A great way to connect with the SMD sangha is through becoming a member of Show Me Dharma. To become a member of Show Me Dharma, all that is necessary is to indicate that you wish to become a member. There are no obligations in order to be a member, but according to the by-laws of the organization, participation in some activities such as being on the board requires membership in Show Me Dharma. If you are interested in SMD membership, please email Joe McCormack at metta41856@gmail.com with your name, address, email address, and phone number.

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Dear Sangha,

As we move into February, we find the days growing a bit longer, and we look to the rebirth that happens as we see the first hints of spring. In our sangha, we look forward to an array of opportunities for practice, which provide the potential for the frozenness of our conditioning to give way to the thaw that is the opening of the heart.

Gina Sharpe will lead a Non-Residential Retreat the weekend of March 16-18 in Columbia, sponsored by Show Me Dharma. The title of the retreat is “Living in the Light of Divine Sanity.”  As many of you know, Gina is a gifted, inspiring teacher, whose presence at Show Me Dharma has been a gift to us for over five years now. Many of us really treasure our work with her as it has been a catalyst to our practices. There will be a free public talk at Show Me Dharma the evening of Friday March 16, and the retreat will be held on Saturday 9-5 and Sunday 9-12 at Silver Meadow, a lovely retreat site surrounded by nature north of town on US-63, near the Pinnacles. Registration is open. You may register online at www.showmedharma.org or email Karen Hodges our registrar at hodgetribe@yahoo.com  Please join us for this amazing opportunity to deepen your practice.

We will be starting the Basics of Insight Meditation Series in our Tuesday Evening Meditation classes, starting in February. The series covers a number of topics vital to the practice of insight meditation. It is suitable both for beginning students and for seasoned practitioners. Please see below for details. We also continue our Sunday Morning Meditation Group. The Sunday Morning group combines the blessings of mindful movement, sitting meditation with instructions, a dharma discussion, and the offering of metta, integrating the body, the mind, and the heart.

Show Me Dharma’s Board of Trustees Meeting is scheduled for Sunday February 5^th at 4:00 PM. At this meeting, the Board will vote on a slate of candidates for the officers of the Board. Other items related to the operations of the sangha will also be addressed, including the upcoming retreat with Gina Sharpe. If you are interested in the workings of the sangha, please join us for this meeting. We appreciate your presence at our board meetings and value any input you might have about how the sangha is operating.

The Kalyana Mitta Book Study Group meets on Sunday February 12from 2:00 to 4:00 at Show Me Dharma Center. We will be starting the book The Best Buddhist Writing of 2009. The time when we are starting a book is an ideal time to begin attending the group. So, please join us. We will be studying the first six chapters of the book. Kalyana Mitta is a Pali term that means “spiritual friend”. In this peer-led group, we provide spiritual friendship for each other as we study together Buddhist writings as a means of bringing the wisdom and compassion of the dharma into our daily lives.

Robert Brumet will be leading a Non-residential Insight Meditation Retreat in Kansas City, MO the weekend of February 3^rd-5^th, 2012, sponsored by Mid-America Dharma. Robert is an insight meditation teacher in Kansas City. He is a graduate of the Community Dharma Leader program at Spirit Rock and an ordained Unity minister.

Membership Invitation: A great way to connect with the SMD sangha is through becoming a member of Show Me Dharma. To become a member of Show Me Dharma, all that is necessary is to indicate that you wish to become a member. There are no obligations in order to be a member, but according to the by-laws of the organization, participation in some activities such as being on the board requires membership in Show Me Dharma. If you are interested in SMD membership, please email Joe McCormack at metta41856@gmail.com with your name, address, email address, and phone number.

Committed Practice Classes continue in February. We offer a Monday morning class, taught by Lynn Rossy and Joe McCormack, and a Thursday evening  class, taught by Bob Hodge.  In the class, we are exploring the topic of The Four Noble Truths. The Committed Practice Classes are designed to help us deepen our practice of meditation and learn to take the benefits of the practice off the cushion and into every part of our human lives. We welcome any sangha members who have six months of insight meditation practice to participate in the classes. If you are interested in the class, or want more information, please feel free to contact Joe McCormack at metta41856@gmail.com  or Lynn Rossy at Rossyl@umsystem.edu if you wish to join the Monday class, and Bob Hodge at hodger at gmail.com if you are interested in the Thursday class.

To all, a sincere thank you for your commitment to the sangha.  Please know that your presence is a true gift, whether it’s expressed through participation in Show Me Dharma activities or through heart and mind.  If you would like to help SMD meet the expenses of offering opportunities for practice, please see information about donating in the Treasurer’s Report at the bottom of this newsletter.

May our practice – shared or alone, on or off the cushion – be dedicated to the benefit of all beings.

