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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20220115
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SUMMARY:Meditation & Mindfulness Dialogue  1/15/22
DESCRIPTION:Hotei \n  \nOpen Road Meditation & Mindfulness Dialogue \n  \n  January 15\, 2022 \n  \nLive light\, travel light\, spread the light\, be the light. \n—tag on Yogi Tea bag \n  \nEvery thing that lives is Holy. \n—William Blake \n  \nEach thought\, each action in the sunlight of awareness becomes sacred. In this light\, no boundary exists between the sacred and the profane. \n—Thich Nhat Hanh\, from Your True Home\, #269 \n  \nKen Margolis sent this poem by our friend Dennis Wiancko: \n  \n      Our Mother’s Prayer \n  \nOur Mother\, Whose name is Earth\, \nHallowed be Your ground \nAnd Your skies \nAnd Your rolling seas \n  \nYour gardens thrive; Your spirit alive \nThrough woodlands\, streams\, \nMountains and plains \nEverywhere \n  \nGrant us this day our needs for tomorrow \nAnd refresh us with Your living waters \n  \nForgive us our mistreatment \nAs we would forgive those who cause you harm \n  \nLift us from negligence\, and deliver us from greed\, \nFor Yours is the home\, and the beauty\, \nAnd the life that sustains us\, \nAnd we would love\, respect\, and care for You \nNow and ever\, ever forward. \n  \n—R. Dennis Wiancko 2016 \n* \n  \nKim sent a poem and some thoughts from the Dalai Lama.  \n  \n      Etiquette of Thought \n  \nWhen first you wake\, you may wonder \nwithout knowing. Dream work still rules. \nThen\, the coffee\, you begin to know \nwithout saying. The mind has a mind \nof its own. When others wake\, you may \nsay without asking\, caught in your own \nlittle world. But with luck\, a little grace\, \nyou may then ask and listen\, and by this \nblessing\, work your way back to wonder. \n  \n—Kim Stafford \n  \nHere is what a friend told me she learned from the Dalai Lama when he visited her nonprofit in India: \n  \nKindness brings joyfulness \nservice to others brings joyfulness \nwe are made for goodness \nthe gift of suffering makes us appreciate joy  \njoy is our work of giving joy to others \nhappiness is a result of kindness  \nwell being is a skill  \nwhile you are alive your life should be meaningful  \n  \n—Dalai Lama \n* \n  \n[There is a] marvelous story in the world of Zen Buddhism where the man is standing on the hill in the distance and a group of people come along and see him standing there and begin to wonder why he’s standing there. So they have quite a full discussion of the possibilities of what caused him to be standing there. When they finally  reach him\, they say we’ve been having this discussion about why you’re standing here. Which one of us is right? He says\, I have no reason. I’m just standing here. \n  \n—John Cage\, from Musicage: Cage Muses on Words Art Music\, p. 129 \n* \n  \nJason Beito shared this from his friend Steve Decker\, who recently released to Portland. Steve is a student of Siddha Yoga. \n  \nTo celebrate gratitude is to express gratitude. \n  \nThe origin of the word “sacrifice” is: “to make sacred.” \n  \n“Love is\, first and foremost\, sacrifice. More than passion\, romantic declarations\, or outer expressions of loyalty and faith. Where there is true love\, there is a willingness to give one’s essence in its service—whether as a mother who sacrifices for her children\, a leader for his country\, a seeker to his spiritual practices\, or an artist to his art.”—Siddha Yoga \n  \n“A man who enjoys what is given by the gods \nwithout offering something in return\, \nhe is a thief and lives in vain.”—the Vedas \n  \nLet’s make our lives Sacred. \n  \nThanks for what you give to me \nand to so many others. \n  \n—Jason Beito \n* \nFor me\, the beginning of each day is an important time. I like to find my way to what I call “The Golden World.” When I feel that I am “in” the Golden World\, everything is beautiful\, perfect\, miraculous. I silently say “thank you.” Thought and language fall away. Without a care in the world\, I feel slightly elated. I have no problems. No ambitions. No fears. No boundary. There is no distinction between “me” and “the world.” This nameless feeling is quite lovely. It’s Paradise.  \n  \nAs the day goes on\, and I get busy with various activities\, I like to take good care of my feelings of peace and love and happiness. I want to see everyone I meet\, including my plant and animal friends\, as the beautiful luminous beings we are. \n  \nI got a new book by Thich Nhat Hanh yesterday: Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet. It’s edited from his talks and writings by Sister True Dedication. I like this poem. It reminds me of a poem by Walt Whitman: \n  \nI have been looking for you\, my child\, \nSince the time when rivers and mountains still lay in obscurity. \nI was looking for you when you were still in a deep sleep\, \nAlthough the conch had many times \nEchoed in the ten directions. \nFrom our ancient mountain I looked at distant lands \nAnd recognized your steps on so many different paths. \nWhere are you going? \n  \nIn former lifetimes you have often taken my hand \nAnd we have enjoyed walking together. \nWe have sat for long hours at the foot of old pine trees. \nWe have stood side by side in silence \nListening to the sound of the wind softly calling us \nAnd looking up at the white clouds floating by. \nYou have picked up and given to me the first red autumn leaf \nAnd I have taken you through forests deep in snow. \nBut wherever we go\, we always return to our \nAncient mountain to be near to the moon and stars\, \nTo invite the great bell every morning to sound\, \nAnd help all beings to wake up. \n  \n—from “At the Edge of the Forest\,” by Thich Nhat Hanh \n  \n  \n      We Two\, How Long We Were Fool’d \n  \nWe two\, how long we were fool’d\, \nNow transmuted\, we swiftly escape as Nature escapes\, \nWe are Nature\, long have we been absent\, but now we return\, \nWe become