Day of Mindfulness (Sunday)

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October 25, 2021 | Special message from the monastery:

Dear Friends,

Because of how well the COVID vaccination works, we are happy to open our monastery to visitors. To keep our community safe, we have always chosen to meet or exceed the CDC guidelines. We now feel safe welcoming fully vaccinated friends to visit us in person.  Friends who have not yet or who for some reason cannot get the vaccination are welcome to join us online.  This may change as we gain knowledge and experience.

We rejoice with friends who offer their gift of good health at the monastery. We are grateful to those who can be present having completed the COVID vaccine process and could also bring the vaccination card with them.

Bringing your good health and vaccination card will help us build positive energies in the Sangha and help us take even more powerful energies back to our families and communities. This visit may be most significant as we put into practice the power of Interbeing, generosity through our presence and gratitude for all the gifts given and received.

Children under the age of 12 while unable yet to be vaccinated, are considered at much lower risk than unvaccinated adults.  We now welcome them however they are asked to mask when inside any building, including the Dharma Hall.  They are asked to maintain a safe social distance from others.

As long as each person is vaccinated, we can safely be unmasked outdoors and inside the Dharma Hall.  Of course, any friend who wishes to mask is encouraged to do so.  We always support people who wish for any reason to be even more careful.

The challenge here is to be able to assure the community that each person who visits is fully vaccinated, especially the large groups.

We wish to assure that friends who come for overnight stays are safe.  Their  numbers are limited.   They will be assigned separate rooms unless they wish to share with people they came with.  They give us their vaccination date when they register and on arrival may show their vaccination record and answer the following standard questions:

Have you experienced any of the following symptoms in the past 14 days?

• Fever or chills           
• Cough     
• Shortness of Breath or difficulty breathing     
• Fatigue     
• Muscle or body aches       
• Headache         
• New loss of taste or smell         
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose   
• Nausea or vomiting         
• Diarrhea         

 In the past 14 days have you had close contact with anyone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 or suspected to have COVID-19?

In the past month, have you travelled outside the country?

It is much harder to assure the community that each visitor is safe on the larger Sunday, Day of Mindfulness.

We ask that friends who wish to come for the Day of Mindfulness register online through Eventbrite, telling us their vaccination date.  They will bring their vaccination record when they visit.  They should review those standard questions and not come if any of the questions show a risk.  Registering also helps us with meal planning.

As we become more assured that each person is vaccinated we may drop any requirement of masks during the closer contact of Dharma Sharing Groups.

Please bring your record of completed vaccination with you when you visit.  Do not come if any of the standard questions suggest an increased risk.

Keep in touch.  Let us know if you have questions. May peace be with you on the path.

The Office Team.

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Enjoy a day of mindfulness and peace.

Twice weekly on Thursdays and Sundays we hold Days of Mindfulness. We welcome you to come practice the art of mindful living with our community. These days can help support you in your practice of mindfulness, taking an entire day to come back home to the present moment and learn to take care of ourselves. No experience is required and anyone can benefit from even one day of mindfulness. Other activities include a Dharma talk, walking meditation, silent meal, and a discussion of the practice.

The talk is either a live Dharma talk by one of our resident Dharma teachers or a recorded teaching by Thay. Walking meditation is an invitation to practice mindful walking, uniting our breath and movements, remembering our true home  – the present moment. A silent meal, prepared by the monastics, is the opportunity to eat together, looking deeply at our consumption and enjoying the miracle of nourishment. Lastly, a unique practice in our tradition is the way of sharing our practice, called Dharma Sharing. It is an opportunity to give voice to our experiences – our joys and our difficulties – in a calm, receptive, and safe environment. This is also an opportunity to practice deep listening and loving speech.

Please check our calendar or contact our registration office to confirm a date. We look forward to seeing you here.

Tentative schedule for a Sunday:

You are most welcome to join us for the morning sitting meditation if it fits your schedule. Otherwise, we are happy to welcome you at 8:00am.

5:30 am  –  Sitting meditation & chanting (Optional)
6:45 am  –  Breakfast (Optional)

8:30 am  –  Walking Meditation Please meet in front of the Big Meditation Hall

9:45 am  –   Dharma Talk

11:30 am – Precepts Recitation

• 1st Sunday – The Five Mindfulness Trainings
• 3rd Sunday – The Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings
• 2nd, 4th, 5th Sundays – Dharma Sharing

1:00 pm – Lunch

• 2nd, 4th, 5th Sundays – Formal lunch in the Rising Tide Meditation Hall
• 1st and 3rd Sundays – Lunch in the Dining Hall

After Lunch – Mindfulness Day Ends

For descriptions of the practices above, see our Be Mindful in Daily Life page. If you would like to know which 11:30am activity is planned for a given Sunday, please contact us a few days in advance.

Registration
To help us with the preparation, we kindly ask you to please register for a Day of Mindfulness.

Donations
There is no fee for taking part in a Day of Mindfulness, but we suggest a donation of $15.00+ per person.

Donations are our main source of support, so every offering is greatly appreciated. Your contribution can help us us to keep the monastery open all year. You can make your offering in any of the donation boxes in the Rising Tide Meditation Hall or the dining hall.

Stay the night before

Due to long driving distance and you would like to spend Saturday night with us, we warmly welcome you (please arrive between 3:30pm-5:30pm). Please register as a personal retreat online through the website.  We suggest a contribution of $60.00 per person for a night at the monastery.  Be sure to bring a sleeping bag.

Individual Needs
Magnolia Grove is deeply committed to inclusiveness. If you have any particular need for assistance, please contact us at office@magnoliagrovemonastery.org so we can offer you as much support as possible. All meals are vegan. There is generally a variety of options available at mealtime, but feel free to bring supplementary food for yourself if you have a particular dietary need.

What to Wear
Please wear casual and modest clothing that is comfortable for sitting (i.e. long sleeve shirt (shirt covering shoulders), long pants (below the knees), loose fitting clothes…). Please wear or bring weather-appropriate clothing and shoes suitable for walking on nature trails so you can fully enjoy the outdoor walking meditation with the community. Please avoid wearing perfumes or other products that may affect those who are sensitive or allergic to scents.

Where should I go when I arrive?
If you arrive early, you are welcome to have tea in the Tea Room (next to the dining hall). If it is your first time visiting us, we kindly ask you to arrive at 8:00am, which would allows us to share some basic practices with you so that your stay could be more pleasant and beneficial. Please plan to arrive at the monastery at least 15 minutes in advance in preparation for the walking meditation.

Ticks
In the spring, summer, and fall, Magnolia Grove is home to deer ticks which do carry Lyme Disease. It is easy to protect yourself if you take a few simple precautions–most importantly, thoroughly checking yourself and your children for ticks each day. Please follow the link to learn more.