News & Events

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An invitation to Shantideva Sangha

Dear community,

We are happy to share that a new practice center in the Plum Village tradition is available for Plum Village sanghas to organize days of mindfulness and similar activities.

Shantideva Monastery is located on a few beautiful, hilly acres in Castro Valley, just east of Hayward, and about a 1-hour drive from San Francisco, Berkeley, or San Jose. The address is 30345 Palomares Road, Castro Valley, CA 94552.

If you want to arrange a practice day for your sangha at Shantideva, please email Ven. Thich Tu Luc (thichtuluc@yahoo.com) and cc Dylan Tweney (dylan@tweney.com).

There is also a monthly meeting of Shantideva Sangha at this location. We are a group of lay mindfulness practitioners who enjoy practicing in the Plum Village tradition, with chanting in both Vietnamese and English. We invite anyone in the community to join our practice from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the following dates (generally the 3rd Saturday of each month):

  • July 20
  • September 7
  • October 19
  • November 16

These dates are all listed on the NorCal Sanghas event calendar.

We extend a special invitation to OI members, OI aspirants, OI-curious people, sangha facilitators, and anyone interested in helping build the NorCal sangha community.

We aspire that Shantideva (the sangha and the monastery) will become a resource and anchor for our broad and diverse Bay Area and Northern California community.

May you be happy,

Thich Tu Luc, Dylan Tweney and Isabelle YenChi Chappuis

Grey Simple Shantideva FlyerDownload
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New In-Person Sangha in San Francisco: Home Within Sangha

We are happy to share that a new in-person, all-ages Plum Village sangha in San Francisco has launched! Our space is beautiful – an epic, circular, interfaith chapel at the UU church in SF. We hope you will consider joining us (practicing with us? facilitating? being on the organizing team?) so we can make the most of practicing mindfulness together as a community.

We are meeting weekly on Fridays from 4:30-6pm, at the UU Church at 1187 Franklin St in San Francisco.

Every week, we will practice sitting and walking meditation, a short reading, and Dharma sharing. All are welcome.

Some quick tidbits:

  • We recommend arriving a few minutes early so our door greeter can join the sangha gathering sooner rather than later. If you arrive late and need someone to come to the door, please text Nicole at (415) 317-1086 
  • Please see the attached flyer for more information, and pass along to anyone you think might be interested.
  • The group will be peer-led. Every week we will practice sitting and walking meditation, enjoy a reading, and finish with Dharma sharing.
  • To join the sangha’s mailing list, click here and click “Ask to join group.” Please send any questions to HomeWithinSangha@gmail.com.

We look forward to practicing with you soon, maybe tomorrow!

The Home Within Sangha organizing team (Nicole Kramer, Miles Schulman, and Colette Auerswald)

Home-Within-Sangha-FlyerDownload
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Deep Looking, Deep Listening Zoom Circle – Ongoing

Dear Thay, dear sangha members practicing peace:

Please join Dharma teacher Lyn Fine and others in their weekly zoom, on Tuesdays since early October 2023: 

  • 16-18h in Central Europe, 
  • 10-noon EST, 
  • 7am-9am Pacific

Deep Looking, Deep Listening Zoom Circle in the Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism

Hosted by Mindful Peacebuilding Sangha

Co-facilitated: Dharma Teacher Lyn Fine and others

Tuesdays

7am-9amPT (come and go as needed)

FOR THE ZOOM LINK, PLEASE EMAIL mindfulpeacebuilding@gmail.com

Continue reading “Deep Looking, Deep Listening Zoom Circle – Ongoing”
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NorCal Sangha events for the 2-year anniversary of Thay’s passing

Thay became a cloud on January 22, 2022, and we are now coming up on the 2nd anniversary of that date. 

Here are some events of interest to the NorCal community commemorating this anniversary.

IN PERSON: 

Thich Tu Luc is inviting the community to Thay’s 2nd Anniversary ceremony on Sunday, January 21, 2024 at 10am, in Hayward Temple (aka Chua Pho Tu / Compassion Pagoda). All are invited!

17327 Meekland Avenue, Hayward, CA 94541

This program will include sitting meditation, chanting, and expressions. Children are welcome!

Program for Jan. 21, 2024:

Sunday January 21 is the end of the Temporary Monastics life for people who want to attend this precious event (January 17-21)

10:00 am : Ceremony in English and Vietnamese in memory of Sư Ông (2nd Year of his passing)

11:30 am: friendly lunch  

1:00 pm: De-robe ceremony for the temporary monastics  

·       Chủ Nhật, 21-1-2024

10 giờ sáng            Lễ Đại Tường Sư Ông Làng Mai ( song ngữ)

11 giờ 30               Cơm trưa thân mật.

1 giờ chiều             Xả giới – Hồi hướng

Hoàn mãn./-

ONLINE:

Plum Village will be live streaming a 2-year memorial ceremony via their YouTube channel. The Plum Village event is on January 21 at 12:30am Pacific time (9:30 CET) — details are here. 

