Sangha nights are now mostly in-person, with a zoom option. Please read requirements carefully - they will be updated regularly.
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. You are welcome here.
Our theme for 2023 is "Pathways to Awakening".
Caminante, no hay camino, se hace camino al andar. Pathmaker, there is no path, the path is made by walking. (Antonio Machado)
There are as many paths to awakening as there are beings - it's up to us to start walking and let each step reveal itself, until, as some would say, we discover we were already where we wanted to be. Luckily the Buddha gave countless clear instructions to guide us. This year we'll look at some of them together.
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
Encounters on the Path: Demons, Dakinis, and Gurus
Continuing our 2023 theme: Pathways to Awakening, this month we will share stories of some of the archetypal, mythological, beautiful and scary beings we are likely to encounter on the path, and see what they have to teach us about staying present and waking up.
Sep 6: Embracing our demons (and allies): the Buddha's journey, with Padmatara
Sep 13: Milarepa's story, with Viradhamma
Sep 20: Meeting the Dakinis, with Karunadakini
Sep: 27: Padmasambhava Day Celebration, with Mokshasi
For in person attendance please make sure you can agree to our safety requirements listed here. (No need to register.)
Sangha Night Donations
We suggest $10 to $5 for Sangha Nights. If you'd prefer to pay monthly, ask about our dana program.
All our teachers are volunteers and any donations we receive go towards keeping our center running so that we can continue to provide a space for practice.
Registe here to receive zoom link (you only need to do this once - we will update you of any changes). Enter the amount you wish to donate in the box below, and if you prefer to pay another way, you can enter 0, but if you do this please make sure to click 'pay later' on the payment page, otherwise the registration won't work. Drop us an email if you have any difficulty. It may take up to a day or two to receive the zoom link - thank you for your patience.
Please add info@sfbuddhistcenter.org to your address book so we can keep you up-to-date with any changes.*
A Lineage of Spiritual Friendship
Wednesdays 7pm to 9pm in person and on zoom
During the month of October, we will explore the meaning of lineage within the context of spiritual friendship. The Buddha said "spiritual friendship is the whole of the spiritual life". The Buddha also said "be an island unto yourself, be your own refuge, having no other". How do we make sense of these seemingly contradictory teachings? Please join us to find out more.
To mark Indigenous Peoples Day Oct 9, all donations from Sangha Nights this month, and from our Movie Night Oct 8, will go to Friendship House, an Indigenous led Organization in the Mission (15th & Julian off of Mission St), that has been providing services to Native Americans for almost 60 years.
Oct 4 - Join us to celebrate MJ's path to ordination, as she prepares to leave for her ordination ceremony in Mexico, at Chintamani Retreat Center.
Oct 11 - Danadasa will explore the meaning of lineage and spiritual friendship
Oct 18 - Viradhamma will share the story of Dr. Ambedkar the the mass Buddhist conversions in India
Oct 25 - Danadasa will speak about some of the teachers who have shaped his journey
For in person attendance please make sure you can agree to our safety requirements listed here.
For online attendance please register to receive zoom link (you only need to do this once).
We ask for a donation of $10 to $5 for Sangha Nights, or consider joining our dana program and donating monthly.
To register for zoom, enter the amount you wish to pay in the box below, or if you prefer to pay another way, you can enter 0, but if you do this please make sure to click 'pay later' on the payment page, otherwise the registration won't work. Drop us an email if you have any difficulty.
It may take up to a day or two to receive the zoom link - thank you for your patience.
Please add info@sfbuddhistcenter.org to your address book so we can keep you up-to-date with any changes.*
Celebrating Sangha
As, one by one, we make our own commitment,
Creating your Path
Wednesdays 7pm to 9pm
Caminante, no hay camino, se hace camino al andar. Pathmaker, there is no path, the path is made by walking. (Antonio Machado)
Continuing our 2023 theme: Pathways to Awakening, this month various Sangha Members will share what they have learned on the paths they have created by "walking" (poetically speaking). Prasadachitta will hold the space and contribute his own reflections.
