Tag Archive for: Rich Howard

01/26/2023 “Cling to Nothing: The Aggregates and Other Forms of I, Me, and Mine” with Rich Howard

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SIM Community Teacher Rich Howard will offer two connected events at the end of January with the theme “Cling to Nothing.” The Thursday January 26 presentation, “Cling to Nothing: The Aggregates and Other Forms of I, Me, and Mine” will look at the various ways in which clinging happens and creates an unhealthy sense of self. We will discuss the forms of clinging recognized by the Buddha, and how they lead to dissatisfaction.  The Saturday January 26 daylong will expand on these themes, but both events are standalone; you may attend one or both. The text inspiring this theme is “Untangling Self: A Buddhist Investigation of Who We Really Are” by Andrew Olendzki (Wisdom Publications, 2016). 

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12/22/2022 “The Greatest Blessing: Maha-Mangala Sutta” with Rich Howard

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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.

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12/01/2022 “20th Anniversary Celebration” with SIM Teachers

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Sacramento Insight Meditation is celebrating 20 years as a sangha! We have come a long way since the start in 2002 and will be commemorating the anniversary at a special event on December 1, 2022. Our esteemed teachers, Dennis Warren, Diane Wilde, Rich Howard, and special guest, John Travis, will be there in person to share memories of their involvement in SIM. Kamala Masters and Steve Armstrong will also be joining us via Zoom. The meditation portion of the evening will be shortened a bit to have time for cake and tea afterwards. This will also be an opportunity to socialize with one another.

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11/03/2022 “Finding the Middle Way in Practice” with Rich Howard

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The Buddha described the path of awakening as the “Middle Way.” This Middle Way is key to the most basic and important teachings of the Buddha – the Noble Eightfold Path, Dependent Origination, and the practice of meditation. On this evening, we will explore how understanding the Middle Way informs our practice all along the path.

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07/28/2022 “Sangha: Refuge in or Refuge from?” with Rich Howard

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The historical Buddha famously told his attendant Ananda that Sangha, the community of practitioners, “is actually the whole of the holy life.” In the Upaddha Sutta (SN 45.2), he explains that this is because “admirable friendship” helps one to follow the Noble
Eightfold Path. In this time of multiple overlapping crises, we may be tempted to come to Sangha for refuge from the sometimes overwhelming worldly winds swirling around us. Is this consistent with following the Eightfold Path? As lay practitioners, when do we step away from the conflicts around us and when do we use the practice to engage with the world? Bring a spirit of inquiry to this evening; there will be plenty of time for discussion of this challenging and rewarding topic.

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06/23/2022 “TBA: Navigating Uncertainty with Awareness” with Rich Howard

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We sometimes resort to strategies of planning and controlling as a refuge in times of uncertainty, but changing conditions often render this strategy ineffective at best, or frustrating and disappointing or perhaps even depressing. Our practice teaches us the value of continuous mindfulness, so why not adopt a more reliable strategy: TBA – To Be Aware!! Allowing awareness to connect with the changing nature of present moment experience keeps us from speculating about future outcomes that may never happen and saves us from punishing judgements about what has already happened. We will explore how TBA can help us reduce our dissatisfaction and discontentment and be more present to our life.

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05/19/2022 “Vesak: Religious Celebration, Practice Opportunity” with Rich Howard

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Vesak is the most important holiday of the year for Buddhists. It celebrates the Buddha’s birth, awakening, and passing into nibbana (parinibbana) at death. In many countries, it is recognized on the Full Moon Day of May as a national holiday. We will look at how the day is celebrated throughout the world, and then look at how we might take inspiration from these celebrations and from the life of the Buddha for our own practice.

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03/17/2022 “Compassion Fatigue” with Rich Howard

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As practitioners of mindful awareness, we want to remain openhearted to the suffering in the world. Our practice teaches us to turn toward conditions as they are, without needing to avoid unpleasant sensations, emotions, or thoughts. This openheartedness leads naturally to compassion, the impulse to take action on behalf of those who are experiencing suffering. However, Western psychology has recognized a condition called “compassion fatigue,” the “secondary trauma” that can result from helping others and that may lead to diminished capacity to empathize or feel compassion. Given all the suffering in the world and our access to it via global media, we may be overwhelmed and start to shut down to the world and those close to us. This evening, we will take a look at how our practice may help us recognize compassion fatigue as it develops and maintain an open heart.

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01/27/2022 “The Paramis” with Rich Howard

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Developing a Mind/Heart of Peace The Paramis are qualities of heart that when developed bring the highest blessing, which is peace. In honor of the passing of Thich Nhat Hanh, Rich will use illustrations from the beloved Zen Master’s life for development of the Paramis in daily life. We will see how Thay embodied patience, renunciation, determination, truthfulness, and other qualities of the heart to bring peace at the individual, community, and global scales. Please bring a story of how you have been influenced by Thich Nhat Hanh’s teaching, in person, online, or through his writing: a short quote, a song, a poem, or one of his books. We have invited special guest Helen Hobart to share her experience practicing with Thay.

Rich donated all the dana he received from the presentation to the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation.

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12/23/2021 “Beginnings and Endings” with Rich Howard

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While the end of a calendar year is somewhat arbitrary, it offers us a chance to look back on the previous year and to look forward to the year to come. In terms of practice, we can think of these activities as Wise Reflection and Wise Intention. For this evening, we will be using a beginning – the first section of the Dhammapada, which Jack Kornfield calls “the most beloved of all Buddhist texts, both poetic and profound.” Titled “Dichotomies” in Gil Fronsdal’s translation (Shambhala, 2008), this text contains reminders of the power of our thoughts and actions, and discernment in choosing a path of happiness and away from quarrels.

The placement of a text at the beginning of a collection was not arbitrary when the Pali Canon was assembled – important texts like this one were intentionally placed first. We will take a slow tour through this poem and see what it offers for our year-end reflection and intention. Feel free to have your own copy of the Dhammapada at hand; it is often fruitful to see how different translators approach a text.

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