Multifaith Improvised Songs of Praise Weekly Vocal Jam

What your group is about and what you'll do at your events:

Why sing?

I have asked myself this question: ‘Why sing?’ I answered…

To be free from suffering. We don’t have to identify as ‘Buddhist’, as I do, to share this wish. Everyone wishes to be free.

To be honest with myself, and others. To tell the truth. Why tell the truth? When I tell the truth of what I feel and know. I feel connected with others. Not alone. I find a sense of belonging.

To share. Perhaps the reason I sing comes from the same place as why people love. To share this life. As a wish to give what I have.

To well-wish, out of compassion. When sound comes from this place it is a blessing. I love this quote by Ajahn Kevali, “There came a blessing in the air”. When we sing with wholesome purpose singing is supermundane.

To recollect. To remember the teachings that guide us on our each individual path. So they come to us when we are in need. Direct us in the direction we wish to go. Restoring our faith it is possible.

To uplift hearts and minds. To inspire myself and others. To bring feelings of joy, bliss, and elevation.

We give voice to my suffering. Not to bottle it all up. Carry it alone. To understand. To see its cause. To see its ending. To see how I found a way out. Like a bird, to signal where danger is, where I've found safety and escape. To develop wisdom.

We sing to go beyond ‘I’, ‘me’, ‘mine’ and into a sense of timelessness. Even if the lyrics we sing feel personal, we can begin to understand their broad and universal nature.

To be present. To be alive. To keep my attention on something wholesome. Simply preventing the unwholesome. With some effort, a little application, to see the preciousness of life and make something meaningful of it.

To come to stillness. To settle the mind. Settle the body. Settle the feelings. And accept change. Accept things are out of my control. Accept sometimes life's difficult, painful. To know peace. And to share it with others.

• Who should join your group:

Anyone who likes singing. All levels.

• Any dues or fees you plan to charge members:

This jam is given in the spirit of gift/gift economy/dana. No one is required to pay to attend. It is non-transactional. Instead, everyone is invited to remember what it was like before everything became commodified. To remember what it was, to be in a reciprocal relationship that creates sustainability for all. To be part of a natural ecosystem of generosity. Therefore, giving in whatever form isn't disallowed. These practices cultivate and develop generosity. Generosity is supported, in whatever direction people choose. The purpose of these events is to grow wholesome qualities like generosity in the community. The purpose of organising these events is not the material gain of the organiser.
I have a policy of full financial transparency. Please feel welcome to ask to see my overall finances. What the costs are associated with hosting, I'm happy to direct you to those.

ACCESSIBILITY AND SAFETY:
I am trained in numerous mental health modalities. Alt2su, Emotional CPR, and Spiritual Care ('Mental Health Ministry' intro and CPE1'). I am an Autistic identifying trauma survivor living with complex trauma.

The Abbotsford Sea Scout Hall is wheelchair accessible, including the toilet.
This will be a no-bright-lights event.
There is a bus stop with bus no. 438x coming to and from the city regularly.
Abbotsford Ferry Wharf is outside with the F3 Circular Quay to Parramatta service.
Email [mudita4all@proton.me](mailto:mudita4all@proton.me) for any further access needs, and I will do my best to accommodate.

• The group's affiliation, if it's associated with a business or organization

Nada. (meaning no)