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Only a life lived for others is worth living. 

—Einstein 
Past Meetings: This section documents what went on in previous Sunday meetings of Benicia Sangha; poems discussed, titles of books mentioned, general topics of discussion. Just click on the Date of the meeting you want to look up, and its data will come up. If an icon shows at far right, click it for recording of talk (right-click and "Save Target As..." to put it on your desktop).

2010-05-09:
Heather Sundberg
 
2010-04-25:
Ron Nestor — A Koan
  
2010-03-21:
Mary Mocine – Mary's last talk about Trust in Mind
  
2010-03-14:
Mary Mocine &mdash Her 3rd talk on the poem Trust in Mind
  
2010-02-28:
Mary Mocine —Trust in Mind 2nd talk
  
2010-02-21:
Trust in Mind
  
2009-12-27:
Ron Nestor
  
2009-12-13:
Heather Sundberg — Working with Personality Types
  
2009-11-01:
Dennis Warren — Buddhism Basics
  
2009-10-18:
Patrick Thornton — Mindfulness Practice
  
2009-08-16:
Mary Mocine — Ordinary mind is the way
 
2009-07-26:
Charlie Johnson — Fear
  
2009-07-19:
Kevin Griffin — Different modes of practice
  
2009-07-12:
Group Discussion — Feelings toward the 'disadvantaged'
  
2009-06-28:
Laura Burges — How I Spent My Summer Vacation
  
2009-06-21:
Heather Sundberg — Mother's and Father's Days Dharma, Summer Soltice
  
2009-05-31:
eddo — Website Sayings/Haikus
  
2009-05-10:
Heather Sundberg — Issues About Dana
  
2009-05-03:
Dennis Warren — Points on Meditation
  
2009-04-19:
Ron Nestor — The Four Noble Trurhs experienced in our daily practice
  
2009-03-29:
Mary Mocine — The Four Noble Truths and Updike's late Poetry
  
2009-03-22:
Enrico — Pilgrimage & my trip to Mt. Kailash
  
2009-03-15:
Meghan Collins — Four Noble Trurhs (sort of)
  
2009-02-22:
Patrick Thornton — Four Noble Truths
  
2009-02-01:
Heather Sundberg — The Four Noble Truths (continued)
  
2009-01-25:
Charlie Johnson — The Four Noble Truths
  
2009-01-18:
Laura Burges — The Four Noble Truths
  
2009-01-11:
Heather Sundberg — The Four Noble Truths
  
2009-01-04:
Dian Allen — Way-seeking Mind Talk
  
2008-12-21:
Heather Sundberg — Solstice
  
2008-12-14:
Abi — Way-Seeking Mind Talk + General Discussion
  
2008-12-07:
Dennis Warren — What Vipassana is really about
  
2008-11-30:
Mary Mocine — Walt Whitman: Zen Master
  
2008-11-16:
Amber Allen — My experience with Buddhism
  
2008-11-09:
Heather Sundberg — Four Nobel Truths - What do you want for the next teaching?
  
2008-10-26:
Rose Sonnen — My Trip to Mongolia
  
2008-10-19:
Tom Batter — Way-seeking Mind Talk
  
2008-10-12:
Heather Sundberg — Finishing Up on Awakening in the Four Positions
  
2008-10-05:
Tempel Smith — The cycles of Awakening and Suffering
  
2008-09-21:
Ron Nestor — The 'not gaining' attitude to practice
  
2008-09-14:
Laura Burges — weathering life's scarey places
  
2008-09-07:
Meghan Collins — Anatta
  
2008-08-24:
Charlie Johnson — the Three Chracteristics
  
2008-08-17:
Dennis Warren — Basic Practice
  
2008-08-10:
Heather Sundberg — More on walking meditation
  
2008-08-03:
Mary Mocine — The Tassajara fire and her 'Abbess' ceremony
  
2008-07-27:
John Hamling — Byron Katie and her 'work'
  
2008-07-20:
Meghan Collins — 'Connecting'
  
