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Sangha Participation Guidelines
Mindfulness is the energy of being aware and awake to the present moment. It is
the continuous practice of touching life deeply in every moment of daily life. To be mindful is
to be truly alive, present and at one with those around you and with what you are doing.
We bring our body and mind into harmony while we wash the dishes, drive the car or take
our morning shower.
In practicing together as a community, our practice of mindfulness becomes more
joyful, relaxed and steady. We are bells of mindfulness for each other, supporting and
reminding each other along the path of practice. With the support of the community, we can
practice to cultivate peace and joy within and around us, as a gift for all of those whom we
love and care for. We can cultivate our solidity and freedom – solid in our deepest
aspiration and free from our fears, misunderstandings and our suﬀering.
(From www.plumvillage.org.)
The sangha at Down Under School of Yoga is a mindfulness meditation community who
gathers together to practice awareness, inclusiveness, love, and freedom. Although our
practice is based primarily on the teachings of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, we also
draw from other spiritual teachers. Everyone is welcome.
The meditation begins at 1:45p.m. and ends at 3:15p.m. If you need to come late or leave
early, please do so with gentle, mindful steps so that you do not disrupt the community
meditation; for example, wait until walking meditation to enter room if you coming in late;
open and close the doors with quiet grace When we enter the meditation room, it is
helpful to take a few deep cleansing breaths, and say to ourselves: “Letting go of my
plans and worries. I have arrived in the here and now. I am home.”
ARRIVING: Arrive ten minutes early so you can take care of your belongings, go to the
bathroom, set up your chair or cushion, and be ready to meditate at 1:45p.m.
1:45-2:30pm SILENT MEDITATION:
SITTING MEDITATION (15MIN): facilitator takes time to breathe and relax before
inviting the bell. Tap the bell gently and say: “Body, speech, and mind in perfect
oneness, I send my heart along with the sound of this bell. May all hearers awaken
from their forgetfulness, and transform their sorrow and anxiety.” Then, invite three full
sounds of the bell, pause for full breaths after each sound of the bell. After 15
minutes, end with one sound of the bell.
WALKING MEDITATION (10MIN): Facilitator invites all to stretch and stand up for
walking meditation. Invite one bell to start, and after ten minutes another bell to end.
Everyone bows together before sitting down for the last sitting.
SITTING MEDITATION (15MIN): Facilitator invites one sound of the bell to start and
end with one sound of the bell.
After the meditation, take a moment to kindly stretch your bodies.
During meditation, we sit either on chairs or cushions. Let your body be still, and your
breath become even. Feel free to make adjustments anytime during sitting if you are
uncomfortable. Let the silence bring you ease and solidity. Notice the quality of your
mind. “Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my
anchor. “ your body and breath becomes still and even, it will be easier to notice the
activities of your puppy mind. No need to judge or criticize. Simply smile, relax the
mind, and return to the anchor of your breath.
It's okay to practice standing, lying down, or walking meditation if it is uncomfortable
to sit.
2:30PM INTRODUCTIONS: Each person bows into the group to state their name slowly
and clearly. Others will bow in response to honor your presence. (Optional: each person
can add a gratitude or something they find nourishing about the practice.)
2:35PM DHARMA READING AND SHARING: You may wish to oﬀer a reading or follow
the sangha's current book. Each person reads a paragraph, pauses, and passes the
book along. Encourage loving speech and deep listening from the heart; discourage
cross-talk, advice, and theoretical discussions. Bow in and bow out. Confidentiality.
Pause between each sharing. Empty your mind to allow for freshness. You may wish not
to read nor share. You may wish to stay in silence during this entire time.
We aspire to create a safe space for us to deepen our practice and share what is true
and alive in our hearts. To do this, we practice a mind of love and understanding. We
cultivate our energy of mindfulness so that we can look deeply into our suﬀering and find
peace and freedom. When you decide to share, it is often helpful to share not just the
suﬀering but how the practice has helped to transform the suﬀering. “Dharma sharing is
an opportunity to benefit from each other's insights and experience of the practice. It is a
special time for us to share our experiences, our joys, our diﬃculties, and our questions
relating to the practice of mindfulness. By practicing deep listening while others are
speaking, we help create a calm and receptive environment. By learning to speak
lovingly about our diﬃculties and joys, we contribute to the collective insight and
understanding of the Sangha.”
3:05PM DANA AND ANNOUNCEMENTS: Ask for dana and leader for the next
sitting.
To end the session, we sit in mindfulness as we listen to three slow, full sounds of the
bell. The facilitator invites 1 short sound of the bell for us to stand, another short bell to
bow to each other, and a third bell to bow to the world outside as we recite “May the
merits of our practice benefit all beings and the earth.”
Or, if there is time, the facilitator may wish to guide a gratitude or metta meditation as a
way to end the sitting.
An example of metta:
Let us dedicate our sitting to those who are
suﬀering. If you wish to oﬀer names, great.
If not, okay too.
Wake up bell - you may begin…
…for all those named and unnamed, we
hold you in our heart.
(1 min silent sitting)
Invite one sound of the bell.
Wake up bellMay all beings be safe and protected.
May all beings have ease of mind and an
open heart.
May all beings live with love, compassion,
and freedom.
Three sounds of the bell
Drafted on Feb 8, 2015 by Yenkuei