Plum Village is offering a Ceremony of Transformation to Ancestor the following week. This event is on Tuesday Jan 30, at 9am Pacific time (18:00 CET). This will also be streamed. Details at the same link.

There is also a Ceremony of Transformation to Ancestor live in Vietnamese on the morning of January 29 in Vietnam. Details and the time haven’t been announced yet, but as a guide, 9am on January 29 in Vietnam will be 6pm Pacific time on January 28 in California.

Note: video streaming links are not yet available but I assume they’ll be posted on the linked page.

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Day of Mindfulness Nov. 4 – Santa Cruz Mountains

Dear sangha, the Fourfold Community of Bay Area Sanghas is invited to a day of nourishing practices in the Plum Village Tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh.

Members of the Northern California Mindfulness Community will lead us in silent sitting, Qigong, walking meditation, mindful eating, deep relaxation, and Dharma study.

Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023
10:00 to 4:00
Los Gatos, CA

Kindly use the RSVP link in the flyer if you would like to attend.

Questions?
Jim Scott-Behrends ~ (831) 332-6176 or
Natascha Bruckner ~ 707-888-1916 /
njbruckner@gmail.com

DOM-11_04_23-FLYERDownload
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New Teen Sangha in the Bay Area

from Nicole Kramer:

My name is Nicole (“Coco”) Kramer, and I am a sangha member in the Bay Area. Some of you may know me for my work at the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation from 2018-2022.

I am writing with the joyful news that along with my dear friend Amelia Ravitz, I am helping to form a new teen sangha in Berkeley, CA. Our aspiration is to create a long-term Plum Village sangha for teens in the area, and to plant an initial seed we are creating an 8-week series, on Tuesdays from October 10 – Dec 5. The group is freely offered, and open to teens ages 14-19.

We would be very grateful if you could share this information with your local sanghas and with the teens in your life! Registration closes on October 7. The group will be capped at fifteen participants.

To register and find out more, please visit the series website: https://www.bayareateensangha.com/

If you have any questions, you can also contact us at BayAreaTeenMeditation@gmail.com.

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Gather in Generosity: Day of Mindfulness in Hayward Sept. 17

You’re invited to gather as a community dedicated to cultivating generosity.

We are offering a day of mindfulness on September 17 — an opportunity to experience mindfulness and generosity, and to connect with other local sanghas and practitioners in the Plum Village tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh.

We will also raise funds to support building the monks’ residence at Deer Park Monastery, fostering a space for monastics to live and for lay people to take refuge.

Let’s practice the spirit of dana: receiving when we need it and giving when we have enough.

We are excited to announce that Dharma teacher Denise Bergez has offered to give a Dharma talk this day.

  • Location: Garin Regional Park in Hayward (outdoors) 
  • Date and time: Sunday, Sept. 17, 8:45am – 3:30pm

Note: This is the weekend of Rosh Hashanah. Those who wish to are invited to participate in a Jewish affinity circle as part of the New Year celebration.

Schedule of the day:

●  8:45 Gather
●  9-10 Walking meditation
●  10:00 – 10:30 Guided sitting meditation
●  10:30 – 11:30 Dharma talk by Dharmacharya Denise Bergez
●  11:30 – 12:00 Mindful movement
●  12-1 Lunch
●  1-2 Dharma Sharing: A chance to share and listen deeply, with your sangha or another group
●  2-3:30 Sangha Sharing: A chance for sanghas to introduce themselves to one another

For more information, see the attached PDF flyer.

If you plan to attend, please register by September 15, using this online form.

We are asking for a donation of $10 or more. Details on how to donate are in the form linked above.

Sending smiles!

Duy Tran, Kim Nhat Nguyen, Eric Guico, Dylan Tweney, and Isabelle YenChi Chappuis

Flyer-Gather-in-Generosity-v3Download
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Day of Mindfulness Sept. 23 in Vacaville

(announcement from Dharmacharya Chau Yoder)

Please share the following including the pdf flyer and flow of the Day of Mindfulness with your sangha. 

Our Wisdom Meditation School (Pho Tri) Days of Mindfulness continue exploration of the Dharma with our next event — the 48th in our series. 

Date: September 23, 2023 in person. Please see attached flyer and flow of the DOM for details. 

Title / Theme: “Harmonious Living with Self and Others”

If you have any questions about this DOM, please contact Châu Yoder: 

PhotriDOM@gmail.com

925-708-8662 (call or text)

DOM 9_23_23 FLYERDownload
DOM 9_23_23 FLOW (blue)Download
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Sending Love Letters to the White House

A message from LoAn Nguyen:


Dear Friends, Dear OI Members, Dear Dharma Teachers, Dear TNHF Board Members/Staff, Dear Beloved Monastics:

Thank you for sharing the impacts of the Cluster Bomb that is being considered by the U.S. government to supply Ukraine, and thank you for the ways you have called attention to this harm.

I just wrote to the White House. It was a simple process from this link provided by Susan Poulos. It took no time at all. I saved the message for possible resend elsewhere. I got a response and took a screenshot of it to use in my FB post next.

Continue reading “Sending Love Letters to the White House”