Honey Locust Sangha
Omaha Community of Mindful Living
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Summer Haiku fest 2015
This summer, some members of the sangha had fun creating and sharing haikus.  Here is a sampling of them. By Gina Matkin (1&2), Steve Brown(3&4), Mike McMahon(5&6)

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Morning thunderstorm
Soft rain kissing the flowers
Nourishing the Earth

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Bouquet of beauty 
is an inside job so smile 
and be who you are.

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Be a summer day
 Be warm and green and lazy
 Be June's sweet, soft song






Oh beautiful moon
In your face I see my own
Smiling at the world
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No separate self.
Knowing impermanence smiles.
Bell of mindfulness.

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I wear the brown robe
I am no one with nothing
thus the world is mine

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Untitled by ahorsewithnoname

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Pushing and pulling ego. 
Manufactures a restless irritability. 
Rubs two sticks
of discontentment
Sparks a small flame and catches. 
Nothing here and now is useful
For its grand design requires fuel. 
Gather yesterday's scrap. 
Tomorrow's leafy raw
material.
Stoke the molten furnace with Mind's discrimination. 
Feed the beast.  Louder now!
Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!  
Shaping grand structures of things
Out of no thing.  Insatiable is my name.
Constant care and feeding required.
Pay attention.
Eventually it may consume itself. 
Alabaster paths bedamned.   
Ashes to ashes.
Dust to fine, powdery dust.

                                       


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God Unrealized
By Brett Saunders



In the gaps between thoughts
I exist
Between breaths
Between heartbeats
Between blinks of an eye

Do not mourn my passing
for in life I lived mere moments
Glimpses of the unmade I came to be.





At the KC Fall Retreat (2013) with Joanne Friday
By Mike McGann

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There is a story of three blind men, each asked to
examine and then describe an elephant.  The first felt the
elephant’s trunk and said an elephant was like a snake.  The
second felt its leg and said an elephant must be like a tree. 
The third felt its side and said both were wrong, an elephant is like a wall.   So, here is the dilemma.  Which part of the elephant to describe?
  
OK, let’s start with the trunk or the head.  The head or the stored
experience and wisdom was our Dharma Teacher, Joana Friday. 
Joana came to us from the East Coast, Road Island to be
exact, and she carried with her a devout love of both New York and the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh.   Combining her background of instruction....under Thich Nhat Hanh and her own experiences, she guided us on a refreshingly clear and  inspiring journey through the basic tenants of Buddhism.
 She has a wonderful  sense of humor and  gentle touch in her teaching.
  Above all, she is clear and her experiences in the practice added insight onto wisdom. 
  
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In describing the legs of our elephant or its support, Joana taught from both the Buddha and Thich Nhat Hanh.  She taught of the sorrow which accompanies fear.She gave us tools for overcoming the fears and lessening the sorrow.   She would repeat a simple fact.  “We are the luckiest people on the earth.” 

Regardless of our financial and social status, relationship with family, friends or lovers, we have  everything we needed to be happy at this very moment.  We discussed the impermanence of life and the importance to live in the moment.  We discussed the
five mindfulness trainings that protect us from the basic ailments of the worl which causes so much suffering.   

The body of our elephant was the body of the Sangha.  The security and peace one finds wit in the unity and brotherhood/sisterhood of the Sangha touched everyone.   One morning, a few of us from Honey-Locust sat on the
balcony talking and laughing.  Yes, we were supposed to be in noble silence, but sometime not being perfect is simply perfect.  

The autumn colors were vibrant, the cool air refreshing and the night moon so large I thought it might drop on our heads…..all in all….a wonderful experience.


