 In this issue:
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The Freedom of Impermanence
Pam Steinbach
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I drove my granddaughter home from school recently. Those conversations between front seat & back seat can be some of the most honest and comfortable ones. She asked me why I have wrinkles. I told her I’m old so I have wrinkles and I’m fine with them. I asked if she wanted some. She wisely didn’t answer. She then informed me that there are shots to get rid of wrinkles. An eight-year-old was suggesting botox! This youngster is familiar with holding on to youth already.
The Buddha taught that all suffering is caused by denying the truth of self cherishing, holding on, ego-clinging. The way to freedom is to let go of all that.
The fourth of the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva points that out:
Loved ones who have long kept company will part.
Wealth created with difficulty will be left behind.
Consciousness, the guest, will leave the guesthouse of the body
Let go of this life.
We get caught up and forget that we are of the nature to grow old, get ill, die, and part from all those we love and all that we cherish. Thus many Buddhists recite the five remembrances (the fifth reminds us that our actions are our only possessions) daily because we don’t remember. It’s bad news, depressing, we might think. But we know it’s true. And yet we hang on as if it’s not.
So how to let go of this life? We practice. Sitting on our cushions or chairs, we let go of the myriad other things we could be doing for ourselves, our work, our loved ones and we sit down and let go of our thoughts without elaboration. Thoughts do arise giving us numerous opportunities to let go. This practice is the core of the path leading to the end of our deluded clinging.
In everyday life, nature gives us opportunities of noticing the truth of impermanence. The fading flower on the altar, the changing seasons, and our wrinkles (should you, too, be fortunate to have a few) remind us. But we don’t usually see that each very brief arising and passing away is dependant arising of myriad causes and conditions.
Dharma describes impermanence as key to these other two marks of existence: Anatta; there is nothing that can be held as all is empty of inherent existence and Dukkha; suffering/unsatisfactoryness arises from the denial of this truth. We hold to the view of continuation of self and things; it isn’t true yet we get caught up. Me, too. On the relative level as lay people, we operate as if. We put money in an account, buy a whole cabbage, and change the oil in our car as if tomorrow will be just like today. And it seemingly does work that way but even the Queen of England died last month. Do I really believe I will, too? It often comes as a shock, the diagnosis or the accident. So we practice remembrances and opening the hand of thought to let them dissolve, seeing the breath come and go, letting go over and over. What then often arises is peace, compassion, love, equanimity, and sometimes joy and wisdom. How wonderful.
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Hold the date and join us for A Potluck dinner and Annual Meeting on Tuesday, November 8th, immediately following the Dharma talk. Bring a dish and enjoy an evening together. We’ll have a brief update on what is going on at Sangha House. Everyone is welcome.
Book Group begins on October 18th, immediately following the Dharma talk. Join us if you are interested in a deeper study of Peter Doobinin’s book: The Skill of Living. For more information or to join the book group, click on this link: https://www.imfw.org/book-study
We need help with the regular weekly cleaning of Sangha House. Please contact us via email at InsightMeditationFW@gmail.com. If you can donate even a few minutes weekly – or monthly, please let us know.
We are offering a non-residential retreat with Tri-State Dharma teacher, Joan Staubach, October 7, 8 and 9th. For more information or to sign up click here: https://www.imfw.org/retreat-2022-fall
Join us to begin or enhance your sitting practice. IMFW resident teacher, Drew Consalvo is teaching the popular Introduction to Insight Meditation class every Monday evening during the month of November starting at 6:30 and lasting about an hour. These in person classes are held at 2332 Sandpoint Road, Fort Wayne. You can enroll in the class at https://www.imfw.org/intro-scheduled
We earned another $350 at our second garage sale. All proceeds go to UNICEF in support of helping children affected by the war in the Ukraine. Thank you to Josh and his team for managing and staffing the garage sale. The two sales earned $520 in total, all donated to UNICEF.
As the gardening season draws to a close, we give a tremendous thank you to the lawn care team! J.D., Charlie, Dan, Josh, Randy, Barb, Lisa, and Mandy. Thank you for donating your time and care to keep the grounds and flower gardens looking great.
The Board of Directors for IMFW
Tammy Dyer, Founder and Guiding Teacher
Deb O’Kelly, President
Pam Steinbach, Secretary and Teacher
Alexandra Belyaeva, Treasurer
Drew Consalvo, Teacher
Nancy Tompkins
J.D. Nye
Luke Bassett
Josh Smith
Our mission is to provide for the study and practice of Insight (Vipassanā) Meditation according to the Theravāda Buddhist religious tradition and to support and encourage the development of community based upon Buddhist ideals, teachings and practices.
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Come experience how Mindfulness training can reduce your stress and anxiety!
Stress isn't going anywhere. We all feel it from time to time. Actually, stress doesn't come from your boss, relationships, your kids, health challenges or even everyday driving in the car. It comes from how you view these situations. That is what creates the unease.
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction is the "gold standard" of mindfulness training. This empirically researched 8 week course developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn has been taught for more than 40 years around the world. Research outcomes have demonstrated positive improvements in physical and psychological symptoms, as well as changes in health attitudes and behaviors.
