End of year break

Beaches Sangha meetings are now over for 2014. We'll resume our meetings on Thursday 8 January 2015.

Thank you for being a part of our group this year, whether you're a stalwart, a regular, patchy, or occasional participant. What we do on Thursday nights is very valuable. Living Gotama's teachings is described as going against the stream. This is made much easier and richer with the company of like-minded friends on the swim. Sangha is my weekly 're-set button' and a source of nourishment for me, and I know for others too. Whatever your contribution has been - thank you.

I'd also like to say a special thank you to the members of our SOG (Sangha Organising Group): Betsy for organising and updating the program; Sylvie for looking after the tea n bikkie supplies and opening up most weeks of the year; Neil for being our Treasurer and back-up venue opener, and Susanne for being a general back-up helper and supplier of naughty things (e.g. Lindt balls!). I feel lucky to have my SOGgies helping turn the wheels of sangha - thank you so much guys!

If you'd like some little thought-starters to keep you going through the break, don't forget to 'Like' the Secular Buddhism Australia Facebook Page. I'm doing little dharmic posts there at least 4 times a week at present, so feel free to tune in.

And lastly, here's a link to an 8 week mindful parenting program run by my dear friend Tim Goddard who teaches MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction). It's over in Waverley, but well worth the trip. It starts in early Feb.

I hope you have an enjoyable, safe and mindful festive season.
Best wishes and happy new year.
Lenore

Sangha party this week

This week we meet for the last time in 2014. As is our tradition, we'll have a short meditation (20 mins) and then our sangha party....

which doesn't look a whole lot like that.

We'll share some vegetarian food, wine and each other's company. If you haven't yet RSVPd and would like to come, please bring a small dish of something savoury to share. If the weather's good, bring a picnic blanket and we'll sit outside. If you have some picnic crockery/cutlery/glasses or sheltered candles you can bring, that'd be great too. 

I'll do a short end of year post after our session on Thursday before 4 weeks of being able to ignore my phone reminder to 'do sangha email'.

I hope you can make it.
LL

This week @ sangha - we want to hear from you

Hi all. 

This week - feedback session
This week at Beaches Sangha we really want to hear some input from you about what we do next year. Have a think about what you've found valuable, anything you'd like more of, less of or done differently. All input is welcome, whether that's about topics, our format or the way we run things generally. Also, if you'd like to get involved in helping to run sangha we'd love to know. Please do come and share your feedback.

Next week - sangha party, please r.s.v.p.
Also, don't forget next week (Thurs 11th) is our last meeting for 2014 and we'll be having our little end of year sangha party. If you haven't already, please let me know if you're coming and if so, whether you'll bring a sweet or savoury dish to share. (Either let me know at sangha this week or post a note in the comments section under this post on the web site.) As is our tradition, we'll do a short meditation (20 mins) and then enjoy each other's company over some food and drink before we disperse for the silly season.

I hope to see you on Thursday.
LL

This week @ Beaches - last sutta study for the year

Hi all.

This week we have Winton's last round of sutta study.We are up to Chapter IX of Satipatthana: The Direct Path to Realization. This chapter is the beginning of the 'dhammas' as sets of foci for our awareness. This month's set of foci is 'the hindrances'. Betsy's given a talk on these before but this chapter goes in to some detail. It's one of those lists worth knowing as the hindrances can visit us at any time.

As always, it's most helpful if you can read the chapter first, but don't let it deter you from coming if you haven't.

Hope to see you there.
LL

This week @ Beaches Sangha - Intention + Rick Hanson workshop

Hi all.

This week @ sangha I'll be giving a talk on 'intention'. We actually touched on this last week in relation to it being one meaning of 'karma'. It's also one of the 8 folds of the eight-fold path and that's the context for it this week.