Beth Draper at the European Institute of Applied Buddhism (EIAB)

Sangha member, Beth Draper, travelled this summer to Germany to attend a Thich Nhat Hanh retreat at the European Institute of Applied Buddhism (EIAB).  During WWII the buildings and campus comprising the EIAB were a mental hospital run by the Nazis.  Many of the buildings and decor were retained but transformed into more hopeful, life-filled symbols.  Below is her account and some pictures.
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Beth recieving the 5 Mindfulness Trainings

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I traveled to the European Institute of Applied Buddhism (EIAB) in June to see Thich Nhat Hanh.  Slowly day by day my heart became more open listening to his dharma talks. I practiced looking deeply at the roots of my anger , and my fear, and smiling at them. I practiced smiling at the joy of understanding, the joy of compassion, and the joy of forgiveness.  Mindful breathing helped me calm down painful emotions.  I gained new insights of understanding and compassion in this wholesome environment.


 



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The EIAB is beautiful and pleasant but very tragic things happened there seventy years ago.  You could say it has lots of mud to grow flowers. Transformation and healing are taking place. It is in the outside surroundings, and wholesome seeds are planted inside people as well.  I have new seeds to help me in my practice. I am so grateful for this wonderful experience!

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A Page from Grace's India Journal
Grace McGrath is long-time Honey Locust sangha member whose primary commitment is to her Catholic faith.  This past winter she spent several months living and working at Eden Gardens Children's Home in Khuzama,  Nagaland in India

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Awakening to the Way, Truth, and  being in God Life is the meaningful quest and greatest value to me.  And along with my Catholic upbringing, I have been influenced in my taste for,  knowledge, experience, and understanding of Communion and Divine life by India  in its people, practices, culture, and teachers from my earliest memories.  I  went to the North East of India in  January 2013, with a group of 9 folks  and one Indian Jesuit priest. We
had a fantastically lovely time hosted by  Jesuit houses from New Delhi to Agra and back - then to Shillong, to Guwahati,  Dimapur, Kohima, Phesama, Jakhama, Khuzama, Pfutsero, Kikruma ... At first,  these Nagaland names were mostly a blur to me as were the numerous Indian hosts  and hostess villages we passed through, sights we took in along the way, meeting  everyday peoples and the work of Jesuits, and Franciscan and Salesian nuns and  their proteges. Now when I look back they are intimate friends and sweet  memories and challenges and rewards, and invitation to return.
 
Our aim was to bring our lives and interests  to this area of the world, enjoy Jesuit hospitality, share the daily challenges  of rural Indian life, learn, share, and absorb the gift of new consciousness.  Perhaps our grasp of, skills, and understanding of modern life might bring some  opportunity for development and comfort and exchange to the people of this  region. Perhaps the simple,
earthy, underdeveloped nature of life in the  foothills of the Himalayas might bring a deep calm and appreciation of life that  would be renewing to us! Yes and yes!

In order to prolong my stay (as my  companions had arranged for a 17 day tour,) and feel useful at the same time, a  guest room was offered to me at the Eden Gardens Children's Home Khuzama,  Nagaland. See our Facebook page and give us a "Like!"  I stayed three months.

I  knew that the 220 or so children that live  there would provide me no end of things to do, love to share, life to learn with  fresh eyes, and a new heart to contain so much joy and appreciation. Yes and  yes!
 
I found myself of particular use at the  village school, Sacred Heart (two kilometers down the mountain side), where our  children attended daily classes. I was able to do subbing for teachers who were  late or absent and I enjoyed a range of classes (grade 3 to10) and subjects  (Hindi to Computer) and 10 a.m. tea with the Franciscan Sisters of Mary of the  Angels.

 





I enjoyed the daily walk to and from school with the 220 kids and their red and blue backpacks with the Sacred Heart on them! I got used to eating rice. I enjoyed learning to live without the amenities I was used to in the US. The kids helped me cope with hand washing clothes and cleaning my room, with toting hot water from the kitchen when I wanted to bathe. The kids were very interested in me ... my hair, my history, my life, my humor, my
whiteness, and my being an elder woman who could walk without a cane! They were good to me. They loved photos. They love to
sing and teach me their songs. They had a huge need for
relationship, for time and attention. They blessed me so much with their energetic joyousness, their talents, their intelligence, their unconditional and hungry love. They were hungry and uncomplaining. They loved it when I bought them meat for my going away feast, and they cooked it themselves. They played and worked with great vigor. They had no toys and I was like a toy to them - as I love to play!

