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FWBO Bay Area Upcoming Events

Welcome to the San Francisco Buddhist Center/FWBO calendar, which contains the following information:

Heads Up! ::  Introductory Classes ::  Regular Ongoing Classes ::  Special Events ::  Affinity Groups ::  Hatha Yoga/Buddhist Meditation ::  Residential Retreats ::  Events in Calendar format  

SFBC Theme for 2008

This year teachings at the SFBC, especially at Sangha Night, will explore the Buddhist path, which offers guidance on how to live intentionally and artfully. This path of teachings and practices (“The Dharma”) leads to increasing wisdom and compassion and eventually to full awakening as a Buddha. We will look at how the path has traditionally been taught, as well as how contemporary practitioners are adapting the core transformational principles of the path to meet the challenges and opportunities of today’s world.

Introductory talk by Viveka: Dharma, A Way of Life

Heads Up!

This section lists special events, course start dates, registration deadlines and other announcements. For a summary of upcoming events, see the calendar at the end of this bulletin. You can sign up for our email list to be notified of upcoming events once a month.

• Public transport info - Driving directions and other info - Making a donation/deposit
• NEW! Some SFBC talks are now online.
• Simplify Your Life! Next time you take a load to a thrift store, please go to Community Thrift just a few blocks from the Center and specify the SFBC as the recipient, charity number 117 (623 Valencia Street at 17th).
• Wed, Oct 1-29 — Sangha Night Course "Reflecting on the Path to Wisdom". (see Ongoing Classes)
• Sat, Oct 11 - Second Saturday Sangha Morning. (see Ongoing Classes)
• Sat, Oct 25 - Wisdom practice morning.(See Special Events)
• Sat, Oct 18 - Barefoot Bhangra! (See Special Events)
• Tue, Oct 21 - Five-Week Introductory courses begin: One in Buddhism and one in Buddhist meditation (see Intro classes)
• Do you use Facebook? If you’re in the San Francisco network, you can join the SFBC Group.
• SFBC Affinity groups: Queer Women, Parents and kids, and People of Color. (see Affinity Groups)
• Volunteer Opportunities: Would you like to support our practice community in offering dharma and meditation instruction? (see also Volunteering)
• The cruelty and violence of the Hindu Caste System toward "Untouchables" remains virtually unknown in the West. To find out more, read this article on sfgate.com "Finding my Religion", or read this blog written in India, Atrocity News. If you may be interested in being supported to go to the UK to help fundraise, see Karuna Appeals.

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Special Events

Sat, Oct 25, 9am-12pm - Wisdom Practice Morning.

Led by Shantinayaka. Please arrive by 8:45 am - doors will close at 9am.
No pre-registration required. By donation.

An opportunity to reflect more deeply on the teachings introduced at the Sangha night series Oct 1-29 (see Ongoing Classes). Led meditation & discussion. All welcome.

Sat, Oct 18, 7-10pm - Barefoot Bhangra!

$5-$10 donation requested.

Come get your groove on. Show up alone or bring your friends for three hours of freestyle movement to danceable Indian music in a festive, alcohol-free environment. Dress comfortably. This is the second in our first series of fundraisers for Jai Bhim International, generously hosted by The San Francisco Buddhist Center. Jai Bhim International supports Buddhist youth projects in India, promoting a culture free of caste discrimination.

Information: www.jaibhiminternational.org

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Introductory Classes

See also Affinity Groups and Yoga/Meditation for other events that may be appropriate for beginners.

