Dear friends,

This week, we will meet Monday evening, June 9th, from 7-8:30PM EDT online; Wednesday morning, June 11th, from 7-8AM EDT in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); and Friday, June 13th, 12-1PM EDT online.

On Monday night, Ellen will facilitate. Ellen shares:

Sometimes life brings things together in unexpected ways, sometimes good, sometimes tough.  We have a lot of uncertainty in our world, in our country, and our communities now. I’ve been thinking about uncertainty in my life and how we can use mindfulness to calm the difficult feelings that can arise in uncertain times.  At the same time, I’ve been thinking about equanimity, which seems more important than ever now. Attaining equanimity is not easy, and it’s especially hard with so much uncertainty and pain around us now. But what is equanimity really?

Here’s the first definition I found online, and how amazing that  it included the Buddhist view of equanimity:

Equanimity is a state of being calm and balanced, especially in the midst of difficulty. It refers to evenness of mind, especially under stress. In Buddhism, equanimity is one of the Four Immeasurables or four great virtues that the Buddha taught his disciples to cultivate. The word equanimity can also refer to right disposition and balance.

Merriam Webster

Dear friends,

This week, we will meet Monday evening, June 2, from 7-8:30PM EDT in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); Wednesday morning, June 4, from 7-8AM EDT online; Thursday morning, June 5, from 7-8AM EDT in person/online (hybrid) at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); and Friday, June 6, from 12-1PM EDT in person/online (hybrid).

On Monday, our evening meditation will be facilitated by Annie. Annie shares:

I heard about the practice of Beginning Anew on nearly every Plum Village retreat I attended. These sessions, usually led by Sister Chan Khong, always included a demonstration of the practice with a couple. 

Sister Chan Khong often reminded us that we may think we know our family member or friend one hundred percent, but we really only know five or ten percent of them. We make so many assumptions about the person sitting beside us without really knowing them in a deep way. We need a way to help us develop a deeper understanding of each other and share our vulnerabilities. This is why we practice Beginning Anew.

I am not an expert on Beginning Anew, but I have practiced with myself, my partner, and with the sangha over the years and have found it to be very helpful.

Dear friends,

This week, we will meet Monday evening, May 26th, from 7-8:30PM EDT online; Wednesday morning, May 28th, from 7-8AM EDT in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); and Friday, May 30th, 12-1PM EST online.

On Monday night, Magda will facilitate on the theme of the illusion of the separate self and the ever-expanding and self-reflecting Avatamsaka realm, described in the Buddha’s Avatamsaka Sūtra. This session follows  from Magda’s last facilitation, in which she explored the Diamond Sūtra and its teaching that our suffering should not define us. The Sūtra reveals that the self is an illusion and that suffering is both impermanent and deeply interconnected.

Building on that theme, and drawing from Thich Nhat Hanh’s commentary and teachings on manas (the aspect of consciousness tied to ego), we will reflect on how letting go of the notion of a separate self opens the path to freedom, compassion, and a deeper understanding of interbeing.

Dear friends,

This week, we will meet Monday evening, May 19, from 7-8:30PM EDT in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); Wednesday morning, May 21, from 7-8AM EDT online; and Friday, May 23, from 12-1PM EDT in person/online (hybrid).

This Monday, Ellen will facilitate and we will recite the Five Mindfulness Trainings and then focus on the Fifth Training: Nourishment and Healing.

The Five Mindfulness Trainings are one of the most concrete ways to practice mindfulness. They are nonsectarian, and their nature is universal. They are true practices of compassion and understanding. All spiritual traditions have their equivalent to the Five Mindfulness Trainings.

The Five Mindfulness Trainings are based on the precepts developed during the time of the Buddha to be the foundation of practice for the entire lay practice community. I have translated these precepts for modern times, because mindfulness is at the foundation of each one of them. With mindfulness, we are aware of what is going on in our bodies, our feelings, our minds and the world, and we avoid doing harm to ourselves and others.

Dear friends,

This week, we will meet Monday evening, May 12th, from 7-8:30PM EDT online; Wednesday morning, May 14th, from 7-8AM EDT in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); and Friday, May 16th, 12-1PM EST online.

