more than 10 years.
We will meet at the Golden Dawn Diner, 7115 New Falls Rd., Levittown, PA 19055. Pick up tools and safety vests are provided, bring some water to drink and a pair of gloves.
You can sign up on SignUp Genius now!
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0e44acaa29a5fd0-spring

FAMILY PROMISE

Our first week with Family Promise will be May1st to May 8th. We will be spending evenings & nights with the families at the Lutheran Church of God’s Love in Newtown.

Thank you for… your support!

http://www.fplb.org/about-us/

http://www.yardleyumc.org/

Area Retreats
Philadelphia Buddhist Association  Retreat following Construction of a Sand Mandala

“Meditating on the SAND MANDALA of the Wheel of Life”
When: Saturday, May 7th, from 9:30am to 4pm
Pre-Registration for this day required – (See below)
No Registration needed for viewing the construction of the sand mandala by Geshe Samten
Weekly Visiting Limited to the Following Times
Wed to Fri.. May 4, 5, & 6, between 4 pm and 6 pm. each day
Where:   Plymouth Meeting Friends, 2150 Butler Pike, Plymouth Meeting, PA

The Saturday Retreat
This will be a very special retreat with Venerable Geshe Losang Samten, Director of the Philadelphia Tibetan Buddhist Center, who will lead us as we meditate on and understand the meaning of the Wheel of Life.
He will personally create, over three days, a sand mandala, such as depicted
above, just for this retreat.

The Buddha taught many different  ways to train the mind and we will be introduced to some of these methods. We will learn how to meditate on an image and how to use meditations to analyze situations and to better
understand the nature of our human life.

The retreat will end with the traditional dismantling of the sand mandala at 3:30 pm on Saturday, May 7th,
(Public are invited to this late day event).

The dismantling symbolizes the impermanence of all things.
Public Access to the Mandala: All welcome to watch the mandala creation.
during the week, The doors to the Plymouth Meeting Friends’
Annie H. Wilson  Room, will be open for watching Geshe Samten and asking him questions on
Wed – Fri, May 4, 5, 6  from 4 pm to 6 pm each day.
Note: Pre-registration for the Saturday retreat is necessary.
Please register at retreat@philabuddhist.org
NOTE: :We will be sitting  on chairs; you may want to bring a pillow for extra comfort..
Please bring a bag lunch.

For questions email us at  info@philabuddhist.org
****************************** ***************
Soji Zen Center Meditation and Mindfulness in the Garden
May 21  10-5
“Life in the Present Moment.
West Marshall Rd, Landsdowne, PA
To Register Email: registrar@sojizencenter.com or Call Shoki @  215-242-1750
Members: $30
Non-members $35
On-site registration $40
(includes admission to Morris Arboretum)
The False Comfort of the Familiar

by Jules Shuzen Harris| April 25, 2016
Being with people like us feels comfortable and secure—and it’s a big reason why communities aren’t more diverse, says Zen teacher Jules Shuzen Harris. From the May 2016 Lion’s Roar magazine.
I recall the early days of my Buddhist practice when, either on retreat or attending a Sunday morning program, I was the only person of color in attendance. Over the years I’ve raised the question in various Buddhist settings: “Why aren’t people of color present? Why isn’t there a wider representation of people of different educational backgrounds?” My fellow teachers would nod and agree that, as Buddhists, we need to reach out to people of color and different socioeconomic classes. But that’s as far as it went.

There is a basic human tendency to seek comfort in the known, in a familiar world that mirrors our prior experiences. Because of this, people naturally tend to self-segregate and align themselves with others with whom they find similarity, familiarity, and comfort. As a result, we find a notable lack of significant racial, ethnic, and economic diversity in many communities—including Buddhist communities.

This powerful desire to align ourselves more closely with what we already know, rather than that which feels uncertain and insecure, gives rise to a willful, if somewhat unconscious, inability to see and experience the truth. We are locked into a narrower perspective and miss out on an array of possibilities in every area of life, including Buddhist practice.