plants\, trunks\, foliage\, roots\, bark\, \nWe are bedded in the ground\, we are rocks\, \nWe are oaks\, we grow in the openings side by side\, \nWe browse\, we are two among the wild herds spontaneous as any\, \nWe are two fishes swimming in the sea together\, \nWe are what locust blossoms are\, we drop scent around lanes mornings and evenings\, \nWe are also the coarse smut of beasts\, vegetables\, minerals\, \nWe are two predatory hawks\, we soar above and look down\, \nWe are two resplendent suns\, we it is who balance ourselves orbic and stellar\, we are as two comets\, \nWe prowl fang’d and four-footed in the woods\, we spring on prey\, \nWe are two clouds forenoons and afternoons driving overhead\, \nWe are seas mingling\, we are two of those cheerful waves rolling over each other and interwetting each other\, \nWe are what the atmosphere is\, transparent\, receptive\, pervious\, impervious\, \nWe are snow\, rain\, cold\, darkness\, we are each product and influence of the globe\, \nWe have circled and circled till we have arrived home again\, we two\, \nWe have voided all but freedom and all but our own joy. \n  \n—Walt Whitman \n  \n  \n—Johnny Stallings \n* \n  \nFirst\, a disclaimer: These monthly musings of mine from Your True Home are appearing to me to be less worldly and philosophical and more self-absorbed than others’ entries. Maybe it’s okay; these ‘everyday wisdoms’ of Thich Nhat Hanh force me to be self-reflective\, and I guess its about time—-just a couple weeks away from turning 78\, I’m thinking maybe Socrates is right about the unexamined life. So. \n  \n#111-Taking Care of the Future \n“The future is being made out of the present\, so the best way to take care of the future is to take care of the present moment. This is logical and clear. Spending a lot of time speculating and worrying about the future is totally useless. We can only take care of our future by taking care of the present moment\, because the future is made out of only one substance: the present. Only if you are anchored in the present can you prepare well for the future.” \n  \nWhew\,  I’m in luck\, because I am not a planner\, not an organizer\, not a ‘projectionist.’  “Goals” is a foreign word to me. In my late 30s\, post divorce\, I took a business class for artists\, and the instructor asked us to write down our ‘short term goals\,’ and our ‘long term goals.’ Huh?!?!? What’s that? Okay- 1. to make enough money for my daughter and me\, and 2. to be rich and famous hahaha (groan\, yes\, I wrote that).  Next question: What is your business plan to accomplish these goals?  Umm\, well\, like in the card game of Hearts\, I’ll shoot the moon! Meaning\, I’ll just go all out\, risk everything\, and just do it!  Fortunately\, there was no grading in that class. \n  \nAnd my almost-80-year-old husband keeps asking almost-78-year-old me how long\, how many years\, I think we can stay in this house\, with its ever lengthening staircase\, menacing throw rugs nipping at our toes\, and acre of whining\, demanding property to care for. Well\, forever! Climbing those stairs twenty time a day keeps us strong; tripping on throw rugs is good practice for balance\, and…oh\, just look at this peony.  \n  \nI should be thinking of the future\, but I keep forgetting. If I try to think ahead I get sidetracked\, distracted by something that’s happening right then: OMG\, Lolo’s fur is sooo soft on my cheek. I’ve never had a dog whose fur smelled so sweet. And she’s an old dog. Don’t old dogs smell? Lolo\, you’re the sweetest.  \n  \nSame with anger\, resentment\, worry. I can be stewing away vigorously about something—that guy in front of me is flipping snow all over me from his snowshoes. I should tell him how to stop doing…OH! Look at this!! It’s snowing tiny flakes and they look like diamonds sparkling with the sun shining behind them. Or fireflies! Yeah\, fireflies\, blinking on and off… \n  \nBut back to Taking Care of the Future; I trust TNH\, but I don’t quite understand how being anchored in the present can prepare you well for the future. Doesn’t ‘anchored’ mean ‘stuck?’ Shouldn’t you replace ‘worrying’ with the more positive word\, ‘planning?’ How does noticing dog fur and snowflakes help me prepare for the future? I’m serious.  \n  \n—Jude Russell \n* \n  \nHere is something I have been meditating on for some time now. \n       \nMercy and forgiveness. I used to think that these two kindnesses could only be truly given by those who you had wronged. But if we can’t forgive ourselves first\, the forgiveness given can not be truly accepted by us.  \n        \nThere recently came a time when I finally was able to forgive myself. I had hated the person I USED to be\, and for years kept doing this ritual of inner self abuse for the pain I had caused others.  \n         \nI had a good dose of my past life recently and I could not function in that way any longer. I no longer was that person. Confused\, I meditated.  \n  \nThis man that I am now would never do the things the old man would do. The very thought is unpalatable to me now in every way. A person that has gone through such a massive life reformation should be allotted a small dose of mercy\, a reprieve from sins of a damaged past life—a life that was poisoned from birth by people who were themselves abused. No one is to blame. No one. It is the world and if I have seen the change in myself others must see it too. I feel I have grown into a remorseful man\, guilty of what I did\, and extremely repentant. \n  \n—Rocky Hutchinson \n* \n  \n(Rocky’s words remind me of King Lear’s: “None does offend. None\, I say. None.”) (JS) \n  \nBelow is a quote from Alan Lightman (who wrote Einstein’s Dreams) that I have saved to my computer. Every so often I open the file and am inspired again by his vast vision.  \n  \n“The individual atoms\, cycled through wind and water and soil\, cycled through generations and generations of living creatures and minds\, will repeat and connect and make a whole out of parts. Although impermanent\, they make a permanence. Although scattered they make a totality.”  \n  \nIt reminds me that we don’t have to create or forge connections–everything is already in that state of union. It is just necessary to see past fog and illusion to the very interknit whole that we all are. Here are two poems of mine that express the same idea in slightly different ways. \n  \n  \nDirt’s Revelation \n  \nUnearthed in Sussex\, the now un-favored\, \nalmost forgotten word\, smeuse\, \ndescribing holes small animals make\, \npassageways through hedges and forest\, \nfrom lawn to lawn\, a hidey-hole\, smeuse\, \nthe unknown word once familiar\, \nnow waiting to be noticed\, little path \nin the dark from your heart to mine\, \nboth of us looking askance\, \npretending not to see but knowing \nall along this hidden world is life saving\, \nessential\, our worlds interwoven \nand dependent on the other. \nSmeuse\, word and passage\, \nis only an excuse \nwhere we pretend to be alone \nneeding connection. \nOh\, lovely play acting\, our face-saving \nlittle charm where we live as separate— \nbut the tunneling smeuse \nbetrays us in the dirt\, excavating \nthe truth of our necessary complicity \nand consummation. \n  \n  \nTime’s Velocity \n  \nThe water like glass\, we look  \nand see ourselves transparent\,  \nthen rippled and below \nare rounded rocks\, small fish.  \nCold eddies form around our hands  \nas we reach in trying to touch  \nthe reflected clouds\, ourselves\, a shadow. \nThe flow keeps moving farther and deeper  \nwhile the smell of water\, of time\, of glass  \nall mingle\, flaring our nostrils. \nWe wonder where have those hours gone\, \nnow years\, now memories we reach for\, \nso electric\, so evanescent. \n  \n—Deborah Buchanan \n* \n  \nHappy New Year. So glad to be here together. I’ve been thinking about New year’s resolutions.    \n  \nI’m living with a Young Thai woman in the household now. My son’s wife. In Thailand and other Buddhist cultures\, the New Year is highly celebrated with lights\, lanterns\, and joy. Of course it isn’t 30 degrees there and snowing.    \n  \nRather than resolutions about doing things\, they set intentions for how they want to be. Right intention is one of the paths on the eightfold path. Being in loving relationship with ourselves\, one another and with all beings on earth is what we are dedicated to on the Open Road. Here is something from the powerful bell hooks to give us a little boost for a new year:  \n   \nbell hooks died in December and her work is now celebrated in all sorts of arenas. She was an African American author\, teacher\, academic and social activist. In a career spanning four decades\, she has explored and written on a variety of themes including racism\, feminism\, culture and education. Her work has centered on identifying and challenging systems of oppression and discrimination which are based on race\, sex and class. In her last years she was most influenced by the teachings and life of Thich Nhat Hanh. Here is an excerpt from one of her talks where she speaks about her realization about the importance of Love as a practice for transformation.   \n  \nToward a Worldwide Culture of Love  \n  \nBY BELL HOOKS| JUNE 8\, 2021  \n  \n“Fundamentally\, the practice of love begins with acceptance—the recognition that wherever we are is the appropriate place to practice\, that the present moment is the appropriate time. But for so many of us our longing to love and be loved has always been about a time to come\, a space in the future when it will just happen\, when our hungry hearts will finally be fed\, when we will find love. . . ( She attended a conference that was more like a Love-In than an intellectual gathering about social justice and experienced a great shift). . .  Sacred presence was there\, a spirit of love and compassion like spring mist covered us\, and loving-kindness embraced me and my words. This is always the measure of mindful practice—whether we can create the conditions for love and peace in circumstances that are difficult\, whether we can stop resisting and surrender\, working with what we have\, where we are.”  \n  \nThe practice of love\, says bell hooks\, is the most powerful antidote to the politics of domination. She traces her thirty-year meditation on love\, power\, and Buddhism\, and concludes it is only love that transforms our personal relationships and heals the wounds of oppression.  \n  \nHer story makes me think about the shift that has taken place for all of us during performances in prison. When the production comes out of love and tolerance and caring during dialogue group then there is a magical transfer to creating a work of art that has meaning for us all.   \n  \nThis feeling seeps through our meditation and mindfulness conversation\, as we read together and reflect on our own practice\, alone but also together in a sangha that knows no walls. It is like our interbeing relationship with Thay as a writer and teacher; he is here because we are here\, responding with one another.  \n  \nin gratitude for your ongoing practice and presence everyone\,     \n  \n—Katie Radditz \n 
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/meditation-mindfulness-dialogue-1-15-22/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20220120
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20220226
DTSTAMP:20260427T045207
CREATED:20200324T184257Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220120T223202Z
UID:617-1642636800-1645833599@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:NURTURING CULTURE & COMMUNITY
