Northern California Shambhala News
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Our community is coming together during our shelter-in-place order to provide opportunities for community practice.
Social distancing
does not need to mean social isolation. And, since so many of us find that our practice is enhanced by sharing it with others, we are creating new ways to connect with sangha.
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NorCal Shambhala Shamatha Zoom Room
Join us any time of day when you sit to meditate. Jump on and see who in our region is practicing in the Zoom Meditation Room at the same time. Since we can't gather in person, we can sit in virtual community.
Please keep your mic muted while you are in the meditation space.
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Parinirvana Day Online—Celebrating the Life of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
With the Berkeley Shambhala Center
Saturday, April 4th from 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM
Please join us in celebrating the life, teachings, and remembrances of our founder, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, on the 33rd anniversary of his parinirvana (passing from this physical realm).
Schedule
9:30 AM Opening Chants and Sitting Mediation
10 AM Sadhana of Mahamudra
11 AM Discovering Elegance video
11:30 AM Readings from the Vidyadhara's books, remembrances, and discussion
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White Tara Practice Sessions
Shambhala Online
Sunday, April 5 at 10 AM
Sunday, April 12 at 10 AM
Sunday, April 19 at 10 AM
You can join the Shambhala Online community for the healing, soothing practice of White Tara. Emanated from the tear s of the compassionate Avalokiteshvara, peaceful White Tara is said to witness the suffering of beings through her seven eyes, and she soothes their fear, calms their anguish, heals their suffering, restores their health—both individual and communal—and extends their lives. This is a lineage practice particularly relied upon in times of domestic and community turmoil and disharmony, or in the midst of attacks on health and longevity.
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Contentment in Everyday Life—Online
With Kathryn Rile and Susan Arnesen in San Francisco
Five Tuesday Evenings, April 21st through May 19th from 7 to 9 PM
This course provides an exploration of genuine contentment, the foundational views of the Buddhist teachings, and meditation in action for daily life. With meditation practice, we can learn to appreciate ourselves and simple human experiences, free from self-aggression. Difficult emotions and the challenges of life can be met with gentleness, steadiness, and humor.
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Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction—An Eight-Week Online Program
With Cynthia Morin in Berkeley
Saturday Afternoons, April 25th to June 13th from 2 to 5 PM
Mindfulness-based stress reduction is an eight-week program that offers secular, intensive mindfulness training to assist people with stress, anxiety, depression and pain. It is a practical approach which trains attention, allowing people to cultivate awareness and therefore enabling them to have more choice to take wise action in their lives.
Developed at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in the 1970s by Professor Jon Kabat-Zinn, MBSR uses a combination of mindfulness meditation, body awareness, yoga, and exploration of patterns of behavior, thinking, feeling and action.
Learn more and register here…
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Tonglen: Expanding the Heart with Wisdom with Dungse Jampal Norbu
With the San Francisco Young Meditators
Thursday, May 7th from 7 to 9 PM
The Buddhist practice of Tonglen asks us to take nothing in our lives for granted. The compassion and wisdom that results from exchanging self and other—asking that we walk a mile in another’s shoes—leads us to a greater sense of inner peace.
Dungse Jampal Norbu will guide us through the practice of Tonglen and explore the hard questions that arise when we confront the biases and assumptions that come up when we actively engage this practice.
Dungse Jampal Norbu is the son and dharma heir of Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche. Rinpoche is the founder of Mangala Shri Bhuti and a lineage holder of the Dzogchen Longchen Nyingtik tradition. Dungse la’s anecdotal style and first-hand curiosity about how Buddhism relates to actual experience imbue his teaching with a fresh perspective, and reveal a natural wisdom and humor.
Price
Sliding Scale from $10 to $20 (to support the center).
In addition, there will be an optional opportunity to offer any amount monetarily to Dungse Jampal Norbu, in the spirit of one’s inspiration and gratitude for his teachings.
For more details and registration, visit this link:
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Online Sitting Meditation Practice Sessions
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All of our online meditation practice session are open to anyone who wishes to join and free of charge. Since our survival as a non-profit relies upon the generosity of donations, please consider making a contribution to the center that is hosting the program you are attending. For a list of Northern California Centers, you can
visit this link.
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Sunday Morning Meditation
With Chris Bacon in Sonoma
From 9 AM to 10:15
Followed by tea and conversation (BYO tea!)
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Sunday Morning Sit & Open House
With San Francisco
April 5th: Kathryn Rile and Korey Wong
April 12th: Bruce Dal Santo and Sean Scullion
April 19th: Susan Arnesen and Mark Anderson
From 10 AM to 12 Noon
Meditation Instruction is given at 10 AM. We will be breaking out into a group for meditation instruction.
Meditation Practice begins at 10 AM. This hour is a combination of silent sitting and walking meditation practice.
