Singers/Chanters Needed on November 20th

The annual Gathered In Faith Together (G.I.F.T.) Thanksgiving Interfaith Service will be 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, November 20th at Saint Matthew Catholic Community in Allouez. Open Heart Mindfulness Community would like to offer the healing Namo Avalokiteshvara chant as part of the service this year. We are looking for people to volunteer and stand with the sangha and chant. Keith McGillivray graciously offered to lead us with the flute. Those attending the service will be invited to join in, or to listen. Please let me know if you would like to volunteer. Here is the sheet music if you wish to see it: Avalokiteshvaraya Chant Music .  We will chant this six times for only about 3-4 minutes total. For those worried about singing in public, please know that it will be beautiful and the energy we bring is much more important than the sound of our voices. We will opportunity to practice before the service if you wish. You can listen to the chant on YouTube, or on the new Plum Village: Zen Meditation App. This is a very powerful healing chant, often offered by the monastics at retreats and in the community at public talks. Please contact Jody at OpenHeartMC@gmail.com if you are interested or have any questions.
The Interfaith Thanksgiving service is a gathering of several different faith groups coming together as one and includes people from the Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, and Unitarian Universalist faiths. This year donations will be offered to Casa ALBA. If anyone knows Spanish and can help translate the written Order of Service, or small oral parts of the service, please let me know.
About the Namo Avalokiteshvara Chant

We chant the name of Avalokiteshvara in order to get in touch with suffering and help relieve the pain and suffering of others. In Mahayana buddhism, Avalokiteshvara is the Bodhisattva of compassionate listening; the one who listens with compassion to the suffering of the world. He is a person who listened to his own suffering, and came to understand it, and that is why he overcame suffering and he was able to listen to other people and help them to suffer less. The purpose is simple, clear. To allow the energy of compassion to be born. To help heal us, and to help heal the other person, the world. When we chant or listen to his name the first time, we touch personal suffering. The second time, we reach out and try to see the suffering of the people in front of us, on the left, the right, because everyone has suffering inside. The purpose is the same; to allow compassion to be born. The third time, we reach out and touch the suffering in the world, everywhere. As you listen, you may wish to bring your loved ones to mind, or anyone you wish to send the healing energy of love and compassion.

(The pronoun ‘he’ can be interchanged with ‘she’, as both are correct)
Namo: bowing, honor

Plum Village Meditation App

The Plum Village: Zen Meditation app is a great new app for Android and iPhones… and it’s free! with TONS of free resources, practices, meditations, etc. It is like bringing the monastics to retreat right where you are! You may find two Plum Village apps when you search; this one is free and it’s orange

https://plumvillage.app

January 3rd New Year Ancestor Ceremony

New Year Ancestor Ceremony
Wednesday, January 3rd from 6:00 – 7:30 at the Mauthe Center in the Fireplace room. This is a sangha favorite. Each year at the New Year we share the New Year’s Ceremony to pay respect to our teachers and our ancestors. The ceremony is from Chanting from the Heart: Buddhist Ceremonies and Daily Practices and includes sitting meditation, touching the earth, sutra reading, and discussion time to share about our ancestors. Everyone is invited to bring items and/or pictures of familial or spiritual ancestors to place on the ancestral altar. This ceremony will take the place of our regular practice session. At the end of the ceremony some may wish to participate in hugging meditation  as a form of “beginning anew” in order to close the ceremony and enter into the new year with open hearts and harmony between each other.
Ancestor Prayer
We your descendants who are practicing with Open Heart Mindfulness Community at the occasion of the New Year, come with sincere respect before your altar. We go back to our source and ask you, our ancestors, to be our witness.
Trees have their roots and water has its source. We know that you, our ancestors, are our roots and we are your continuation. We are determined to receive your cultural and spiritual heritage, to conserve and to develop what is good, beautiful, and true in it. We are also determined to realize the aspirations which you have handed on to us, transforming your suffering and opening up for future generations the way to a peaceful, unburdened and meaningful life. We are determined to help build a society in which people are not always busy, where little is consumed, and there is plenty of time to live with nature, look after nature, and bring happiness, to care for, and smile to each other.
This is the moment when the New Year begins. We promise to let go of all our anger, sadness, and resentment, and to forgive, love, and accept each other. We know that only by doing this do we really express our feelings of gratitude and loyalty towards you.
Please be witness to our sincerity as we offer incense, flowers, fruit, and tea. All these things are offered with our heartfelt sincerity and our loyalty. Please be our protectors and the protectors of our children and grandchildren so that we have enough health, faith, and joy to be able to continue your work.

