This is an excerpt from the fascinating chat we had in this morning's Monday session (24th April 2023). @Mechteld-Hanna Derksen was speaking about the guilt we can feel when there is so much suffering around us and I was picking up that thread:

In a quaint little cafe in Dolgellau that used to be the old prison downstairs and court room upstairs and noticed this old clip displayed which mentioned “fetters” and reminded me of Thursdays meditation!

Hello everyone. I’m Colin. Live in Hampton, Middlesex with my husband Dennis. I’m retired but work as a volunteer for the National Trust. Dennis is a Buddhist and so we go regularly to Kanye Samye Dzong in Bermondsey. Although I am not a Buddhist myself, I meditate at home in the mornings, using a live zoom from Samye Dzong. I’m looking forward to Mind Springs group.

As I mentioned in this evening's class, I'm currently working on a short Self-Study course on the material I have been teaching of late on Liberating the Ego Loop. I would love to get your feedback as I create the course and see if it is hitting the right notes; and is clear and cogent. So if you're interested in being a guinea pig, please join the LEL group by clicking the link below: https://www.mind-springs.org/group/liberating-the-ego-loop-1/discussion

Got this interesting link from Reasons to be Cheerful (David Byrne's excellent website). How do concert spaces make themselves more mindful? This is how the Carnegie Hall did it: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/7s228b75hxo2z9c0jd238/211130-Thursday-D-The-Fragrance-of-Virtue-Right-Speech-is-Doable.mp4?rlkey=x7qbuood77x5nmemht2sopk1y&dl=0(https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/7s228b75hxo2z9c0jd238/211130-Thursday-D-The-Fragrance-of-Virtue-Right-Speech-is-Doable.mp4?rlkey=x7qbuood77x5nmemht2sopk1y&dl=0) I often use concerts and performances as a way of being more aware. Not just the music but also my response to the music; my body's movements; the presence of other listeners. I practice pulling focus from the perfomer's fingers to the whole auditorium, indeed to the world outside the building. There's a nice Spotify playlist attached: Music for Well-Being,https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7o2qmxfEMYFanTkUsDPaCF?si=0def95fecb5a4b99

I noticed that a reminder was sent for tomorrows session, and I’m aware some don’t join the Monday Session so just reposting below from Mondays session email: There’s no session tomorrow, Tuesday, but there is one on Thursday. The following week, there are no Zoom sessions, as I’m up teaching the annual retreat on Holy Island.