Triangle Insight Meditation Community
August 2021 Newsletter 
triangleinsight.org
MEDITATION GROUPS
Our home is the Episcopal Center at Duke
505 Alexander Ave. | Durham, NC 27705 (when safe to gather in person)  

Morning meditation: Monday and Thursday
Wednesday meditation with Dharma Talk, or as Insight Dialogue (below)
SCHEDULE

Wednesday Evenings
6:30 - 8:00 PM (Insight Dialogue: 6:30 - 8:00 PM)    
August 04 - Ron Vereen
August 11 - Scott Bryce
August 18 - Emily Griffith Burke (Guest Teacher)
August 25 - Phyllis Hicks (Insight Dialogue)

September 01 - Ron Vereen
September 08 - Scott Bryce
September 15 - Francesca Morfesis (Guest Teacher)
September 22 - Phyllis Hicks (Insight Dialogue)
September 29 - Jeanne van Gemert (Guest Teacher)

Monday and Thursday Morning Meditation 
7:00 - 7:45 AM (click here for more info)

Zoom locations to be emailed.
Tibetan Monastery Gate
Zoom Email Subscriptions
If you would like to receive an invitation to one or both Zoom meditations, please subscribe on our Schedule webpage, or tell us the Zoom list(s) you would like to join.

To receive this monthly newsletter, please complete the newsletter subscription on our Newsletters webpage, or send your request to the info email above.

If you would like to change any part of your subscription(s), please email us and we will make this change for you.
The Practice of Insight Dialogue at Triangle Insight
Insight Dialogue is an interpersonal meditation practice and is offered at Triangle Insight once monthly, usually on the fourth Wednesday of the month. It brings the mindfulness and tranquility of silent meditation directly into our experience with other people. 

The new website for Insight Dialogue is an excellent resource for learning more about the practice: www.insightdialogue.org

The evening begins with silent meditation practice, followed by gentle mindful movement, and then shifting into dyad practice where interpersonal mindfulness is explored with a partner in response to a contemplation that is offered. The dyad practice is optional so that anyone who chooses to remain in silent practice may do so, rather than shifting into dyad practice. One can investigate the guidance of the contemplation internally, noticing the moment by moment unfolding of internal experience. Note that the ID practice goes from 6:30 to 8:00 pm while meeting on Zoom. When it is possible to resume in-person meetings the time will return to 8:30 pm, to allow for more spaciousness and time for questions. We hope you will be able to join us.
Reference Notes for Wednesday Dharma Talks

Triangle Insight Meditation teachers invite us to consider these notes to the references they used for their Dharma talks. Please click on links below to see teacher notes for the current month.


July 07 – Ron Vereen
July 14 – Scott Bryce
RETREATS and SPECIAL EVENTS
The Thinning of Self:
Aligning Dharma Practice with Its True Destination

A Daylong Benefit for Triangle Insight
with Rodney Smith

Saturday, October 16th, 10 am - 5:30 pm
From Rodney Smith:

"We can so easily loose our orientation of dharma practice when we empower the sense-of-self to act on freedom’s behalf. However, when we use our practice to thin the sense-of-self by both understanding and diminishing its prominence, we stay honest to the dharma's true intent. 

This daylong will encourage a simple realignment of our intentions and practices to that end, and will consist of dharma talks, silent and guided meditations, Qigong (lead by Ellen, Rodney’s spouse) and Q & A. As a benefit for Triangle Insight all dana will go to this organization for the purchase of much needed audio/visual equipment.
Please give generously." 
______________________

Please join us for this virtual day of practice with Rodney Smith, Founding Teacher of the Seattle Insight Meditation Society (SIMS) and a Core Teacher at the Forest Refuge. Rodney's gracious offer that all donations go to Triangle Insight will help cover the costs of upgrading our Zoom technology as we anticipate a shift to providing both a virtual and an in-person option once we return to the Episcopal Center.

This event will be by registration only and will become available over the next several weeks. Once registered you will receive access to the event landing page that will have the details of the schedule for the day along with the Zoom link to join the event and further directions on how to donate. If you are unable to attend, Rodney's talks will be recorded, and you will still have an opportunity to donate. And do please give generously!
OPPORTUNITIES
Community Engagement
This space is dedicated to items that will help us engage our Buddhist values and spirit in volunteer activities, and share a compassionate endeavor with events and organizations in our community and beyond.
This month the TIMC Newsletter editorial committee shares information about two organizations in Durham that sangha members have proposed for review and our support, as the spirit moves in each of us.
Fed Up in the South
A community program in Durham for food distribution and opportunities to low-wage workers, the BIPOC community and Durham residents without transportation.