Talk and discussion begins at 11 AM. If you do not wish to meditate prior to this you may arrive at 11 AM to join the discussion.
Please join the zoom link 5-10 minutes early.
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Sunday Morning Long Sit
With Margaret in San Francisco
Sunday, April 26th
From 10 AM to 12 Noon
Join us for opening chants and two full hours of sitting and walking meditation practice. There will be no meditation instruction or discussion.
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Sunday Morning Meditation Practice
With Lyle Larson in Davis
Every Sunday from 9 to 10 AM
An hour of practice followed by a time for community to connect. Sometimes it will be simply meditation practice and at times special programs like the compassion practices will be offered.
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Weekdays Plus Saturday
With Joanne Martin-Braun in Sonoma
From 7:30 to 8:15 AM
Sitting is a great way to start your day when things are so groundless! We will sit together for a half-hour from 7:30 to 8 AM. Then, if you would like to stay, we will have a few minutes for personal check-ins until 8:15.
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Weekday Morning Meditation
With Davis Shambhala
From 7 to 8 AM
Includes opening chants and meditation followed by conversation.
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Tuesday Evening Open House
With Tamalpais Shambhala
From 7 to 9 PM
Meditation instruction, sitting meditation practice, readings and discussions. (BYO tea and cookies).
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Tuesday Evening Meditation
With Davis Shambhala
From 7 to 8 PM
Meditation Instruction will be available in a separate breakout session.
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Wednesday Morning Meditation
With Susie Cook in Sonoma
From 9 to 9:40 AM
Join us online via Zoom for a half hour of meditation and 10 minutes of open discussion in this unprecedented time of COVID-19 and closure of the Shambhala centers.
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Wednesday Evening Online Community Gathering—Opening the Circle
With Berkeley Shambhala
Wednesdays from 7 to 8:30 PM
As we shelter in place and adapt to rapid changes in our lives and wait…How can we keep from losing heart, feeling isolated, and draw on our inner and outer resources? How can we support each other as community during such a fearful, painful and tenuous time?
The Berkeley Shambhala Meditation Center warmly invites you for Weekly Meditation, Dharma Inspiration and Check-in & Support. The evening will include guided meditation, dharma inspiration, and a listening circle.
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Thursday Morning White Tara Practice
With Davis Shambhala
From 7:30 to 8 AM
Peaceful White Tara is said to witness the suffering of beings through her seven eyes, and she soothes their fear, calms their anguish, heals their suffering, restores their health—both individual and communal—and extends their lives. This is a lineage practice particularly relied upon in times of domestic and community turmoil and disharmony, or in the midst of attacks on health and longevity.
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Saturday Morning Sitting Practice
With Silicon Valley Shambhala
2nd and 4th Saturdays
From 10:15 to 12 noon
Session includes a check-in, sitting meditation, and dharma discussion.
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Online Sadhana Meditation Practice Sessions
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Sadhana of Mahamudra
With Silicon Valley
Every 4th Thursday Evening
From From 7 to 8:45 PM
~and~
With Sean Scullion in San Francisco
Thursday, April 23rd from 7 to 8 PM
Our community is gathering for this precious opportunity to practice the Sadhana of Mahamudra on the evening of the new moon. All levels of students are warmly invited to participate, which is what makes this so special. Sadhanas are usually reserved for Vajrayana practitioners. Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, offered this text to everyone because he saw great urgency in the need for the practice.
The Sadhana of Mahamudra lasts about an hour, and involves both chanting and silent meditation. Text will be provided in an online session.
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Shambhala Sadhana
With Davis Shambhala
Every Tuesday Morning from 7 to 8 AM
~and~
With Margaret in San Francisco
Wednesday, April 8th from 6:30 to 7:30 PM
A time for our community to come together to practice the Shambhala Sadhana. All are welcome—and encouraged—to join, no matter what your level of experience.
The Shambhala Sadhana is powerful in its direct approach to basic goodness. It is a profound yet simple chanting and visualization practice that deepens our personal and societal connection with Basic Goodness. We gather as a community to engage in this profound practice so we can connect more fully with our hearts, each other and the world.
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Sadhana of Kindness
With Irv Kirschbaum and Susie Cook in Sonoma
Every Third Saturday at 9 AM
The Sadhana of Kindness is a short liturgy invoking the moon of kindness in our heart as the basis for establishing enlightened society. This practice is short, delightful, and a primary avenue into Mahayana practice within the Shambhala tradition.
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About Zoom
These sessions are all through the Zoom platform. It is available for computers, smart phones, and tablets. You will need to download the free app on your device before joining the session. Once it is loaded, all you need to do is click the link and follow the prompts to join the session.
It is best to join 5 minutes in advance so that you are set up when the session begins.
And, make certain that your mic is muted when you join to avoid background noises which are multiplied with many participants.
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Northern California Shambhala
2288 Fulton Street
Berkeley, California 94704
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