Lansing Area Mindfulness Community

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Lansing, MI
Lansing Area Mindfulness Community

WEEKLY PRACTICE:
Wednesdays, 7 - 9 pm. Van Hanh Temple ~ Currently in Person and on Zoom.
3015 S MLK We became the Lansing Area Mindfulness Community.

The Lansing Area Mindfulness Community is a sangha of lay practitioners of diverse backgrounds who study the Dharma and practice meditation in the Zen Buddhist tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh. All are welcome!

**Due to allergic reactions and sensitivities to fragrance, Sangha "offers" but no longer burns incense as part our opening meditation. However, incense continues to be used in the Temple at o

ther times, so the fragrance still remains. Please keep this in mind if you plan to attend.**

WEEKLY PRACTICE: www.lamc.info/weeklypractice
FOR NEWCOMERS: www.lamc.info/2015/11/17/for-newcomers-an-explanation-of-our-practice/
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WEBSITE: www.lamc.info
EMAIL: [email protected]

MAILING LIST: lamc.info/mailing-list/
As of October 2017, LAMC is in the process of restructuring our mailing list as our former platform (Wiggio) has been disabled. To be added to the REGIONAL mailing list + receive special event announcements, please send an email with "Subscribe to Regional List" in the subject line to: [email protected].

{updated 2 October 2017}
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A BRIEF HISTORY OF LANSING AREA MINDFULNESS COMMUNITY
~ prepared by Carolyn White - "True Land of Purity" ~

When you take the Five Mindfulness Trainings (5 Precepts) with the Vietnamese Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, he asks you not to practice alone but to find a community (a sangha) of like-minded people to support you in your meditation. In 1997 I took the trainings and began looking for people to practice with me. Since I wasn't adept at sitting meditation, I looked for someone who was. I looked for two years and others joined me in that search, until finally six of us looked at each other and realized we were a sangha, although most of us were new to the practice of mindfulness. In 1999 we began weekly sitting and walking meditation at the Bishop Road Mindfulness Center belonging to the Vietnamese-American Buddhist Association of Lansing (V.A.B.A.L.). The caretaker lived in the house; the temple was in the garage, which could be very cold. So, unlike most Buddhist groups, we practiced walking meditation first so we could warm up before we sat for thirty minutes on the concrete floor. We loved our temple and the Vietnamese community that supported us, even though their Buddhist practice differed from ours. On the first Saturday of every November we brought dharma teacher Jack Lawlor, of Lakeside Buddha Sangha (www.lakesidebuddha.org/) in Illinois, to lead us in a full Day of Mindfulness. When, in 2004, the Vietnamese community moved to South Washington Avenue, we did, too. We practice well. Every Wednesday from 7-9 PM we do sitting and walking meditation and hold a dharma discussion, finding skillful ways to incorporate mindfulness into our daily lives. We read not only the works of our root teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh, but other great masters: The Dalai Lama, Pema Chodron, Ayya Khema, Lama
Zopa, Ajahn Chah, Ajahn Brahm, Tara Brach, Eckhart Tolle, and so many more. We study the sutras. And we listen deeply to each other to be more compassionate and fully awake for our lives. Sangha thrives beyond the weekly practice in the temple, supporting its dharma sisters and brothers, in celebration and sorrow, through times of great change. Come and join us!

06/13/2026

the World is always turning to the morning light

Provided to YouTube by The Orchard EnterprisesTurning Toward the ...

06/12/2026

We have repeatedly studied this concept from the perspective of Buddhist teachings. This article confirms those ideas.

The next time you're furious, don't try to calm down. Just put a name to the anger coursing through your veins. Say "this is rage"—three words, three seconds—either out loud or silently to yourself, and you've already kept the feeling from swallowing you whole. The technique is called affect lab...

06/08/2026

7-9 PM Wednesday 10 JUNE 2026
3015 S MLK BLVD Lansing MKI

Meditation & Discussion of 4 Noble Truths, led by Carolyn.

06/06/2026

7 JUN 2026

06/01/2026

7-9 PM Wednesday 03 JUN 2026
3015 S MLK BLVD Lansing MI

Hello everyone hope you’re all well. This week we will continue our look at the lessons from the “Lotus Sutra”. I’m hoping to cover the parables of the “Phantom City” and the “Hidden Jewel “.
In peace
Terry

05/19/2026

7-9 PM 20 May 2026
3015 MLK BLVD Lansing MI

Dear sangha sisters and brothers,

This Wednesday evening, the 20th, we will look at the last five of the Ten Ox Herding Pictures.

I'm looking forward to sharing your deep insights and keen observations of this Zen tool of skillful means.

Bowing to you,
Barbara

05/11/2026

7-9 Wednesday 13th & 20th May 2026
3015 S MLK BLVD Lansing MI

Dear sangha sisters and brothers,

This Wednesday, May 13th and next Wednesday, May 20th, we will sit together in exploring and discussing the Dharma Door that is the Ten Ox Herding pictures from Zen practice. These are from Thay's tradition, from Thay's formation as a monastic.

There is nothing you need to do in preparation. I only ask that you come with an open heart.

In the meantime, please enjoy the glorious days of spring, which in itself is the perfect preparation for our discussion.

Bowing to you,
Barbara

05/04/2026

7-9 PM,!Wednesday 06 May 2026

Good morning, dharma friends!

Most of us have an understanding that "Nirvana" means "peace," and generally speaking, it does. But it also has a more specific, actionable meaning that we can actually practice with! In short, "Nirvana" means to put out the fires that cause suffering.

What fires? The fires of greed, ill-will and delusion, small and large, that can manifest in our hearts and minds. These include irritation, impatience, hostile feelings, contempt or judgement towards those different from ourselves, fantasies of various sorts, lust for people and things that can cause suffering in our minds and in our lives.

I have found it fruitful to see and understand how those fires manifest in myself and to practice putting them out through a combination of mindfulness, meditation, and the cultivation of the beautiful qualities that are the opposites of kinds of greed, ill-will and delusion. Because these can be practiced with, the peace of Nirvana can be experienced in moments and situations and hopefully for the long term.

I love this stuff and am excited to talk about it with you! The attachment has the first sutta in it is a teaching to lay people (like us!) on Nirvana. Following it is the Buddha's sermon on The Fire Sermon, which I like to pair it with as well as some good definitions of what craving and clinging mean. And there's some lists of good qualities we can cultivate. We will only get to a third of this so we have at least 25-30 mins of discussion, but I wanted to provide all of it for those who have time and inclination to read and think about it.

Grateful thanks and appreciation to you, dharma friends! Hope to see you on Wednesday! Emoji

Warmly,

Elizabeth

PS Was unable to copy link.

04/27/2026

Dear Sangha,

This Wednesday we will discuss the Fifth Mindfulness Training, particularly as it relates to "tangible and intangible poisons." I will bring a handout and hope to make it available through email prior to sangha if I am able.

Bowing to You,
Peter

Address

3015 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard
Lansing, MI
48910

Opening Hours

7pm - 9pm

Website

http://www.lamc.info/

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