Dear Sheng Zhen teachers,

I wish you all a very Happy New Year!

Now, more than ever, it is extremely important to expand and spread the Sheng Zhen spirit. Our Earth, our environment, and our human society are in a state of emergency.

Whether what you do to help others seems big or small, it doesn’t matter. There is no difference.

I encourage you all to practice the Union of Three Hearts meditation, as often as possible, to open your hearts more, to FEEL the Earth and its suffering.

You will be moved from your heart to serve others.

When our hearts open, they become clear, like water.

When the heart becomes clear, it can see with understanding. In its clarity,

it reflects all. Like water, the heart can go anywhere. It can go into big places, into small crevices. It can evaporate. It can condense. The heart has no limits. It can warm and also cool. It can bathe the world with love.

It is when our hearts are clear and open, that we can best serve others and help the Earth during these challenging times.

Please, trust the Qi and continue your practice.

With much love,

Junfeng Li

Lorena Monda, one of our senior Sheng Zhen teachers, has shared these words of wisdom to help guide us with Sheng Zhen spirit. You may find more on the FaceBook page All Hands On Deck. As a community there is something we can do every day to help create a loving, peaceful world in which everyone feels safe.

“Many of us feel a sense of alarm and urgency at the state of our nation and our planet and the beings on it. Fear activates a strong response in us—to fight, flee or freeze (go numb). Mindfulness is a powerful tool that can transform our fear into effective action.
Let us know what you are doing….No action is too small.

Our Principles
We are all affected by the state of the world. Through mindful Cultivation, Participation, and Connection, we can each make a difference in our own small way.

Cultivate
At a time when the material resources of the planet are being consumed at an alarming rate, it is time to mindfully cultivate and activate the nonmaterial resources that lie within each of us. These resources are our gifts to ourselves, to others, and to the planet. They help us deal with what life brings. Each of us has something to give. Here are some of examples of nonmaterial resources:
Caring. Clarity. Communication. Commitment. Compassion. Connectedness. Courage. Creativity. Dedication. Determination. Empathy. Fairness. Faith. Flexibility. Focus. Forgiveness. Gentleness. Gratitude. Happiness. Harmony. Honesty. Hope. Insight. Inspiration. Integration. Integrity. Joy. Justice. Kindness. Love. Loyalty. Mindfulness. Nurturance. Openness. Participation. Patience. Peace. Perseverance. Power. Protectiveness. Prudence. Purpose. Responsibility. Sensitivity. Simplicity. Sincerity. Solidity. Steadfastness. Strength. Tenacity. Tenderness. Tolerance. Trust. Understanding. Willingness. Wisdom.

Participate
Make a commitment to do something every day. Everyone’s contribution is important. We are all in this together and each of us holds a piece of the solution.

Connect
What are YOU doing to make a difference? We want to know. Climb on board to join our crew. Send us an email (text, video, audio, whatever) to let us know what you are doing to make a difference. It doesn’t matter how big or small ~ so long as you are doing something!

The Time is NOW. Help Spread the Message:
ALL HANDS ON DECK!
Forward to your Facebook, send a Tweet to your friends, share the message through LinkedIn.
Ask everyone you know to get onboard.”

Please check out our teacher page and calendar to find a class. The Sheng Zhen practice gifts us with the tools to live a healthy, happy life – to stay calmly centered within, to have mental clarity, and balanced emotions.

SZA utilizes two SZA e-mail lists, one for all Sheng Zhen Austin Volunteers, and one for issues involving Sheng Zhen Teachers.  Here’s how to access them:

1. Sheng Zhen Austin Volunteers – a Google Group.  No Administrator.  Add yourself, or more e-mail addresses by the following method.

Find and join a group 

Go to the Google Groups homepage, https://groups.google.com/forum/#!overview

Groups usually have a name that indicates the subject of the group, such as “cooking” or “music.” To find and join a group:

1. From the Home screen, type a subject, such as “cooking” in the search field.
2. Press the Search button. A list of groups and messages is displayed.
3. Click on a group name, such as “Live music.” The Topics screen appears displaying a series of topics.
4. Click on the ‘Join group’ link. The Join group dialog box appears.
5. Fill in the options on the Join Group dialog box.
6. Click the Join this group button. You are now a member of the group

Repeat this process once for each e-mail address you use to access the group.

To leave the group, or delete an e-mail address from the group, there are 4 options:

•      Option 1: Reply to an email from the group with REMOVE ME as the subject of your message.
• Option 2: Send an email to groupname+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com. For example, if you want to leave the group myfriends@googlegroups.com, you can remove yourself by sending a blank email tomyfriends+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
• Option 3: Send a blank email (no text in the body of the message) with the subject line: “Unsubscribe” to the group’s email address
• Option 4: Edit your settings.

1. Open Google Groups.
2. Click My Groups > name of the group you want to edit.
3. In the upper-right corner, click My Settings > Leave this group.

2. Sheng Zhen Teachers list, hosted on Live Oak Hosting.  To join, quit, add, or change e-mail addresses for this list, please send an e-mail message to the moderator, Kenneth.bloomer@gmail.com.  Please state clearly and briefly which action you wish to take.