Dear Friends,

Sitting in the Dark

Solstice: In just a few short weeks, the night will be the longest in the northern hemisphere. For most of us, when we get out of bed in the morning, it is still night outside. Before we know it, the sun begins to fade in the afternoon and we reflexively flick on the light. The light is what we want, we think. Light is associated with hope and freedom. The light helps us to carry on our daily activities. The light helps us to distinguish one thing from the other. The dark is what we avoid.

Even the very word for the Buddha’s Awakening is called en-lighten-ment. But a sure release and freedom of our heart is beyond light and dark. Siddhartha Gautama sat through the dark nights to awaken and became the Buddha, the Enlightened.

One time the Buddha “was seated under the open sky, on a night of blinding darkness, while oil lamps were burning.” He observed a great number of winged insects drawn to the light only to be burned by it. Then he made this utterance: “So obsessed are some by what is seen and heard/They fly just like these moths—straight into the flames.” (Adhipataka Sutta: Like Moths to the Flame)

The dark has its own gift when we can go beyond our habitual preference to the light. This is the season we are blessed with an abundance of dark; why not receive its gift? For several years now I have had a practice of sitting in the pre-dawn dark, outside under the sky when the weather permits, and receiving teachings from it.

In the dark, senses other than seeing come alive. I hear a dog barking to the south. Sometimes the first birds begin to make their morning song. A car engine is started in the west. Far away I hear the din of the highway. The sound rises and disperses. I feel the breeze on my cheeks, the warmth of the blanket on my neck. Because the boundaries of the objects are obscured in the dark, and the mind is not distracted by bright colors that catch my attention, I experience the space around and above me as vast and enveloping. With my eyes open, I settle into an open awareness in the dark. The sense of a distinct, separate self diffuses and I am part of the land and the sky, and all interdependent beings though I cannot see—not only the two-legged, but the four-legged, the winged, the finned, the scaly, the rooted…

In this season toward the darkest night, I invite you to experiment with sitting in the dark with your eyes open. What senses might come alive for you? What might you discover about the dark that you didn’t know before?

Kyoko Katayama
CG Dharma Teacher

Upcoming Programs: In Person at Common Ground

*As a reminder, vaccination, masking, and social distancing are required for in-person programs.*

Silent Open Meditation
Monday-Saturday, 7:30-8:30am,
Sundays 8:30-9:30am,
Tuesdays from 7:30-9:00pm, &
Wednesdays, 11:00am-12:00pm

• WAITLIST ONLY: Practice Period with Matthew King and Tracey Ghilardi
  Thursday evening, December 16th – Sunday mid-day December 19th. Registration here.

Upcoming Programs: Online

Wednesday, December 1st

• Shelly Graf will lead the Weekly Practice Group; a cornerstone for one’s practice by providing ongoing instruction and teachings that will help illuminate the simple but challenging practice of mindfulness. 7:30pm-9:00pm on Zoom.

The Practice of Generosity

Continuing in the tradition of Buddhist monasteries in Southeast Asia, all programs at Common Ground are offered free of charge in the spirit of generosity. This offering is possible because of the generosity of people like you—from the Buddha on down to all the people in our community—who contribute their practice, time, and financial resources to support the continuation of the center.

To learn how to support the center and our teachers, visit this page. Let us know if you have any questions.

Current Volunteer Needs

• Snowblowing Team: We’re still looking for a few more snow removal volunteers! If you’re interested email gabe@commongroundmeditation.org. The way we do it is you sign up for times when you’re on call to respond if there’s a snowfall. We need both shovelers and people to operate the snowblower. Snowblowing training provided :)
• Weekly Sunday Evening Cleaning: Every Sunday evening there is a drop-in Community Cleaning time from 6-7pm, led by community leaders Brad Dupre and Dave Redelman.
• Tuesday evening bellringer: We’re looking for someone interested in ringing the bell for the evening sit on Tuesdays, 7:30-9:00pm, once or twice a month. Email gabe@commongroundmeditation.org if interested.
• Flower arrangers: Do you like flowers? We are looking for a couple flower-arranging volunteers at Common Ground. Training provided! Email gabe@commongroundmeditation.org if interested.
• Cooking for Practice Periods at Prairie Farm: There is a tradition in Buddhism of supporting people doing intensive retreat practice. We are always looking for volunteers interested in cooking and freezing meals ahead of time for retreatants at Prairie Farm. You can see a list of recipes here. Common Ground has pots and tupperware you can borrow for cooking and freezing. Contact retreatcenter@commongroundmeditation.org if you wish to offer a meal. Or to donate in support of groceries for the retreatants, you can designate a gift for “CG Retreat Center” here.

Community News

   Upcoming Community Group Meetings

• Be Queer Now Meditation Sangha, Wed. Dec 1st, 7:30-9:00pm on Zoom.
• Mindfulness & Depression Community Group, Sun. Dec 5th, 4:00-5:30pm on Zoom.
• Tea and Dharma Community Group, Tue. Nov. 30th. In Person, 8:00-9:00am.

Weekly Tejaniya
When Facing Overwhelm, Take Strength From Tiny Moments
At these times we need
to take strength from tiny
moments. Take a moment to
go within yourself. Meditate,
don’t think. Don’t think of any-
thing. Take the moment to just
drop into the present moment
and gather your mind. This is
where concentration prac-
tice is very helpful.