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They taught me so much about Nagaland, about India, about appreciation. I could also tutor English, a little keyboard piano, and even helped some kids decipher their Math. I made myself a friend. I loved and respected the staff persons who helped make Eden Gardens and Sacred Heart school run so smoothly, especially Sister Jolly, Father Raymond, and the kitchen ladies. They made me so at home. They gave me so much. They were grateful I was with them. It was all so amazing to me.

Many of these kids are complete orphans. They don't know that they are poor. All of them are destitute materially and flush spiritually. They are tribal people, so many of them have relatives in their home villages. Some are from single parents who are too poor to feed and educate their kids. They fend for themselves, are
very self-sufficient, and help the littler ones. They absolutely love Eden Gardens and Father Raymond.
 
I can not wait to return. These kids deserve opportunity for further education and they want it desperately.

I came back to Omaha with a perfect calm, and I have a new home.


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Haiku  ahorsewithnoname


You try and sit still.
Ego pulls a gun and starts
Shooting at your feet.
==
Bang! Bang! Dance monkey!
Dance you monkey-minded ape!
Smile. Pay him no mind. :)



    Dinner with the Honey Locust Sangha
                                               George Beecher

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It's been a while since I felt moved to write a post on mindful eating, but this week  I had a great visit with one of my favorite Sangha's and enjoyed a great reminder of the value of eating with people, AS  a Sangha (community).                                 
                 
As I'm coming up on the end of three years since I discovered "Savor" by Dr. Lilian Cheung and Thich Nhat Hanh, mindful eating is a part of my daily life.  I'm far from perfect, and too often find myself wolfing down my lunch because I'm in a rush, or buying a sweetdessert treat when I don't even want one, but these are still rare indeed, and only ever when I'm not being mindful.
All in all, the 110 pounds I lost has stayed off, and the lifestyle (both around food, and my Buddhist path) have stuck.  Big time. 
So I'm very pleased. I eat mindfully daily but, due to the nature of my job and life, I often eat alone.  Eating mindfully - WITH - a community of other people also observing mindful eating practice, is something I rarely get the opportunity to do.

So, this past week, I found myself once again in the fine company of the
Honey Locust Sangha of Omaha, Nebraska.  When I visited them about a year or so ago, I  was welcomed warmly and made friends with Mike McMahon who leads the group.  Mike was very willing and helpful to me with advice on how to run a Sangha, and  my own Sangha at that time was probably brand new, or perhaps
hadn't fully  started up yet.  I can't recall.  True to his, and the Honey Locust Sangha's,  history they welcomed me warmly in
to their group.

By sheer luck I happened to be working in town the week that they had their teacher, Brother Chan Huy, with them from Canada to lead their annual retreat.  The retreat was coming up this weekend (as I write this) and during the week leading up to it they had a public Dharma talk which fell on the night I arrived  in town.  That Dharma talk was wonderful, and even gave me a really great  insight, or better way of understanding, Emptiness.  I'll save that,
perhaps,  for another post as it's not related to mindful eating.

Anyhow, on the second night I was in town the Sangha had a Pot Luck Dinner at one member's home.  They graciously invited me to join them and I was so deeplyhonored, I was beside myself.  Visiting a Sangha's meditation night is one thing, being invited to their private dinner with their teacher is quite another. It's this very quality that makes them so special.

I arrived just in time for everyone to plate up and have a seat.  They announced that we would have a 10 minute "Noble Silence"
period during which we would eat mindfully, then we would go around and share some discussion (we shared stories from a member who had recently visited and worked with an orphanage in India, stories from the travels and teachings of Brother Chan Huy and his trip to Vietnam, and they kindly asked me to share some about my own Sangha).  A timer was set, a bell invited to
ring, and the mindful eating began.