Aug 2: Abhayamoksha has just returned from a three-month ordination retreat in Spain. Let's welcome him back and hear about his journey.
Aug 9: Vimalamoksha, joining us on a break from Lake County, will share some of his reflections on the progressive yet non-linear nature of the spiral path.
Aug 16: Danadasa
Aug 23: Chiara: accepting the invitation to practice. With Prasadachitta.
Aug 30: Prasadachitta
For in person attendance please make sure you can agree to our safety requirements listed here.
For online attendance please register to receive zoom link (you only need to do this once).
We suggest donations of $10 to $5 for Sangha Nights, but they are always optional and any amount is welcome and helps cover our costs. Enter the amount you wish to donate in the box below, and if you don't wish to donate or prefer to pay another way, you can enter 0, but if you do this please make sure to click 'pay later' on the payment page, otherwise the registration won't work. Drop us an email if you have any difficulty.
It may take up to a day or two to receive the zoom link - thank you for your patience.
Please add info@sfbuddhistcenter.org to your address book so we can keep you up-to-date with any changes.*
The Path of Commitment
Wednesdays 7pm to 9pm
Are you ready to embark on the journey of embracing the groundlessness of life? Are you ready to consider falling in love with the ever-shifting, never-certain reality of our situation? (Pema Chodron)
Commitment is primary, lifestyle secondary. (Sangharakshita)
Our theme for 2023 is Pathways to Awakening, and this month we will look at commitment as a source of courage in the face of uncertainty and freedom. Within the broader framework of the 3-fold path of Ethics, Meditation and Wisdom, we'll explore the meaning and benefits of these 4 commitments or vows:
July 5: Non-harm: allowing the precepts of non-harm and kindness to protect the heart/mind and wake us up
July 12: The bodhisattva ideal: practicing care for all beings - the freedom of interconnection and letting go of the illusion of separateness
July 19: Turning towards reality: letting go of holding on, resting in groundlessness
July 26: Meditation: supporting and deepening our commitment through meditation and mantra chanting.
It's important to remember that these commitments are not rules or things we should do: rather they express our natural awareness of interconnection and our longing to get out of our own way. They're what we do when we are not distracted by the uneasiness that comes from our limited, self-referential perspective and we're able to be with what is.
Mokshasi and Padmatara will lead this series.
To support our commitments we are also offering the following this month:
Morning Meditations - committing to sitting! Join us weekday mornings for a 40 minute sit in person throughout July.
See also Silent Meditation Day - Saturday July 15. More information coming soon.
For in person attendance please make sure you can agree to our safety requirements listed here if you plan to attend in person. (No need to register.)
For online attendance please register to receive zoom link (you only need to do this once).
We suggest donations of $10 to $5 for Sangha Nights, but they are always optional and any amount is welcome and helps cover our costs. Enter the amount you wish to donate in the box below, and if you don't wish to donate or prefer to pay another way, you can enter 0, but if you do this please make sure to click 'pay later' on the payment page, otherwise the registration won't work. Drop us an email if you have any difficulty.
It may take up to a day or two to receive the zoom link - thank you for your patience.
Please add info@sfbuddhistcenter.org to your address book so we can keep you up-to-date with any changes.*
Wisdom in Action
Wednesdays 7pm to 9pm
June is Buddhist Action Month. Continuing our 2023 Pathways to Awakening theme we will look at ways that Buddhist wisdom can prepare and guide us to take action on issues that are important to us, while staying true to our values and intentions. Through cultivating wise compassion towards ourselves and others, and increasing our awareness of the impact of our actions, perhaps we can participate more fully in the world, becoming more resilient, without losing sensitivity and responsiveness.
With Prasadachitta, Shunyamala, and friends
Please make sure you can agree to our safety requirements listed here if you plan to attend in person.
