IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
Greetings friends and fellow aspiring practitioners!
I hope that you are finding workability in the world as it is presenting itself to you. It’s cliché at this point to say that we are in a time of unprecedented change on many fronts – ecologically, governmentally, and personally. And it seems like the pace of change is occurring at a higher-than-usual rate (or at least more obviously and dramatically), challenging us all to engage with the qualities of openness, compassion, and wisdom that we aspire to. Many teachers have commented that moments of great change are the most fertile ground for practice.
One of the four seals of Buddhism is that “all compounded things are impermanent.” Everything that is assembled or constructed will inevitably fall apart. This includes obvious things like buildings, companies, a child’s Lego project, and our bodies. It also points us toward subtler things – those things that change all the time that we scarcely notice, such as a bead of water running down a window, erosion of a tall mountain, the minute change in posture as we sit in our office chairs. The Buddhist teachings remind us that the nature of samsara is change, and no one is spared from the results of cause and effect.
What, then, do we do to deal with and even help ourselves and others who are suffering? We could simply be kind. We could practice tonglen. We could engage in retreat and ritual practices. We could recite the Four Immeasurables daily. We could “lean into the places that scare us” and show up for ourselves and for others, to the best of our capacity. We could try to allow things to be as they are and use them as a way to wake up, instead of falling back asleep.
Wishing you all fearlessness, contentment, and clarity!
Jacqui Merrell
Mindful Leadership
An archived conversation between Michael Carroll and Tami Simons, CEO of Sounds True
“…. the notion of generosity or jinpa is the ultimate act of generosity, which is to give of yourself completely to your world. That means to open—just open yourself completely to whatever is occurring. That requires, as I said earlier, enormous bravery, because you are exposed. That is the ultimate gift of a human being, is this exposure. It takes courage to do that.
We would like to remind you to take some time and visit our Instagram page, @wisdomseat_stevemccurry. Here, you will find an array of enlightening teachings and breathtaking images that are bound to inspire and awaken your mind and spirit. We have curated these posts with utmost care and diligence to provide you with a source of inspiration and learning.
We are thrilled about our collaboration with Steve McCurry Studios, a partnership we believe will bridge our communities. Through the combined power of beauty and wisdom, we aim to create deep and meaningful connections among us all. We look forward to your continued support and engagement with our content.
A Mindful Gathering: What AI Actually Is and Why Buddhists Should Care
Tuesday March 18, 2025
Zoom | 7pm-8pm
Curious about all this AI talk but find the tech world confusing? Let's discuss what artificial intelligence really is in plain language, why it matters to our community, and how Buddhist principles might help us approach it wisely. No computer knowledge needed—just come with questions.
Questions we can explore:
How does AI actually "learn" and what does that mean?
How is AI different from consciousness?
Can Buddhist perspectives help us relate to this technology?
What should we be concerned about (and what shouldn't we worry about?
Wednesday Meditation
Ongoing offering: Online meditation every Wednesday evening 6:15 to 7:30 PM EST
Worldwide Wednesday evening online sitting meditation practice.
We, at The Wisdom Seat, invite you to meet on Wednesday evenings from 6:15 – 7:30 PM Eastern Time to practice the sitting meditation discipline as taught in the Buddhist & Shambhala tradition of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche.
Nyinthun: Everyone is welcome!
Ongoing offering: Nyinthun (in-person and online)
The first Sunday of every month.
All day sitting interspersed with walking meditation. The word nyinthun*, is Tibetan for “day session.”
In understanding dharma, Trungpa Rinpoche placed a strong emphasis on mindfulness/awareness meditation practice. This community practice of Nyinthun - all day sitting interspersed with walking meditation - gives us the opportunity to experience the full spectrum of our mind, make friends with our immediate experience and rediscover our natural sanity.
Please take a look, and sign up to join us for some nyinthun retreat days. It is ok to join for as much of the day as you can.
Collaborative practice undertaking with The Wisdom Seat & The Profound Treasury Retreat
The Wisdom Seat encourages as many opportunities for practitioners to engage in the discipline of mindfulness/awareness (shamatha/vipashyana) as one can engage in. We are happy to invite the Profound Treasury Retreat (PTR) with their offering of Sunday sitting.
PTR community is hosting a 2-hour sitting session from 9:30am to 11:30 am EST
There will be meditation instruction every third Sunday of the month, given by a qualified meditation instructor.
Dates: March 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th
Here is the Zoom link for this session: Sunday Sitting Zoom Link
All are welcome to attend.
The Wisdom Seat Retreat
October 25 - November 2, 2025
We invite you to join us for this in-person Autumn retreat at the Karma TriyanaDharmachakra monastery in the delightful upstate New York Catskill Mountains. Michael Carroll, cofounder of The Wisdom Seat will be leading this 8-day practice intensive, supported by members of The Wisdom Seat staff. This retreat is designed to help us deepen our mindfulness-awareness meditation and integrate it into our daily life. The retreat will include:
6 - 7 hours of daily shrine room meditation alternating sitting and walking during each session
Breath and body relaxation practices
Outdoor walking meditation
Periodic group meditation instruction
Readings from Buddhist texts
Dharma talks and discussion
Individual meditation instruction upon request
An hour+ of helping hands
Participants will be asked to observe “functional silence” throughout most of the retreat, limiting verbal communication to a minimum.