As Buddhists, we would do well to ask ourselves, where is no-self when we surround ourselves with people we feel most comfortable and aligned with, consciously or not? How genuine is our bodhisattva vow to save all sentient beings when we seek out the company of certain beings and avoid others?

Opening ourselves up to feelings of discomfort is not easy at first. We need to be ready and willing to enter into mental spaces where we are not necessarily at ease. We need to face our fear of letting go. The Buddhist path requires it.

It would be too deterministic to believe there is some set of simple instructions or protocols that can lead us to a place of harmony. If you have a strategy or tactic or some kind of fix that you think will have a particular result, you’re coming from a place of knowing rather than not knowing. Coming from a place of not knowing is more likely to lead us to greater harmony and openness. So we begin with simply not knowing.

Not knowing is derived from the fourth noble truth, the noble eightfold path. It is a way of expressing right view in all of our relationships. As a central aspect of the eightfold path, right view means no view. If we eliminate all concepts and views, we have not knowing, and this allows us to expand beyond the notion of self.

So examine your ideas and beliefs and be ready to drop them. Embrace the practice and the dharma as the way to approach diversity and inclusivity. Everything we need is already immediately before us—we simply need to move past any fixed perspective.

About Jules Shuzen Harris
A psychotherapist and Soto Zen priest, Jules Shuzen Harris is the founder of the Soji Zen Center in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania

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Sangha: A Community of Practice

Posted on April 7, 2016 by Buddhist Sangha

 Adapted from – Thich Nhat Hanh| March 14, 2016 http://www.lionsroar.com/the-practice-of-sangha/. Originally published as Friends on the Path: Living Spiritual Communities (2002) by Thich Nhat Hanh, Parallax Press, Berkeley, California.]

A sangha is a community of friends practicing the dharma together in order to bring about and to maintain awareness. The essence of a sangha is awareness, understanding, acceptance, harmony and love. When we say, “I take refuge in the sangha,” it is not a statement, it is a practice.

lama gursam retreatWe can make many things into supportive elements of our sangha. It is said in the Pure Land Sutra that if you are mindful, then when the wind blows through the trees, you will hear the teaching of the Four Establishments of Mindfulness, the Eightfold Path, and so on. The whole cosmos is preaching the buddhadharma and practicing the buddhadharma. If you are attentive, you will get in touch with that sangha.

The practice is, therefore, to grow some roots. The sangha is not a place to hide in order to avoid your responsibilities. The sangha is a place to practice for the transformation and the healing of self and society. In order for us to develop some roots, we need the kind of environment that can help us become rooted. A sangha is not a community of practice in which each person is an island, unable to communicate with each other—this is not a true sangha. No healing or transformation will result from such a sangha. A true sangha should be like a family in which there is a spirit of brotherhood and sisterhood.

We need a sangha

Taking refuge in the sangha, taking refuge in the community, is a very strong and important practice. When we say, “I take refuge in the sangha,” it does not mean that I want to express my devotion. No. It’s not a question of devotion; it’s a question of practice. Without being in a sangha, without being supported by a group of friends who are motivated by the same ideal and practice, we cannot go far.

If we do not have a supportive sangha, we may not be getting the kind of support we need for our practice, that we need to nourish our bodhichitta (the strong desire to cultivate love and understanding in ourselves). Sometimes we call it “beginner’s mind.” The mind of a beginner is always very beautiful, very strong. In a good and healthy sangha, there is encouragement for our beginner’s mind, for our bodhichitta. So the sangha is the soil and we are the seed.

With a sangha it’s much easier to practice, and that is why I always take refuge in my sangha.

How a sangha helps us

The presence of a sangha is a wonderful opportunity to allow the collective energy of the sangha to penetrate into our body and consciousness. We profit a lot from that collective energy. We can entrust ourselves to the sangha because the sangha is practicing, and the collective energy of mindfulness is strong. Although we can rely on the energy of mindfulness that is generated by our personal practice, sometimes it is not enough. But if you know how to use that energy of mindfulness in order to receive the collective energy of the sangha, you will have a powerful source of energy for your transformation and healing.