Register for online attendance and to receive updates (no registration required for in person attendance):
We suggest donations of $10 to $5 for Sangha Nights, but they are always optional and any amount is welcome and helps cover our costs. Enter the amount you wish to donate in the box below, and if you don't wish to donate or prefer to pay another way, you can enter 0, but if you do this please make sure to click 'pay later' on the payment page, otherwise the registration won't work. Drop us an email if you have any difficulty.
It may take up to a day or two to receive the zoom link - thank you for your patience.
Please add info@sfbuddhistcenter.org to your address book so we can keep you up-to-date with any changes.*
The Way of Practice
THEME FOR 2023: PATHWAYS TO AWAKENING
Wednesday Sangha Nights in 2023, 7pm to 9pm.
This month we begin with a "Buddha Day" Festival on May 3. Danadasa will lead the evening.
Buddhist Festivals usually occur on or near the Full Moon, as this is said to be an especially good time for the Bodhicitta to awaken in collective practice.
From May 10 through 31 we will consider ways to create conditions for awakening through our practice of ethics, meditation and wisdom, including integration, positive emotion, spiritual death and rebirth or insight, and receptivity.
May 10: Viradhamma, introduction and Integration
May 17: Shunyamala, Positive Emotion
May 24: Karunadevi, Spiritual Death
May 31: Mokshasi, Spiritual Rebirth and Puja
Please make sure you can agree to our safety requirements listed here if you plan to attend in person.
Register for online attendance and to receive updates (no registration required for in person attendance):
We suggest donations of $10 to $5 for Sangha Nights, but they are always optional and any amount is welcome and helps cover our costs. Enter the amount you wish to donate in the box below, and if you don't wish to donate or prefer to pay another way, you can enter 0, but if you do this please make sure to click 'pay later' on the payment page, otherwise the registration won't work. Drop us an email if you have any difficulty.
It may take up to a day or two to receive the zoom link - thank you for your patience.
Please add info@sfbuddhistcenter.org to your address book so we can keep you up-to-date with any changes.*
In Person and Online, Wednesdays, 7pm to 9pm
THEME FOR 2023: PATHWAYS TO AWAKENING
Wednesday Sangha Nights in 2023, 7pm to 9pm.
April 5, 12, 19: Viradhamma
The practices we do at the SFBC are part of a tradition or pathway that has been passed on from generation to generation for the last 2,500 years. Viradhamma will share his thoughts about how the Dharma was passed on, some of the key figures in our lineage, and what it means for us to participate in this tradition.
The talks are based on Dhardo Rinpoche’s motto
“Cherish the Doctrine, Live United, Radiate Love.”
April 26: Paramananda: The Poetics of Awakening
Paramananda will join us for a celebratory send-off for Brad as he heads for the hills of Spain to be ordained.
DONATIONS:
Please consider making a donation or joining our Dana program to help support our teaching. More information on this page.
Registration
We do not currently require registration for our Sangha Night Classes, but please make sure you can agree to our safety requirements listed here if you plan to attend in person.
For online attendance please join through the link below a few minutes before 7pm.
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84923542148?pwd=a0lxZTlTQmNuT05uZkZrTXJlU3lIQT09
Meeting ID: 849 2354 2148. Passcode: Sangha
The Buddha's Noble Eight Fold Path
Theme for 2023: Pathways to Awakening
Wednesday Sangha Nights in 2023, 7pm to 9pm.
The Buddha's Noble 8 fold Path
In February and March we will take a deep look at the Buddha's Noble 8 fold Path, one of the most widely known formulations of the spiritual path found within Buddhism.
Donations
All donations received for Sangha Nights in February will go to Oakland based Returning Citizens Association. More information here. How to donate.
Program
February 1 - Introduction to the Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path led by Danadasa
February 8 - Perfect Vision led by Danadasa
February 15 - Perfect Emotion led by Claudia
February 22 - Perfect Speech led by Acarasiddhi
March 1 - Perfect Action led by Acarasiddhi & Nanasiri
March 8 - Perfect Livelihood led by Medhahshri
March 15 - Perfect Effort led by Viradhamma
March 22 - The Promise of a Sacred World - Special Guest Nagapriya from Cuernavaca, Mexico, will talk about the topic of his new book.