Vegetarian breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be offered, with access to snacks, coffee, and tea throughout the retreat.
Since the retreat will be limited to 30 participants, those attending will be expected to participate in all 8 days of the retreat.
Local Commuters may participate 8 days or less.
Location: Karma Triyana Dharmachakra
Woodstock, NY
Open Heart Project
Clear Heart, Open Mind: Rediscovering Confidence During Challenging Times
An exclusive 3-evening series with Susan Piver and Michael Carroll
March 11, 18, 25th | 6:30 - 8 PM ET
How do we remain strong and brave during difficult times? Though it may seem impossible, it is not. The three jewels: Buddha (which means awake), Dharma (the path of wisdom), and Sangha (community) create the foundation for it all.
Please join Susan Piver and Michael Carroll to talk it all over. We will bring all three jewels together as we review the three main cycles of Buddhist teachings. Each cycle contains powerful options for continuing to live with a clear mind and an open heart in the midst of it all.
Over the course of 3 evenings, we will cover:
March 11:
Hinayana View
The importance of practice
The four reminders
Meeting the echo chamber of doubt
March 18:
Mahayana View
Generous action in the world
Working with a broken heart
Opening to uncertainty
March 25:
Vajrayana View
Ordinary magic
Organize your world: Lha, Lu, Nyen
Creating protection for your mind and heart
Susan and Michael very much look forward to connecting with you.
West Chester Meditation Center
Unconditional Healing: Embracing Illness and Adversity and Discovering One's True Self
Special Guest Jeff Rubin
Sunday, March 9th
Zoom | 10 AM ET
When a significant disruptive challenge to our life or lifestyle occurs, it's typically viewed as something to be resisted or denied, having little or no intrinsic worth. The more expansive view is that it presents a profound and auspicious opportunity in our lives, uprooting complacency, and forcing us to directly confront questions of mortality and impermanence. Through this exploration, and taking on adversity as our path, we can discover our genuine nature in the midst of our predicament.
Jeff Rubin is a senior teacher and meditation instructor in the Shambhala Buddhist and Kagyu Buddhist traditions, and has been directing meditation-based retreats for over forty years. Subsequent to developing a progressive neurological illness in 1999, he began the study and practice of teachings that view illness and adverse circumstances as steppingstones to spiritual growth, wholeness and well-being. Since 2006, Jeff has been directing programs and support groups on Unconditional Healing, a re-imagining of health that transforms one’s relationship to pain, illness and adversity.
Please register by RSVP only: https://www.westchestermeditationcenter.org/register/p/special-guest-jeff-rubin-2025
Mark your calendar — Zoom link here
Pearlstein Gallery
A Certain Slant of Light: Dino Pelliccia, Bruce Pollock, and Stuart Rome
January 7 - March 18th
Pearlstein Gallery is pleased to announce A Certain Slant of Light, the first exhibition of 2025. This three-person show features significant works from influential Philadelphia artists: Stuart Rome, Dino Pelliccia, and Bruce Pollock. Although the work on view is wide-ranging in media–sculpture, painting and photography–it shares an interest in natural forms, an investigation into materiality, and a mastery of highly-honed craft. The exhibition spans four decades of process-oriented work from these artists who also share a long standing connection to the Drexel community.
Dino Pelliccia is showing large, new sculptural forms made from solid wood. Both free-standing and mobile, these monumental works are simultaneously dynamic and timeless. Bruce Pollock’s paintings on view are from his intricate Indigo series in shades of blue. These meditative and energetic works feature fractal and geometric patterns inspired by deep observation of nature. Stuart Rome’s compelling works explore vantage, scale, and texture to expand the possibilities of photography. His Oculus series of black and white images are taken from within giant redwoods and sequoias, portals to new perspectives. Each ask where we stand in our relationship to the Natural world and within these patterns might there be a bridge to that understanding.
A Certain Slant of Light contains over fifty works of art by these three artists, balanced throughout the entire gallery space. We invite you to experience this introspective retrospective centered on material craft and organic form.
A companion publication will include an essay by noted art writer and critic, Judith Stein, who has most recently written the book Eye of the Sixties about Dick Belamy.
For more information visit: https://drexel.edu/pearlsteingallery/exhibitions-events/exhibition-archive/2025/January/A%20Certain%20Slant%20of%20Light/
Dorje Denma Ling
The Heart Sutra - Everything You Wanted to Know About Buddhism But Were Afraid to Ask
with Pamela Bothwell, Adrienne Chang, Rhea Colmar, Blaire Martin, Daniel Nguyen and Mark Nowakowski
Exploring the Heart of Prajna-Paramita Sutra
Thursdays, February 13 – March 27
This seven-week series offers a profound journey into the teachings of the Heart Sutra, one of the most celebrated and essential texts in Buddhist tradition. Each session will provide an in-depth exploration of key concepts and practices that illuminate the path of wisdom and compassion.
The program is open to all, regardless of prior experience, and is designed to offer insights that are both accessible and transformative.
Each session will be led by experienced practitioners and teachers from our community, creating a supportive and inspiring environment for study, meditation, and dialogue.
What is this mind?
Who is hearing these sounds?
Do not mistake any state for
Self-realization, but continue
To ask yourself even more intensely,
What is it that hears?
— Bassui Tokusho
Zen Master (1327 – 1387)
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