"In the beginner's mind, there are many possibilities. In the expert's mind, there are few."
-- Suzuki Roshi
The Care Committee of Insight Meditation South Bay encourages the informed and active participation of each member in support of all members with respect to their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. We intend to act with kindness, generosity and wisdom so that each member of the sangha receives needed support for their practice.
We accept and uphold that
- All individuals can benefit through access to the teachings of the Buddha.
- We are a diverse community of interdependent beings with differing needs.
- There are events and life passages that we honor with individual acts of caring or with public acknowledgment.
- Our activities will include
- Care-giving
- Celebrations
- Ceremonies
With these statements in mind, we will make an effort to
- meet members’ and visitors’ needs for physical access.
- assist members in the event of injury, illness or emotional distress.
- offer services for birth, marriage, and death for members and their families.
Action
We will act as individuals and as a committee to respect privacy while endeavoring to
- arrange transportation for those unable to drive to meet their health care needs or attend sangha events
- provide access to sangha activities for those with physical disabilities, including vision, hearing and motor impairments
- provide food and shopping services on a short-term or emergency basis
- provide temporary emergency child or elder care
- offer assistance and support during illness, injury, childbirth or bereavement
- provide specific services with respect to marriage, birth/naming, and death celebrations
- gather information concerning public and private assistance for member needs that are beyond our scope of service (for example, temporary housing, public dental and health clinics)
- develop a Care Committee brochure describing services offered and how to access these services
- meet with other sangha committees to evaluate member needs generally and to develop methods of communicating our capabilities