Dear Common Ground Community,

Last Sunday evening while Wynn Fricke was giving a Dharma Talk on fear, there was gun fire between two motorists on 27th Ave and our building was hit by several bullets. Most gratefully, nobody in the building was hurt. The damage to the building included 2 broken windows and some minor damage to the exterior. Common Ground has had a home in the Seward neighborhood for 29 years and we remain invested in being in the heart of our Twin Cities community so that these teachings and practices are accessible for all. These rare and unfortunate events remind us of our human vulnerability and our capacity to respond with compassion. Our practice is to keep opening to the truth of uncertainty while cultivating the sensitivity and stability of present moment awareness. Common Ground will continue to prioritize the safety of all who walk through the doors at our city center, and we will continue to offer in-person dharma programs to all who seek a reliable place to cultivate the heart of wisdom and love. One of the blessings of adversity is the many ways the community expresses its natural goodness. We were reminded of this on Sunday night when so many people stayed to help clean up glass and we were reminded of this again on Monday when community members and neighbors stopped by just to check in.

We welcome your thoughts and concerns that this news might bring forward for you. If you happened to be at the Sunday evening practice group, we’d love to hear how you’re practicing with your immediate experience of being there. We continue to be grateful for this community and the neighborhood we are part of.

Warmly,

Mark, Shelly, and Wynn

Weekly Programs

To view our entire list of programs and to access Zoom links to participate in online programs, please visit the online calendar. 

Weekly Practice Groups

• Sunday mornings, 10:30-11:45am on Zoom with Mark Nunberg (with an option to watch the livestream together in person in the meditation hall)
  • Sunday, May 15th with Nils Heymann
  • Sunday, May 22nd with Shelly Graf
• Sunday evenings, 7:00-8:30pm in-person with Mark Nunberg
  • Sunday, May 15th with Ramesh Sairam
  • Sunday, May 22nd with Stacy McClendon
• Wednesday evenings, 7:30-9:00pm on Zoom with Shelly Graf
  • Wednesday, May 11th with Patrice Koelsch

• First Wednesday of the month: Community Group led by Matthew King and other practice leaders
• Third Wednesday of the month: Monthly Practice Group with Mark Nunberg and guest teachers

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 

• Wish List for the retreat center: We are looking for a large cooking pot (sized for 15 or more servings) and comfy sitting chairs for the bedrooms.
• 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. No RSVP needed.
• Bellringers (in-person): We’re looking for volunteers interested in ringing the bell for the morning sits on Tuesday mornings, 8:00- 8:30am.  Email info@commongroundmeditation.org if interested.

Community News

 Spring Maintenance Day!

Weekly Tejaniya

Try to practice meditation
wherever you are, as much
as you can. Keep persevering
and don’t let what you have
learned go to waste.

 Thanks to The Daily Tejaniya for this quote

Kuan Yin resting in the garden