Interbeing Sangha
80 Princess Street K7L 1A5 Kingston, ON, Canada

"Our smile will bring happiness to us and to those around us. Even if we spend a lot of money on gifts for everyone in our family, nothing we buy could give them as much happiness as the gift of our awareness, our smile. And this precious gift costs nothing. At the end of a retreat in California, a friend wrote this poem: I have lost my smile, but don't worry. The dandelion has it.... If you have lost your smile and yet are still capable of seeing that a dandelion is keeping it for you, the situation is not too bad. You still have enough mindfulness to see that the smile is there. You only need to breathe consciously one or two times and you will recover your smile. The dandelion is one member of your community of friends. It is there, quite faithful, keeping your smile for you. In fact, everything around you is keeping your smile for you. You don't need to feel isolated. You only have to open yourself to the support that is all around you, and in you. Like the friend who saw that her smile was being kept by the dandelion, you can breathe in awareness, and your smile will return." --Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace is Every Step

Join us for meditation via Zoom this evening at 6:30 pm, the weekly virtual meeting of our sangha in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh. All are welcome. Our virtual bell minder for this session will be Stana Luxford Oddie. The meeting will open at 6:20 pm to allow time for everyone to arrive and get settled in before we practice together. Hope to see you there.

Cheryll Maples was an American police officer, peace activist and dharma instructor, ordained by Thích Nhat Hanh in 2008, who worked for 25 years in the criminal justice system, and died in 2017. In this article from Lion's Roar, she addresses the U.S. crisis in policing and how a Buddhist outlook could help foster more positive relations between citizens and police.

Please join us tonight, Tuesday, July 28, from 6:30 to 7:30 pm as we gather "together apart" at Lake Ontario Park for a physically distanced meditation session. We will begin with a guided seated meditation and then move into a walking meditation. We will meet at the bottom of the stairs near the sandbox (there is a sloped accessible path if you would prefer). Please bring a cushion, bench, or chair if you would like to use one; we will not be able to bring extras as they ca...nnot be easily disinfected. Please do not attend if you are feeling unwell or may have been exposed to COVID-19; we will be maintaining 2 metres of physical distance throughout the session. Masks optional but welcome. Everyone is welcome, of all ages and all levels of experience. Everyone can practice because everyone can breathe. If you are new to meditation, we welcome you, and we will all benefit from your presence.

The Kingston Local, a website and mobile app featuring Kingston-area news and information, has published a wonderful article by journalist Morgan Oddie about mindfulness practices moving online during COVID-19, featuring Interbeing Sangha, including quotes from Cat London, Keith Gawronski-McNinch, and Wendy Luella Perkins.