1. Christian Meditation Retreat in Houston — February 22-24
2. Sunday series on "The Teachings of Enlightenment on Happiness and Suffering"
3. Beginners' Meditation Manual -- available online
4. Regional "Weekend of Mindfulness" Retreat (near Austin) — March 7-9
5. Monthly Community Potluck Dinner after Meditation — Sunday, March 9
6. "Mini-Sanghas" forming for Young Adults, People of Color, 12-Step Recovery, etc.
7. Gay Men's "Mini-Sangha" Dinner @ Michael Gott's — March 22 or 23 (please vote)
8. "Day of Mindfulness" Retreat — Saturday, March 29
9. Request for 10 persons to make a $108 Monthly Pledge
10. Would you like to purchase meditation mats and cushions?
11. "A Season for Nonviolence" — daily messages

1. This weekend, Friday-Sunday, February 22-24, there is a wonderful Christian Meditation Retreat in Houston, TX, facilitated by the world-renowned Fr. Laurence Freeman. Br. ChiSing will be attending this very special retreat. More info is at: www.wccm.org and at www.wccmtexas.org

2. Last Sunday, February 17, 5:30-7:30 pm, at "Breath of Life," began a two month series (from Lunar New Year to Earth Day) on the Buddha's Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path: "The Teachings of Enlightenment on Happiness and Suffering":

   Feb. 17:	The Four Noble Truths ("Shit Happens") — Br. ChiSing
   Feb. 24:	Right View ("The Voice of Big Mind") — Rod Koen
   Mar. 2:	Right Thought ("Spiritual Mind Treatment")     — Dr. Cynthia Rexroat, RScP (this is also "Volunteer Appreciation Sunday")     — Br. ChiSing facilitating
   Mar. 9:	Right Mindfulness & Concentration (part 1) — Br. ChiSing (plus Community Potluck Dinner afterwards)
   Mar. 16:	Right Mindfulness & Concentration (part 2) — Monica Lecrone
   Mar. 23:	Right Effort (Easter) — Br. ChiSing
   Mar. 30:	Right Speech — The Shambhala Community
   April 6:	Right Action & Livelihood (part 1) — Br. ChiSing
   April 13:	Right Action & Livelihood (part 2) — Michael Gott, RScP
   April 20:	The Four Noble Truths Re-Visited (Earth Day) — Br. ChiSing (plus Community Potluck Dinner afterwards)

3. One of the best beginners' meditation manuals is available online in its entirety. It is called "Beginning to See" by Sujata, based on Vipassana ("Insight Meditation"). Here is the link: http://weblife.org/beginning.

   Here is a link for meditation instructions from a Zen perspective: http://www.mro.org/zmm/teachings/meditation.php

4. Please attend the "Weekend of Mindfulness" retreat (near Austin, TX) on March 7-9. Join meditators from around Texas and adjacent states for this annual Southwestern weekend retreat inspired by the teachings and practices of Thich Nhat Hanh. Facilitated by Br. Chan Huy, an ordained Dharma Teacher from Canada. Sponsored by the Plum Blossom Sangha of Austin. Theme: "Peace Is Every Step." More info at: www.PlumBlossomSangha.org

5. Our next Community Potluck Dinner after meditation will be on Sunday, March 9 (meditation is at 5:30 pm, dinner is at 7:30 pm). Please bring a vegetarian dish and/or non-alcoholic drinks to share. Expecting about 50 persons or so. Click here for more info on "Breath of Life".

6. Br. ChiSing would like to encourage members of the "Breath of Life" community to form "mini-sangha" affinity groups that could meet once-a-month outside of the larger weekly Sunday sangha. During the next several months this year, Br. ChiSing will work closely with those who are strong enough in their own mindful practice to start and facilitate a "mini-sangha." Some possibilities include a "Young Adults" mini-sangha, a "People of Color" mini-sangha, a "GLBT Friends & Allies" mini-sangha, a "12-Step Recovery" mini-sangha, a "Musicians" mini-sangha, etc. Please share your ideas with Br. ChiSing or the "Seva" Volunteer Support Team.

7. The newly formed "Gay Men's Mini-Sangha" will meet at Michael Gott's beautiful house in Dallas for meditation, sharing, dinner, music and games on either Friday or Saturday evening, March 21 or 22. Please vote on which evening works best for you. If this weekend does not work for you, PLEASE suggest an alternative weekend ASAP.
   Send e-mail to: GMminisangha //at// AOL //dot// com

8. Please register soon for the next "Day of Mindfulness" retreat facilitated by Br. ChiSing at the Unity Church of Dallas on Saturday, March 29, 9 am - 5 pm. Space is limited to the first 30 registrants. The last retreat became full very quickly, so please register soon to ensure your space for this next retreat. Click here for more info.

9. We are looking for 10 persons to make a pledge of $108/month for this year in support of the spiritual work that Br. ChiSing and the Interfaith Mindfulness Ministries are doing, not only here in Dallas, but also in other states and countries. Br. ChiSing wants to be able to continue offering free or low-cost retreats and workshops to youth and college students in Texas and around the country. He has already offered or will be offering free retreats and workshops this year in Austin, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Denton and St. Louis, etc. Please help us to bring the message of mindfulness to more people who cannot afford high-cost retreats and workshops.

   You can give online by credit card at: http://intermindful.com/contact/support.htm. Or, you can send a check to:

   Interfaith Mindfulness Ministries
   P.O. Box 863961
   Plano, TX 75086

   Thank you for your practice of "dana" (generosity).

10. We are also looking to raise $600+ this month so that we can purchase 10+ more sets of meditation mats & cushions to accommodate our growing numbers of meditators (each set costs about $60 each). Also, if you would like to purchase your own set for personal use at home, this will help us get the discount rate for bulk orders. If we can put in just one order by next month, then we will only have to pay one fee for shipping and handling. Please let us know soon if you would like to purchase a set, or if you would like to make a generous donation toward helping us to buy more sets for sangha use. Thanks.

11. Go to the "Season for Nonviolence" website every day to get your daily message of peace now through April 4 at: www.64-days.org

QUOTE OF THE WEEK — "We must not become discouraged every time we meet with difficulty. Solutions should be sought in the very midst of hardship. If we practice equanimity, we will not be bothered by insults and slander. The people who slander us cannot harm us. They only harm themselves. When a man spits at the sky, the sky is not sullied. The spit falls back in the face of the one who spat."
     — Buddha (from Old Path, White Clouds, by Thich Nhat Hanh)