The Order of Gathering
The shape: twenty-five minutes as the baseline
A gathering in this community is at least twenty-five minutes long. The twenty-five-minute shape below is the standard template: a simple container any host can hold. A gathering may run longer, and talks, discussions, and special gatherings may adapt the structure to what they are for. The shape is a container. What fills it is the people who are present.
1. Arrival (3 minutes)
Everyone arrives. A brief, simple welcome. The host says a line to mark the beginning: "We are here. Let us begin."
2. Reading (5 minutes)
One passage is read aloud. It comes from the community's library. The host reads it once, slowly. The passage is chosen in advance and shown on screen for those who want to read along.
3. Silence (3 minutes)
After the reading, three minutes of silence, simply held. If someone needs to move or breathe, they do. The silence ends when the host says: "Thank you."
4. Reflection (8 minutes)
The host offers one brief reflection on the passage. Two or three sentences: a personal response that opens the door for others.
Then the space is open. Anyone may speak for up to one minute; anyone may simply listen. The host keeps the time gently and passes the turn to whoever is next.
5. Shared Intentions (3 minutes)
The host reads one entry from Shared Intentions. The entry is chosen in advance. After reading it, the host says: "Let us hold this together." A brief silence follows.
6. Closing (3 minutes)
The host says: "The gathering is ending. Thank you for being here." One final line is read. The gathering closes.
The first gathering: a complete script
Arrival
We are here. Let us begin.
Welcome. Whatever brought you here, you are welcome. This is a gathering for anyone who wonders. We read, we sit in silence, we share, and we close. The whole thing takes twenty-five minutes.
If you need to step away at any point, you can. If you prefer to listen, that is welcome. This is your space.
Reading
Today's passage comes from the Tao Te Ching, on the strength of water.
The highest excellence is like (that of) water. The excellence of water appears in its benefiting all things, and in its occupying, without striving (to the contrary), the low place which all men dislike. Hence (its way) is near to (that of) the Tao.
Source: The Tao Te Ching, ch. 8, James Legge (Sacred Books of the East, Vol. 39), 1891
Silence
Let us sit together in silence for three minutes.
[Three minutes of silence.]
Thank you.
Reflection
Water finds the lowest place. It simply flows to where it is needed and does its work quietly.
I wonder what it would mean to live like that. To find the place where I can do the most good, even when the work goes unseen.
The floor is open. If you would like to share, you are welcome. One minute each.
[Open reflection. Host keeps time gently.]
Shared Intentions
Today I am reading an entry from Shared Intentions.
[Read one entry chosen in advance.]
Let us hold this together.
[Brief silence.]
Closing
The gathering is ending. Thank you for being here.
One final line, from the Dhammapada:
If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.
Source: The Dhammapada, v. 2, F. Max Muller (Sacred Books of the East, Vol. 10), 1881
Go in peace. The next gathering is soon.
Notes for the host
- The passage for the reading should come from the community's library. Choose one that fits the day or the season. The passage and its source are shown on screen.
- The reflection is personal. Two or three sentences. It is a door opening.
- During open reflection, keep time gently. If someone goes over a minute, thank them and pass the turn. If the room stays quiet, that is fine. Silence is welcome.
- The Shared Intentions entry should be chosen in advance. Read it plainly and let it stand on its own.
- The closing line should come from the library. It can change each gathering.
- The host needs one thing: to be present.