• 6:30 pm Tuesdays (Phoenix Champa office space)

• 7 pm Saturdays (Lakewood)

• 5:30 pm Sundays (Phoenix Champa gym)

• Others ..?

• October 9th -- drum circle hosted by AFR

• Halloween party at the Phoenix

• Phoenix (highlight a class -- 4 pm yoga on Sundays, led by Dharma member Natalya)

• Possible:

  • Earth Links (Friday 9 - 4 pm) -- outdoor gardening

  • Homeless shelter (Boulder meal service 5 pm weekdays, 5 people)

  • Colorado Coalition for the Homeless

• Holidays

  • Pot luck around Thanksgiving?

• The First Noble Truth: There Is Suffering

  • Quote from pg. 8-9 of Recovery Dharma Book

    • The First Noble Truth rests on the understanding that our lives are unsatisfactory due to the fact that experiences are impermanent or impersonal. Our senses (which the Buddha understood to include not just hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting, and touch, but also thinking) are unreliable and temporary, which means that the way we experience and make sense of the world is constantly changing. We suffer because we keep expecting these temporary experiences to satisfy our craving for pleasure or to avoid pain.

Suggested meditation: Guided Beginner Meditation (Kessonga) -- from resources

• Book of the month

  • Thich Nhat Hanh, Call Me By My True Names

  • A lovely collection of poems and short stories written by the Zen Buddhist monk. A perfect way to bring your mind back to the present and take a moment in the day to center yourself and practice mindfulness. His writing style is so accessible, playful, and open. It will bring a smile to your face and be a kind friend on the path.

  • Poem from the book:

    • Going in Circles (pg. 181)

O you who are going in circles,

please stop.

What are you doing it for?

“I cannot be without going,

because I don’t know where to go.

that’s why I go in circles.”

O you who are going in circles,

please stop.

“But if I stop going,

I will stop being.”

O my friend who is going in circles,

you are not one with

this crazy business of going in circles.

You may enjoy going,

but not going in circles.

“Where can I go?”

Go where you can find your beloved,

where you can find yourself.