Ozarks Dharma Community

Philip Moffit, a senior teacher at Spirit Rock, remarked that a half-day retreat can help the mind get still and stabilized. So let's turn our stay-at-home lives into a chance to cultivate stability. We invite you to join our online half-day retreats in September, October & November, hosted by various ODC facilitators. ODC Online Half-Day Retreats Dates : (1) Sunday, September 6; (2) Sunday, October 4; and (3) Sunday, November 8. Each is a stand-alone retreat. Feel free to attend any or all events. Time : 8:00am - 12:00pm. Who Can Attend : Open to beginning and seasoned meditators. Cost : There is no fee to attend. But if you wish to make a donation to ODC, you can via Paypal here . How : These half-day retreats will be held in the ODC main Zoom room. Use the Zoom link below. https://zoom.us/j/2258180988 Meeting ID: 225 818 0988 One tap mobile: +12532158782,,2258180988# US Dial by your location: +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) Format : These retreats will involve both...

Last updated 1/19/22 Due to omicron, all of our events have been shifted to online only events ; please join us on Zoom .  Here is a handy table of our Zoom offerings for your reference. If you have questions, please contact hello@ozarksdharma.org . Room Saturday Meeting ID Zoom Link Saturday Sit room Saturday Sit, 9 AM 225 818 0988 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2258180988

Philip Moffit, a senior teacher at Spirit Rock, remarked that a half-day retreat can help the mind get still and stabilized. So let's turn our stay-at-home lives into a chance to cultivate stability. We invite you to join our online half-day retreats in May and June, hosted by ODC facilitators Rowena Raborar and John Ruff. ODC Online Half-Day Retreats Dates : Sunday, May 24th and Sunday, June 28th. Each is a stand-alone retreat. Feel free to attend one or both events. Time : 8am-12pm Who Can Attend : Open to beginning and seasoned meditators. Cost : There is no fee to attend. But if you wish to make a donation to ODC, you can via Paypal here . How : These half-day retreats will be held in the ODC Ancillary Room. Use the Zoom link below. https://zoom.us/j/5104740209 Meeting ID: 510 474 0209 One tap mobile: +13126266799,,5104740209# US (Chicago) Dial by location: +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) Retreat Format 7:45am - Zoom room opens (say hello, troubleshoot technology issues) 8:00am -...

At today's Saturday meditation, Janet shared Jack Kornfield's " The Bodhisattva Response to the Coronavirus ." Jack is the founding teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California.  Join us every Saturday for meditation at 9am online. Zoom meeting info is here . All are welcome to join.

**Effective June 10, 2020, we are cancelling Thursday Night Open Sits Online. Please consider our other great opportunities for connection and practice: Monday night Grace Free Store service, Tuesday night Recovery Dharma or Saturday morning Meditation.** We hope you are managing ok and staying well during these challenging times! In an effort to help a bit, we are bringing back our Thursday night Open Sit Meditations. The face-to-face sits were originally on the first and third Thursdays, but starting April 16th, we are going to hold these sits  online every Thursday to provide another opportunity to sit together and connect. Instead of sitting for the entire hour, we will reserve time to visit with each other before and after a 30-minute sit. We will open the session at 7 pm and have 15 minutes to visit and connect. The 30-minute sit will follow, and we will finish up with another 15 minutes to visit again. There will be no formal facilitating or Buddhist teaching, but...

**Please note: As of May 30th, 2020, ODC is reducing the frequency of our Sunday online Mettā meditations to once a month, on the first Sunday of each month, at 4:00 pm. The next  Mettā  meditation will be June 7, 2020. (There will be no  Mettā  meditation on May 31).** Mettā - Loving Kindness. Bhāvanā - Cultivation. In times of stress and anxiety Mettā meditation practice teaches us to look at our deepest emotions with compassion and acceptance and radiate that compassion and acceptance back into the world. Rhett Roberson, who is a member of ODC and whom many of us know, is currently participating in Buddhist teacher training. Rhett has offered to lead a short online Mettā meditation practice each week. In building on what we know as “mindfulness,” Mettā creates a familiarity with our own basic kindness. As of May 30th, 2020, online Mettā meditation practice will be the first Sundayy of the month, starting at 4:00 pm. In these sessions, we’ll open with b...

Many of us are experiencing stress and anxiety right now. Steve Eiffert, who is a member of Ozarks Dharma Community (ODC) and whom many of us know, is also a certified yoga instructor. Steve has offered to lead a short yoga & breath practice online each week, immediately prior to our regular Saturday ODC meditation & discussion. The movements taught will be accessible to all, regardless of experience or ability, and are designed to help people use their physical body and breath to settle before sitting down to meditate. Mats will not be required for the first session, but might be needed after that. This online yoga & breath practice will be each Saturday, from 8:30 am to 8:55 am, starting March 28, 2020. To participate in this online yoga & breath practice, you will join a meeting in ODC’s “ancillary” Zoom room using the following URL/Link (or to join by phone, use the other link or number below): https://zoom.us/j/5104740209 Meeting ID: 510 474 0209 On...

Dear Ozarks Dharma Community, As you know, the novel coronavirus situation continues to evolve rapidly. Our healthcare leaders have advised that reduced in-person interaction can help slow transmission of this virus. We live in an interdependent world, and can work together to reduce the potential for harm to ourselves and others. It is in this light that Ozarks Dharma Community has decided to suspend our regular in-person sessions on Saturday mornings and Thursday evenings until further notice. That said, we will continue to connect with one another, and to meditate together on Saturday mornings in a virtual setting, online using Zoom. We will begin to meet online starting Saturday, March 21st. Below is the URL/link that you can click on to join a “zoom meeting” to participate in our Saturday morning online sessions, as well as links and numbers you may need if joining by phone: URL/ link to Join our Zoom Meeting (updated 3/27/20): https://zoom.us/j/22581809...

From our friends at Insight Meditation South Bay - Registration is now open for our 2017 Sutta Study Course on the Numerical Discourses of the Buddha! The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha (Anguttara Nikaya)  is a remarkably comprehensive collection of discourses from the Pali Canon. Structured according to numbers and lists, this collection includes a full spectrum of dhamma themes that are both relevant to daily life and lead to liberation. Numbered sequences organize this collection. For example, in the Book of The Fours we find many teachings enumerated in four parts: 4 kinds of … four foundations for … four ways to … four types of persons who … four stages of … four factors that support … etc. The numerical structure provides a handy memory aid and teaching device. The numerical structure organizes a brilliant collection teaching that span a wide range of themes into logical and accessible groupings. This study group meets 9 times during the year to di...

Image text: The Reflective Mind and the Four Noble Truths A Five Week, Practice-Oriented Exploration Based on the Teachings of Ajahn Sumedho An Online, Interactive Course October 13 thru November 14, 2014 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Our reflections will be organized around Ajahn Sumedho's short book,  The Four Noble Truths . It is available online, without cost, in  pdf  or in  HTML  format.  To participate in this course, each week you will be 1) meditating, 2) reading a chapter or article, 3) completing an activity, 4) posting reflections on the discussion forum, and 5) replying to at least one other participant's reflections. Participants will need access to the internet at least twice a week, a free Canvas student learning account , and a commitment to completing the readings, activities and discussions each week. There is no charge for participating in the class. For more information, or to register for the course,  please sen...