Dec 11, 2011

The Buddha, The Dharma, and The Sangha

I'm writing this on December 11, 2011. First I want to extend holiday greetings to all my dharma sisters and brothers, with the wish that your practice will prove meaningful in the coming year, that understanding will deepen for all of us. For me, it has been personally helpful to consider what it means to take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. I am hoping that in 2012 I will be able to come to Rising Light Sangha regularly again. Other aspects of life seemed to intervene for the last half of 2011.

Another idea I want to send out to everyone is simply an echo to the e-mail received from Marsha Kameron tonight. In addition to the quiet meditation times we have at Sangha, we often have readings or other programs carefully chosen by whoever volunteers to host that session, and I have always greatly enjoyed those occasions where we discuss and share our individual responses to the content of the program. Bouncing our different ideas back and forth can be such a good way for each of us to make new discoveries.

Especially since I live far away in Plattsburgh while many of you have opportunities to see each other more often, I particularly enjoy some of the social aspects of our get-togethers over tea after the program. Still, though, the real refuge of Sangha for me lies in being able to learn and strengthen my own practice through our dharma discussions.
May peace and joy, lovingkindness and equanimity stalk you all the days of your life!
Namaste,
Naomi
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2 comments:

  1. Jen CurryDecember 11, 2011 at 10:00 PM

    Thanks Naomi,
    I really like the Click here link. Can you share how you use that with everyone?

    I agree about discussion afterwards and do attempt to redirect others back to dharma readings and teachings. My practice is openness and applying the teachings to what is coming up for others in their present experience. It is all good and each is at a different place in their journey and sometimes feel the desire to inquire about the sangha itself.
    Look forward to sharing sangha with you and all our dharma brothers and sisters. Namaste Jen Curry

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  2. earthmom63December 12, 2011 at 2:00 PM

    My dear dharma sisters and brothers,
    I have at last come to a beginning of understanding the meaning of "sangha" and "dharma". We are a family community learning together and we are each as different as members of any family are while sharing many similarities.

    I have noticed that we are attracted to various teachers. Some seem more complicated to me than others because I feel like a beginner on this path. This month, while traveling to my mother's, I bought a Shambala Sun magazine that featured Thich Nhat Han and am still enjoying the reading of it, and going back over paragraphs that "got my attention".

    It is good to look forward to future discussions on readings.

    Namaste,
    Ginger

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