November, 2022
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Meeting modern day challenges with ancient wisdom

Wednesday Meditation
with Chris    Update

We have recently shared in the reflection of The Five Mindfulness Trainings from Thich Nhat Hanh and Plum Village.
 
The Five Mindfulness Trainings have their root in the Five Precepts offered by the Buddha. They have been expanded and updated so that they represent a way to bring mindfulness into every area of life. Rather than hard and fast rules, they offer us a framework to reflect on our actions, speech and thinking so we can create more happiness for ourself and for the world around us.
 
I thought it might be nice to share these 5 trainings with the WEB sangha. (Shortened descriptions, go to plumvillage.org for full description).
 
They are…
 
Reverence for life 
I am committed to cultivating ways to protect the lives of all beings, plants, and minerals. Seeing that harmful actions arise from anger, fear, greed, and intolerance, I will cultivate openness, non-discrimination, and non-attachment to views.
 
True Happiness
Aware of the suffering caused by exploitation, social injustice, stealing, and oppression, I am committed to practicing generosity in my thinking, speaking, and acting.
 
True Love
Aware of the suffering caused by sexual misconduct, I am committed to cultivating responsibility and learning ways to protect the safety and integrity of individuals, couples, families, and society. 
​Seeing that body and mind are interrelated, I am committed to learn appropriate ways to take care of my sexual energy and to cultivate the four basic elements of true love – loving kindness, compassion, joy, and inclusiveness – for the greater happiness of myself and others.
 
Loving Speech and Deep Listening
Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful speech and the inability to listen to others, I am committed to cultivating loving speech and compassionate listening in order to relieve suffering and to promote reconciliation and peace in myself and among other people, ethnic and religious groups, and nations.
 
Nourishment and Healing
Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful consumption, I am committed to cultivating good health, both physical and mental, for myself, my family, and my society by practicing mindful eating, drinking, and consuming.
 
I am determined not to gamble, or to use alcohol, drugs, or any other products which contain toxins, such as certain websites, electronic games, TV programs, films, magazines, books, and conversations.
 
It is not about perfecting these or judging ourselves about these trainings. It is something we can engage with, make alive in our own lives and practice, and see progress over time. Progress could look like many things. It could be refraining from speaking behind other’s backs which leads to less harm to yourself and others. It could be that by following one or all of these a bit more diligently, we notice a more peaceful mind, maybe with less rumination or self-judgement. There are endless ways in which peacefulness of mind could show up by taking on these trainings. If you’re not convinced, I invite you to read them in their entirety, and take them on in your own way. Then you’ll find out one way or the other. 
 
There is another list of 14 more Mindfulness Trainings from Thich Nhat Hanh which we will bring to contemplation and sharing on Wednesday evenings going forward. I invite you all to join us in this beautiful practice and space.
 
See you Wednesdays @ 6:45 MT! 
 
Chris

Reflection on None-self and Gender Transition
By Monty Hall

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         There is a tendency in the trans community to use such phrases as “I’ve always felt this way about my gender” or “I’ve been this way ever since I can remember.” This is, in my opinion, largely a consequence of the many restrictions and barriers that policymakers and the healthcare industry have put between trans people and transitional healthcare. When you’re required to have x amount of years on hormone therapy to qualify for surgery, and in order to get that hormone therapy, you must first see a therapist consistently for y amount of years, and you also have to try a, b, and c treatments first—eventually, you develop a working dictionary of exactly what words you need to say to a Western doctor to ensure that you can actually get the care you need. This dictionary includes things like “ever,” “always,” and “never.”
 
     The reality of gender identity and gender expression, however, is that they are just as malleable and amorphous as any other aspect of the self, for both transgender and cisgender people. Have you always dressed the way you do now? Have you ever gone by a nickname, or perhaps changed your surname after marriage? What about your makeup, hairstyle, or beard? Has it always looked exactly as it does now? All of these markers and many more besides are elements of gender expression—the way that we externally signify the nuance of our internal gender identity—and all of them change significantly over the course of our lives, regardless of whether or not we’re trans.
sitAs a teenager, I was highly sensitive about being told that any part of my self-expression was a “phase.” Now, I can say with confidence that every part of me is, in fact, just a phase! I have lived many different phases in body, clothes, hair, pronouns, and name, and will continue to move through even more phases as my life continues. The illusion of having “always” been trans or having “never” identified as anything else is a defense mechanism I initially built up in the early stages of my transition. There is some truth to the idea of “always” in that I felt an undercurrent of unease around my assigned gender for much of my life. At the same time, it is also true that I experienced living in a very female and feminine self for much of my life, too. These are not contradictions; they are indications of a self that is fluid and impermanent.
 
     Trans identity invites all of us living the human experience to acknowledge that even something as seemingly fixed and unchanging as gender is also impermanent. In doing so, it offers us the challenge to step out of the more comfortable “always” and into the more real “for now.”
 
November 13-19 is Transgender Awareness Week
 
November 20 is the Transgender Day of Remembrance
 
For more information on Trans Awareness Week and TDOR, visit this site
Sharing the merit of our practice with all beings who are suffering, especially those affected by violence against the LGBTQ community.

Newsletters 2020-22


November, 2022, Transgender Awareness Month and the Five Mindfulness Practices
October, 2022, Garden Gifts
September, 2022, Reflections in Gardening and Spiritual Practice
August, 2022, What is Kindfulness and Deer Park Garden Update
July, 2022, Summer at the WEB
​June, 2022, Community and May Retreat
May, 2022, Community and Gratitude for Chris
April, 2022, Community garden and Mind Training Insight
March, 2022, Optimism or Pessimism? the little things do count...
February, 2022, Taking Flight for Freedom
January, 2022, Waking Up Together - Exploring Sangha as Refuge
November, 2021, What to do with the hindrances
October, 2021, Garden gathering and Retreat News
September, 2021, Transitions
July, 2021, Discovering a Boundless Heart
June, 2021, Adjusting to Change
April, 2021, Mutually Beneficial
December 2020, Patience and Introducing Sister Khemanandi
Fall 2020 Letting Go of Ayya
September 2020, Cultural Sensitivity
Summer 2020, Transition
Spring 2020, In passing, there is peace
April 2020, Impermanence and Uncertainty
March 2020, What is Karma?
February, 2020, Gift Economy
January, 2020, Resilience
Want to learn more?  Click here for the 2019 Newsletters