Our Wednesday Sangha Nights are dedicated to supporting anyone wishing to experience and share the benefits of Buddhist practice. We are committed to strengthening the connection between personal practice and positive action in the world around us, and providing a welcoming and safe place for all those who want to participate. All are welcome here.
Our theme for 2024 is Waking up to Imagination
Imagination can bring us closer to awakening, or distract and keep us trapped in conditional views and beliefs. How do we tell the difference? This year we will look at teachings through the ages, from the Pali Canon to the modern day, that help us distinguish between imagination that opens the heart and mind and imagination that perpetuates delusion.
In Person with a zoom option.
Most evenings are informal and interactive. Introductions are followed by meditation and after the tea break there's usually a talk, workshop or discussion. No particular experience is required, though if you have not meditated before we recommend first attending one of our introductory classes.
Most of our practice periods begin with Saluting the 3 Jewels and we sometimes chant the Refuges and Precepts together.
Suggested donation: $10–$5, or whatever you can afford. If you'd like a brief orientation please arrive before 7pm.
Sangha Night Classes
Wednesdays July to Sep, 7pm to 9pm, in person and online
Sangha (Community) Nights are open to anyone wishing to practice together and connect around Buddhist practices and Dharma teachings.
In person and on zoom. Zoom link. In person safety requirements. All Welcome. (More information about Sangha Nights.)
Our theme for 2024 is Waking Up to Imagination.
July 24, 31 and Aug 7: Mindfulness as Insight Practice, with special guest Paramabodhi
August 14: Buddha Shakyamuni Puja*, with Mokshasi
August 21: Mantra* and Chanting Workshop, with Danamaya and Claudia
So what is this chanting thing all about? And what, exactly, are we saying when we repeat these words? And what if I can’t carry a tune? All this and more will be covered in this workshop. We’ll explore the nature of mantra, the various forms that we use here, and how to enjoy and get the most out of your chanting. We’ll be covering the Refuges and Precepts and two ways to chant our most commonly chanted mantras. No experience or talent needed! But do bring your curiosity and your big, kind heart.
August 28: Prasadachitta, A Different Perspective
September 4: Dharmadhara and Sangha Visioning and Imagining, with Prasadachitta
September 11: Padmasambhava Day Puja*, with Mokshasi
September 18: The Dharma of Dreams, with special guest, Arthabandhu
Arthabandhu will help us explore ways to reconnect with the magic of our dream lives and show how dreams can be part of a rich Dharma life.
More information on this page.
September 25: Mitra Ceremony
Three members of our community have made a personal commitment to practicing with the SFBC Sangha as Mitras and following the Buddhist precepts of non-harm. This simple and joyful ceremony will mark the occasion.
* What is a Puja? What is a Mantra? Who was Padmasambhava?
Special Series with Paramabodhi in July 24 to August 7
Wednesday Sangha Nights, 7pm to 9pm
July 24, 31 and August 7
In person and on zoom. Zoom link. In person safety requirements.
Plus a Day Retreat Saturday August 10, 10am to 4pm: Mindfulness of the Buddha
This series will be led by special guest Paramabodhi, visiting from the UK.
Inspired by the Satipatthana Sutta and the direct teachings of the Buddha, Paramabodhi will emphasize the use of our imagination to engage fully with this beautiful sutta and deepen our mindfulness practice.
The Satipatthana is one of the most influential meditation texts in Buddhism, and can support us to live with more embodied awareness, contentment and insight.
Sangha (Community) Nights are open to anyone wishing to connect around Buddhist practices and Dharma teachings.
Please pre-register for the Day Retreat here.
Satipatthana Books and Resources
Life of The Buddha, translated from Pali by Nanamoli, p240ff
Living with Awareness, A Guide to the Satipatthana Sutta, by Sangharakshita
Satipatthana, the Direct Path to Realization, by Analayo
Satipatthana Meditations led by Analayo, Windhorse Publications
The Way of Mindfulness, Dharma Training Course for Mitras, compiled by Vidyamala
Wednesday Sep 18, with special guest Arthabandhu
Explore the magic of the dream world on this special Wednesday Sangha Night, 7pm to 9pm
Arthabandhu has generously offered to lead this evening while visiting from the UK. Drawing from 20 years of exploring the dream world and the benefits it can offer he will guide us in reconnecting with the magic of our dream lives and show how dreams can be part of a rich Dharma life.
He has long had a special interest in dreams and has explored them in relation to Buddhist practice ever since hearing Urgyen Sangharakshita say: “If you want to really know yourself, pay attention to your dreams.” He lives in the UK, working with adults with learning disabilities and is visiting us after volunteering at a summer camp for people with disabilities in Minnesota.
Our Sangha nights are open to anyone interested in Buddhist practices and Meditation. They are hybrid - for in person please check our safety guidelines, for zoom you'll find the link here.
Wednesdays Oct to Dec, 7pm to 9pm, in person and online
Sangha (Community) Nights are open to anyone wishing to practice together and connect around Buddhist practices and Dharma teachings. In person and on zoom. All Welcome. Each evening begins with meditation, followed by a talk or other activity. Our theme for 2024 is Waking Up to Imagination. (More information about Sangha Nights.)
October: Imagination and the Written (and Spoken) Word
October 2: Waking up to the Imagination through writing, with Acarasiddhi
October 9: The Unreliable Narrator, with Prajnakavi
October 16 and 23: Word-4-Word Dharma - 2 Week Series, with Danamaya
Most Dharma study consists of talks, readings and discussions to learn the concepts. Completely valuable, but not the only way to understand the Dharma. The Buddha’s teachings were first given and, for several centuries after the Buddha’s passing, as an oral tradition. There was great wisdom in this approach. Everyone loves a good story! We’ll be hearing the Dharma in story form.
Week One: Angulimala’s name means Garland of Fingers and he was one bad dude who robbed and killed travelers. He also cut off a finger of his victim to add to his grisly necklace. Yet meeting the Buddha changed his life and he eventually gained Insight. Come find out what happened to the Karma he generated in his life.
Week Two: Conversations with the Gods or There’s No Place Like Home: a story within a story—The Buddha tells Kevala about a monk who has burning questions: Where do the 4 Elements (earth, water, fire and wind cease without a remainder? In other words, where does is the cycle of rebirth broken? When do things stop being transformed from one for to another? So the monk goes traveling…
October 30: Day of the Dead celebration, with Mokshasi
November: Sangha and the Collective Imagination
November 6 - Post Election Sangha get together
November 13 - Sangha Day Celebration
November 20 - Holiday (no class)
November 27 - with Viradhamma
Celebrating 30 years in the Triratna Buddhist Order
December: Turning Inwards
December 4 - with Viradhamma
Love, Compassion, Joy and Equanimity
December 11
December 18: End of year celebration and imaginings
Closed for Winter Retreat 21 to 28
Class resumes January 8 2025