Still Water Mindfulness Practice Center

Still Water Mindfulness Practice Center The Still Water Mindfulness Practice Center’s mission is to nurture all who wish to practice mindfulness.

A mindfulness practice community in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh, offering online and in-person programs from our groups in Columbia, Gaithersburg, Sandy Spring, Silver Spring, Stevensville, and Takoma Park, Maryland. We are part of a world-wide network of communities inspired by the teachings and practices of Thich Nhat Hanh, a widely-known Vietnamese Buddhist monk, author, and activist. We a

re also incorporated as a religious non-profit corporation in the state of Maryland. Members of the Still Water community come together to sit quietly in meditation, to learn mindfulness practices such as sitting meditation, walking meditation, and eating meditation, and to support one other in our lives’ journeys. A typical Sangha meeting lasts one to two hours and includes sitting meditation, walking meditation, and a Dharma sharing focused on mindfulness in everyday life. The larger groups offer an orientation to mindfulness and the Still Water community once each month. Newcomers and experienced practitioners are always welcome. We regularly offer classes, workshops, days of practice, retreats, and other special events. The best way to stay informed about our activities is to subscribe to our email newsletter, which provides information about our online Thursday evening program as well as other events in our community and in the area.

"Happiness is Here and Now" is the focus of tomorrow’s mindfulness practice - online weeklyJoin us!Thurs. 6/4/26> https:...
06/03/2026

"Happiness is Here and Now" is the focus of tomorrow’s mindfulness practice - online weekly

Join us!

Thurs. 6/4/26

> https://www.stillwatermpc.org/dharma-topics/12332/

(donations accepted but not required)

Here's an excerpt:

I have heard people in the practice use the phrase “effortless effort.” I understand it as: We are taking actions in the world but in a relaxed way, with no stress or hurry, with no focus on or anxiety about the outcome. While we are acting, our internal climate is one of peace, relaxation, and well-being—happiness, even. The founder of the sangha I attend in Bend, Oregon, former monastic Phap Tri, prefers the term “aimless effort.” ...

To read full message from Connie Anderson or to join us on Thurs. June 4, 2026 -- see link in bio

Dear Still Water friends, Mitchell shares from his Dharma topic, "Be Mindful 24 Hours a Day:"Compared to the Zen and Vip...
06/03/2026

Dear Still Water friends,

Mitchell shares from his Dharma topic, "Be Mindful 24 Hours a Day:"

Compared to the Zen and Vipassina retreats I had attended prior to my stay in Plum Village, I was surprised how little we sat in meditation. On most days there was morning and evening practice, of about an hour each, during which we did silent meditation, chanting, and sutra recitations. And before lunch there was outdoor mindful walking, for forty-five minutes, with a session of mindful movements in the middle of the walking. However, the general expectation was, as Sister Annabel so directly passed on to me, that mindfulness practice was not something separate from everyday activities. Over time it becomes the way we do whatever we do.

Thầy in 1975 lucidly addressed this permeating quality of mindfulness practice in The Miracle of Mindfulness:

"In my small class in meditation for non-Vietnamese, there are many young people. I’ve told them that if each one can meditate an hour each day that’s good, but it’s nowhere near enough. You’ve got to practice meditation when you walk, stand, lie down, sit, and work, while washing your hands, washing the dishes, sweeping the floor, drinking tea, talking to friends, or whatever you are doing... "

You might consider exploring the ways we are learning to give more of our mindful attention to everyday actions. When you are drinking tea, is drinking tea the most important thing in your life?

This photo, "Tea with Thay" is generously shared by Touching Peace Photography.

Read our Dharma topic this week - What Comfort Cannot Offer - and join us for our weekly mindfulness practice this Thurs...
05/27/2026

Read our Dharma topic this week - What Comfort Cannot Offer - and join us for our weekly mindfulness practice this Thurs. 5/28/26.
> https://www.stillwatermpc.org/dharma-topics/what-comfort-cannot-offer/

Dear Still Water Friends,

“This practice doesn’t promise comfort; this practice promises liberation.” These words came to mind as I tried to settle in for a recent meditation, distracted by twinges of pain in my back and a flurry of thoughts of work yet to be done. I heard this maxim from John Bell, an activist and Dharma teacher in the Plum Village Tradition, at a recent retreat at Blue Cliff Monastery. Bell went on to say, “Comfort is okay, but it can sometimes pose as equanimity and cause us to accept things that are unacceptable, or settle for a life that is smaller than our nature. ...

To read full message from Rachel Phillips-Anderson or to join us on Thurs. May 28, 2026: https://www.stillwatermpc.org/dharma-topics/what-comfort-cannot-offer/

Dear Still Water friends, Here, Brad reflects on the practice of mindful consumption and his personal struggle with soci...
05/26/2026

Dear Still Water friends,
Here, Brad reflects on the practice of mindful consumption and his personal struggle with social media in relation to the Fifth Mindfulness Training. Through stepping away from constant online consumption, he discovered more space for peace and joy.

If you’d like to read the full reflection, you can find it on our website, titled "Fed by the Feed: Mindful Consumption of Social Media."

