From: Benoit Martin Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2007 20:54:40 +0200 Local: Tues, Oct 16 2007 11:54 pm Subject: News & improving the newsletter Hello dear friends from all over the world, connected to or interested about the Open Centre, Up to now, this mailing list was not working very well for spreading information about the Open Centre and what is happening around it, so we have now improved it to make it a better communication tool. Some people reported problem subscribing to it - Dave-ji and I solved all that now - and we didn't had a proper way to share among all of us what was happening around the Open Centre - and it is this lack that we are trying to fill now with a better newsletter setup. We will send more regular newsletter, with news and updates about the Open Centre, as well as news & updates about all the different events happening around the world for the Open Centre - and believe me, there are many! We will also post some nice and "sweet" things in this newsletter, perhaps a favorite poem, a quote or a thought from Jaya-ji, Gemma-ji or Ajay-ji, or the lyrics of the most popular bhajans/kirtans in the last retreat or Yatra, perhaps even a link to some audio recording of bhajans or dharma talks, who knows....? So our first step to make this newsletter more effective is to make it reach the people who want to receive it! A lot of people from the sangha told me these last month that they were not in this Open Centre mailing group (Google Group) and that they didn't even knew that it existed... So we would ask your help for that: Could you please write a quick email (or forward this one) to everybody you know whom you think could be interested by having news about the Open Centre and its development, and tell them that they simply need to send a blank email to: [GROUP NOT IN USE ANYMORE - Go to http://www.opencentre.es/newsletter/?p=subscribe to subscribe] to subscribe on this group. Important note: After sending an email to [GROUP NOT IN USE ANYMORE - Go to http://www.opencentre.es/newsletter/?p=subscribe to subscribe] you will receive a confirmation email with a link to click on. You *need* to click on that link to be subscribed - otherwise you won't be subscribed. (This is an anti-spamming protection.) If you are not sure if you are subscribed or not, don't take any chance, send another email to [GROUP NOT IN USE ANYMORE - Go to http://www.opencentre.es/newsletter/?p=subscribe to subscribe] , it can't do any harm! :) This newsletter group is for everybody, not only for those wanting to be actively involved in the Open Centre. It is for everyone interested to know about the Open Centre project, about it's development, about what is being done for it, about what is happing throughout the world for it... No more than 2 emails per month will be sent with this group, it won't flood your mailbox! :) I would also be happy to receive feedback from you, to know about what you would like to read most in this newsletter about the Open Centre. What interest you most, what are you curious about, what do you think we should write more about, what do you think we should not write about? Iris-ji has very kindly offered to be the editor of this newsletter. Thanks, Iris-ji! I will be acting as the fund-raising coordinator for the Open Centre, to get information about all the fund-raising event happening all over the world to let people of the sangha as well as Jaya, Gemma & Ajay, know about it, and to try to link and network people together for organizing fund-raising events or activities. If you are organizing a fund-raising event, please email me information about it (as much as you can!) at: fundraising (AT) opencentre.es Iris-ji and I will share this to everyone through the newsletter.. It's always so great to hear about what's happening for the Open Centre! It doesn't matter if you're planning a little or a very big event, if you have collected 5$ or 50,000$, it's uplifting for the whole sangha to see that people are really doing many different and creative things for the Open Centre, and how much effort and dedication is being directed by many people towards its realization. Don't hesitate to write me as well if you're thinking about organizing something or even if you're thinking about having the idea to organize something! Perhaps we can link you with other people of your region who were already thinking about doing the same?... While we will continue to put efforts to organize different individual or goup fund-raising events, we are also shifting more energy towards the search for grants (and big money) for the Open Centre. More details on this to come soon - and how you can also help. I recently finished my 3-month, 2500 km fund-raising bicycle-tour through Europe, from Germany to Spain, and will give some news about it in the next newsletter as well. And for now, here is the main content of this newsletter, some news about 2 events made for the Open Centre: Nanda-ji, along with many friends from the sangha (which I won't name, for fear of forgetting people!), is organizing a fund-raising Indian Sunday near Utrecht, in Holland, this coming Sunday: INDIAN SUNDAY in Holland - October 21st, 2007, from 15:00 till 22:00. With yoga, silent walk through the forest, live classical Indian music, chai, lassi, Indian food, a lively bazar, Dj Safri with BasmatiBreakz and CouscousGrooves, many nice people from the sangha, a presentation about Open Dharma, and about single women in India, with the launching of Nanda's book! Enough reasons to come! The entry visa is 8 euros. The proceeds go for the opening of the Open Centre (http://www.opencentre.es) Everybody is most welcome. Location: Utrechtseweg 305, De Bilt (near Utrecht), Holland Coming by train: From Utrecht Centraal train station, take bus 50, 52, 53 or 54 and get out at Kerklaan in De Bilt. Follow the road for 5 minutes and it is the big house on your right side with the pink veranda. More info: nandahuneman (AT) gmail.com Dave-ji reported me on the great success that they had in San Francisco with the evening with Christopher Titmuss: "Christopher Titmuss was on perhaps his last teaching trip to the U.S., and he generously offered to give a fund-raising dharma talk to benefit the Open Centre. Erika Linton put together the whole production, and with only about 10 days notice, 60+ people turned up in the Zen Hospice Project headquarters in San Francisco on a Tuesday night. The theme of the talk was "Radical Dharma," and Christopher started off by telling the group "we're practicing empty mind, empty pocketbooks!" A total of $1,400 was raised for Open Centre. Besides a great event for the Open Centre, it was a wonderful night of dharma and connection with sangha." Warm & many thanks to Erika-ji and all other involved for wonderfully organizing this successful event! So, I think that it is enough for this edition of the newsletter, and I want to apologize about the length of this email - it seems like I am unable to write short emails - but don't worry, I won't be the usual editor of the Open Centre newsletter! :) Wishing you all wellness & happiness, Metta, -Benoit