Cahaba River Sangha Blog

Go As A River

I wrote Go As A River in 2024 after reading Thich Nhat Hanh’s “Story Of A River.” Here is the animated reading I created of that story.

In 2025 I attended the “Sound of Zen Retreat” at Magnolia Grove Monastery and my Dharma Group sang this at the Be-In on the last night with Win Grace on accordion & Nick Savelli on percussion.

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The Three Doors of Liberation

Over the last three weeks we have been studying the Three Doors of Liberation from our teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh. Through these three doors of emptiness, signlessness, and aimlessnes, we learned how to transcend duality (the belief that we are separate from all things), the root of all suffering, by

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The 16 Exercises of Mindful Breathing

When Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh discovered the Buddha’s Anapanasati Sutra as a young monk, he described it as finding a precious treasure and it became the foundation of his meditation practice. With his mastery of many languages, he was able to translate this sutra for modern meditation practitioners into

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Reciting The 5 Mindfulness Trainings with a Group

We recite the 5 Mindfulness Trainings as a sangha on the first Wednesday of the month from 6 am to 6:30 am. Attendees can choose to participate by reading a section out loud or just listen. Click on the slide deck below to enlarge and scroll to the right. Subscribe

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Interview with Nick Shindo Street

Jump to the Interview It’s the day after the memorial service for our good friend, Nick Shindo Street. It has been an emotionally hard two months since his passing. I’m still finding it hard to believe he’s gone. Tad and Christin Street, Nick’s older brother and sister-in-law, created a beautiful

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Pebble Meditation

Use this Pebble Meditation instruction video and script to deepen your practice with simple imagery with a tactile experience. The Pebble meditation was originally created by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh for children. Br Pháp Hữu of Plum Village gives instructions and insightful ways adults can deepen our practice with

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Using Gathas In Our Daily Mindfulness Practice

What Are Gathas? Gathas are small poems that help us practice mindfulness in our daily activities, whether we are sitting, walking, or cleaning the kitchen. Gathas like, “I Have Arrived , I am Home” are a wonderful resource to help us open and deepen our mindfulness practice while doing simple

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The Ultimate Dimension Sangha Meeting Part 1

Meditation Embracing Unpleasant Feelings By Brother Phap Linh This short guide meditation helps you embrace unpleasant feelings. “Hello, my anger. Hello, my frustration. Hello, my anxiety. I’m going to take good care of you.” Dharma Talk Bringing the Ultimate Dimension Down to Earth From The Way Out Is In Podcast

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Stopping and Looking Deeply Sangha Meeting

Meditation Introduction Inviting the Bell of Mindfulness By Sister Dang Nghiem Sister Dang Nghiem, from Deer Park Monastery, walks us through the steps of the powerful ritual of inviting the bell and speaks about the healing properties it can have on one’s mind and body. Dharma Talk By Thich Nhat

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Zen Master Bon Soeng Leads Evening

A Special Evening Zen Master Bon Soeng graciously led our Sangha this past Thursday evening, joining us via Zoom, with a guided meditation, dharma talk, followed by a time of Q&A. We had a record crowd of Sangha members and guest join us in-person and on Zoom. Master Bon Soeng

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