We are not meant to travel alone. We are social beings that
require guidance, nurturing, and support. We also find strength and meaning by offering support to others. Our deepest truth of interconnection says that we are in this together and unless we act from that place, we will not survive.

Seattle Dharma Punx and Circles in the Dark are two ways to engage in community and share in the process of healing and spiritual development, but Seattle in general has numerous community resources available. Keep an eye on my blog for an upcoming list of community organizations that support the healing process.

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Noah Levine is a Buddhist teacher, author, counselor, and founding teacher of Against the Stream Buddhist Meditation Society, with a center in Los Angeles and over 20 affiliated groups around North America. His memoir, Dharma Punx, begins with a street life of drugs, alcohol, and juvenile hall. It winds down the tricky and often painful path of cleaning up a life of wreckage and eventually ends with freedom grounded in the present moment and guided by wisdom and compassion. His story has spread like wildfire and there are now Dharma Punx groups in cities around the world.

An important aspect of the Dharma Punx movement is the power of spiritual community. Within these communities we nurture not only the healing of our own hearts and minds, but the safety and freedom of all living beings. Seattle Dharma Punx is a peer-led group. We offer a casual space to meditate in community, explore Buddhist teachings, and share personal experience.

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“This wound will not heal unless given witness. The shadow
that follows us is the way in.” –Rumi

The practice of sitting in Circle and holding Council offers the opportunity to bear witness to our darkest emotions and deepest wounds in the safety and solace of intentional community. Through simple ritual we invite the wisdom of silence and spirit to guide our way through the dark. Through the giving and receiving of our stories we come to see our interconnection, shared humanity, and the impersonal nature of suffering. We cultivate reverence for the strength and beauty of our fragile lives even amidst great pain. Difficult emotions and mind states such as loneliness, isolation, and despair are often calmed when given voice and received in compassionate community. Healing community teaches that although we cannot change the past, we can choose the future. Together we can create an ending to the story that will deepen our compassion and empower our lives.

Circles in the Dark will launch in the fall of 2009. Keep an eye on my blog for details and feel free to contact me directly with any questions.