July 2016

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Ongoing Events

 

Newcomer Orientation: 2nd Monday of the month, CC Shove Chapel, Dharma Hall upstairs at 5:45 pm to meet anyone who would like some orientation to meditation, to our tradition, or to our sangha and customs.

5:15 Dharma Study and Discussion before Monday’s meditation, with Sarah Bender Sensei: Shove Chapel Downstairs, from the north entrance. Topics are variable. Sometimes we discuss a reading; sometimes we discuss a question or observation someone brings. Come on down and check it out.Mondays through June 13 will focus on selections from the Vimalakirti Sutra.  June 27 and July 4, 11 and 18 we’ll be touching on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness.

Zen Threads: Zen Threads talks will take a summer vacation.  They’ll start up again in September.  Meanwhile,once our nomadic Dharma hall is packed away on Saturday mornings, some of us often go to Wooglins for breakfast and conversation.

 Dharma Talks:
 July 18  Sarah Bender, Sensei

 July 25  Andrew Palmer, Sensei

 

Work in the Room: Saturday morning, July 16th, 6:30 to 8:30 AM with Sarah Bender, Sensei

Individual meetings with a teacher, which we call “Work in the room,” are opportunities to sit face to face and take up what is most alive for you.

For a Saturday morning conversation, you’ll have up to 20 minutes. You’ll go downstairs and the teacher will be waiting there for a private conversation.

This is a chance to ask questions about your meditation practice, to ask for instruction, to explore an experience you’ve had, to investigate how your practice looks as it gets up off the cushion and travels through your day and night…..to wake up to this very life of your own.

You don’t have to have formed an individual student-teacher commitment to do this. Everyone is welcome.

This said, it is also possible to form an individual student-teacher relationship, and these can be very powerful in nourishing our practice. Ask a teacher if you’d like to know more about this.

To schedule an appointment for July 16th, please contact  Sarah Bender (sembender@gmail.com)

You can also make an appointment to meet with
Andrew (alpsensei@gmail.com) or
Sarah (sembender@gmail.com)  at another time.

Buddhism and the 12 Steps 
When:  Wednesday evenings 7:00-8:30
Where: 417 Prairie Rd. CSC 80909  Parking on the side off St. Vrain and in front of house.  For more information contactJacque Minehart  jqminehart@yahoo.com
Steering Committee Meeting:   Weds. July 6th 5:30 -7:30 pm at Liz Cramer’s house 533 Crystal Hills Blvd, Manitou Springs.  Steering committee meetings are open to the entire sangha. Contact: Robert King kingrh5722@gmail.com 

Please take note….

Sarah Bender will be away on leave from July 20 to September 14.  There will be a number of opportunities for study and practice together during her absence, so stay tuned….word will follow about these by email and in our next newsletter.


THIS MONTH

Full Moon Walk in the Park
Tuesday July 19

All are invited to Join SMS members on a walk through Monument valley park to enjoy the full moon and each other. Meet at the parking lot at 170 W. Cache La Poudre (the very end of Cache La Poudre across from the demonstration gardens) at 9:00 P.M


 

Opportunities for Engagement

In the wider community (not sponsored by SMS)

Faith Camp Opportunity for Volunteers

Del Hokanson with First Congregational Church is organizing a faith camp for children in K-5 during the first week of August. Participants will experience, explore, and visit with different faith communities in town, and Buddhism is one of the traditions being represented. If you are interested in volunteering for the Buddhism day of the camp, please contact Ivan Mayerhofer (mayerhofer.ivan@gmail.com).

Thank you for considering to volunteer with this awesome interfaith camp happening later this summer!