News & Events

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New Year’s Retreat: Becoming Thousands of Lamps

December 30, 2020 – January 3, 2021
online with Sugarplum Sangha
suggested donation: $50 – $200

Looking back on the past year, gratitude overflows for the people, communities, and teachings that have been there through the challenges and hardships faced by the whole world. Thanks to the right mix of tradition and Beginner’s Mind, supported by the presence of teachers and friends on the path, this year has offered us an opportunity for spiritual growth unlike any other in recent memory.

Plum Village has preserved the ancient tradition of lamp transmission, a ceremonial expression of the light of wisdom being passed from one generation to the next. As we look ahead to next year and beyond, we know that we can be faced with even greater challenges that call us to stand together with dedication and grace. In those moments, it will be the light we shine today that future generations look to for hope and guidance.

In this retreat, we’ll enjoy:

  • Formal Transmission of the Five Mindfulness Trainings
  • Writing Insight Gathas
  • Teachings on the lineage of Plum Village lamp transmissions
  • Sitting Meditation
  • Dharma Sharing
  • Chanting

Click below for the retreat schedule and registration
More Info

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Sit-Walk-Listen – SF/LA/NY

Dear friends and community,

Sit Walk Listen organizers from the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and New York City invite you to join us for our final event of the year: a celebration of the people, work, and many hands it took to arrive at this moment.

Zoom link : https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81336943519

FB event link : https://fb.me/e/VMYwUaNR

We pay tribute to the work of Ralph D. Abernathy, Martin Luther King, and so many others of the civil rights movement, the demonstrators and organizers opposing American involvement in the Vietnam-American war, the suffragists who fought for women’s equality, and all of our spiritual and land ancestors that have made it possible for this work to manifest.

We plan to offer guided meditation, movement, and listening circles in an online format so that all of us from the three chapter locations can join together in one gathering. Please find a schedule of events below: 

10:00 – 10:25 am // Arriving and welcome

10:25 – 10:55am // Guided Meditation

10:55 – 11:00 am // Movement 

11:00 – 11:50 am // Listening circles 

11:50 – 12:00 pm // Closing and announcements 

12:00 – 12:15 pm // Optional slideshow for whoever wants to stay

Zoom : https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81336943519
Meeting ID: 813 3694 3519
One tap mobile
+16699006833,,81336943519# US (San Jose)
+13462487799,,81336943519# US (Houston)

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Rains Retreat for Lay Friends

From Sugarplum Sangha:

Traditionally during the rainy season, since the time of the Buddha, the monastics dwell together in one place physically with limited outside trips with the intention of strengthening the practice, reflecting on what habit energy each person would like to focus and transform, and encouraging each other’s growth on the spiritual path. This inspiring talk from Brother Phap Dung opens our hearts to the spirit and possibilities of a rain retreat. It’s a nourishing time to be with ourselves and among friends.

Plum Village has a suggested guidelines for lay friends to follow along including 6 sitting meditation, 6 mindful meals, 1 day of mindfulness,1 lazy day a week, watching a dharma talk and studying a sutra text together. This year we have a special treat that Deer Park monastery will be offering a weekly online Day of Mindfulness on Sunday and our sangha would like to support you with these periods of practice (schedule is attached).
Weekly rain retreat schedule:

Rain Retreat Schedule.jpg
  • Wednesday night sutra discussion will focus on the Discourse on the Four Establishments of Mindfulness and Full Awareness of Breathing, which are the foundations of Plum Village practices. 
  • Saturday morning biweekly: interpreted dharma talk from Vietnamese
  • Sunday Day of Mindfulness: morning part with Deer Park monastery, afternoon with our sangha for deep relaxation, mindful movements, sitting meditation, walking meditation, and dharma sharing

We invite you to join us this upcoming Sunday Nov 15, 4-6pm to set forth our intention of what we want to grow more in ourselves and what habit energy we want to focus on transforming for the next 3 months together. We look forward to letting the refreshing dharma rain that we can create together nourish our community.

For Zoom details, contact Jonathan at sugarplumsangha@gmail.com.

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The Hidden Reservoir

Inner Resources for Cooling the Flames
an online retreat with Sugarplum Sangha
Oct 16 – 19

You are invited to create space for deep stillness and renewal in these fiery times. To take time for meditation, dharma offerings, and community sharings within the safe container of the Sugarplum Sangha. To celebrate the water and flow within us, lovingly gifted by Mother Earth. In meditation, movement, and song, come home to the cooling and refreshing elements in you and around you.

