Practice Blog

Last week on Open Air* we had a great conversation on the Good News Update section about Sangha Market as a vehicle for focusing more attention on present moment activities that deepen practice, while providing products and services that support ourselves and Sangha. In addition, these products and services create much-needed financial stability for the Zen Monastery Peace Center and Living Compassion.

Here are highlights of what we talked about:
• Sherry, of Simply Celebrate, is producing an e-book of the many ways Sangha is using recording and listening to support awareness. 
• Anna has turned her love of painting into a business, helping support her family and the kids in Kantolomba. 
• Many of us enjoy Renee’s bracelets, with reminders such as “pay attention” “practice” “be here now” and “all is well.”
• Jen’s natural soap, the only soap I use now
• Sandy’s lotions, the only lotions I use now
• Soon I hope everyone with an ereader will be enjoying Nancy’s perfect little shoulder bags designed to hold them and their cords. 
• Jen’s voice recorder holders made from Zambian chitenge. I haven’t misplaced my recorder or had it turn itself on in my backpack since receiving one. 
• We have everything from greeting cards to superhero capes (a wonderful gift for little kids of all ages!), all created with love and attention from awareness practice for awareness practice.

I remain convinced that participating with Sangha Market can be one of our most powerful tools for withdrawing time and attention from egocentric karmic conditioning/self-hate and returning it to the heart where it belongs. When I’m engaged in making something that requires my full attention, enthusiasm, creativity, passion, and love (for instance, writing a message such as this one), there’s nothing left over for conditioned mind to feed on. When I can hope what I’m doing will be helpful to another being, when there’s a possibility that my efforts will serve the awareness practice I so love… well, it is, as they say, as good as it gets. 

I invite you to come play with us. If you have visited the Sangha Market website in the past and feel you know what it’s all about, please visit again. This message is aimed at encouraging lots and lots of sellers, which will in turn create lots and lots of buyers. 

If you’ve visited and felt intimidated, help is here. Nancy, one of Sangha Market’s original participants as seller and buyer, is offering her expertise in all aspects of the site. She can assist you to post an item for sale, create a store, buy something, find your way around the site—whatever you need. You can email her at nandanna2@hotmail.com to set up an appointment to get all your questions answered. 

The Sangha Market website does not yet reflect its future glory, but together we can help it reach its full potential. My hope is that by the end of the year Sangha Market will have played a large role in everyone’s holiday shopping and be in high gear to begin 2012 in style. 

Don’t forget: Those voices arguing for not participating are the same ones that always try to talk you away from your heart and into a miserable relationship with egocentric karmic conditioning/self-hate. Grab your recorder, remind yourself what you know about choosing your heart over karmic conditioning’s hateful shenanigans, then “cruise or jet on the internet to http://www.sanghamarket.com.”

In gassho,
Cheri

*Archived at http://openairpwithcherihuber.org