March 29 - Perfect Awareness and Perfect Samadhi led by Karunadevi
Registration
We do not currently require registration for our Sangha Night Classes, but please make sure you can agree to our safety requirements listed here if you plan to attend in person.
For online attendance please join through the link below a few minutes before 7pm.
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84923542148?pwd=a0lxZTlTQmNuT05uZkZrTXJlU3lIQT09
Meeting ID: 849 2354 2148. Passcode: Sangha
Donations:
Please consider making a donation or joining our Dana program to help support our teaching. More information on this page.
Pathways to Awakening
PATHWAYS TO AWAKENING
Wednesdays in 2023, 7pm to 9pm.
Caminante, no hay camino, se hace camino al andar. Pathmaker, there is no path, the path is made by walking. (Antonio Machado)
There are as many paths to awakening as there are beings - it's up to us to start walking and let each step reveal itself, until, as some would say, we discover we were already where we wanted to be. Luckily the Buddha gave countless clear instructions to guide us. This year we'll look at some of them together.
In January we'll begin our exploration with a series on the Anapanasati Sutta, the Buddha's meditation instructions, directing us to discover the nature of reality through gentle attention to our experience.
Jan 4: Mokshasi will introduce the Sutta
Jan 11: Shunyamala will share her reflections on the second set of verses - feeling/vedana. There will also be a Mitra Ceremony for Molly and Dylan - marking their personal commitment to practice.
Jan 18: Prasadachitta will continue with the Heart-Mind/Citta set of verses.
Jan 25: Mokshasi will lead the last night of the series on Wisdom
Here is a link to a series of talks on this Sutta given by Viveka in 2003, still well worth a listen. And here is the Sutta from that same retreat.
Registration
We do not currently require registration for our Sangha Night Classes, but please make sure you can agree to our safety requirements listed here if you plan to attend in person.
For online attendance please join through the link below a few minutes before 7pm.
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84923542148?pwd=a0lxZTlTQmNuT05uZkZrTXJlU3lIQT09
Meeting ID: 849 2354 2148. Passcode: Sangha
Donations: Please consider making a donation or joining our Dana program to help support our teaching. More information on this page.
Deepening Practice through Ritual, in Buddhism and in Life (and Death)
Deepening Practice through Ritual and Honoring our Ancestors
Wednesdays in November and December, 7pm to 9pm.
In November and December we have been looking at the meaning and role of Ritual and Honoring our Ancestors and Lineage, reflecting on the influence and inspiration of the generosity and wisdom of other beings, in our cultures, sanghas and buddhist traditions.
We began with a celebration of Day of the Dead, and continue with an exploration of buddhist ritual, spiritual rebirth, and the transcendental.
November wss Native American Heritage Month, and our November sangha night benefit raised $750 for Friendship House, an Indigenous led organization in the Mission.
Nov 2: Celebrating Day of the Dead, Día de Muertos, with Mokshasi.
Nov 9: Sangha Day - celebrating the inspiration and aspirations of Sangha, lineage, and ancestors. With various Sangha Members.
Nov 16: Honoring our Ancestors, with Prasadachitta
Nov 23: no class
Nov 30: Spiritual rebirth, with Prasadachitta. The freedom that follows deeper understanding.
Dec 7: Samayashri - our new President, will lead this evening on a topic of her choice.
Dec 14: Prasadachitta will explore the importance of ritual in our tradition, perhaps with a puja.
Dec 14: Winter Solstice with Danadasa
Dec 28: no class. See Winter Retreat (now full with a waiting list.)
Registration
We do not currently require registration for our Sangha Night Classes, but please make sure you can agree to our safety requirements listed here if you plan to attend in person.
For online attendance please join through the link below a few minutes before 7pm.
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84923542148?pwd=a0lxZTlTQmNuT05uZkZrTXJlU3lIQT09
Meeting ID: 849 2354 2148. Passcode: Sangha
Donations: Please consider making a donation or joining our Dana program to help support our teaching. More information on this page.
