Community Work Day

## Details

We welcome you to come experience a very special community work day. If you haven't visited the Greatwoods Zen Community Center just yet, this is a great way to meet people and practice meditation in this beautifully abundant nature preserve. Nestled next to nearly 1,000 acres of blooming wilderness, right in the heart of Charlotte, we will find ourselves together in the present moment. Come recharge, reconnect with yourself and others while basking in the Spring glow of the forest. We will sit, work, breathe and share the beauty of the budding Reidy Creek Park.

Our meditation group (Sangha, in Sanskrit) is based in the teachings of Zen Buddhist Master Thich Nhat Hanh of the Plum Village tradition. However, we practice inclusiveness, so people of all faiths and those with no spiritual tradition are welcome. Our teacher once said in an interview with Lion's Roar Magazine, "Our purpose is not to convert people to Buddhism. Our purpose is to live Buddhism as a path of understanding and love. Then you can share your path, your way of cultivating understanding and love, with people in other traditions. They don’t have to become Buddhists; they can go back to their own tradition and recognize the equivalent of the five trainings there."

Our day will include:
Guided sitting meditation
Songs that teach and remind us to practice mindfulness
Outdoor working meditation
Community lunch

If the weather does not permit outdoor activities, we may remain indoors or cancel the event.

Please arrive 5 to 15 minutes early so we can all arrive and settle in without too much commotion.

We will meet for more of a formal practice from 10am to 1:00pm.

However, after closing, those who wish to stay are invited for a mindful lunch together. Someone from the community will have prepared a main meal, but feel free to bring what you would like to share. There is refrigerator space. We eat in silence for about 15 minutes and then have time to just hang out and chat.

Items to bring: A water bottle, a sun hat, a shovel, a wheel barrow, a sledge hammer, working gloves, clothes/boots/shoes you don't mind getting dirty.

We offer this event in the spirit of Dana (generosity of the heart), and there is no expectation for a donation. However, as we do have rent and bills to pay, everyone is welcome to donate money, food for the lunch or just help with washing up or cleaning up so that we can continue to offer this as a place of refuge for the whole community. And of course, your loving service on this work day is a huge source of Dana too!

We look forward to practicing together with you!