 Bill and Cheryl Hawthorne, and George Hoguet, were pleased to attend and represent our Sangha, on Sunday July 31st, at the dedication of a wonderful Peace Pole erected by the Rotary Club of Monroeville. The project was the vision of SOm Sharma, former head of that Rotary, and a leader in Pittsburgh's Interfaith Community. On behalf of the Rotary, which raised more than $15,000 for the monument, Mr. Sharma had invited members of many spiritual and ethnic communities to attend. The words, "May Peace Prevail" are found on the pole in 40 different languages. The Monastics from Pittsburgh's Buddhist Meditation Center (Thai), which is located in Monroeville, spoke briefly and chanted a Metta meditation in Thai. The fellowship there was as bright as the sunshine. The 12-foot high, stainless steel Peace Pole will last 400 years, and joins several thousand others now in more than 200 countries worldwide. Allegheny County Executive, Mr. Rich Fitzgerald spoke with pride at having this centerpiece in the County, and offered an official Declaration. The Pole is the center of what will become a Peace Garden at the Monroeville Community Park West. After the dedication, a Monroeville police officer invited Bill & Cheryl to consider using one of the pavilions in the park, closest to the Peace Pole, for an outdoor gathering of our community. Bill, Cheryl and George will be promoting a Day of Mindfulness there in September with walking mindfulness around the Peace Pole, which is at the center of a large labyrinth. Stay Tuned! 
 In 1966, Thich Nhat Hanh met with Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. They spoke about the war in Vietnam, and also about their shared vision of uniting all people through non-violence, and through the building of the "Beloved Community" (Dr. King's words), or as the Sangha of All Nations, as Thich Nhat Hanh would say. In these turbulent times of division and of a further hardening in the institutions of Systemic Racism, this conversation from the 1960's feels as urgent as ever.
Please enjoy this important, October 21, 2020 conversation, between Plum Village Dharma Teacher, Kenley Neufeld, and Kazu Haga of the East Point Peace Academy. Mr. Haga's new book is Healing Resistance: A Radically Different Response to Harm. Beloved Community: Kingian Nonviolence and the Plum Village Tradition https://vimeo.com/470842696  A free Day of Mindfulness has been set for October 4, 2020 with Dharmacharya Kaira Jewel Lingo. The event theme, Touching Peace Now, is so appropriate for this challenging moment in our nation and in the world. Indeed, the half-day of practice is being coordinated by Sanghas in the US, Ireland and in the United Kingdom. More information is available on the event flyer, which includes a detailed biography of this marvelous Teacher: oct_4_2020_day_of_mindfulness_flyer.pdf
Please join us! You can directly register here. A ZOOM login link will be sent to registrants on October 2nd.  On October 2nd, Thich Nhat Hanh, celebrated his 92nd birthday; referred to in our community as our Continuation Day . Despite still suffering some debilitation from a major stroke in 2014, Thay (meaning Beloved Teacher), is active and sharing his teachings with every smile, and with a radiance that rivals the Sun.
Students of Thay's teachings submitted hundreds of photographs from all over the globe to wish him a Happy Continuation Day. A wonderful 3- minute video containing a select 92 photos, was created by the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation. Please enjoy the video and some additional information about Thich Nhat Hanh's current health condition from the Plum Village website. May we all continue being Thay's teachings of Peace in the world. _(l)_  Ready. Set. Glow!
Our facility is scheduled and waiting; our Dharma Teacher and other presenters are finalizing their offerings; our fantastic Vegan Caterer from last year is adding more veggies (at your request), and all we need now ... is YOU! Please join us in discovering our capacity, both individually and as a sangha, to respond to Life with Joy and Happiness even in the midst of challenging times. Click on this flyer image to learn more and to easily Register online. Hoping to see you there!
 MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
The third annual Mindfulness Fair, sponsored by the Center for Mindfulness and Consciousness Studies at the University of Pittsburgh, will be held on Saturday, April 7, 2018 at the Falk Laboratory School on the Pitt campus. This free, all-ages event will run from 10am-4pm. The theme this year is “Mindfulness in Our Community”. Through this theme, the Fair will explore ways in which mindfulness- the conscious awareness of the moment- is informing compassionate activities in our homes and communities - and will feature local and regional organizations that support these activities. A keynote speaker will be featured, along with breakout sessions of talks, mindful movement activities, panel discussions and “all ages” activities. There will also be a meditation room in which different varieties of shrines and meditation techniques will be demonstrated. Information tables of local non-profit and campus organizations will be available. For more details, or to Register, click here. 100 Attendees enjoyed the 2nd Pittsburgh screening of the film. Together with the 2 showings on September 12th, more than 400 persons saw Walk With Me at commercial theaters in Pittsburgh. Our Question and Answer sessions were very rich, and many attendees took literature about Laughing Rivers Sangha and other Buddhist communities in the area. Learn more about the Film here.  |
