*Berkshire Path* Photo by Jerry Rudoshko

Chan Dharma Community

Fall 2025 Edition

CDC New Program: Sangha Sharing

Beekeeping, photography, a website that calculates greenhouse gas emissions, perfume making, finding the hidden beauty in unwanted objects, treehouse building, banjo playing, pictures and poems about loved ones… this is a glimpse into the interesting and heartfelt sharing we heard in the two Sangha Sharing events held in April and September.

A sangha is more than a study and meditation group. It’s a community of practitioners who are all on the same path of cultivating wisdom and compassion. When we get to know our sangha members in a more personal way, we feel our minds expanded and our hearts connected with our fellow practitioners.

It is a special treat for us to connect with one another in a casual, sincere, and interactive atmosphere! We get to learn about many interesting hobbies and meaningful projects and, more deeply, the passion and devotion behind them. It is also very touching to hear the heartfelt sharing about family and loved ones, and feel the warmth and affection our Dharma brothers and sisters have for others in their lives. Thank you to Beth, Lynn, Crager, Annie, Lee, Jerry, and Susan, who shared generously in the Sangha Sharing Zoom meetings. And also thanks to many participants who co-created these wonderful experiences.

In this newsletter, we have asked some of the presenters from the Sangha Sharing and some of the participants to reflect on their experiences. We also hope this will encourage you to sign up for the next Sangha Sharing, as either a presenter or a participant. You may feel shy or think you don’t have anything interesting to share. No worries! As the Sangha Sharing invitation explains, “This is not simply a show-and-tell or a talent show. It's a chance to express yourself authentically and connect with others in the sangha on a deeper level. It's completely up to you to decide what feels appropriate to share and how you wish to share it.” How about the content? "That might be your family, your pets, your home, your favorite music, something you love to cook, something you’ve made, poetry, your garden, artwork, a topic you’re passionate about, photos from your travels, a hobby, or anything else that is very meaningful for you.”

Look out for the next Sangha Sharing announcement and please join us—either as a presenter or a participant. We look forward to more sharing in the coming year!

With palms joined,

Cindy Toy (and on behalf of the CDC Program Committee)

Beth Adelman’s Sharing: Left Behind in NYC

All kinds of things end up on the streets of New York City. They’re thrown away, dropped, tossed by the wind, carried by animals. We call them all “garbage,” but when I look at these things, I sometimes see something beautiful or funny or ironic or so strange or completely out of context that I have to laugh. A few years ago I started photographing them with my phone, and posting what I found on Facebook and Instagram. I call my project Left Behind in NYC.

This is a form of direct observation, a Buddhist concept that means an immediate awareness of reality that is not filtered through preconceived ideas or conceptual frameworks. So instead of looking at garbage, I look at these objects just as they are.

Lynn Murray’s sharing: Beekeeping

I love to share my beekeeping experience with others. Observing them provides direct insight into the interconnectedness among them and between them and their environment. Working with them requires paying attention to everything that I am doing.

Lynn and her mentor Dana Stahlman inspecting a hive

Crager Boardman, Jr.’s Sharing:

Being partially retired for 3 years and now fully retired since July I am able to fill my days with a variety of activities. They include playing traditional music on tenor banjo and guitar, hiking and biking, various building projects, volunteering, and studying the Dharma. Lately, though, my time is largely taken up caring for my elderly Labrador retriever, Franklin. He is 14 years old. The other main task is doing physical therapy post knee “replacement” surgery. The surgery was done 5 weeks ago and recovery is going quite well. (Don’t worry. I’m not including a photo of my knee.). I was able to walk unaided in about a week. There was not as much pain or swelling as I anticipated. The real work and the most pain has come with the physical therapy. One of the exercises is called bridging. You sit in a chair and place your foot on another chair and relax to let the knee sink deeper and deeper into full extension. The first time or two I did that it was pretty high on the pain scale. Not continually. Impermanence! The recovery period, as well as these last 5 years, would have been profoundly different-without Chan practice. Fortunately I reached out to Rebecca for guidance on the challenges of post surgical practice. She reminded me about practicing with strong sensations. And that this would be an opportunity to recognize my reactivity to these sensations and lessen my vexations; whether it’s aversion to pain or craving relief from it through medication.

Caring for Franklin is an opportunity to practice compassion. He is physically doing very well. But he is a sundowner - what they call human dementia patients that become anxious or unhinged when the sun goes down. This is shown by panting, barking and restlessness. Fortunately there is an effective medication and we only get about 20 minutes of unsettledness around dusk. Without it he’d be up and down and whining most of the night. Finding food he likes is the other challenge. He certainly loves ground chicken, turkey and cheese though sometimes we have to get him started with hand feeding. But we know his time in this life is drawing to a close and by spring we will have to thank him for all his love and joie de vivre and send him on to his next life.

In all activities the underlying and overarching one is practice. To “stay, stay,” in this moment, recognizing unwholesome mental activity, lessening suffering for myself and those I come into contact with. I would like to express my deep gratitude to my teachers, the sangha and the Dharma.

Here’s our group playing at the Brattleboro Farmer’s Market last week. We play Irish, Québécois and Old Time tunes and songs at farmer’s markets. Last December we played before and during intermission for the local circus school’s end of semester student performance showcase. That’s was very fun. Our first gig.

Franklin now and when he was about 4 years of age on the left with his two older brothers, Samson and Chieftain, fellow fraternity “rescue” dogs, and his cousin, Buddy, the Pomeranian.

Earlier this year on our Zoom sharing Wednesday I talked about the renovation of a treehouse I built 30 years ago to upgrade it to safer more user friendly version. My granddaughter requested a door, bigger windows and stairs. The original built for my boys was more a fort than a house. You had to climb the tree and go through a trap door in the floor. Here are before and after photos.

