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About Us

It is not all happening to you!

 

Someone is not making you angry.   Events are not depressing you.   Another person is not causing you to resent them.   Someone has not cheated you and made you feel abused.   Someone may, in fact, have done a disservice towards you, defrauded you, but the feelings that subsequently plague you are all self-generated.   You are creating most of the discomfort you experience.   More precisely, it's a portion of your brain I'm going to call the Self that creates it.

 

Your Self evolved to protect and replicate your genes.  Your Self looks out at every thing, person and situation in the world and decides whether it is good for you or bad for you.   We call these dualistic judgments, and they come in a number of flavors:  Yes/No, Good/Bad, Love/Hate, Stay/Leave, Right/Wrong, Fair/Unfair.   Every perception your eyes and brain makes gets a dualistic judgment associated with it.   Most of the time, you are in a situation that your Self has seen before, so it is dredging up old judgments from the past.   However, your brain is good at making judgments off-the-cuff as necessary.  Every emotion, every feeling you have, has a dualistic judgment as its source.   That feeling is how your Self pushes you to execute the judgment it has made.

 

Your Self pushes you so much that, if things are not going as it has prescribed (you do not have the things it is pushing you towards, or avoiding the things it says are "bad") it makes you feel dissatisfied.   Sometimes this dissatisfaction is so strong you feel a real anguish.   Buddha called this feeling, Dukkha.  Our practice calls this Anguished Dissatisfaction.    This feeling is uncomfortable for us, and we find ourselves viewing others and relating to them in a way that is outdated or unthinking.   We could have made a better choice but we were driven to execute a whole warehouse of premade judgments, mindlessly.

 

So, how do we get around this?   The answer is Insight.   We practice to adopt a clear nonjudgmental awareness that allows us to see our Self's judgmental driving as it happens!   Your Self is pushing so hard that you tend to just grab the judgmental feeling and go with it, so seeing it as it is happening is very difficult.   It takes practice, practice in achieving insight.   This is what we do.   The grasp your Self has upon you can be likened to a form of servitude; when you free yourself from that grasp you suffer much less anguished dissatisfaction and you see others much more clearly.   You live life mindfully and you see that others are being driven by their Selves just as you are.  The barriers between you and others weaken.   And this all happens when you liberate yourself from your own Self.

 

With a  deep bow,

Ken

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​Oct 31 2PM - "Focusing" - Eugene Gendlin/Kathy McGuire

Nov 7 7PM - meditation sharing & discussion

Nov 14 2PM - "Focusing" - Eugene Gendlin

Nov 21 7PM - meditation sharing & discussion

​Nov 28 2PM - Thanksgiving Day - Gratitude!

Dec 5 7PM - meditation sharing & discussion

Dec 12 2PM - Dharma by Clear Bell member

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Past online practices:

- 2020 -

Dec 30 - Holiday Liberation

- 2021 -

Jan 7 Awakening by Eckhart Tolle

Jan 14 - Attachment with Noah Levine

Jan 21 - Calming Anger - Joanne Friday

Jan 28 - Hardwiring Happiness, Rick Hansen

Feb 4   - Becoming More than "ME"