Thanksgiving Interfaith Service 11/21/17 @ 7p.m.

You are invited to the Greater Green Bay Area Annual Thanksgiving Interfaith Prayer Gathering, Hosted by G.I.F.T. (Gathered In Faith Together).

Tuesday, November 21, 2017 @ 7:00 p.m.
Cnesses Israel Congregation Temple
222 South Baird Street—Green Bay’s East Side

Our Sangha will be present together with our friends of other faiths. This is our second year participating in the service, and Jody and Jeanne will share the Discourse on Love. Please consider joining us for this special service. We will have the opportunity to deeply touch our nature of interbeing with others in our community, and share our faiths and practices together.

More information is on the attached brochure. Please share with others who may be interested. 

“When you learn about the teaching and the practice of another tradition, you always have a chance to understand your own teaching and practice.” -Thich Nhat Hanh

Thanksgiving 2017 final Press Release

Mindfulness Day October 28, 2017

We are happy to invite you to join us on Saturday, October 28th from 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. for a day of mindfulness practice. The focus of the day is to nourish and deepen our community in the Thich Nhat Hanh tradition. We will share several mindfulness teachings that you can carry home with you, and many of the teachings are based upon our experiences on retreats with Thich Nhat Hanh and the monastic community. Beginners and newcomers are welcome to join us, as well as those who have an established practice in any tradition.

Open Heart Mindfulness Community
Day of Mindfulness: Deepening Our Practice
Saturday, October 28th, 2017 from 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
The Richard Mauthe Center, UWGB campus, 2418 Leon Bond Drive, Green Bay, WI.

Please RSVP to hold your space at OpenHeartMC@gmail.com
$15 Suggested Donation
No one turned away and your presence is welcomed.
Bring your own lunch. Snacks, water, and tea provided.

Please plan to arrive around 8:45 a.m. so you have time to settle in before we begin.
We will hold noble silence except for discussion periods.
You may wish to bring a blanket and/or mat for deep relaxation, and a sweater as the temperature can sometimes fluctuate.
Please refrain from wearing strong scents or perfume/cologne.

The day will include:
Sitting Meditation
Walking Meditation
Mindfulness & Stopping
Explanation of practices
Guided Meditation w/ inviting the Bell
40 minute Plum Village video: Mindful Living Every Day
The Three Refuges
Lunch in Silence w/ 5 Contemplations
Deep Relaxation
Mindful Movements
Touching the Earth
Avalokitesvara & Meditation
Q&A/Discussion

“I know you are there, and I am very happy.” -Thich Nhat Hanh
When we first planned this day, Cheri Maples had agreed to be our teacher. With her passing, we will hold Cheri with us as we practice together.

Click here for more information and frequently asked questions:
Day of Mindfulness – FAQ 10.28.17

Walk With Me Film: November 6th, 2017

Our sangha requested a screening of the film “Walk With Me: A journey into mindfulness with Thich Nhat Hanh” for Monday evening, November 6th at the Green Bay East Marcus Theatre. The film will only run if 60 people reserve a spot for the film. Please consider joining us for this wonderful film narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch, and help us spread the word! Attached is a flyer, and you can also find it on Facebook. The Facebook event has a showtime of 7:00, but the exact time is to be determined (I wasn’t sure how to bypass putting in a time). https://www.facebook.com/events/WalkWithMeGreenBay

Buy tickets and reserve your spot here:

your card will not be charged until there are enough people signed up for the film to run
Watch the trailer here
or here