Calm Abiding in Bridgewater

Posted Bob BramwellPosted in Information, Program

Are you curious about meditation and its benefits?

Have you been wanting to try it but not known how to begin?

Have you tried to meditate but thought it wasn’t for you or that you were “doing it wrong?”

Do you want to get back to a practice you may have let lapse?

Are you looking for a community to learn and practise with?

If so, come and join our 8-week “Calm Abiding” meditation classes. Everyone is welcome to attend this free program, led by members of the South Shore Buddhist Meditation Society. No experience is necessary. Learn to rest and focus your mind and develop an easy daily practice. Calm and centre yourself with meditation.

Classes begin on April 2nd and will run weekly from 2 – 4pm at the Desbrisay Museum in Bridgewater and are limited to 20 people at one time.  If the outside door is locked, please ring the bell.

2023 Annual General Meeting

Posted Bob BramwellPosted in Members

The Annual General Meeting of the South Shore Buddhist Meditation Society will be held on Saturday, March 25 2023 from 10am – noon.  The meeting will take place at MBMC, or you may attend via Zoom:  invitations will be sent to everyone on our email list.   If you are currently signed up for a membership at the Mahone Bay Meditation Centre, you are a member of SSBMS.

Our by-laws allow us between 5 and 7 directors, approximately half of whom  resign (and maybe re-offer) each year.  We will have at least 2 vacancies this year, so if you are a member or if you know a member who might like to join the board, please speak up!  Please note that we do not accept nominations from the floor.

A community meeting and pizza social will be held following the formal proceedings.

Indoor Yard Sale

Posted Bob BramwellPosted in Information

Take 2:  with any luck there will not be a hurricane this Saturday!

On Saturday Nov. 26  between 9am and 4pm we will be holding an indoor yard sale in the 400-level lobby, right outside our meditation hall.  This is timed to coincide with the Christmas Crafts Fair taking place in the Hennigar Room downstairs, a book sale in the other wing of Mahone Bay Centre, and various other seasonal events so people can take it all in for the cost of a single trip.

There will also be people present to show you around the meditation hall and explain a bit about what we do in there – it’s no mystery.  Well, not much of a mystery!

Come and see what we have to offer!

General Community Meeting

Posted Bob BramwellPosted in Members

Our more-or-less regularly scheduled Community Meeting is set for Saturday, November 19 starting at 10am.  This meeting is also the semi-annual membership General Meeting required by our by-laws.

At this meeting the board will tell you what they’ve been doing for SSBMS, and our members and friends will be asked for feedback, ideas, and comments.

We expect all the excitement to be over before noon.

The Teachings of Khenpo Gangshar Wangpo

Posted Bob BramwellPosted in Program, Special

Saturday October 22, 10am – 4:30pm

Under the direction  of Mark Nowakowski we will practice and study the teachings of Khenpo Gangshar Wangpo (“Lord of Whatever Arises,” 1925 – 1960). Khenpo Gangshar was a great scholar and mahasiddha, one of the primary teachers who pointed out the nature of mind to Trungpa Rinpoche. Mark will give some presentations, with question and answer/discussion sessions. We will also use a method of contemplation to enrich our study together.

Mark has been a student of the Vidyadhara Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoché since 1972 and currently studies with other Kagyü and Nyingma masters. He coordinated the translation of Khenpo Gangshar’s Songs of Realization and Pith Instructions. Mark is a senior member of the Nalanda Translation Committee and a senior teacher in the Shambhala mandala.

Some copies of the book will be available for purchase at this event, and they are also available

online from Nalanda Translation.

Schedule for the Day:

  • Morning Practice and Study 10:00-12:30 Open to everyone. Please join us!
  • Lunch 12:30-2:00 Please bring your own food; coffee, tea, and juice will be provided.
  • Afternoon Practice and Study 2:00-4:30 Open to practitioners from all lineages who have received pointing-out instructions.

Cost:  No charge, but donations to MBMC to help cover costs would be welcome.

Registration:  If you intend to participate, please email us by October 20.

Donations to the Teacher (dana):  Voluntary – by inspiration.

Further Information: Please email Armand de Grenier.

This program is offered in-person only!

Bandstand / Gazebo Sit-in

Posted Bob BramwellPosted in Information

On August 15 (weather permitting) from 4-6pm we will meditate in the bandstand (aka gazebo) on the Mahone Bay water front.  If you are an experienced meditator please come and provide some extra gravitas;  join us at any time for as long (or as short) as you like.  Cushions and benches will be provided. 

Everyone is invited to come by, meet us, and find out what we’re all about.  Volunteers will be ready to answer questions and to provide information.

2022 Annual General Meeting

Posted Bob BramwellPosted in Information, Members

The Annual General Meeting of the South Shore Buddhist Meditation Society will be held on Saturday, March 26 2022 from 10am – noon.  The meeting will take place at MBMC, or you may attend via Zoom:  invitations have been sent to everyone on our email list.   If you are currently signed up for a membership at the Mahone Bay Meditation Centre, you are a member of SSBMS.

Our by-laws allow us between 5 and 7 directors, approximately half of whom  resign (and maybe re-offer) each year.  We will have at least 3 vacancies this year, so if you are a member or if you know a member who might like to join the board, please speak up!  Please note that we do not accept nominations from the floor.

A community meeting and (covid-19 permitting) social will be held following the formal proceedings.

Leaning Into the Sadhana of Mahamudra

Posted Bob BramwellPosted in Program, Special
Saturday October 23, 10am to 3pm

Good and bad, happy and sad, thoughts vanish into emptiness like the imprint of a bird in the sky

This text first appeared in 1968. After more than 50 years, why do we still schedule Sadhana of Mahamudra practice at least once every month? Meditation master Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche described his inspiration as arising “from being exposed simultaneously to both Western spiritual materialism and the wisdom of the traditional Buddhist approach to reality.” 

To explore this text and its power we can have no better guide than Larry Mermelstein, who is a founding member of the Nalanda Translation Committee, has been its Executive Director for over 40 years, and is a long-time consulting editor to Shambhala Publications.

Please join us for this special program on Saturday October 23, 10am to 3pm. No prior experience with the practice is required.

Cost:  MBMC/SSBMS members – no charge.  Non-Members $25

Donations to the Teacher (dana):  Voluntary – by inspiration.

Registration:  If you intend to participate, please email us by October 20.  Note that NS regulations require proof of double vaccination to participate.

Further Information: Please email Mary Stevens.

This program is offered in-person only!  Please make your own lunch arrangements.

Outside Meditation

Posted Bob BramwellPosted in Information, Program

Once again we invite you to join us in meditation outside, on the edge of the soccer field behind Mahone Bay Centre.  Weather permitting, this will take place at 7pm on Wednesday, August  25th.

Bring something to sit on – chair, blanket, bench, or whatever.  Bug spray is probably a good idea too, and a drink if you feel the need.

Even though we will be outdoors we plan to maintain social distancing throughout.