Welcome to the first issue of the Bhumi Garden newsletter + blog!
What is the Bhumi Garden?
It’s a central meeting place to learn about the beautiful things brewing and blooming within our community. There is so much magic within the Bhumi-verse. This newsletter is an experiment in sharing that magic with each other while also charting growth and change as our community emerges over time.
Specifically, this monthly newsletter + blog is shared with two primary intentions:
To share practical information about Bhumisparsha offerings, updates, and resources each month.
To foster the creative appreciation, nourishment, and celebration of all that is growing and composting in the garden of Bhumisparsha community life.
Want to help us tend the Garden?
We are looking for volunteers to assist in the following areas for next month’s issue (and beyond!) to whatever extent feels good. If you’re interested, please email eric@bhumisparsha.org:
Web design - making this page as beautiful as our community
Editing/Copywriting - contribute to formatting, editing, and reviewing submissions
Want to plant something in the Garden?
We welcome contributions from the entire community! We’d love to highlight your art work, poems, practice reflections, programing (both within Bhumi and beyond), resources, and volunteer opportunities. We’d also love to include information/updates/images from the remarkable Facilitators and Tech Hosts who make all of our offerings possible. Check out our “Bhumi Garden Monthly Submission Form” to learn more about how to contribute.
We invite everyone to comment, share thoughts, and pose questions in the space provided at the end of this blog post. Our hope is that this blog might provide a third space beyond Slack or email to help unify all the different facets of Bhumisparsha’s collective body.
We hope you enjoy meandering through the Garden!
Announcements: July 2022
Medicine Buddha Daylong Retreat: Saturday, July 9th from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm EST
Join Lama Rod for this special practice opportunity on Saturday, July 9th from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm EST. All are welcome, no experience required. Click here to learn more and to sign up!
Chöd empowerment: Tuesday, July 12th at 7 p.m. EST
Machig Labdrön
Lama Justin will be offering the Chöd Empowerment on Tuesday, July 12th at 7 p.m. EST. The session will begin with a short talk about the practice of Chöd and an exploration of the meaning of “empowerment” in this context, followed by the offering of the empowerment. Please share with anyone who has a heartfelt interested in learn more about the practice of Chöd and the meaning of empowerment in tantric spiritual practice. Click here to join via Zoom.
Community Town Hall: Tuesday, July 26th at 5:30 pm EST
Join us for a Bhumi Community Town Hall on Tuesday, July 26th at 5:30 pm EST. We will be sharing wisdom and insights from our recent Overall Feedback Survey as well as concrete steps Bhumisparsha is taking to implement this feedback skillfully. There will also be time for Q&A, open discussion, and simply hanging out together as a community. This gathering will be recorded and shared for those unable to join on the evening of 7/26. Click here to join the Community Town Hall via Zoom.
Save the Date! In-person retreat in Atlanta: October 25 - 29
Throwing it way back to the “Healing the Heart of the South” Retreat, Thomasville, NC, December 2018
Featuring co-teachers Lama Rod, Lama Justin, and Ms. Ayesha Ali. We are still in the early phase of organizing and there will be much more info to come! In the meantime, here is a sneak peak of the emerging schedule:
Tuesday, Oct. 25: Special day for honoring Bhumi volunteers
Wednesday, Oct. 26 - Friday, Oct. 28: Non-residential retreat centering the theme of “resting together to heal the three times”
Saturday, Oct. 29 - Nature, picnic, community alter, and celebration vibes
Photo by Eric B. Minneapolis, MN, 2022
Update on Global Majority + BIPOC affinity space
We are very blessed that Ayesha Ali has offered to help create affinity space for Global Majority/BIPOC folks within the Bhumisparsha community. She is also helping us remember to move at the speed of ease. We share this update for the general awareness of anyone who might be interested in collaborating to help create these spaces in the coming weeks and months. Stay tuned for more!
Also! Check out this recent Washington Post article featuring Ms. Ayesha, Rashid Hughes, and their collaborations via Heart Refuge Mindfulness Community to center experiences and cultures of Global Majority + BIPOC communities in mindfulness practice.
Gratitude
In addition to the generosity Bhumisparsha receives from so many members of our community each month, we are also very fortunate to have received a second gift of $20,000 from the Padosi Foundation. Their generous support since 2021 has made the emergence of our young community possible. From Andrew Merz, Padosi’s executive director: “As someone recovering from spiritual abuse in a Buddhist context, I know firsthand the need for new models of community and truly welcoming and inclusive spaces, and I feel very fortunate to be able to contribute.” With gratitude and humility, we commit to harnessing this gift toward authentic awakening and the total liberation of all suffering beings throughout time and space.