In loving memory of Ginny Morgan,

The SMD Teachers’ Council and Board

For more information about Show Me Dharma, go to our website at http://www.showmedharma.org.  Phone: 573.355.5303

UPCOMING EVENTS

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NON-RESIDENTIAL RETREAT

LIVING IN THE LIGHT OF DIVINE SANITY

Led by Gina Sharpe

March 16-18, 2012

Columbia, MO

Times: The non-residential retreat goes from Saturday morning at 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., continues Sunday morning from 9 a.m. to noon, and ends with a potluck lunch.

Location:  This year the retreat will be held at the Silver Meadow Lodge, a lovely retreat site surrounded by nature near the Pinnacles about 15 minutes north of Columbia on Highway 63.  We will send you directions when you register.

Free public talk: The talk is Friday evening from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Show Me Dharma Center, 2011 Chapel Plaza Court, #9, Columbia. It is open to the public.

Cost: Sliding scale, from $55 to $100

All payments over $55 are tax-deductible. Please pay what you feel you can afford. Scholarships are also available.  Your registration fee is for retreat expenses only. You will be asked to contribute to the teacher with a donation at the end of the retreat.

TWO EASY WAYS TO REGISTER:

1)    Send a check made payable to Show Me Dharma to Karen Hodges, 1199 East Highpoint Lane, Columbia, Missouri, 65203.

2)    Register by credit card online at https://secure.donortownsquare.com/SSL/donate.aspx?sgst=0&amt=0&ai=736&qs=Y8JVN     Please be sure to write “for Gina Sharpe Retreat” in the comments section.

For more information, contact Karen at hodgetribe@yahoo.com or (573) 999-3649,

or visit our website www.showmedharma.org

Sponsored by Show Me Dharma

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CULTIVATING MINDFULNESS IN EVERYDAY LIVING

A Non-Residential Retreat led by Robert Brumet

February 3-5, 2012

Sanctuary of Hope – Kansas City, KS

Cost—Sliding scale, $60 to $90, based on ability to pay

In this retreat we will emphasize mindfulness in our everyday life experiences- particularly those in which we may experience conflict or suffering. Seeing clearly into the mind’s reactive nature in the midst of difficult situations is a key to liberation. We then can see more deeply that our suffering is the result of an unskillful response to life’s conditions rather than being inherent in the conditions of life itself. Seeing life as a constantly changing process, one begins to accept pleasure and pain, fear and joy, and all aspects of life with increasing balance, equanimity, and freedom.

Scholarships are available.  Please apply for a scholarship at least four weeks before the retreat. Please register when applying, to assure we reserve a place for you.

To register, or for more information about the retreat and/or scholarships,

go to: www.retreat1202.homestead.com

Sponsored by Mid-America Dharma

CLASSES & WORKSHOPS

COMMITTED PRACTICE CLASSES

The Four Noble Truths: Finding Meaning and Joy in the Face of Suffering

Starting in January 2012

Monday Class 8 to 9:30 am with Joe McCormack and Lynn Rossy starts January 23, 2012.

Thursday Class 7:00 to 8:30 pm with Bob Hodge starts January 5, 2012.

Classes held at Show Me Dharma Center

Cost: dana (donations)

There are two kinds of suffering:  The suffering that leads to more suffering and the suffering that leads to the end of suffering.  If you are not willing to face the second kind of suffering, you will surely continue to experience the first.”  –Ajahn Chah, a Still Forest Pool 

Join the committed practice classes this January, as we continue our in-depth study of the teachings of the Buddha on the Four Noble Truths–the foundational teachings of Buddhist wisdom and freedom.  This class will lead us from an exploration of the Truths as philosophical statements about suffering into a method for directly coping with suffering in your life.  As a result of this direct experience, we can discover the freedom of mind that is always available to us in ever-increasing measure.

Held in a climate of lovingkindness and safety, the Committed Practice Classes are designed to help us deepen our practice of meditation and learn to take the benefits of the practice off the cushion and into every part of our human lives. In this way we bring a balance to wisdom & compassion and tune our lives into that balance.

**Registration is required—open to all with six months or more of meditation practice**

If you are interested in the Monday class, please contact Joe McCormack at metta41856 @ gmail.com, or Lynn Rossy at rossyl @ umsystem.edu, or call (573) 355-5303.

If you are interested in the Thursday class, please contact Bob Hodge at hodger (at) gmail.com or call (573) 355-5303.

SITTING GROUPS

SUNDAY MORNING MEDITATION

Meets every Sunday, 10:30-11:30 am at the Show Me Dharma Center

No registration required – open to all

The Sunday Service is designed to help us bring together three blessings of our spiritual practice–the blessing of body, the blessing of heart and mind in balance, and the blessing of sharing the results of our mindful actions for the benefit and welfare of all beings. We will begin our morning of practice together with a short period of mindful movement (for example, gentle stretching or walking meditation), followed by a 30-minute period of sitting practice with instruction designed to bring balance to heart and mind.  We will end the sitting with the sharing of metta (lovingkindness) followed by a short talk designed to bring our practices into the ordinary efforts of our work, our lives with our friends and families—the lives we live. Come start your week with us!

