NEWS

COVID-19 Resource List, Financial

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For the benefit of SIM’s community, our Board of Directors have provided this additional COVID-19 Resources List.

State/Federal Aid

Sacramento Utilities

Business Loan Programs

  • SBA Coronavirus Relief Loans – The SBA is allowing small businesses statewide to apply for disaster relief loans of up to $2 million with interest rates at 2.75% for nonprofits and 3.75% for small businesses. Repayment can extend up to 30 years. https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/disaster-assistance
  • Women’s Economic Venture’s Quick Response Loans – Women’s Economic Venture’s is offering local small businesses impacted by COVID-19 up to $10,000 in hardship loans with 4.5% interest rates and 36-month term. First payment is deferred for three months https://www.wevonline.org/loans-2/quick- response-loans/
  • Sacramento Small Business Economic Emergency Relief Loan – A $1 million fund for businesses to borrow up to $25,000 if they were impacted by the coronavirus outbreak. (NOTE: Fund is currently exhausted and not taking new applications. Businesses should check back if additional funding becomes available.) http://www.cityofsacramento.org/covid19-relief
  • COVID-19 Layoff Aversion Fund – The Workforce Development Board (WDB) of Solano County is issuing grants to help businesses with fewer than 500 employees in the county to avoid layoffs. Applicants must demonstrate a need for layoff aversion support due to the impacts of COVID-19. https://solanoemployment.org/layoff-aversion-fund

Legal & Medical Care Assistance

Financial Resources (.pdf)Download

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Metta Offering from Kamala Masters, June 5th

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Dear Friends,

With the heartbreaking news of recent events, I have found much refuge in the simplicity and directness of metta meditation practice. As a result, I am moved to share this practice and to support a larger coming-together of our sangha in metta offering. I would be honored if you would join me and an online community of other practitioners at this time.

  • When: Friday, June 5th, 8AM Hawaii, 11AM PT, 1PM CT, 2PM ET, 8PM Europe. For other time zones we plan to share a recording on the Vipassana Metta Foundation website following the gathering.
  • What: 40 minutes of guided metta
  • Where: Zoom
  • Fee: None, this is a dāna offering. If you are moved to give in response, please see below.
  • Who can join: Anyone who is interested. Please feel free to share this invite with others who might like to join.

Metta practice—offering unconditional goodwill—deeply supports us, as well as all beings, as we navigate these very difficult times. In addition to the goodwill we are offering to others, our practice also calms, stabilizes, and unifies our minds, hearts, and bodies. This helps us greatly to act and speak with wisdom and compassion, which is so important to bring to the world now.

As mentioned above, this a dāna offering, this means there is no request for registration fee or teacher dāna. If you are compelled to offer dāna, please share this dāna with any group or organization your heart opens to help.

With metta and my thanks for your consideration,
Kamala

Video recording “Guided Metta for Turbulent Times“

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Buddhists Help Get Out The Vote!

In this time of great fear, it is important that we think of the long-term challenges—and possibilities—of the entire globe. Photographs of our world from space clearly show that there are no real boundaries on our blue planet. Therefore, all of us must take care of it and work to prevent climate change and other destructive forces. This pandemic serves as a warning that only by coming together with a coordinated, global response will we meet the unprecedented magnitude of the challenges we face.   ~ The Dalai Lama

Dear Friends in the Dharma,

This is a truly critical time in American society. We are in the midst of a global pandemic, financial collapse, climate change emergency, and approaching a November election that threatens to exclude many eligible voters. As Buddhist teachers and leaders, we recognize that every vote and voice needs to be heard to help guide the next years of our society wisely.

A mutual caring community is one of the central teachings of the Buddha. In these times so marked by divisiveness and a lack of compassionate leadership, many of you have wondered how you and your whole community can help move us in this direction. Here are two crucial activities to encourage for everyone in your community:

❖ Register to vote; and sign up for an absentee ballot: You and your community can do this through Vote.org. Over thirty states now have no-excuse absentee voting, and many others are considering allowing COVID-19 as a valid excuse.

❖ Get your friends and family to register, sign up for an absentee ballot, and vote.

There’s more we all can do, and these actions don’t demand a lot of time.

1. Volunteer to do voter registration, absentee sign-ups, and get out the vote through these organizations.
• State Voices: A network of nonpartisan state coalitions of hundreds of grassroots organizations. Reach out and see if there are volunteer opportunities.
• National Voter Registration Day (Sept 22): Provides training and support on how to conduct voter registration, and will be making a heavy pivot to remote options this year, as well as a push to sign up for Vote-By-Mail (absentee). Includes legal guidance for voter registration drives.
• Vote Early Day (Oct 24): Inspired by National Voter Registration Day and anchored by a number of large media and tech companies, this organization will also be providing toolkits and training opportunities for impactful work, including recruitment of election workers. Will be assisting voters with both mail and in-person early-voting options. Was in the works pre-COVID-19, but is likely more critical in a pandemic.
• When We All Vote: The best-resourced, truly nonpartisan voter engagement organization.

