Who we are:

Traverse City Mindfulness Meditation Group practices and studies classical Buddhist meditation as taught by Siddhartha Gotama (4th century B.C. E.), known as the Buddha. Our group includes people who practice a variety of forms of meditation including Vipassana, Shambala and Zen. Some just sit, with no particular identification with a tradition. We all meditate together, using whatever technique seems best for us, regardless of our religious preferences or non-preferences. We simply want to see things are they really are.

We are a group of both beginners and experienced meditators. We are fortunate to be sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Congregation, and we sit together every Sunday evening in their building.  The first Sunday of the month, we offer a 4-hour block of sitting time. You're welcome to attend any part of that you wish. Anyone is welcome to join us.

Helps and contacts:

If you're new to the practice, there are a number of good websites to help you: dharma.org, Shinzen Young's YouTube site, Adyashanti's  website, among others.. Also, there is a free download of one of the best beginning books for meditators, Mindfulness In Plain English, by Bhante Gunaratana. We often partner for retreats with the Sokukoji Buddhist Center in Battle Creek Sokukoji.org. See their website for Sokuzan Bob Brown's teaching and other activitives.

If you join us on Sunday night and let us know when you arrive that you're new to the practice, we can help you get started. Fleda Brown is our facilitator. She's available during part of each sitting for individual private  interviews to help support your practice.

 What we're reading:

On our regular Sundays (not the 4-hour block sitting), we begin with an hour of discussion on a book the group has chosen. Some books we've read and discussed: Sylvia Boorstein's It's Easier Than You Think, Larry Rosenfeld's Breath by Breath, Bante Gunaratana's Mindfulness in Plain English, Ezra Bayda's Zen Heart, Charlotte Joko Beck's Everyday Zen, Jack Kornfield's  Wise Heart, and  Chogyam Trungpa's Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism. We're now reading One Dharma by Joseph Goldstein. 

Our discussion is followed by an hour of meditation with a 5-min optional break in the middle.

Contact:

If you have questions, please email Fleda Brown or Karen McLean .  To be added to the mailing list, please email Fleda Brown.
Meeting Times

EVERY SUNDAY at the
Unitarian Universalist Congregation Building
6726 Center Road
Traverse City, Michigan

Winter Hours (Begins Oct 3)
Book Discussion 5:00-6:00, beginning with 10 min. meditation. 
Meditation 6:00-7:00 (5-min optional break at the half-hour)

FIRST SUNDAY OF EACH MONTH, 4-hour sitting WINTER: 2:30-6:30. SUMMER: 3:30-7:30.Half-hour social time following.

Summer Hours
(begins May 22)
Book Discussion 6:00-7:00, beginning with 10 min. meditation 
Meditation 7:00-8:00 (5 min. optional break at the half-hour)

Announcements

Fire in the Snow 5-day retreat with Sokuzan Robert Brown, Dec. 1-5, 2011, at Transformations Spirituality Center, Kalamazoo, MI. For details and registration contact Karen kmcleanpt@gmail.com or Fleda fleda@udel.edu.