Community ethics + care
Celebrating the One Year Anniversary of the Community Ethics Project
Graphic Design by Nikki Pressley
It’s been almost a year since the Community Ethics Project (CEP), coordinated by Sadada Jackson and supported by many members of our community, culminated in a community-wide event on July 10th, 2021. For our first issue of the Bhumi Garden, we are happy to highlight the fruits of this beautiful expression of collective inquiry and moral imagination. Click on the image to the right to view a summary of the CEP. You can also check out the beautiful video distillation of the CEP below, or click to view the full recording of the CEP community gathering. Thank you to everyone who helped make this project possible— especially for Sadada’s leadership and Nikki Pressley’s graphic design skills!
Supporting shared language around conflict support & transformation
We are happy to share this Conflict Support and Transformation (v.1) resource with the community. This is a living document building from the efforts of Repa Trinlay and many other community members. While there is much more work to be done to cultivate robust processes of conflict transformation and community ethics throughout the fabric of Bhumisparsha, we hope this pithy resource provides fertile ground for future growth. We look forward to hearing your feedback!
Aspirations for Community Ethics Studio offerings
While still very much in the earliest stages of conceptualization, we want to name our aspiration to begin organizing regular (monthly or bi-monthly) Community Ethics Studios for the purpose of studying and training together in the arts of community ethics, transformative justice, and accountable spiritual practice. More to come! If you are interested in supporting Bhumi’s ongoing work to strengthen our capacities for robust community ethics and care, please reach out to Eric at eric@bhumisparsha.org
Helpful links + ways to connect:
If you’re feeling nostalgic or asking yourself “Bhumisparsha what and why?”, then check out our Emerging Visions, Values, and Strategies document (see image, right). This resource from 2020 is outdated in most ways, yet it continues to help express the beating heart of Bhumisparsha’s vajra-dreams for personal transformation, beloved community, and collective liberation. We look forward to collaborating to create “v.2” of this resource in the future.
What kinds of norms and practices guide the ways we gather together as a community? Take a look at Bhumisparsha’s Community Guidelines to get a feel. (These agreements were forged collectively in the crucible of the earliest days of the pandemic.)
Sign up our Mailchimp to receive periodic announcements and updates
Subscribe to Bhumisparsha’s public calendar to access the most up-to-date information about our scheduled offerings, including updates about changes, cancellations, and links to join our offerings.
We use Slack as a a virtual space for collaborating, creating affinity spaces, sharing session recordings, and general communications. Click here if you’d like to join Bhumi’s Slack space.
If you’re interested in learning more about Tech Hosting for Bhumisparsha offerings, you can start by requesting to join our “Bhumi Tech Hosting Community” Google group!
View our transparent finances on our Open Collective page
Mission Circle Update
The next Mission Circle meeting will be Monday, July 11th. Our main priorities this month will be finalizing our search for a new Treasurer to join the Mission Circle, discussing how to approach enlisting the services of an external accountant, grant writing/fundraising opportunities, and deepening our strategic planning efforts. Each month, we will share a video from Leigh and Ms. Brenda summarizing the previous month’s Mission Circle meeting. Click here to access a video summary of the June meeting (Passcode: IZf2U&y3). (Please note that the upcoming donation Ms. Brenda mentions in the video has been received from the Padosi Foundation. See the “Gratitude” entry in the “Announcements: July 2022” section above).
An update and note of transparency from Eric, Transitional General Coordinator: I sincerely apologize that the process for bringing a new Treasurer onboard has taken longer than anticipated. That will be one of my main priorities this month, as this role is vital for the financial health and sustainability of our community. I’m continuously learning how to more skillfully allocate my 15 hrs/week in ways that balance the need to accomplish our strategic commitments alongside my ability to respond to various needs (sometimes expected, sometimes unexpected) that emerge throughout the course of an average week. I’m also committed to communicating openly and transparently when my sense of what is possible in a given time-frame doesn’t vibe with reality! Thank you for your grace and understanding as I continue learning how to dance with the rhythms and subtitles of Bhumi community life. It’s a dance I appreciate more and more deeply every day. <3
Practice Circle Update
Image by Sesalli Castillo
The Practice Circle is inviting new members!! If you're interested or know someone that may be, please send me an email at sesalli@bhumisparsha.org.
