Ozarks Dharma Community

Mark your calendars - Lunar New Year is coming up and our friends at the Vietnamese temple will be preparing for it and celebrating.  Because there will be lots of activity and noise during this festive time, we will cancel meditation for 2 upcoming Saturdays, February 6 and 13. We will resume meditation on Saturday Feb 20.

Welcome the changing seasons with us and join our one-day fall retreat on Sunday, October 25th, at the wonderful Trinity Hills Retreat Center just 20 minutes east of Springfield in Rogersville, MO.  For customized driving directions, click here . What to expect:  The retreat will begin at 9 am and last until 4 pm.  If spending the entire day is not possible, you are free to come in the morning and stay until lunchtime.  The day will consist of sitting and walking meditation. After an initial sitting, you will be free to practice in whatever way you choose, until we come together to sit one last time around 3:30 pm. Guided meditation and instruction is available on request. What to bring: A brown bag lunch . There is a kitchen with refrigerator and microwave available for our use. Light snacks and water will be provided.   Your own meditation cushion, pillow or blanket if you have one.  We will have blankets, two meditation benches and a small numb...

We will not be meeting this Saturday the 4th of July at the Temple for morning meditation due to the holiday.  Hope to see you'all the following week.  Until then, much goodwill!

Our friends at   Dinh Quang Buddhist Temple have invited us to join their New Year's Celebration this upcoming Sunday, February 22. You can drop in anytime from 9 am to 2 pm. There will be plenty of food and conversation, as well as an opportunity to give donations to support their ongoing costs.

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...

We are happy to announce that we will be having a one-day retreat on Sunday, October 26th, at the beautiful Little Portion Retreat Center in Republic.  The retreat will begin at 9 am and last until 4 pm.  If spending the entire day is not feasible, you are free to come in the morning and stay until lunchtime.  A $15 donation is suggested, but no one will be turned away due to a lack of funds.  Bring a brown bag lunch--a kitchen with refrigerator and microwave is available for our use.  We will have blankets, two meditation benches and a small number of cushions available, but you are welcome to bring your own.  There are many places outside to practice sitting and walking meditation, so you may want to bring whatever you need to sit outside comfortably.  Holly will give a brief talk in the morning after our first group sitting, but the rest of the day you will be free to practice in whatever way you choose, until we come together to sit one last time...

Ayya Dipa composed an essay about her practice in the midst of suffering: "Life keeps happening: there is birth, aging, sickness and death and the way beyond it all." You can read her essay by clicking on the images below of downloading the pdf .