CTC Minutes July 2023
The Honey Locust Sangha Caretaking Council (HLS CTC) met in person at the Yoga Path from 1-3 pm on July 16, 2023. Present were Mark Watson, Mike McMahon, Tina Ray, Juanita Rice, Jim Cox, Mike McGann, Dave Watts and Patrice Watson, facilitator. Gina Matkin was unavailable. Opening with a short sitting meditation and a leisurely check-in that led to a special Dharma Closeness, we turned to the agenda with clear attentive minds.
Agenda Item 1: Financial Report. As always we expressed appreciation for the solidity and stability of our (volunteer) treasurer Randy Reinhart. We probably should give some thought to sharing that work and finding someone else to take a turn at some point, never to take anyone for granted. Impermanence; yes.
Our bank and PayPal accounts have a total of $5,335, an amount we can be very content with but we did discuss the purposes of Honey Locust Sangha's accounts, and realized we might be more informative both to new CTC members and to members at large. What is our money "for"? What is "enough" and can there be "too much." CTC members with long histories could say this seemed an ample amount in general. Its immediate purposes are payment of rent for our beautiful sangha home and payment of a small annual fee for MeetUp listing. Another major purpose is that of securing places for residential retreats—both to cover deposits sometimes a year in advance and to be secure that we can cover costs if for some reason a retreat is under-enrolled. We guarantee Dharma Teachers at least a minimum contribution of Dana and of course any travel or lodging costs they incur.
In this previous year we have also spent money for technical equipment and payment of internet service in order to make the transition from Pandemic Zoom-Only to hybrid mix of zoom and in-person. We also have been more attentive to the need for hearing-assistive systems (which are now legally mandated for public meetings). All of this equipment is useful for residential retreats as well, including a sound network that broadcasts to phone earbuds for those of us who need extra hearing assistance.
In the past when the sangha had a good secure minimum the CTC donated whatever "extra" we think we have to support the Thich Nhat Hanh foundation, usually explicitly to support monasteries around the world.
From time to time the sangha (CTC) has discussed other charitable uses. Since we have less than $50,000 to play with, we don't have to account for our finances at tax time and have no other limits or requirements. At next CTC meeting – third Sunday of August—we will talk about how or if we could help parents with childcare costs to make it easier for them to come to our gatherings. If anyone reading this has thoughts about it, please let the CTC know.
Each month we send out a reminder about the importance of exercising a generous spirit (Dana) both as a frame of mind or open heart and as a support for the continued offering of Dharma practice in a world of suffering. That reminder also articulates how and why and where we spend it, in case you are curious.
Agenda Item 2: "New-people" group, or Dharma Practice Basics 101. As reported last month several people who made new commitments to Dharma Practice, i.e., specifically our local sanghas, at the May retreat, expressed interest in meeting separately from and in addition to Monday Meditation gatherings in order to ask questions about Plum Village tradition and concrete personal practice for the greatest benefit. Would "well-practiced" friends meet with them as resources? Yes, we would. Eagerly. What a good idea said the CTC, and we appointed Mark to act as our contact. The group has decided on Thursday evenings twice a month, beginning August 3. We may take turns showing up as "oldies" because we were all eager to support them. Mark suggested that whoever is a resource should sum up briefly to the rest of us CTC (and perhaps to the meeting participants?) the contents and direction of each meeting so volunteers know what has already been covered. Those who asked for the meetings will run them.
The meetings begin on August 3. We will all learn from this venture, maybe even to share the suggestion with the MahaSangha (larger sangha, or all Plum Village groups).
Agenda Item 3: Further Evaluation of Monday Night Meetings. The issue we picked this month was a fairly new one: the inability of in-person attendees to hear one another in dharma sharing. The mikes and speakers for Zoom attendees seem pretty well clarified. Now the question is one of hearing each other in the studio when there is a large group and the circle is so extended. It was helpful that Mark pointed out a specific limit beyond which audibility is always somewhat tenuous: the ventilation fan in either summer or winter breaks up the acoustics nearby. We took the experimental action of setting up the sound/tv equipment at that breaking point and therefore making the circle of participants more broadly rounded all within the good acoustic limits. We will of course reevaluate.
Adjourned at our cut-off time.
Two items remain tabled:
1. Zoom training for CTC members: i.e., how to be the techs for Zoom meetings.
2. Update from the retreat organizing committee, on new teacher resources, opening to diverse viewpoints, and other opportunities to expand our understanding of the practice.
