Sangha Meeting Notes for April 11

April 12, 2021

Update on returning to the Center and to SCOL: Linda Grove, Executive Sarah Lyons, SCOL staff, Lama Eric, John Jennings, Board President will decide when we’ll return. When we do, attendance will be limited, and we will wear masks. Teachings and other events will continue to be available via Zoom when we do return to the Center and to SCOL.

Cleaning day, which will be held monthly, is an opportunity to be at the Center and with fellow sangha members. Contact Willa at willarab@gmail.com to participate.

Dawnyel McCarty has moved to North Texas, and joined us from her new home. She wants sangha members to know all are welcome to visit. They have space for RV’s and in their house.

Monthly summaries of board meetings are now available on the KCC website in the News and Community section. Each board meeting’s summary will be made available soon after the event. Sangha meeting notes are also available in the News and Community section of the website.

The newly established Program Council will have its first meeting during the second week of April. The council is advisory, providing the Resident Lama with a range of perspectives. The new council is designed to include the perspectives of less experienced practitioners and of young people. There will be more turnover of the members than in the past to facilitate this. Lama Eric wants to hear from the community about what’s working for people, what could be added, how we feel about the length of programs. Sangha meetings are always a forum for asking questions about the council and about programs. The council will take up the question of how KCC can let younger people and the greater community in general know about the resources our center has to offer.

A community member reported on her successful effort to find support from other community members following a surgical procedure. We don’t currently have a particular group that helps with this, but the community is good at stepping up for one another. Executive Director Linda Grove pointed out that it’s important to ask for help when we need it. Community members in need of assistance are encouraged to get in touch with one another, either directly or via the community listserv — kcc-community@kcc.org.

Upcoming retreats include a weeklong Shamatha retreat in June, with the option of participating for three days. A Vipashyana retreat is being considered, maybe in November.

KCC’s garden team, known as the Dharma Diggers, have recently planted trees and bushes, along with native plantings in the back garden, and ornamentals in the front. A bug hotel and wildflower planting by participants in the children’s program will take place this month. Work days will be announced and placed on the calendar so others can join the Dharma Diggers. People are welcome to come to meditate and to enjoy the garden. The tent canopy is now up in the side garden, so there’s shelter on rainy days, and on soon-to-arrive hot sunny days.

A newly enrolled sustaining member of KCC reported that making this commitment was a powerful experience. Others can enroll as a sustaining member, or make a one-time donation, by clicking on the red donate button in the upper right-hand corner of the KCC website homepage.

It was observed that KCC members are predominantly white women, which is true of many sanghas. Lama Eric pointed out that we do hardly anything to make our presence known to the greater community. The sangha meeting participants discussed opportunities for outreach, for instance as part of the Cully Neighborhood Association, the Neighborhood Emergency Team, and the Villages Project. The Equanimity and Inclusion Study Group provides a place for us to talk about this.