For Joan Sutherland, the first woman roshi in her lineage in the Americas, endarkenment is as essential as enlightenment to awakening, and much of her work is an exploration of the power held in the radiance of the dark.
"Awakening is a marriage of wisdom and compassion, and both wisdom and compassion are made up of enlightening and endarkening. The enlightening aspect of wisdom is a growing clarity of insight that puts doubts to rest and creates confidence. It's about what we come to understand. The endarkening aspect of wisdom is our profound acceptance of the great mystery at the heart of things, which we can never understand in our ordinary ways but can come to rest in. This is about knowing what we can't know, and it's sometimes called "not-knowing mind.'
"The enlightening aspect of compassion includes our shining commitment to everyone's freedom from suffering. The endarkening aspect of compassion is our willingness to have our hearts broken by the world, so our hearts remain open and not defensive. As we endarken, we see that we are not only continuous with the luminous nature of the universe but also continuous with the great broken heart of the world; we and the world share a tenderness that is both poignant beauty and wound.
. . .
. .
"And all of it in service to our common awakening-paying greater care to the challenges of human life, being more encouraging of its kindnesses, each of us in our turn helping pass the bright flame from warm hand to warm hand."
All levels of meditation experience are welcome and the teachings are offered free of charge, with donations accepted to cover administrative and program costs, scholarships, and study by the teachers.
In this time of continuing uncertainty, Triangle Insight is committed to offering a safe and stable refuge for the Sangha as a whole. Until we are able to meet again at the Episcopal Center, Triangle Insight will use Zoom for meditation meetings and for study or social group activities. Please refer to the Zoom information below.
This new way to connect is evolving through practice and compassion as we look inward and outward for the clarity that vipassana practice will bring.
Zoom connections are emailed one day before the Wednesday evening sangha (meditation and dharma talk, or insight dialogue) and the Morning Meditation sessions (meditation and heart practice).
Schedule:
Information about participating in all sessions will also be posted on theTIMC Website.
If you would like to receive an invitation to one or both Zoom meditations, please subscribe to the relevant form on our Schedule webpage, or send an email to [email protected] and tell us the Zoom list(s) you would like to join.
To receive this monthly newsletter, please complete the newsletter subscription on our Newsletters webpage, or send your request to us, at the info@ email above.
If you would like to change any part of your subscription(s), please email us directly and we will make this change for you.
Do you have an announcement or material you would like to add to this newsletter? Please read the Newsletter Submission Pointers in the Dharma Notes and References section below, or the full Guidelines HERE.
Episcopal Center at Duke
(when safe to gather in person)
505 Alexander Ave.
Durham, NC 27705
Renewing our Practice: Third Annual Triangle Insight Daylong Retreat
Led by Sarah Bryce
Let us welcome Spring together by gathering to refresh and renew our practice, to "fluff" it, as Jeanne van Gemert might say, as we Spring-clean our Dharma houses. We will spend the morning together online, re-establishing our mindfulness and concentration, with guided sitting and walking meditation periods, and with some opportunities for Q&A and hearing the Dharma. We will then transition to an afternoon of self-practice, reconvening in late afternoon for a closing tea-time sharing of the fruits of our practice and a final Metta meditation.
This retreat is for all levels of practitioners, and is offered on a Dana basis. It will be led by Sarah Bryce, guiding teacher of Mindful Families of Durham and a guest teacher at Triangle Insight. To register, or if you have questions, please email: [email protected]
Sangha means spiritual community, and it is treasured because without it awakening cannot be sustained
Jack Kornfield, After the Ecstasy, the Laundry
The Welcoming Committee wishes to foster the experience of belonging to a diverse, tolerant community connected through mindfulness practice, where all feel welcome and safe. We seek to link all members and newcomers to ongoing activities and to ensure the Zoom connection is available.
We have developed a brochure to give an overview of our sangha and some of its activities. You can download it here:Welcome to Triangle Insight.
Someone from the Welcoming Committee will remain on the Zoom connection at the end of Wednesday evening sangha meetings, should anyone have a question or want to talk about a sangha-relevant topic.