Read our Dharma topic this week - "Fed by the Feed: Mindful Consumption of Social Media" - and join us for our weekly mi...
05/20/2026

Read our Dharma topic this week - "Fed by the Feed: Mindful Consumption of Social Media" - and join us for our weekly mindfulness practice this Thurs. 5/21/26.
>https://www.stillwatermpc.org/dharma-topics/fed-by-the-feed-mindful-consumption-of-social-media/

Dear Still Water Friends,

On February 2 of this year, I deleted all my social media apps. That was exactly a year to the day after I had purged my apps of all content: posts, photos, likes, comments—everything except what apps variously call friends, connections, mutuals, followers, and subscribers. In other words, people.

Originally, I had loved the social media sense of connection: seeing what friends and relatives were up to, reconnecting with former classmates and neighbors, feeling closer to people I was barely acquainted with, and bridging vast distances between places I’d lived and traveled. I somehow felt part of a vibrant new community. I also took a little pride in showing off what I was doing, at least when things were going well or when I’d been on a trip somewhere. That was part of the allure: the exciting and interesting things everyone seemed to be doing all the time. I didn’t see many posts about pain and suffering. And I didn’t post about sitting meditation, mindful meals, joyful conversations, slow walks in the woods, or silence and peace. That should have been a big hint that social media depends more on signs and appearances than the nature of reality. ...

To read full message from Brad Lint or to join us on Thurs. May 21, 2026: https://www.stillwatermpc.org/dharma-topics/fed-by-the-feed-mindful-consumption-of-social-media/

In his Dharma topic, "A Recipe for Inner Peace," Mitchell reflects on the Metta Sutta and the practice of loving-kindnes...
05/20/2026

In his Dharma topic, "A Recipe for Inner Peace," Mitchell reflects on the Metta Sutta and the practice of loving-kindness, shared in the graphic above. Mitchell continues:

The first sentence of the discourse, as translated by Thích Nhất Hạnh (Thầy), has always sounded like a recipe to me:

"He or she who wants to attain peace should practice being upright, humble, and capable of using loving speech."

In essence, just put these ingredients together and you will get the desired results! Historically, a recipe is not just for cooking. The word “recipe” came into late Middle English as an instruction in medical prescriptions. Then the discourse further describes the ingredients:

"He or she will know how to live simply and happily, with senses calmed, without being covetous and carried away by the emotions of the majority. Let them not do anything that will be disapproved of by the wise ones." ...

Read more from Mitchell in the Dharma topic "A Recipe for Inner Peace" on our website.

Read our Dharma topic this week - "Listening Deeply, Spaciousness, and Not Being Full of One’s Own Agenda" - and join us...
05/13/2026

Read our Dharma topic this week - "Listening Deeply, Spaciousness, and Not Being Full of One’s Own Agenda" - and join us for our weekly mindfulness practice this Thurs. 5/14/26.
>https://www.stillwatermpc.org/dharma-topics/listening-deeply-spaciousness-and-not-being-full-of-ones-own-agenda/

Dear Still Water Friends,

Towards the end of our guided meditation last Thursday evening, I encouraged practitioners to bring to mind people in their life who have helped them by being willing to simply listen. My own list includes a fourth-grade teacher, a retired Congregational minister I met in college, my wife Ann-Mari who has been willing to listen to me for more than forty-five years, and several Plum Village monastics with whom I have had long-term friendships. ...

To read full message from Mitchell Ratner or to join us on Thurs. May 14, 2026: https://www.stillwatermpc.org/dharma-topics/listening-deeply-spaciousness-and-not-being-full-of-ones-own-agenda/

Read our Dharma topic this week - "Listening to Suffering and Happiness: The Compassionate Connection" - and join us for...
05/06/2026

Read our Dharma topic this week - "Listening to Suffering and Happiness: The Compassionate Connection" - and join us for our weekly mindfulness practice this Thurs. 5/7/26.
> https://www.stillwatermpc.org/dharma-topics/listening-to-suffering-and-happiness-the-compassionate-connection/

Dear Still Water Friends,

Each of us has suffered. It is part of all lives. Perhaps we are beset by the ordinary pains of growing up or with other challenges and failures in the first halves of our lives. It has been said that failure can be an advantage, and some have undergone sufferings that derailed their lives. ...

To read full message from Wayne LeBlanc or to join us on Thurs. May 7, 2026: https://www.stillwatermpc.org/dharma-topics/listening-to-suffering-and-happiness-the-compassionate-connection/

Dear friends, sharing a quote from Thich Nhat Hanh's "The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Pe...
05/05/2026

Dear friends, sharing a quote from Thich Nhat Hanh's "The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation:"

"Worrying does not accomplish anything. Even if you worry twenty times more, it will not change the situation of the world. In fact, your anxiety will only make things worse. Even though things are not as we would like, we can still be content, knowing we are trying our best and will continue to do so."

photo credit: touching-peace-photography.com

Here Eliza shares one of the three simple ways to come back from distractions and stay present when experiencing waves o...
05/01/2026

Here Eliza shares one of the three simple ways to come back from distractions and stay present when experiencing waves of strong emotions.

"When my emotions are intense, I say out loud what I’m feeling using my name as if I were another person witnessing myself. For example, when feeling sad, I say “Eliza is sad.” I feel an immediate rush of kindness and support for myself; these spoken words are a container to hold my emotions."

View all three in "Grounded in the Present Moment" dharma topic on our website.

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Takoma Park, MD
20910

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