 

This is the role that the sangha can play. Many people in the sangha are capable of enjoying a beautiful sunset or a cup of tea. They dwell firmly in the present moment, not allowing worries or regrets to spoil the present moment. Sitting close to these people, walking close to these people, you can profit from their energy and restore your balance. When their energy of mindfulness is combined with yours, you will be able to touch beauty and happiness.

Nothing is more important than your peace and happiness in the here and now. One day you will lie like a dead body and no longer be able to touch the beauty of a flower. Make good use of your time; practice touching the positive aspects of life in you and around you.

Allow yourself to be supported, to be held by the sangha. When you allow yourself to be in a sangha the way a drop of water allows itself to be in a river, the energy of the sangha can penetrate into you, and transformation and healing will become possible.

Practice is easier with a sangha

The sangha is a wonderful home. Every time you go back to the sangha, you feel that you can breathe more easily, you can walk more mindfully, you can better enjoy the blue sky, the white clouds and the cypress tree in your yard. Why? Because the sangha members practice going home many times a day—through walking, breathing, cooking and doing their daily activities mindfully. Everyone in the sangha is practicing in the same way, walking mindfully, sitting mindfully, eating mindfully, smiling, enjoying each moment of life.

When I practice walking I make mindful and beautiful steps. I do that not only for myself but also for all of my friends who are here; because everyone who sees me taking a step like that has confidence and is reminded to do the same. And when they make a step in the present moment, smiling and making peace with themselves, they inspire all of us. You breathe for me, I walk for you, we do things together, and this is practicing as a sangha. You don’t need to make much effort; your practice is easy, because you feel that you are supported by the sangha.

When we sit together as a sangha, we enjoy the collective energy of mindfulness, and each of us allows the mindful energy of the sangha to penetrate us. Even if you don’t do anything, if you just stop thinking and allow yourself to absorb the collective energy of the sangha, it’s very healing. Don’t struggle, don’t try to do something, just allow yourself to be with the sangha. Allow yourself to rest, and the energy of the sangha will help you, will carry and support you. The sangha is there to make the training easy. When we are surrounded by brothers and sisters doing exactly the same thing, it is easy to flow in the stream of the sangha.

So practice in the setting of the sangha is much easier. We don’t have to practice so intensely. Our practice becomes the practice of “non-practice.” That means a lot. We don’t have to force ourselves to practice. We can give up all the struggle and allow ourselves to be, to rest. For this, however, we need a little bit of training, and the sangha is there to make the training easy.

This is the role sangha plays in supporting, protecting and nourishing us. In the sangha there is stability and joy. The sangha is devoted to the practice of mindfulness, concentration and insight, and while everyone in the sangha profits from his or her own mindfulness, they can also take refuge in the collective energy of mindfulness, concentration and insight of the sangha. That is why there is a sense of solidity and security in the sangha. We are not afraid because the sangha is there to protect us.

 

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2016 Spring Road Clean Up in May

Posted on April 1, 2016 by Buddhist Sangha

It’s time again for our Annual Spring Road Clean Up!

Sunday May 1st from 1:30 PM until 3:30 PM is our annual Spring Road Clean Up. Take part in our community service project and enjoy time with Sangha friends. The Buddhist Sangha of Bucks County has been responsible for cleaning this stretch of road for more than 10 years.

We will meet at the Golden Dawn Diner, 7115 New Falls Rd., Levittown, PA 19055. Pick up tools and safety vests are provided, bring some water to drink and a pair of gloves.

You can sign up on SignUp Genius now!

Metta!

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The Mantra Om Ah Hum (Hung)

Posted on March 28, 2016 by Buddhist Sangha

The Mantra Om Ah Hum (Hung)

omahhung

This is a mantra from the Tibetan tradition, to help us clarify,  or purify, our Body, Speech, and Mind.

Mantras are sounds and phrases that can help us concentrate our minds. We can use mantras as a way to concentrate on a given intention.

This mantra can be seen as a means of helping us focus our intentions to clarify, or purify, our body, speech, and mind. We can regard ourselves while we chant as asking our own being, the parts of us that put up blocks and barricades to real contentment, to let our better parts, our pure, good intentions, get stronger, shine through, and help us let go.

