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Greetings!
Many years ago, Jon Kabat-Zinn wrote a book, "Full
Catastrophe Living: How to cope with stress, pain and
illness using mindfulness meditation." I used this book
when it first came out, many years ago in Hawaii to teach
stress reduction classes, and I found it to be very helpful
for participants.
With his colleagues, Mark Williams, John Teasdale and
Zindel Segal, he has again written a book that is going to
be important for people suffering from chronic
depression. It's called "The Mindful Way through
Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic
Unhappiness."
What's important about this book is that he has done
clinical studies that now support something many of us
suspected for a long time; that meditation can
help address the problem of depression. Known as
mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) this
work "brings together the latest understanding of
modern science and forms of meditation that have
been shown to be clinically effective within
mainstream medicine and psychology."
I am not suggesting that
people not take medication for depression. I know
such medications can help people function with
depression and this is a good thing, and I also know
people who become dependent on these and find it
hard to stop using them.
When depressed, we try to think our way out of the
unhappiness. "Psychologists also call it rumination.
When we ruminate, we become fruitlessly
preoccupied with the fact that we are unhappy." This
mental process doesn't help. It leads to patterns of self
talk that are negative and critical. We imagine this is
going to help us escape the unhappiness, but Kabat-
Zinn says that "research shows that rumination does
exactly the opposite: our ability to solve problems
actually deteriorates markedly during rumination."
Meditation can help us learn to "be" in such a way that
we can get out of our heads, watch our thoughts in a
way that doesn't solidify them and "sidestep the
cascade of mental events that draws us down into
depression."
So I recommend this book to you, if you are depressed
or
you know someone who is, as a gentle guide to lifting
ourselves out of chronic unhappiness and living fuller,
happier
lives. Mindfulness meditation practices, when done
regularly, can have an enormous impact on our
mental
and psychological health.
May all beings be happy, Joshin Sensei
| Children's Dharma Class, Feb. 17 |
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The Children's Dharma Class will take place on Sunday,
Feb. 17 from 9:00 am to 10:45 am. The
class is taught by Susanne Fairfax and Rev. Ryushin
Tanoue.
The class includes stories, some simple meditation and
mindfulness exercises, singing, hula and
more. The class is open to all ages. Cost is $15 per
child
Call 708.445.1651 or email kaili@zencommunity.org to
register your child.
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| Shared Stewardship Circle, Sun. Feb. 17 |
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We will hold a Shared Stewardship Circle
on Sunday, February 27 from 9:00 to 11:00 am. All
members are requested to attend these months practice
circles.
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| Hula Classes in Chicago |
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Intermediate Hula: Wednesdays, from 6:30-7:30 pm.
The intermediate class is for students with one or more
years
of experience.
Please Note the change of schedule. Beginning Hula:
Mondays, from 6:00-7:00
pm. The first class is Feb. 4, 2008 at 163 N. Humphrey
Ave. in Oak Park.
The beginning class include basic footwork, hands
and stories of Hawaii. These classes are for students that
have been
dancing for less than one year. Adults and children are
welcome. These classes will continue in March.
Come dressed comfortably. If you are interested, call
Kumu Kaililani at 708.445.1651.
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| Hula Classes in New York |
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THE LOCATION FOR CLASSES:
Dance Theatre Workshop, 219 W. 19th St. (between 7th
and 8th Ave)
Saturday, Feb. 9th, Beginning Kahiko: 1-3pm
(Please note that there will be no New Beginners Class
in February - this class will continue in
March).
Sunday, Feb. 10th, Auana class: 10 am - 1 pm
Sunday, Feb. 10th, Kahiko class: 1 pm - 4 pm
New: Beginning Meditation Class in New York City on
Saturday, Feb. 9th from 4:00-5:30 pm (after the 1-3
p.m. beginning hula class at DTW). All levels are
welcome. For those who have had the beginning
meditation instruction, there will be a 20-25 minute sit.
Beginning instruction will be offered to those who are
new. A discussion will follow. The class is held at 458
W. 23rd St. #4A (Buzzer #10) between 9th and 10th
Ave. in NYC, 10011. Tel: 212-982-4102 or 917-502-
8105. If you plan to come and haven't responded,
please let Kumu Kaililani know.
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| Coming Home Practice Circle: Fri. Feb. 29, 7-9 pm |
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On the last Friday of each month, the Zen Community of
Oak Park will host a Coming Home Practice Circle as a
way of supporting and honoring veterans in our
community.
This practice circle will be facilitated by Joshin Sensei.
Also leading this group will be David Pyle and Seanon
Holland. They are both veterans and students at
Meadville
Lombard Theological School. David is a US Army
Chaplaincy Candidate, and he has served in Panama,
Colombia, El Salvador and Bosnia y Herzegovina.
David is a member of the Zen Community of Oak Park.
Seanon served in the Marine Corps in Kosovo, Zaire
and Iraq, and is preparing to return to active duty as a
chaplain.
Because of the sensitive nature of this circle, at the
present time it is only open to Veterans and active
members of the Zen Community of Oak Park.
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| Django Jam, Friday, Feb. 8 at 7pm |
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This gypsy jazz music, which
was developed by Django Reinhardt, is a form of
swing jazz, which has become a highly developed
genre of music. All musicians and instruments are
welcome. We also invite anyone who would like to
come and hang out to join us. Bring along some food
and drink and enjoy the music.
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| Support the Zen Comunity of Oak Park |
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Make an online contribution today.
The Zen Community of Oak Park is a 501 (c)(3)
non-profit organization so your donation here to the
Zen Community is fully tax deductible
$
USD
Learn More
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Eight Aspects of Buddhism Class Series in Feb. and March |
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Joshin Sensei will teach an eight-part series of
classes
on Buddhism called "Eight Aspects of Buddhism".
These teachings were originally given by Yasutani
Roshi. Sensei has developed and adapted these
further to convey the essential teachings of Buddhism.
The classes are as follows:
Feb. 11: True Nature
Feb. 18: Mistaken Identity
Feb. 25: Impermanence
Mar. 3: Causation
Mar. 10: Beyond Space and Time
Mar. 17: Buddhas and Sentient Beings
Mar. 24: Intertwining Vines
Mar. 31: Six Stages of Bodhisattva Path
Cost for the series is $175. ZCOP members $150. Cost
per class is $25. ZCOP members $20.
to register:
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