2008-07-13:
Potluck / Planning
 
2008-07-06:
Heather Sundberg — Walking Meditation
  
2008-06-15:
Laura Burges — Right Speech
  
2008-06-08:
Heather Sundberg — Awakening in the Four Postures continued
  
2008-06-01:
John Hamling — Ever-present Awarenesss
  
2008-05-18:
Heather Sundberg — Awakening in the Four Postures
  
2008-05-11:
Kevin Griffin — Basic Buddhist Practice
 
2008-05-04:
Meghan Collins — Between Heaven and Earth
  
2008-04-20:
Tempel Smith — A Path Toward Socially Engaged Buddhism
  
2008-04-13:
Ronna Kabatznick — The Second Nobel Truth and Monestary Life
  
2008-03-30:
Paul Rosenblum — Letters from Emptiness
  
2008-03-16:
Ron Nestor — Bare Attention
  
2008-03-09:
Charlie Johnson — The Three Poisons: Greed, Hate and Delusion
  
2008-03-02:
Enrico — The Wheel of Life
  
2008-02-10:
Donald Rothberg — How to bring practice into Everyday Life
  
2008-01-13:
Mary Mocine — Martin Luther King
  
2008-01-06:
Meghan Collins — Sitting
  
2007-12-30:
Donald Rothberg — Using Thoughts and Emotions in our Practice, Part 3
  
2007-12-16:
Donald Rothberg — Working with thoughts and emotions, part 2
  
2007-11-25:
Donald Rothberg — Working with Thoughts and Emotions (1/3)
  
2007-11-11:
Group Discussiom — Alan Watts talk on Nature and Conscousness
  
2007-11-04:
Joanna Macy — The Dharma and Deep Time
  
2007-10-14:
Kevin Griffin — Five contemplative practices the Buddha Recommended
  
2007-10-07:
Donald Rothberg — Relationship in Practice
  
2007-09-30:
Laura Burges — Success and Failure
  
2007-09-16:
Group Discussion — Open Topic
  
2007-09-09:
Group Discussion: 'Poetry and the Dharma' by Donna
 
2007-09-02:
Donald Rothberg — The Basics of Practice (with Reflections on Returning from a Retreat in the Mountains).
  
2007-08-26:
Group talk - Mindfulness; "real" Buddhism
  
2007-08-19:
Ron Nestor — Mindfulness in Zen and Vipassana
  
2007-08-12:
Rose — What Makes You A Buddhist?
  
2007-08-05:
Charlie Johnson — Right Speech
  
2007-07-29:
Donald Rothberg — Deeper Aspects of Inquiry and Investigation
  
2007-07-22:
Potluck & Group Disussion
 
2007-07-15:
Group Discussion — Guidelines
 
2007-07-08:
Group Discussion — Inquiry & Investigation
  
2007-07-01:
Donald Rothberg — Inquiry and Investigation
  
2007-06-24:
Group Discussion — The Five Hindrances + Buddism presented to a seeking Christian
  
2007-06-17:
Susan — More Talk About the Hindrances
  
2007-06-16:
Meghan Collins — Old Age, Sickness, and Death
  
2007-06-10:
Donald Rothberg — More on the Five Difficult Energies
  
2007-06-03:
Mary Mocine — Cultivating Patience as an Antidote to Hatred and Anger
  
2007-05-27:
Member presentation — John Hamling, On Teachers and Teaching
  
2007-05-20:
Dennis Warren — Deconstructing Our Suffering
  
2007-05-13:
Donald Rothberg — working with the Five Hindrances
  
2007-05-06:
Laurie (member presentation) — What is Faith in Buddhism and Is It Necessary?
 
2007-04-29:
eddo — on impermanence [no recording]
 
2007-04-22:
Laura Burges — Floating Like a Duck
  
2007-04-15:
Potluck and planning meeting
 
2007-04-08:
Donald Rothberg — Working with Judgments, Part II
  
2007-04-01:
Kevin Griffin — Don't hold back
  
2007-03-25:
Donald Rothberg — Working with Judgments, Part I
  
2007-03-18:
Paul Rosenblum — Attention [no recording]
 
2007-03-11:
Potluck
 
2007-03-04:
Richard Shankman — Mindfulness project in schools
 
2007-02-25:
Ron Nestor — Our Discriminating Mind
  
2007-02-18:
Mary Mocine — How I came to the practice
  
2007-02-11:
Dennis Warren — An Overview of Insight Practice
  
2007-02-04:
Patrick Thornton — The Quivering Heart
  
2007-01-28:
John Hamling — Sangha and Happiness
 
2007-01-21:
Meghan Collins — Memorial to Roger Corless
  
2007-01-14:
Laura Burges — Anger in our Practice
  
2007-01-07:
Donald Rothberg — What Comes Next for Our Wild, Precious Lives
  
2006-12-17:
Richard Shankman — Is Buddhism inherently self-centered?
  
