Online — Dharma Sunday (10/23): Creating Community through Spiritual Storytelling

Live Online! 

10:00 am – 12:00 pm ET

Research shows that our nervous system is soothed when we belong to a group of caring people. Environmental scientist and Zen teacher Kritee Kanko writes that we must form small spiritual communities, islands of sanity and resilience, to meet the climate crisis of our time. Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh says that “The next Buddha will be a Sangha,” a spiritual community. It is time to pay attention to the Third Jewel! What practices, therefore, can we undertake to create true bonds of friendship and belonging?

This workshop centers on spiritual storytelling as a means of fostering intimacy, authenticity, empathy, and caring. Participants will be invited to immerse themselves in silent reflection, allow a memory to arise, and then write (using pen and paper) a personal narrative about a significant moment from a meditation retreat or home practice. Stories will be read in small groups, with guidance on mindful listening and holding space. Reconvening as a large group, students can request that one of their small group members read their story to the full group. We’ll have a short meditation, followed by discussion about the experience of hearing other’s stories, how that contributes to our relationships with others, and how these relationships build spiritual community.

Dharma Sundays with Natural Dharma Fellowship are now taking place most Sundays. These sessions, led by highly trained NDF Dharma and guest teachers, include guided meditation, teachings, and time for discussions. A wide range of topics are offered at the discretion of the teacher. On one Sunday per month, we are offering our year-long Dharma Dialogues program during this same time slot. Please join us for both the Dharma Sunday programs and for the Dharma Dialogues (details and registration here).

Zoom link — The Zoom link will be sent several days before the retreat to all those registered by then. If you register after that date, you’ll receive the link with your confirmation email shortly after submitting your registration. If you don’t see an email from Natural Dharma Registrar or Wonderwell Mountain Refuge, it may have mistakenly gone to your spam folder or to Promotions or Updates in Gmail.

Important: Please put these two email addresses in your Contact or Safe-Send list to make sure you receive our emails:

• retreats@wonderwellrefuge.org
• register+wonderwellrefuge@retreat.guru

Closed captioning is available on all online retreats and teachings.

Wonderwell Mountain Refuge Full Calendar