DESCRIPTION:We need to nurture culture and community during this time when our options for getting together are limited. Here are a few suggestions\, for starters: \nEvery other Sunday at 3\, please join us for Bibliophiles Unanimous!: The Open Road Literary Salon. \nSubscribe to The Open Road’s peace\, love\, happiness & understanding journal. Use the Contact form on this website to let us know if you’d like to get it in your inbox every other week. \nBrowse through the 375\,000 high-resolution images of public domain works from the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art! \nRight now (3/18/21) you can watch Zeina Daccache’s documentary “Johar Up In the Air” on the Catharsis Facebook page!  Zeina has been making her films available for free during this challenging time. It’s a rare opportunity to watch these great films. Don’t miss it! \nThe Fourth Shakespeare in Prisons Conference highlighted Ashley Lucas’ new book Prison Theatre and the Global Crisis of Incarceration. I interviewed Ashley for the September 3\, 2020 issue of peace\, love\, happiness & understanding. \nThe Metropolitan Opera shows a new opera every day starting at 4:30 pm (PDT). Each opera streams for 20 hours. Here’s the link to the Metropolitan Opera. \nThe Portland Japanese Garden  is open again. Hurray! \nVirtual group meditation daily at  The Village Zendo    \nHost a Zoom meeting of your own! It’s easy. I’m hosting two every week. I really love seeing and hearing my friends–some of whom are far away. \nWALT WHITMAN FUN: For two years now\, we have celebrated Walt Whitman’s birthday with a group reading of “Song of Myself” on Zoom at the end of May! You can also listen to an interview I did a couple years ago on Marfa Public radio: “Song of Myself” interview with Johnny Stallings . Perin Kerns turned me on to the amazing “Whitman\, Alabama” documentary by Jennifer Crandall\, which features a wonderful array of people reading verses from “Song of Myself.”  \nFollow Kim Stafford on Instagram and get inspired on a regular basis! \nEnjoy this song from Mexico\, Mexico Lindo y Querido\, thanks to Playing for Change! \nLots of adventure suggestions at  Virtual Concerts\, Play\, Museums\, et cetera    \nGet a poem-a-day from poets.org.   \nLOTS of ideas at The Social Distancing Festival! \nThe Random Acts of Kindness Foundation is brainstorming and heartstorming ideas. Check out their website and learn more. \npeace\, love & happiness \nJohnny \n 
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/nurturing-culture-community-without-gathering-together/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20220120
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20220224
DTSTAMP:20260427T045207
CREATED:20220120T221434Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220226T192407Z
UID:2560-1642636800-1645660799@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:peace\, love\, happiness & understanding  1/20/22
DESCRIPTION:Photo # 1  Yellowstone\, August 28\, 2018 (all photos by Abe Green) \n  \nTHE OPEN ROAD \npeace\, love\, happiness & understanding \n  \nJanuary 20\, 2022 \n  \n \nPhoto #2   Yellowstone\, August 28\, 2018 \n  \nPhotos 1 & 2 \n  \nYellowstone River (Paradise Valley). In 1806\, the Core of Discovery\, upon leaving Astoria area and re-entering Montana split up—with Lewis traveling via Marias and Missouri Rivers\, and Clark the Yellowstone. I often bring DeVoto’s edition edition of Lewis & Clark Journals along on floats here to read aloud by campfire to my fishing friends. \n  \nFriends! \n  \nI feel like I’m a member of this fantastic community of humans engaged in the fine art of self-realization! Like Stretch Armstrong (remember him?)\, I’m trying to stretch myself beyond the social\, cultural\, and religious structures that permeate our modern world. \n  \nThe big question is: “What the hell is really going on here?” \n  \nThe big answer: Well\, stay tuned. I know as I read the pages of peace\, love\, happiness & understanding and Meditation & Mindfulness Dialogue\, listening to the discourse therein\, that we are helping one another. \n  \nAnd we are going in a good direction. I read somewhere\, \n  \n“Walk in a good direction\, end up in a good place.” \n  \nI thank you all—staff\, contributors\, and readers. My spirit prospers as a result of your earnest endeavor to be authentic. \n  \nAs a parting gesture\, I would like to suggest two books that have had an influence on my thinking and how I do that thinking: \n  \nSapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari \nThe Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth by Jonathan Rauch \n  \nPeace and Wellness… \n  \nAbe Gren   \n2022 \n  \n \nPhoto #3  Northwest Montana \n  \nI see this often during Winter and Summer. The view is looking east into Glacier Park from the top of Whitefish Ski Area. In Summer you can ride the lift with your mountain bike\, get the same scenery\, and then trail ride down. \n  \n \nPhoto #4  Spring Crocus with bee \n  \nDew & Honey \n  \nSip by sip in thimble cup \nthe meadow bees will drink it up \nthen ferry home to bounty’s hive \nflower’s flavor\, hum and thrive \nto show us how through word and song \nby gestures small and patience long \nin spite of our old foolish ways \nWe may fashion better days. \n  \nSo\, my friend\, come sip and savor \nsyllables as crumbs of pleasure— \nby honor in each conversation \nwe begin a better nation. \n  \n—Singer Come from Afar by Kim Stafford \n  \n  \n \nPhoto #5  Storm over Fresno \n  \nWeather cell moving east after furious rain/hail storm at Fresno Dam (North Central Montana) \n  \nRain \n  \nThe Beauty in the rain is expressed \nas wildflowers on the hillside. \nThe gift in the rain is accessible  \nas the bounty of our table. \nBemoan not the lack of sunshine \nbut rejoice in rain’s gift of life.  \nFor without the rain you and I do not exist. \n  \n—From the Other Side: Poetry and Stories by Neall Ryon \n  \n  \n \nPhoto #6  Beartooth Mountains peak (South Central Montana) \n  \nSince you’re not merely a body\, it is inestimable how much of the cosmos lies within the folds of your mind. I wonder if you know how much light\, love\, and peace you carry around. \n  \n—Love & Blessings: The Autobiography of Guru Nitya Chaitanya Yati \n  \n  \n \nPhoto #7  Clouds over Bearpaw Lake (North Central Montana) \n  \nNature offers up gifts of incredible beauty every day.But first we have to be there with eyes and heart wide open\, to witness in order to receive these precious gifts. Doesn’t matter where you are: backyard\, county road\, mountains\, city park\, even a prison yard! They’re for everyone\, with no barriers of color\, gender\, economics\, or religion. She says\, “Come one\, come all.” \n  \n \nPhoto #8  Hiking Glacier Park in August (Northwest Montana) \n  \n“If you don’t make time for your wellness\, you will be forced to make time for your illness.” \n  \n \nPhoto #9  Cutthroat Trout \n  \nI see in this fish\, in the grass\, in a bird\, a tree\, an ant\, and in myself the identical notes and words of a song played and sung across the cosmos. \n  \n \nPhoto #10  Reflection \n  \nAll that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world. What we think and what we believe creates the experience we have in life. As sure as the cart follows the ox\, we are what we think. \n  \n—Siddhartha Gautama Buddha\, c. 520 BC \n  \n  \n \nPhoto #11  On Big Horn River (North Central Wyoming) \n  \nFinding delight in the moment\, no matter what the circumstances! One of my most favorite photographs. \n  \nTo be continued… \n  \n  \nAbe sent 22 photographs\, with accompanying texts. Look for the rest in the next issue of peace\, love\, happiness & understanding.  (JS)
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/peace-love-happiness-understanding-1-20-22/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20220215
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20220315
DTSTAMP:20260427T045207
CREATED:20220219T192757Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220219T195207Z
UID:2577-1644883200-1647302399@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:Meditation & Mindfulness Dialogue  2/15/22
DESCRIPTION:  \n  \nDear Beloved Community\, \nWith a deep mindful breath\, we announce the passing of our beloved teacher\, Thay Nhat Hanh\, on January 22 (January 21 in USA)\, 2022 at  \nTừ Hiếu Temple in Huế\, Vietnam\, at the age of 95. \n \n  \nOpen Road Meditation & Mindfulness Dialogue \n  \nFebruary 15\, 2022 \n  \nThay has been the most extraordinary teacher\, whose peace\, tender compassion\, and bright wisdom has touched the lives of millions. Whether we have encountered him on retreats\, at public talks\, or through his books and online teachings–or simply through the story of his incredible life–we can see that Thay has been a true bodhisattva\, an immense force for peace and healing in the world.  Never diluting and always digging deep into the roots of Buddhist teaching\, he brings out its authentic radiance. \n  \nNow is a moment to come back to our mindful breathing and walking\, to generate the energy of peace\, compassion\, and gratitude to offer our beloved Teacher. It is a moment to take refuge in our spiritual friends\, our local  community\, and each other.  \n  \n—From the Monks and Nuns of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Order of Interbeing \n  \n  \n“At the moment my front yard is flush with brilliant winter sunshine slanting to earth beneath the clouds and at the same time it is raining gently. This paradox makes me feel that Thay is right here with me\, showing how I can feel grateful for his life as well as deep grief for his passing. We will dearly miss his personal presence\, but we have gained so much from his writings\, stories\, teachings and inclusiveness that we now carry with us. Thay calls his birth and his death day his continuation days.   \n  \nAt a Teacher’s passing in the Buddhist tradition it is honorable to address your teacher by calling his/her name\, and saying a short phrase of appreciation and best wishes.  Please write to us all or say silently to Thay what is on your heart.   \n  \nLet us each resolve to do our best over the coming days to generate the energy of mindfulness\, peace\, and compassion\, to send to our beloved Teacher. \n  \nDear Thay: I am so grateful for the way you and Sister Chan Khong have shared the Buddha’s teachings and how they have touched my life as well as the life of those around me with kindness and clarity. A lotus to you.” \n  \n—Katie Radditz  \n  \n  \n“I think of Thich Nhat Hanh as my friend. He said things that have been very helpful to me in my life. I love his sweetness\, his gentleness\, his friendliness. I know of no one more compassionate\, more peaceful\, more happy\, more free. I love his idea of “interbeing.” I love him. He left an extraordinary legacy of books and YouTube videos that we can revisit again and again\, and share with each other. Thank you thank you thank you.” \n  \n—Johnny Stallings \n  \n  \nValentine’s Day wishes to you and all your loved ones. \n  \nMake a True Home of your Love   –   (this is a Valentine from Thay) \n  \nEvery one of us is trying to find our true home. We know that our true home is inside\, and with the energy of mindfulness\, we can go back to our true home in the here and the now. Sangha is our true home. \n  \nIn Vietnamese\, the husband calls the wife “my home.” And the wife calls the husband her home. Nha toi means my house\, my home. When a gentleman is asked “Where is your wife?” he will say\, “My home is now at the post office.” (with a sweet chuckle)  And if a guest said to the wife\, “Your home is beautiful; who decorated it?” she would answer\, “It’s my home who decorated it\,” meaning\, “my husband.” When the husband calls his wife\, he says\, “Nha oi\,” my home. And she says\, “Here I am.” Nha oi. Nha toi. \n  \nWhen you are in such a relationship\, the other person is your true home. And you should be a true home for him or for her. First you need to be your own true home so that you can be the home of your beloved. We should practice so we can be a true home for ourselves and for the one that we love. How? We need the practice of mindfulness. \n  \nIn Plum Village\, every time you hear the bell\, you stop thinking\, you stop talking\, you stop doing things. You pay attention to your in-breath as you breathe in and you say\, “I listen\, I listen. This wonderful sound