Awakening Heart Sangha - Schedule & Session Format

We meet every Monday at 7 p.m. at The Center in Bartlett, IL. The format is arranged as follows:

20 minutes of sitting meditation
20 minutes of walking meditation
20 minutes of sitting meditation
Short break
Approximately 40 minutes of discussion, sharing, or listening.

We try to begin promptly at 7:00 pm. For sitting meditation, cushions, benches or chairs can be used. Please bring your own cushion (zafu). Although we do not have an ordained teacher within our Sangha, a Sangha member will be at The Center by 6:45 pm for layperson meditation instruction. Please feel free to stop by early.

There are a couple aspects of our meditation sessions, which might be unfamiliar to newcomers - the use of our mindfulness bell and bowing. Throughout the evening, a mindfulness bell is used to signal when meditation periods are beginning or ending. We also bow to each other as a form of deep respect. A bow is simply bending at the waist with the palms held together at chest level.

The session will start with the sound of the bell, at which time everyone is invited to stand by their meditation cushions set in a "U" shape with the altar at the top of the "U." A volunteer will light a candle on the altar. The Bellmaster will the 'invite' the bell to sound again, at which time we bow. At the sound of the next bell, we take our seats for sitting meditation.

Upon conclusion of the initial sitting meditation period, the Bellmaster will invite the bell and each person prepares for walking meditation by stretching and massaging sleeping legs and feet while remaining seated. When the bell resonates for a second time, everyone rises and moves their cushions or chairs along side the wall to make room for walking meditation. With the third bell, we bow to one another and turn to the left to begin walking meditation.

Walking meditation is done clockwise in the chapel or along the perimeter of the room at a very slow pace. When everyone has returned to their place, the Bellmaster will invite the bell one more and we bow. With the next bell, we mindfully put our cushions and chairs back in place and resume sitting meditation. This period is concluded in the same manner as the first, without proceeding to walking meditation.

After a short break, we begin the second half of the session, which varies week to week, but is centered around developing mindfulness practice in our daily lives. Specific activities may include readings, Sangha members sharing their experiences with mindfulness practice, listening to tapes, chanting, recitation of the Five Mindfulness Trainings (Thich Nhat Hanh's guidelines for mindful living), and other activities aimed at developing mindfulness. With each session, there is usually an opportunity for questions and discussion. Once in a while we may also need to discuss Sangha business.

Weekly donations are accepted. At this point, all donations will be forwarded to The Center for use of their facility - they graciously permit us to pay them on a donation basis. Typical donations are in the $5 range, but the amount is up to each individual.

A 'Sangha', one of the Three Jewels of Buddhism, is simply a community of people who nurture and support each other in the art of living mindfully. Our Sangha follows the teachings and traditions of Vietnamese Zen Buddhist Master, Thich Nhat Hanh.

"We need a Sangha to support our practice. To take refuge in the Sangha means putting your trust in a community of solid members who practice mindfulness together. If we allow ourselves to be in a good Sangha, transformation will come naturally." - Thich Nhat Hanh

There are several other Sanghas that practice in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh in the area. Thus, as a member of a broader community of mindfulness practitioners, the Awakening Heart Sangha participates with our 'sister' Sanghas in regional Days of Mindfulness or weekend retreats. Information on these activities can be obtained Monday evenings or upon request.

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Last updated: 01 November 2007