A Welcoming Committee member now monitors the all-purpose email: [email protected] to answer questions about the sangha, newsletter subscription, teacher availability, and Triangle Insight's meeting schedules. If we don't have an answer, we will put you in touch with someone who does.
If you would like to join the Welcoming Committee as a dana gesture of support for the Triangle Insight Community, please let us know through the still-active email:[email protected].
With shared commitment to the dharma, we hope our work will be of benefit to all who join us in this practice.
The Triangle Insight Board of Directors will be holding a closed meeting on February 12 to select candidates for the 2021 election of board officers, and to discuss the process for adding new members to the Board. For a longer description of this meeting, please view remarks on the Board webpage: www.triangleinsight.org/board/
A March date for the 2021 TIMC Annual Board Meeting will be determined and announced to the Sangha.
If you have any questions or suggestions for the Board, please email us at [email protected]. We will make every effort to carefully review and respond to your comments.
TO ENGAGE YOUR PRACTICE
Before We Were White
A 6-part course from White Awake
Facilitators: Eleanor Hancock and David Dean Guest Teachers: Katrina Messenger, Katrina Browne, Bonnie Duran
"Before We Were White" is an online course for people with European ancestry (white and/or multiracial) who want to work with this ancestral line as a means of bringing greater emotional resilience to their participation in collective liberation struggles.
"Before We Were White is an invitation to peer through the thin veil of time and consider the choices and circumstances of our European ancestors that are woven into the foundations of our society today. While maintaining a secure container, this course invites you into a journey of becoming "more truly yourself," purified and strengthened to do the work of collective liberation with increased capacity and wholeness.
"Each of us belongs to a collective body of people with a story (or stories) that reach before us and after us in time. Before they were ever classified as "white" our ancestors were distinct peoples with their own unique cultures and relationships to place. What happened to them? How did white supremacy and colonization change them? Did anyone resist? Can we build relationship with this legacy in a way that nurtures our ability to work for a better world today?"
Dates: Jan 24, Jan 31, Feb 14, Feb 21, March 7, March 14
Time: 4pm - 6:30pm ET (1-3:30pm PT)
Sessions will be recorded. Live attendance is not mandatory.
Suggested $120 - $340 registration fee. No one turned away for lack of funds.
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Scholarships are available from Triangle Insight. To apply please contact the Board at [email protected].
Financial Support: Scholarships for Training Programs and Workshops in Racial Justice and Diversity
Engaging Buddhist teachings and real-world issues
The TIMC Board would like to offer financial assistance to sangha members who wish to participate in training programs or other activities designed to address racial conditioning, implicit bias, and racial inequality.
The goal of this scholarship initiative is to help individuals and the community deepen their understanding of how unexamined views of race can limit the mind and human systems.
A General Scholarship Fund for this purpose exists through donations from the TIMC General Fund and the generosity of several Triangle Insight members.
This Scholarship Fund has helped offset registration fees for some Sangha members who attended the Organizing Against Racism NC anti-racism training program.
It has supported the participation of TI members in a 3-day Mindful of Race workshop with Ruth King.
White Awakeis another organization that holds ongoing courses with a focus on anti-racism. They are currently conducting an online study group that has filled, and is now closed, but will be offering more online programs in the fall.
If sangha members would like to receive scholarship support for training with OARNC, White Awake, or other programs addressing racial injustice, please email the Board at[email protected].
We invite the community to join this initiative by contributing specifically to this scholarship fund.
We are also interested in your suggestions for other training programs that might be of interest to sangha members, including training in climate-related problems.
To suggest other programs for support, please email the Board at[email protected]. This will put your suggestion directly in the Board's mailbox.
A TIM Sangha Initiative to connect and strengthen the bonds of our shared practice.
Caring Circles offers the Triangle Insight Meditation Sangha a simple framework for requesting and providing services to cope with the uncertainties and needs of everyday life. in this time of the coronavirus pandemic, knowing there is a helping network for sharing and receiving is a great joy and safe haven.
Currently, two TIM Sangha members coordinate service requests with other TIM members who are ready to volunteer their assistance as a form of dana service.
When the coordinators receive your request for assistance, they will verify the information with you, then send your request to the list of Sangha member volunteers.
Anyone on the list may contact you to discuss your request. Specific plans are entirely up to you.