I bowed, and took a moment to breathe in, and out, and check in with my body.  I sat at the end of the table, between the fireplace and the door to the outside deck.  Each was a few feet to either side of me.  A wintry mix had been falling and the deck was rapidly collecting an inch or two.  Taking stock of my body, I felt the cool left side in contrast to the toasty, wonderfully-warm, right side
near the fire.  I felt my feet firmly on the floor. I gained that
whole-body-at-once sense that one sometimes gets where
I could feel everything all at once.  Then I brought my focus to my
breathing.  I breathed in and out a few times, and raised my fork.

All of this had taken place in the space of a few moments, and already the present moment awareness was so clear and intense
as to be dazzling.  I think I was the only one who brought a dish not home-made, as I was staying in a hotel and had no time or facility for cooking.  I brought a pretty nice Tabbouleh from Whole Foods, and it was good, but lacked that home-made-quality that the other dishes had.  The other dishes were each amazing!  I didn't get to try everything, but I had a spinach salad that was spectacular, some amazing asparagus with roasted potatoes, some sort of delicious tomato soup I think.  And several other items.
Each of them were wonderful. 

Even with the concentrated effort at slowing my body and mind down before starting, I  found I was eating quickly at first. I slowed more.  I took a bite, placed the  fork down, chewed mindfully tasting the flavors of each of these dishes. 

Sometimes I was aware of the overall flavor, at other times I was keenly aware of the flavors individually.  I was aware of the textures.  I was aware of all of the elements and human effort that was contained within each bite.  The ten minutes seemed to last for hours, and I mean that in a good way.  Hours of delicious awareness.

I was aware of the room.  The other practitioners eating at their various rhythms.  The sounds in the house.  The sounds from outside, though muffled by the slushy  mix, were present.  My favorite part was the ever present contrast of  temperatures
between the left and right sides of my body due to my fortunate
seat by the fire.  There was the low hiss of the fire.  The feeling of the fork in my hand and the fabric of my jeans in the absence of the fork, as I placed my  hand on my knee. 

All of this, and much more. And it was beautiful.  Over all of that, like the snow covering the deck outside, was a sense of deep gratitude for being invited and welcomed by this lovely Sangha,
also a sense of gratitude for this practice that  has so altered my
life. And, over the top of even those feelings, another feeling that is more difficult to describe.  I can only best describe it as a
connecting energy of some sort.  You often get this feeling when you meditate with a group, I think.  I do anyhow.  This energy
is one of the many reasons, and certainly - in my mind - the primary one, which makes a true live Sangha so valuable. 

There is a quality to mindfulness as a group of human beings, side by side, that creates a sort of feedback loop.  A sort of humanity fueled Tesla Coil, or Resonant Transformer, that electrifies, intensifies and transforms the energy one cultivates on one's own.
"Tesla Coil  (Resonant Transformer): the near field wireless transmission of electrical   energy between two coils that are tuned to resonate at the same frequency. The equipment to do this is sometimes called a resonant or resonance transformer."

I think, if you wanted to sound just a little sappy, you could label this poorly with a single word.  

Love.

The Trouble with Too                                       
Mike McGann


We love too little, we fear too much
Afraid that the others won't like us and such.
We talk too much and we listen too little,
The answer can never be found in the middle.
We work at a living too much, but too little on living.
We hoard too much wealth,
with too little giving.
We have too little value in too many things,
Bangles and ribbons and gilded heart strings.
We have too many classrooms,
with too little taught,
Way too much preaching,
with too little thought.
We have too much knowledge,
without any wisdom,
There is far too much hatred and too many isms.
We have too many ipads and not enough books
Too many eaters and not enough cooks.
We have too many boarders with too many nations
Too little peace and soul's meditation.
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Musings on a Sleepless Spring Night
Mike McMahon


You and I 
And the stars and the rivers and the sky
are together creating
this present moment of being.
And for this moment,
love.
We don't know what it is-
the only thing that is,
... or ever was
or ever will be. . .
this moment of life we are living-
love and mystery.

The Honey Locust Sangha / Omaha Community of Mindful Living is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. All funds donated help to fulfill the mission of practicing and raising awareness of the mindfulness practice in the Thich Nhat Hanh / Plum Village tradition.

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