Feb 11 - Loving KindnessSharon Salzberg

Feb 17 - Loving Kindness in everyday life

Feb 24 - Mindfulness with the 5 Senses

Mar 4  - Tara Brach, Respond, not React

Mar 11 - Tara Brach - Part 2

Mar 18 - Tara Brach - Part 3

Mar 25 - The nature of Love & other topics

Apr 1   -  Topics from Jason Siff

Apr 8  -  Gay Watson on emptiness

Apr 15 -  1) Seeking Insight   2) Sympathy vs Compassion talk

Apr 22 - Radical Self-Honesty -Tara Brach

Apr 29 - Ken McLeod on Aversion

May 6  - Joanne Friday,Reconciliation Part I

May 13 - Joanne Friday - Recon Part II

May 20 - Mark Knickelbine, Guided Meditation, Visiting the Sick

May 27 - Andrew Olendzki, Unlimiting Mind,

Jun  3  - Andrew Olendzki ,Unlimiting Mind,

Jun 10 - daily barriers to mindfulness

Jun 17 - Control in everyday life

Jun 24 - intro to Clear Bell

Jul  1   - Attachment to Ideas with Thubten Semkye

Jul   8     - Attachment to Ideas Part 2

Jul 29 - "Greeting Fear" with Joanne Friday

Aug 5  - "Greeting Fear" - Part 2

Aug 12 - Carrying liberation with you

Aug 19 - "Resilience", Brother Dave Kenneally

Aug 26 - Experiencing enough,Tara Brach

Sep 2 -  Experiencing enough, Tara part II

Sep 9 - Keeping your balance everyday life

Sep 16 - Experiencing enough,  part III

Sep 23 -"Our Own Humanity"-Pema Chodron

Sep 30 -"Neuro-dharma" with Rick Hansen

Oct 7  - ** no practice this evening **

Oct 14 - ** no practice this evening **

 Oct 21 - about Interbeing

Oct 28 - Rick Hanson- Hardwiring Happines

Nov 04 - Rick Hanson - Hard Happ Part II

Nov 11 - Rick Hanson Hard Happ Part III.

Nov 18 - Joanne Friday - Greeting Fear

Nov 25 - NO PRACTICE - THANKSGIVING

Fri Nov 26 - Meeting Mara in Everyday Life

Dec 02 - NO PRACTICE - vacation

Dec 09 - Joanne Friday - Being Peace

Dec 16 - Brother Dave - the Judge

Dec 23 - Brother Dave - can I help?

Dec 30 -Joan Halifax-sympathy/compassion

-2022-

Jan 6 - Dave Kenneally - Interbeing

Jan 13 - Rick Hanson - Hardwiring happiness

Jan 20 - Joanne Friday - Handling Fear

Jan 27 - Sam Harris - Why we do this

Feb  3  * No practice this evening *
Feb 10 - Jack Kornfield - Patience

Feb 17 - "Stroke of Insight" by Jill Taylor

Feb 24 - Thich Nhat Hanh - hard feelings

 Mar  3  - From the mouths of the buddhas

 Mar 10 -  Joan Halifax - radical compassion

 Mar 17 - *No practice this evening*

 Mar 24 - Anger Part I.  Joanne Friday

 Mar 31 - Anger Part II. Joanne Friday

Apr 14 - Sam Harris - words of wisdom

Apr 21 - John Kabat-Zinn - Listening is an Act of Love
Apr 28 - Mind Tamer's sangha part I