Examples of Caring Circles Assistance
Grocery shopping or prepared meals
Laundry help, if no machine available
Pick up Rx or other items
Connect by telephone, Zoom or another safe means to talk, listen, and just share time
Computer fixes that may be done remotely
Lawn care that may be needed
Supplement toys or other diversions for children
Assistance with available institutional and business resources
Caring Circles coordinators welcome your requests and your interest in volunteering your time and skills.
Earn a Certificate in Contact Tracing, and help reduce the spread of Coronavirus
COVID-19 Contact Tracing is a 5-part, online course offered through Coursera.org and Johns Hopkins University. This course and certificate are FREE through June 31st, thanks to Bloomberg Philanthropies.
The course delivers basic but well informed knowledge about the virus in short, very clear lecture segments; it details how tracing can be done effectively, with special attention to ethical considerations, to provide the skills needed for actual contract tracing.
Length of time: approximately one hour per segment, or one week overall.
Click to Register for both course and certificate of accomplishment.
All fees are covered by Bloomberg Philanthropies.
[I have completed and personally recommend this course, Leah Rutchick]
With many thanks for their generosity, the Insight Meditation teachers for the Wednesday evening sangha invite us to consider these notes to references from their Dharma talks.
To submit items for the monthly newsletter, please review these general pointers and consult the Newsletter Submission Guidelines for important details.
At least two weeks prior to the month in which you wish your announcement to appear, submit new items to [email protected].
New requests submitted in the last week of any month may not be accepted if time is a factor in preparing a final copy.
Changes to existing entries may be incorporated if submitted early in the last week of any month.
Entries that have not been updated since COVID may be removed. All authors are encouraged to update their newsletter entries and to resubmit, including TIM committees and groups.
Keep the text crisp and short, but include important details and attachments. Instead of longer texts, refer the reader to websites for additional information.
Indicate how many months you want your entry to be published, and
Stay in touch with updates if any specific details change. You are responsible for calling in changes and end dates for ongoing classes, groups or other continuing entries.
Special circumstances may require adjustment of the deadlines indicated here; early submission is a best practice and helps the newsletter editors determine where, how and if the item submitted shall be published (please see #1 in the Guidelines).
Please contact us through [email protected] and include "Newsletter" in your subject line. We will help you get your item published.
Having admirable people as friends, companions, and colleagues is actually the whole of the holy life.
- The Buddha
In his recent dharma talk on spiritual friendship Scott Bryce spoke of the importance of both friendship with self and friendship with others. Gil Fronsdal explores the deep connection between these in Friendship on the Path and notes that "...the interpersonal teachings and practices of Buddhism create the context and the foundation for the inner, personal practices such as meditation."
Fronsdal goes on to say, "Friends create an important context for any individual's Buddhist practice.... Mindfulness, love, and the path of practice can be the channels through which we have meaningful relationships with others. And meaningful relationships, in turn, support us on the path to greater mindfulness, love and awakening."
Our spiritual friends groups offer a special opportunity for this relational practice. The trust, intimacy, and care of the group allow us to deepen our connection to both self and others. We see more clearly, our hearts soften, and we can move towards greater understanding and compassion for all.
A wondrous aspect of this process is that as the group enriches the heart of the dharma in our own lives, we are deepening friendships and contributing to the spiritual journey of others. This is the beautiful gift of the third jewel of sangha, a jewel that illuminates the path that we are traveling together.
Known as RAGs, Racial Affinity groups allow people to deepen self-awareness around issues of race in small, racially homogeneous groups. As we face our long history of systemic racism and violence against people of color, RAGs provide a safe space where members can integrate the dharma into their exploration of racial belonging and racial habits of harm.
Waking up to the realities of racial legacy, conditioning, and systems is a challenging process, and the acceptance we bring each other, as well as our shared understanding of the dharma, help us to heal and act more skillfully in the world. To support this process, groups follow Triangle Insight's Mindful Sharing Guidelines and Ruth King's Racial Affinity Group Guidelines.
If you are interested in joining a Racial Affinity group or would like more information, please contact Beth Lauderdale, our RAG Coordinator, at
[email protected]. As of January 2021, we have at least one group that is open to new members. Helpful articles and other resources are available on ourRacial Affinity Groups web page.