2006-12-10:
Donald Rothberg — Why We Practice
  
2006-12-03:
Meghan Collins — It's the 'How' - not the 'Why'
  
2006-11-26:
Charlie Johnson — Karma
  
2006-11-19:
Donald Rothberg — Generosity and Gratitude
  
2006-11-12:
Ron Nestor — The Four Noble Truths in our Daily Life
  
2006-11-05:
Kevin Griffin — The Four Noble Truths
  
2006-10-29:
Enrico — Knowing Impermanence Through Knowing Phenomena
  
2006-10-22:
John Hamling — Buddhist Dharma in Pop Music
 
2006-10-15:
Dennis Warren — Forgiveness Practice
  
2006-10-08:
Donald Rothberg — The Engaged Spiritual Life
  
2006-10-01:
Potluck & Planning Meeting
 
2006-09-24:
Mary Mocine — My Recent Work with Attorneys
  
2006-09-17:
Meeting at Mike Bougher's — Our Place in the Cosmos video
  
2006-09-10:
Roger Corless — The Wheel of Existence
  
2006-09-03:
Donald Rothberg — the Dharma and Work
  
2006-08-27:
Meghan Collins — Managing Guilt
  
2006-08-20:
Laura Burges — Freedom and Limitation
  
2006-08-13:
Wes "Scoop" Nisker — Studying Our Mind
  
2006-08-06:
Ron Nestor — The Nature of Ordinary Mind
  
2006-07-30:
Donald Rothberg — Bringing Practice to our Everyday Lives
  
2006-07-23:
Charlie Johnson — How Do We Handle the World Situation?
  
2006-07-16:
Paul Rosenblum — Learning a Mind That is Not Structured
  
2006-07-09:
Potluck Planning Meeting
 
2006-07-02:
Patrick Thornton — Questions on Practice
  
2006-06-25:
Donald Rothberg — Listening
  
2006-06-18:
Meghan Collins — What Brings Us to Practice
  
2006-06-11:
Mary Mocine — Clear Understanding from Silence
  
2006-06-04:
Laura Burges — “To Study the Self”
  
2006-05-28:
Enrico Martignoni — Greed, Hate and Delusion
  
2006-05-21:
Donald Rothberg — Transforming Dualities
  
2006-05-14:
Dennis Warren — Investigation
  
2006-05-07:
Eckhart Tolle — DVD Interview: The Simple Truth
 
2006-04-30:
Taigen Dan Leighton — Shanti Paramita: the Practice of Patience
  
2006-04-23:
Meghan Collins — a Way Seeking Mind talk
  
2006-04-16:
Potluck/Planning Meeting
 
2006-04-09:
Donald Rothberg — More on Intentions
  
2006-04-02:
Richard Shankman — The Three Poisons
  
2006-03-26:
Donald Rothberg — Paying Attention to Intentions
  
2006-03-19:
Laura Burges — Fear and the Antidotes to Fear
  
2006-03-12:
Ron Nestor — The Meaning of 'Practice'
  
2006-03-05:
Richard Shankman — The Middle Way (and other things)
  
2006-02-26:
Mary Mocine — Encouragement for Practice
  
2006-02-19:
Charlie Johnson — Working with the Five Hindrances
  
2006-02-12:
Richard Shankman — Overview Part III: Buddhist Relics and the Four Noble Truths
  
