Ozarks Dharma Community

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 ...

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...

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 reque...

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...