MBSR is designed to train attention, and reduce stress through a variety of practices and meditations. In this highly participatory, practical program, students will participate in:
• Guided instruction in mindfulness meditation practices
• Gentle stretching and mindful yoga/movement
• Inquiry exercises to build awareness and promote self-discovery
• Small and large group discussion
• Daily home assignments
• Guided audio files for home practice
Classes will be held in person at
Insight Meditation Fort Wayne
2332 Sandpoint Road
on Wednesdays from 6:00-8:30pm
October 12th - December 7th (No class on November 23rd)
Space is limited to 10-15 participants for social distancing
Suggested cost is $20/session ($160), however, a sliding scale is available upon request.
To register contact Becky Pape
Email: Becky@mindmentor.life
For more information about Becky: https://www.mindmentor.life/
Becky Pape
Mindfulness Guide
Mind Mentor LLC
"Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness." — Seneca
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Fall Retreat: October 7 - 9
Joan Staubach
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Save the date!
IMFW welcomes back, Tri-state Dharma teacher, Joan Staubach, for a two and a half day, nonresidential retreat in Fort Wayne.
Joan will be teaching on the Anapanasati Sutta, which is one of most revered teachings of the Buddha. The sutta starts with mindfulness of breathing, but it goes way deeper than that. On this retreat with Joan, we explore this teaching in detail. It is suitable for beginning as well as experienced practitioners.
Joan will offer a public talk on Friday night October 7th from 7-8 pm which is open to all, even if you do not plan to attend the retreat. There is no need to register for this talk. The weekend retreat on Saturday is from 9:00 am-5:00 pm and the Sunday session is from 9:00 am-3:00 pm. It is preferred that all registered retreatants attend all sessions if at all possible. A more detailed schedule will be sent to registered attendees.
The Ānāpānasati Sutta (Pāli), "Breath-Mindfulness Discourse," Majjhima Nikaya 118, is a discourse that details the Buddha's instruction on using awareness of the breath (anapana) as an initial focus for meditation. The sutta includes sixteen steps of practice, and groups them into four tetrads, associating them with the four satipatthanas (placings of mindfulness). According to American scholar monk, Thanissaro Bhikkhu, this sutta contains the most detailed meditation instructions in the Pali Canon. The Theravada version of the Anapanasati Sutta lists sixteen steps to relax and compose the mind and body. According to Ajahn Sujato, the ultimate goal of Anapanasati is to bear insight and understanding into the Four Foundations of Mindfulness (Satipaṭṭhāna), the Seven Factors of Awakening (Bojjhangas), and ultimately Nibbana.
Joan Staubach is an active member and past president of Tri-State Dharma in Cincinnati, OH. She is an experienced practitioner of Insight Meditation. She has been practicing since 1999. She has taught and co-taught Tri-State’s New Year’s Retreat for over 10 years, led daylong retreats, and taught numerous Insight Meditation classes. She has undertaken training retreats with Matthew Flickstein on Sharing the Dharma.
There is no fee for this retreat, but you will be given the opportunity to offer dana (Pali for generosity) in whatever amount you’re comfortable with.
Sign-up on our website at https://www.imfw.org/retreat-2022-fall
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A new date.
A new book.
A new year.
Book Study resumes this fall. Our next book study begins October 18th, on the third Tuesday of the month, immediately following the Dharma talk. The Skill of Living: The Buddha’s Path for Developing Skillful Qualities by Peter Doobinin is the book we will be exploring.
We meet immediately after Sangha at 2332 Sandpoint Road, from about 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month October 2022 through May 2023. (This is a change of dates from previous years.) We welcome anyone who is interested in pursuing a deeper understanding of the book. It is a peer-led study group.
You need to procure your own book. It is available on Amazon here and on Bookshop here.
Everyone is welcome. If you have questions about this study group, please feel free to contact Rachel Taykowski at rltaykowski@gmail.com or contact us at insightmeditationFW@gmail.com. You can sign up here.
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Introduction to Meditation
Drew Consalvo
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A four-week Introduction to Insight Meditation Class will be offered by the Insight Meditation Fort Wayne meditation community starting Monday, November 7 and continuing each Monday through November 28. Class begins at 6:30 p.m. and lasts about an hour. Drew Consalvo is teaching.
The classes will be held at the Sangha House at 2332 Sandpoint Rd. and are in person only.
While there is no fee for the class, a donation box will be available for those who wish to express their gratitude to the Insight Meditation Fort Wayne community for freely offering this class. Please sign up for the class on our website; https://www.imfw.org/intro-scheduled
We teach Insight Meditation, a practice that trains the mind to be aware of what is happening, when it is happening. When we begin to see our experience more clearly, we become better able to make choices about how we might live our lives with less stress and anxiety. As the mind settles and can see more clearly into the difficult situations of our lives, the qualities of love, compassion and wisdom naturally arise.
Insight Meditation, or Vipassana, has been practiced for over 2,600 years, since the time of the Buddha. This lineage is practiced primarily in Thailand, Burma, India, Sri Lanka and now in Europe, Australia, many parts of Africa, and the United States.
Learning to meditate is not about becoming a Buddhist; it is not about adopting new concepts or dogmas. It is not a scholarly pursuit nor is it tied to a belief system. Insight Meditation practice is useful no matter what your religious or spiritual orientation and can support your existing spiritual path, no matter what it is.
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Insight Meditation Fort Wayne holds its classes and meditation groups without charge, in the spirit of freely offering the Buddha’s teachings. If you would like to donate to IMFW, click the “Donate to IMFW” button.
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