2. Help ensure that eligible voters get to vote in key states, including Michigan, Pennsylvania, Florida and Wisconsin. Whether non-partisan or partisan there are many ways to help. There are many ways to do this.
• Here is an example of how you can get involved in the critical state of Wisconsin: https://winwisconsin.org/webinars/

3. Sign up to be a poll worker. Serving as a poll worker offers a dramatically under-appreciated opportunity to have an impact. Problems are made markedly worse or are mitigated to a substantial degree based on the quality of the poll worker. Chronic shortages of election workers nationwide cause long lines at the polls, especially at polling places that serve communities of color.
You can sign up to be a poll worker using this form and be connected to your local elections office.

Our collective involvement leading up to the November elections can really make a difference. Please forward this to as many teachers and Buddhist communities as you can throughout the United States. And thanks for joining us!

With lovingkindness, compassion and blessings,

Yours in the Dharma,
100+  Buddhist Teachers…

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Continuing Support of St. John’s Program

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Our SIM volunteers, along with members of Valley Streams Zen Sangha, have been preparing and serving dinner every third Wednesday for decades for the women and children at St. John’s Program for Change. With the current stay-at-home policy, St. John’s stopped accepting volunteers at their site back in mid-March but they still needed support from the community in preparing meals for their residents. Fortunately, one of SIM’s shoppers, Steve Sphar, offered to purchase food for our meat loaf dinner and deliver it to the shelter. So, in March and April, he dropped off food and recipes so that the chef and his helpers could prepare dinner. The staff at St. John’s is very appreciative. We all look forward to returning to our monthly dinner experience, but until then, we are still practicing generosity and compassion in the larger community.

Additionally, did you know about this fundraiser “The Great Food Truck Feed” that also helps support St. John’s Program for Change? The fundraiser (not a SIM sponsored event) is active for six more days and provides another option for helping to support our community during these challenging times.

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COVID-19 UPDATE

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We hope that you are finding stability through your practice at home during this unsettling time. Don’t forget this list of available resources SIM has collected to help you.

SIM Local Services for Our Community (.pdf)Download

It’s is also published at https://sactoinsight.org/essential-services-for-our-community/

And we continue to nurture our sangha with online meetings that we hope you can attend: https://sactoinsight.org/events/category/online-remote/list/

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COVID-19 UPDATE

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Dear SIM attendees,

First, a reminder that we’ve created this resources page listing some essential services for our community.

If you’d like support in your practice, we’re restarting the Practice Buddy Program, where you can be paired up with another practitioner to check in and share how your practice is going.  Email Demetra Ornofos if you are interested. 

If you’d like some additional physical, emotional or practice support, you can email Diane Wilde, who is a trained Buddhist Chaplain, to set up an appointment. Learn more about our Chaplaincy Council .

We’re continuing to meet using the Zoom application for Thursday evenings and classes. 

The SIM Board is aware of the current security concerns being raised about Zoom in the media and is looking at ways to reduce possible risks associated with using it. 

For this week:

  • Along with the link, there is a password for you to use for the Thursday night meeting if you are asked for one.
  • When you connect to the meeting, you will likely be sent to a “waiting room” before the host lets you into the meeting.
  • We recommend that you close other applications on your computer before you open Zoom.
  • After you leave the meeting, go to the top left corner of your screen to quit the Zoom program.

Note: Links for meetings will be also listed each week on SIM’s online calendar. Go to the event you are interested in and click on the event title to get the details and link to the meeting with the passcode if there is one.  A link for event dana will also be on the event page.

A word about dana:  Our Dharma teachers rely on the generosity of our attendees. We encourage you to give as generously as you can to support them.

Please take a moment to think of members of our SIM community who might not be comfortable going online and reach out to them directly or email sarad@sactoinsight.org or jerrys@sactoinsigt.org to let us know so we can follow up with them. We want to include as many as possible as we begin using this technology to meet!

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COVID-19 UPDATE

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Dear SIM attendees,

To help you get what you need while staying at home, we’ve created a resources sheet listing some essential services for our community. This list is posted to our website under the Resources menu.

It includes information on:

  • Food Delivery/Pick-Up Options
  • Stores with Drive-Thru/Curbside Pick-Up/Delivery Pharmacy Support
    • Stores with Senior Hours

Check it out! Email Davidg@sactoinsight.org if you need some help accessing online resources.

We’re continuing to meet using the Zoom application for Thursday evenings and classes. 

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COVID-19 UPDATE

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Dear SIM attendees,

As we stated in last week’s eNews, all SIM in-person events at the Sacramento Dharma Center are suspended through April 15th. We successfully held our first Thursday night evening and two ongoing classes this week using the Zoom application. We had good participation and only a few minor technical issues, so we’re off to a good start.

Note: Hyperlinks for online meetings will be listed each week on SIM’s online calendar. Go to the event you are interested in and click on the event title to get the event details, the link to join the meeting, and the link to contribute to the dana bowl.

