1. Oren Jay Sofer Nonviolent Communication course

2. No Kings demonstrations

3. Upaya Zen Center "Awareness in Action" program

You can find the full resource list on Google Drive.

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1. Kate’s slide “Applying Practice to Media Consumption” (shared in the meeting)

2. Holly Stocking, “How to Read the News” (Lion’s roar)

3. Dr. Larry Ward, “Cultivating Mindful Consumption of the Media” (YouTube)

4. No Kings Nationwide Day of Defiance Saturday, June 14th. Sponsored by Indivisible, 50501; endorsed by Buddhist Coalition for Democracy. Local events being held in Princeton, Pennington, Trenton, and Philadelphia.

5. Global Awareness Local Action (GALA) (Barre Center for Buddhist Studies) Online, Oct 4–Nov 22 (2 sessions every Saturday, recordings available). Offered on a dana (donation) basis. Global Awareness Local Action (GALA) is a BCBS initiative to inspire a deeper engagement with climate change informed and inspired by Buddhist teachings and mindfulness. Online program with Bhikkhu Analyo, Rhonda Magee, Rebecca Henderson, John Kabat-Zinn.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/154eTA7401gkm6ko6gwnlZuhBcfmXJ0085AavhDYiwns/edit?usp=sharing

1. Bhikkhu Anālayo, “A Task for Mindfulness” (One Earth Sangha) 

2. Gil Fronsdal, “The Buddha as an Activist” (Insight Meditation Center)

3. Valerie Brown, “Racial Justice / Skillful Action for a Path Forward” Plum Village

4. Thanissara, “Inner Peace is not Apart from Activism” (Dharma Talk at Spirit Rock)

   
   

1. Nonviolent Communication resources from Oren Jay Sofer:

   1. The Relevance of Mindfulness in a Time of Global Upheaval

   2. Overview of Mindful Communication & NVC

   3. Nonviolent Communication Overview - Key Assumptions & Intentions

2. Working with Difficult Emotions (online course with Narayan Helen Liebenson). Four sessions, July 8th to 29th.

3. Refuge and Response: Showing up for the Earth with Deep Love (online course with Jeanne Corrigal). Thursdays, September 18th to November 6th.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/16JguUtK2XORaq1IcWjgTxYFYCbOKOEHBtWXGslocbSM/edit?usp=sharing

1. Braver Angels “Braver Angels is leading the nation’s largest cross-partisan, volunteer-led movement to bridge the partisan divide and strengthen our democratic republic.” An opportunity to put our nonviolent communication skills into action?

   1. Braver Angels

2. Leaving MAGA Leaving MAGA

3. See the poetry section(below) for the Pablo Neruda poem

As you probably know, ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) descended on our town two weeks ago and detained 16 men, most of whom are Princeton residents.  One family left behind has four children and two grandchildren.  They have lost the primary income of the household, leaving them in a very vulnerable situation. They have no resources to cover legal expenses, rent, and other essential needs, and they (and others) are in urgent need of help.  There will probably be more like them in the coming months

Princeton’s Nassau Presbyterian Church has generously agreed to host a “Neighbor Fund,” which allows us to respond quickly and directly to families in urgent need after an ICE raid.  Whether by contributing to the fund or by sharing this with others who may want to help, every donation, no matter the size can make a meaningful difference in helping a family stay afloat during a crisis.  You can donate either:

• by check made out to Nassau Presbyterian Church, with “Neighbor Fund” on the memo line, and send it to: Linda Gilmore, Nassau Presbyterian Church, 61 Nassau Street, Princeton, NJ. 08542

• or online at: https://secure.accessacs.com/access/oglogin.aspx?sn=92163, and specify Neighbor Fund in the dropdown box.

Note that your contribution will be tax-deductible since it is to a church.

If you know of anyone in need of support because of an ICE raid, they should contact Rhodalynn Jones at Princeton Human Services rjones@pricetonnj.gov or go to the office at 1 Monument Drive.

Thank you for your consideration.

at the corner of Broad Street (Route 518) and Greenwood Ave. Join a friendly group of folks standing up for democracy and free speech. The band, Missing Charlie, keeps it lively, performing a mix of new and old songs of resistance and unity. Bring a sign if you have one, and bring a friend! Family & dog friendly.

Map

News article: One Year Anniversary

Joanna Macy, Spiritual Practices for Times of Crisis. In this brief 2018 article, Buddhist scholar and environmental activist Joanna Macy outlines five simple practices for maintaining presence in times of crisis, working productively with our grief, fear, and anger, and responding with compassion to our own pain and to the pain we encounter in the world. 

Dr. Alan Wolfelt, Eleven Tenets for Companioning the Bereaved. These tenets outline Dr. Wolfelt’s approach to “companioning” versus “treating” mourners. While Wolfelt is speaking about those mourning the death of a person, we can apply his perspective to any form of grief, including our collective grief for the losses we currently face in our society and in our world.

Services include food bank, housing assistance, and other services.

Volunteer

Dhammacetiya website

Instagram

Here are the slides that we used to talk through this chapter.

Our Trenton office recently hosted a clinic for our clients who need to self-file for asylum. AHC DIRE Legal Services provides this free of charge, and so we could not do this without the help of amazing volunteers.

If you’d like to receive training in this important work so you can guide our clients through the process, please contact ellen.whitt@improvingnj.org  

Here are the slides that we used to talk through this chapter.