OM stands for the body, AH for the speech, and HUM (or HUNG) for the mind. They represent the possibility of transformative blessings of the body, speech, and mind from all the Buddhas— past, present, and future.

In chanting OM we are asking ourselves to purify, to release all guilt and shame, of all the negative actions committed through our body, and we commit to an intention to do better in the future.

In chanting AH we are asking ourselves to purify, to release all guilt and shame, of all the negative actions committed through our speech, and we commit to an intention to do better in the future.

In chanting HUM we are asking ourselves to purify, to release all guilt and shame of all the negative actions committed through our mind, and we commit to an intention to do better in the future.

OM is also aid to be the essence of form, AH the essence of sound, and HUM the essence of mind. So by reciting this mantra, you are also purifying the environment, as well as yourself and all other beings within it. OM purifies all perceptions, AH all sounds, and HUM the mind, its thoughts and its emotions.

>> Download the Word Document version for Print The Mantra Om Ah Hum <<

The Buddhist Sangha of Bucks County  meets every Monday from 7pm-8pm 

65 North Main Street in Yardley, PA (Yardley Friends Meeting) 

All are welcome to join us for group meditation! After the meditation many stay for hot tea and snacks followed by open discussion led by sangha members or guest teachers from 8:15-9pm.  We discuss various topics in various Buddhist traditions.  Everyone is welcome to participate in the discussions. We usually see 30-45 people each Monday night and more for when we have visiting teachers.

Sign up for our newsletter for the latest each week and follow us on Facebook for the latest news

 

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Life is Empty and Meaningless

Posted on March 21, 2016 by Buddhist Sangha

Over the last year, Polish designer and illustrator Janusz Jurek has been exploring different forms of generative illustration as it relates to the human form. Some of my favorites are collected into a series title Papilarnie where bundled lines that look like lightning or roadways on maps converge into 3D arms, feet, and other incomplete bodies.:

image by Janusz Jurek

Life itself is empty and meaningless. It’s you who give life meaning.
The world you see before you is defined entirely by your interpretation of it, otherwise, life just is.

Emptiness is interdependence, it does not mean nothing at all, and in contrast, includes everything. The world is world, life is life, suffering is suffering, happiness is happiness, everything does exist..

Since all things existence is dependent on causes and conditions, they continue to change with the changes of the causes and conditions. They do not have a permanent form, and therefore they are “empty”.

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Importance of Meditation

Posted on March 14, 2016 by Buddhist Sangha

imagesMeditation is helpful for the body, it stills anxiety, and is generally beneficial. This is scientifically proven. So there are many reasons to meditate. There is no doubt that it can help stress, depression, and anxiety. It is helpful for the emotional problems of daily life, when things go wrong It opens the heart and makes you more aware. And when awareness rises, so does wisdom, and the wisdom that rises from meditation is very powerful.

Everyone can meditate, no matter who they are. You should commit to daily meditation, no matter for how long. Until you sit down on a cushion or on a chair, meditation won’t start. The most important point is to take a comfortable seat. If you practice meditation every day for fifteen or twenty minutes, after a while when you look back, there will be no doubt of its effectiveness.

Why is awareness so important? Because it is the nature of wisdom. You may meditate because you want peace. All sorts of expectations can arise in your mind. It is possible that you may experience peace, but most of the time you will not? Why? It’s not a problem with the meditator. At the beginning there may be a sense of calm and peace. But after a while your mind will seem even worse than before. Even though your mind may seem worse, actually it is better.

So you must keep the continuity of a practice, like a river. Regardless of whether your mind seems better or worse than before, you should continue practice, and you will improve. It’s like washing your clothes or dishes. If you wash them regularly, it won’t be difficult. But if you don’t it will be difficult to clean them. When I was in retreat, I would wear the same clothes for a month. When I returned, I had to soak them in hot water for six or seven hours before I started to wash them. Even then I had to wash them several times.

