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February Newsletter

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On the Web at imfw.org
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Email us at info@imfw.org

In this issue:

Silent Retreat Feb 15
Move Into 2020 With Chi Gong
Practice Group - Mindfulness of Death
Update from the Board
Weekly Tuesday Meditation and Dharma Talk
Sunday Morning Meditation
Web and Newsletter Help Needed
Scholarships
Sangha House Cleaning
Refuge Recovery every Friday Evening

IMFW is excited to announce the following events coming up soon at Sangha House, 2332 Sand Point Road in southwest Fort Wayne.

You can also peruse the Calendar on our website.

One-Day Silent Retreat

Saturday, February 15

Saturday, February 15
9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Sangha House

IMFW is offering a day of silence at Sangha House. This opportunity for retreat is designed both for those who might never have experienced a day of meditation as well as for those with retreat experience and who might wish to experience a day of mindfulness and concentration practice.

If you are unable to attend the full day of retreat and wish to come for the morning or afternoon session only, please plan to enter the meditation hall only at 9:00 or 1:00. Those who are attending the full day are asked to bring their own lunch, so we can stay in noble silence during the lunch hour.

Tammy Dyer, Guiding Teacher, will offer two dharma talks, guided meditations and times for walking meditation.

If you have any questions about whether this might be something you would like to do, please write or call Tammy.

Please RSVP if you plan to attend by contacting Tammy at tamaradyer6@gmail.com.

Move Into 2020 With
Chi Gong

Seven Movements
Of The Sky Fisherman

When:
Thursdays March 5 through March 26, 6:30 to 7:30pm
Where:
Sangha House, Insight Meditation Fort Wayne
2332 Sand Point Rd.
Fort Wayne, IN 46809
Cost: Free, however, a small donation to cover expenses for the use of this wonderful space is very much appreciated.
Register by calling Mona Beesley at 260 436 0204 or email beesleymona@aol.com

CHI means your breath, your life force, this energy that flows within you and all around you. It refers to the living energy in all things. When there is stagnation of this flow, there is more tendency for pain and disease to develop. GONG is a term that refers to the achievement of a practice. CHI GONG together describes a relationship between the cultivation of CHI and the discipline used.
In this class you will learn 7 specific exercises that facilitate movement through 12 meridians affecting major organs. The sequence in which we perform these exercises follows the flow of energy from one meridian into the next according to the Meridian Cycle in Chinese Medicine. This is a wonderful short form, easy to learn and could be used as a moving meditation.

Our presenter is Mona Beesley. She has studied Tai Chi and Chi Gong with Chungliang Al Huang, Dr. Paul Lam, Dan Jones and William Chen. She is currently teaching a class through Parkview Center for Healthy Living, in Kendallville, IN.

Maraṇānussati

Mindfulness of Death

This group focuses on the Buddha's teachings on mindfulness of death, and to a lesser degree birth and metta. The first group meeting was held on 1/16/20 .

Metta is included in this group because: 1) Two of the four protective meditations regard mindfulness of death and one concerns metta. And 2) Mindfulness of death can be a very heavy topic and many teachers have recommended that metta be used alongside the practice. For example Ajahn Achalo highly recommends finishing Maranasati practice with metta in several of his talks.

This group is also for open discussion on your personal feelings and experiences regarding this practice. It is a very open format focusing on the teachings of the Buddha.

Each meeting ends with a 10-15 minute metta meditation.

The group is open to anyone to attend at any point. Meetings will be held every fourth week on Thursdays at 3:00 pm, following the Thursday KM group that meets earlier in the day. (See the calendar for specific dates.)

Any questions please contact Jay Luce at keop72@hotmail.com

Update from the Board President

We are currently updating our mailing list and switching to a new mail host. Jim Lewis and others are working to update the list, which has grown to over 300 people. Remember, our list is completely voluntary, and you can “unsubscribe” at any time. While we are on the learning curve changing over from Google Groups to MailChimp please show patience and help us in any way you can. Please point out to Nancy Tompkins any spelling or address mistakes. If you don’t receive a newsletter (via email) near the first of the month please mention it to a board member. All new information will be uploaded automatically from our website. We previously only collected first names and email addresses but our new system allows us to store more complete information. If you’d like to update your contact information (with street address and phone number) you can go to our website IMFW.org Just fill out the “subscribe to our email and snail mail communication”. It will update your record, not set you up as a duplicate.

Thank you to everyone who made our annual precepts ceremony such a meaningful evening. Many people stepped up on very short notice to make it all come together and look seamless! A special thank you to Drew Consalvo for holding the ceremony and to Barb Lahman and Gary Hogle for all of the work they did in setting up and closing down the Tea afterwards.

Sangha House is completely run by volunteers. They do so much, and each by their generosity help to make the place a beautiful space of acceptance, learning and respite. Thank you to the Sangha members who keep the sidewalks and parking lot safe. Thank you to all who clean, polish and keep the building dry, stocked and comfortable. The place wouldn’t run without you, nor would it be such a cared-for and peaceful space.