On Monday night, Camille will facilitate, and we will continue to explore the Buddhist sutra on the Eight Realizations of Great Beings. According to the podcast, The Way Out Is In, Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) says that using the realizations as practical tools in our daily life can help us generate more understanding and compassion in our bodies, thoughts, perceptions, minds, and motivations. 

Each of these realizations builds on the previous one. This week, we will focus on the Third Realization: “The awareness that the human mind is always searching outside of itself and never feels fulfilled. This brings about unwholesome activity.”

Dear friends,

This week, we will meet Monday evening, May 5, from 7-8:30PM EDT in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); Wednesday morning, May 7, from 7-8AM EDT online; and Friday, May 9, from 12-1PM EDT in person/online (hybrid).

On Monday, our evening meditation will be facilitated by Annie. Annie shares:

As we face political, mental health, and climate crises, I’ve been trying to figure out how, in each moment of my short life, I might contribute more love, more awakening, and more peace to myself and the world. 

Starting with the awareness of non-self, I know that whatever is occurring in the present moment is not personal. I see that this moment is coming from our ancestors, our previous actions, the cosmos, and all causes and conditions. I am not personally responsible for the troubling thoughts inside of me or the chaos happening around me. What shows up in each moment is not really in my control.

And yet, I do have agency in this moment. 

Dear Thay, Dear friends,

This week, we will meet Monday evening, April 28th, from 7-8:30PM EDT online; Wednesday morning, April 30th, from 7-8AM EDT in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); and Friday, May 2nd, 12-1PM EST online.

On Monday night Marie will facilitate.  She shares:  We will recite the Five Mindfulness Trainings and collectively explore our experiences with the Fourth Training, Loving Speech and Deep Listening.

This training continues to be the most challenging for me. Now, with the state of the world and this country being what they are, my fuse feels shorter, even as I know that reacting doesn’t help. What does help? Listening to and practicing with Thich Nhat Hanh’s short teaching on Loving Speech & Compassion. During his talk, Thay invites us to a “three-day practice challenge” to help expand our capacity to heal through deep listening. 

On Monday night, after reciting the trainings together, we will watch the video, share our responses and explore our practice with the Fourth Training, which is written below for your ease of reference.

Dear friends,

This week, we will meet Monday evening, April 21, from 7-8:30PM EDT in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); Wednesday morning, April 23, from 7-8AM EDT online; and Friday, April 25, from 12-1PM EDT in person/online (hybrid).

Dear friends,

On Monday, our meditation evening will be facilitated by Magda. Magda shares:

During these times, I have met many people deeply impacted by the actions of the new administration. Many of us have internalized not only our personal suffering but also the suffering around us. Some have come to feel profoundly alone in their pain, believing it to be permanent. For a time, I, too, felt unable to detach from suffering—as if I was becoming one with it.

I was grateful to attend a class at the European Institute of Applied Buddhism (EIAB) called No Mud, No Lotus, where Brother Phap An taught us about manas, the aspect of consciousness tied to the ego. Manas tells us to cling to experiences, convincing us that we are somehow at the center of events, that whatever happens is happening to us. It focuses our attention on impermanent things, making us wish they would last forever or worrying they will never go away.

Dear friends,

This week, we will meet Monday evening, April 14th, from 7-8:30PM EDT online; Wednesday morning, April 16th, from 7-8AM EDT in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); and Friday, April 18th, 12-1PM EST online.

On Monday, our meditation evening will be facilitated by mindfulness practitioner, legal activist, and poet, Sunu Chandy.

How can we weave together our deep practice of mindfulness with our hope to engage fully in the world and reduce suffering? Sunu will lead a discussion on this topic of Engaged Mindfulness practice and how to care for the most vulnerable among us. Her life and her work has been a reflection of the truth of our interdependence (Interbeing) for many years. 

After our meditation period, Sun will share her understanding of Interbeing and how her work is an offshoot of her practice. She will also read one or two of her amazing poems from her poetry book, My Dear Comrades.

Dear friends,

This week, we will meet Monday evening, April 7, from 7-8:30PM EST in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); Wednesday morning, April 9, from 7-8AM EST online; and Friday, April 11, from 12-1PM EST in person.