brings me back to my true home.” My true home is inside. My true home is in the here and the now. So practicing going home is what we do all day long\, because we are only comfortable in our true home. Our true home is available\, and we can go home every moment. Our home should be safe\, intimate\, and cozy\, and it is we who make it that way. \n  \n—Thich Nhat Hanh \n  \n  \nRich Land Between \n                   —for Perrin \n  \nIn a forest wilderness many years ago \nyou appeared to me\, and I appeared to you — \ntwo birds in separate trees singing to the sky. \n  \nWe looked down to find the ground between us  \nilluminated by a story we wanted to live. I could \nsee it with your eyes\, and you with mine. \n  \nSince then\, we have explored the land between — \nevery crumb of earth\, every stem golden by day\, \nwithering by season\, sprouting again and again \n  \nuntil it’s hard to tell where your song ends \nand mine begins. The land between\, crisscrossed \nby our devotions\, has revealed how in our life \n  \nthe gifts are many\, and the price is everything. \n  \n—Kim Stafford \n  \n  \n#206 An Act of Love   –  A work of ART can help people understand the nature of their suffering\, and have insight into how to transform . . . . Writing\, making a film\, (performing a play)\, creating a work of art can be an act of love. . . . that nourishes you and nourishes others.   Michel sends a deep reflection on the effects of music – years of playing the piano- and a painting that he loved\, gifted to him by a friend who loved to paint.  “There was a time when one of the Group Dialogue member’s father came to play a cello for us. And the Oregon Poet Laureate\, Kim Stafford\, came to share his art. Each time the artist loved his art form. I believe also that each shared love with the audience for that brief session.  Even our Theatre Troupe and directors (all of them) share not only love for this art form but are sharing love through it as well – both for us in prison and for our audience.   . . . . What might our world look and feel like if we were more aware (open to) as both givers and receivers of art forms – of this opportunity to love one another deliberately?   \n  \n#212 The Heart of life – Through accepting – even embracing impermanence I find hope. Hope helps endurance through the distresses of life. So I wish everyone a dose of hope to help bolster you through distress on your journey to luminescence. May you shine brightly as the stars revealing a way for others to find their hope too.   \n  \n#217 Beyond Labels  –  As we move into 2022 I hope for everyone I know\, past and present\, that each learns to accept and release the hold of memories of past events as well as letting go of judgements of “now” going by moment by moment. May we each find love and freedom in our own right. And\, may we share that love through understanding and compassion for our fellow travelers along the way as we learn to see the “other” as part of our own self\, interconnected with the life we live now.   \n  \nWith love\, to all \n  \n—Michel Deforge \n  \n  \n#281 Loving Words — “Every time the other person does something well\, we should congratulate him or her to show our approval. This is especially true with children….” \n  \nFor seven or eight years in the mid-nineties I was a mentor in an at-risk youth program in Portland\, OR. Our kids were each 14 yrs. old\, ready to enter high school\, and in danger of dropping out —doing drugs\, skipping school\, acting out\, being promiscuous\, failing at most everything. We had to work with parents (all of whom were behaving in pretty much the same way as their kids\, except they had dropped out of school long before) as well as our youth. \n  \nMy girl\, let’s call her Amy\, lived with her father. She was very bright; at 14 she did all the accounting for her dad’s used car sales business out on 82nd Av. (I’m sure he handled the side business of drug dealing accounts). She was affectionate and attentive with me. She had all the potential to be a strong and capable young woman. \n  \nHer dad\, let’s call him Gerald\, however\, saw a different picture. When we met\, with Amy sitting there\, Gerald told me ‘the problem.’ \n  \n“She’s a whore\, just like her mother! She’ll never amount to anything\, I guarantee you. She lies and can’t be trusted about anything. She sneaks out at night to be with men—all the time. She’s screwing off in school\, when she goes\, that is. Just like her mom\, she’s dumb and she’ll drop out of school\, I know it. Maybe be able to get a bartender job like her mom\, if she’s lucky\, but…” \n  \nI was so shocked to be hearing this\, needless to say. I told him this was a different Amy than the one I knew. The girl I knew was extremely smart – didn’t she do the accounting for his business???- and she was caring and dependable\, and a lovely girl. He couldn’t even hear me. He’d constantly go back to his well-practiced rant while Amy sat there stoney-faced and silent. \n  \nThis went on for a couple months\, with me politely (and carefully\, given Gerald’s demonstrable anger and burly presence) defending Amy\, until one evening when I stopped to pick up Amy for a meeting. \n  \nShe was in tears\, crying so hard I could hardly understand her. The gist was\, Dad must be right\, and you and I are wrong. I’m just going to give up; he’s so sure he knows me\, so I must be that bad… or words to that effect. \n  \nI was speechless and stunned—but not for long. Gerald had gone out to his favorite biker bar. I knew where it was. Beyond furious\, I sped out and spun my Honda into the lineup of a dozen Harleys with the ape-hanger bars. You know there’s that adrenalin thing where you can pick up a car by its bumper to save a child trapped under the wheel? Lifting a hundred times your weight as if it were a paper placemat? That’s the way I was: I barreled into the bar\, spotted Gerald and charged over to him and his buddies. He looked up and started\, “Hey\, hey\, what are you..?” But I grabbed