The reason why your mind seems worse after meditating for a while is that your emotional problems are coming to the surface. It’s important to let what needs to come out, come out. Try not to judge your thoughts. And do not chase after them or hold onto them. If you follow this instruction, meditation becomes very easy. When these emotions come up, hold on strongly to your mental focus. If your mind is calm, your focus can be more relaxed. All meditators experience emotional upset and crying when they practice. Let this be and afterwards there will be peace.

Breathing is the most important form of meditation practice. The breath is connected with the subtle winds, and this is connected with the heart mind. When your mind is restless, focus on the navel chakra. When your mind is sleepy, focus on the third eye. But don’t forget to follow your breath.

If you keep focus on breath, in and out, naturally you will become calm. You will feel joyful and light. As you continue meditate, that feeling will stabilize. Then a feeling of love and compassion will arise. Inner peace starts from there. Why does that happen? All the emotional upset has come out, so the mind is calmed.

A gong has the potential to make a sound, but until it is struck, no sound will be heard. The striker is the cause of the sound. Similarly, we all have the potential to experience inner peace. But until the teacher explains how to practice, it will not be realized. The fundamental enlightenment is in everyone equally. We wash clothes because they have the potential to become clean. Otherwise, we would throw them away. Similarly, we meditate because we have to ability to realize our fundamental potential. This potential is there, but it is normally obscured. It is important not to push too hard. If meditation becomes difficult, get up and do something else. But practice again tomorrow, don’t give up. Eventually your mind will become clear, like an empty blue sky. It is possible for the mind to be free of thoughts. But even then, there is further to go. An impartial love even for our enemies will arise. It is not easy to get to that level, but it is possible to experience that equal love for all.

It is not necessary to be a Buddhist to meditate. When I teach, I am sharing Buddhism, but there is no expectation on my part that you will become a Buddhist. Love is the wish that others will be happy. Everyone wants to be happy, and they have a right to be happy. Compassion is the wish that others be free of suffering.

There are many skillful methods taught in Buddhism depending on the abilities and inclinations of people, but meditation is the most important. Meditation is the best kind of prayer. It is the best kind of offering. It is also the best purification practice. Meditation is the best kind of virtuous conduct. It can reach everyone’s heart. Even persons and animals living with a meditator will benefit. So my job is to encourage you to practice meditation. One should practice with others in a group, as this will be easier.

Q: How helpful is it to do retreat?

A: it is helpful to do even a short retreat. In the West it is often difficult to arrange this, and I feel proud of those who can. So I recommend doing weekend retreats. And you should simplify your life. to make room for practice.

Q: How would you describe a simple life?

A: As a Buddhist and practitioner I learned that everyone is filled with wants. But often these cannot be fulfilled. One should have the necessities: food, clothing, and shelter. But beyond that one should spend one’s energy seeking insight. It is what the Buddha called the middle path.

Breathe Books
February 22, 2009

source http://lamagursam.org/importance_of_meditation.html

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March 2016 Training our Minds and Cultivating our Hearts

Posted on March 5, 2016 by Buddhist Sangha

“No one can harm us as much as our thoughts, unguarded. No one can help us as much as our thoughts, mastered.” This early teaching of the Buddha invites us to become familiar with the habits of our own mind and the ways in which we can train our mind to become our best friend.

For the next few weeks we will explore the Tibetan Buddhist 7- Point Mind Training for cultivating the mind and a heart of compassion. This profound, ancient teaching warrants a lifetime of contemplation and practice. Nevertheless, it offers us insights we can apply immediately as we seek to train our minds and cultivate compassion in our daily lives.

We will listen to excerpts of talks by Pema Chodron from her audio series Be Grateful to everyone, an in-depth guide to the 7-Point Mind Training. We will explore how these teachings and meditation practices can help us live more mindful, compassionate lives.

Please join us in March as we delve into these rich teachings.

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February 2016 – Bringing the Dharma into Everyday Life.

Posted on January 29, 2016 by Buddhist Sangha

mind-trainingThe following is the discussion schedule for February 2016.

