Clear Sky Meditation and Study Center

Mindful Monday. An interesting read from the CBC or listen, if you have the time on how the practice of mindfulness can be compromised to suit the preferences of the western mindset! If we go back to how mindfulness was situated within a religious tradition, namely Buddhism, there was a classic differentiation between what they called "right mindfulness" and "wrong mindfulness." There was actually a very clear distinction between those two. So there was a cognitive dime...nsion of mindfulness involving discernment. This whole focus on ethics and morality is missing from a lot of modern forms of mindfulness. That's what's turned it into a technique and not a way of life. Mindfulness has been seen as a means to an end. When you separate that out, you've made a Faustian bargain. Yes you can turn it into a nice therapeutic technique that can develop a sense of quiet and calm. But then it could be used for nefarious purposes. https://www.cbc.ca//mcmindfulness-how-capitalism-hijacked-

Merry Christmas everyone, hope you had a great day, with love from all of us at Clear Sky tonight

Thursday Blog This week's blog comes from Jenai, who did a retreat at Clear Sky recently. She faced her anxiety and fear of loneliness, and came through the other side stronger and empowered. https://www.clearskycenter.org/finding-connection-aloneness/

For all healthcare workers, we are happy to announce an upcoming online course led by two of our residents, Maureen Smith and Dean Nicholson. It will run for four Tuesdays beginning later this month. Connect with other healthcare workers, and learn skills to avoid burnout, and to thrive in your current workplace.

Past IYSL participants. Please join us tomorrow!

Amidst the busyness we often find ourselves in during this season, here is another short reminder of impermanence, reposted from our friends at the Dharma Center of Canada.

As we enter a new year, here are some thoughts to keep us engaged in the world and develop our spiritual practice!

Looking for last minute holiday gifts? Give the gift of awakening with Doug Sensei's incredible book, Dharma if you Dare. Download complimentary ebook here: https://BookHip.com/MZTCZM Purchase paperback here: https://www.amazon.com/Dharma-If-You-Dare.../dp/B00QP24EYU

Any other crafty cats SO excited that the Kasinas meditation retreat starts tonight?! Excuse us while we go meditate on the elements for the next two weeks

All we want for Christmas is a new temple! This past year has shown us how many people are longing to be a part of conscious communities like us who want to wake ourselves up and help others to do the same. Building the temple is an important step on the journey to a centre that serves many generations to come.... Join us in giving the gift that will keep on giving for 500 years! For our international contributors, please use this link below: https://rb.gy/cewhyp Here's an image of the design for the Temple - working title- Victory Temple. Namgyal means victory and is named after and in honour of Namgyal Rinpoche, our teacher. Phase 1 is the infrastructure, phase 2 the temple proper (2 floored bldg) and the left wings, phase 3 the remaining 3 pods and wings. There will be a Zen-like garden (designed for our climate and native plants) in the centre. This is a multiyear project with phase one hopefully occurring in 2021. Facebook pays all the processing fees for you, so 100% of your donation goes directly to the nonprofit.

More wisdom from the Dharma Centre of Canada:

Should spiritual sanghas become involved in social change? It has been said that the people who meditate should become involved in activism, and activists should meditate! But there has been a long history of spiritual activists: ... "It’s sometimes said that civic engagement, politics, and spirituality should be kept separate. But some of our most effective civic leaders have also been spiritual leaders. Vandana Shiva is a Hindu food justice leader in India. Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. led the civil rights movement. Lucretia Mott was a Quaker abolitionist and women’s rights leader in the US. Ingrid Mattson is a Muslim activist from London. Rabbi Sharon Kleinman works in gay rights, and Reverend Sally Bingham heads the Christian climate organization Interfaith Power and Light. The list of past and present spiritual activists goes on and on: Mahatma Gandhi, Desmond Tutu, Maha Ghosananda, Thich Nhat Hanh" See more

Thursday Blog Richard, one of our long-term Karma Yogis, was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) while he was at college. As one can imagine, it was difficult to hear. This week he's sharing how living and working with the Teachers, trainers and Clear Sky community taught him to challenge what ASD means to him, and others.... https://www.clearskycenter.org/challenging-view-aspergers-/

Walking in a winter wonderland...

Sound on! Join us in honouring the end of an era and the former home to many retreats, Karma yogis, memories and mice Bon voyage sweet Nexus

Please consider spreading some precious wisdom this season!

Thursday Blog Clear Sky resident and Treasurer, Dean, recently found himself in conflict at work. He found that he could deal with the situation far better than even a few years ago: "I could have easily slipped into my old patterns of avoiding conflict or getting defensive. Instead, I was able to lean into the tension, while remaining grounded within myself... What had changed?"... https://www.clearskycenter.org/when-the-s-hits-the-fan-wha/

Attention all health care workers... coming up in one week is our online class by resident sangha members (and professional addictions counsellors) Maureen Smith and Dean Nicholson. Come join us, and learn to create joy as an antidote to burnout!

Mindful Monday How did the Buddha engage with views of racism and cultural superiority? https://tricycle.org/tri/buddha-talks-brahmin-supremacist/

Have you heard of our three month intensive program? If you are looking for a good way to dive deeper into the learning experience, this is an ideal way to grow through the path of service. Come and live in community, and learn to use every moment as a practice in mindfulness. https://www.clearskycenter.org/karma-yoga-service-onsite-p/

What's all this white stuff?! Chenrezi saying hello??

Mindful Monday? How do you choose to take care of yourself? Of course we all need authentic self-care. But maybe what we want to call 'self-care' is ignoring our true needs... https://tinybuddha.com//why-my-self-care-did-more-harm-t/

Once again, we would like to remind our readers of our upcoming winter retreat. Online and in-person options available! This winter meditation retreat focuses on the kasinas, part of the 40 classical Buddhist meditations.

Our next community call is next Saturday, October 24, 2020 Open to past Ignite Your Spiritual Life participants, this is a chance to check in and receive extra support in putting our core principles into practice.

These photos do not come close to capturing the love, joy, laughter, singing and dancing in the room last night. Happy Canadian Thanksgiving all

Mindful Monday. If you haven’t heard of our resident sangha member Karen McCallister, she is a talented writer and money coach. In this article written for an organization called Kuellife, she reflects on the outer situation (such as wildfires) as a reflection of our inner state.

"If you want to awaken more beings, you've gotta start with yourself." -Doug & Catherine Sensei A huge thank you to Duncan and Karen for facilitating an incredible weekend retreat for our residents and extended teams

Last chance to register! Our next online class begins Monday.

"We have vows to benefit all beings, not just the humans, not just the people we like. All beings." Doug and Catherine Sensei just kicked off our weekend staff retreat by waking us and speaking right to our core. For the benefit of all beings

Davin and Cedar with an apple press can only mean one thing, goodies just in time for Thanksgiving

Good News Wednesday. This week we share an interesting article about the integration of psychedelics and medicine. https://www.ctvnews.ca//four-terminally-ill-canadians-get-

As the days grow shorter, and the colder weather is around the corner, perhaps it's time to consider booking some time for reflection and insight in one of our three cabins! If you aspire to do a meditation retreat - whether for three days or a month or more - we take care of all your needs. https://www.clearskycenter.org/personal-meditation-retreat/