The Practice Circle meets on the 1st Thursday of every month (July 7th) from 5pm - 6:30pm ET. We support the creation and maintenance of ways we practice as a community. We spend time dreaming up what practice in our community can look like and creatively addressing concerns that may arise within practice spaces/processes. In this season the Practice Circle will be focused on supporting in person gatherings for our community. If you are someone interested in hosting or helping plan small regional to larger community gatherings we'd love to have your voice in the space.
You are invited to be a committed member for 6 months + OR to just be added to the calendar invite + emails so you can join whenever you are able. All are encouraged to join! Email me if interested!
Ways to help support + sustain
In addition to offering financial resources which sustain Bhumi’s general operating costs, there are many ways to help take care of our community through the gifts of your time, energy, and skill. Here are some specific volunteer opportunities that would be of tremendous benefit for the whole community. If any of these possibilities resonate, please reach out to info@bhumisparsha.org.
Whether you are able to help once for an hour, if you feel inspired to work on a specific one-time or recurring project, or if you’d like to help but may not know how, your generosity is welcome and greatly appreciated! Do you have skills, knowledge, or creativities to contribute but don’t see them reflected in this list? Please let us know how you would like to support! We are committed to respecting boundaries and not expecting people to give beyond what is offered. Let’s wander through this Garden together at the speed of ease.
Volunteer opportunities
Helping organize our Vimeo page and leverage this platform more effectively, including integrating videos and recordings more meaningfully on our website.
Assisting with the maintenance and general upkeep of our Zoom accounts
Sprucing up the Bhumisparsha website!
Getting trained as a Tech Host and/or Facilitator for morning daily sits or helping launch an evening practice sit. If this resonates, we will get you in touch with Laura D, Bhumi’s Daily Practice Liaison.
Helping us create “Welcome to Bhumisparsha” space from the perspective of a new community members
Creating a very simple, technical support guide for multi-generational community members
Providing graphic/digital design support for our
Mailchimp
Blog
Event communications
Flyers
Website
Supporting our Social Media presence (creating posts for Instagram, posting regularly)
Hosting a community-led book club or wisdom text study group
Grant writing and fundraising support
Help plan In-person/regional gatherings at Practice Circle meetings
Providing direct assistance and logistical support during in-person offerings.
Sharing professional expertise and skillfulness in counseling, chaplaincy, mediation, and crisis response to support community members when needed
Sharing professional expertise and skillfulness in legal affairs, non-profit management, strategic development, and collaborative leadership.
Donation opportunities
In financial terms, our hope is that this community can be sustained through the heartfelt contributions of those who feel connected to Bhumisparsha and share visions of personal transformation, beloved community, and collective liberation. The BEST way to provide that stability is through a monthly contribution that works for you. Click the button below to make a sustaining donation:
One-Time donations are just as vital to ensuring we can meet our budgetary needs for the year. Your gift now will helps fuel Bhumi's practice. Click below to offer a One-time contribution:
Through our fiscal hosting partnership with Open Collective Foundation (OCF), all donations made to Bhumisparsha are tax deductible as charitable contributions. Click here to learn more.
Community Creations + Reflections
This section of the Bhumi Garden is dedicated to sharing reflections, artwork, dance, poetry, photography, or any other mode of creation and reflection. If it feels good to share, you are very welcome to do so. We look forward to including contributions from the community in next month’s issue of the Bhumi Garden! To submit materials and/or proposals, please fill out the “Bhumi Garden Monthly Submission Form”
“Closing & Opening”, 2018, collage on paper, 8 in x 10 in by Sesalli Castillo
Sunflower Study: May-June 2020 by Eric B
(A heads up for nervous systems that need it: this entry briefly references George Floyd, the Uprisings in Minneapolis, and an experience of depression. It concludes with images of a blooming sunflower)
Standing on my porch, fire was everywhere. Flames at both ends of the block, Wells Fargo roasting over there, the gas station’s cinders, “Did you hear what’s burning down over there?”. Everyone in the streets boiling, seething, despair. All I could hear in that place in my head where I can’t control things or make anything stop was Him calling “Mama” over and over and a sense that something has died in me that is gone forever and is never coming back. I was nihilism and furry and weeping on my porch holding a garden hose in case our house or a neighbors house caught fire because Minneapolis was wailing, burning, and that garden hose made me feel like there was still something I could do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, to fix, fix, fix, fix…
The summer of 2020 was intense for me in all my conditioned specificities, and maybe I’m not alone in that feeling. And I know, that you know, that we all know, that intensity is still here. I went through a period of not being well. Maybe you did, too. Maybe you still are. Maybe I still am, too. For a while all I could think about was how I really needed Tara to be real and that she needed to come save me right $&#!^%& now and praying to God that all this talk of Dharma and awareness was really worth something because I had my doubts. It was a good day when I could get out of bed and wander through our little yard. One day a Sunflower started growing and I knew that the most important thing in my life in that moment was to study this Sunflower; it’s growing and way of being. I took pictures everyday and tried to listen to what it was teaching me about how to be alive in this brutal world. This collage is an expression of gratitude and devotion for the existence of this Sunflower. They helped me remember what matters most, that it can never be lost or destroyed, that it is worth continuing, and that it saturates with more love than I am capable of holding in my head all at once and maybe that is why it hurts so much sometimes. So here is my prayer: May the blessings of this Sunflower and all creations who, by simply existing, testify to the power and holiness of being, never diminish. Right now, in this very instant, may all beings experience unreasonable and indestructible love. Jai Ma!
