Weekly Email 10-27-23
Dear Common Ground Friends,
Please join in this November for a rich month of dharma offerings at Common Ground. Kyoko Katayama will be leading the Sunday morning Weekly Practice Group on November 5, and many of our beloved and wise community teachers will be leading the Wednesday night and Sunday evening Practice Groups. Please click on the images below for the full schedule.
Our Co-Guiding teachers will be away teaching on the east coast. Shelly Graf is assisting a six-week retreat at IMS, and Mark Nunberg is teaching for four weeks at the Forest Refuge. Mark will Zoom in and be livestreamed into the meditation hall for most Sunday morning Weekly Practice Groups in November.
Wishing everyone nourishment and insight.
May all beings be safe and protected.
With metta,
Robin Major
Common Ground Office Manager
Spring Maintenance Day!
October 28, 9:30 AM-12:45 PM
Join Common Ground’s Building Committee for a morning of fixing, maintenance, and cleaning at the city center. All skills welcome. We will end with a meal together at noon.
The Practice of Generosity
Programs with our Co-Guiding Teachers
Visiting our online calendar is the best way to find the correct times and Zoom links.
The Sure Heart’s Release
Year End Retreat with Wynn Fricke, Mark Nunberg, and Shelly Graf
Tuesday, Dec 26 – Sunday, Dec 31| In-person at the city center, retreat center, and on Zoom | Register here
A lottery for in-person spots at the retreat center will be run on November 9.
With Mark Nunberg
Weekly Practice Groups with Mark
Sundays, 10:30-11:45 AM, in-person, on Zoom, and live-streamed to YouTube
- Nov 5 with Kyoko Katayama
- Nov 5 with Stacy McClendon
Lovingkindness Practice Group
First Fridays, 7:00-8:30 PM, with Stacy McClendon, in-person and on Zoom
Community Practice Check-ins
Sundays, 4:30-5:30 PM, on Zoom with Wynn Fricke, Zoom only
Tuesdays, 12:00-1:00 PM, on Zoom with Stacy McClendon, Zoom only, Mark joins on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month.
With Shelly Graf
Weekly Practice Group with Shelly
Wednesday evenings, 7:30-9:00 PM, in-person and on Zoom
- November 1 with Jean Haley
Half-Day and Daylong Retreats with Shelly Graf
- Half-Day: Saturday, December 2 | 9:30 – 4:00PM | In-person and on Zoom | Register here
Sunday, October 29 | 1:30 – 3:30 PM
In-person only
No registration necessaryHalf-Day Retreat with Jean Haley
Saturday, November 4 | 1:00-5:00 PM
In-person and on Zoom
Register hereHalf-Day Retreat for the BIPOC Community with Stacy McClendon and TBD
Saturday, November 11 | 1:00-5:00 PM
More info and registration coming soon
Seven Noble Qualities of a Friend with Patrice Koelsch
Saturday, November 18 | 9:30 AM-12:30 PM
In-person only
Register here
Sound Bath with Marc Anderson
Sunday, November 19 | 3:00 – 4:30 PM
In-person only
Register here
Ongoing Teacher-Led Programs
As always, our online calendar is the best way to find the correct times and Zoom links.
Open Meditation
Check our online calendar for times and details. There are many opportunities for silent meditation, 7 days a week, in-person and on Zoom.
- First Thursdays, 7:00-8:30 PM, Developing the Art of Spiritual Inquiry with Ramesh Sairam. On Zoom only.
- Every other Saturday, 10:30 AM-12:00 PM, on Zoom with Ramesh Sairam
- Tuesdays, 12:00-1:00 PM, on Zoom with Stacy McClendon, on Zoom, joined by Mark Nunberg on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month.
Meets every Friday, 7:00-8:30 PM.
In-person and on Zoom
- Children’s Program: Kindergarten- 3rd grade, every other Sunday 10:30-11:45 AM
- Preteen Program: 4th grade- 7th grade, every other Sunday 10:30-11:45 AM
- Teen Practice Group: Next meeting is Sunday, October 22nd, 10:30-11:45 AM
Programs at Our Retreat Center
Common Ground Retreat Center is located in Wisconsin, about an hour-and-fifteen-minute drive from Minneapolis.
CLICK HERE for more info and registration for retreat center programs. We have many upcoming practice periods and retreats.
Volunteer Opportunities
Please contact Robin Major, at robin@commongroundmeditation.org if you are interested in any of these volunteer opportunities:
- Snow Removal: Join the Common Ground snow removal team to help shovel and snowblow to keep the center’s sidewalks clear after snowstorms.
- Audio Editing: For talks uploaded to dharmaseed. The audio editing is easy to learn, no previous experience required. 1-2 hours per week, or every other.
- Graphic design: One or two graphic designers to support the buildout for a new website. Experience with mobile-friendly graphic design preferred.
- Bell ringing: For a community member who is interested in training to be a practice leader at one of the morning in-person silent sits.
- Tree trimming: A community member with skill and experience trimming trees; for a tree at the city center.
Community News
Correction to Last Week’s Newsletter
In last week’s newsletter, a formatting error was made. The third paragraph down, beginning with “In meditation…” is a quote from Ajahn Sumedho, not words from Mark Nunberg.
Young Adult Community Group
There is interest in a monthly young adult community group at the center. If you consider yourself a young adult and are interested in helping to initiate this community group, we are looking for folks who have residential retreat experience with Insight Meditation and have been around Common Ground Meditation Center for a few years. If this is you please let Robin Major, robin@commongroundmeditation.org, know. We are aiming to start the group in January of 2024. You can also let us know if you just want to be on the email list for this young adult group.
Upcoming Community Group Meetings
To view a complete list of our regular program offerings, visit our upcoming programs page on our website. As always, our online calendar is the best way to find the correct times and Zoom links.
- Be Queer Now: First Wednesdays of the month, next meeting is November 1st, 7:30-9:00 PM
- Black, Indigenous, People of Color Community Group, First and Third Thursdays, next meeting is November 2nd, 6:30-8:00 PM
- Zoom: Buddhism and Other Religions Book Group, Saturday, November 11th, 9:00-10:30 AM
- Refirement Group, Thursday, November 16th, 12:00-2:00 PM
- Mindfulness & Depression, November 19th, 4:00-5:30 PM
- Learning to Approach Social and Political Conflict with Skill and Kindness, Sunday, November 26th, 1:30-3:00 PM
- To see the complete list of community groups, click here.
Why Is There So Little Wisdom?
YOGI:
Why is delusion so strong, and
why is there so little wisdom?
SAYADAW U TEJANIYA:
Because delusion wants to remain
deluded, and because we have been
“practicing” delusion for eons.
Thanks to The Daily Tejaniya for this quote
Rainbow above the field at Common Ground Meditation Center last weekend Photo by Pietro Ferrero
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