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

All In-Person Events are Currently Postponed

Dear Friends,

Much can change in a few day’s time. As a response to the current public health crisis we have decided to cease all in-person classes and retreats at Aryaloka until further notice. We hope to be able to hold activities again in April or May. We will keep you all well informed of our re-opening date.

Many of our teachers and volunteers are vulnerable, as well as many who come here regularly. If we act now to limit contact with the virus, we will hopefully be helping in the broader effort to slow t... Read more

Dear Friends,
As you likely know, we have ceased all in-person gatherings at Aryaloka until further notice.
For the next several weeks, our Tuesday Friends’ Evenings will be online from 7-9pm. Please use the link below for connection; you can also call in.
Here’s what you can expect: 7pm arrive and introductions; 7:15-7:55 led meditation; 7:55-8 bio break; 8-9 short talk and discussion.
We are currently exploring ethics on Tuesday evenings, and will be keeping relevant with current issues as we explore how to practice mindfulness and kindness in difficult... Read more

Event Dates: April 18 and 19, 9:30am to 12:30pm

The legendary endeavors and struggles of Milarepa have much to teach us as we find ourselves in new and likely more challenging conditions. We originally had two Milarepa retreats planned for April, both of which had to be cancelled. Our facilitator for those retreats, the beloved Kamalashila, is safe at home in London. We hope to have him back in 2021 or 2022. We have decided to proceed with ... 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

Event Dates: July 15, 7pm to July 19, 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.<... Read more

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

“When you are free from the concepts of meditator and meditation object and never lose sight of your innate nature, that is the sign that you have met the mother of luminosity”*

On this retreat we’ll focus on two potent symbols from the <... Read more