Even on my weakest days, I get a little bit stronger.

~ Sarah Evans [source: Sara Evans – A Little Bit Stronger (Lyrics)]

THURSDAY, July 14, 2022

No registration is required. The meeting link is –

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4537777699

…alternatively, you can connect manually, with Zoom meeting ID 453 777 7699 and passcode ‘5ps‘.

The topic is for contemplation, reflection and sharing at the online virtual ‘Sit-and-Share’ meditation meeting via Zoom from…

11:45 am PDT (eg San Francisco/Vancouver)
12:45 pm MDT (eg Denver)
1:45 pm CDT (eg Chicago)
2:45 pm EDT (eg New York/Tampa)
7:45 pm BST (eg Dublin/London)
8:45 pm CEST (eg France)
8:45 pm CAT (eg Botswana)
9:45 pm EAT (eg Kenya)

…ready for a prompt start at the top of the hour. This meeting’s topic was chosen by Jacob who will be our ‘Sit-and-Share’ host.

All welcome.

---

Image (1) – ‘Toothcare’ – Nalagiri House, Carrigahorig, County Tipperary, Ireland – July 2022
Image (2) – ‘Unmade Bed’ – Being Human: A Hungry Ghost Retreat in Kathmandu, Nepal – June 2017

There are two sides to a human life: The ‘somebody’ side and the ‘nobody’ side. The somebody side includes things like physical appearance, personality, image in the eyes of others, likes and dislikes, virtues and vices. Our somebody side has a lot of issues to deal with.
The nobody side of our being manifests naturally when the mind has been trained to let go of its addiction to thinking. When the nobody sides comes to the fore everything settles down, and all the ways in which we are somebody in the world seem insubstantial or like a story told by a child.
Mental suffering arises when we are out of balance, when our mind is completely absorbed in our somebody issues, lacking access to the cooling perspective of our nobody dimension.
When we feel greedy, jealous, angry, misunderstood, anxious or confused, it’s good to remind ourselves that its just ‘somebody stuff’, manifestations of one dimension of our life, not the whole human deal.
By establishing a connection to our nobody nature we can find a balance between it and our somebody nature, and find peace in this unpeaceful world.

~ Ajahn Jayasaro [source: Ajahn Jayasāro’s Yellow Pages Teachings >
Saturday, March 13, 2021]

MONDAY, July 11, 2022

No registration is required. The meeting link is –

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4537777699

…alternatively, you can connect manually, with Zoom meeting ID 453 777 7699 and passcode ‘5ps‘.

The topic is for contemplation, reflection and sharing at the online virtual ‘Sit-and-Share’ meditation meeting via Zoom from:

11:45 am PDT (eg San Francisco/Vancouver)
12:45 pm MDT (eg Denver)
1:45 pm CDT (eg Chicago)
2:45 pm EDT (eg New York/Tampa)
7:45 pm BST (eg Dublin/London)
8:45 pm CEST (eg France)
8:45 pm CAT (eg Botswana)
9:45 pm EAT (eg Kenya)

Ready for a prompt start at the top of the hour. This meeting’s topic was chosen by Robert, but Patrick will be our ‘Sit-and-Share’ host.

All welcome.

---

Image – Borrowed from https://dhammawitz.org/category/ajahn-jayasaro/yellow-pages-teaching/

When you contemplate life you come to realize that it’s completely out of control. And whatever is out of control is none of your business.

~ Ajahn Brahm [source: The Art of Disappearing]

SUNDAY, July 10, 2022

No registration is required. The meeting link is –

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4537777699

…alternatively, you can connect manually, with Zoom meeting ID 453 777 7699 and passcode ‘5ps‘.

The topic is for contemplation, reflection and sharing at the online virtual ‘Sit-and-Share’ meditation meeting via Zoom from:

Please Note New Start Times for Sunday Meetings

9:45 am PDT (eg San Francisco/Vancouver)
10:45 am MDT (eg Denver)
11:45 am CDT (eg Chicago)
12:45 pm EDT (eg New York/Tampa)
5:45 pm BST (eg Dublin/London)
6:45 pm CEST (eg France)
6:45 pm CAT (eg Botswana)
7:45 pm EAT (eg Kenya)

Ready for a prompt start at the top of the hour. This meeting’s topic was chosen by Shaku. who will be our ‘Sit-and-Share’ host.

All welcome.

---

Images – ‘Control’ – Prayer Flag at ‘Being Human: A Hungry Ghost Retreat’ at Kunphen Recovery Center, Dharamsala, HP, India – June 2016

It is impossible to understand addiction without asking what relief the addict finds, or hopes to find, in the drug or the addictive behaviour.

