Classes and Gatherings, Living in Community

SMS Meditation Goes Online – Please Read

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Upcoming Meditation Only Available Online.

No Meditation at Shove Chapel

With the COVID-19 crisis in the world, our country and our community, there is no meditation currently scheduled at Shove Chapel. However, the regular Springs Mountain Sangha meditation schedule will continue online using ZOOM.

ZOOM is an easy-to-use video conferencing tool that is used to bring people together over the Internet. You can use ZOOM to access SMS Meditation from your computer, a smart-phone or any regular telephone. We used ZOOM for this last Saturday’s AM Meditation with great success.

This first Monday, we will be having a period of meditation, followed by a Dharma Talk by Sarah Bender, Roshi.

To access ZOOM Meditation for Springs Mountain Sangha:

Other online meetings:

  • EcoDharma Meeting Group:
    • See regular SMS email and Web site postings
  • Spring 2020 Koan Series
    • Computer: https://zoom.us/j/803574869
    • Mobile Phone App: Meeting ID:  803-574-869
    • Telephone #669-900-9128 then enter Meeting ID:   803-574-869


It’s recommended that you join the Zoom meeting 10 minutes or so before, so you can get the technical issue out of the way. See below for some hints in using this technology.

Forms: For now, we’ll be following the same forms as we do when sitting at Shove: Sutras/Chants, Sitting, Walking, etc. Just follow the queues as you normally do. To help you with Chants, here are two links that you can use for our Sutra Book:

Online, everyone singing at once (with slight, uneven delays) gets pretty ragged, so it’s best if you mute your microphone while singing chants as the leader sings.  We won’t all hear each other, but we’ll hear the leader. 

After the the Four Boundless Vows, there will be time for questions, personal check-in, etc. We are still in our Practice Period and this is a great time to bring in questions of your practice and to share about the life and times that we are in. Bringing in a reading or poetry is very much appreciated!
 

Hints on using ZOOM for our Meditation:

  • A camera isn’t mandatory, or a computer with sound. It’s easy to use your cell phone: just download the Zoom app and type in the meeting number. That said, a computer/laptop with a camera and sound does make the best experience.
  • Sometimes, getting the sound configured on your computer can take some time.
  • At first, join 10-15 minutes beforehand so you have time to dial things in.If you want, here’s a link with information about joining Zoom.
  • While this isn’t a business meeting, it does help to have some hints that will make the technology work easier:
  • With larger groups, it works best if you mute yourself when not talking, and remember to un-mute yourself when you need to speak! Also, keeping your camera on keeps you more engaged and makes it easier for others to listen to you as well.

Thank you for your patience as we work and practice together in this new way! Any detailed questions, please ask Frank Actis: frank.actis@gmail.com