Thursdays, 7-8pm — Drop-in Intro to Buddhist Meditation Class (course descriptions)

Tuesday Six-Week Introduction to Meditation Courses

2008 Courses begin: Oct 21 (5 weeks only to Nov 18)
Six Tuesdays, 7:00-9:15pm
Sliding scale: $135-$90*
Register for a Meditation Course

Tuesday Six-Week Introduction to Buddhism Courses

2008 Courses begin: Oct 21 (5 weeks only to Nov 18)
Six Tuesdays, 7:00-9:15pm
Sliding scale: $135-$90*
Register for a Meditation Course

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Ongoing Classes - Open to All

Second Saturday Sangha Mornings

2nd Saturday of each month, 9:30-11:30am
Oct 11, Nov 8, Dec 13
Begins with yoga 9:30 –10:30, followed by meditation and dharma teaching. This is a community drop-in that offers a chance to enjoy meditation and a dharma teaching during the more relaxed weekend time. Open to all. Please join us!
Suggested donation: $10-$5*

Sangha Night
Wednesdays, 6:45-9:00pm (doors open at 6:45)

Oct 1-29. Reflecting on the Path to Wisdom
Option to drop-in any night. (Suggested donation $10-5/night.)*
Sign up for the whole 5-week course: $50-$30 sliding scale. Course includes facilitated discussion groups and supplemental readings. A Level II course especially recommended as a next step to our introductory courses. Also appropriate for the general public.

According to Buddhism, there are three ways of cultivating wisdom: by hearing (or reading), reflecting, or meditating. In this course we will practice all three, exploring the nature of wisdom through formulations from both the Thervadin and Mahayana traditions.

OCT 1 - SURVEY OF TOOLS AND REFLECTIONS ON THE PATH OF WISDOM
Talk by Suvarnaprabha. Reflection takes place in a space that opens up in moments of self-awareness. It can lead us to wisdom, not only in the sense of 'to understand,' but also toward the mysterious process whereby that understanding becomes aligned with our lives.

OCT 8 - THE THREE CHARACTERISTICS OF EXISTENCE
Talk by Rachel Kahn. Gaining Insight (vipassana) means having a direct realization of the true nature of unenlightened existence (samsara). One of the first teachings of the Buddha was seeing or experiencing the world as we know it through the "the three marks": impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and insubstantiality.

OCT 15 - THE FOUR REFLECTIONS
Talk by Padmatara. The four reminders might be called 'the facts of life' from the Buddhist perspective: the precious opportunity offered by human life; death and impermanence; karma, or the fact that actions have consequences; and the defects of samsara, or the inevitability of unsatisfactoriness.

OCT 22 - PERFECTION OF WISDOM
Talk by Shantinayaka. Perfection of Wisdom texts such as the Heart Sutra and the Diamond Sutra tell us that there is no path, there is no suffering. What can this possibly mean? In part Perfection of Wisdom texts use paradox and irrationality to convey profoundest truths that are fundamentally inexpressible.

Oct 25 - 9am-12pm
SATURDAY PRACTICE MORNING
Reflections on the Path of Wisdom
Led by Shantinayaka. An opportunity to reflect more deeply on the Path of Wisdom.

OCT 29 - FORGET IT! LIVING THE WISDOM
An evening of collective practice incorporating chanting, music, drumming, stories, poetry, and perhaps pre-election jitters. Please bring something - a song on a CD, a poem, an image - that evokes wisdom for you.

Weekday Morning Sits

Monday through Friday (except holidays), 7:30am.
Group sits open to anyone with a meditation practice. No instruction. Doors open at 7:25 for a 40-minute sit starting at 7:30. If you arrive late and the door is locked please do not interrupt the meditation - come back next time! Also see Introductory Classes.

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Residential Retreats

For information about registering for retreats, venues, and ridesharing, please see general information about retreats including how to register.

Register online for a retreat...or here is more info about how to register for a retreat.

Annual Beginner's Mind Retreat: Focus on Kindness and Patience

Oct 10-13 (Friday 7:30pm to Monday 3pm, with the option to stay through Sunday 3pm)

Be patient toward all that is unresolved in your heart
And try to love the questions themselves.
- Rilke

Retreats provide an opportunity to sit quietly, relaxing into awareness, in a beautiful setting that is much simpler than our daily lives. This retreat will provide support and information for those newer to retreat, and a familiar practice context for others, focusing on cultivating patience in difficult times, through meditation, study, and some devotional practice (puja).