2006-02-05:
Richard Shankman — Overview of Theravadan Buddhism, Part II
  
2006-01-29:
Richard Shankman — Overview of Theravadan Buddhism, Part I
  
2006-01-22:
Patrick Thornton — the Potential of Joy in Every Circumstance
  
2006-01-15:
Donald Rothberg — The Dharma of Martin Luther King
  
2006-01-08:
Potluck-Planning Meeting
 
2006-01-01:
New Years Sunday Meet
 
2005-12-25:
Christmas Night Meet
 
2005-12-18:
Kevin Griffin — On Faith
 
2005-12-11:
Donald Rothberg — Two Ways of Being with Busyness
 
2005-12-04:
Paul Rosenblum — What it Means to Practice
 
2005-11-27:
Itaka Schlubach — Sangha Dharma
 
2005-11-20:
Donald Rothberg — Vulnerability and Taking Care of Ourselves
 
2005-11-13:
Laura Burges — Dealing With Conflict, part 2
 
2005-11-06:
Dennis Warren — Effort In Practice
 
2005-10-30:
Enrico Martignoni — The Five Precepts
 
2005-10-23:
Mary Mocine—Love Amid the Owl Cries
 
2005-10-16:
Richard Shankman — Suffering and Compassion
 
2005-10-09:
Donald Rothberg — How Does Our Practice Connect With the World?
 
2005-10-02:
Richard Shankman — Aspects of Awareness-Type Practice
 
2005-09-25:
Steve Keyes — Practice Q & A
 
2005-09-18:
Donald Rothberg — Committed Action, Non-Attachment to Outcome
 
2005-09-11:
Richard Shankman — Balancing Wisdom with Compassion
 
2005-09-04:
Potluck and Planning Meeting
 
2005-08-28:
Ron Nestor — Koans
 
2005-08-21:
Thich Nhat Hanh's Present Moment (tape)
 
2005-08-14:
Laura Burges — Difficult Conversations
 
2005-08-07:
Donald Rothberg — One More Time with Equanimity
 
2005-07-31:
Donald Rothberg — More on Equanimity
 
2005-07-24:
Donald Rothberg — The Fourth Brahmavihara: Equanimity
 
2005-07-17:
Enrico Martignoni — Meditation Practice
 
2005-07-10:
Donald Rothberg: More on Joy
 
2005-07-03:
Potluck
 
2005-06-26:
Donald Rothburg: Sympathetic Joy, the Third Brahmavihara
 
2005-06-19:
Guest Teacher: Dennis Warren — Making our Practice Real
 
2005-06-12:
Guest Teacher: Ron Nestor — Being in the Present
 
2005-06-05:
Mary Mocine: Lovingkindness As Daily Practice
 
2005-05-29:
Enrico Martignoni: Impermanence and Letting Go
 
2005-05-22:
Donald Rothberg: More on Compassion
 
2005-05-15:
Donald Rothburg: Compassion, the Second Brahmavihara
 
2005-05-08:
Donald Rothberg: Metta in Daily Life
 
2005-05-01:
Charlie Johnson: "An Exploration of the Nature of Mindfulness"
 
2005-04-24:
Guest Teacher: Paul Rosenblum — "Not Knowing"
 
2005-04-17:
Donald Rothberg: Awakening Lovingkindness
 
2005-04-10:
Guest Teacher: Laura Burges — Taking Refuge in the Three Gems
 
2005-04-03:
Donald Rothberg: more on Lovingkindness practice
 
2005-03-27:
Donald Rothberg: The Practice of Lovingkindness
 
2005-03-20:
Enrico Martignoni: Forgiveness II
 
2005-03-13:
Way-Seeking Mind Talks
 
2005-03-06:
Meghan with a Dharma Story: The Holy Man
 
2005-02-27:
Diana Winston: Working with our Emotions
 
2005-02-20:
Guest Teacher: Taigen Dan Leighton — Buddha Nature
 
2005-02-13:
Diana Winston: "A Way-Seeking Mind"
 
2005-02-06:
Diana Winston: The Speed of Our Culture
 
2005-01-30:
Movie night: "Rivers and Tides" - artist Andy Goldsworthy
 
2005-01-23:
Diana Winston: My Year as a Buddhist Nun
 
2005-01-16:
Guest Teacher: Paul Rosenblum — Knowing from the Inside
 
2005-01-09:
Donald Rothberg: Loving Kindness in our Practice and Daily Lives
 
2005-01-02:
Enrico Martignoni: Forgiveness
 
2004-12-26:
Donald Rothberg: going further with "Going into the Dark"
 
