March 2022 CTC Minutes
 
The Sangha's Caretaking Council (CTC) met on Zoom from 12:30-2 pm Sunday March 20 and performed an improvised Dance to Spring on this first day of Spring 2022.  Or just met. 
 
Mark Watson, our Zoom coordinator, stepped in to facilitate with Catherine Stremlau, David Watts. Jim Cox, Mike McGann (from Florida), Mike McMahon, and Juanita Rice as note-taker.  We missed Patrice Watson and Tina Ray. 
 
As usual, we began with a short meditative sit. In lieu of the usual Buddhist prayer for good meetings that Patrice uses, Mark read the 8th Mindfulness Training on True Community and Communication from the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings of the Order of Interbeing (or "OI"). After a brief check-in, we jumped on the meeting agenda.
 
Agenda Item 1: Update on Spring Retreat May 12-15.  Creighton Retreat Center, Griswold, Iowa.
Plans are almost finalized for the retreat. Registrants may check in the evening of May 12, OR can arrive Friday May 13. Cost will vary according to the number of nights: 3 (TFS) or 2  (FS).  A preliminary list of those who plan to register will be updated as soon as the official registration link goes out later this week.   Since we are planning to limit on-site attendees to 40 it will be advisable to register as soon as possible.  Costs will be roughly $275 to $215 (number of nights) including meals and $50 Dana for the Dharma Teacher, Sister Terry Cortes-Vega from Plum Blossom Sangha in Austin TX. 
The in-person retreat will require full vaccination (please bring verification) and the use of effective masks. The sangha will have disposable N-95 masks available (up to 1 per person). We recommend you request scholarship assistance if needed.  All are welcome w/o regard to ability to pay.
The email with registration should come this week; watch for it. 
And rejoice that after 3 years we will once more enjoy walking meditation and group singing in each other's presence  We will indeed "Go Like a River."
 
Agenda Item 2: Hearing Assistance Equipment. Jim Cox and Mark Watson met at the Yoga Path Studio and put the finishing touches to understanding and clear operation of our new Hearing-Assistance components.  All the expected operations seemed easily understood and to operate without a hitch.  We have yet to use the equipment with microphone and speakers but for wi-fi connection to ear-buds via cellphone, everything seemed smooth.  Great joy was celebrated and repeated gratitude to Jim for sussing out the equipment and Mark for helping to operationalize it.
 
Agenda Item 3: Financial Report. This Item was particularly relevant for assurance that Honey Locust Sangha has adequate funds to cover scholarships and associated costs of the retreat.  Later agenda items also depended on this report.  The total amount available between PayPal account and bank is $5878.08.
 
Agenda Item 4: Resumption of In-Person Sangha meetings.
 
The decision was made that we will plan to gather again at the Yoga Path Studio in Omaha for our first meeting in April which will be April 4.  We will do everything possible to make those meetings also accessible online, by means of "hybrid access." 
Our resident MD, or "Doctor Dave," described the latest assessment of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 which has shown resurgence lately in China and thence to Europe and the UK.  The most relevant fact is that for anyone who is fully vaccinated and Boosted, this variant is more highly transmissible than was the original variant, or Delta, but it is also not much more serious than a head-cold, its effects confined to Upper Respiratory and not lungs.  We will watch the Danger Risk for Douglas County and if there is any alarming development we will act appropriately.
 
For now, the in-person meetings require (like our retreat) full vaccination, wearing effective masks (not, unfortunately, cloth), and respect for physical distancing. 
As part of this decision we did give full consideration to the online portion of sangha members, who are for one reason or another—immune status or geographical location—unable to join in person.  For the sake of continued inclusion we will figure out how to hold "hybrid" meetings, which may be awkward and marred at first but we will try.  Plum Blossom Sangha in Austin, the home sangha of one of our dear
Dharma teachers, Sister, meets in hybrid sessions now and we will do what we can to fgure it out for ourselves.  Mark Watkins said he would ask Plum Blossom for guidance. 
Since we are planning for the retreat to be available online this is a task we need to accomplish anyway.
We did get the estimate that additional equipment that might be required could cost another $1000.
But count on it.
Jim and Mark will meet again soon and evaluate how to do it and what works  and doesn’t.
 
We acknowledge that each week we will need a volunteer to work with the equipment, which may mean not having full experience of the meetings' focus and concentration.  We "THINK" the task will be manageable, however, so that we can rotate "wizards."  (Did you know that "wizard" comes from the word "wazir," a word used variously in Arab country histories and in Islamic civiizations?)
 
Agenda Item 6.  Sangha Directory completion.  We sneaked this agenda item in under the 2 pm wire, just barely.  The directory for inter-sangha communication came to us as a suggestion from Catherine Stremlau, now CTC member, and she was happy to report it was almost ready.  The remaining issue was how to make the directory accessible to those who are registered but not accessible to Phishers and Scammers.   Mike McMahon volunteered to be the website-management-wizard to assist with a solution. 
 
And so, good friends, good night. 
Welcome to spring, such as it is in Nebraska. 
Welcome to the subsidence of suffering from Covid-19. 
Pray for peace and compassion.
 
Juanita Rice, note-taker and fabulist.
I hope everyone was able to join or witness the ceremony for dedicating the ashes of our teacher Thich Nhat Hanh in the Buddha Grove of Upper Hamlet, in Plum Village, France.  It took place last Saturday, March 12 (French date). The monastics chose a particularly well-loved spot along the walking meditation path near Thay's hermitage.  The online transmission allowed us all to be part of this last day of ceremonies marking the transition, the passing, of the spirit of Thay into the whole world and the reverent spreading of his ashes where many will be able to meditate.
 
 
 
 
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