Open Space Sessions

Notes from the BPF 2006 Membership Gathering

June 24, 2006

Facilitated by Viki Sonntag and Heidi Enji Hoogstra

Open Space is a collective practice for creating a vision of the whole out of our individual voices. Through spirited and authentic discussion, Open Space encourages inquiry, reflection, and learning.

You can learn more about the practice of Open Space at this website: http://www.openspaceworld.org/

Topic:  The Non-Dual Bow

Topic:  Art to Foster Peace / Compassion

Topic:  Educating Ourselves for Social Action

Topic:  From Sitting to Action

Topic:  Getting More Nails, So the Balloon Won’t Pop
(or How to get people involved and stay involved with chapters)

Topic:  What Really Matters?

Topic:  Debate

Topic:  Buddhist Economies

Topic:  Feed the Children

Topic:  Right Relationships -- Chapters and the BPF Office

Topic:  The Non-Dual Bow

Discussion Points:

• Bowing down to things as they are, not in resignation, [but in] accepting reality
• Leaving open the possibility of change
• Coming back up: What needs to be done?
• Similar to the classic Serenity Prayer, but non-dual
• Let acceptance inform the action and action inform the acceptance.
• Bowing down: acceptance may include one’s own anger; no judgment.
• Coming Up: being faithful to your truth
• Not action at times is action.  Both embody intention.
• Be sure of your own intention and motivation.  Get clarity.
• “Be the change you wish to see.” Gandhi.  Or, “Have peace within yourself to bring peace to the world.” 

How will we do this?  Bowing

Topic:  Art to Foster Peace / Compassion

Discussion Points:

• Art, Authentic Movement, Music:  Bring people together [to] see humanness
• Public art: Tapping into something unexpected brings up emotion.  [We] relate from the heart rather than the head.
• Eyes Wide Open [exhibit on Iraq War]
• Aids Quilt
• Vietnam Wall
• Make space for children à sand mandalas
• Opportunity for teaching

Topic:  Educating Ourselves for Social Action

Discussion Points:

• Goal: To know what actions are effective (may change over time)
• Obstacle:  Vast material available.  Need to identify one issue at a time, ie racism, prison system and link to strategic initiative of national office. 
• Academic versus experiential education.  Integrate both – education must connect people to their interests [to create] meaning.  Also: need to educate others at appropriate level, help energize and initiate action from community.
• Role of national BPF office versus local chapter role:
• National: Resources? Bibliography, syllabus, database to keep us from “reinventing the wheel”
• Local: Study groups, self-educating initiative
• Topics of Study: 
• History of social action movements
• Social action strategy and theory
• Awareness/sensitivity/politicization
• Context and history of current problems
• Continue taking action and evaluate effectiveness (have processes in place)

How:

• Bibliography, study guides, Turning Wheel, conferences
• Study groups, database of local actions and outcomes/evolutions
• Local education programs
• Networking
• Evaluation process for actions
• Diversity training, storytelling
• Modes of communicating (learning)
• Many kinds of sensitivity training: race, gender, interfaith, class, immigrant/cultural

Topic:  From Sitting to Action

Discussion Points:

• Perhaps this is more a question of relationships within the sangha as opposed to the teacher’s support/non-support.
• We are mostly children of privileged – why rock the boat?  “freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.
• The principle job of a teacher is to protect the student from his/her influence. 

Topic:  Getting More Nails, So the Balloon Won’t Pop (or How to get people involved and stay involved with chapters)

Discussion Points:

• One nail pops a balloon, many nails hold it up.
• Concern: Not a sustained interest [in chapter] activities à how to get folks excited?
• Why do people come?  Ask and listen: What are you interested in? 

How:

• Have BPF join other groups’ actions, maintaining identity
• Ask people: Why have you come?  Be responsive
• Send out regular mailings, email, reconnect with BPF memberships
• Focus on quality of relationships in small core group, not larger numbers.
• If spread our, or can’t meet in space, meet in time, e.g. with teleconference
• Core group – Divide tasks.  Approach individual people with specific tasks rather than generally with general tasks.
• Avoid stratification – Ask for ”donations’ not dues.
• Potlucks!
• Ask people why they are no longer interested though one-on-one conversations

Topic:  What Really Matters?

