Finally! The October Synopsis

      My apologies for this tardy entry....I've been busy....that's the usual accepted excuse right. Throw in a little dementia and we're cooking. Nadine does such a good job noting the process that I have decided to give it to you in all its glory. Now let's see if I can get an email out saying this entry has been made.
      Bob - Mark's new office as a place to host 1/2 or full day sits.
      Ken - passed around flyer on End of the Rains retreat in West Virginia. List of dana suggestions etc.
     Nadine - pg.2 "instead of trying to control the world to make yourself happy, work to reduce your psychic irritants." Reminded her of something from a dharma talk - "Create the space for your delusions to exhaust themselves". Along the same thread of progressing from the most fleeting category of happiness, the "happiness of favorable conditions" to more stable forms of happiness pg.6. Ken prefers the word contentment to happiness.
     Constance - liked the book for its aspect of logic in explanations. An evolving kind of learning where you can begin to make the connections yourself.
     Ginny - experienced the mirror of unhappy people creating more unhappy people at the market this weekend by way of a woman exuding joy
     Clo - expressed her ongoing struggle with the concepts of dissatisfaction and change and how they relate to the Buddhist ideals of pleasant/unpleasant/neutral.
     Nadine pointed out that perhaps Claudine is already practicing skillfully by recognizing that unpleasant and dissatisfaction are not wholly "bad". Claudine already finds benefit in dissatisfactory situations.
     Mary Ann also took issue with Bhante G's statement about change at the bottom of pg.34. Argued that change also brings happiness and contentment not anger and sadness as is said in the passage. Discussion about taking the statement in the context of everything that was written before it. The passage is part of a section titled "Understanding the First Truth: Dissatisfaction" and so is speaking specifically to that concept.
     Gale - it is closer to say change makes me uncomfortable rather than that it is a source of pain
     Ginny - question about how to deal with the unpleasant and dis-satisfactory nature of the current political season led to a long discussion involving the entire group. Ranging from Bob's complete disregard of the televised political propaganda to Claudine's passion and frustration over misinformation and voters decision making.
     In response to Mary Ann's comments about personal responsibility Ken spoke about the need for government to avoid a "Tragedy of the Commons". Gale talked about the book "The Righteous Mind and how it has helped her understand opposing views.
     Mary Ann closed the meeting by telling us of the upsetting incident involving a squirrel being killed by the car ahead of her on her way to the meeting and how watching a very active squirrel out the sun-room window during the meeting had balanced her mind.

Next Meeting: November 18 at Ginny and Claudine's
Read to end of page 148.

Special Note: Ken and Ginny are both showing artwork on November 8th from 4-6 at Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton located at 1001 West 4th Street in Winston. Perhaps we can all go for dinner together after the event?