Dear Dhamma Friends,
There is an online community of folks interested in meditation and connection called https://cloudsangha.co.
It was founded by Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach. I lead and facilitate several groups there each week.

I see many folks connecting in a meaningful way with one another. Each one-hour Mindful Friends Group includes a brief guided meditation and 25 minutes in a small breakout room where members share with one another. There is a monthly fee, but right now they are offering a seven day free trial, so you can check it out and see if you resonate. There are dozens of different teachers and and different topic groups.

I lead groups related to the monthly theme, mindful professionals, aging, parenting, relationships, everyday Buddhism, and support for those with a family member who has cancer, etc. It is a worldwide sangha so there are groups at different times everyday.

(I didn't know which location to put this thread, please move it if there is a better location.)

With kindness,

Constance

How much is the monthly fee, Constance?

Hi Chris,
Right now, regular membership includes a sliding-scale fee of $29.00 to $69.00 per month.

Regular membership includes being able to attend any of the dozens of 60-minute groups each day; the 30-minute guided meditations, and the silent sits. You can also designate your membership as "drop-in" or "dedicated" for any particular group. If you are a dedicated member of a particular group you will be assigned to a pod where you meet with the same dedicated members each week. This way you can get acquainted with the same folks each week or you can do "drop in" and connect with whomever shows up--either way is available. You can change from dedicated to drop in at any time on your own. Sometimes your other pod members are not present on a particular day, so you are assigned to another pod for the 25-minute break out time.

It costs $100 more per month to participate in a weekly 90-minute group with a mentor.

Here are the days and times for groups that I currently lead:
https://www.constancecasey.com/cloudsangha/
The reason I mention the groups I lead is because I'm familiar with DhO.

I also substitute for some of the 90-minute groups from time to time.
But, I'm not currently leading a mentorship group. If you'd like to be in a mentorship group with me, then, you need to request that.

This information can change at any time which is why I prefer that folks visit cloudsangha.co and double check this information first hand.
Chris, I hope this helps to answer your question.

With kindness,

Constance

​​​​​​​

Thanks, Constance.

Expensive to be free.

Perhaps like the shrinks say, it's part of the therapy. 





"Southern Part Of Texas"
​​​​​​​WAR

She's from the southern part of Texas
And she was born in a hurricane
She's from the southern part of Texas
And she was born in a hurricane
You know her mama died for freedom
She got hung by Jessie James

You know her face is so dang pretty
She brings the sunlight to the night
She learned a lesson from tequila
You gotta treat your brother right

They told her freedom was expensive
She couldn't post no bond no bail

You know she begged the judge for mercy
He just throwed away the key

Constance was a regular here on DhO in the very early days. It appears she's leveraging the DhO audience for, um, "personal" reasons.

Hi Chris,
Please explain this statement: "It appears she's leveraging the DhO audience for, um, "personal" reasons."
If you have any questions to engage in an adult conversation I am open.
With kindness,
​​​​​​​Constance

Constance, you came back to DhO after a very extended absence. You didn't engage with anyone here other than to advertise your for-fee teaching and to purchase your book. As helpful as those things may be, the purpose of DhO is conversation, as you well know. This is a more direct version of my earlier comment. Of course, I don't know what your motivation to come back is but the available evidence points what I just said. I'll be happy to re-evaluate, and happy to be proven wrong, based on replies and behavior.

"Constance, you came back to DhO after a very extended absence."
"You didn't engage with anyone here other than to advertise your for-fee teaching and to purchase your book. "

The first sentence is true.

The second sentence is extremely flawed, rife with assumptions, and, a repeat of your making interpretations--not any gentle inquiry or conversation or apology for your behavior.

I don’t profit from CloudSangha. I make a minor fee for my service as a contractor, no benefits, no ownership, no support for the technology I need, etc. I also volunteer a huge number of hours, and do not have time to be there and here.

I also don’t have time to engage in all of the other assumptions you have made in your “hello.”