Please join us on Monday, April 7, when our meditation evening will be facilitated by our friend Born I (a.k.a Ofosu Jones-Quartey), a meditation teacher, hip-hop artist, and author from the DC area. 

Ofosu will guide and share on the practice of inner disarmament.  This is a unique opportunity to direct some kindness and compassion to yourself while exploring the potential for inner compassion to inform our approach to an increasingly armed and conflicted world in crisis. Through this exploration, we will consider how we can have hope and belonging amidst challenges and crises.

No prior experience is necessary. You Are Enough.

Ofosu Jones-Quartey brings over 17 years of experience in sharing mindfulness, meditation, and self-compassion practices with the world. Ofosu leads meditation classes and retreats nationwide, having taught and led retreats at the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, The Insight Meditation Society, Spirit Rock, Brooklyn Zen Center, Cleveland Insight, Inward Bound Mindfulness, and more. Ofosu has also worked with various organizations and schools, including co-writing a mindfulness-based suicide prevention curriculum for teenagers.

Dear friends,

This week, we will meet Monday evening, March 31st, from 7-8:30PM EDT online; Wednesday morning, April 2, from 7-8AM EDT in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); Thursday morning, April 3, from 7-8AM EDT in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); and Friday, April 4th, 12-1PM EST online.

On Monday night, Marie will facilitate, and we will continue to explore the Buddhist sutra, the Eight Realizations of Great Beings. According to the podcast, The Way Out Is In, the Eight Realizations were important to Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay), who said that using them as practical tools in our daily life could help us generate more understanding and compassion in our bodies, thoughts, perceptions, minds, and motivations. I’m finding this to be true, as the events of the world and country vibrate through my system, and I sometimes struggle to respond skillfully.

This week, we will focus on the Second Realization: “The awareness that more desire brings more suffering. All hardships in daily life arise from greed and desire. Those with little desire and ambition are able to relax, their body and mind free from entanglement.”

Dear friends,

This week, we will meet Monday evening, March 24, from 7-8:30PM EDT in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); Wednesday morning, March 26, from 7-8AM EDT online; and Friday, March 28, from 12-1PM EDT in person & online (hybrid).

Camille will facilitate this Monday. Camille shares:

We welcome you to our Monday night in-person sangha, where tonight we share our once-a-month tradition of reciting the Five Mindfulness Trainings, created by Thich Nhat Hanh to help us cultivate and deepen our mindfulness practice. This month we practice the Third Mindfulness Training, “True Love.” However, instead of focusing on the traditional training, we will explore the “Contemplation of the Third Mindfulness Training: Cherishment as True Love,” which comes from the ARISE Sangha (Awakening through Race, Intersectionality, and Social Equity). Please note that the ARISE trainings are not meant to replace the Five Mindfulness Trainings, but they are an important offering in support of bringing peace, compassion, and understanding in these difficult times. See the texts for both Third Trainings below.

The ARISE Training

“Contemplation of The Third Mindfulness Training: Cherishment as True Love”

Aware of the suffering caused by discrimination and oppression, I vow to understand its roots within my consciousness and my body and the collective body of the sangha and larger society. I vow to recognize the ways in which I have benefitted or not benefitted explicitly or implicitly from systems and structures that foster discrimination and injustice. I am aware of  the legacy of violence, especially unlawful police violence,  perpetrated against Black people, indigenous people, people of color, differently abled people, people of various gender identities and expressions and sexual orientation, and others who are marginalized. I acknowledge the lived experience of all people to deepen my capacity for understanding and for greater compassionate action. 

Dear friends,

This week, we will meet Monday evening, March 17th, from 7-8:30PM EST online; Wednesday morning, March 19th, from 7-8AM EST in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); and Friday, March 21st, 12-1PM EST online.

On Monday, Marie and Camille will introduce the Buddhist sutra The Eight Realizations of Great Beings and explore the first realization, which is the awareness that the world is impermanent.  

The Eight Realizations is an important teaching of the Buddha and may even be considered by some people to represent the entire path of Mahayana Buddhism. 

According to the podcast, The Way Out is In, the Eight Realizations were important to Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) and were some of the first teachings he shared. Later, when teaching to the Vietnamese boat people, Thay said that we can use these realizations as practical tools in our daily life to generate more understanding and compassion in our bodies, thoughts, perceptions, minds, and motivations.