Discussion Points:

1. Clarifying, embodying, removing obstacles
2. Our modus operandi is continuously changing/evolving.  This motivates our action.

• From experiences to enlightened living is the crux. 
• How to personalize one’s experience, then bring it to the world (used to be called ‘values and clarification’)
• Awareness of what really matters
• Am I living these values/intentions: why, why not?
• How does that feel?

1. Develop the ability to recognize the pinball effect working with the law of karma.

• Intentions, no emotion creates genuine virtue.

1. Spiritual mentoring for teens

Topic:  Debate

Discussion Points:

• Many avoid BPF for fear that it might dilute their tradition
• Many of us have poor debating skills
• Example of traditional Tibetan debate: Even if formal (pre-determined) debate can help learn skills and concepts.
• Within groups, hierarchies and tradition can inhibit discussion
• Disagreeing without anger is a skill that can be learned. 

How:   BPF should develop a series of questions for discussion within (and between) sanghas that encourage discussion with no right answers

Topic:  Buddhist Economies

Discussion Points:

• Who to donate to?  Doesn’t matter. Social ills. Giving heals the mind.
• Employee owned organizations
• Socially responsible investing
• Socially responsible corporations
• Fair tax system
• Healthcare system resources
• Tithing
• Consumer Choices
• Community business loyalty cards
• Saving more for retirement.  Fear to give as no on will take care of you
• Communes

Topic:  Feed the Children

Discussion Points:

• Propose that national BPF coordinate fundraising for three Buddhist-related groups of children where BPF already has connections. 
• Parbatya Buddhist Mission Orphanage (Chittagong Hill Tribe – Buddhist people oppressed in Bangladesh) -- Alan Senauke
• School of Ambedkar Buddhist Children in Nagpar India where INEB 2005 Conference was held -- Anchalee
• Daughters for Education: Thai girls in risk of being sold into the sex trade à Anchalee

How:

• Develop a strategy to extend fundraising our to local sanghas and BPF chapters to sponsor groups of their own.
• As part of strategy, explore existing organizations that thave the expertise and can guide us in developing relationships with appropriate groups to sponsor.
• Participants in this workshop commit to taking this proposal back to our local organizations.
• Supplicate BPF to adopt this proposal. 

Topic:  Right Relationships--Chapters and the BPF Office

Discussion Points:

• What core ideas/values infuse different relationships?
• Defining statement: Cultivating our core values brings clarity to all our work. 
• Core values:
• Practice that nurtures and gives strength (discipline of practice)
• No boundaries
• Kindness
• Non-opposition (non-dehumanizing, non-depersonalizing encounters)
• Non-attachment (but not detached)
• Middle way (take stands!)
• Intention infused activity
• Cultivating non-violence
• Open to suffering (boddhicitta)
• What activities [do we] focus on to navigate right relationships between groups?
• Include sitting practice in meetings, etc, in life.  Result: stability, clarity, helps all involvements in all groups
• Open door to conversation
• Kindness is more important than result
• Broaden our allies
• Forgive our mistakes/falling off intentions
• Educating ourselves
• Utilize visual communication
• Chapter relations with other groups should reflect core values
• What is chapter’s responsibility to BPF?
• Mentor chapters
• Respond to chapter council/central office/individual queries
• What is BPF’s responsibility to chapters?
• Provide practical tools (dlowladable brochures)
• Create forums, gatherings
• Connect issues
• Foster relationships between chapters

How:

• BPF Chapter Council fosters relationships between chapters with similar issues
• Identify best practices and make available
• Identify “mentor chapters’ that can advise “young chapters”.  Identify typical evolution of budding groups.  
• Make tools available for download (that chapters can use to add local info)
• Develop “traveling friends” – Identify BPF Chapter members who can host travelers, fostering these individual connections