"Many of our neighbors do not have enough food, and there is a program called 'FedUp' which was started by members of Carolina Jews for Justice, Triangle Poor People’s Campaign, and Raise Up/Fight for 15 at the beginning of the pandemic to distribute groceries every other Friday morning. The schedule will change in August; both donations and volunteers are needed, and the next distribution will be August 21."

To view the video thumbnailed here, visit the Fed Up Facebook Page:

For more information about upcoming activities and volunteering, contact Karen Ziegler through her email: ZIEGL001@gmail.com, or you can TEXT only Karen at 919-819-2073.
IF YOU HAVE A GROUP, EVENT or ACTIVITY to share in this block, please send an email to the board@triangleinsight.org, including main details and relevant links.
RESOURCES
Please use these links to visit the website for this information
PROGRAMS
Welcome Committee and TEAM INFO
Sangha means spiritual community, and it is treasured because without it awakening cannot be sustained.
____ Jack Kornfield, After the Ecstasy, the Laundry  

The Welcoming Committee wishes to foster the experience of belonging to a diverse, tolerant community connected through mindfulness practice, where all feel welcome and safe. We seek to link all members and newcomers to ongoing activities and to ensure the Zoom connection is available. You are welcome to Visit our Webpage!
Spiritual Friends: Kalyana Mitta & Racial Affinity Groups
Having admirable people as friends, companions, and colleagues is actually the whole of the holy life. - The Buddha
Kalyana Mitta
In her article, Taking Refuge in the Triple Gem, Christina Feldman says of sangha, “To learn how to speak truthfully, to listen without defensiveness, to learn how to offer and receive kindness, to let go of our personal story and listen deeply to our universal story, are all lessons of wise community.” Our Spiritual Friends Groups provide a trusting, supportive space for this rich relational practice.
 
A beautiful aspect of this process is that as the heart of the dharma is enriched in our own lives, we are contributing to the spiritual journey of others, and the third jewel of sangha illuminates the path that we travel together. As Christina Feldman notes, “We cannot seek our own awakening; we can only take part in the awakening of all beings.”

Current KM Group Openings
Openings are available in these KM groups: Insight Dialogue and Raleigh.

Waiting Lists are available for Chapel Hill-Carrboro and Secular Dharma.
The KM-RA Coordinating Team of Sarah Tillis, Beth Lauderdale, and Tamara Share expresses deep gratitude for the dedication of our sangha.

May our Kalyana Mitta and Racial Affinity groups be of great benefit to all.
If you would like more information, want to join a group, be on a waiting list or start a new group, please contact Sarah Tillis, KM Coordinator: sarah@triangleinsight.org
Racial Affinity
Known as RAGs, Racial Affinity groups allow people to deepen self-awareness around issues of race in small, racially homogeneous groups. As we face our long history of systemic racism and violence against people of color, RAGs provide a safe space where members can integrate the dharma into their exploration of racial belonging and racial habits of harm.

Waking up to the realities of racial legacy, conditioning, and systems is a challenging process, and the acceptance we bring each other, as well as our shared understanding of the dharma, help us to heal and act more skillfully in the world. 

If you are interested in joining a Racial Affinity group or would like more information, contact Beth Lauderdale, our RAG Coordinator, at marybethboswell@yahoo.com. As of January 2021, we have at least one group that is open to new members. Additional details and resources are available on our Racial Affinity Groups web page.
Sangha Support: Caring Circles
A TIM Sangha Initiative connecting and strengthening the bonds of our shared practice.
Caring Circles offers the Triangle Insight Meditation Sangha a simple framework for requesting and providing services to cope with the uncertainties and needs of everyday life. In this time of the coronavirus pandemic, knowing there is a helping network for sharing and receiving is a great joy and safe haven.  
 
