November update

What have we been up to?

In addition to regular sessions like Beginner’s mind, our recent sessions have focused on discussing the idea of the ‘self’, letting go of thoughts, and the similarities between other philosophies and Buddhist philosophy. We look forward to continuing a mix of sessions in the coming month.

Our sessions have also discussed different books and media. Check them out:

• Department of Conservation soundscapes for meditation.

• Unlocking Us (podcast) with Brene Brown and Karen Walrond.

• Lightmakers Manifesto by Karen Walrond.

• The New Social Face of Buddhism by Ken Jones.

• The Narcissism Epidemic by Jean Twenge and Keith Campbell.

International events

International reading group

Interested in joining an international secular Buddhist reading group? Starting from Sundays 21 Jan to 28 Apr 2024 on Zoom, the group will meet and read through ‘What is this?’ by Martine and Stephen Batchelor.

Facilitated by Gaia House teacher, Tony O’Connor, this reading group will go through the reading group guide and discuss one chapter each week. Martine Batchelor will take questions during a special final session on Sunday 5 May 2024.

For more information and to reserve your place send an email.
If you don’t already have this book, you can get one here.

Sydney, Australia: one week retreat – in person and online

Secular dharma and ethical living – How to live in a world in crisis

• Led by Winton Higgins, Stephen Batchelor and Lenorë Lambert

• 3 to 10 December 2023 at St. Joseph’s Retreat Centre, Kincumber, NSW

On this residential study retreat, we will explore through talks and discussion how the dharma taught by the Buddha 2,500 years ago can help provide the ethical perspectives and practices we need to engage effectively with the various interconnected crises our world faces in the 21st century — economic, environmental, social, psychological and spiritual.

You can also attend online by Zoom, following as much of the retreat schedule as your inclination and circumstances permit.

For more information and to register go to: https://sydneyinsightmeditators.org/secular-dharma--ethical-living.html

End of year update

Drawing 2022 to a close

Looking back, it’s clear that 2022 has been great for One Mindful Breath as a community - we’ve continued to grow in terms of regular attendance, and more importantly in attendee engagement and connection. We now regularly have between 11-17 people attending, and more people are comfortable with speaking or presenting on a topic.

Having more people come along is great for improving the quality and depth of our reflections and discussions on topics like meditation, the practice of Buddhism, and psychology. Moreover, more people coming along might reflect that we’re doing something right: offering insights and community that people can’t get from somewhere else.

As we move into 2023, we’ll be looking to ways in which we can make sure people who might be interested in One Mindful Breath find out about us. It might not be for everyone, but we don’t want people to miss out! That’s why in 2023 we’ll be:

• Holding more events outside our regular weekly meeting, like retreats and movie nights.

• Refreshing our website Onemindfulbreath.org.nz.

• Engaging in more physical advertising, like noticeboard flyers.

As we reach out to more people, we’ll continue to stick with our principles of inclusiveness, diversity and accessibility - keeping our regular events free. We want to continue to make it easy for people to embrace the difficulties of life, let go of the dictates of reactivity, experience the calm and clarity of spaciousness, and cultivate creative engagement as a way of being in the world.

Highlights of 2022

In 2022 we held 48 meetings on a wide range of topics, from exploring aspects of phycology, to practicing different meditation techniques, to in-depth explorations of aspects of Buddhist practice and philosophy. It’s been great to see more people feel comfortable with wanting to contribute something themselves, whether that’s giving a brief talk or leading a meditation - it really helps to improve the diversity of perspectives and insights.

This year we’ve worked out how to better integrate the use of Zoom into our regular meetings. We want to acknowledge a very generous donation from one of our regular attendees to pay for a year of Zoom subscription. Zoom helps to ensure that those who can’t attend because they’re out of Wellington or cautious of covid are able to keep attending our meetings.

We also launched a successful new type of session: ‘Open House’ - an opportunity for attendees to share insights, podcasts, articles or reflections with the wider group. It’s been great to hear people contribute to discussions and feel supported in doing so.

Sometimes sadly, life is change and a few people have had to stop regularly attending One Mindful Breath to go to other cities or countries, but we hugely appreciated the contribution they were able to make for the time they could join us and hope they keep in touch.

At the same time, we’ve had more regular attendees join us this year, which is fantastic. There’s no easier way to improve your meditation practice, your sense of calm, and your overall level of wisdom and ‘eudaimonia’ than by being supported by other people.