Dear friends of Bodhi Berlin,
Thank you to everyone who came last Tuesday to celebrate Vesak with us! If you missed it, but would still like to take the refuges and precepts for yourself, the setting we used is available for download on our resources page.
We will continue with our Tuesday Night Sittings in the usual format tomorrow, 20th May 2025, 19:15–21:00.
Also, we started a CITY CYCLING team, more info on that below.
Quote of the Week
Meditating your way through the ups and downs of daily life is the whole point of vipassana. This kind of practice is extremely rigorous and demanding, but it engenders a state of mental flexibility that is beyond comparison. Meditators keep their mind open every second. They are constantly investigating life, inspecting their own experiences, viewing existence in a detached and inquisitive way. Thus, they are constantly open to truth in any form, from any source, and at any time. This is the state of mind you need for liberation.
It is said that one may attain enlightenment at any moment if the mind is kept in a state of meditative readiness. The tiniest, most ordinary perception can be the stimulus: a view of the moon, the cry of a bird, the sound of the wind in the trees. It’s not so important what is perceived as the way in which you attend to that perception. That state of open readiness is essential. It could happen to you right now if you are ready. The tactile sensation of the device you are using to read this in your hands could be the cue. The sound of these words in your head might be enough. You could attain enlightenment right now, if you are ready.
— Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana (quote slightly modified to fit the context of this e-mail message)
Schedule
Tuesday Night Meditation
The next four Tuesday night meditation sessions are:
- Tomorrow, 20th May 2025, 19:15–21:00
- 27th May 2025, 19:15–21:00
- 3rd June 2025, 19:15–21:00
- 10th June 2025, 19:15–21:00
Our Tuesday drop-in, peer-led gatherings include meditation, listening to a recording or reading, and discussion. Experience the benefits of meditating together in a warm and accepting setting—we encourage people of all backgrounds, beliefs, and experience levels to attend!
CITY CYCLING x Bodhi Berlin
CITY CYCLING is a campaign by Climate Alliance to promote cycling and help protect our climate.
STADTRADELN / CITY CYCLING 2025 for Berlin started last Friday, May 16th, but it's not too late to join! The event continues through June 5th. Since many of us ride bikes from time to time, we made a Bodhi Berlin team to support the campaign and all of you are welcome to join us.
It's for a good cause: collecting data about how often and how far people bike helps convince politicians to invest more in bike infrastructure, so it's potentially a way to practice a little bit of Right Action.
If you're interested in joining:
- The link to join our team is here: https://www.stadtradeln.de/index.php?id=171&L=0&team_preselect=53178
- Then all you need to do is install the app on your phone and track your rides.
If you'd prefer to read more before you join, here's the page explaining the rules of participation.
Further information, updates, and resources can be found on our website: https://bodhiberlin.org/
We look forward to seeing you soon!
Henrik, Jeff, & Josh
