Newly updated Dec. 29, 2011                               

Welcome To


Converging Paths

Sandusky Bay Meditation Center

Room 405 Feick Building • 158 East Market Street • Downtown Sandusky, Ohio
Look for us on Facebook.

  













***Spring 2011 Meditation Retreat***
June 3-5 at the Pines Retreat Center

We enjoyed a practice in Yoga...Labyrinth Work...Tea Ceremony...
Journaling...Breathing...Art...Drumming & Just Sitting
              See Our Meta Prayer Below
Meditation at the Beach Sept. 12th 2011
Clickon photo for link to slideshow.


      
 
Happy New Year

Honoring all wisdom traditions, we seek to establish a better understanding of self and others through clearing the mind, lowering anxiety, and deepening our meditation experience with the help of others.
NOTE:
We will begin a series of Wisdom Talks to deepen our practice. The talks will be on the first Tuesday of the month and consist of recordings from some of our many respected teachers of meditation and peaceful living. The talks will come at the end of our silent sitting and be followed by responses from participants. We invite you to join us.
Most Recent Wisdom Talks

Jan. 3rd 2012
We will be featuring the CD
Meditations to Change Your Brain
by Rick Hanson, PhD, and Richard Mendius, MD, authors of Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love & Wisdom and Just One Thing: Developing a Buddha Brain One Simple Practice at a Time.
Join us for this engaging talk.

Dec. 6th 2011
Video of How to Cook Your Life (trailer)
About the art of cooking. Zen priest of cookery, Edward Brown, demonstrates that food means much more than just nutrition and that cooking is a feast of the senses, as well as an act
of love and generosity.
We will watch two segments of the film.

Nov. 1st, 2011
Joan Halifax of the Upaya Institute of Santa Fe on facing our fears with compassion for all.

July 5th
Wisdom Talk
Diane Hamilton's recorded meditation
on Ken Wilber's "The 1-2-3 of God"
Wilber is known for his Integral Theory of personality development which posits that the more spiritual practices
we experience and appreciate the more awakened
we may become.
Join us for this Engaging Dialogue
Film on Furnace Mountain Zen
 Retreat Center in Eastern Kentucky.
This is a local premiere of this film
"Zen Furnace" by Steven Owen Middleton
Here's a short preview.

It's a lyrical and thoughtful film.
March 1st, 2011 Wisdom Talk
Pema Chodron audio talk
Experiencing Your Emotions




Tuesday, Feb. 1st, 2011 Wisdom Talk
Thich Nhat Hanh


To watch Thich Nhat Hahn Video click here
Thay video on compassion and suffering click here.

 *** Past Wisdom Talks ***

 Tuesday January 4th, 2011 Wisdom Talk

Fiona Tulach

The current main teacher - or Anam Chara - of the Céile Dé is Fionntulach. Since 2003, she has also been head of the Order. The Celtic Spiritual tradition has been her life for almost thirty years.

For an Interview  with Firnntuluch click here.

* * *
Sept. 8th Recorded Talk by Ezra Bayda

Oct. 6th Recorded Talk by Jon Kabbit-Zinn

***
Nov. 3rd Recorded Talk by Tara Brach

To watch Tara on You-Tube click here
***
Dec. 1st Recorded Talk by Thich Nhat Hahn

To watch Thich Nhat Hahn Video click here
***
Jan. 5th 2010 Recorded Talk by Jack Kornfield

Visit Jack Kornfield's Home Pages Here
***
*Feb. 2nd, 2010 Video Talk by Pema Chodron



Visit Pema Chodron on When Things Fall Apart

***

*March 2, 2010 Wisdom Talk, video entitled
Illuminating the Chakras by Anodea Judith,
author of Wheels of Light.
Visit her Web Page
***

April 6th, 2010 Joanna Macy Wisdon Talk
Share this video of this eco-philosopher
with us.
***

May 4th, 2010 John Daido Loori Wisdom  Talk
Share the video "The Still Point" by this
noted Zen teacher. He treats basic concepts
of zazen,hara,samadhi.
A brief introduction video
***

July 6th, 2010...Recording of Tara Brach
Talk on Meditation and Healing
To watch Tara on You-Tube click here
***
August 10th...Live Talk from Laura Smith
Body/Mind--Health and Healing

View her webpage

October 5th...Video Talk by Ken Wilber
Our Spiritual Paths

(He has many web pages and books.)

Tuesday November 2nd, 7pm...Wisdom Talk

Tibetan Rites Yoga Stretches
With Theresa Hansen

Tuesday December 7th, Wisdom Talk
 Some Practices from Tara Brach
Jan Young and Sherry Bradshaw
 

*****
Some Additional Links:
Here is a gentle video guided meditation
Witnessing: A Meditation by Larry Smith
(with thanks to Ken Wilber)


New video Message
from Converging Paths
Ann Smith Shares a Guided Meditation
Erie Wire's Video of Converging Paths
Some Images of Other Wisdom Teachers
Ann Smith's Reiki & Counseling Center

Larry Smith has a new book of poems, translations
from the Zen monk poet Taigu Ryokan(1758-1831).

Tu Fu Talks with Barack Obama (YouTube)
by Larry Smith

Toledo Zen Center
House of Yin in Huron, Ohio

Cloud Water Zendo, Cleveland
Print our Flier. Come to our Space.
New
Erie Wire Coverage
of our
Training at Kripalu Center

Our New Water Bottles Are In
We will have them at our next meditation session.
We also have a new water delivery system
for filling them, thanks to Jan and her sister Pat.
***
We now have a group site on Facebook...If you want to join us and area  member of facebook, let Larry know at Lsmithdog@aol.com

Meta Prayer

May we be filled with loving kindness.