~ Gabor Maté [source: In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction]

THURSDAY, July 07, 2022

No registration is required. The meeting link is –

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4537777699

…alternatively, you can connect manually, with Zoom meeting ID 453 777 7699 and passcode ‘5ps‘.

The topic is for contemplation, reflection and sharing at the online virtual ‘Sit-and-Share’ meditation meeting via Zoom from…

11:45 am PDT (eg San Francisco/Vancouver)
12:45 pm MDT (eg Denver)
1:45 pm CDT (eg Chicago)
2:45 pm EDT (eg New York/Tampa)
7:45 pm BST (eg Dublin/London)
8:45 pm CEST (eg France)
8:45 pm CAT (eg Botswana)
9:45 pm EAT (eg Kenya)

…ready for a prompt start at the top of the hour. This meeting’s topic was chosen by Noel who will be our ‘Sit-and-Share’ host.

All welcome.

---

Image used with the kind permission of Ralph Metzner from his article:  ‘The Buddhist six-world model of consciousness and reality’ (Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 28(2), pp155-166)

Heedfulness is supported by restraint (samvara), a nonjudgemental pausing and gathering in of mental energy.

~ Ajahn Sucitto [source: Parami, Ways to Cross Lifes Floods]

MONDAY, July 04, 2022

No registration is required. The meeting link is –

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4537777699

…alternatively, you can connect manually, with Zoom meeting ID 453 777 7699 and passcode ‘5ps‘.

The topic is for contemplation, reflection and sharing at the online virtual ‘Sit-and-Share’ meditation meeting via Zoom from:

11:45 am PDT (eg San Francisco/Vancouver)
12:45 pm MDT (eg Denver)
1:45 pm CDT (eg Chicago)
2:45 pm EDT (eg New York/Tampa)
7:45 pm BST (eg Dublin/London)
8:45 pm CEST (eg France)
8:45 pm CAT (eg Botswana)
9:45 pm EAT (eg Kenya)

Ready for a prompt start at the top of the hour. This meeting’s topic was chosen by Robert, but Patrick will be our ‘Sit-and-Share’ host.

All welcome.

---

Image (1) – ‘Tu Hieu Pagoda in the Rain’ – Hue City, Vietnam – May 2022
Image (2) – ‘Buddha in the River’ – Hội An, Quảng Nam, Vietnam – May 2022

Actually, we are not the Soto Zen school at all. We are just Buddhists. We are not even Zen Buddhists. If we understand this point, we are truly Buddhists.

~ Shunryu Suzuki Roshi (1904-1971) [source: Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind]

SUNDAY, July 03, 2022

No registration is required. The meeting link is –

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4537777699

…alternatively, you can connect manually, with Zoom meeting ID 453 777 7699 and passcode ‘5ps‘.

The topic is for contemplation, reflection and sharing at the online virtual ‘Sit-and-Share’ meditation meeting via Zoom from:

Please Note New Start Times for Sunday Meetings

9:45 am PDT (eg San Francisco/Vancouver)
10:45 am MDT (eg Denver)
11:45 am CDT (eg Chicago)
12:45 pm EDT (eg New York/Tampa)
5:45 pm BST (eg Dublin/London)
6:45 pm CEST (eg France)
6:45 pm CAT (eg Botswana)
7:45 pm EAT (eg Kenya)

Ready for a prompt start at the top of the hour. This meeting’s topic was chosen by Andy. who will be our ‘Sit-and-Share’ host.

All welcome.

---

Image (1) – ‘Incense’ – Tian Tan Buddha, Hong Kong – August 2016
Image (2) – ‘Incense’ – Mount Fansipan, Sa Pa, Lao Cai, Vietnam – May 2022

It’s something a wise man or a wise woman knows how to do: shake off your self pity and your obsession, and put one foot in front of the other and keep moving.

~ Michael Poore [source: Reincarnation Blues: A Novel]

Snippet: Reincarnation Blues by Michael Poore, read by Mark Bramhall

THURSDAY, June 30, 2022

No registration is required. The meeting link is –

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4537777699

…alternatively, you can connect manually, with Zoom meeting ID 453 777 7699 and passcode ‘5ps‘.

The topic is for contemplation, reflection and sharing at the online virtual ‘Sit-and-Share’ meditation meeting via Zoom from…

11:45 am PDT (eg San Francisco/Vancouver)
12:45 pm MDT (eg Denver)
1:45 pm CDT (eg Chicago)
2:45 pm EDT (eg New York/Tampa)
7:45 pm BST (eg Dublin/London)
8:45 pm CEST (eg France)
8:45 pm CAT (eg Botswana)
9:45 pm EAT (eg Kenya)

…ready for a prompt start at the top of the hour. This meeting’s topic was chosen by Vince who will be our ‘Sit-and-Share’ host.