Also, you will have heard us mention many times, the fabulous work of Rick Hanson, usually in the context of his book 'The Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love and Wisdom'. He'll be in Australia in January and is offering a 3 day workshop. It'll be focused on 'taking in the good' which we've spoken of before - that is, breaking down our natural negativity bias which makes us 'teflon for the good and velcro for the bad'. Click here for more info.

This week @ Beaches

Hi all. 

This week at Beaches Sangha we have the next instalment of Jampa's talks on the Wheel of Life.

Also a few other things you might be interested in:

1) I've started a Facebook page for Secular Buddhism Australia if you're interested click here .
2) Our Sangha end of year picnic party will be on Thursday night 11th Dec. This will be our last meeting for the year. Can you please let me know if you can come (either in person or comment below here on the web site) and whether you'd like to bring a savoury or sweet plate to share. We'll resume our meetings on Thu 8 Jan 2015.
3) There is also a picnic for all four Sydney sanghas on Dec 7th at Chinaman's Beach (organised by SIM). If you'd like to meet some more like minded dharma friends, it's a great opportunity. I believe a couple of people from our sangha are going. Click here for the flyer.

I hope to see you on Thursday.
LL

This week @ Beaches - Gawaine Powell-Davies

Hi all.

This week at Beaches Sangha we have Gawaine Powell-Davies returning to give a talk and the topic will be.....a surprise. I'm not sure what it's about because the program just says TBA but I'm sure that it'll be interesting as Gawaine's talks always are.

Hope to see you there.
LL

This week @ Beaches Sangha

Hi all.

This week at Beaches Sangha we have Winton Higgins coming to lead sutta study with us and we are up to Chapter VIII entitled 'Mind'. It's only a short chapter (about 8 pages) so hopefully we'll all manage to read it beforehand.

Oh yeah, and guess what?! I finished the first draft of my book!! OMG!!

Hope to see you at the Peace Park.
LL

This week @ Beaches Sangha

Hi all.

This week I'm back from sunny Cairns and will be giving a talk about 'The Five Clusters' of experience. I've just finished the first draft of my book and have a new appreciation for the importance of this little list. Gotama referred to it as his 'lion's roar' in terms of its potential for awakening and talks about it in multiple suttas.

The Five Clusters are frequently referred to as the Five Aggregates or the Five Heaps. They're a really helpful tool for bringing mindfulness to our every day experience and for seeing Dependent Arising in action. It's not the first time we've talked about this at sangha but it's an important one so it's good to visit it again.

The picture doesn't really mean anything, I just thought it was pretty. :-)

Hope to see you on Thursday night.
LL

Take-aways from last week?

Okay, what were your 'take-aways' from last week's talk on Indra's Net? Just click on the link to this post on our web site and give me a sentence or two in the comment field about the key points you found helpful.

.....please?

This week @ sangha + a local weekend retreat + NY retreat

Hi all.

This week at Beaches Sangha we have the next instalment in Jampa's talk on The Wheel of Life. I hope you can make it.

Also there are a few places left at a local weekend retreat being held by Openground (they do MBSR which is a practical application of some dharma practices without the dharma). It's at the end of this month. I thought it might be of interest to some of you.

Also Betsy, Jampa & Peter Mackie will be leading the New Year Retreat again this year up in the Blue Mountains. It's a good idea to plan that into the calendar now if you're interested. For more info click here.

I'm back next week. See you then.
LL

This week @ Beaches Sangha

Hi all.

This week at Beaches Sangha we have the return of Jonathan Page who is a semi-regular talk-giver with us from our sibling sangha Blue Gum in North Sydney. Jonathan is giving a talk titled Indra's Net - The Web of Connection. Betsy has mentioned Indra's Net before in the context of inter-connectedness.

As always seems to be the case these days I'm missing Jonathan's talk, so I'm going to be asking for your 'take-aways' from it. You may not realise it but you are able to comment on these posts I put up, so I'd love it if you could jot down your learnings/reflections here in the comments section.

I hope you can make it.
LL

This week @ Beaches Sangha

Hi all.