Jerry Rudoshko’s sharing: Photography

I participated in the “Sanga Sharing” this past September to highlight one of my hobbies: photography. In today's environment, where individuals are dispersed across the country and around the globe, opportunities for meaningful social interaction can be limited. Therefore, finding effective ways to connect is essential. For me, photography provides a means to reflect on the remarkable world we live in and to observe details that are often overlooked without mindful attention. I have included several photographs from my travels, focusing on nature and capturing specific moments in time. I am looking forward to discovering the diverse talents present within the Chan Dharma Community.

Susan Lincke’s Sharing: Green Living Quantified

Green Living Quantified (www.greenlivingquantified.org) is Susan Lincke's retirement project. My longtime interest is devoted to reducing climate change through optimizing personal actions. Areas covered include:

* Energy efficiency: Saving money and making your home more comfortable, by reducing greenhouse gases;

* Electricity: Measuring, contrasting and reducing your electrical use compared to neighbors;

* Transportation: Assessing the impact and cost of various forms of transportation and alternative options;

* Diet: Understanding the impact of various diets: organic, plant-based versus meat consumption, and grass-fed beef;

* Gardening: Increasing wildlife habitat and carbon sequestration, and enjoying home-grown free food.

Over decades I have selected one project per year to help the environment. This website is about to go live on Google; I would love your feedback, ideas and input to help improve it as it launches.

Logo of Susan’s website: www.greenliivingquantified.org

Participants’ Reflections:

The Sangha Sharing event was more than an event on my schedule but an opportunity to learn about the interest of our community members and be inspired! Lynn shared how she became passionate for the bees and how each bee doesn't operate independently of itself but has a function in the greater whole of the hive. This was a beautiful reminder of how Rebecca reminds us that we aren’t independent, separate beings but part of a greater whole in life, like the Sangha Sharing. For example when I go on a nature walk and find some funny out of place item, I am reminded of Beth and how she snaps photos of non-sequitur items found around New York and posts them on a page she created for these interesting things and cool photos she snaps. So, this part of Beth lives inside me and changes how I see the world. Annie’s sharing of her love for the olfactory sense created a lot of fun and interesting stories from the listeners! A lot of us had childhood memories of some interesting smells like how the smell of gasoline brings back the memory of visiting Taiwan and riding on a scooter with her Grandpa! Now when I smell gasoline, this story may pop up in my head and now a part of this memory lives in my imagination. I was also inspired by Susan and how her love for the environment motivated her to create a detailed web page devoted to learning how to reduce your carbon footprint. So now I think about her as I navigate how responsible or irresponsible I am with my own carbon footprint and can use a resource created by her! I was touched and healed by listening to Lee’s love for his daughters and how a loving father can see his daughter fully and share all sides of them even if one of his daughters falls more on the contemplative and melancholy side of life. I healed in that moment just hearing the love of a father! There were so many sharings, but I was told to write a short paragraph so I will end it here! I am so grateful to be part of the community and to have had the opportunity to learn from the community! We may be scattered all over the country but events like this help us to stay connected with each other and beyond. It helps to see that there is not just a me but a we and that can reduce suffering!

—Ruth Marie Subramanian

I have been so surprised at what a rewarding experience it has been to see the other, more personal side of people we have been practicing with for several years now. Not only do you get a sense of how the practice often informs their interests and personal lives, but listening and being present for others as they present is itself a wonderful opportunity to practice. It is very much a shared experience.

—Alejandro Forte

I had my guesses on what would be shared during Sangha Sharing, but now after participating in 2 sessions, the only thing I can be certain of is to expect the unexpected! I have had the opportunity to learn from photographers and their different styles, an expert on living more sustainably, a beekeeper, a perfume artist, a dad who loves his kids, a grandfather who loves his grandkids, and so much more. I think the most enjoyable part of Sangha Sharing is just listening to people talk about what they love, without expectations or interruption. I can get a little glimpse of who they are and what they are passionate about. In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it’s very rare that we take the opportunity to do this. These sessions have inspired me to listen to others as if they are “sangha sharing” as well as share more openly myself.

—Ariel Toy

Chan Dharma Community

Practice Opportunities

Monthly Online Dharma Study Course with Rebecca Li

2nd Wednesday of the month from December 10, 2025 - May 13, 2026

Practitioners meet on Zoom on the second Wednesday of the month from December 2025 to May 2026 to share their reflections on the month’s theme based on a Dharma talk given by Rebecca Li. The topic of this year’s course is “Realizing the Four Noble Truths” An invitation to register for the course has been sent out by email. Please register by Nov. 9, 2025.

Weekly Sitting Meditation

Monday Mornings, 7:00 to 7:25 AM ET

The Monday morning session includes light neck stretches, recitation of the Four Great Vows, and a 20-minute sitting session.

Thursday Evenings, 9:00 to 9:25 PM ET

The Thursday evening session includes light neck stretches, recitation of the Four Great Vows, a 20-minute sitting session.

*The weekly meditation sessions are intended for Chan Dharma Community members who have practiced with Rebecca Li. All levels of experience are welcome.

Online Sangha Friends Gathering

4th Wednesday of every month

Join us on the fourth Wednesday of every month for an unstructured gathering where we can check in with one another, talk about whatever has come up in the past month, support one another, and stay in touch as a sangha. Each gathering will begin with 10 minutes of meditation, and then everyone will check in and share, and discuss what comes up.

Please contact us if you would like more information about the programs or to be added to the contact list for the Sangha Friends Gathering.

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