Connected Practice May 2018

Enhance your practice in your own environment

Co-ordinated by Hilary Richards

To join in email: connected-practice(at)westernchanfellowship.org

Join us in a commitment for a period of connected and enhanced practice. We will undertake this in our daily lives, whether at home or in the workplace, with the silent support of knowing that we are not practising alone. We intend to raise the tempo of our practice for this period, increasing our capacity to be aware in our daily lives. A Mindfulness Bell will be rung at noon every day, when all participants may pause and be joined in the silence that the bell marks. Members of our Sangha may use this opportunity in different and creative ways. Open to all.

Choosing the Practice

Buddhists find practising as a sangha to be essential, but it is not always easy for people to come together. Connected Practice links practitioners at different locations to practise within a virtual sangha. We begin with the noon bell on Saturday 19th May and end with the noon bell on Saturday 26th May. We will practise at specified times during this period, each person in their own environment. Suggested times for practice are 6.30 to 7.30am and 8.00 to 9.00pm but individuals can adapt this to suit their circumstances. Those wishing to practise for a whole day or more could follow a retreat schedule. A 'Mindfulness Bell' will be rung at noon each day.

The type of practice will be up to each individual and will depend on personal circumstances and choice. Each person will need to decide which day(s) they wish to participate and what they want to do. This could be any type of practice, for example: extended sitting, extra sitting, mindful walking, chanting, prostrations. After deciding on an appropriate practice, participants should let Hilary know they are participating. They can discuss their intentions with her if necessary and join an email list (optional) of participants to share experience.

The key thing when choosing your practice is to choose achievable activities that are appropriate for you as the person you are right now, rather than setting impossibly high standards for 'the Buddhist you think you ought to be’. To start, first ask yourself what will make a difference. Then you could make a commitment to some of the things suggested below. For example, you could:

• Meditate once or twice daily through the period.
• Walk to the car with awareness.
• Pause to take three mindful breaths at moments during the day / take a breath before answering the phone at work.
• Create a space in which to drink a mindful cup of tea.
• Set your watch to go off every hour, and just take a breath when it does.
• Go for a mindful walk every day.
• Take extra care with a challenging relationship at work / home.
• Commit random acts of kindness (to yourself or others).
• Use the Insight Timer app to keep track of your practice. Install this free meditation app and join the Western Chan Fellowship Insight Timer group.
• There is also a WCF Practice Support Group on Facebook
• Set your phone each day for a moment of collective silence at noon when the daily bell is rung.

As we all know, continuing practice in daily life is not easy. Hours can go by without any kind of attempt at being mindful. It's hard to find time to meditate. This is our challenge, to integrate our practice into the confusion and business of our daily lives. The connected practice period will nurture the discipline do some small thing each day to bring us back to the moment and to awareness.