2/5       Beth Shoyer

2/12     Tonda March

2/19     Althea Harris

2/26     Terry Furstenau

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TUESDAY NIGHT BASICS OF INSIGHT MEDITATION GROUP

In February, we will be beginning the Basics of Insight Meditation Series

Meets every Tuesday, 7:30 to 8:30 pm at Show Me Dharma Center

No registration required – open to all

• If you’re new to meditation, you’re welcome to come soon after the doors open at 7:15 to receive a brief orientation.

A short Dharma talk, meditation instruction, & a 30-minute meditation period, with an optional discussion period following the tea break.  Led by the Show Me Dharma Teachers Council.

We begin our Basics of Insight Meditation series. This series provides instruction and direct experience in many of the foundational aspects of insight meditation, including concentration and insight practice, the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, mindfulness in daily life, the three characteristics of existence, and the Brahmaviharas.

2/7       Joe McCormack on “What is Insight Meditation and How to Start”

2/14      Bob Hodge on “Concentration & Insight”

2/21     Terry Furstenau on “Mindfulness of the Body”

2/28     Tonda March on “Mindfulness of Feeling Tone”

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KALYANA MITTA BOOK/PRACTICE DISCUSSION GROUP

Meets on a Sunday afternoon, every 4 to 6 weeks

Show Me Dharma Center

Next meeting date: Sunday February 12, 2012, 2-4pm

No registration is required—open to all

Kalyana Mitta is a Pali term usually translated as “spiritual friend”. The Kalyana Mitta group is a peer-led group that explores off-the-cushion practice, using Buddhist writings as a starting point. We are beginning the book The Best Buddhist Writing of 2009. Please read Chapter 1 through Chapter 6.

The Best Buddhist Writing of 2009 is an anthology of short chapters and essays from numerous authors from many Buddhist traditions. The diversity of authors thus provides many perspectives from which to understand our practice and the many roads on the path to freedom.

For more information, please contact Joe McCormack at 573-864-5617 or metta41856@gmail.com.

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TREASURER’S REPORT

For this month’s report, I want to present our financial activity for last year:

2011 Financial Report

Total Income: $41,448 ($36,853 in donations and $4,595 from retreat fees)

General expenses: $18,600 (rent $12,930, retreat expenses $2,227, insurance $525, utilities $267, telephone $120, online transaction fees $425, marketing $300, web expenses $150, supplies/miscellaneous $1655)

Addition to the General Fund:  $22,849.

Bank Balance at the end of 2011: $52,386

At your board meeting on February 5, I will be presenting a proposed budget for 2012.  I will share the approved budget with you in the next newsletter as well as our financial status to date.

Your support of Show Me Dharma for 2012 is very much appreciated.

There are three ways to make donations:

1.  Go online to make a donation and/or a pledge.  (http://www.showmedharma.org/contribute/donations/)

2.  Use the SMD basket at the Sangha.

3.  Mail to SMD, 5004 Dustin Ct, Columbia MO 65203.

Please feel free to contact me if questions.

Bob Hodge

Treasurer, SMD

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For more information about Show Me Dharma activities,

Buddhist teachings, contact information, or helpful links, go to

http://www.showmedharma.org

You can also find us on Facebook!

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Directions to SHOW ME DHARMA CENTER

2011 Chapel Hill Court, #9     Phone: 573.355.5303

From Forum Blvd., go west on Chapel Hill. Take a left onto Chapel Plaza Court, and then turn right into the parking lot for Kilgore’s. Go past Kilgore’s & continue south behind the long office building. #9 is a few doors down. Look for our blue and white poster on the door.

Please mark your calendars.  To register for the retreat click here then scroll down.

The title of the retreat is “Living in the Light of Divine Sanity.”

Gina Sharpe is a founding teacher of New York Insight. She discovered the Dharma over 30 years ago and has studied and practiced in Asia and the United States. She was trained as a Retreat Teacher under the mentorship of Jack Kornfield. She teaches at Retreat Centers and meditation communities around the United States, including at a maximum security prison for women. She holds two meditation classes in Westchester County, New York.

KALYANA MITTA BOOK/PRACTICE DISCUSSION GROUP

Meets on a Sunday afternoon, every 4 to 6 weeks

Show Me Dharma Center

Next meeting date: Sunday February 19, 2012, 2-4pm

No registration is required—open to all

Kalyana Mitta is a Pali term usually translated as “spiritual friend”. The Kalyana Mitta group is a peer-led group that explores off-the-cushion practice, using Buddhist writings as a starting point. We are beginning the book The Best Buddhist Writing of 2009. Please read Chapter 1 through Chapter 6.

The Best Buddhist Writing of 2009 is an anthology of short chapters and essays from numerous authors from many Buddhist traditions. The diversity of authors thus provides many perspectives from which to understand our practice and the many roads on the path to freedom.

Here is a link to the book on amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/Best-Buddhist-Writing-2009/dp/1590307348/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1328454329&sr=1-1

For more information, please contact Joe McCormack at 573-864-5617 or metta41856@gmail.com.

Other Retreats

Regular Sitting Groups

Other Activities or Events