You are invited to join us on Sunday, April 1, 2012, for a very special Still Water Day of Practice. As part of our time together, we will watch a remarkable talk Thich Nhat Hanh gave last year, at the end of a retreat at Blue Cliff Monastery. In very clear and moving language, he encouraged practitioners to look deeply into each moment and to let go of their fears, worries, and dualistic notions:

When we touch our true nature of no birth, no death, we touch Nirvana, and that is absolute peace and happiness. Nirvana is available in the here and the now. You don’t have to look for it elsewhere and in the future. It is like the water. The wave doesn’t have to go to look for water. She is water right in the here and the now.

In the Dhammapada the Buddha said: “The deer enjoy the countryside and the forest. The birds enjoy going back to the sky. The wise people like to go back to Nirvana in the here and the now.” You can understand the expression resting in God the same way. God is the nature of no birth, no death, no coming, no going. It is possible to touch the ultimate reality as God and lose all your fear. Resting in God is touching Nirvana. To me it is the same thing.

Our Day of Practice will be led by Mitchell Ratner and other experienced members of the Still Water Community and will take place in the Octagon at Blueberry Gardens in Ashton, Maryland. Our tentative program is below. The suggested donation for the day is $40-$75. Please feel free to contribute less or more according to your circumstances.

We hope you can join us. To register, please go to our web site: www.StillWaterMPC.org. If you have questions, please contact Barbra Esher, our registrar for this event, at “shiatsuacupuncture@verizon.net. For directions, go to www.blueberrygardens.org.

Nirvana is Now or Never Schedule

8:45 9:00 9:30 10:00 10:30 11:40 12:00 1:00 1:45 2:30 3:30	Registration and settling in Welcoming and deep relaxation of the body Sitting meditation Walking meditation Dharma talk: “Nirvana is Now” (Part 1) Outdoor walking meditation Silent vegetarian potluck meal together Dharma talk: “Nirvana is Now” (Part 2) Silent ourdoor walking Dharma sharing Closing Bell

In The Energy of Prayer Thich Nhat Hanh recommends daily prayer as part of a fully developed mindfulness practice.

If we don’t pray and deepen our spiritual practice, we suffer intensely when we don’t have what we want in the world. But when we have been in touch with the essence, the suchness of all things, then it doesn’t matter if we don’t have what we want. Before, if we were not successful in what we wanted, we thought our whole life was a failure. But when we have been in touch with the ultimate dimension, then whether our temple or our practice center burns down, whether people smear our reputation, are jealous of us, or accuse us unjustly we can still smile and be peaceful and joyful as usual. What we thought to be success, what we thought to be the basis of our happy life, we do not need anymore.

What does Thich Nhat Hanh mean by prayer? How is it different from prayer many of us experienced as children? How do we incorporate prayer into our daily practice?

These are some of the questions we will address in a four-session workshop beginning on April 4. The workshop is part of our Deepening Our Practice series which offers experienced practitioners the opportunity to explore specific mindfulness practices and share their experiences in a supportive environment.

During this workshop we will work especially with Thich Nhat Hanh ‘s book The Energy of Prayer: How to Deepen Your Spiritual Practice (Parallax Press, 2006).

We will meet in Takoma Park, Maryland, from 7 to 9 pm on four Wednesdays (April 4 and 18, May 2 and 16, 2012).

A solid foundation in mindfulness practice and a commitment to daily practice are pre-requisites for participation in the Deepening Our Practice groups. Ideally, participants will have built their foundation through:

• regular attendance for one year or more in a mindfulness practice group, such as the Thursday or Sunday evening Still Water groups, 
• participation in 10 days or more of residential attendance at retreats with Thich Nhat Hanh or other mindfulness teachers, or,
• participation in practice-focused classes, such as Mitchell’s Smiling Like a Buddha class. 
  

The suggested meditation practice commitment is 20 minutes of sitting meditation and 20 minutes of outdoor walking meditation per day, 5-7 days per week, along with other practices that nourish mindful attention throughout the day.

If you have questions about whether your preparation is appropriate, or other questions about the workshop, please contact Mitchell (Mitchell@StillWaterMPC.org or 301 270 8353).

The workshop is offered in accord with the spirit of Dana. Participants are encouraged to make a donation to the Still Water MPC that accords with the promptings of their heart and their personal circumstances. The tax-deductible contributions are used to support the community and provide a modest salary to Mitchell. All donations are appreciated. The suggested donation range for the four sessions is $80 to $130.

You are invited to join us Saturday, May 26, for a Still Water MPC Day of Practice. Throughout the day, we will practice mindfulness together as a community, sitting and walking, enjoying the splendor of spring, eating a meal, and sharing our experiences.

For many of us, there is little time in our daily lives to refresh ourselves. We are focused on schedules and tasks, and on meeting other people's needs. A day of practice is a time for regeneration, paying attention to our bodies and allowing our minds to clear. In The Sun My Heart, Thich Nhat Hanh compares the benefits of silent meditation to the the settling of a glass of fresh apple juice:

The apple juice became clear after resting awhile. In the same way, if we rest in meditation awhile, we too become clear. This clarity refreshes us and gives us strength and serenity. As we feel ourselves refreshed, our surroundings also become refreshed. Children like to be near us, not just to get candy and hear stories. They like to be near us because they can feel this “freshness.”’

Our Day of Practice will be led by Mitchell Ratner and other experienced members of the Still Water community and will take place in the Octagon at Blueberry Gardens in Ashton, Maryland. Our tentative program is below. The suggested donation for the day is $40-$70, though please feel free to contribute less or more according to your circumstances.

To register, please go to our web site: www.StillWaterMPC.org. If you have questions, please email info@StillWaterMPC.org or call 301 270-8353. For directions to Blueberry Gardens, go to www.blueberrygardens.org.

Touching Life Deeply Schedule

You are invited, to join the Still Water community onSunday Morning, July 17, 2011, for a visit to the National Park Service’s Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens. Friends and family are most welcome.

We’ll walk, look, breathe, eat, and chat together.  Please bring a vegetarian picnic brunch item to share.

Our tentative schedule is:

9:00 Gathering and set-up
9:15 Informal tea and introductions
9:45 Brief introduction to walking meditation and mindful flower viewing
9:50 Lotus and water lilly contemplation
10:30 Pot-luck vegetarian brunch
12:00 (or so) Goodbyes

Directions are below. Visit the National Park Service’s web site to learn more about the history of the garden and to view a map showing the location of the gardens.

We will be gathering at the picnic tables a bit beyond the visitors' center.

If you can come, please let us know what you will be bringing, who will be with you, and the ages of anyone under 18. To register click here.

If you have questions,please email info@stillwatermpc.org or call 301 270-8353.

From A Guide to Walking Meditation by Thich Nhat Hanh

Walking meditation is practicing meditation while walking.  It can bring you joy and peace while you practice it.  Take short steps in complete relaxation; go slowly with a smile on your lips, with your heart open to an experience of peace.  You can feel truly at ease with yourself.  Your steps can be those of the healthiest, most secure person on earth.  All sorrows and worries can drop away while you are walking.  To have peace of mind, to attain self-liberation, learn to walk in this way.  It is not difficult.  You can do it.  Anyone can do it who has some degree of mindfulness and a true intention to be happy.

To Get There:

Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens is located in northeast Washington, D.C., near the Maryland boundary along the tidal Anacostia River. The entrance to the Aquatic Gardens is just west of I-295 (Kenilworth Avenue), between Quarles and Douglas Streets, at 1550 Anacostia Avenue, NE. ( Directions and a map are available online.)