The Honey Locust Sangha Caretaking Council (HLS CTC) met in person at the Yoga Path from 1-3 pm on July 16, 2023. Present were Mark Watson, Mike McMahon, Tina Ray, Juanita Rice, Jim Cox, Mike McGann, Dave Watts and Patrice Watson, facilitator. Gina Matkin was unavailable. Opening with a short sitting meditation and a leisurely check-in that led to a special Dharma Closeness, we turned to the agenda with clear attentive minds.
Agenda Item 1: Financial Report. As always we expressed appreciation for the solidity and stability of our (volunteer) treasurer Randy Reinhart. We probably should give some thought to sharing that work and finding someone else to take a turn at some point, never to take anyone for granted. Impermanence; yes.
Our bank and PayPal accounts have a total of $5,335, an amount we can be very content with but we did discuss the purposes of Honey Locust Sangha's accounts, and realized we might be more informative both to new CTC members and to members at large. What is our money "for"? What is "enough" and can there be "too much." CTC members with long histories could say this seemed an ample amount in general. Its immediate purposes are payment of rent for our beautiful sangha home and payment of a small annual fee for MeetUp listing. Another major purpose is that of securing places for residential retreats—both to cover deposits sometimes a year in advance and to be secure that we can cover costs if for some reason a retreat is under-enrolled. We guarantee Dharma Teachers at least a minimum contribution of Dana and of course any travel or lodging costs they incur.
In this previous year we have also spent money for technical equipment and payment of internet service in order to make the transition from Pandemic Zoom-Only to hybrid mix of zoom and in-person. We also have been more attentive to the need for hearing-assistive systems (which are now legally mandated for public meetings). All of this equipment is useful for residential retreats as well, including a sound network that broadcasts to phone earbuds for those of us who need extra hearing assistance.
In the past when the sangha had a good secure minimum the CTC donated whatever "extra" we think we have to support the Thich Nhat Hanh foundation, usually explicitly to support monasteries around the world.
From time to time the sangha (CTC) has discussed other charitable uses. Since we have less than $50,000 to play with, we don't have to account for our finances at tax time and have no other limits or requirements. At next CTC meeting – third Sunday of August—we will talk about how or if we could help parents with childcare costs to make it easier for them to come to our gatherings. If anyone reading this has thoughts about it, please let the CTC know.
Each month we send out a reminder about the importance of exercising a generous spirit (Dana) both as a frame of mind or open heart and as a support for the continued offering of Dharma practice in a world of suffering. That reminder also articulates how and why and where we spend it, in case you are curious.
Agenda Item 2: "New-people" group, or Dharma Practice Basics 101. As reported last month several people who made new commitments to Dharma Practice, i.e., specifically our local sanghas, at the May retreat, expressed interest in meeting separately from and in addition to Monday Meditation gatherings in order to ask questions about Plum Village tradition and concrete personal practice for the greatest benefit. Would "well-practiced" friends meet with them as resources? Yes, we would. Eagerly. What a good idea said the CTC, and we appointed Mark to act as our contact. The group has decided on Thursday evenings twice a month, beginning August 3. We may take turns showing up as "oldies" because we were all eager to support them. Mark suggested that whoever is a resource should sum up briefly to the rest of us CTC (and perhaps to the meeting participants?) the contents and direction of each meeting so volunteers know what has already been covered. Those who asked for the meetings will run them.
The meetings begin on August 3. We will all learn from this venture, maybe even to share the suggestion with the MahaSangha (larger sangha, or all Plum Village groups).
Agenda Item 3: Further Evaluation of Monday Night Meetings. The issue we picked this month was a fairly new one: the inability of in-person attendees to hear one another in dharma sharing. The mikes and speakers for Zoom attendees seem pretty well clarified. Now the question is one of hearing each other in the studio when there is a large group and the circle is so extended. It was helpful that Mark pointed out a specific limit beyond which audibility is always somewhat tenuous: the ventilation fan in either summer or winter breaks up the acoustics nearby. We took the experimental action of setting up the sound/tv equipment at that breaking point and therefore making the circle of participants more broadly rounded all within the good acoustic limits. We will of course reevaluate.
Adjourned at our cut-off time.
Two items remain tabled:
1. Zoom training for CTC members: i.e., how to be the techs for Zoom meetings.
2. Update from the retreat organizing committee, on new teacher resources, opening to diverse viewpoints, and other opportunities to expand our understanding of the practice.