OPEN DOOR is an Insight Meditation community based in Portland, Maine. We currently have a weekly meditation every Monday night in Portland.
PLEASE NOTE: These sits will now be via ZOOM, a video conferencing platform. If you are experiencing technical issues, please visit out FACEBOOK PAGE for an updates.
Here are a few FAQs to help us all land in this new space together:
I am new to Zoom – what do I do? If you’re new to Zoom, we suggest you watch this mini Zoom tutorial (less than 60 seconds) to help you get set up. It will walk you through how to download Zoom and sign in with one of the following: Our Meeting ID: 506-620-0060 OR Link: https://zoom.us/j/5066200060
Familiar with Zoom? Great, you’ll just need to sign in and use our Meeting ID or Link to join.
Should I turn my video on? Yes! We encourage you to have your video on so that we can see each other and experience a sense of sangha and community together online. And of course, if you prefer to keep your video off for any reason, that is fine, too. Ok, I’m in – where is everyone? Once you’ve joined our meeting, you’ll be automatically entered into our “WAITING ROOM” where you’ll be on hold until the meeting starts at 5:30pm.
Why can’t people hear me? Upon entry, you’ll be automatically muted. This helps reduce all the ambient noise from your room or home making it’s way into our community space. After we finish the 30 minute sit, you’ll have an opportunity to raise your hand (virtually or literally) at which point you’ll be unmuted and able to speak and share. In this virtual space,
What do I do about offering Dāna for the evening? If you’d like to support our teachers and the work happening at ODMC, please visit our support page to learn more about the practice of Dāna and to offer via Alexis’ PayPal. We’ll make sure the teachers of any given evening receive the support offered online.
We welcome all people of every cultural and religious background, sexual orientation, gender identity, color, age and physical ability. We look forward to welcoming you. The meditation will be led by Alexis Santos or Susa Talon. Occasionally, a visiting teacher or a community practice leader will lead the group. The format is typically a 30 min lightly guided meditation followed by 30-60 min of discussion, Q & A.
Alexis completed the Spirit Rock/IMS four-year teacher training program with Jack Kornfield and others, including mentors Joseph Goldstein and Carol Wilson. His teaching style is natural and uncrafted. He brings a practical, intuitive and compassionate approach to the development of wisdom. You can learn more about Alexis on his website: alexissantos.io
Susa has been studying and practicing Insight Meditation for more than 10 years and is a long-time student of Sayadaw U Tejaniya with whom she ordained temporarily in 2010. She also studies with Tibetan teacher Mingyur Rinpoche. Susa works as a meditation producer for 10% Happier and offers workshops on mindfulness + meditation in a variety of settings. She is also an artist + illustrator: susatalan.com
The weekly sits are donation-based and drop-in.