Dear Sisters and Brothers in the
Sangha,
We wish you peace and solidity, freedom
and compassion. Since the spring
BOPS planning meeting we have been meeting to organize a Day of
Mindfulness for Sangha Nourishment and Visioning. We have three
hamlets which practice at different times so we do not often get
a chance to be together, share information, enjoy each other and
look deeply at our practice and at our Sangha.
The day will focus
on what is wonderful about BOPS as well as what areas can be developed
or strengthened. The outcomes we hope to achieve are:
- We will
feel a greater sense of connection, nourishment and involvement
with our sangha
- We will each find our voice in the
Sangha
- Identification and deeper understanding
of feelings that exist about our Sangha experience (warm spots, "tender" spots,
joys, etc.)
- Ideas for how we can strengthen our
Sangha
- Increased awareness of our financial
status and responsibilities, as well as our governance and leadership
process, to help inform our future vision
- A collective vision
of our ideal Sangha
- Identification of next steps for
nourishing the seeds of our vision
As a gift to our sangha, we'd
like to give ourselves the time and space to work, practice and
reflect deeply. Therefore we are planning to meet for a full day
on Saturday, October 18, from 8:00- 5:00 at Chua Vietnam in Roslindale.
In order to focus and make the most
of our day together, we ask that you respond briefly to the two
following questions:
1) What is wonderful about our sangha?
2) What concerns me or needs more
attention in our sangha?
To help facilitate this feedback
process, we will soon provide index cards at each hamlet, and
also accept responses by e-mail. If using the index cards, please
take a few extra minutes at the beginning or end of the sitting
to fill them out; if e-mail is preferable, please send to bopsvisioning@yahoo.com.
In order to incorporate everyone's ideas into our Day of Mindfulness,
please give us your responses by no later than September 1, We
are determined to cultivate transparent, open communication in
order to discover ways to nourish our practice and our sangha.
Please contact us with any questions,
ideas, suggestions or ways you would like to participate or volunteer
in this day. We have appreciated the opportunity to plan for this
day and have been holding each of you in our hearts during the
process. We hope you will be able to join us for this wonderful
day of visioning together!
A deep bow, Pat Morris, Tom Sweetland,
Mark Wylie, Debra Vinci
Days of Mindfulness are organized by Suzanne
Hudson and Teddi Richman.
Please contact either of them if you are interested in leading.