him by the collar and jerked him backwards and bellowed\, “Gerald\, you are going to get out of here\, and go home\, and talk to your daughter! You are going to tell her that she’s a fine young woman\, and she’s smart and talented and you are proud of her!!! I will be right there listening so you’d better say it really good\, so that she believes you! GOT it?” \n  \nHe started whining a little\, but one of the guys mumbled\, “Hey Jer\, maybe you better go on home like the nice lady says…” I yanked his shirt again and barked\, “Hear that??? Now move!” \n  \nI gave him a shove and out we went. And he went home and I listened to him tell his daughter that she was smart and helpful to his business. I glared at him\, and he added\, “And you’re a fine young woman …and I’m proud of you.” \n  \nAmy should’ve said\, “That’s bull—-\, Daddy and you know it.” But she didn’t; she threw her arms around him and told him she loved him. \n  \nThat’s how easy it is with a child. \n  \n—Jude Russell \n  \n  \n \n  \nVoices in the Forest \n  \nWind sighing in the trees\, boughs rocking and  \nwhispering a story\, the world telling us who we are.  \nThe world a song\, and we sing with the wind  \nand trees\, our voices trembling in the dark.  \nThe sun lies down behind the trees in twilight \n blue\, stars shining\, moonlight rippling rivers.  \nBirds call\, squirrels and rabbits rustle  \ntheir way to bed. We sing to our babies—  \nYou too\, you too\, time to sleep\, the stars will watch\,  \nclose your eyes\, the wind breathes our song—sleep\, baby\, sleep.  \nOwls awaken\, wings whoosh overhead\, feathers  \na blanket\, the sky a bed\, we lie down with the wind \n  \n—Deborah Buchanan\n\n \n  \nCan the New Year really be a New Year?   \n  \nThe beginning of February is a New Year celebration – in Vietnam ( called Tet) as well as China and other east Asian countries.   It is a celebration of the Lunar New Year. \n  \nOften we feel that a “new year” can provide us with a chance to begin anew with ourselves – to put into action our deepest aspirations\, and to better care for ourselves and the world. However\, many of us have also experienced that a new year does not automatically bring us closer to our aspirations. \n  \nThich Nhat Hanh teaches us how to truly begin anew with ourselves. Below is a written excerpt from his talk\, with guiding questions for your reflection: \n  \n  \nDear beloved community\, \n  \n“To begin this year anew\, we should reflect on these simple questions:\n· What have I done during the year?\n· Have I been able to produce feelings of joy and happiness during my days?\n· Have I been able to take care of the painful feelings during the year?\n· Have I been able to handle them\, to calm them down\, so that I will not be a source of suffering for myself and for other people? \nWith mindfulness\, we can produce a feeling of joy whenever we want\, because we are a practitioner. We can produce these feelings for ourselves\, and everyone we love. Have we done that this year? \nWe can learn how to calm down painful feelings\, and even transform them into something better\, like compassion\, friendship and forgiveness. Pain and pleasure are all organic\, like love and hate. If we do not know how to handle love\, it can turn into hate or anger. If we know how to handle hate and anger\, we can turn it back into understanding and love. If we do not know how to handle painful emotions\, we are going to repeat that in the new year\, and the new year will not be very new. \nThe value of the year depends on the value of acting\, of our way of life. With mindfulness\, we can improve the quality of our life\, of our days\, our months\, our years.” \n  \n—Thich Nhat Hanh \n  \n  \nWinter Poem \n  \nonce a snowflake fell \non my brow and I loved \nit so much and I kissed \nit and it was happy and called its cousins \nand brothers and a web \nof snow engulfed me then \nI reached to love them all \nand I squeezed them and they became \na spring rain and I stood perfectly \nstill and was a flower \n  \n—Nikki Giovanni \n  \n  \nOne of Thay’s favorite Meditations  – \n  \nBreathing in\, I see myself as a flower \nBreathing out\, I feel fresh. \nBreathing in\, I see myself as a Mountain \nBreathing out\, I feel solid. \nBreathing in\, I see myself as a Mountain Lake \nBreathing out\, I am calm and reflective. \nBreathing in\, I see myself as the Sky or Space \nBreathing out\, I feel free.  \n  \n  \n  \n Three poems by Heather Cahoon \n  \n1. \nCounter balance \nTo his curiosity \nThe magpie’s tail \n  \n2. \nThe shallow v-shape \nOf conviction opens \nWhere wing becomes body \n  \n3.  \nGetting firewood: \nBlaring chainsaws \nGive way \nTo thurderous crashing \nFrom the fallen trees \nBlack ants pour out \nLike blood \n  \n—From Alex Tretbar \n  \n  \nNo day is ever the same\, and no day stands still; each one moves through a different territory\, awakening new beginnings. A day moves forward in moments\, and once a moment has flickered into life\, it vanishes and is replaced by the next. It is fascinating that this is where we live\, within an emerging lacework that continuously unravels. Often a fleeting moment can hold a whole sequence of the future in distilled form: that unprepared second when you looked in a parent’s eye and saw death already beginning to loom. Or the second you noticed a softening in someone’s voice and you knew that a friendship was beginning. Or catching your partner’s gaze upon you and knowing the love that surrounded you. Each day is seeded with recognitions. \n  \n–John O’Donohue\, from “To Bless the Space Between Us” \n  \n 
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/meditation-mindfulness-dialogue-2-15-22/
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20220224
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20220310
DTSTAMP:20260427T045207
CREATED:20220226T190350Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220310T172428Z
UID:2584-1645660800-1646870399@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:peace\, love\, happiness & understanding  2/24/22
