Ozarks Dharma Community

New to meditation or looking for a peaceful evening of practice? Connect with others for a  Community Meditation by Candlelight  on Thursday evening, November 15th from 6:30-7:30pm. Ozarks Dharma Community will host this free event in The Gallery at National Avenue Christian Church (parking and directions  here ). All are welcome. This relaxed format includes: Brief Intro  with help on posture, etc as needed Sitting Meditation 30 min with first 10 min guided Short Break  5 min in silence Closing Metta/Lovingkindness Meditation  15 min briefly guided Cushions, blankets, mats and chairs are available. You are also welcome to bring your own. Questions? Contact us via  facebook  or email Rowena at rowena.raborar@gmail.com. We look forward to seeing you!

Are you new to meditation or looking for a peaceful evening of practice? Connect with others for a Community Meditation by Candlelight on Thursday evening, September 13th from 6:30-8pm. Ozarks Dharma Community will host this free event in The Gallery at National Avenue Christian Church (parking and directions here ). All are welcome. This relaxed format includes: Brief introduction 20 min sitting meditation (first 10 minutes guided) 20 min walking meditation (first 5 minutes guided) 25 min sitting meditation (silent)  Closing gratitude practice (there will be some time for questions and conversation after the closing).  Cushions, blankets, mats and chairs are available. You are also welcome to bring your own. Questions? Contact us via facebook or email us at ozarksdharma@gmail.com. We look forward to seeing you!

Our most recent  Saturday Study  meeting was August 25, 2018. The topic was  "The Noble Eightfold Path (Part 1)." Saturday Study meetings usually occur on the 3rd Saturday of every month after our regular 9am meditation. Our next Saturday Study is scheduled for September 15, 2018. The meeting will start around 10:15am and last about 45 minutes. If you're just joining this series, you can review our August 25 material by listening to  "The Noble Eightfold Path (Part 11)" by American Buddhist teacher, Upasaka Culadasa  here . We've been studying over several months. The complete curriculum (specifically, Parts 7-12) is available  here .  We welcome your participation at any point. Pre-meeting notes for the Aug 25 discussion,  read  here .  Looking for Saturday Study support?  Join our  Saturday Study facebook group . This is a "closed group" which simply means you need to request to join through the facebook app or by emailing us your

Every 9am Saturday Group Meditation is followed by a short and lively discussion on a Buddhist text. This week we'll begin exploring the Samyutta Nikaya, known as the "Connected Discourses of the Buddha." These short discourses are "connected" or "grouped" by theme. The full collection contains 2,889 suttas but we'll be working from a curated list  here . Each week's upcoming verse will be posted on our calendar page  and facebook . On Saturday, June 9, 2018, we'll start with SN 1.1 "Crossing Over the Flood." You can read it  here . As a reminder, Saturday meditations and discussions are always open to newcomers and familiar faces alike. And if it's your first time, get new visitor details  here . We look forward to sitting and sharing with you. Link list: For a summary of where the Samyutta Nikaya (SN) sits within the Pali Canon, see Jeff's notes  here .  For the curated, online version of the SN transla

Join Ozarks Dharma Community for a Daylong Meditation Retreat at the Hermitage. When : Sunday, May 20, 2018, 9am-4pm  Where :  Hermitage Spiritual Retreat Center  near Lake Pomme de Terre, 1.25 hours north of Springfield  Take the time to slow down, breathe and relax, and cultivate mindfulness with fellow yogis in the beauty of nature. New and experienced meditators are welcome. If you plan to attend the retreat, please put your name on the Retreat Sign-up Sheet at our next 9am Saturday Meditation . Or send your name, phone and email to ozarksdharma@gmail.com by Monday, May 14. FORMAT 8:30am   Registration The suggested donation is $15 per person at the door. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Any amount paid above $15 helps those who may not otherwise be able to attend. 9:00am   Retreat Begins Guidance for new meditators will be available at the start of the retreat. The remainder of the day will be held in Noble Silence. Group sitting periods of 40

Our  Saturday Study series  continues on May 19, 2018. The theme is "The Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path." Saturday Study meetings occur on the 3rd Saturday of every month after our regular 9am meditation. Each Saturday Study meeting will start around 10:15am and last about 45 minutes. Before joining us on May 19, please listen to the 60-minute dharma talk, "The Four Noble Truths (Part 8)" by American Buddhist teacher, Upasaka Culadasa  here . We'll delve into The Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path over several months. The complete curriculum (specifically, Parts 7-12) is available  here .  We welcome your participation at any point but you may develop a richer understanding if you are able to attend consistently over time. Pre-meeting notes for the May 19 discussion, read  here .  Looking for Saturday Study support? Join our Saturday Study facebook group . This is a "closed group" which simply means you need to request to

