Weekly Email 6-1-23
Dear Common Ground Friends,
We are fortunate to have a number of wonderful visiting teachers this month. We hope to see you at one or more of these programs!
Warmly,
Shelly Graf
Co-Guiding Teacher
Tim Burkett: A reading from his new book, Enlightenment is an Accident
Sunday, June 11, 3:30 – 5:00 p.m.
In-person and on Zoom
Register here
devon hase: Metta for Our Times
Friday, June 16, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
In-person and on Zoom
Register here
Deborah Ratner Helzer
Sunday, June 25, 10:30 – 11:45 a.m.
In-person and on Zoom
No registration needed
Nils Heymann: Maneuvering the Simple Complexity and Complex Simplicity of Dhamma Practice
Sunday, June 29, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
In-person only
No registration needed
The Practice of Generosity
Ongoing Programs
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.
Open Meditation
In-person meditation is now available, M-F, starting at 6:30 a.m. Check our online calendar for additional times and details. There are many in-person as well as virtual opportunities for silent meditation, 7 days a week. Visit the calendar for times and details.
Weekly Practice Groups
- Sunday mornings, 10:30-11:45 am in-person and on Zoom with Mark Nunberg
- June 4th with Merra Young
- Sunday evenings, 7:00-8:30 pm in-person with Mark Nunberg
- June 4th with Jean Haley
- Wednesday evenings, 7:30-9:00 pm now in-person and on Zoom with Shelly Graf
- Now in-person and on Zoom! First Fridays, 7:00-8:30 pm, Lovingkindness with Mark Nunberg and Stacy McClendon
- NEW PROGRAM! First Thursdays, 7:00-8:30 pm, Developing the Art of Spiritual Inquiry with Ramesh Sairam. On Zoom in May & June.
- Sundays, 4:30-5:30 pm, on Zoom with Mark Nunberg and Wynn Fricke, on Zoom
- 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.
- Wednesdays, 8:30-9:30 am, in-person with Shelly Graf, assisted by Robin Major
- Fridays, 9:00-10:00 am, on Zoom with Shelly Graf and every other Friday with Shelly and Jen Racho
- Every other Saturday, 10:30 am-12:00 pm, on Zoom with Ramesh Sairam
- NEW! Yoga with Nancy Boler, Mondays from 5:30-6:30pm, in-person only
Meets every Friday, 7:00-8:30 pm.
In-person and on Zoom
On Friday, June 16th, this group will join the guest teacher talk with devon hase
In-person and on Zoom
7:00-8:30pm
- Children’s Program: The Children’s Program is on pause for the summer, except for Sunday, June 18th, the next Community Potluck.
- Teen Program: The teen group will meet 10:30 – 11:30 am on the 2nd and 4th Sundays. You can join the Common Ground teen listserv by emailing info@commongroundmeditation.org.
Upcoming Programs at Common Ground’s City Center
To see the full list of programs visit our calendar
Cultivating Virtue as a Support for Liberation: a Bimonthly Practice Group with Gabe Keller Flores
2nd and 4th Thursdays | 7:00 – 8:30pm
The last meeting is Thursday, June 8th. Gabe will resume a bi-monthly practice group in January.
In-person and on Zoom
No registration necessary
Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation with Stacy McClendon & Mark Nunberg
Six Classes: Tuesday, June 6th – Tuesday, July 11th
7:00 – 8:30 pm CST
In-person and on Zoom
Register here
Half-Day Retreat with Shelly Graf
Saturday, June 10th | 9:00 pm-1:00 pm
In-person and on Zoom
Register here
Buddhist Studies with Mark Nunberg: Divine Abodes
Eight Classes: Mondays, June 12th – July 31st
Optional Sitting Period, 7:00 – 7:30 p.m.
In-person and on Zoom
Register here
Daylong Retreat with Mark Nunberg
Saturday, June 24th | 9:30 am – 4:00 pm
In-person and on Zoom
Register here
Half-Day Retreat with Shelly Graf
Saturday, July 1st | 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
In-person and on Zoom
Register here
Upcoming Programs at our Retreat Center
Common Ground Retreat Center is located in Wisconsin, about an hour-and-fifteen-minute drive from Minneapolis. More information and registration for upcoming programs at the retreat center can be found here
Teacher-Led Practice Period with Wynn Fricke
Thursday, June 8th – Sunday, June 11th
In-person only at the retreat center
More info and registration here
Teacher-Led Practice Period with Wynn Fricke
Thursday, June 15th – Sunday, June 18th
In-person only at the retreat center
More info and registration here
Contemplative Arts Practice Period with Wynn Fricke and Richard Bonk
Thursday, June 22nd – Sunday, June 25th
In-person only at the retreat center
More info and registration here
Educator’s Practice Period with Risa Cohen, Paul Sackaroff, and Cecilia Ramón
Thursday, July 6th – Sunday, July 9th
In-person only at the retreat center
More info and registration here
Renunciation Practice Period
with Mark Nunberg, Cory Clemetson, Rick Condon & Robin Major
Tuesday afternoon, July 11th – mid-day Sunday, July 16th
In-person only at the retreat center
More info and registration here
Labor Day Retreat
with Shelly Graf and Mark Nunberg, assisted by Stacy McClendon and Gabe Keller Flores
Saturday August 26th – Monday September 4th
On Zoom, in person at our city center and in person at our retreat center
More info and registration here
In addition to these weekend retreats, we also offer public drop-in groups on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month at the retreat center, 6:30-7:45 pm. The groups are led by Dharma teachers and community leaders. More info about these Wednesday night programs here.
Current Volunteer Needs
Please contact our Office Manager, Robin Major, at robin@commongroundmeditation.org if you are interested in any of these volunteer opportunities:
- Garden Help: Garden Team Lead Mark Mirick is looking for a couple strong volunteers to help dig up five dying Viburnum from the city center garden.
- Office Volunteers: We are looking for one or more people with 1-2 years of experience at the center and with prior office experience to help us with office tasks and bulletin board maintenance. Experience with G-Suite and general comfort with computer technology would be helpful.
- Wishlists: If you would like to donate a specific item, check out the Retreat Center Wishlist and the City Center Wishlist.
Community News
Community Potluck!
Sunday, June 18th | 12:00 – 1:30pm
Celebrate community and bring a vegetarian dish to share! There will be music. If you’re like to volunteer to help out before, during, or after, click here.
TCVC Retreat with Deborah Helzer & Vance Pryor
June 17th-24th
This retreat, organized by the Twin Cities Vipassana Collective, will be held at St Anthony Spirituality Center in Marathon, Wisconsin. Click here for more info and registration.
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, weekly on Wednesday, 7:30-9:00 PM
- Black, Indigenous, People of Color Community Group, First and Third Thursdays, 6:30-8:00 PM
- Mindfulness & Depression, Sunday, June 4th, 4:00-5:30 PM
- Community Group for Organizers and Social Justice Activists, Thursday, June 8th, 6:00-7:30 PM
- Zoom: Buddhism and Other Religions Book Group, Saturday, June 10th, 9:00 – 10:30 AM
- To see the complete list of community groups, click here.
Don’t Get Lost
When we get lost in our ideas,
opinions, and stories about life,
we easily confuse them with life itself.
It’s like forgetting that a movie
we are watching, is just a movie
and not life itself.
Thanks to The Daily Tejaniya for this quote
Leave a Reply