Currently, two TIM Sangha members coordinate service requests with other TIM members who are ready to volunteer their assistance as a form of dana service. 
To request aid, contact Mary Mudd, one of the Caring Circle coordinators, or
send an email to Caring Circles, or use Caring Circles Request for Assistance  (optional form)

In your initial communication, please let us know if the request is of a sensitive nature. The coordinator will make special arrangements with you. 
Financial Support 
Scholarships for Training Programs and Workshops in Racial Justice and Diversity
Our goal:
To help individuals and our community deepen the understanding of how unexamined views of race can limit the mind and human systems.

A Scholarship Fund for this purpose exists through donations from the TIMC General Fund and the generosity of several Triangle Insight members.

If Triangle Insight sangha members would like to receive scholarship support for training with OARNC, White Awake, or other programs addressing racial injustice, please email the Board at board@triangleinsight.org.
We invite the community to join this initiative by contributing directly to this scholarship fund.

  • For your convenience, you may use the dedicated PayPal portal,



Or visit our website

CLASSES and EVENTS
TIMC BOARD | NEWS AND REPORTS
Board Meetings

Cynthia, Leah, Martin and Ron convened an open board meeting on July 31, 2021, on Zoom. Three participants from the sangha were also present. The minutes will be forthcoming, but here's a brief summary:

-- A proposal was put forth and approved to increase the teacher honorarium from $60 to $75 for each evening of teaching effective beginning July 1 as there has been no change since 2009.
-- A decision was made to remain meeting virtually due to the new COVID delta variant, to be reviewed again at the August 21st open board meeting.
-- Martin gave an excellent preliminary overview of the technology needed for conducting a hybrid of in-person/virtual meetings. Estimated costs at present would be around $2,000 for the equipment, with further study needed regarding a Zoom upgrade as well.
-- Rodney Smith has offered to host a daylong fundraiser for Triangle Insight on October 16th, with dana going toward the expense of implementing the above hybrid option. Details on the retreat are in this newsletter.
-- The board is exploring the creation of a Community Connections Committee to help evaluate and coordinate volunteer initiatives in the community that could benefit from our support.
-- The board continues to address the need to find someone to take on the role of the Racial Affinity Group Coordinator position. If interested, please contact us at board@triangleinsight.org.
-- The board approved the formation of a Triangle Insight Editorial Committee that will review communications in the newsletter and on the website.
-- The next open board meeting will be held on Zoom, Saturday, August 21st from 12 noon - 2 pm.
Newsletter Submission Pointers
To submit items for the monthly newsletter, please review these general pointers and consult the Newsletter Submission Guidelines for important details.

  • At least two weeks prior to the month in which you wish your announcement to appear, submit new items to info@triangleinsight.org.
  • Include in your request a short statement of your relationship to TIMC.
  • New requests submitted in the last week of any month may not be accepted if time is a factor in preparing a final copy.
  • Changes to existing entries may be incorporated if submitted early in the last week of any month.
  • Entries that have not been updated since COVID may be removed. All authors are encouraged to update their newsletter entries and to resubmit, including TIM committees and groups.
  • Keep the text crisp and short, but include important details and attachments. Instead of longer texts, refer the reader to websites for additional information.
  • Indicate how many months you want your entry to be published, and
  • Stay in touch with updates if any specific details change. You are responsible for calling in changes and end dates for ongoing classes, groups or other continuing entries.
  • Special circumstances may require adjustment of the deadlines indicated here; early submission is a best practice and helps the newsletter editors determine where, how and if the item submitted shall be published (please see #1 in the Guidelines).

Please contact us through info@triangleinsight.org, and include "Newsletter" on the subject line. We will help you get your item published.
The Triangle Insight Board is looking for interested sangha participants to help with the Newsletter and Website.
Help build our communications network. If you are interested in serving on a committee to shape and update the sangha's communication portals, please consider volunteering to help in the Communications committee.

Newsletter Editorial Committee,
At present, helping hands are needed to build the newsletter each month and to plan how it will connect with the website. To all interested sangha members, we are forming a Newsletter Editorial Committee and hope you will contact us to volunteer or ask for additional information . Please email www.board@triangleinsight.org. noting Editorial Committee in the subject line

Website
Plans are in the works for refreshing the website with advice from. a professional website designer. Awaiting further discussion and development by the Board, If you are interested in working on the website, please let us know,


Thank you!
Committees not dope with you? You are welcome to contact me directly with any comments or suggestions to improve the newsletter and website.

In humor and good intention,
Leah Rutchick, leah@triangleinsight.org

and visit our FB page
Tell your friends