We currently have openings in two Kalyana Mitta (KM) Groups: Insight Dialogue and Raleigh. The Chapel Hill-Carrboro and Secular Dharma groups each have a waiting list. Details about each group are on our "List of KM Groups" web page. If you would like more information or want to join a group, be on a waiting list, or start a new group, please speak with Sarah Tillis, KM Coordinator, or write Sarah at[email protected]. Information about the KM program is available on our KM web page.
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The KM-RA Coordinating Team of Sarah Tillis, Beth Lauderdale, and Tamara Share expresses deep gratitude for the dedication of our sangha. May our Kalyana Mitta and Racial Affinity groups be of great benefit to all.
The Triangle Insight Board of Directors will be holding a regular, closed meeting on February 12.
The meeting agenda includes selecting candidates for the 2021 election of board officers, and discussion of the process for adding new members to the Board. Please view the meeting announcement on our website for additional description, at www.triangleinsight.org/board/.
The 2021 Annual Board Meeting is planned for March, date to be determined.
If you have any questions or suggestions for the Board, please email us at [email protected]. We will make every effort to carefully review and respond to your comments.
What it means to "go flat" in organizational planning
To bring our decision-making practices in harmony with our mission driven values for transparency, accountability and open-heartedness, the Board is building its own models for self-governance.
We would like to share with the Sangha this short article from The Guardian that sets forth key considerations we gradually are discovering over the last 18 months. We hope you will find it useful for understanding the Board's on-going deliberations.
Information about the Board may be found on the TIMC Board of Directors webpage, including Board members' names, contact information, meeting information, and relevant links.
Board meetings will be open to non-Board attendance, with scheduled time provided for specified presentations from Sangha members. If you have questions about Board procedure or have a topic for the Board to consider, please contact us at [email protected].
Your input is always welcome on matters concerning the Sangha and its activities. Send us your questions, concerns and new ideas, and to schedule time at a Board meeting.
MINUTES from TIMC BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETINGS are available on the Board webpage. The most current Minutes will be posted when approved by the Board at the next meeting. Upcoming Meetings will be announced at least two weeks in advance on the TI website and by email to the Newsletter subscription list.
Presented by Everyday Zen and the East Bay Meditation Center:
Living My Practice Wholeheartedly: Whiteness, Race and the Bodhisattva Vow
An Online Class for White Practitioners
with Crystal Johnson, Sarah Emerson, Chris Fortin & Tova Green
While this year of pandemic has been disruptive and challenging in many ways, it has also created an opening, a space for greater awareness and urgency around issues of racial harm. The murders of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery; the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 and the climate crisis, especially on the Black, Latinx and Native communities; and now the armed assault on the U.S. Capitol, are all shocking outcomes of the system of race-based oppression in America.
As white people, especially those of us with class privilege, this can be both upsetting and overwhelming. Our compassionate nature registers the suffering, yet our confusion makes it difficult to know what to do. In this workshop, we offer brief talks, group discussion, reflection and time for Q&A to explore these states of distress, and examine how to move from the overwhelm, confusion, guilt, uncertainty and isolation to the joyful practice of compassion, fueled by the energy of the Bodhisattva vow.
In registering for this daylong workshop, we are inviting you to support the work of the East Bay Meditation Center (EBMC) in Oakland, CA. Founded and led by a majority of POC teachers and practitioners, EBMC opened its doors in 2007.
This program is a benefit for the East Bay Meditation Center in Oakland, CA.
Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Program for Families
Two Courses from the Frank Porter Graham Institute, UNC-CH
*Parent-Child Self-Compassion: This online 6-week course for a 7-10 year old and their parent gives both parent and child the important resilience tool of self-compassion so that families will be better prepared to meet day to day challenges.
Feb. 11-March 18, Thursdays, 5:00-6:00 pm.
*Making Friends with Yourself (14-18 year olds): Online. A research-based self-compassion class to help teens not be so hard on themselves.
Feb 2-Feb 25, Tuesday/Thursdays, 4:30-6:00.