With all that is going on in the world and in this country and also in many of our personal lives, Marie and Camille have been drawn to what they call “deep dish Dharma,” which is defined as Dharma teachings that are deep, practical, and can support us right now.

Dear friends,

This week, we will meet Monday evening, March 10, from 7-8:30PM EST in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); Wednesday morning, March 12, from 7-8AM EST online; and Friday, March 14, from 12-1PM EST in person & online (hybrid).

Annie will facilitate this Monday. Annie shares:

In the midst of these challenging social and political days, what keeps me out of despair are the most basic teachings of the Buddha. In his very first teaching after enlightenment, the Dhammacakkappavattana sutta, the Buddha shared the Four Noble Truths. The first truth is that difficult situations, like the one we are in, are real and completely unavoidable. In the second and third noble truths, he lets us know that we have some ability to influence these difficulties by considering how we habitually feed suffering and how to stop doing that. The Buddha knew that we have free will and the ability to put an end to suffering. Sometimes, I forget that.

In the mindfulness trainings, also aimed to diminish suffering, it is suggested that we become more aware of suffering and not turn away from it. In this moment, at least here in Washington, D.C.,  I’m finding it pretty easy to be aware of the suffering. Every time I look at my phone or have a conversation, it’s usually about the suffering being experienced throughout the world. I think we all agree on the reality of suffering. 

What we do after we witness suffering is where we have some freedom and possibly the ability to alter the situation. 

Dear friends,

This week, we will meet Monday evening, March 3rd, from 7-8:30PM EST online; Wednesday morning, March 5th, from 7-8AM EST in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); and Friday, March 7th, 12-1PM EST online/in person (hybrid).

On Monday, the sangha will host Barbara Newell, former Plum Village monastic and longtime dharma teacher, now living in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Barbara shares:

This week our emphasis will be on silence and the benefits of finding more quiet internally.

As Thich Nhat Hanh writes in Silence: The Power of Quiet in a World Full of Noise:

When we know we are more than our thoughts, we can make the determination not to allow our thinking to take over and dominate us. Do our thoughts support our true intention in life? If not, we need to push the “reset” button.

The busier we are, and the more stimuli and distractions we have, the more quiet we need in order to balance it out.

Dear friends,

This week, we will meet Monday evening, Feb. 24, from 7-8:30PM EST in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); Wednesday morning, Feb. 26, from 7-8AM EST online; and Friday, Feb. 28, from 12-1PM EST in person & online (hybrid).

On Monday, Ellen will facilitate. Ellen shares:

I recently heard a wonderful podcast that really touched me deeply about “resetting and letting go” (from the Mindfulness 12 Minute Meditation series).  It made me think of the teachings from Thich Nhat Hanh that bring us back to our breath and help us see our breath as a way of grounding ourselves, being in the present moment, and letting go of everything else.

The Pocket Thich Nhat Hanh chapter titled “Your True Home” includes this:

“Your true home is in the here and the now….When breathing in, you don’t think of anything; you just focus our attention on the in-breath….  There is a concentration on your in-breath that will make body and mind come together in just one moment.  And suddenly you find yourself fully present, fully alive.”

Dear friends,

This week, we will meet Monday evening, Feb 17th, from 7-8:30PM EST online; Wednesday morning, Feb 19th, from 7-8AM EST in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); and Friday, Feb 21st, 12-1PM EST in person/online (hybrid).

On Monday, Mary Smith and Annie will facilitate and we will explore the Second Mindfulness Training: True Happiness.

In the Second Mindfulness Training (full text at the bottom) we are reminded:

I am committed to practicing generosity in my thinking, speaking, and acting.

And in the ARISE (Awakening through Race, Intersectionality, and Social Equity) sangha’s contemplation on this training (full text at the bottom), we read:

In our journey towards true happiness, we recognize that societal constructs have often been used to divide and oppress. Acknowledging that there is no genetic or biological difference between different racial and ethnic groups, and that these identities were constructed by one group to establish dominance over others, we commit to turning toward racial and other forms of othering with an open heart and compassionate action.