Sorry for the late email this week. It was lovely being back among you last week.

I know Betsy and Jampa are away this week but I think Sylvie is going to bring a podcast for discussion. Sylv, if I have that wrong, no problem, it'll be an open discussion night. 

I hope you can make it.
Warm regards (about 30 degrees in fact :-))
Lenore

This week @ sangha

Hi all.

This week @ Beaches we have Winton Higgins running our monthly sutta study session. We are up to Chapter VII titled 'Feelings'. It's a much shorter chapter than last month's on the body. As always, it's best if you can read the chapter in advance but it if you can't do it you'll still benefit from the session as Winton walks us through the key points.

I hope to see you there.
LL

An invitation

Many of you know that for 3 years or so I've been writing a book. It's going to be called 'Whatever Floats your Boat: A Secular Introduction to the Teachings of the Buddha". It'll combine an FAQ for people new to the dharma as well as an expanded version of my 'one page dharma' talk.  I also have some other similarly inspired projects in the pipeline.

I've decided to get my skates on and finish the book. I've had many people ask me to tell them when it's finished and I've lost track of them all. This is partly a means of staying connected with you if you are interested in that. So I'd like to invite you to join me on this journey via a facebook page I've started. I'm posting practical daily dharmic thoughts, reflections and suggestions, as well as keeping followers up to date with the progress of my book and other projects. It's going to be an experimental/evolving thing and I'd love you to join me and add your comments if you're interested.

If so, click here and then click the 'like' button towards the top of the page (on top of the picture banner). Updates will then appear in your facebook newsfeed.

Warm regards
Lenore

This week @ Beaches - precepts

Hi all.

This week Betsy is giving another talk/discussion on the precepts. I anticipate this will also give an opportunity to report back about how people's chosen precepts are going. We know already from discussion a few weeks ago that for some people, they have brought about some positive change. 

Personally I too have found the focus on precepts beneficial. My chosen precept was under the 'maintaining a clear mind' precept (the opposite of which is indulging in intoxicants of the mind). My goal was to let go of pointless mental movies. I distinguished these from productive ones which help with problem solving or rehearsing an approach to something I have to deal with....they're just UMJ - unhelpful mental junk. They can affect my mood and they cloud my mind. I've noticed a marked decrease in these simply by setting and sharing with others the intention to let this mental activity go. I really encourage you to participate in this session.

If you missed the last session on precepts, they are an opportunity to choose one of 5 non-harm principles and attempt to live it more fully in your life.

I hope you can make it.

LL

P.S. I will see you all next week for sutta study as I'm  back in Sydney for a few days.

This week @ Beaches - freewheeling it!

Hi all.

This week @ Beaches Sangha it will be the usual meditation followed by an opportunity to discuss whatever you wish. Quite a few people are away this week and there is no speaker arranged but we ascertained that there were at least 3 people who wanted to meet anyway for a meditation, and if you wish, a discussion afterwards. We have sessions like this occur once or twice a year an it can actually be a nice opportunity to for informal discussion and getting to know each other. 

I hope you can make it.
LL

This week @ sangha - The wheel of life part II

Hi all. I hope sutta study went well last week.

Did I mention it's warm in Qld?

This week Jampa is continuing his talk on 'the wheel of life' or as he called it last time 'the ego empire'. Now I'm not going to be there as I'm currently gadding about in shorts and t-shirts in Qld because it's warm here! So I can't be the first one to ask dumb questions as I usually am and you all have to stop Jampa in his tracks and ask questions if you're lost :-)

Hope you can make it Thursday night.

LL

This week @ sangha - sutta study + a virtual course with Rick Hanson

Hi all. This note might arrive a day late - I was going to write it last night but I would have had to fish my computer out from the cupboard under our bed in the van (we are doing our road trip to Cairns). That would have required me to turf our cattle dog off the bed, and he was just looking too comfy! Here's the view that greeted us through our van door this morning.

