Friends,

As we enter the sacredness of the Christmas season, it’s also a time to explore the inner qualities of the Buddha.

Our Eastside Insight tradition is to explore some aspect of the Buddha’s life, or that of his chief disciples, before Christmas. This year we’re going to break this into two sections, the first about the Buddha’s life before awakening, and the second about the time after.

On Dec. 5 we  explored the Buddha's life before awakening, and what we can learn from the situations he faced, and the choices he made, which support and inform our own spiritual journeys.

For this Dec. 19 sit  we’ll be  exploring who the  Buddha was  after  he awakened, some  of the choices  he  made and  avenues  he  offered, and what  they mean  in our lives. A tentative title is: Lessons from the Buddha after Enlightenment

The enlightened Buddha can seem so beyond our lives, that it can be hard to know how to relate. But there are many touch points or parallels between his life and our own, helpful for our own life journeys. We will explore these together.

The URL for the evening will be  https://tinyurl.com/Eastside-Insight-2023-II, or please come in person to the chapel at Northlake Unitarian Universalist Church, 315 3rd Ave S., Kirkland, WA 98033.

Please consider offering dana to Northlake Unitarian Universalist Church, which makes this space available on a dana-only basis, in a very kind and generous way. If you do, please mention you’re from Eastside Insight Meditation.

https://tinyurl.com/NorthlakeUU-Paypal2022

If you wish to offer dana to the teacher, links and addresses are below. Many thanks for your generous dana, which helped pay for my pilgrimage to Thailand and Nepal, including giving dana to multiple other teachers and monastics. Always you all were in my heart while offering, so in a way of generosity, where it counts, all of you were on pilgrimage.

paypal.me/SteveWilhelm48
 
Steve Wilhelm
17623 184th Ave. NE
Woodinville, WA 98072

Big bows to the growing numbers of sangha members who have been stepping up to help set up for Thursday  evenings. It’s a blessing to do this good work with others, and we have fun before everyone arrives, so please sign up below!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/18OKEUO7ubunOG_q9r8MaBFWXqmWScOm4LIsv8MdnBU8/edit

Looking ahead:

Lyndal Johnson and I will be offering a daylong on Saturday, Jan. 25, specifically focused on the very points described above. We had originally intended to offer this daylong in Kirkland, but due to a number of factors it will be at the Seattle Insight Meditation Society center in Seattle. As some of you know, it’s extremely easy to get from downtown Kirkland to the SIMS center on the 255 bus, which ends on Campus Parkway, just a few minute walk from the SIMS center. Please get this on your calendar!
 
Looking farther ahead, I’ll be offering a six-week meditation course in Kirkland, on six Wednesday evenings at 7 p.m., starting Feb. 5. This series is intended for people new to the practice as well as those already practicing who wish to deepen. Please sign up if you’re interested, and mention it to friends who may benefit. I’m happy to answer any questions.

We will be needing two Eastside volunteers for this series, which is always a warm and interesting exercise in collaboration. Please step forward if you wish to volunteer.

Here’s a link for the series - https://seattleinsight.org/event/eastside-introductory-class-series-feb-2025-2/
 
Lastly, SIMS in Seattle is  raising  funds for the new “North Room.” This is a  new space  on the other end of the University Friends building, which will offer  space  for SIMS social  events, walking meditation,  large  groups, away  from the main  hall.

If you are moved to make a donation, please  do so here:

https://seattleinsight.org/about/north-room-social-hall-fundraiser/

 May you be well and happy. May we all persevere on the path, despite obstacles, to reveal the fruit of practice.

With a bow,
 
Steve