Dharma Sharing Guidelines

Dear friends,

In the words of Plum Village: “Dharma sharing is an opportunity to benefit from each other’s insights and experience of the practice. It is a special time for us to share our experiences, our joys, our difficulties and our questions relating to the practice of mindfulness. By practicing deep listening while others are speaking, we help create a calm and receptive environment. By learning to speak out about our happiness and our difficulties in the practice, we contribute to the collective insight and understanding of the Sangha.”

Below are the guidelines we share with our sangha before our Dharma sharing:

When introducing yourself, you are welcome to include your gender pronouns

Bow in / bow out (or wave/indicate you’d like to speak). If you're on Zoom, please remember to unmute when you begin and mute yourself when you are finished.

Speak from your own experience and don’t assume anyone else shares that experience

Speak to the whole group, not to an individual

If you rarely talk, you might consider sharing / if you usually talk first, perhaps slow down and practice deep listening. Be mindful that others may wish to share. Please be concise.

Practice compassionate speaking and listening. Take a breath or two between sharings.

Honor confidentiality.

Understand what we intend to say and how it is received (impact) may be different

Support the facilitators in aspiring to create a welcoming and safe and brave space for all (Invite participants to offer feedback via chat if they notice something that rankles and/or would make them feel more welcome/included).