Community, Practice, Ritual and Creativity

A close look at what’s happening at three US sanghas: Aryaloka, San Francisco and Rocky Mountain Buddhist centers

• ‘Cultivating the Riches of Less’ by Saddhavasini
• ‘Unearthing the Buddha’ at Aryaloka by Suddhayu
• 5 Buddha Mandala to Protect and Celebrate Dharmadhara by Danamaya
• Drop the Story: Turn attention away from resisting pain
• Acting as if: Training to be of benefit to others
• Sangha Connections in US and Canada
• In Love with the World: One Monk’s Jou... Read more

Event Dates: Friday, February 21 – Sunday, February 23, 2020

In yoga we seek to find suitable grounding and remain aware of the transitions we make through shifting poses, all the while keeping the breath alive and vital in our practice. So too in meditation we must stay grounded while being open to our changing experience, perhaps anchored by the sensations of the breath. For this weekend retreat we will blend the approaches of yoga and meditation to reach a deeper expression of each. All the while cultivating both inner and outer awareness.

The re... Read more

Event Dates: February 29, 9–1

Our Dharma practice days for men in the first half of 2020 will be themed around the idea or image of inner and outer wilderness. We will be exploring the relationship of our inner world to the outer through Dharma texts, literature, meditation and mindful forestry projects. In the cooler months we will be exploring Dharma texts that touch on the theme of wilderness, facing fear, and transformation. In the warmer months we will be outside ... Read more

Event Dates: March 4, 7pm to March 8, 2pm

Listen to the sound of water
In the clefts and in the gullies:
The tiny streams gurgle loudly
— Mighty waters flow in silence.
From the Nalaka Sutta

This retreat provides a safe and supportive space to practice meditation in an atmosphere of deep silence. There is an emphasis on the collective aspect of practice, with the Five Precepts woven into the fabric of the daily program.

Event Dates: March 14, 10 – 4

How do we understand and practice Buddhism in the modern world? After 2500 years, the Buddha’s teaching is still relevant, radical, practical and fresh. This day workshop will give participants an introduction to the life and core teachings of the Buddha. and all they need to begin their own practice! Basic meditation instruction will be given as well as an introduction to Buddhist ethics and wisdom teachings. Vegetarian lunch is provided... Read more

Event Dates: March 15, 10 – 4

“Then I saw an arrow here, Hard to see, embedded in the heart. Pierced by this arrow, People dash about in all directions. When the arrow’s pulled out, They don’t run and they don’t sink.”

This is from “The Discourse on Being Violent”, which scholars believe to be one of the oldest and earliest of the historical Buddha’s discourses. It’s drawn from a recent translation of the Atthakavagga, (The Book of Eights), one ... Read more

Event Dates: March 22, 1–5pm

Our Dharma practice days for men in the first half of 2020 will be themed around the idea or image of inner and outer wilderness. We will be exploring the relationship of our inner world to the outer through Dharma texts, literature, meditation and mindful forestry projects. In the cooler months we will be exploring Dharma texts that touch on the theme of wilderness, facing fear, and transformation. In the warmer months we will be outside (... Read more

Event Dates: March 28, 10 – 3

What happens when two great creators collide head on? Or even three? What happens when Shakespeare and Shostakovich meet? When Prokofiev turns Romeo and Juliet into ballet music, and when that then morphs into movie music? What arises when one of the greatest Hamlets of all time, Lawrence Olivier, encounters one of the great 20th century British composers, William Walton? An explosion of beauty!! How does Bernstein’s ‘West Side St... Read more

Event Dates: April 17, 7pm to April 23, 2pm

The focus of this meditation retreat will be on the extraordinary way of life of Milarepa. Milarepa’s clarity of vision has been a primary inspiration for Kamalashila. He’ll draw on his own experience of living in simplicity as a hermit and practising aspects of Milarepa’s approach.

We will form a community, focused on practice, supporting one another. With study and discussion for the first few days, and then a perio... Read more

Event Dates: April 24, 7pm to April 26, 2pm

Studying, contemplating and meditating on the Dharma according to the Tibetan yogi Milarepa.

Please join us as we welcome guest-teacher Dh Kamalashila for an engaging weekend of meditation and Dharma reflection with the works of the great Buddhist master Read more

Event Dates: May 8, 7pm to May 10, 2pm

The bond between mothers and daughters is unique, complicated, and full of emotions. Take time to reconnect, to celebrate and to deepen this sacred relationship.

“Complicated does not inherently mean “bad.” It’s just that simultaneously, there are two different people (no matter how similar) with a lifetime’s worth of stuff between them, both trying to exist within the multifarious layers of their unique bond.” — A... Read more

Event Dates: May 14, 7pm to May 17, 2pm

On this retreat we will dive into the layers of meaning found in experience of the six elements. Our explorations will be a kind of deep ecology – of our environment and of our minds. The aim of deepening our connection with the elements – inner and outer – is to support us making wise choices about how to live in this world. We hope to heal any sense of alienation that may have taken hold of us and to inspire a sense of connectio... Read more

Event Dates: June 5, 10am to June 7, 2pm

Mindful eating changes how the brain works by changing neural pathways that can transform your mind, health, and life!  Please join Megrette Fletcher, M.Ed, RD, CDE and Kathleen Costello, MS, DC, two mindfulness professionals, as they describe a way to bring mindfulness from an abstract idea to your next meal.  Learn how to use mindfulness with food and movement using 2500-year-old wisdom from the Buddhist tradition.

E... Read more

Event Dates: June 26, 7pm to June 28, 2pm

You’ve probably been given very specific instructions on how to develop mindfulness. You’ve probably received very clear direction in how to cultivate loving-kindness. But dhyana — even although it’s considered to be the basis of Awakening itself — is usually left to chance. Sometimes it happens to us out of the blue, and we’re not entirely clear how. More often it remains elusive, to the point where we start thinking of... Read more