The Greatest Blessing: Maha-Mangala Sutta (Meditation and Dharma talk with Rich Howard)
Schedule
Thu Dec 22 2022 at 07:00 pm to 09:15 pm
Location
Sacramento Insight Meditation | Sacramento, CA
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Insight Meditation & Dharma Talk with SIM Community Teacher Rich Howard** Participants may join via Zoom or in-person at the Sacramento Dharma Center. The teacher will present in-person.
Approximate Schedule:
- 7:00 pm Announcements & Greetings
- 7:10 pm Sitting Meditation
- 7:45 pm Break
- 8:00 pm Dharma talk / discussion
- 9:15 pm End
As the days wane and the nights get longer, Rich will bring reflections on the “greatest blessings” from the Maha-Mangala Sutta (Sutta Nipata 2.4). This beloved sutta reminds us that, even in the midst of loss and grief, our ordinary lives contain so many sources of happiness. In balancing our awareness of suffering with the uplifting conditions in life, we come closer to seeing things as they are. This awareness provides a balance to our daily life practice and a motivation for skillful action in the world.
While not usually repeating topics, Rich finds this sutta to be a favorite at this season, connecting the gratitude of Thanksgiving and the reflection of New Year’s, not to mention the gift-giving spirit of Christmas and Hannukah. Rich last offered reflections on this sutta six years ago, as we moved into the Sacramento Dharma Center, and two years ago, when we returned to the SDC after the COVID-19 lockdown. As we celebrate 20 years of SIM, let’s bring these blessings to mind again.
This hybrid event is free however donations are gratefully accepted as SIM is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Donations may be tax deductible consistent with current state and federal guidelines.
To join this event via Zoom visit https://sactoinsight.org/event/sit-dharma-talk-with-teacher/ or attend in-person at 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, CA.
RICH HOWARD has been an active practitioner and volunteer at SIM since 2004. His area of interest is bringing meditative awareness into everyday life. He participated in SIM’s 2007 India Pilgrimage and is a graduate of SIM’s second Practice Development and Leadership (PDL) program. He served on the Board from 2010 until 2015, the last two years as president. He was one of the SIM representatives to the Inter-Sangha Coordinating Committee, predecessor to the Sacramento Dharma Center Board, which now runs our shared space for Buddhist sanghas in Sacramento. He served as a Peace Corps volunteer in southern Africa in the 1970s and is fluent in Spanish. His teachers are Dennis Warren, Tony Bernhard, and Steve Armstrong. Rich completed online courses with Steve on the Abhidhamma (the Buddhist psychology) and the Manual of Insight. He took Gil Fronsdal’s online course on the Majjhima Nikaya (Middle-length Discourses of the Buddha). His interest in the environment led him to the One Small Planet training with Kerry Nelson and the Ecosattva training with One Earth Sangha. In 2018, he completed a 10-month Dhamma Awareness Training with Steve Armstrong and Kamala Masters called Touching the Earth. In 2019, he completed Meg Gawler’s 8-month course Preparing the Ground for Samadhi.
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Where is it happening?
Sacramento Insight Meditation, 3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
