We warmly invite you to enjoy this issue of The Mindfulness Bell. For the first time a "Sangha" of editors has worked together in all aspects of the magazine's production, from editing to designing and printing. As a four-fold Sangha we have greatly enjoyed this opportunity to realize the theme of this issue "inclusiveness" in the process of putting the magazine together. Our team for this issue consists of Sister Annabel, Abbess of Green Mountain Dharma Center, as senior editor; Peggy Rowe and Barbara Casey of Clear View Practice Center as managing editors; Sister Steadiness of Deer Park as design editor; Brother Phap Tue of Maple Forest Monastery as poetry editor. Brother Phap Kham and volunteers of Deer Park have provided production and subscription management.

We are grateful for the support of Leslie Rawls, the previous editor, and the staff of Parallax Press who provided expertise and support as we move into this new era with The Mindfulness Bell.

It is the richness of the contributions of Sangha members that fulfills the mission of The Mindfulness Bell: offering the fruits of mindfulness practice as inspiration to build a strong and beautiful Sangha that supports us all. To this end, we would like to invite you to offer expressions of your practice through prose, poetry, drawings, photographs, and songs. You can send something which speaks to the issue's theme, or any topic that expresses the transformation and joy of mindfulness. Please include your Dharma name, your Sangha's name and locale, a  biographical sentence, and a photo of yourself or your Sangha. In this way, we can all practice generosity, sharing the gifts we have received from the Dharma for the benefit of us all.

We would also ask you to Begin Anew with us. The Mindfulness Bell has been in transition for several months, and at times communication has been incomplete. If you have submitted work to The Mindfulness Bell that has not been acknowledged, please let us know. We will make every effort to be clear and timely in our responses.

Upcoming issues will include new regular columns, such as, "Ask the Dharmacarya," which will feature guest teachers answering questions on mindfulness practice. There will also be design and fonnat changes. We ask that you dialogue with us about what is most important to you in The Mindfulness Bell, and what would give you support as a member of the mindfulness practice community.

We welcome your contributions and comments. We, in turn, will do our best to become skilled at developing challenging and inspiring themes, at offering clean design and lovely illustrations, and at choosing a deep and diverse voice from the heart of the greater Sangha. We are also committed to meeting a consistent publication schedule.

Thank you for your interest in and commitment to the practice of mindfulness. We look forward to hearing from you.

A Blooming Lotus to you!

The editorial Sangha of The Mindfulness Bell.