While our brain has a flight/fight/freeze mechanism, it also has a compassion network, which includes mirror neurons that allow us to register what it’s like for another. We can sense that others want to feel loved and loving, safe and happy. When we feel that connection, it enables us to act on behalf of each… Continue reading
Author: Jon Swanson
Tri-Cities Cancer Center Meditation Support Group Meets Feb. 20th
We’ll continue our monthly mindfulness meditation support group meeting at the Tri-Cities Cancer Center in May. The Cancer Center is located at 7350 West Deschutes Avenue, Kennewick and the next meeting will be Thursday, 2/20/2025. The sessions, which are held on the third Thursday of each month, are meant for cancer patients, cancer survivors, and their caregivers. The session will begin at 12:00 pm… Continue reading Tri-Cities Cancer Center Meditation Support Group Meets Feb. 20th
Meditation Retreat on Saturday, March 15, 2025
Chris Murray will lead an Insight Meditation retreat on Saturday, March 15, 2025, from 9:00 am until 4:30 pm. Registration is now open for the retreat. The retreat will be conducted at Shalom UCC, 505 McMurray Street, Richland, in the Fellowship Hall. Chris is the Guiding Teacher of Insight Meditation of the Mid-Columbia. The topic… Continue reading Meditation Retreat on Saturday, March 15, 2025
Sangha News 2/4/25
Thursday evening Info: Over the next couple of months we’ll explore the Buddha’s teachings on the Eightfold path that leads to the end of stress and suffering. A resource that we’ll draw on for the talks and discussion is the book Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness by Bhante Gunaratna. We’ll also provide links to resources… Continue reading Sangha News 2/4/25
Updated Resources for Meditation and Support
John DeCastro explores an approach to wise effort, effort that is truly helpful in our practice, both in formal meditation and in daily life. One of the ideas that is emphasized is that of the “middle way” between not exerting enough effort and exerting too much effort, or exerting effort in a tight and damaging… Continue reading Updated Resources for Meditation and Support
Quote for the Week
The Buddha taught that practice should be like a well-tuned string instrument. If the strings are too loose, they won’t play a sound. If they are too tight, they will break. Practice should be nourishing, not draining. The Noble Eightfold Path: Right Effort ~ John DeCastro
Sangha News 1/21/25
Thursday evening Info: Over the next couple of months we’ll explore the Buddha’s teachings on the Eightfold path that leads to the end of stress and suffering. A resource that we’ll draw on for the talks and discussion is the book Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness by Bhante Gunaratna. We’ll also provide links to resources… Continue reading Sangha News 1/21/25
Updated Resources for Meditation and Support
Tony Bernhard also discusses wise livelihood in terms of our jobs, however he also suggests that wise livelihood can’t be separated from the way we live, not just how we make a living. Our choice of lifestyle and the impact that it has are also an important part of the process of living wisely. You… Continue reading Updated Resources for Meditation and Support
Quote for the Week
Balancing our means of support with the lifestyle we are fashioning constitutes a broad, personal economy that each of us is constantly creating with our actions. The way we live not only reflects our understandings about what we are doing in this life, but also reveals the intentions that flow from such understandings. Unburdened w\With… Continue reading Quote for the Week
Beginning Meditation Classes ~ January 26 – February 16, 2025
The next series of Beginning Meditation classes will start Sunday, January 26, 2025 and will continue for 4 Sunday afternoons. The classes will be conducted in person at All Saints Episcopal Church, 1322 Kimball Avenue, Richland, in the Parish Hall. There is no charge for the classes; donations are accepted. The four classes are intended to work… Continue reading Beginning Meditation Classes ~ January 26 – February 16, 2025