Here is the slide that we used to talk through this chapter.

A woman was waiting at an airport one night, With several long hours before her flight. She hunted for a book in the airport shops. Bought a bag of cookies and found a place to drop.

She was engrossed in her book but happened to see, That the man sitting beside her, as bold as could be. Grabbed a cookie or two from the bag in between, Which she tried to ignore to avoid a scene.

So she munched the cookies and watched the clock, As the gutsy cookie thief diminished her stock. She was getting more irritated as the minutes ticked by, Thinking, “If I wasn’t so nice, I would blacken his eye.”

With each cookie she took, he took one too, When only one was left, she wondered what he would do. With a smile on his face, and a nervous laugh, He took the last cookie and broke it in half.

He offered her half, as he ate the other, She snatched it from him and thought… oooh, brother. This guy has some nerve and he’s also rude, Why he didn’t even show any gratitude!

She had never known when she had been so galled, And sighed with relief when her flight was called. She gathered her belongings and headed to the gate, Refusing to look back at the thieving ingrate.

She boarded the plane, and sank in her seat, Then she sought her book, which was almost complete.

As she reached in her baggage, she gasped with surprise, There was her bag of cookies, in front of her eyes.

If mine are here, she moaned in despair, The others were his, and he tried to share. Too late to apologize, she realized with grief, That she was the rude one, the ingrate, the thief.

—James Baldwin (1924–1987), Nation magazine, “Notes on the House of Bondage,” 1 November 1980

Here's the one credited to Baldwin, for which I have been unable to find any reference:

For these are all our children; we will profit by, or pay for, whatever they become.

Here is the slide deck we used to talk through this chapter.

among those who think themselves strong.

Truly unafraid

among those who hide their fear.

A hero

among those who talk of heroes.

Don't be fooled by outward signs -

lifting heavy things

or picking fights with weaker opponents

and running headfirst into battle.

A real hero walks the Path to its end.

Then shows others the way.

March 11, 2026
Fertile Ground for Training

We are at a time when old systems and ideas are being questioned and falling apart, and there is a great opportunity for something fresh to emerge. I have no idea what that will look like and no preconceptions about how things should turn out, but I do have a strong sense that the time we live in is a fertile ground for training in being open-minded and open-hearted. If we can learn to hold this falling apart–ness without polarizing and without becoming fundamentalist, then whatever we do today will have a positive effect on the future.

Excerpted from:

Welcoming the Unwelcome: Wholehearted Living in a Brokenhearted World

By Pema Chödrön

Sharing this from our dear friend Hilary, who attends the Dharma study group on Sunday. She writes: "I found this interview with Edward Norton / Stephen Colbert to be filled with wisdom on our great predicament. I thought of the engaged buddhist group and felt this could be of some encouragement or may spark an action that hadn’t come to the surface before." Norton's rendition of Walt Whitman's Crossing Brooklyn Ferry is powerful.

Teachers include: Roshi Joan Halifax, Valerie Brown, Terry Tempest Williams, Rebecca Solnit, Molly Crockett, and Christiana Figueres.

https://www.upaya.org/program/awakened-action-online-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

by Rosemerry Watola Trommer

This poem was shared in the latest newsletter from Ayya Anandabodhi at the Parayana Vihara in Port Townsend, WA

We also began our discussion of David R. Loy's book Ecodharma. We discussed the introduction to the book and our responses to the areas he highlights there.

Our next meeting is on May 27th at 7:00pm, when we'll have more sharing and support, along with a discussion of Chapter 1 of Ecodharma.

From the website: Imagine 2200 is Grist’s climate fiction initiative, engaging writers across the globe in envisioning the next 180 years of climate progress. Whether built on abundance or adaptation, reform or a new understanding of survival, these stories serve as a springboard for exploring how fiction can help us build toward a better reality.

Tory discusses Imagine 2200, an initiative that asks a simple yet radical question: What if we wrote stories not about what we fear but about what we hope to create? The discussion dives into how imagination connects with responsibility, how storytelling serves as a profound form of spiritual leadership, and why envisioning a new reality is essential for climate justice.

Our next meeting will be on Wednesday, June 24th at 7:00pm, when we'll discuss Chapter 3 of Ecodharma.

Also shared during the meeting:

• James shared an essay from the Buddhist Global Relief newsletter by Bhikkhu Bodhi: "Seeking a Buddhist Public Theology"

• Erin talked about a book she's reading by Si Kahn, Creative Community Organizing

• Lisa has shared information about submitting a public comment opposing the proposed postal rule hindering mail-in ballots (see the card in the next column)

Our next meeting will be on Wednesday, July 8th at 7:00pm, when we'll discuss Chapter 4 of Ecodharma.

For nine months each year, HIP partners with the Princeton Mobile Food Pantry to provide healthy, nutritious food to families in our Transitional Housing program. We're grateful to the volunteers who make these deliveries possible.

As we prepare for our next season beginning in September, we're looking for additional volunteers! On the second and fourth Wednesday of each month, volunteers pick up two bags of food between 10–11 a.m. and deliver them to one of our families.

To learn more or to receive the 2026–2027 schedule, please contact volunteer@housinginitiativesofprinceton.org.

Thank you for helping neighbors support neighbors!

On the 26th, we'll start to think about what we'd like to read together next. We've had a couple of book lists circulating, now consolidated to a single list that will be actively curated.