Dear friends,

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

Monday (April 1) is a newcomers night - learn more and sign up here

Ellen will facilitate Monday night.

I've had the privilege of facilitating a few times this year already. In reviewing my topics and comments, I realized they were all focused on challenges and on difficult emotions. Yet I've been thinking a lot lately about joy and about how mindfulness can encourage my joy. My sense is I rarely experience joy, but reading and listening to Thay’s teachings on joy, I wonder if the joy is there and  I'm not seeing it or allowing myself to experience it.  

Simple joys abound: the blossoming flowers in my garden now, listening to a wonderful song when I"m sitting at my kitchen table working late in the evening and pausing to really hear it, having dinner or coffee with good friends, or appreciating that I'm two blocks away from Rock Creek Park with all its wonderful paths and beauty. 

Dear friends,

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

On Monday, Annie will facilitate and we will read the Five Mindfulness Trainings (more info here) and focus on the third mindfulness training, True Love (full text of this training is below). 

The third mindfulness training ends with the words: “Practicing true love, we know that we will continue beautifully into the future.” But what is “true love” exactly?

I have noticed lately that we say, “I love you” more easily and more often to our friends and family than we did when I was a girl. We also say, “I love this book” and “I love this restaurant.” But what does the word love really mean when said so casually?

And what does true love mean in the context of a committed intimate relationship or a close friendship? What if we decide we don’t love that person anymore? Do we have any responsibility to love? Does love allow for loving from a distance?

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

On Monday evening, Magda and Marisela will facilitate.

In commemoration of Black History Month and International Women’s Day, Opening Heart’s Engaged Mindfulness group invited Dr. Marisela B. Gomez to facilitate Monday night. We are honored to have Dr. Gomez, who recently co-authored Healing Our Way Home: Black Buddhist Teachings on Ancestors, Joy, and Liberation with Valerie Brown and Kaira Jewel Lingo.

Dr. Gomez is an Order of Interbeing member, a Plum Village Dharma Teacher, and a community public health activist scholar, who has been organizing in various capacities for equitable and sustainable alternative models for community development for more than 25 years in Baltimore, Maryland. 

Dear friends,

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

This Monday evening Annie was scheduled to facilitate. However, there’s been a change in schedule and Camille will facilitate.

Annie’s original topic below:

Even in the best of times, it can be challenging to get out of bed and remember to practice mindfulness. But when I remember to start my day with some mental reminders, such as a few mindful breaths or steps, my whole day leans more toward ease and joy. Practicing mindfulness in the morning doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy our favorite coffee drink or I can’t enjoy my new favorite Oolong tea. And it doesn’t mean we have to be all perky and bubbly. (I surely am not.) 

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

On Monday evening, Camille will facilitate.

The fourth mindfulness training (of the Five Mindfulness Trainings, or Five Precepts, developed during the time of the Buddha) is the practice of deep listening and loving speech. It teaches us that when we speak lovingly and listen compassionately, we can help relieve suffering and promote reconciliation and peace, both in ourselves and in others. Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) teaches that with compassionate listening, you listen with only one purpose: to “help him or her to empty his heart.” Even if they say things that are full of wrong perceptions, you can give them a chance to speak and to suffer less.  

Dear friends,

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

This Monday evening Camille will facilitate. Camille shares:

I have had the habit energy of worrying over many things. Most of the time my worry has stemmed from fear of things that might happen in the future. The fear of my kids getting sick, of my parents dying, and the fear of change have often held me captive, so much so that I begin to feel it not only in my thoughts and mind but also in my body. The result of this can cause restless sleep, inconsistent eating habits, and anxiety, all contributing to a very tired body and mind.

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

On Monday evening, Marie will facilitate.

Recently my practice has been a bit different. I’ve been touching peace and joy more than usual so that I have more capacity to hold, witness and sometimes transform suffering. As I write this, I’m smiling. I realize how odd these words would have sounded to my younger self, who was raised to be endlessly empathetic, often burnt myself out and felt guilty about my good fortune.

What, specifically, have I been doing?

Dear friends,

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

This Monday evening Ellen will facilitate. Ellen shares:

Lately,  I’ve been thinking about awareness, its connection to mindfulness and the power of awareness in bringing more compassion, connection and pausing.