For more information on these classes, please visit the website:
A NEW Online Class for young adults, with Dr. Marissa Knox
Embracing Your Life is adapted from the internationally renowned and research-based Mindful Self-Compassion program, and tailored for young adults age 18-30. Thursdays, February 4-March 10, 4:00-5:30 EST. This class is taught by Dr. Marissa Knox, a former graduate student of Dr. Kristin Neff.
Beginning the Buddha's Path: An Introduction to the Teachings of the Buddha
with Regina Bartalone and Sandeep Kalelkar, practice leaders from the Dharma Friends Community
A six-week introduction intended for newcomersand for those who would like to revisit the foundations of the Buddha's path, especially as we find them in the early Buddhist texts. The group will focus on developing a regular practice of breath meditation, understanding the Buddha's perspective on how to live a happier life, and bringing mindful awareness to daily life activities.
Starts Wednesday, March 10th, 7 - 8:30 p.m.
ONLINE
For more information about this course, please contact Regina at
[email protected]. Those who cannot access email, are invited to call or text Regina at 919-931-9393.
Dharma Friends Community offers a range of groups and events designed to support everyone from newcomers to seasoned practitioners. Drawing on Early Buddhist sources, these groups focus on teaching core practices in a way that relates to the needs of each individual participant in an open welcoming environment.
During the past year, DFC has conducted a practice leaders training program. Regina and Sandeep are a part of that group, and they are very excited to be able to lead the next Beginning the Buddha's Path.
Previous and recently started "Upcoming Classes and Events" may be found in earlier issues of the TIMC Newsletter HERE on our website.
TIM PROGRAMS and COMMITTEES
The Shramadana Project
A Volunteer Initiative of Triangle Insight
NEW The Caring Circles Initiative is being revived, and is ready to receive requests for assistance from Sangha members. See above for information.
HISTORY
The Shramadana Project (SP) has been a volunteer initiative of the Triangle Insight Meditation Community to address some of the interests for connecting within the sangha and for outreach to the community-at-large.
This project has outgrown its current form and now needs to evolve into a more meaningful structure. Some activities including Media Night, workshops and retreats would fit well with a "Programs Committee," yet to be formed. Other volunteer opportunities might better fit with a group or committee for "Engaged Buddhism" or "Community-at-Large Activities," or others yet to be created.
Ideas on how to organize these activities are welcome and should be sent to [email protected].
ARCHIVE
Past activities, meeting minutes and the list of community organizations for the SP are available on the SP webpage.
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If beings knew, as I know, the results of giving and sharing, they would not eat without having given...
Insight Dialogue is an interpersonal meditation practice and is offered at Triangle Insight once monthly, usually on the fourth Wednesday of the month. It brings the mindfulness and tranquility of silent meditation directly into our experience with other people.
The new website for Insight Dialogue is an excellent resource for learning more about the practice: www.insightdialogue.org.
The evening begins with silent meditation practice, followed by gentle mindful movement, and then shifting into dyad practice where interpersonal mindfulness is explored with a partner in response to a contemplation that is offered. The dyad practice is optional so that anyone who chooses to remain in silent practice may do so, rather than shifting into dyad practice. One can investigate the guidance of the contemplation internally, noticing the moment by moment unfolding of internal experience. Also note that the ID practice goes from 6:30 to 8:30 PM to allow for more spaciousness and time for questions. We hope you will be able to join us.
Phyllis Hicks, facilitating Insight Dialogue on 08-04-19.
Fourth Wednesdays
(unless otherwise indicated)
Triangle Insight, Episcopal Center at Duke 6:30 - 8:30 PM
During this period of COVID-19 limits, please contact the individual or organization for alternative meeting arrangements
Triangle Insight Morning Meditation Group -- Now using Zoom platform
This early morning sitting group led by Ron Vereen meets Mondays and Thursdays from 7:00 - 7:45 AM. The group begins with silent, unguided practice, with Ron giving a guided heart practice during the last 10-15 minutes. There is no charge for participation, and donations are accepted. For more info contact Ron at [email protected].
Zoom invitations will be emailed to those who have subscribed to the Morning Mediation list. Please contact Ron at the email above to be added to the list, or subscribe through the appropriate web form on our website.
When we resume meeting in the Episcopal Center:
*Important note:
Only four parking spaces in the parking lot at the Episcopal Center are designated for our use at this hour and are clearly marked. Overflow parking can be found on the west side of Alexander Ave.