This week @ sangha
This week at sangha we have our monthly sutta study session with Winton Higgins. It's been fantastic how many people have been braving the cold over the past few weeks to support their practice and sangha. I really hope you'll all continue to do so this week with Winton making the trek out to walk us through the next chapter of Satipatthana Sutta. As always, it's best if you can read this month's chapter before the session (Chapter VI) but if you can't, don't let that deter you, Winton is great at placing each chapter in context and giving an overview of the key points.

A year long on-line course in wellbeing
I also want to let you know about a year long online course with one of our favourite authors/teachers/neuro-psychologists, Rick Hanson (of Buddha's Brain fame). It's an experiential, yearlong Foundations program designed to hardwire more happiness, resilience, self-worth, love, and peace into your brain and your life. The 'foundations' are 12 pillars of Well-Being: Self-Caring, Mindfulness, Learning, Vitality, Gratitude, Confidence, Calm, Motivation, Intimacy, Courage, Aspiration, and Service. It's a combintion of videos, experiential activities, slides/written material and a community forum. For more info and to register, click here.

This week @ Beaches - Gawaine Powell-Davies

Hi all.

This week @ Beaches Sangha we have the return of Gawaine Powell-Davies. I haven't had an update on the topic of his talk but if history is anything to go by it will be thought provoking and lyrical and the catalyst for much discussion. We'll just have to treat it as a .......

Hope to see you there.
LL

This week @ Beaches + Mindfulness madness

Hi all.

This week at Beaches Sangha Jampa will be giving the first of a series of talks on the “Wheel,” (pictured above). This one is called "The Ego Empire". Jampa will explore the elements below and the practical significance they hold for how we live our lives.

The Ego Empire 

The ignorance-driven world that we normally identify with is traditionally represented in Buddhist iconography as “The Wheel of Life,” aka, “The Ego Empire.” The “Wheel” graphically depicts the driving force behind the self, the operating mechanism that sustains the self, and the psycho-physical outcome of our mind’s misguided attempt to secure the self in space and time.

Mindfulness madness

Also, I've just published a new blog post called 'Mindfulness madness". This looks at the concerns I have over mindfulness being the current craze/ fad of the moment as it seems to be. Feel free to subscribe to the blog - I don't post often but the posts are always relevant to you mob :-) Also feel free to comment.

Hope to see you Thursday.

LL

This week @ Beaches - choose a precept

Hi all. Sorry this message is a day late (I know for some of you the sangha email is your weekly reminder that it's Tuesday :-)) I thought I'd done it last night....I'm not taking intoxicants, I swear!

This week at sangha Betsy's going to give an overview of the 5 precepts. Precepts are essentially undertakings to behave in a way that's helpful to letting go of our self created angst and living more mindfully, wisely and kindly. 

As part of our desire to keep sangha practical, after the overview we're going to offer an opportunity to choose one that has meaning for you and decide on a practical action that you are going to try and implement in your life. Then we'll agree on when and how we might use the support of our sangha to help us be mindful of our efforts and energised to continue them.

Two things in preparation for this week's session:

1. Have a read of this document on the precepts, and
2. Bring a pen and some paper with you.

I look forward to seeing you Thursday night.

LL

This week @ sangha + a workshop: Men, Mindfulness & Meaning

Hi all.

This week @ sangha we have Winton Higgins walking us through the next chapter of our sutta study. This week we'll be up to Chapter V, titled 'The Satipatthana Refrain'. As always, if you can read the chapter before the session, it will be most valuable to you and everyone else as questions will be more informed. However if you can't manage it, you will still find the session valuable. 

We may also have a visitor from NZ coming to join us, Ramsey Margolis who runs the Secular Buddhism web site over there. Ramsey is in Aus for Winton's workshop last weekend and will probably tag along with him on Thursday.

