Thursday, July 31, 2008

DHARMA ON A SUN(NY)DAY

Event: Caring for the Cosmos, Digging Up Your Weeds!
Sun., August 3 / 3:30 - 5:00 p.m.

Please join me this Sunday for sitting and walking meditation at the Pink House. The theme is "Caring for the Cosmos, Digging Up Your Weeds!" We have time for answers and questions about your practice. Beware: the answers might come from within. These meetings are free. There will be a box for dana (generosity) if you please.

Monday, July 28, 2008

COMMUNITY BUILDING, BODYWORK, MAITRI PRAYER

Dear Friends, I encourage any of you, if you feel moved, to hold a regular meeting at your house, or to organize a practice group of your own at your church, temple, synagogue, reading hall, and or community center. I am happy to support you in any way I can.

Community building is a wonderful way to deepen your practice. The four years I spent in support of Tuesday Night Mindfulness Group were deeply transformative. There were times I just didn't think I could open the door, and every time, I was so amazed how rich the experience was. The deep listening practice opened new doors in my heart, and in my experience with the practice and with life. All of you were a part of this. To see comments of those who attended Tuesday Nights please see my web-site: www.voicefromthesource.com/tuesdaynights.html, more comments will be added soon.

I plan to facilitate meetings off and on around the Valley and beyond. It is my intention to start a full-service healing center with meditation, bodywork, music, peace dancing, dharma talks (by myself and guest teachers) and housing for dedicated spiritual practitioners. Where and when is in the making.

AUGUST MASSAGE SPECIAL
$55 for sangha members on all treatments. I am a nationally and Nevada State certified massage therapist. I have been in the healing arts for more than ten years, specializing in Thai Massage and Swedish-Deep Tissue. Regular body work is very important for maintaining optimal health and wellness especially for those on the path.

We often have the view in the west of going to the doctor, or seeking professional help only when we "need" it, or in times of emergency. By then, it's often too late; the injury and the illness have already taken shape, and the financial responsibility is far more costly. Regular bodywork can effectively prevent many illnesses, and keep your mind and body in shape for your practice on the path of liberation.

Optimal function of the systems of your body can greatly enhance your sense of well-being, improving mental concentration (your skill in meditation) and improving interpersonal relationships. For more information about massage and bodywork, and also, of starting a practice group of your own, please contact me via e-mail brian@briankimmel.com or give me a call at (702) 461-8422.

THIS WEEK'S MAITRI PRAYER
May all living beings, everywhere, approach their life and relationships with loving-kindness, openness and non-discrimination. May the heart of the cosmos open like a flower in your heart, blooming so that all may benefit from its fragrance and wonder. May all beings everywhere be healthy, safe, happy, peaceful and free.

TLC, Brian

Sunday, July 13, 2008

TRAVELING DHARMA?

THIS TUESDAY IS STAY-AT-HOME DHARMA.
No scheduled meeting at the Pink House. Practice when you can. If you need assistance give me a call or send an e-mail. brian@briankimmel.com / (702) 461-8422

Dear Friends,

The suggestion has been made of a traveling Dharma Meeting. There are those in all corners of Las Vegas who would like to receive these precious teachings. If you would like to host a Dharma meeting and teaching at your house during the week or weekend, please let me know.

We have over 100 people on our e-mail list, and have received up to 20 people at a time. Many of our constituents have moved on from the Valley, but are still on the list. Some of us are visitors from other states. And some of us have not been able to attend Tuesdays due to scheduling conflicts. This may be an opportunity you've been waiting for. Not only will hosting a Dharma event at your house help you, by making it easy and affordable for you to attend (no gas is required to stay at home) but you will be making a direct impact on another's life by making the practice accessible to them, in their neighborhood, or on a day that fits better with their schedule.

I'm happy to transcend Tuesday Nights! Every day is a day of mindfulness. Make mindfulness a part of your daily life.

PRACTICE OF THE WEEK:

This week we will focus on the impermanence of all dharmas. A dharma is anything of form, anything that has the potential of being viewed as a self, a separate self. Everything that has come to be out of conditions. This e-mail would not be possible without Bill Gates, the founder of Google, and even Thomas Edison. Their discoveries, as well as themselves, are products of conditions.

If you can, bring to mind an object. Any object. If you look deeply into the form of that object, you see that it is composed of many things. It is composed of minerals, the sunlight, the air. You see that it is subject to decay, it will one day disintegrate, compost. That is impermanence.

This is a practice from the anapanasati sutra (Sutra On the Full Awareness of Breathing), "Breathing in, I observe the impermanent nature of all dharmas. Breathing out, I observe the impermanent nature of all dharmas."

For a detailed description of anapanasati see Thay's (Thich Nhat Hanh) book, "Breathe! You are alive." I have also written a commentary on the exercises of the Sutra that I hope to publish online soon. For questions, please feel free to call or e-mail.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

"Overpopulation is not population density (amount of people per landmass), but rather the number of people in an area relative to its resources and the capacity of the environment to sustain human activities...Just as much as the population size, we need to consider the resources consumed by each person, and the damage done by technologies used to supply them." -James Hopkins http://www.cosmosmith.com/human_population_crisis.htm

YOUR MAITRI PRAYER:

May you be healthy, safe, happy, peaceful and free. May you see the conditions currently manifest in your life with clarity, mindfulness and vision. May you transcend hatred, division and aggression, cool your anger, and bring about a wholesome quality of mind and beingness. May you fully transcend the endless cycle of birth and death, and help those on the path be fully liberated also. May all beings everywhereinherit the merits of this practice. May all beings everywhere be healthy, safe, happy, peaceful and free.

--Brian Kimmel(702) 461-8422www.voicefromthesource.com