Regular practice opportunities + updates:
Click here to subscribe to Bhumisparsha’s calendar for the most up-to-date schedule information. You can also click here to view the calendar page on our website
If you have feedback from your experience with a Bhumisparsha practice offering that you would like to share, please fill out the practice feedback form. Thank you!
All times listed are in Eastern Standard Time
Daily Practice Group
Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 11:30 am to 12:30 PM EST (8:30 - 9:30 AM PDT)
Daily practice groups are spaces where people can sign in and practice individually with others in an online space. Space will be held by a Bhumisparsha community member for the first 30 minutes, while the second 30 minutes (optional) will open for questions and discussion.
Monday and Friday daily practice sessions feature the option to break out into small groups for the check-in/conversation portion of the sit. Small group breakouts on these days are based on the preferences expressed by participants on a given day.
For Wednesday practice sessions, Bhumisparsha is automatically breaking out into a BIPOC breakout room and a General breakout room for both the practice and check-in periods. Each group will be self-moderated. This practice is intended to give folks who identify as BIPOC the option to immerse in the energy of a BIPOC group space, without having to navigate a larger, shared space.
Click here to join Daily Practice via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81566513407
Medicine Buddha with Lama Rod
Mondays from 7 to 8:30 PM EST
Join Lama Rod for a guided Medicine Buddha practice that can help promote healing for self and others, as well as address social inequities that perpetuate harm.
Register for Medicine Buddha and access our archive of session recordings via Crowdcast.
Click to join: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/medicine-buddha-lama-rod/
Mahamudra for the People with Lama Justin
Tuesdays from 11:30 am to 1:00 PM EST
Join Lama Justin for instruction and practice of Mahamudra. The combination of instructions from the mahamudra tradition and brief sitting sessions allow for effective diving into a daily meditation practice.
Mahamudra for the People sessions are recorded and shared on Bhumisparsha's Vimeo page for those who are not able to attend live.
*This offering will be on pause for July, but will resume again on Tuesday, August 9th*
Please peruse our archive or recordings on Vimeo to help support your practice this month. The recording from our most recent session is shared below.
Mahamudra Practitioner Group
Tuesdays from 5:30 to 6:30 PM EST
Join practitioners for an open-format practice and discussion of Mahamudra. All are warmly welcome to attend.
Click to join Mahamudra Practitioner Group on Zoom:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87644378555?pwd=dDRJZlV6dWVLYm1QL1RBVEx5N2xkZz09
Chöd Practice and Discussion
Tuesdays from 7 to 8 PM EST
Join Lama Justin and Bhumisparsha community members to learn and practice the Milam Lungten Chod Sadhana. Join to learn more about this practice and its benefits for all beings. All community members welcome!
Chöd group on Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/93954714384?pwd=ZmhYM0VsbjN6L1U4dnptNmRycUtsZz09
Protector practice
Every Wednesday from 7 to 7:45 PM EST
Join for a guided practice led by either Lama Justin or a community member focusing on energies embodied by Palden Lhamo, Shanglon Mahakala and Chittapatti, three powerful dharma protectors.
Protectors practice on Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82176897152?pwd=TUd2a3ltM0M1eFlkTUJ2NXpSbGlRUT09
Community Dharma Sharing
Wednesdays from 8:00 to 9:30 PM EST
Please join the Bhumisparsha community each Wednesday evening for a dharma sharing with Karen Nelson, Mary Ganzon, Brenda Collins, and other members of the community!