May we be well.

May we be peaceful and
at ease.

May we be happy.

Peace.

* * * *
Here's a variation:

May all beings be peaceful
May all beings be happy
May all beings be safe
May all beings awaken to the light of their true nature
May all beings be free
                         

        The Prayer Wheel Mantra:

    Om    Ma-ni      Päd-me     Hum

   (ohm) (mah) (nee) (pahd) (may) (hum)

                                 

Om helps you achieve generosity; 


Ma helps achieve pure ethics;


Ni helps achieve tolerance & patience  


Päd helps to achieve perseverance  


Me helps achieve concentration


Hum helps you achieve wisdom.
 ***WeeklyMeditations***
Strength in Surrender:

"It has often surprised me that in the process of surrender what I give up is fear and struggle. A kind of strength comes from truly giving up. Something changes when I genuinely  let go and ask for help. The challenge is in maintaining this openness, rather than grasping at solid forms or quick solutions to feel safe. It is not that I give up personal responsibility, believing that some external entity is going to rescue me.Rather I realize that if I truly listen to the innate wisdom of my Buddh-nature, it will guide me."
-Rob Preece, The Solace of Surrender
Quote from John Tranner on why and how we care:
"Whenever my thoughts turn toward greed, acquisitiveness, or stinginess, my shoulders tense up, and it feels as if I’m holding my breath. To find a remedy, I don’t have to improve my thoughts, though—just be generous with them. Then freedom seems to appear automatically.
"In the end, generosity doesn’t have reasons. Generosity might be strategically effective or virtuous, but that’s not important. The point is that there is no good reason to love life or each other, yet we do. Generosity keeps faith with our appreciation of each other, it stems from a natural empathy with everything that, like us, has the courage to take a shape in the world."











Photo from Sandusky Register by (c)Luke Wark/ January 2008


Upon entering  the meditation area

Some Basics:  To help us create a peaceful meditation setting, please:

1. Enter the room silently and approach the meditation area.

2. After crossing the threshold, remove your shoes and place them in the designated area.

3. Find a seat on a cushion, meditation bench or chair provided.
     (Bring your own  cushions if you wish.)

4. Read through the evening’s schedule below and wait quietly for the session to begin.

GENERAL EVENING SCHEDULE

1. Ringing of the bowl gong.

2. Guided relaxation meditation focusing on centering and letting go.  (20 min.)

3. Shamatha Yoga stretches for meditators (demonstrated; do what   you feel comfortable with.)
(15 min.)

4. Mindfulness meditation with basic starting guidance. (20 min.)

5. Individual response and giving thanks. (10 min.)

6. Release with loving kindness Meta Prayer:


       

GATHA WALKING MEDITATION

                 (From Thich Nhat Hahn to Ezra Bayda to Converging Paths)

 

Another form of walking meditation for walking the neighborhood, halls, woods.

Relax and enjoy just walking…engage the senses…and silently repeat a verse,

or gatha, over and over. Here is a suggested gatha:

 

When I walk…the mind will wander…

With each sound…the mind returns.

With each breath…the heart opens.

With each step…I touch the earth

 

…walk…wander

…sound…returns

…breath…opens

…step…earth

 

Repeat as you enjoy your walking meditation.
Also to aid you in your practice:
Five Mindfulness Trainings...from Thich Nhat Hanh
(*Converging Paths is not affiliated with a particular religion, yet responsive to the wisdom of many spiritual paths.)

SCHEDULE—7:00-8:30 PM
Room 405 Feick Building • 158 East Market Street • Downtown Sandusky, Ohio

Some Things We have Done

Members attended the Meditation Retreat at Kripalu
Fall 2010

An Event Shared with the Community

Here is the link to the film web site.

Note: The film was widely and well received by over 130 persons
in January 2009. Thanks to all who make it possible.


Our Converging Paths Meditation Center
has been sitting for almost three years now.

Many things have happened in that year beside our regular sittings:
talks at Firelands College and Christie Lane School,
Firelands College students coming to the center,
our monthly Wisdom Talks, articles in Sandusky Register and Erie Wire;
water bottles created, t-shirts, a film on mountain monks,
a visit to Art Seen gallery, a labyrinth walk, book and tape collection,
2 day retreat Spring 2009, another planned for Summer 2010
 Join us when you can.

   Note: We sit on each Tuesday evening of the week. 7:00-8:30
 

Gathering to meditate before session.

   A minimum donation of $2.00/session will help cover our expenses.

For additional information, or to receive information, please contact
Jan & Lou Young at Jccyoung@aol.com or Larry and Ann Smith at smithcours@smithdocs.net

    THE HUMAN ROUTE

   Coming empty-handed, going empty-handed--that is human.
   When you are born, where do you come from?
   When you die, where do you go?
   Life is like a floating cloud which disappears.
   The floating cloud itself originally does not exist.
   Life and death, coming and going, are also like that.
   But there is one thing which always remains clear.
   It is pure and clear, not depending on life and death.

   What, then, is the one pure and clear thing?


New:  T-Shirts
Converging Paths Meditation Center logo.
White on black...All sizes S-5X, several styles.
Men's/ Women's/ short/ long sleeve... $12-$15
To order contact Jan Young...

or phone at 419-684-5128 
[Approximate image...Lettering will be on back of shirt.]
  
  



Exterior view from the center

Join us if you will.


Pleural Mesothelioma
Pleural Mesothelioma