Friends,

Love to you, and hoping you and your loved ones are surviving the continued uncertainties of these times with some equanimity and joy.

Here we wish to share with you what Eastside Insight Meditation will be exploring this Thursday, Sept. 16, and also some questions for further ahead.

For this Thursday’s 7 p.m. sit, we’ll be considering this theme: “Weaving of love and insight on the street.”

How do we navigate our encounters with others, and how can we turn these moments onto the dharma path instead clenching or judging or wanting? Our time on Earth is precious and brief, most of these moments spent in the walk of life, and how can we bring these moments onto the path fully and beautifully?

Please email Steve Wilhelm – stevellen95(at)comcast.net, for the URL

Also here’s a paypal, and a physical address, if you want to offer dana to the teacher

paypal.me/SteveWilhelm48

Steve Wilhelm

7510 117th Ave. NE

Kirkland, WA 98033

Looking ahead the question is when, and in what form, we’ll return to in-person sitting. This could happen as soon at Oct. 7, partly depending on how you feel, and what you’re wishing for. So please respond.

As some of you know, we’ve put together an audio system that will bring together sangha members on Zoom, and those in person at the Northlake Chapel, so we’ll be able to hear each other and speak to each other as if we are in the same room. Big thanks to Philip Lorenzo for helping this become reality. A boon is that the system also will include amplification in the chapel, so you’ll be able to hear the teacher better.

So a first question for all of you, and please respond, is how many are interested in returning to in-person? How do you feel about it? How important is it, and will it bring back some of you who couldn’t face another Zoom meeting?

(Absolutely we’ll also be on Zoom, because we want to support the online community that has emerged. The Zoom experience will be mostly as it is now, and the physical experience will be mostly as it was before covid, except that they’ll be interlaced.)

A second question for all of you, is what kinds of pandemic security would you prefer? Would you prefer the sitting group be vaccinated only, or could it be both if everyone wears masks? How do you feel about masks, and will you be able to sit through a sit wearing a mask? Any other thoughts?

(To a significant degree we’ll have to follow the boundaries set by Northlake, since we’re in their building. But it will be good to hear from you.)

A third question is if you think we should continue to wait, until perhaps the Delta Variant calms down, so please share any thoughts about that.

Thank you in advance for your input

Lastly, we have been asked by Buddhist nun Ayya Dhammadipa if Eastside Insight would like to participate in an Oct. 2 online version of Buddhist Action to feed the hungry. The message she sent is below, so please look it over. If any of you are interested please email me back – stevellen95@comcast.net – and we’ll see if we can put together a team.

Below is Ayya Dhammadipa’s message:

“You and everyone at Eastside Insight are warmly invited to join this year's online event. On Saturday, October 2nd at 1:00 pm, I will be hosting a program called the "Buddhist Action to Feed the Hungry," in support of Buddhist Global Relief. You may already know that BGR provides food aid and education to thousands of the poorest people around the world and in the US. In recent years BGR has grown, and has been able to offer emergency aid to folks suffering from hunger due to the impacts of COVID too. The BGR Action in October raises awareness and funds for this compassionate work.

I'm not sure whether anyone from Eastside Insight has participated in the Walks, which were our primary fundraisers before the pandemic, but I'm wondering whether you would like to become a Participating Sangha this year. Participating Sanghas benefit from being listed on the event webpage, and recognized at the start of the online event. The tech folks are hoping to have the event page for the Pacific/Mountain Action ready for you to look at ready next week. If you are a Participating Sangha, you'll also be listed in the BGR Annual Report and you'll receive a certificate of appreciation.

 Participating Sanghas are also asked to get the word out to their residents and members, help to raise funds using our peer-to-peer site, and attend the online Action. Please think about it and don't hesitate to reach out with any questions. In the meantime, I'm happy to share more information if you have questions. This would be a great project for EI to get involved with.”