Evening Practice at the Episcopal Church of the Ascension

We can embrace all of our feelings, even the difficult ones like anger. Anger is a fire burning inside us, filling our whole being with smoke. When we are angry, we need to calm ourselves: “Breathing in, I calm my anger. Breathing out, I take care of my anger.” As soon as a mother takes her crying baby into her arms, the baby already feels some relief. When we embrace our anger with Right Mindfulness, we suffer less right away.

We all have difficult emotions, but if we allow them to dominate us, we will become depleted. Emotions become strong when we do not know how to look after them. When our feelings are stronger than our mindfulness, we suffer. But if we practice conscious breathing day after day, mindfulness will become a habit.

— Thich Nhat Hanh, The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation

As divisions within our society escalate, we can easily begin to feel overwhelmed by strong emotions like anger and fear. The speed with which events are unfolding can feel like we are caught up in a maelstrom, with not enough time to slow down and listen to ourselves, let alone other people. The Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh, who has lived through deep upheaval and war in his lifetime, offers us guidance in the Fourth Mindfulness Training: Loving Speech and Deep Listening: 

When anger is manifesting in me, I am determined not to speak. I will practice mindful breathing and walking in order to recognize and to look deeply into its roots, especially in my wrong perceptions and lack of understanding of the suffering in myself and the other person. I will speak and listen in a way that can help myself and the other person to release the suffering and see the way out of difficult situations.

In our day together, we’ll take time to refresh and center ourselves through practices of mindful breathing, sitting, walking, and eating. We’ll also share our aspirations and experiences of transforming anger and fear, and explore how we can deepen and nourish our mindfulness practice to relieve our suffering and the suffering of those around us.

The day of practice will be led by Mitchell Ratner, Scott Schang, Tim McCormack, and Eliza King of the Still Water Mindfulness Practice Center.  We will meet in the octagon at Blueberry Gardens in Ashton, Maryland. The suggested Dana (donation) is $50-$80. Dana is a gift from the heart that supports the community and the teachings; please feel free to contribute less or more depending on your circumstances.

We hope you can join us! All experience levels, including no meditation experience, are welcome. To register, please go to www.StillWaterMPC.org. If you have questions, please email our registrar, Gene Klinger, at gklinger@verizon.net or call 240-731-3732.

 Register now.