May 12 - from the mouths of the buddhas

May 19 -  Mind Tamer's sangha part II

May 26 - discuss Brother Dave's dharma

Jun  2 - Rick Hanson - Peace & Presence

Jun  9 - John Bell - the challenge of Predicament

Jun 16 - From the mouths of the buddhas

Jun 23 - dharma and sharing

Jun 30 - wisdom from Joanne Friday

Jul 07 - Alan Watts on Emptiness

Jul 14 - sharing and video review

Jul 21 - From the mouths of the buddhas

Jul 28 - J Goldstein - Arising and Passing

Aug  4 - Tara Brach - 3 Steps of Letting Go

Aug  11 - ** no practice this evening **

Aug 25 - sitting and sharing

Sep 1 - Jack Kornfield, steps of forgiveness

Sep8 - Dr. David Vago - Self-Transform

Sep 15 - Joanne Friday - Taming Fear

Sep 22 - Sam Harris - Mindfulness

Sep 29 - Meditation on gratitude

Oct 6  - no practice this evening

Oct 13 - Eckhart Tolle - the most important practice

Nov  3 - Joan Halifax on Compassion

Nov 10 - Science of mindfulness by Dr. David Vago

Nov 17 - Gen Kelsang Nyema on self-created joy

Dec 1 - Wisdom from John Kabat Zinn

Dec 8 - Wisdom from Joanne Friday

Dec 15 - Introduction to CBM

Dec 22 - Jon Kabat-Zinn - Why we Practice

Dec 29 - Tara Brach - Awakening through Difficult Emotions

-2023-

Feb 16 - Stephen Batchelor - Future of Buddhism

Feb 23 - Wisdom from Brother Dave Kenneally

Mar 02 - Source of Anger, Thich Nhat Hanh

Mar 09 - Wisdom from Rick Hanson

Mar 16 - Wisdom from Pema Chodron

Mar 23 - Wisdom from Jon Kabat-Zinn

April 6 - Ngo Khong - Interbeing letting go

April 20 - Diana Clarke - Clinging to Views

April 27 - Wisdom from Sam Harris

May 4 - Clinging to Views - Brother Dave

May 15 - Wisdom from Jon Kabat-Zinn

May 22 - Quiet meditation & sharing

May 29 - Wisdom from Tara Brach

Jun 5 - Wisdom from Insight Med Soc 

Jun 12 - First noble truth - Joanne Friday

Jun 19 - guided meditation Michael Sealey

Jun 26 - 2nd, 3rd, 4th truths Joanne

Jul 3 - guided meditation

Jul 10- to be announced

Jul 17- Joanne Friday - the fundamentals

Jul 24-Tara Brach - Intimacy with All

Jul 31- Jon Kabat-Zinn Mindf. & Compassion

Aug 14- Mark Williams - Foundations of Mindfulness Part 1

Aug 21- Mark Williams - Foundations of Mindfulness Part 2

Aug 28 - Dave Kenneally - Trust the Way

Sep 4 - Guided meditation with Sam Harris

Sep 11 - Sara Brach - Release from Habits

Sep 18 - Daniel Kahneman - Experience vs Memory

Oct 2 - Sara Brach - Release Pt 2

Oct 16 - Sara Brach - Release Pt 3

Oct 16 - Sara Brach - Release Pt 3

Oct 23 - meditation & sharing

Oct 30 - Brother Dave Kenneally - Maximum Fun

Nov 6 - meditation & sharing

Nov 13 - Reconciliation - Joanne Friday

Nov 20 - meditation & sharing

Nov 27 - Rick Hansen video

-2024-

Jan 8 - Jon Kabat Zinn - Attitudes 1-5

Jan 15 - meditation & sharing

Jan 22 - Tara Brach Guided Meditation

Jan 29 - Jon Kabat Zinn - Attitudes 6-9

Feb 5 - meditation & sharing

Feb 12 - Mark Williams - deep practice

Feb 19 - meditation & sharing

Feb 26 - Pema Chodron - handling Pain

April 4 - The Basics from Dr. Tracey Marks

April 11 - meditation & sharing

April 18 - Joanne Friday on Stillness & Acceptance

April 25 - Thich Nhat Hanh - being peace

May 2 - Three-legged stool of Buddhist practice

May 9 - Tara Brach - 2 Wings of Awareness

May 16 - Pema Chodron "from fear to fearlessness" Pt 1

May 23 - *** no sangha today ***

May 30 2PM - Will Kabat-Zinn "Being and Doing"

June 6 7PM - Pema Chodron "from fear to fearlessness" Pt 2

June 13 2PM - Rick Hanson

June 20 7PM - Will Kabat-Zinn

June 27 2PM - Ken on Transcending Anger

July 4 7PM - Dave Kenneally & Joanne Friday

July 11 2PM - John Kabat-Zinn

July 18 7PM - Goldstein - Stability of Mind

July 25 2PM - Tara Brach

Aug 1 7PM - Kristin Neff - Self-Compassion

Aug 8 2PM - Dave Kenneally - Interbeing

Aug 15 - 7PM - to be announced

Aug 22 - 2PM - to be announced

Aug 29 - 7PM - Private sitting

Sep 5 - 2PM - private sitting

About Our Name

In the same way that the sound of a small percussion instrument cuts through the sonority of a large symphony orchestra, Clear Bell meditators cut through the noise generated by their judgmental minds.

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