DESCRIPTION:Photo #12  Bee in lilac blossoms\,  May 17\, 2020 (photos by Abe Green)  \n  \n  \nTHE OPEN ROAD \npeace\, love\, happiness & understanding \n  \nFebruary 24\, 2022 \n  \n  \nWhere the bee sucks\, there suck I:  \nIn a cowslip’s bell I lie;  \nThere I couch when owls do cry.  \nOn the bat’s back I do fly  \nAfter summer merrily.    \nMerrily\, merrily shall I live now  \nUnder the blossom that hangs on the bough. \n  \n—from The Tempest by William Shakespeare \n  \n  \nAs promised\, here are more pictures and texts from Abe Green: \n  \n  \n \nPhoto #13  Mouse friend\,  May 7\, 2019 \nThe wheel turns ceaselessly—birth and death. \n  \n  \n“Birth is not the beginning\, \nDeath is not the end.” \n  \n—Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu) (370 BC – 287 BC) \n  \nWalt Whitman says: \n  \nThe smallest sprout shows there is really no death\, \nAnd if ever there was it led forward life\, and does not wait at the end to arrest it\, \nAnd ceased the moment life appeared. \n  \nAll goes onward and outward\, nothing collapses\, \nAnd to die is different from what any one supposed\, and luckier. \n  \nHas anyone supposed it lucky to be born? \nI hasten to inform him or her it is just as lucky to die\, and I know it. \n  \n–from “Song of Myself” \n  \n  \n \nPhoto #14  Robin eggs\,  May 19\, 2020 \n  \n  \n  \n \nPhoto #15  Campfire at Fresno Lake\, (North Central MT.)\,  July 24\, 2020 \n  \nI once wrote a lengthy story about campfires. This is the last paragraph: \nSo here I sit by my campfire\, don’t want to “do” anything with it; it doesn’t have to be huge or roaring\, just be itself—warm and friendly. \nI want to hear its special language of hisses\, snaps\, pops\, and crackles—it’s a language made for my spirit. \nI want to smell its earthy\, woodpitch scent. \nAnd I want to stare into its inferno-like heart\, knowing what I see is a glimpse of the blazing glory of my own human heart. \nThe same bursting energy that fires the universe. \n  \n  \n  \n \nPhoto #16  Showdown Ski Area\, (Central MT.)\, October 27\, 2020 \n  \nI just love this photograph\, (though I did not take it). The juxtaposition of the dog and an awaiting ski area clothed in deep new snow—two very experiential loves! \n  \n  \n \nPhoto #17  Eye painted on stone\, December 28\, 2021 \n  \nI found the rock\, an artist friend painted the eye at my request. Live\, the piece is dynamic. I call it: “The observer being observed”! It reminds to not only witness what surrounds me\, but to also authentically witness my “self.” \n  \n  \n \nPhoto #18  Fall colors on Aspen trees\, September 26\, 2021 \n  \n“It’s the job of wise people to encourage us to perform thought experiments to challenge us about things we take for granted\, to imagine in new ways.” \n  \n—J. Stallings quoted by A. Green \n  \n  \n  \n \nPhoto #19  Grizzly Bear release\, (photo: MT. Fish & Game)\, October 17\, 2021 \n  \nI included this picture of a grizzly relocation release as an opportunity to speak of the plight of so many of Earth’s habitants. When I see a bear or bird or beetle I see no less than the same spark of life that resides within my breast. How can I wish to experience life while denying it to other life expressions? For that’s what is really going on here\, we are all—every plant\, every animal\, and every mother’s son and daughter—expressing the “gift” in our own way. \n  \n  \n \nPhoto #20  Bent tree regrowth\, October 24\, 2021 \n  \n  \nLessons from a Tree \n  \nSeed split. Root sprout. Leaf bud. \nDelve deep. Hold fast. Reach far \nSway. Lean. Bow. Loom. \n  \nClimb high. Stand tall. Last long. \nGrow. Thicken. Billow. Shade. Sow seed. \n  \nRise by pluck\, child of luck\, \nlightning-struck survivor. \n  \nBurn. Bleed. Heal. Remember. Testify. \nNest. Host. Guard. Honor. \n  \nFall. Settle. Slump. \nSurrender. Offer. Enrich. \n  \nBe duff. Enough. \n  \n—Kim Stafford \n  \n  \n  \n \nPhoto #21  Sleeping Giant Skyline\, Beartooth Mtns.\, (Southcentral MT.)\, November 4\, 2021 \n  \n  \nThe Peace of Wild Things \n  \nWhen despair for the world grows in me \nand I wake in the night at the least sound \nin fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be\, \nI go and lie down where the wood drake \nrests in his beauty on the water\, and the great heron feeds. \nI come into the peace of wild things \nwho do not tax their lives with forethought \nof grief. I come into the presence of still water. \nAnd I feel above me the day-blind stars \nwaiting with their light. For a time \nI rest in the grace of the world\, and am free. \n  \n–Wendell Berry \n  \n  \n  \n \nPhoto #22  Broken Objects\, December 16\, 2021 \n  \n  \nThough sometimes unseen\, there are extraordinary possibilities in everyone. If today\, I’m a good enough example\, if I shine my light bright enough\, just maybe…I can change the world! But the world is so big. Better to focus on those I encounter in my little corner of life. \n  \n–Abe Green \n  \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/peace-love-happiness-understanding-2-24-22/
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220227T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220227T170000
DTSTAMP:20260427T045207
CREATED:20220226T193122Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220506T222747Z
UID:2601-1645974000-1645981200@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:Bibliophiles Unanimous!  2/27/22
DESCRIPTION:Woman Reading at a Desk (c. 1910) by Thomas P. Anshutz \n  \n  \nBeloved Bibliophiles! This week\, Sunday\, February 27th\, at 3 pm (PST)\, our theme is “Favorite Fictional Characters.” Here’s the link for the Zoom gathering: \n  \n  \nhttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/87614013058 \n  \n  \n  \nI hope to see you there! \n  \npeace\, love & happiness \n  \nJohnny \n 
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/bibliophiles-unanimous-2-27-22/
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