Welcoming Mindful Movies.

Dear friends, a new alcohol free night is planned for Belfast. Mindful Movies is an informal gathering of folk who are interested in coming together and exploring an alternative view. We are mindful of the huge issues facing humanity in terms of climate change, environment, society and globalisation set within a spiritual vacuum. Each month we’ll be showing one feature documentary which is mindful of prudent issues facing humanity and mother earth in the here and now. There will be no conspiracy theory docu’s or docu’s on alien abduction!!!

We will kick off the first gathering of Mindful Movies with a beautiful movie 180 South. The first event is on Friday March 21st. Doors at 7.15pm Movie to kick off at 7.45pm approx.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWBz_pxYC0A

We’ll have veggie snacks and teas to share for free on the night which you can enjoy during the movie. We have to pay £25 for the hire of the room so we are asking for a £3 donation on the door. If we make more than £25 then we’ll use that for the next months room hire. This is a not for profit group.

Venue is upstairs in the Women’s Resource and Development Agency, 6 Mount Charles, South Belfast. The £25 goes towards the great work of this charity.
http://www.wrda.net/

Feel free to invite your friends into this group.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/277708835720387/

Mindfully yours from Belfast City Hall

We came, we sat, we walked, we reclaimed LOVE x

http://thethread.tv/video/87364761

Reclaim LOVE- Mindfulness meditation flashmob, Belfast City Hall

It’s the day after Valentines day and Wake Up Belfast invite you to RECLAIM LOVE for yourself and for the world. 

“If we do not know how to take care of ourselves and to love ourselves, we cannot take care of the people we love. Loving oneself is the foundation for loving another person.” 
― Thích Nhất Hạnh, Your True Home.

Wake Up UK/Ireland is part of an active international network – Buddhists and non Buddhists for a Healthy and Compassionate Society. We are a network of people practising the living art of mindfulness. Wake Up Belfast would like to invite you to join us for a ‘Meditation Flashmob’ on the main marble lobby area in Belfast City Hall on Saturday 15th February at 4pm.

This will be a gathering of people coming together to sit peacefully and mediate in the secular, fully inclusive practice of Mindfulness. This event is FREE and is open to everyone. Even if you have never tried mediation before you are welcome to join us. This is not just for Buddhists but for everyone, of all faiths and of no faith. Please bring your own cushions or mats or a rolled up coat or jumper to sit on. The meditation will be guided. The whole event will run for approximately 1 hour FROM 4pm to 5pm.

No need to pre book. Entrance to Belfast City Hall on the afternoon will be by the East or rear entrances. A registration table will be set out on the main marble lobby for you to sign in. FREE! Xxx

https://www.facebook.com/events/286922408123378/

Peaceful Gathering for COMPROMISE

Inspired by the recent PEACE talks chaired by Dr. Richard Haas and Meghan O’Sullivan we the citizens of N.Ireland, members of civic society are asking you to join us and show your support at a peaceful gathering for political COMPROMISE.

We thank all those involved in recent peace talks for their hard work, for the energy and time they have committed to make N.Ireland a more peaceful place. We now call on them all through this peaceful gathering to be courageous and for everyone involved to COMPROMISE. Do this for the people of N.Ireland and the world.

We have travelled a long way in our peace process. We all share this country. Whether you are identify as a Loyalist, or Republican, Nationalist or Unionist or neither. Whether you are Atheist, Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist, Catholic or Protestant, the majority aspire to live in peace.
To our politicians, Take courage from our gathering. Join together in dialogue and please compromise for Peace.

We will meet at the front of Belfast City Hall on Sunday 19th January at 12pm. We will gather to ask for COMPROMISE for PEACE. There will be no speeches, no flags, just a gathering of people to say YES TO PEACE, YES TO COMPROMISE.

Thanks to all who say there are coming along next Sunday to call for COMPROMISE. This will be a family friendly event so please bring the kids, maybe the dog. To make our point peacefully we will have a ‘Casserole’ demonstartion for the last 5 minutes. This is a form of protest that has taken part all over the world. It involves bringing along pots, pans or their lids and a wooden spoon or other utensil and making some noise! Check out the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJCSv6CdGXA

For those unable to attend we ask you to talk 5 minutes at 12.25pm on Sunday 19th and contemplate quietly what we can all do to progress peace and compromise in Northern Ireland.