In the weekly sessions we offer movement suggestions for each of us to adapt for our own body "as we are” today. We welcome your feedback and are grateful to hear and accord with everyone’s access needs. Thank you for participating!
Themes and explorations reflect the needs and interests of participants. The theme for the offering on July 6th is “Witnessing”
Join via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82385902276?pwd=OHYvWlB2c2dXb1RUT21MK2VvZTVXQT09
Uprooting Whiteness Circle
2nd (7/14) and 4th (7/28) Thursdays each month from 5:30 to 7 PM EST
This meeting is an affinity group for white-identified people to support one another in doing the work of uprooting whiteness.
Participants gather in small and larger groups to learn about and heal from patterns of whiteness and white supremacy to support waking up as our authentic selves and taking action individually and collectively.
Uprooting Whiteness 2nd Thurs (7/14) Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86369083601
Uprooting Whiteness 4th Thurs (7/28) Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89726207438
21 Taras Practice with Rachael Wooten
7 to 9 PM on the third Thursday (7/21) of each month
Join Rachael Wooten for monthly guided sadhana practices of Green Tara and her 21 emanations. We'll take a deep dive into the amazing qualities of each Tara, discovering how she helps us heal personal and collective wounds in order to become an active, loving presence of Tara in the world. You can view a recording of the most recent session, below.
Rachael is the author of “Tara: The Liberating Power of the Female Buddha”. She has been authorized by her teacher, Lodrö Tulku Rinpoche, to teach and lead these practices.
Join 21 Taras on Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88390314889?pwd=TVJVRkc3dlhxdDF5d00xWGlDQkovZz09#success
Holding Space: Sitting and Sharing Practice in Uncertain Times
12 to 1:30 PM on the third Saturday (7/20) of each month
Please join the community for silent meditation practice, followed by an opportunity to check-in with other community members, as we hold space for each other. Facilitated by Brenda Collins and Leigh Rosenberg.
Holding Space Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84060666565
Divine Mother Practice With Lama Rod
One Sunday a month from 11-12:30 PM EST, depending on Lama Rod’s availability.
All are welcome and warmly invited to learn more about the Divine Mother, experience the qualities of her practice, and appreciate her many expressions across diverse cultural contexts and spiritual traditions. Come as you are, no experience required.
On July 3rd, we hosted our second session of Divine Mother Practice with Lama Rod. You can view the recording below and on our Vimeo page. Stay tuned for future opportunities to rest with the Great Mother.
Disability Justice &
The Dharma (DJATD)
Formal DJATD programming is currently on pause, but stay tuned for future happenings! Here is an example of the kind of organizing and practice opportunities emerging from this space:
“Disabled and non-disabled practitioners are warmly welcomed to a series of discussion groups looking at each of the 10 principles of Disability Justice and how they align with our Buddhist practice and can inform the entire Bhumisparsha community. Each discussion will be 90 minutes long and take an in-depth look at just one principle at a time, calling on the wisdom of all in attendance. Open to disabled and non-disabled practitioners.”
Additional opportunities for study + practice with Lama Rod and Lama Justin
News and upcoming events with Lama Rod
From Heartbreak to Liberation: A Three-Part BIPOC Online Gathering. Tuesdays, July 5th, 12th & 19th, 2022 from 7:00pm-8:30pm ET
Take Space, Breathe, Retreat: A Half Day Online Meditation Retreat for BIPOC. Saturday, July 23rd, 2022 from 10:00am-2:00pm ET
Click here to sign up for Lama Rod’s mailing list
Click here to donate and support Lama Rod’s work as a full-time Dharma teacher
News and Upcoming events with Lama Justin
Death and Dying Retreat at Pure Land Farms, July 20 - 27
“Resting into the Mind Beyond Time & Being Consumed by Dharma”, an interview with Lama Justin for the Love and Liberation podcast with Olivia Clementine
Teaching and transmission of the Tsogle Rinchen Trengwa. In July ,the session for this teaching and transmission will occur on Monday, July 18th at 7:00pm EST. Click here to join this special offering on Zoom.
Teaching on Flight of the Garuda, by the great yogin, Shabkar. This text will be taught monthly until it is finished. Click here to join the next session on July 30th at 11:00am EST.
Click here to sign up for Lama Justin’s newsletter
Click here to donate and support Lama Justin’s work as a full time Dharma teacher