Monday and Thursday Mornings Episcopal Center at Duke 505 Alexander Ave. Durham, NC 27705 7:00 - 7:45 AM
Online Prayer & Mantra Circle, for Protection and Peace
with Kittisaro and Thanissara
Sacred Mountain Sangha
NOTE: This is an ongoing online practice, offered daily.
Kittisaro and Thanissara, founders of Sacred Mountain Sangha, invite you to join them, when you can, for one 30 min. session daily, for a variety of chanting opportunities and mantra practice. This is a collective effort focused on the safety and wellbeing of all, dedicated to protecting goodness, wisdom, and compassion and dispelling the forces of harm, division, and delusion in these times.
Chants are drawn from both Theravada and Mahayana schools of Buddhism, which are efficacious for dispelling obstruction and protecting the forces of goodness and wholesome karma in the world. For more information, access to the chants (for printing), explanations, recordings, pronunciations, please visit their website here.
Beginning December 9th, and continuing daily in the New Year.
10:30 AM - 11:00 AM (ET), 7:30 am - 8:00 am (PT)
Please check the Peace Circle webpage for additional details and chant resources.
During this period of no or limited social assembly, if you are interested in any of the following sitting opportunities, please contact the individual or organization to determine its status or alternative arrangements
Mindful Families of Durham
Currently consisting of ~ 16 families, this group is dedicated to creating a warm, loving community for parents and children to learn and practice together. Adults meet for one hour for meditation and discussion, while the children learn about meditation and Buddhism in Sati School with our marvelous (non-parent-member) teachers.
If you are unfamiliar with this intentional group, here is the video from their website:
The Buddhist Meditation Community at Duke provides the opportunity for currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate students to learn about Buddhist teachings and practice meditation. Our Monday evening meetings include quiet meditation, group study and discussion, and we regularly host local Buddhist teachers from across traditions to share their teachings with the group. Morning meditation on weekdays is also available. We are a culturally diverse student group that welcomes the curious, beginners, experienced Buddhists, and those of other religions equally. We deeply value the role of friendship and community in supporting a thoughtful spiritual path of wisdom and compassion.
Open to Duke University Faculty, Staff, and Students
In addition to Triangle Insight, there are a variety of other meditation opportunities of which we would like for you to be aware. Rather than list them all here, we wanted to point you to the "links" section of our website at Triangle Insight. There are other sitting groups in the community whose practice is similar to ours, as well as resources for retreat centers and other websites, both locally and nationally. We do not offer an endorsement of these sites, but rather a suggestion for your exploration to see if any may have useful information to support your practice of insight meditation.
Unless indicated, please contact the individual or organization for alternative meeting arrangements
Men's Sharing Group
Now meeting on the Zoom platform
Start Time: 6:30-8:00PM
This group is open to ALL MEN regardless of their tradition or path, or affiliation with the Triangle Insight Meditation Community. Our intention is to hear each other's interests, concerns, and ideas about forming and sustaining a group, all while getting to know each other. There will be a short period of meditating. A couple of us will help moderate the discussion initially but going forward, the leadership could be something collaborative, shared by all participants. It's a work in progress.
At its core, the group should be a space where men can share from their hearts about their experiences being men, following a meditative path -- and offering support to one another along the way.
Some dana to defray expenses is welcome, but, of course, optional. Let us know if you think you'll attend.
Tamara Share will be offering an ongoing group for developing skills in mindfulness awareness practices. The group will meet twice monthly, and is open to those 18 years of age and older. A pre-group consultation is required, and you may contact Tamara at 919-442-1118. The cost is $45/session if pre-paid in 6 session blocks ($270), or $60 if paid per session (sliding scale available).
Tamara L. Share, PhD is a Counseling Psychologist with more than 20 years of training and experience in human development, group facilitation, and personal growth. Tamara's diverse background includes education/training in physics, psychology, wellness, philosophy, and complementary approaches to healthcare.
2nd and 4th Thursdays
HRC, Behavioral Health and Psychiatry 100 Europa Dr., Suite 260, Chapel Hill 27517 4:45 - 6:00 PM