Also, Susanne asked to share this workshop coming up in August put on by AABCAP (Aus Assoc of Buddhist Counsellors and Psychotherapists) called Men, Mindfulness & Meaning: "A conference exploring the unique challenges and opportunities facing men, in modern day Australian life as they navigate masculinity, relationships, health, meaning and happiness." Click the link if you'd like to know more. They have offered us a special Beaches Sangha rate if you are interested.

I hope to see you on Thursday.
LL

This week @ Beaches - the return of Jonathan Page

Hi all.

This week we have Jonathan Page returning to Beaches Sangha to give a talk on gratitude. I've managed to miss all of Jonathan's talks in the last year (@#^^!!) and this week is no exception as I'm thawing out in Cairns (writing this in shorts, a t-shirt and bare feet - yeah baby!!). His talks are always stimulating and often entertaining. I also know that of the human 'virtues' gratitude happens to be one of the big ticket items....leading to all sorts of wellbeing outcomes.

I hope you can make it this week to welcome Jonathan and ensure he's entertained with lots of good questions and discussion.

See you next Thursday.
LL

This week @ Beaches

Hi all. 

This week @ Beaches Sangha we have the return of Gawaine Powell-Davies to give a talk called 'Engagement and Identification'. 

Okay, maybe not that kind of engagement. :-)

I'm sure Gawaine's talk with be thought and discussion provoking as always. I hope to see you there.
LL

This week @ sangha: Would the Buddha buy an iPhone?

Hi all. 

This week at sangha we have a special guest, Alan Bassal joining us to give a talk titled 'Would the Buddha buy an iPhone?'. He gave this talk to our sister sangha in Paddington, (Golden Wattle Sangha) a short time ago and Susanne got wind of it so arranged for him to come and share it with us.

I hope to see you there.
LL

This week @ sangha

Hi all. 

Several of our regulars are away for the next month, so make sure you come and keep us company :-)

This week Sylvie has selected a podcast for us to listen to by Tara Brach - an American Buddhist teacher. We'll have a discussion afterwards as always.

Hope to see you there - and remember - the Peace Park has new heaters!!

LL

Chapter 4 tonight, not chapter 3

Picked up my book to do the reading for tonight and realised we are up to Chapter 4: The Relevance of Concentration.

.....but then you've probably all figured that out anyway because you've already read Chapter 3: Sati.

Seeya tonight.
LL

This week @ sangha - sutta study

Hi all.

This week at Beaches Sangha we have Winton Higgins leading us through our sutta study session. Please try and read chapter 3 by then if you haven't already.

Also, Winton is running a weekend workshop next month which may be of interest. It's called Four Frontiers for Secular Buddhists. It'll address these four questions:

1. What does the often confused conflict between religion and irreligion in our culture have to do with how we live now? 
2. Why do we have such trouble accepting our finitude (mortality and limitedness) and disentangling from the yearning for transcendence? 
3. How should we think about our ethical priorities in the way we live now? 
4. Can we move on from these issues to draw some tentative conclusions about how to orient and intensify our daily dharma practice?

For more details click here. I'm going to this workshop so if you enrol, let me know and we might be able to car pool.

Hope to see you Thursday night.

LL

This week @ sangha - Michael Barnes

Hi all. 

This week at sangha we have the return of a speaker from last year, Michael Barnes. Winton has recently referred to us as the 'out-riders' of Secular Buddhism. Well Michael is a bit of an out-rider in his own spiritual tradition, so we enjoyed our conversation with him last time and he enjoyed the freshness of our questioning. He's joining us this Thursday night to give a talk called 'How to live. What we need to hold on to and what we can let go.' I can feel the questions brewing already!

Hope to see you there.
LL

This week @ sangha - the first precept

Hi all. This week @ Beaches Sangha we have...finally....Betsy's session on the first precept. 

Precepts are like undertakings or serious commitments to try and do something. At the start of the year when we discussed what we'd like to do I suggested a focus on these as a means of making the dharma practical and using sangha to help us sweep our lives in a helpful direction. The idea is to choose a precept, declaring an intention to put energy into it, and reporting back to each other to help maintain progress. 

