Dear Friends,

The tragic racist killings in Buffalo, New York have exposed again the simple truth that hate warps the heart in ways that can allow someone to commit terrible acts. White supremacy, anti semitism, sexism, and so many other expressions of hate continue to reverberate in our communities, and more importantly in our own hearts. How can we take responsibility for all the little and big ways we justify hate and fear? How can we learn to make conscious the hidden roots of hate that lie latent in our hearts? If we really want to care for the African American community, and so many other communities of folks who are being regularly targeted due to ignorance and hate, then we must do something that leads to real change. Being real and honest is a noble starting place. We continue by learning how to uncover and more deeply trust the heart’s capacity for tenderness, vulnerability and the healing power of metta (spiritual love), especially in those places where our heart wants to close down or turn toward the more familiar ground of fear and hate (this also includes expressions of self hate). Finally, each of us in our own way must find a brave and deep resolve to engage our life with our imperfect love and wisdom for the benefit and liberation of all beings. No one can tell us how to do this, instead the sensitive and wise heart demands a turning toward and a natural responsivity to all that it sees and feels.
Wishing the deepest healing and awakening for all beings,

Mark and Shelly

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 22nd with Shelly Graf
• Sunday evenings, 7:00-8:30pm in-person with Mark Nunberg
  • Sunday, May 22nd with Stacy McClendon, Shelly Graf, and Wynn Fricke
• Wednesday evenings, 7:30-9:00pm on Zoom with Shelly Graf

Monthly Practice Groups

• Fourth Fridays, 7:00-8:30pm on Zoom, Lovingkindness with Stacy McClendon
• First Fridays, 7-8:30pm on Zoom, Lovingkindness with Mark Nunberg

Community Practice Check-Ins

• Sundays, 4:30-5:30pm with Mark Nunberg and Wynn Fricke, on Zoom
• Tuesdays, 12:00-1:00pm with Stacy McClendon (Mark Nunberg joining on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month), on Zoom
• Fridays, 9:00-10:00am with Shelly Graf, on Zoom
• Every other Saturday, 10:30am-12:00pm with Ramesh Sairam, on Zoom
• Every first Tuesday of the month, 8:00-9:00am, with Mark Nunberg, in person

Open Meditation
Join fellow community members for meditation practice in person or online, 7 days a week. Visit the calendar for times and details.

Yoga & Qigong
We offer Yoga and Qigong several times a week, both in person and online. Click here for times and details.

Mindfulness, Recovery, and the Twelve Steps
Meets every Friday, 7:00-8:30pm. Zoom only.
From June 3rd – July 29th, the Mindfulness, Recovery, and Twelve Steps group will be offered in-person and over Zoom. For more info click here.

Upcoming Programs: Online Only

To see full list of programs and access Zoom links for online programs visit our calendar.

MBSR-Based Mindfulness Practice with Nancy Boros
Mondays, 12:00 -1:00pm

InterPlay with Spruce Krause
Thursday, June 9th. 7:00 -8:30pm

Daylong Retreat with Mark Nunberg & Shelly Graf
Saturday, June 11th 10:00 – 3:00pm
Zoom only. More info and registration here.

Mindful Self-Compassion Practice Group with Jean Haley and Jane Rauenhorst
Friday, May 20th 7:00 -8:30pm

Book Study: The Citadel of Awareness with Merra Young
Wednesday, June 22nd, 12:15–1:30pm

Upcoming Programs: In Person/Hybrid at Common Ground
To see full list of programs visit our calendar

Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation with Stacy McClendon & Shelly Graf
3 Tuesdays: May 17th – May 31st, 7:30 – 9:00pm
More info and registration here.

Daylong Retreat with Mark Nunberg 
Saturday, May 28th, 9:30am – 4:00pm
In-person or on Zoom. More info and registration here.

Sound Bath Meditation with Marc Anderson
Sunday, May 22nd 2:00 – 4:00pm
In-person Only
More info and registration here.

Half-day Retreat with Mark Nunberg
Saturday, June 4th 1:00 – 5:00pm
In-person or on Zoom. More info and registration here.

Workshop with Shannon Gibney: Writing as a Practice of Freedom
June 19th, 2:00 – 4:00pm
In-person only
More info and registration here.

Buddhist Studies Summer Course
Sila: Moral Integrity, Non-Harming, and the Bliss of Blamelessness
In-person and on Zoom
8 Mondays, June 27th – August 15th | 7:30 – 9:00pm
More info and registration here.

Upcoming In-Person/Hybrid Programs at our retreat center

Common Ground Retreat Center is located in Wisconsin, about an hour-and-fifteen-minute drive from Minneapolis. Registration for the following programs can be found here. 

Practice Period for BIPOC Practitioners with Jen Racho & Zenzele Isoke
5:30pm Thursday, May 26th – 2:00pm Sunday, May 29th

BIPOC Community Day of Mindfulness Practice
With Jen Racho & Zenzele Isoke
Saturday, May 27th from 9:30 – 4:30pm

Embodied Dharma: an Insight Meditation Retreat with Ayya Niyyanika, Shelly Graf, and Wynn Fricke
5:30pm Thursday, June 2nd – 12:30pm Sunday, June 5th

June Practice Periods with Wynn Fricke & Gabe Keller-Flores:

• 5:30pm Wednesday, June 8th – 2:00pm Sunday, June 12th.
• 5:30pm Thursday June 16th – 2:00pm Sunday, June 19th.
• 5:30pm Wednesday June 22nd – 2:00pm Sunday, June 26th.

In addition to these weekend retreats, we also offer public drop-in groups on select Wednesdays at the retreat center, 6:30-7:45pm.

• 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

More info about these Wednesday night programs here.

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

 Join the Mowers!
We are looking for a few more volunteers to join the city center mowing team. Emailinfo@commongroundmeditation.org if you are interested.

Garden Work Days
Garden work days are on the first Saturday of the month from 10am – 12pm. If you’d like to be added to the garden listserv, please contact Kathleen at keschuler47@gmail.comor robin@commongroundmeditation.org. The next garden work day will be Saturday, June 4th.

Upcoming Community Group Meetings:

• Be Queer Now, weekly on Wednesday, 7:30-9:00pm
• Black, Indigenous, People of Color Community Group, Thursday May 19th, 6:30-8:00pm
• Refirement Community Group for Retirees, Thursday May 19th, 12:00-2:00pm
• Millenials Sangha, Friday May 27th, 7:00 – 8:30pm
• Mindfulness & Depression, Sunday, June 5th, 4:00-5:30pm
• Community Group for Organizers & Social Justice Activists, Thursday June 9th, 6:00-7:30pm
• Christianity-Buddhism Book Group, June 11th, 9:00 – 10:15am

View public calendar for Zoom links and more information.
To see the complete list of community groups, click here.

Teen Practice Group
For more info, click here.

Weekly Tejaniya

Wisdom is freedom. Anything can
come, and anything can be the experi-
ence. Whatever it is, is fine.

 Thanks to The Daily Tejaniya for this quote