Impermanence and Death
Oct 5: Dying Without Regret
Oct 12: Buddhist-inspired Practical Solutions to Living & Dying
Oct 19: Making our Dying Wishes Come True - For ourselves, our families & loved ones
Oct 26: Fungi and the Bardo
Bonus Workshop: Saturday November 5, 1pm to 5pm
Recollecting the Buddha
Recollecting the Buddha
Wednesdays in September, 7pm to 8:30pm. Please register below if this will be your first time at Sangha Night.
Our theme for 2022 is Deepening Practice. In September Paramabodhi is visiting from the UK, and will lead us in some recollections of the Buddha.
Sep 7: Celebrating our change of chair, hosted by Viveka - see separate page for more information
Sep 14 to 21: Recollecting the Buddha, with Paramabodhi
Sep 14: Going Forth and quest for Enlightenment
Sep 21: Enlightenment and Turning the Wheel of Dharma
Sep 28: Teaching Years and Parinirvana
Registration - please register below so that we have your information in case of changes to the Sangha Night program or zoom link. You only need to do this once.
Donations: Please consider making a donation or joining our Dana program to help support our teaching. More information on this page.
If you would like to attend in person please check you can agree to our current safety requirements listed here. We will ask you to confirm when you arrive.
We will still offer the zoom option each week.
TO REGISTER
Enter the amount you wish to donate in the Event Donation box and click add to cart. Donations of any amount are very much appreciated but always optional - please feel free to enter 0 in the box, but if you do this please make sure to click 'pay later' on the payment page (otherwise the registration won't work). Drop us an email if you have any difficulty.
Please add info@sfbuddhistcenter.org to your address book so we can keep you up-to-date with any changes.*
What's Love got to do with it?
What's Love got to do with it?
Wednesdays in July and August, 7pm to 8:30 on zoom and in person
What does love have to do with the 4 noble truths, the 5 hindrances, the 5 or 10 precepts, the 10 fetters, the 6 or 10 perfections, the 8 Worldly Winds .... and other important teachings?
The answer, of course, is everything, although we're talking here about unconditional love, or Metta/loving-kindness, and not the second hand emotion Tina Turner refers to. We're always in relationship, and the teachings would be meaningless if they didn't address how to relate from love, from the heart, and not simply from our own delusional search for security.
In July and August we will continue our Deepening Practice theme by exploring key Buddhist Teachings and what they say or imply about love and relationship, with the four Brahma Viharas (Metta/Loving Kindness, Karuna/Compassion, Mudita/Sympathetic Joy, Uppeka/Equanimity) as a framework. With short talks, discussion, and lots of meditation, together we'll see if we can create a container kind enough to allow a deeper wisdom.
Resources, Suggestions and Challenge - on this page you'll find further reading, quote sources, suggestions and our Summer challenge. Updated each week.
Wednesdays in July and August, 7pm to 8:30pm.
July 6: Padmatara: Defining Love
July 13: Padmatara: Love and the 5 "hindrances
July 20 and 27: Danadasa
August 3: Mokshasi Love, Impermanence and Surrender
August 10: Viradhamma Infinite Love
August 17: Karunadevi Equanimity and the Broad Band of Awareness — All about love
August 24: Prasadachitta
August 31: Love puja with Brad
Registration - please register below so that we have your information in case of changes to the Sangha Night program or zoom link. You only need to do this once.
Donations: Please consider making a donation or joining our Dana program to help support our teaching. More information on this page.
If you would like to attend in person please check you can agree to our current safety requirements listed here. We will ask you to confirm when you arrive.
We will still offer the zoom option each week.
TO REGISTER
Enter the amount you wish to donate in the Event Donation box and click add to cart. Donations of any amount are very much appreciated but always optional - please feel free to enter 0 in the box, but if you do this please make sure to click 'pay later' on the payment page (otherwise the registration won't work). Drop us an email if you have any difficulty.
Please add info@sfbuddhistcenter.org to your address book so we can keep you up-to-date with any changes.*