Milwaukee Mindfulness Practice Center News

Want to lead the Sangha?  It’s Easy!

The Mindfulness Community of Milwaukee has no resident teacher. We rely on members and visitors to teach each other, serve as models of mindful practice, and lead the Sunday morning meetings.  If you want to lead sangha on Sunday mornings, you can follow these simple procedures.

1. Arrive at 9:45 to prepare the room:

Arrange mats and cushions in a large circle
Light candles.  Place new stick of incense on the shrine (incense in wall shelf)
Turn on air conditioner, fans or space heaters, if needed
Set up folding screen in front of entrance.   Turn on hot water for tea.
Ask a volunteer to light incense and read the incense gatha, once the session has begun
 

2. Begin 1st hour of sitting/walking meditation

At 10 am:  Ring the large bell

Welcome everybody, announce that the first hour will be sitting and walking meditation and the second hour of reading on that day’s topic.

Ask the  volunteer to light the incense and read the incense gatha

3. Order of 1st hour

            a. Ring large bell to begin 20 minutes sitting meditation

            b. Ring large bell at end of 20 minutes. Invite people to enjoy walking meditation, or to continue sitting meditation, as they prefer.

           c. Procedure for walking meditation: guided by 5 sounds of the small bell.  
(1) Stand up
(2) Bow to the center of the circle, and turn towards left
(3) Start mindfully walk in circle behind the cushions
(4) Stop and take 3 mindful breaths, continue walking to your cushion, remain standing
(5) Bow again and resume sitting meditation

d. Ring large bell at end of 20 minutes sitting meditation

e. At 11 am: Ask for announcements, then announce 5 – 10 minute tea break
 
4. Order of 2nd hour

At 11:10 am:  Ring large bell to reassemble the sangha.  The standard activity is to pass a book, have everyone read one paragraph. At around 11:35, end the reading and pass the stone and invite people to introduce themselves and comment on the book or any other aspect of their own mindfulness practice.
At 11:55:  pass out sangha closing verse (stored in wall shelf).  Then, ring large bell to close sangha.      

April, 2008
 Mindfulness Community of Milwaukee  –  Newsletter & Events
 

The Mindfulness community is a Buddhist Sangha in the tradition of the Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh. We invite you to come and join others who share he value of mindfulness.  We especially welcome those new to the practice of meditation. 

The Mindfulness Community of Milwaukee is a spiritual community dedicated to the creation of a mindful culture fostering lovingkindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity. We study and practice teachings from Buddhism and other traditions in order to nurture individuals, families, society, and a healthy planet.

We are located at 2126 E. Locust St.,  Milwaukee, WI 53211 (corner of Maryland)

 414-962-8678, milwmindful@hotmail.com, www.milwaukeemindfulness.com/

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General practice schedule
 

 *  Sunday mornings      10 – 11 am:  sitting and walking meditation

11 – 12 noon:  readings and discussion

            NEW:  2^nd Sunday:  9:15 am:  Free drop-in meditation instruction

* 3^rd Sunday:  The Hermit’s Well program for children, led by Paul Norton, Babara Ley, and Pat Holland.  Please bring the kids at 10 am for a two-hour on-site supervised program of games, songs, arts and crafts, stories, snacks, mindfulness exercises, and other activities

* 5^th Sunday: Tea ceremony and mindful cleaning practice at center

* Wednesday evenings,  7 – 8:30 pm: sitting and walking meditation, readings and discussion.

            1^st and 3^rd Wednesdays, 6 – 6:45 pm: Free drop-in meditation instruction.

* Mon and Wed mornings, 6:30 – 7 am: sitting and walking meditation

*  Yoga sessions:          Julianna and Ken Kapp (961-1787, www.yogaspace.us): 

Fri, 9:15 – 10:45 and Sun., 2:30 – 4:00.   

            Sylvie Horvath: See information posted at Center

*   Thursday mornings, 7:30 – 9 am:  Spirit-Mind-Body Study Group of Columbia/St. Mary’s Hospital. Half-hour of meditation, presentation by group members, and discussion. All are welcome.

Sunday mornings in …

April:  Beginning Mindfulness:  Learning the Way of Awareness.  We will read this foundational book about mindfulness by Andrew Weiss, a teacher trained by Thich Nhat Hanh

May: Breathe! You are Alive:  Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing.  This Buddhist text with a commentary by Thich Nhat Hanh is one of the oldest teachings about meditation, used by all Buddhist traditions throughout the world.

June:   The Lost Art of Compassion. We will read selections from a book by Lorne Ladner, a therapist who combines Buddhist practice with Western psychological approaches to suffering.

NOTE:  Please contact Else Ankel to volunteer to lead on Sundays in June!

Upcoming events and classes 
(for information or to register, call 414-962-8678)
             Sunday, 6 April, 2008:  Quarterly business meeting of the Mindfulness Community of Milwaukee. Meditation from 9 to 10 am.  Meeting from 10 to 12 noon (at latest).
           
Thursday, 10 April for eleven consecutive Thursdays: Mindfulness in Everyday Life: The Intravaganza.  Paul Norton’s on-going course teaches mindfulness-based stress reduction and the first steps on the Buddhist path.  Open to new and experienced meditators, this course covers basic practices such as sitting and walking meditation and mindfulness in everyday life. $125 for the entire course, $15 for individual “drop-in” sessions, includes a book and two CDs of guided meditation.  10 April to 19 June, 2008, 6:30 to 8:30 pm.

            Sunday, 6 April, 2008:  of the Mindfulness Community of Milwaukee. Meditation from 9 to 10 am.  Meeting from 10 to 12 noon (at latest).           Thursday, 10 April for eleven consecutive Thursdays.  Paul Norton’s on-going course teaches mindfulness-based stress reduction and the first steps on the Buddhist path.  Open to new and experienced meditators, this course covers basic practices such as sitting and walking meditation and mindfulness in everyday life. $125 for the entire course, $15 for individual “drop-in” sessions, includes a book and two CDs of guided meditation.  10 April to 19 June, 2008, 6:30 to 8:30 pm.Friday to Sunday, 2-4 May:  Weekend Retreat led by Jack and Laurie Lawlor of the Lakeside Buddha Sangha, at the Lasalle Manor Retreat Center in Plano, Illinois.  Enjoy a serene and mindful retreat in a charming rural spot, featuring meditation, dharma talks, mindful eating and walking.  Brochures available at the center.

           Sunday,  1 June, 2008:  12 noon to 1 pm. .  Meeting of the Practice Committee.  Stay after Sunday morning sangha to share your ideas about upcoming themes, classes, etc. at the Center.  The first agenda item is determining the themes for Sundays in April, May and June. . Inform Paul Brodwin at the Center of other agenda items before meeting.

Sunday, 6 July, 2008:  Quarterly business meeting of the Mindfulness Community of Milwaukee. Meditation from 9 to 10 am.  Meeting from 10 to 12 noon (at latest).
            Saturday, 26 July, 2008:  Regional Day of Mindfulness, sponsored by the Mindfulness Community of Milwaukee at the DeKoven Center,  Racine.  Optional extra evening, Friday 25 July.  Flyers will be available at Center; please register early

To learn more about the Mindfulness Community of Milwaukee, please visit our meditation and discussion sessions on Sundays and Wednesdays, or check out our website at   http://www.milwaukeemindfulness.com/
For national sangha events with Thich Nhat Hanh,
visit the Plum Village web-site, http://www.plumvillage.org/index.htm