In the spirit of sharing resources that may be helpful for those with some means I created this thread. Is it not possible for an old-timer, and now member of another Sangha to stop-in and put up a flier on your bulletin board that offers something different, yet still within the framework of supporting the dhamma and dhamma conversations? Only if it’s free? What about retreat centers that charge?

There is no inquiry into my well-being or respect from you-Chris, or Terry. Given that this is the welcome I receive after an extended absence, it is unlikely that I will contribute further.

I am considering these questions: Perhaps then, this is not the place to put up a flier? Given your response to me, it is best that I withdraw my thread?

It was only offered in the spirit of kindness as a resource of support for some here who may benefit.

With kindness,

Constance
​​​​​​​

I personally am happy with Constance being back, posting these things, promoting her work, which I think is valuable, and providing potentially affordable options for people. Yes, I personally don't like money mixing with dharma, but it is often part of the mix, and what is going on these days, and affordable options when people need them can often be personally valuable, despite the complex ethics. Best wishes, Constance!

Daniel

I think it would be helpful to create a place on DhO for folks to promote their dharma books, teaching sessions, etc. that is separate in some way. That might help folks separate the intent to discuss vs the intent to promote. There have been others who use DhO as a convenient place to promote and it has not  always been well received. Kim Katami being one such example.

I'm not against promotion per se, but it's pretty obvious that people who promote books and such benefit from those things, ownership aside. If you get paid for your contribution you benefit. I don't believe that dharma information and teaching has to be free, and never have. But I do believe that we need to take care with how we communicate this to this audience.

It's been forever since I looked at the different sub-forums we have here... normally I just go to the "recent" page.

Maybe there should be a commercial books/classes type subcategory. RIght now:MiscellaneousIf you can't figure out how to categorize it, try here
is the closest thing we have, I guess???


But I agree, without a venue for offering services/selling books/vidoes etc., we've had problems in the past with "stealth marketing strategies" where people would start posting their about their practice and constantly refer to their teacher which was providing commerical mentoring/training etc. 

Chris and Constance any thoughts on how to better distiguish these kinds of posts? Seems like there should be a home for them somewhere here on DhO.

Can we just make subcategories of the books and website category (like insight and wisdom has subcategories). Like have one that's is non affiliated and one that is self promotional? It would also make sense to expand books and website to be "books, websites, and other resources"

Sure -

If it were me, I'd begin by stating the purpose of my post (or topic) and be clear that I'm promoting something that is for sale or has a fee associated with it. This is why I asked Constance what the amount of the fee was for participating in the forum she's now working with, and so that's another thing I would make clear upfront - the amount of the price, fee, etc. Answering the question "How much does this cost?" is important information, IMHO. I think doing these things is respectful of everyone here by being as clear as possible about the purpose of the comment.

Once the intent and purpose are made clear then it's all good as far as I'm concerned.

To be fair, Constance did post to the Miscellaneous category, but I think we need a category that is much clearer than that. Something to the effect of "Dharma Books, Teaching, Merchandise Promotions" would be better.

Anyone else?

I created a new DhO message board category called: Dharma Books, Teaching, and Merchandise Promotions

​​​​​​​I also created the first topic in the category, and inside that the first post:

https://www.dharmaoverground.org/discussion/-/message_boards/message/26190518

   Thanks, chris, for consistently discouraging advertisements on this forum.


I doubt constance has reaiized how much like an ad her post looked.

People have been discouraged in the past for posting fliers for for pay services even when they weren't personally invested.

Got to draw the line somewhere.

Once you have a seven day free trial pandora's box is open to holiday sales, coupons, promotions, contests...and disclaimers. The infamous slippery slope. Spiritual entrepreneurs may come out of the woodwork. Like dominoes.

It's not that for pay people are insincere, it's just that having an investment tends to distort ones thinking.

self mocking sense of humor can be curative...


anyhows, con stance, don't take it personally...

(wink)




We could have a discussion on the ethics of applying capitalist values to spiritual education. Or anything else, for that matter.