Still Water Mindfulness Practice Center
6814 Westmoreland Ave
Takoma Park, MD 20912-3408
301-270-8353

Contact: Mitchell Ratner
E-mail: mitchell@stillwatermpc.org

Website: www.stillwatermpc.org

Many of us live as though there were tape recorders in our heads - constantly playing back worries, fears, regrets, commentary, and criticism; or replaying old songs and scenes from the past. Mindfulness practice enables us to find the pause buttons on our recorders, to shift from thinking about the world to experiencing it. We become more aware of our bodies, our feelings, our emotions, and our environment. We are better able to respond wisely and compassionately to events as they unfold.

The Still Water Mindfulness Practice Center's mission is to nurture all who wish to practice Mindfulness. We are part of a world-wide network of communities inspired by the teachings and practices of Thich Nhat Hanh, a widely-known Vietnamese Buddhist monk, author and activist. We are also incorporated as a religious non-profit corporation in the state of Maryland.

Members of the Still Water community come together to sit quietly in meditation, to learn Mindfulness practices (from sitting meditation to hugging meditation), and to support each other in our lives' journeys. Each Thursday evening, from 7:00 - 9:15 p.m., there is a community gathering which includes sitting meditation and a program focused on mindfulness in everyday life. (A Still Water orientation is offered the first Thursday of each month, beginning at 6:30 p.m.) Each weekday morning members of the Still Water community gather together to practice sitting and walking meditation before beginning their daily pursuits. Newcomers and experienced practitioners are always welcome.

In addition to our regular program we regularly offer workshops, retreats, and other special events. The best way to stay informed about our activities is to subscribe to our email newsletter, which provides information about each Thursday's program as well as other events in our community and in the area.

Almost 60 years ago, Paul Reps published a picture poem in Zen Telegrams:

   drinking
   a bowl of green tea
   I stopped the war

When we drink tea with Mindfulness we resist the busyness, materialism, and alienation of our modern world. We practice Mindfulness for ourselves, to become calmer, more alive, more genuine. And we practice Mindfulness for the world - to create a world in which there is greater understanding and compassion, a world in which our essential oneness is embodied in thought and action.

About Still Water MPC's Senior Teacher

Mitchell Ratner, Ph.D. has been a lay member of the Tiep Hien Buddhist order since 1993 and in 2001 received the Dharmacariya (Meditation Teacher) transmission from Vietnamese Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.

An applied anthropologist and a founder of the Still Water Mindfulness Practice Center, since 1994 he has taught classes and workshops focused on practicable methods of integrating mindfulness meditation with work, meaningful relationships, and the challenges of everyday life.