Feb. 1  – John Wentz will begin teaching on the seven-point mind training training also known as Lojong

Feb. 8 – Thich Nhat Hanh’s short meditation practice for experiencing Freshness, Strength, Clarity and Freedom. When we are familiar with it, we can use it as we walk or in a stressful situation when we need to calm ourselves and be present in a strong and peaceful way. It will also be a useful meditation practice for long-time meditators who may be unfamiliar with it.

February 15 – Practicing Random Acts of Kindness as a way of bringing the dharma into our daily life. Provide a valuable opportunity to help those who participate in the Sangha to share in a group practice if they choose, as well as an opportunity to be more mindful and responsive to those whose paths we cross during the day.

Feb 22 – Turning Meditation into Mindfulness – how meditation trains you to automatically be mindful.

Feb 27 – Retreat with Lama Gursam  10 AM to 5 PM, at the Yardley Friends MeetingHouse, 65 N. Main St, Yardley. All Welcome. Come 1/2 day or full day. Bring  a lunch if you plan to stay all day.

February 29 – open discussion – What are the challenges and opportunities of bringing our practice into our daily life and our encounters with others?

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Retreat @ BSBC Feb 27 2016

Posted on January 27, 2016 by Buddhist Sangha

Join us on a meditation retreat

Join us on a meditation retreat

Join us on a retreat with Lama Gursam Feb. 27 10am to 5pm at the Yardley Friends Meeting, 65 N. Main St, Yardley

You can come for the whole day or half day. Bring lunch if you plan on staying the whole day.  There will be a dharma talk, sitting and walking meditation periods.

Periods of walking and sitting meditation and a break for lunch. Lama Gursam will talk about 7 point mind training to reinforce our theme for the month of February.

This is a free retreat, however if you can contribute for the sangha and for the teacher we would appreciate it. For every one of your friends that comes, you get double karma points! So invite them to come along.

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Being present, self care, mindfulness and more

Posted on January 26, 2016 by Joe Beck

Jan 25th we reviewed the Four Turnings of the Mind, also known as the Four Reminders which are

  1.    The rare and precious human life of leisure and opportunity
  2.    Death and impermanence
  3.    The unsatisfactory nature of the cycle of existence – samsara
  4.    Karma – the law of cause and effect

The theme that came up during our group discussion was that of self care. We realize that our life is precious and we want to treat our body and mind with kindness and respect.  If we look closely into snacking when watching TV or snacking while working or snacking and reading we see that the eating is done mindlessly unless you are mindful on purpose. Being mindful in this case means simply noticing with full awareness what you are doing without a specific goal. In the background, guiding your awareness, is a sense of our precious life and the opportunities we have to make choices that align with the value we place on it.
kindness If you can be mindful in that moment and without judgement just notice you are eating a snack you are actually practicing self care and self compassion. Also mindfully eating that snack slows you down and you are free to really make the best choice for yourself in that moment.  You can notice how you are feeling – are you stressed, nervous, relaxed, irritated, joyful, or bored? You can notice your body sensations – are you hungry, full, do you have an aftertaste? Can you chew completely, swallow and pause to pick it up in a few minutes?  What comes up? All these inquiries are a way to stay present and be mindful while noticing how you are treating yourself in this moment.  
One resource that was mentioned that speaks about other techniques you can use if you are an emotional eater is a book 50 Ways To Soothe Yourself Without Food – free at Bucks County on https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/11073085

Several people shared their own struggles with maintaining mindfulness. In keeping with the self care theme of tonight’s discussion, the practice of kindness was stressed. Whatever the experience you are having, when you discover that you are doing so mindlessly, be sure to recognize that and reset yourself back to being mindful. Just as we do while meditating, refocus and do so without finding fault with yourself.

We have plenty of opportunities to practice mindfulness in our life. Try to be mindful while you are walking on the experience of walking instead of thinking or the experience of driving, or washing, cleaning, or other activities where you seem to go on autopilot.  If you agree that your life is precious and every moment is an opportunity to be present in the here and now then taking up your life as the practice is a worthwhile endeavor. Remember Daily Life is Practice…

–Joe, Phil & Eugene

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