If anyone has a concern or question, you can ask a Board member! Or email us from the website at IMFW.org.
Tammy Dyer, Guiding Teacher
Deb O’Kelly, President of the Board
Drew Consalvo, Secretary
Alexandra Belyaeva, Treasurer
Ellen England
Jay Luce
Nancy Tompkins

Thank you to all of the members of the Board of Directors for their service to our community. They serve in so many ways.

Thank you to Jim Lewis, who continues to remotely support the Sangha by managing our technology interfaces and communication, with patience and goodwill. We couldn’t do this without you!

Deb O’Kelly

Weekly Tuesday Meditation and Dharma Talk

Each Tuesday evening, at 6pm, IMFW Guiding Teacher Tammy Dyer leads a 40 minute meditation followed by a Dharma Talk.

Insight Meditation is the practice of cultivating a precise nonjudgmental attention, which can clearly experience the present moment. Often associated with Mindfulness Meditation, it supports the awakening of hearts and minds through the direct experience of the Buddhist path.

Second Tuesday Tea
Stay late for tea and conversation after meditation

Greeters Needed
Tuesday Night Greeters help us ready Sangha House for visitors, greet newcomers, watch for latecomers, and tidy the place up afterwards. You can sign up at SignUpGenius, or contact Barb Lahman.

Sunday Morning Meditation

Please join us for Sunday Sits each week at 10:00 am.

Bell Ringers Needed
If you'd like to be a Bell Ringer for the start and end of a Sunday Sit, you can sign up at SignUpGenius

Questions? Contact Nancy Tompkins.

Web and Newsletter Help Needed

We are looking for someone to help maintain the IMFW website and the monthly newsletter.

The website is created using SquareSpace. Most of the work would be in their drag-n-drop page editor.
The newsletter is created using Mailchimp, and their drag-n-drop editor.
We use SignUpGenius for specific events like Greeters and Bell Ringers

If you'd like to help out, or inquire further, please contact info@imfw.org.

Scholarships

Insight Meditation Fort Wayne
Financial Assistance Guidelines
In keeping with the spirit and practice of dana (generosity), IMFW has made provision to extend financial assistance to people who would otherwise be unable to attend a retreat because of limited financial resources.

COVERAGE
IMFW financial assistance is offered to support the individual’s attendance at retreats and also to support the growth of our sangha overall. Financial assistance is therefore offered to those who are regular attendees at IMFW meditation classes, Tuesday meditation sessions or our local Spring and Fall retreats. Recipients are encouraged to report back to the sangha or the Dharma Council on their experience after the retreat is complete, though this is not mandatory.

As IMFW's focus is on Vipassana meditation from the Theravadan tradition, we offer financial support to those attending retreats in that tradition including, but not limited to, those offered by the Insight Meditation Society (www.dharma.org) and Spirit Rock Meditation Center (www.spiritrock.org).

IMFW financial assistance is available to fully or partially cover the cost of registration and transportation of a retreat. Because our financial resources are limited as well, we ask that applicants make every effort to pay as much of the registration fee and transportation costs as they are able so there will be funds to assist as many people as possible

It is a long-standing tradition that teachers offer the teachings at no cost and attendees freely offer dana at the end of the retreat. This practice of generosity and contemplating the value of the teachings is a key part of the retreat experience and therefore IMFW financial assistance is not available to cover teacher dana.

APPLICATION PROCESS
If you would like to apply for financial assistance please complete the scholarship application form and mail or e-mail it to lahman.b@gmail.com as far as possible in advance of the retreat. If you are applying for scholarship funds from the retreat organizers, please complete that process prior to applying for assistance from IMFW.

HOW FUNDS ARE AWARDED
Once an application has been accepted, the recipient will be provided with a check made out to the retreat center to submit with their registration. Transportation cost support will be paid direct to the applicant. For air fares, a receipt for the same amount should be provided as soon as booking is confirmed. For other costs such as shuttle buses, an estimated amount will be provided prior to the retreat.

SCHOLARSHIP LIMITS
We can offer up to two scholarships per person per year (except in the case of someone with a life-threatening illness); first consideration will be given to individuals who have not received a scholarship within the past 12 months.
We trust that financial assistance will be received in the same open and honest fashion with which it is offered. Any misuse of this trust will affect the decision on future applications from that individual.
If you have any questions, please contact Barb Lahman.

Sangha House Cleaning

Help maintain our home

"At IMFW we offer participants a 'yogi job,' a way of managing the maintenance workload by requesting small work assignments as people are able. Each job is like a spoke in the wheel that allows Sangha House to turn smoothly. We work from the center of the wheel for the whole, and only in concert can the wheel move forward."
- Paraphrased from "Stepping Out of Self-Deception" by Rodney Smith

In February, Yogi Job house cleaning is offered at 11am on the 2nd and at 7:30pm on the 18th. Please join us, when you can, for 30-40 minutes to assist in keeping Sangha House clean and tidy.