TIP: For best results, when joining an online meeting, we recommend using a device that has a camera and microphone so that you can see and communicate with everyone. If you have a desktop computer without a camera or microphone, you might want to use at tablet or smartphone. Some people find it helpful to have a headset if you’re in a noisy environment or find it difficult to hear. This tip is added to an updated instructional post (https://sactoinsight.org/instructions-to-join-a-remote-meeting/).

A word about dana

Our Dharma teachers rely on the generosity of our attendees. Though we’ve had to postpone Vance Prior’s visit this coming week, he relies on dana for his livelihood. We encourage you to give as generously as you can to support Vance – visit https://sactoinsight.org/retreat-dana-online/.

Please take a moment to think of members of our SIM community who might not be comfortable going online and reach out to them directly or let us know so we can follow up with them. We want to include as many as possible as we begin using this technology to meet!

Summary of upcoming online events

Thursday 3/26 at 5:30 pm – Intro to Zoom Session

Just getting started with Zoom? Have Questions? Join us for an informal 30 minute drop in session to go over the nuts and bolts for participating in SIM events.
Join Online: https://zoom.us/j/333557730
Join by phone: 1-669-900-9128 ( Meeting ID: 333 557 730 )

Thursday 3/26 at 6:00 pm – Intro to Meditation Class

Interested in learning to meditate (or need a refresher)? Join Dennis Warren online using Zoom for this Introduction to Meditation Class.
Join Online: https://zoom.us/j/333557730
Join by phone: 1-669-900-9128 ( Meeting ID: 333 557 730 )

Thursday 3/26 at 7:00 pm – Sitting and Dharma talk

Join Online: https://zoom.us/j/540557536
Join by phone:1-669-900-9128 ( Meeting ID: 540 557 536 )
Dana e-Bowl: click here

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Board of Directors Update

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UPDATE – March 15, 2020

Dear SIM attendees,

SIM is working with the Sacramento Dharma Center and our sister sanghas to minimize the threat of coronavirus/COVID19 transmission.

To that end, we are suspending all SIM in-person events at the Sacramento Dharma Center through April 15th. Instead we will offer our Thursday night evenings and ongoing classes online using the Zoom application. It is easy to use if you have access to the internet. See the instructions below to join this Thursday night.

We will send an update regarding next week’s scheduled events with Vance Pryor later this week.

We recognize that meeting online is not the same as practicing together in one place, but in light of the rapidly evolving situation and the risk of person-to-person transmission, we think this is the best way to protect the health of our community for the near term.

Please take a moment to think of members of our SIM community who might not be comfortable going online and reach out to them directly or let us know so we can follow up with them. We want to include as many as possible as we try using this technology to meet!

A word about dana: SIM relies on the generosity of our attendees. Though we won’t be meeting at the SDC for the near term, there will still be bills to pay and teachers to support. We encourage you to give generously online at https://sactoinsight.org/what-is-dana.

To join SIM’s Zoom meeting online for Thursday March 19th, note the following:

Whether or not you join us on Thursday night, remember that you can access recent talks on our audio dharma page: (https://sactoinsight.org/category/audio-dharma/).

Thank you for your flexibility and help in keeping our community healthy!
The SIM Board

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Instructions to join a remote meeting

For SIM events held via teleconference or online, here are general instructions for how to participate. The two main methods for joining meetings are by phone or by internet (choose only one method). If you have concerns about getting online or into the meeting, call or text Jerry at 916-801-3278 or Sara at 916-620-3795 for help.

Before you Join the meeting

  • Enter the meeting 10 to 15 minutes early to be sure you’ll have time to address any connection issues.
  • We recommend that you close other applications on your computer before you open Zoom.
  • Join the meeting by either hyperlink or by phone.

— join by hyperlink (via computer or Smartphone)

  • SIM is using an application called “Zoom” to host our meetings. You may download the application directly from their official website at https://zoom.us/ or …
  • Click on the hyperlink that the meeting organizer has provided. If you have registered to a course, the instructor will email all students with a hyperlink to join the course meetings. Links for other meetings can be found on SIM’s online calendar. Go to the date and the event you are interested in and click on the event title to get the details and link to the meeting.
  • If you don’t already have Zoom installed, when you click the link it should prompt you to click on a button to download Zoom instantly. Then you can join the meeting.

–– join by phone (internet access not needed)

  • Dial the phone number and meeting access code that the meeting organizer has provided.
    • If you are registered to a course, the instructor will email all students with a meeting access code to join the course meetings. Access codes for other meetings can be found on SIM’s online calendar. Go to the date and the event you are interested in and click on the event title to get the details.
    • Note, when phone numbers are not toll-free, there may be long distance fees incurred depending on your service plan. To find the number nearest your location, click here.

Leaving the meeting

  • After you leave the meeting, go to the top left corner of your screen to quit the Zoom program.
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