2004-12-19:
Donald Rothberg: Experiencing the Winter Solstice
 
2004-12-12:
Donald Rothberg: The Dharma of Difficult People, Part III
 
2004-12-05:
Winter Solstice Party at Meghan's
 
2004-11-28:
Donald Rothberg: The Dharma of Difficult People, Part II
 
2004-11-21:
Donald Rothberg: The Dharma of Difficult People
 
2004-11-14:
Guest Teacher: Laura Burges — Way Seeking Mind
 
2004-11-07:
Potluck - Planning
 
2004-10-31:
Donald Rothberg: Inquiry Gives You Energy to be Mindful
 
2004-10-24:
Guest Teacher: Paul Rosenblum — Deepening Our Practice
 
2004-10-17:
Guest Teacher: Charlie Johnson — Acceptance
 
2004-10-10:
Donald Rothberg: Inquiry
 
2004-10-03:
Potluck
 
2004-09-26:
Donald Rothberg: Mindfulness in the Midst of It All
 
2004-09-19:
Charlie Johnson: The Concept of No-Self (anatta) or Emptiness
 
2004-09-12:
Donald Rothberg: Mindfulness In Daily Life
 
2004-09-05:
Potluck on Labor Day Weekend
 
2004-08-29:
Guest teacher: Laura Burges — The Paramitas
 
2004-08-22:
Donald Rothberg: The 4th Foundation of Mindfulness (Seeing the Patterns)
 
2004-08-15:
Donald Rothberg: The 3rd Foundation of Mindfulness (mental and emotional states)
 
2004-08-08:
Guest Teacher: Mary Mocine — Releasing Your Hold, Observe!
 
2004-08-01:
Potluck - Meditating to the Beat
 
2004-07-25:
Guest Teacher: Roger Corless — Pure Land Buddhism
 
2004-07-18:
Donald Rothberg: The 2nd Foundation of Mindfulness (Feeling-tone)
 
2004-07-11:
Guest teacher: Dennis Warren—Spiritual Relationship With Animals
 
2004-07-04:
Potluck and Fireworks!
 
2004-06-27:
Donald Rothberg: The 1st Foundation of Mindfulness (Body)
 
2004-06-20:
Guest Teacher Ernest Isaacs — Denial is not a river in Egypt
 
2004-06-13:
Taigen Dan Leighton—Being an American Buddhist is Wonderful
 
2004-06-06:
Potluck
 
2004-05-30:
Donald Rothberg
Four Foundations of Mindfulness: Foundations III and IV
 
2004-05-23:
Donald Rothberg
Four Foundations of Mindfulness: Foundations I and II
 
2004-05-16:
Teacher: Donald Rothberg: Enter Difficulty, Access Joy
 
2004-05-09:
Mothers and Mindfulness
 
2004-05-02:
Potluck
 
2004-04-25:
Laura Burges: Cultivating Compassion
 
2004-04-18:
Teacher: Donald Rothberg: Not Knowing, But Keep Going
 
2004-04-11:
Self-led Group Discussion re "Not Passing on the Pain"
 
2004-04-04:
Potluck and Planning - Time Change
 
2004-03-28:
Guest teacher: Charlie Johnson
 
2004-03-21:
Teacher: Donald Rothberg: Not Passing On the Pain
 
2004-03-14:
Guest Teacher Eileen Phillips: Gradual Awakening
 
2004-03-07:
Potluck and Planning
 
2004-02-29:
Guest teacher Donald Rothberg: More on right speech
 
2004-02-22:
Guest Teacher: Donald Rothberg, on Cultivating Wise Speech
 
2004-02-15:
Guest Teacher: Donald Rothberg: working with eightfold path
 
2004-02-08:
Meghan leads discussion on trying out some of the precepts
 
2004-02-01:
Potluck Meeting; Special Treat - potluck at the home of Roger Corless
 
2004-01-25:
Guest Teacher: Donald Rothberg, on the Five Precepts
 
2004-01-18:
Guest Teacher: Roger Corless, Buddhist scholar and author
 
2004-01-11:
Guest Teacher: Mary Mocine, of Clear Water Zendo in Vallejo
 
2004-01-04:
Potluck and Planning Meeting: new website discussed
 
2003-12-28:
David and Kathleen Harcos, presentation around
poem, The Mind of Absolute Trust.