Related to these both is the sutra The Discourse on Love, in which the Buddha suggests practicing generosity as Boundless Love: 

Just as a mother loves and protects her only child at the risk of her own life, cultivate boundless love to offer to all living beings in the entire cosmos. Let our boundless love pervade the whole universe, above, below, and across. Our love will know no obstacles. Our heart will be absolutely free from hatred and enmity. Whether standing or walking, sitting or lying, as long as we are awake, we should maintain this mindfulness of love in our own heart. 

Dear friends,

This week, we will meet Monday evening, Feb. 10, from 7-8:30PM EST in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); Wednesday morning, Feb. 12, from 7-8AM EST online; and Friday, Feb. 14, from 12-1PM EST in person & online (hybrid).

On Monday, Magda will facilitate. Magda shares:

As a continuation of last week’s topic, No Mud, No Lotus: Reconnecting the Points by Embracing the Mud, Magda will guide us in exploring how we can embrace, examine, heal, and transform our suffering through the Four Noble Truths. This Monday, she will lead us through the last two Noble Truths.

No Mud, No Lotus: Like Lotus Petals Emerging From My Head

3) The Cessation of Suffering (Nirodha): The Energy of Mindfulness Is Like the Sun’s Energy

"Returning to myself is already a miracle.” -Brother Phap An at the European Institute of Applied Buddhism (EIAB)

By transforming this "mud" through mindfulness, I uncover its potential to nourish growth. I now remain vigilant against distractions, especially during periods when fragmentation intensifies, and focus on reconnecting to my wholeness. To protect my peace, I’ve limited my exposure by deleting apps, blocking triggering content, and redirecting my energy toward meditation, reading meaningful content, and nourishing activities like engaged mindfulness projects.

Dear friends,

This week, we will meet Monday evening, Feb 3rd, from 7-8:30PM EST online; Wednesday morning, Feb 5th, from 7-8AM EST in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); and Friday, Feb 7th, 12-1PM EST online.

On Monday night Magda will facilitate. Magda shares:

Over the next two Monday nights, Magda will guide us in exploring how we can embrace, examine, heal, and transform our suffering through the Four Noble Truths. This Monday, she will lead us through the first two Noble Truths.

“When you first hear that suffering is a Noble Truth, you might wonder what’s so noble about suffering?” (Thich Nhat Hanh, No Mud, No Lotus 15).

1) The Reality of Suffering (Dukkha): Recognizing the “Monster” of Fragmentation

“Breathing in, I know suffering is there. Breathing out, I say hello to my suffering” (No Mud, No Lotus 23).

During times of information overload like the recent election, I often feel weighed down by distractions. Brother Phap An, in a recent class at the European Institute of Applied Buddhism (EIAB), described this experience as being “sucked in by the monster of social media and societal chaos.” When I allow this “monster” to consume me, I feel fragmented and disconnected from my deeper self, as though my body and mind have become disjointed. These distractions intensify my suffering, keeping me trapped in ignorance and disconnected from the mindful practices that restore and maintain wholeness.Brother Phap An depicted this fragmentation as a set of disconnected points residing inside us. This image resonated deeply with me, particularly during the election. Distractions often make it harder for us to confront our suffering, allowing it to accumulate and to transform into fear, despair, judgment, or hate.

Dear friends,

This week, we will meet Monday evening, Jan. 27, from 7-8:30PM EST in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); Wednesday morning, Jan. 29, from 7-8AM EST online; and Friday, Jan. 31, from 12-1PM EST in person & online (hybrid).

On Monday, Annie will facilitate. Annie shares:

On Monday we will read the Five Mindfulness Trainings together and then we will invite some of the sangha members who received the trainings on January 4 to reflect on their journey with the trainings and why they chose to ceremonially receive them. Receiving the trainings is a personal commitment to practicing a loving and attentive way of life, and they are a gift from the sangha to support our practice.

We will hear from dana chapnick, Tracy Corley, Rachel Henigan, Franziska Mutz (by video), Gerry Oshman, and Mary Smith. Each completed the six-month class and each received a dharma name from Annie, Camille, and Jill. A few other folks from out of town also received the trainings with us, including Sam Maio, Lorna Pollack, Ana Valente, Ronald Nober, Gonzalo Neira Morales, and Maren Núñez Moscoso.