Five Remembrances Book Study Group

Dear Friends,

The Five Remembrances Book Study group was started in 2017 to support sangha members of all ages who were experiencing challenges to their well-being due to aging and chronic illnesses and to do this in an intimate, nourishing setting that would expand our understanding.   We select books to study that enhance our meditation and mindfulness practice to help cope with these challenges in our everyday life, promote personal growth, and address social issues that we are deeply concerned about.  Recent books we have studied include My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem and America’s Racial Karma by Larry Ward. In October, 2022 we finished reading and discussing The Five Invitations: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully by Frank Ostaseski. We are now starting to study Happiness is Overrated: Simple Lessons on Finding Meaning in Each Moment by Cuong Lu a former Plum Village monastic.

We meet Mondays from 3:30 to 5 pm on Zoom.  We start with a short period of meditation and then have a check-in time to share about our week and support each other. Next, we discuss our current book selection along with related guided meditations and end each session reciting the Five Remembrances.  We rotate the facilitation of each meeting among the participants. During the week we often share by email practices and talks that we have found meaningful and community resources that may be helpful to each other.  We anticipate that there may be changes in our meeting times and format in the future when we are able to meet in person at Dharma Gate or hold combined in-person and virtual meetings.  Currently, there are 10 active participants in the group and this is a maximum for effective sharing.

MCPS members and participants who are interested in joining the current Monday afternoon Five Remembrances group, or who might want to start another book study and support group at a different time with a different focus are welcome to contact: elinoragraham@gmail.com.

Please see our Online Practice Guidelines for support in practicing skillfully online.