In Thay’s book, Peace Is Every Step,  he has an entry called “Nourishing Awareness in Each Moment.”  He talks about the “lures” in life, the things that lead us to become “lost and scattered.”  I recognized the “lures” or distractions that pull me in different directions every day. They pull me away from myself and from true, compassionate connection with others. 

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

Annie will facilitate, and shares:

Dear Friends,

This week we will meet online. Annie will facilitate and we read the Five Mindfulness Trainings. This week we will have two special guests from our community – Rachel Switala and Conor Lane - who have just received the Five Mindfulness trainings at a ceremony on January 6 in Oakton, Virginia.

The FIve Mindfulness trainings are ethical statements that can help us align our life with our deepest intentions. The trainings are based on the practices of understanding and loving kindness toward ourselves, our communities, and the world.

Dear Friends,

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

I’ve been thinking about the silence and stillness that we need in order to develop awareness and touch joy. Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) has said:

The more space we make for stillness and silence, the more we have to give both to ourselves and to others.

Before I went on my 6-week retreat to Plum Village in October, I had a pretty strong habit of listening to podcasts anytime I wasn’t listening to anything else. For example, when I walked the dogs, when I showered, when I drove, etc.

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

Camille will facilitate, and shares:

Two years ago, our mindfulness teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) transitioned out of his body at the age of 95, after spending most of his life sharing mindfulness practices with peace, understanding and love. After the two year mourning period, we now recognize Thay as our spiritual ancestor. In a ceremony later this month in Vietnam, Thay will also be acknowledged as the fifth patriarch of Từ Hiếu Temple – his root temple.

On Monday evening, our community will gather together in meditation, chanting, and sharing, to honor and celebrate Thay. The peace and joy he shared with us - his students and spiritual descendants - will be passed on to all around us. From Plum Village: “The calm, clarity, and peace we can generate today are both a manifestation of Thay’s love and our expression of our spiritual support and love for him.”

Dear friends,

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

Camille will facilitate.

This Monday evening we will share together the practice of Touching the Earth. It is a beautiful practice offered regularly in Plum Village centers around the world. The script of the touchings is below along with a short video of an introduction of Thich Nhat Hanh’s (Thay’s) on Touching the Earth.

This practice is about “emptying ourselves” as we bow down to touch the earth in order to make life possible in the present moment. We can begin to release ideas, stories, notions, anger, attachments, and the ideas that we and this world we know are permanent. When we touch the earth we can empty ourselves and surrender these ideas and any unwholesome qualities in us.

I love and relish in the Earth touchings and have much gratitude as I am reminded that I have the support of my ancestors, family, friends, teachers, sangha, the earth, and all who have walked and worked the lands in sharing their love, understanding, nourishment, caring and healing with me and all the world.

Dear Sangha,

Last year in January, I had the opportunity to facilitate and talk about the beginning of a new year as a chance for renewal and hope. I felt it was important to try to be optimistic and open.

As we enter 2024, I find myself much more anxious and worried about so much in my personal/family life, my career and most importantly the despairing state of the world. My anxiety has been, for the first time, affecting my health and well-being. And I’m surrounded by friends, family members and colleagues who are also suffering from stress, anxiety and fear.

So I started to research Thich Nhat Hanh’s (Thầy) writings on anxiety and worrying. As usual, he has much to say, which I found to be very helpful.

Dear Friends,

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

On Monday we will enjoy a guided meditation on letting go of anything we don’t want to carry into the new year, and setting our mindful intentions for 2024. Our meditation will serve as a gentle guide in aligning our intentions with actions and embracing positive changes in our lives.

The new year often brings lots of resolutions, goals, and aspirations – a natural response to the chance for a new beginning. Yet, in the rush to change or improve our lives, we might lose sight of the profound beauty and completeness of the present moment.

Dear friends,

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

Susie will facilitate on Monday evening, December 25.

Please join us as we read the Five Mindfulness Trainings together with a focus on the fifth mindfulness training - Nourishment and Healing.