This event is being organised by Wake up Belfast and is building on the fantastic work of the The Peace Gathering and the NO MORE SILENCE events that galvanised the collective voice for Peace across N.Ireland in early 2013. For that beautiful work N.Ireland is so very grateful.

“There is no way to peace. Peace is the way.”
Thich Nhat Hanh

Breathing in I smile, Breathing out I go offline

Dear friends,
Our brothers and sister at Plum Village are well into their winter retreat. The whole monastic sangha are practising 3 months together to deepen their practice. This practice goes back 2600 years. Many of our friends on retreat are choosing not to use the internet during this time. To give themselves space and time to care for themselves. So following their example Wake Up Belfast is going off line until the end of January.

I will try to limit my use of the internet and try to take care of myself. Studies tell us that how we use the internet actually shapes our brains in a way that we process information shallowly and lose the ability to concentrate and contemplate deeply. Inspired by my brothers in Plum Village I will experiment by not being online so much over these next weeks and see if it will make me more happy, as happiness is easiest found in a still, concentrated mind.

Smiling to you all dear friends,
Mick

 

Sangha gathering for December

Dear friends, the Wake up Belfast Group will next meet on Thursday December 5th at 7pm at Queen’s University Belfast, Lanyon Building/Newark Room
This is the big period building at the front of QUB, opposite side of the road to QUB Student’s Union.The Newark Room is found beside the entrance to ‘The Great Hall’.

We’ll have a mixture of sitting meditation, walking meditation some readings and video by Thich Nhat Hanh, the all important opportunity to share and perhaps some tea meditation to end. Come along and spread the word. Wake up is for young adults from 16-40 years old.

ALWAYS FREE!

Peace x 

https://www.facebook.com/WakeUpBelfastMeditationFlashMobs

December’s Sangha gathering

Dear friends, the Wake up Belfast Group will next meet this Thursday December 5th at 7pm at Queen’s University Belfast, Lanyon Building, Newark Room 
This is the big building in front of the quad at QUB.

This month we’ll try eating meditation, sitting  meditation, Dharma sharing, walking meditation, some tea meditation and an interesting video with Thich Nhat Hanh. Come along and spread the word. Wake up is for young adults from 16-40 years old approx’…

Peace x 
https://www.facebook.com/WakeUpBelfastMeditationFlashMobs 

Wake Up Belfast Sangha get together

Dear friends, the Wake up Belfast Group will next meet this Wednesday November 6th at 7pm at Queen’s University Belfast, Lanyon Building, Old Staff Common Room 
This is the big building in front of the quad at QUB.

This month we’ll try deep relaxation/ body scan meditation, sitting, meditation, Dharma sharing, some tea meditation and an interesting video with Thich Nhat Hanh. Come along and spread the word. Wake up is for young adults from 16-40 years old approx’…

Peace x 
https://www.facebook.com/WakeUpBelfastMeditationFlashMobs 

 

Weekend Intensive workshop ‘Exploring Reality’ with James Eaton

Our friend Etain at Therapy Belfast is hosting a fantastic event at the end of November. This will be a  in Belfast from 29 November to 1 December

“This is not about achieving some special state, not about disconnecting from our everyday difficulties and challenges regarding them as illusory and insignificant, it’s about the revelation, the celebration, that the full, rich gamut of human experience is the very expression of our being; it’s about appreciating the paradox of our vulnerability within invulnerability, our limitations within infinite freedom, it’s about being closer than close, more intimate than intimate with all of life, it’s about being love.”

http://therapybelfast.wordpress.com/2013/10/08/exploring-reality-belfast-weekend-intensive/

Spread the word x

Sangha night……wow!!!!!

Wow, thanks to all of you so much for coming along to the Wake up Belfast Sangha tonight. 
It was a pleasure to mindfully sit, mindfully walk in the fresh air, mindfully drink mint tea and share with each other. Same again next month? 
We’ll meet each month on the first wednesday. So next on Wed’ 6th of November. In the mean time the Belfast Bonsai Sangha meet every Monday:
Bonsai Mindfulness Sangha
Where: WRDA (Women’s Resource and Development Agency), 6 Mount Charles, Belfast BT7 1NZ
When: Mondays, 7.00pm
Contact: Paddy Anderson | 077 85274142 pwdanderson@yahoo.com
All newcomers always welcome!

Also here are the details of the Wake Up Ireland retreat in November. There are 4 spaces in my car. 
http://wkupireland.wordpress.com/

A deep bow to you all , Buddhas to be_/\_ Mick