DRAFT Minutes for March 11, 2025 All Sangha Meeting | Heart of the Valley Mindfulness Practice Center, Norwich, VT

MINUTES FROM TUESDAY ALL SANGHA MEETING OF THE HEART OF THE VALLEY MINDFULNESS PRACTICE CENTER

March 11, 2025, 9-11 AM

Joyce offered an overview of the purpose of the meeting: to give sangha members the opportunity to provide feedback to the sangha’s three governing bodies, the Facilitators, the Board, and the Care Council as they develop practice opportunities and new ideas for deepening the spiritual growth of members, consistent with the Plum Village Tradition.

Those in attendance introduced themselves with their name, where they’re from, which sit(s) they attend, and if they serve on any of the governing bodies. A total of 22 were in attendance. 18 in person and 4 on-line.

Wayne and Sami presented an overview of the survey findings (summary and details attached). The Care Council recommended having a 3^rd sit at a time suitable for people who work. They plan to send another survey to determine a day and time.

Those in attendance supported having a sit at a time to accommodate those who work. Preferences for Saturday or Sunday were given, with a preference for Saturday because some people attend church on Sunday. Those preferring Sunday cited ongoing family commitments on Saturday, as well as the Norwich Farmers’ Market, in season. A show of hands indicated 10 in favor of either Saturday or Sunday, 6 for Saturday and 3 for Sun One suggestion was to experiment to determine whether Saturday or Sunday works best for most people.

In discussion about finding a venue for a weekend sit, Rollins Chappel was suggested, as was finding a venue closer to Lebanon. St. Barnabas is not available on Saturdays or Sundays. Sami, Lisa, Wayne, Dianne and Gail volunteered to be a team to follow up on finding a venue for a weekend sit.

There was discussion about modifying the format of the existing Tuesday sit, which will be discussed by the Facilitators at their march . Among the topics discussed were:
Having movement practice instead of indoor walking meditation which is difficult for those with balance issues, especially when outdoor walking is not possible due to weather.
Having the Tuesday session 9-10:30, instead of 9-11 and moving the informal sharing time to the end at 10:30.
Making the clean up at the end a Mindful Working M
Offering Metta on a more regular basis.

There was discussion and interest in forming a social action and engagement group. Creating a Beloved Community Circle with the guidance of dharma teacher John Bell was mentioned. The Care Council will organize a meeting of people interested in participating in or helping to organize a Social Action group.

There was a discussion of activities and Dharma study of interest to sangha members based on survey responses. Individuals or “teams” who might facilitate these activities with help of the CC can be formed. The committees might organize the following:
Guest teachers
Weekend retreat at Morning Sun
Weekend retreat at Blue Cliff
Mindful Hikes
Study Groups: Anyone interested in 3-to-6-week study groups focusing on areas of our practice that we don’t usually get into during sangha gatherings, g. 4 Noble Truths and Eightfold Path, 4/6 Paramita, the 8 Realizations of Enlightened Beings; etc.

To help contact and organize “team” participants, Matt will set up a google document with names of sangha members who give permission to be contacted regarding committee activities, or general communications.

Wayne, Matt and Sami will identify issues to include in a follow-up survey of the entire sangha.