All welcome.

---

Image – ‘Moving On’ – Everyday Nirvana: A Hungry Ghost Retreat at New Life Foundation, Chiang Rai, Thailand

Little thoughts, subtle thoughts, when followed, stir up the heart. Not comprehending the thoughts of the heart, one runs here & there, the mind out of control. But comprehending the thoughts of the heart, one who is ardent, mindful, restrains them. When, followed, they stir up the heart, one awakened lets them go without trace.

~ Buddha [source: “Meghiya Sutta: About Meghiya” (Ud 4.1), translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu]

MONDAY, June 27, 2022

No registration is required. The meeting link is –

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4537777699

…alternatively, you can connect manually, with Zoom meeting ID 453 777 7699 and passcode ‘5ps‘.

The topic is for contemplation, reflection and sharing at the online virtual ‘Sit-and-Share’ meditation meeting via Zoom from:

11:45 am PDT (eg San Francisco/Vancouver)
12:45 pm MDT (eg Denver)
1:45 pm CDT (eg Chicago)
2:45 pm EDT (eg New York/Tampa)
7:45 pm BST (eg Dublin/London)
8:45 pm CEST (eg France)
8:45 pm CAT (eg Botswana)
9:45 pm EAT (eg Kenya)

Ready for a prompt start at the top of the hour. This meeting’s topic was chosen by Robert, but Patrick will be our ‘Sit-and-Share’ host.

All welcome.

---

Image (1) – ‘Prayer Flags at New Life Foundation’ – Being Human: A Hungry Ghost Retreat, Chiang Rai, Thailand – March 2013
Image (2) – ‘Tall Buddha’ – Wat Thamkrabok, Phraputthabat, Thailand – June 2022

Once you have genuinely, fully, and tenderly touched your own brokenness, place a seed in the crack. Make a wish in that fissure, and share with yourself the aimless kindness of your own presence.

~ Lama Karma [source: A Letter from My Future Self, Encouraging Me to Practice – Tricycle Buddhist Review – January 2022]

SUNDAY, June 26, 2022

No registration is required. The meeting link is –

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4537777699

…alternatively, you can connect manually, with Zoom meeting ID 453 777 7699 and passcode ‘5ps‘.

The topic is for contemplation, reflection and sharing at the online virtual ‘Sit-and-Share’ meditation meeting via Zoom from:

Please Note New Start Times for Sunday Meetings

9:45 am PDT (eg San Francisco/Vancouver)
10:45 am MDT (eg Denver)
11:45 am CDT (eg Chicago)
12:45 pm EDT (eg New York/Tampa)
5:45 pm BST (eg Dublin/London)
6:45 pm CEST (eg France)
6:45 pm CAT (eg Botswana)
7:45 pm EAT (eg Kenya)

Ready for a prompt start at the top of the hour. This meeting’s topic was chosen by Shaku, who will be our ‘Sit-and-Share’ host.

All welcome.

---

Image (1) – ‘Scent & Scents’ – Nalagiri House, Carrigahorig, County Tipperary, August 2020
Image (2) – ‘A Seed in the Crack’ – Cham Islands, Hoi An, Vietnam – May 2022

Mindfulness and alertness are like two people lifting a heavy log. A third person is watching and when he sees that the log is heavy, he comes to help. When it’s heavy like that, he can’t not help. He has to help. The person helping here is discernment. It can’t stay still. When there’s mindfulness and alertness, discernment has to run in and join them.

~ Ajahn Chah [source: In Simple Terms – 108 Dhamma Similes by Venerable Ajahn Chah (Translated from the Thai by Thanissaro Bhikkhu)]

THURSDAY, June 23, 2022

No registration is required. The meeting link is –

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4537777699

…alternatively, you can connect manually, with Zoom meeting ID 453 777 7699 and passcode ‘5ps‘.

The topic is for contemplation, reflection and sharing at the online virtual ‘Sit-and-Share’ meditation meeting via Zoom from…

11:45 am PDT (eg San Francisco/Vancouver)
12:45 pm MDT (eg Denver)
1:45 pm CDT (eg Chicago)
2:45 pm EDT (eg New York/Tampa)
7:45 pm BST (eg Dublin/London)
8:45 pm CEST (eg France)
8:45 pm CAT (eg Botswana)
9:45 pm EAT (eg Kenya)

…ready for a prompt start at the top of the hour. This meeting’s topic was chosen by Andy who will be our ‘Sit-and-Share’ host.

All welcome.

---

Image (1) – ‘Logs by the Path’ – Keeper Hill Trail, Doonane Forest, Tipperary, Ireland – October 2019
Image (2) – ‘Solitary Kuti’ – The Barn Retreat Centre, Totnes, Devon, England – November 2007