Ozarks Dharma Community

Thursday, November 25, 9 to 9:30 AM Join us for our 2nd annual 30-minute gratitude sit on the morning of Thanksgiving. This is an online only sit , so we are able to gather wherever we happen to be on this holiday. Here's the Zoom information, the same info you use to join Saturday Sit . Zoom Meeting ID 225 818 0988 Join Directly via URL https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2258180988 Photo by RODNAE Productions from Pexels

  Our host church, National Avenue Christian Church, is hosting the National AIDS Memorial Quilt from December 1 through 5, 2021, so all Ozarks Dharma Community events will be moved from the Parlor where we normally meet to the upstairs conference room during those dates.  Please enter through the south door on Portland Street, especially if you are bringing food or drink with you.  You will be turned away from the Gallery entrance if you have food or drink with you because of the AIDS quilt, but you may enter through the south door near the stairs with your refreshments. We will return to our normal location for all events starting Monday, December 6, 2021.

What: ODC invites you to join us in a free, 10-week introduction to the practice of meditation! While meditation has deep roots in Buddhism, this course is intended for anyone who has an interest in learning the basics of meditation and how to bring meditation into your life. The course will follow a text written by Jack Kornfield, a respected and long-time meditation teacher, who also happens to be Buddhist, Meditation for Beginners . The text is a straightforward, step-by-step approach to learning how to use your breath, physical sensations and even difficult thoughts and emotions to create a more stable mind, while bringing kindness and compassion into your life and the lives of others. Topics covered include the benefits of meditation, meditation posture, lovingkindness meditation, forgiveness meditation, walking meditation, and eating meditation, among others. When: Thursdays, 7-8 pm Where: the Parlor at National Avenue Christian Church & online via Zoom Start date...

Homage to the Buddha Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Sammā Sambudhassa (3 times). Homage to the blessed One, the Perfected One, the Fully Awakened One (3 times). The Three Refuges Buddham Saranam Gacchāmi I go to the Buddha for refuge. Dhammam Saranam Gacchāmi I go to the Dhamma for refuge. Sangham Saranam Gacchāmi I go to the Sangha for refuge. Dutiyampi Buddham Saranam Gacchāmi For the second time, I go to the Buddha for refuge. Dutiyampi Dhammam Saranam Gacchāmi For the second time, I go to the Dhamma for refuge. Dutiyampi Sangham Saranam Gacchāmi For the second time, I go to the Sangha for refuge. Tatiyampi Buddham Saranam Gacchāmi For the third time, I go to the Buddha for refuge. Tatiyampi Dhammam Saranam Gacchāmi For the third time, I go to the Dhamma for refuge. Tatiyampi Sangham Saranam Gacchāmi For the third time, I go to the Sangha for refuge.

  URGENT NEED for Blood Community Blood Center of the Ozarks has been dealing with critically low levels for more than 6 months now and with bad weather potential it may get even worse! If you can donate, please mark your calendar for Thursday, February 4, 2021, from 1 PM until 6 PM at National Avenue Christian Church’s Fellowship Hall. Signing up in advance to give is encouraged; make your commitment here . For each blood donor, NACC is making a $5 donation to AIDS Project of the Ozarks, so your donation at this blood drive will go further than normal. CBCO also needs volunteers to work the greeting and snack tables throughout the blood drive. You can volunteer by signing up here . As Buddhists, we can certainly appreciate the personal experience of giving and helping others and how that comes back around to benefit all of us, and this is one opportunity to give that can literally save lives—up to three lives per donation! Note that masking will be required ...

We are continuing to reach out to our friends in the community with less than we have, and our opportunities to help have changed. The Free Store at Grace UMC is no longer open, but if you have clothing and food donations, there is definitely still a need! National Avenue Christian Church is collecting clothing and food donations for Rare Breed and The Connecting Grounds, and you can drop those donations off at NACC in the bin outside the gallery door on Tuesday and Thursdays from 10AM to 3 PM or Sundays from 9:30 to 11:30 AM. Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

ODC is partnering again with NACC, the University Heights and Phelps Grove neighborhoods to help the Community Blood Center of the Ozarks (CBCO) in a blood drive on Thursday, October 22, from 1-6pm at National Avenue Christian Church (1515 S National) in the Gallery Room.  We are excited about doing this, particularly now with the additional challenges CBCO has had in getting donations. We are supporting the efforts in 2 ways: Volunteering to help at the actual event – sign up to help here By donating blood - You are encouraged to sign up online at the CBCO website  here . You can also sign up by calling 417-227-5006. Walk-ins are also taken, but CBCO highly recommends signing up, as that really helps in their planning and keeping everyone safe (i.e. the potential for having many people in the space is minimized). The benefits of donating blood are many and are particularly important during these challenging times, as donations are quite low. As Buddhists, we can certainl...