9-Day Winter Meditation Retreat

Dec 21-30 (Sunday to Tuesday)
From Integration to Spiritual Rebirth

Led by Tejananda, senior Order member and author of "The Buddhist Path of Awakening" at Camp Double Bear.

Registration deadline: Dec 7 with $100 deposit. Retreatants must attend the whole retreat.
Sliding scale: $550-$450 * + dana for teachers and the cook. (Paying the higher rate in advance helps others come on retreat at a lower rate).

On this retreat we'll have an overview of Sangharakshita's system of meditation: Integration, positive emotion, spiritual death and spiritual rebirth, together with just sitting – are soundly based in traditional Buddhist teaching, yet are freshly and appropriately re-expressed in this complete path for the cultivation of tranquillity and insight. We’ll explore it experientially and in depth, from the fundamentals (mindfulness of breathing, mindfulness practice and metta bhavana) to reflection, insight practice and formless meditation. There will be plenty of meditation, and plenty of devotional practice too!

Register for a retreat online...or here is more info about how to register for a retreat.

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Affinity Groups

See also Introductory Events and Yoga/Meditation for events open to mixed levels of experience.

Dharma Dykes — Thu, Oct 17, 7pm. Meets monthly on the 3rd Thursday. Inviting those who identify as Queer Women to join us for a monthly chance to meditate together and explore our unique experiences in applying the dharma to all aspects of our lives. Open to all levels of experience. $5 suggested donation*
More info from kicagazmuri@hotmail.com.

Family Practice — Sat, Oct 4, 10:30am-12:30pm.

First Saturday of every month, offering space for moms and dads to find support in the practice of mindful parenting and enjoy a brief meditation. Buddhists from the Center come to support and play with the kids (including reading a Buddhist story). The group’s three founders have four kids, ages 2 through 6. For more info, contact Kim at kmsm27@hotmail.com. $5 suggested donation*

People of Color Sitting Group — Sunday, Dec 14, 1-3:30pm.

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Hatha Yoga/Buddhist Meditation

See also Introductory Events and Affinity Groups for events open to mixed levels of experience.

Friday Practice Night
with Yoga, Meditation, and Discussion
Fridays, 6–8pm, $10* (exact change appreciated)
(doors open at 5:45pm)
Most people don't realize that Hatha yoga was invented thousands of years ago for the purpose of preparing the yogi or yogini for meditation. Please join us for a class of approximately 1 hour of Hatha Yoga, 30 minutes of meditation and 30 minutes of discussion. The class is led by two different yoga and meditation teachers each week. Open to all levels of experience with yoga and meditation.

Second Saturday of each month, 9:30-10:00am. (Before Second Saturday Sangha Mornings, above.) (More info about these yoga teachers.)

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Practice Opportunities for Mitras and Order Members

(See What is a Mitra? or What is an Order member? for more information.)

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Volunteering for the Center

There are several options if you would like to give back to the Center. Help with regular or online publicity, for example, is always needed. You can also keep one area of the Center clean for one month--just put your name on the cleaning sign-up sheet in the Center. Occasionally there are openings on the Center Management Team (CMT), the main group of volunteers who along with Center Director/Manager Suvarnaprabha meet once a month and supports the day-to-day activities of the Center. If you would like to volunteer, please email info [at] sfbuddhistcenter.org. (See also, Who Does What at the SFBC and Opportunities to Give Back)

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Renting the SFBC/FWBO space

The SFBC space is available to rent. (more info)

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Summary of Upcoming Events

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*Note about prices

The activities of the Bay Area Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO), a nonprofit organization, are dependent on donations and the support of those attending its events and classes. Fees go toward the costs of operating this public center. All teaching is done on a volunteer basis. We would like to offer the Dharma to anyone with interest and are happy to reduce the rates listed on this site. Reduced rates must be arranged before the registration deadline.

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