There are 5 common ones in Buddhism that are usually in action on Buddhist retreats. This Thursday night, Betsy will give a talk and we'll have a discussion about the first one.

Hope to see you there.
LL

This Week at Sangha

This week at sangha we will finally begin working with the precepts, starting with the 1st precept of non-harming. After our usual meditation, I will give a short talk, followed by a short meditation and time to write. We will then share our reflections in a group discussion.
Please bring your handout sheet that I sent in March with the 5 Mindfulness Trainings/Precepts (I will bring extra copies as well if you don't have it.) Also bring a pen and notebook.

Born to Love Workshop

Born to Love Workshop

Healing ones Attachment pattern

4 week Group Program

Teacher:  Subhana Barzaghi

 

The 4 week program will offer:-

* Brief overview of attachment theory: – Secure attachment and the three insecure attachment patterns; ambivalent or preoccupied, avoidant and disorganised attachment.

* Understanding ones individual attachment style

* Experiential exercises to repair and heal ruptures to ones attachment pattern. Learn to internalise and grow a secure sense of self, positive self-esteem, sense of agency, resilience and vitality. 

The nature of the attachment bond to our primary caregivers established in early childhood has far reaching implications for the developing individual over the whole life span.  The attachment experience influences; thinking patterns, stability or instability, resilience or vulnerability in how we deal and meet the challenges and stressors of life, physiology, growth, emotional capacity, life satisfaction, & parenting styles.  These primary attachment patterns underlie our personality and shape our capacity as adults to connect, attune, love and relate to significant others.  Neuropsychologists who have investigated into the physiology of relatedness inform us that attachment penetrates to the neural core of what it means to be human.

Attachment theory has been well researched since the pioneering work of John Bowlby, Mary Ainsworth and others.  The theory forms a theoretical underpinning of psychodynamic psychotherapy and understanding ourselves in relationship to others.  While a lot has been written on the subject there has been less cultivation of the skills & techniques that foster repair and healing of these basic patterns.

The program will focus on understanding, healing and transformation of ones attachment pattern, to cultivate a greater sense of inner security, happiness and love.   The healing techniques will draw from; mindfulness & loving-kindness meditation techniques, Hakomi psychotherapy, Dan Browns in-depth work & Dan Siegel’s book “The Developing Mind” and Dr. Robert Karen’s book “Becoming Attached”.  We will also address Buddhist notions and views of non-attachment and where that fits on the spectrum of interconnectedness. 

Subhana Barzaghi is an experienced psychotherapist, and worked in the health & welfare field for 25 years, is a clinical supervisor and works in private practice in Mosman.  Subhana is a Zen Buddhist teacher & senior Insight Meditation teacher and teaches intensive retreats throughout Australia and New Zealand. 

www.subhana.com.au.  

For further inquires and registration please email: Subhana@bigpond.net.au  

or Mobile: 0414605226

Cost $250

I love sangha

Tonight we were discussing metta - feeling and acting towards ourselves and others with warm friendliness. The question arose: what is it that brings about this feeling for you? 

As I drove home I realised that for me, one of the answers to that question is: Beaches Sangha.I have a gratitude diary that I fill in most nights before I go to sleep. Every Thursday night Beaches Sangha is in it. 

I love sangha. Just sayin'.

LL

Sign up for sangha emails

Welcome to the newly fixed up web site for Beaches Sangha. We'll be posting here every week to remind you what's on, send you links to other events we think you might like and generally keep you connected with sangha.

This site is largely the same as the last one although it's more secure from junk and now we can add photos! Check out our vast photo gallery (2 photos) for a lovely shot of Winton.

To receive email updates, simply enter your email address in the box on the right. You can always check back here on the 'What's On' tab if you want to know what's coming up.

Hope to see you at the Peace Park soon.
Warm regards
Lenore