Welcome and thanks for your interest in Men’s Awareness Sangha– here is where I’ll post the resources for each session
Session 3: Tuesday July 7th 8-9:30pm JJ Bola Mask Off – Chapter 3
In each of us, there is a young, suffering child… Every time we’re in touch with the experience of suffering, we believe we can’t bear it, and we stuff our feelings and memories deep down in our unconscious mind. It may be that we haven’t dared to face this child for many decades. But just because we may have ignored the child doesn’t mean she or he isn’t there.”
“The wounded child asks for care and love, but we do the opposite. We run away because we’re afraid of suffering… We try to keep ourselves constantly entertained — watching television or movies, socializing, or using alcohol or drugs — because we don’t want to experience that suffering all over again.
“If we can heal our wounded child, we will not only liberate ourselves, but we will also help liberate whoever has hurt or abused us.”
both quotes from Thay’s book Reconciliation
Session 2: Tuesday June 2nd 8-9:30pm bell hooks. Chapter 2 of “All about Love” and 2 quotes by Thay.
bell was a student of Thay’s – thought you’d find this film interesting too:
Understanding someone’s suffering is the best gift you can give another person. Understanding is love’s other name. If you don’t understand, you can’t love.
From How To Love
“If our parents didn’t love and understand each other, how are we to know what love looks like? There aren’t courses or classes in love. If the grown-ups know how to take care of each other, then the children who grow up in this environment will naturally know how to love, understand, and bring happiness to others.
From How To Love
Session 1: Tuesday May 5th 8 – 9:30pm Tony Porter – Man Box TED x Talk – I mentioned bell hooks – we’ll have bell in future sessions.
This was recommended by a PV friend in the US who is aware of what we are doing.
Thay quotes to go alongside for our sharing:
From True Love
“Loving-kindness is not only the desire to make someone happy… it is the ability to bring joy and happiness to the person you love, because even if your intention is to love this person, your love might make him or her suffer. Training is needed in order to love properly.”
From Peace Is Every Step
“Consciousness exists on two levels: as seeds and as manifestations of these seeds… Every time a seed has an occasion to manifest itself, it produces new seeds of the same kind. If we are angry for five minutes, new seeds of anger are produced and deposited in the soil of our unconscious mind during those five minutes. That is why we have to be careful in selecting the kind of life we lead and the emotions we express.”
Joe Holtaway 