We're excited to begin our new Saturday Study series  on The Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. Saturday Study meetings occur on the 3rd Saturday of every month after our regular 9am meditation. Each Saturday Study meeting will start around 10:15am and last about 45 minutes. Our next Saturday Study is on April 21, 2018. Before coming, please listen to the 45-minute dharma talk, "The Four Noble Truths (Part 7)" by American Buddhist teacher, Upasaka Culadasa  here . We'll delve into The Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path over several months. We welcome your participation at any point but you may develop a richer understanding if you are able to attend consistently over time. Want complete details on Saturday Study? Read  here .  Looking for Saturday Study support? Join our Saturday Study facebook group . This is a "closed group" which simply means you need to request to join through the facebook app or by emailing us your facebook

The Show Me Dharma Sangha of Columbia, MO will sponsor an Insight Meditation weekend retreat, April 6-8, 2018, with Carol Blotter on the topic of Dependent Origination. Retreat Description What makes me tick? Why do I keep getting caught up in behaviors that create so much suffering? Who am I really? If there is no self, who is suffering?  If you have wondered about these or other questions around how to break the patterns that cause suffering, then consider joining Show Me Dharma for the upcoming retreat on Dependent Origination (also known as the Law of Conditionality). This important teaching explains the creation of suffering as a looping chain of events that perpetuates craving and the illusion of a self. During this weekend retreat, we will discern how this dependently originated cycle occurs and how we get stuck in perpetuating the sense of unsatisfactoriness and the illusion of an independent permanent self. We'll also explore two ways to break the cy

Ozarks Dharma Community is happy to announce a new Saturday Study, every third Saturday of the month starting March 17, 2018. Led by ODC Facilitators, Saturday Study will explore the Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path. What are the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path? The Buddha taught about “dukkha”, an ancient Indian word frequently translated as suffering. However, dukkha can also be translated as stress, unsatisfactory, unease, out-of-joint, out-of-synch, etc. The Buddha taught the Four Noble Truths that: dukkha occurs; dukkha is caused by craving, which arises out of ignorance, attachment and aversion; dukkha ceases; and we can cultivate an Eightfold Path that leads to the cessation of dukkha. That path entails a practice by which we can learn to pay attention to and become skillful in eight inter-related domains of our behavior: views, intention, speech, conduct, livelihood, effort, concentration, and mindfulness. How does Saturday Study work? In S

Practice with senior dharma teachers in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh at the Maria Center in St. Louis, March 24-25, 2018. The theme is "Practicing Mindfulness in Time of Uncertainty" and is a chance to nourish peace and joy and experience real transformation and healing. Read more and register at the sponsoring sangha's website, Midwest Moon Sangha .

Imagine developing an internal environment in which the heart orients towards friendliness, caring, gratitude and a non-reactive balance – this is the amazing invitation of developing Heart Practices! Learn these practices with Insight Meditation teacher, Heather Sundberg , April 17-22, 2018 in St. Louis MO. Heather has studied with senior teachers in the Insight Meditation (Vipassana) and Tibetan (Vajrayana) traditions. She completed the Spirit Rock/IMS Teacher Training program and has been teaching since 1999. Heather’s style is warm and practical, emphasizing embodiment (to balance out the ‘over-headiness’ of our general culture) including strong heartfulness in practice. This retreat will be held in the supportive tone of Noble Silence, with daily instructions and guided practice on qualities of the awakening heart (lovingkindness, compassion, joy and equanimity). Prerequisites: One retreat (at least a weekend, residential or non-residential) in mindfulness practice, o

This April 13-15, Katog Mountain Retreat Center in northwest Arkansas will host Tibetan Buddhist teacher, Khenchen Tsultrim Lodro Rinpoche for a 3-day seminar called "Heartdrop of My Heart Advice." Seminar and teacher details here .  If you'd like to attend & carpool, please contact ODC member Haiyuan Xiong at freeflyhai (at) hotmail.com. 

Please join Ozarks Dharma Community for an hour-long candlelight meditation on Wednesday evening, March 7, 2018, at 7:00 pm. We will host this in The Gallery at National Avenue Christian Church (the same space where we meet for our weekly Saturday meditations). See our Visiting page for directions and parking info. The format: • Brief introduction • 20 min sitting meditation (first 10 min guided) • 20 min walking or standing meditation (instruction if needed) • 20 min sitting meditation (silent) • Brief closing, then a little time to visit Floor cushions and blankets are available in limited quantity; you are welcome to bring your own. If you prefer to sit in a chair, we have plenty. Please plan to be seated by 7:00pm. If you're new to meditation or would like a refresher, come 15 minutes early for more detailed guidance. Questions? Email us at ozarksdharma (at) gmail.com. We look forward to sitting together with all of you in the candlelight!

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