We have a line item in our family budget for drinking. We don’t call it “drinking”, we call it “food & beverage”. In January of this year, I was sipping an expensive wine at a Georgetown restaurant with a large group of our best friends. Something hit me partway through the meal, something Godlike and undeniable. I had to close my eyes and be with this feeling. Something was telling me this was wrong for my body. I could hear my friends around me having a great time, and when they noticed my eyes were closed, I heard their questions to me, “Susie, are you ok?” “Is she ok? I don’t know.” etc. I held up my hand in a “wait” motion. I just needed to sit with this and hear what I needed to hear. After a couple of moments, I opened my eyes, and didn’t take another sip. I got sick later that evening and felt much better physically, but thought about all that money we just spent on the lovely food and the wine. Is there a line item for that?

Dear friends, This week Annie and Andy will co-facilitate and we will meet Monday evening in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW) from 7-8:30PM EST, Wednesday morning online from 7-8AM, and Friday online from 12-1PM EST.

We will reflect on one of the central understandings of Thich Nhat Hanh’s (Thay) teachings, Interbeing. This is a word that Thay created to reflect his insight that nothing can exist by itself. We depend upon everything else to be, or rather, to interbe.

This simple - but not easy - insight is the foundation for our practice. If we really know that we are a single cell in the cosmos, not a separate and lonely creature, we will live with more ease and feel greater belonging to all of life. Knowing that we interare releases our need to run after external things because we realize that we already have, and in fact are, everything we need.

Dear Thay, dear friends,

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

Marie will facilitate on Monday evening.

Over the last few months, I’ve been struck by the power of sangha. I had a health crisis, and while I didn’t attend sangha in traditional ways (meaning in body or via Zoom), that didn’t matter. I felt held and supported. I did not practice sitting or walking meditation, and that didn’t matter either. I knew the sangha body was practicing, at our sangha and at other sanghas. I rested into the hammock of this knowing, and oh did that feel good!

Dear Friends,

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

This is a newcomer’s week, so if you want a little extra instruction or to ask a question, please meet Annie at the OHMC meditation space at 6:15 PM. Sign up here

We will explore one of the basic practices taught by Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) and one at the heart of Plum Village life – slowing down. In this upcoming holiday season, we may be pushed to move very fast, but we can find ways to resist the rushing and find more ease.

Thay wrote: "Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves – slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future; live the actual moment. Only this moment is life.”

How often do we do anything reverently, slowly, and evenly? And what happens when we do?

During my most recent visit to Plum Village, I had the time to practice slowing down in each activity and found a lot of benefits.

Dear Friends,

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

Annie will facilitate on Monday evening. After we enjoy guided deep relaxation, walking meditation and silent sitting meditation, we will read the Five Mindfulness Trainings together and focus on the Fourth Training: Loving Speech and Deep Listening.

The Fourth Mindfulness Training reminds us of all of the suffering that can be caused by speaking unmindfully and not listening well to others. During the holidays, we often spend time with our families, whether chosen or blood. We can reflect on how we might practice loving speech and deep listening using the Fourth Mindfulness Training…

Dear friends,

This week we will meet in person (3812 Northampton Street NW in DC) on Monday 7-8:30PM EDT, online on Wednesday morning from 7-8AM, and online on Friday 12-1PM.

On Monday evening, Camille will facilitate.

Plum Village, the practice center in France founded by Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay), has sought to create an environment where people can learn to “live in harmony with one another and with the Earth.” On their website they recently shared that the conflict in the Middle East and in many other places in the world are “painful to civilians on both sides and they appeal to all combatants to put an immediate stop to killing and acts of violence.” The Buddha said that “hatred cannot respond to hatred; only love and compassion can respond to hatred.” Thay says “there is no way to peace, peace is the way.”

I often sit these days of late with feeling the pain, suffering and despair of others all over the world. It is exhausting and I often feel depleted. What helps me is to be reminded by Thay to first recognize the suffering within myself and to transform the unwholesome seeds of anger, hatred or violence into seeds of peace, joy, and loving kindness. I take time to breathe in and breathe out, and then in that moment when I can cultivate those positive qualities in myself, I can begin to generate more compassion to my family and all beings who suffer.