May's Mindful e-News from Spirit Rock!

The path of Socially Engaged Buddhism is a path connecting inner and outer transformation. It is about coming to see that our real work is the same whether we are in silent practice, with our families or communities, or helping to transform our larger society and ecosystems. It is to be aware and present to what is happening, to respond compassionately to suffering, to understand our interdependence, and to act with grace, equanimity, and passion in difficult circumstances.

CARPOOLING
Good for the planet - Good for the soul

Join us in minimizing the impact on our valley neighbors and the planet when visiting Spirit Rock. Here are just a few good reasons to carpool:

Be kind to our valley neighbors and everyone else on the road to reduce traffic in this area, especially on weekends!
Reduce your carbon footprint.
Make new friends!
Save money.
If it's your first time, you won't get lost!
Assist the (limited) parking situation here.

For those "Ride Bodhisattvas" who regularly carpool - we thank you! For more details on ride sharing and ride offers, click here.

Keeping Practice Alive with Jack & Sylvia

More than 900 People Join Jack Kornfield & Sylvia Boorstein on Biggest Conference Call for Sangha of Thousands of Buddhas

Jack and Sylvia chatted and laughed, shared stories, wisdom and insight, addressing questions (sent in before and during the call) from the hundreds nationwide that joined in for the call. We were able to offer a special bonus - all the participants were invited to join break-out groups to further discuss topics together. Everyone had so much fun connecting with like-minded individuals from all over the United States and making new dharma friends! Thanks to Maestro Conference we were able to offer this service free of charge.

We hope you can join us for the next call on June 13th! Click on this link to hear the recording of the Conference Call with Jack and Sylvia. Visit the Sangha of Thousands of Buddhas website to view the list of previous conference calls and upcoming events!

Impermanence in the Kitchen by Max Swanger

The Kitchen Crew at Spirit Rock Meditation Center

The beautiful thing about cooking in the Spirit Rock Kitchen is that impermanence becomes totally visible. I can work very hard on a meal, bringing it together with a balance of flavors and seasoning, watching the ingredients change in taste and composition. Then the raw vegetables are washed, chopped, diced and sliced and then steamed, roasted, fried, braised or just melted into soup. After, it is offered, eaten and transformed into energy in the stomachs of many yogis. In just a few hours it has gone from raw to cooked to consumed and finally gone. Or, as the Heart Sutra says: "Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate Bodhi Svaha!" (Gone, Gone, Gone Beyond, Gone Utterly Beyond, Enlightenment Hail!)
Read more >

Volunteer Profile: Emma Wheeler

Not many people can say that they've been coming to Spirit Rock since they were an infant, but Emma Wheeler, currently a senior at Sir Francis Drake High School in San Anselmo, has been coming here since she was being pushed by her mom in a stroller. Since that time, Emma has attended many Family Days, the Monday Night Kids Class in the yurt, the Middle School Class, the Teen Class Series and four of our Teen Retreats (including the New Year's Teen Retreat and the summer teen retreats at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery). "Retreat is magical," she said. "You meet really cool, mindful people and it is way better than being at a party drunk. It feels like you are part of a revolution."

SAVE THE DATE: JUNE 9 9:30am - 5pm
Tuning Your Instrument: Introspection, Neuroplasticity and Bach

Please join Sylvia Boorstein, UC Davis neuroscientist Clifford Saron and San Francisco Symphony Cellist Barbara Bogatin (pictured at left) for a very special workshop benefiting the Spirit Rock Meditation Center Scholarship Fund.

Note: We invite all Sangha of Thousands of Buddhas members to attend this event as our guest (no-fee), in appreciation for their support for the Spirit Rock Meditation Center Capital Campaign.

The theme of this workshop is the benefits of practice. Sylvia Boorstein will guide participants in an essential integration of meditation with daily life. Clifford Saron will provide insights from basic neuroscience and the research work he leads investigating the effects of meditation practice on attention and emotion. Cellist Barbara Bogatin will illustrate how expert musicians turn required practice into contemplative practice, providing a rare "glimpse from within" of the discipline of maintaining a high level of craft. She will perform several musical examples that inspire an understanding of how the depths of human creative expression are also present and accessible in the symphony of our sensory awareness.

The day will consist of sitting practice, guided listening, informal talks and dialogue among the presenters and active engagement with participants during ample discussion periods. Tea will be provided.

Cost $90 - $150 sliding scale. 6 hours of Continuing Education (CE) credit are available. Registration available online.

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