Sugarplum Sangha does not charge registration fees for our programs. Instead we offer everyone the opportunity to practice generosity and encourage retreatants and members to financially support events by contributing their most generous amount given their individual circumstances.

For more information and to register:

https://www.sugarplumsangha.org/resevoir-reg

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Mindful Peacebuilding Sangha: EMPOWERMENT WEEKEND AUG 29-30, 2020


INFO/ZOOM LINKS:   mindfulpeacebuilding@gmail.com
WEB:  www.mindfulpeacebuilding.org

Sat Morning, Aug 29–11am-12:30pm PST (ZOOM)
Kazu Haga
Author, Healing Resistance: A Radically Different Response to Harm (published by: Parallax Press)
Founder of the East Point Peace Academy
Trainings in Kingian Non-Violence


Sat Afternoon, Aug 29–2:30pm-4pm PST (ZOOM)
Encampment for Citizenship Youth Leadership Program
Margot Gibney, E.D.
Florencia Ramirez, Author–Eat Less Water
Two Youth Interns

Sun Aug 30–2:30pm-3:30pm PST (ZOOM)
Summer Healing Concert
with Destiny Muhammad, Harpist from the H O O D
w/ spoken word poetry
>> Thich Nhat Hanh, Call Me By My True Names
>>Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman, In This Place (An American Lyric)
>>Gracias A La Vida (adapted)

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Online Sutra Study: Sutra on the Four Establishments of Mindfulness

Heart Sangha of Santa Cruz and Mindful Peacebuilding

ARE SPONSORING

AWAKENING OF THE HEART
COURSES IN THE ESSENTIAL BUDDHIST SUTRAS

COURSE TWO
THE SUTRA ON THE FOUR ESTABLISHMENTS OF MINDFULNESS

Beginning September 2, 2020
7:00 – 8:30 pm
ON ZOOM

with Dharma Teacher Jim Scott-Behrends
and co-host Birgitte Moyer-Vinding, OI

Weekly reminders will be sent starting September 1st. For more information,  jsbehrends@aol.com

Continue reading “Online Sutra Study: Sutra on the Four Establishments of Mindfulness”
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Cultural Healing, Restoring Kinship

A Dharma-based Book study of My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending our Hearts and Bodies by Resmaa Menakem

This 2-month online course is facilitated by Kaira Jewel Lingo and Hai An. There are 9 racial affinity sanctuary group meetings and 2 community ceremonies. Each week includes recorded teachings and meditations, assigned chapters from the book, additional resources, and an online discussion. Apply here.

Dates:

Saturdays at 8am Pacific/11am Eastern/4pm UK/5pm EU: October 10 and November 7
Community Ceremony for all participants, 90 minutes long, facilitated by Kaira Jewel & Hai An.

Racial Affinity Group Sanctuary Calls, September 13-November 9
Racial affinity group calls are 75-minutes long. 

Continue reading “Cultural Healing, Restoring Kinship”
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Sunday June 28: Sit. Walk. Listen. Because Black Lives Matter

Sit. Walk. Listen in San Francisco has drawn 75-150 people for each of the past 3 weekends.

Dear friends,

This Sunday June 28 from 10:30am – 1pm, friends from the Bay Area mindfulness communities will be gathering at the “Remember Them” monument in Oakland (Henry J. Kaiser Memorial Park, at 19th & Telegraph) to honor and support black lives. You are invited to join us.

Facebook link:https://www.facebook.com/events/642088523062713
Indybay link:https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2020/06/22/18834485.php

Dear siblings, these times are a great call for change.

As mindfulness practitioners, we can breathe for others who cannot.  Let’s bring the practice of peaceful compassionate nonviolence to the streets; to listen, to follow, and support black people. 

As Thich Nhat Hanh once said: “Nonviolent action, born of the awareness of suffering and nurtured by love, is the most effective way to confront adversity.”

Together we can walk in peace, love, compassion, and awareness.

Continue reading “Sunday June 28: Sit. Walk. Listen. Because Black Lives Matter”
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Five Mindfulness Trainings Online Transmission Ceremony

from Jo-ann Rosen

Solstice   7:00 a.m. pdt. June 21, 2020

Dear Community, 

So many are asking now, “WHAT CAN WE DO?”  

One big step is to commit to a life guided by fierce, compassionate, and wise principles.  We offer this guidance in our Five Mindfulness Trainings. 

The Sugarplum Sangha at Mariposa Institute is offering the opportunity to explore and to commit to these trainings during our upcoming 21-day retreat from June 7-28. Those interested in the trainings are not required to attend the retreat; they can participate solely in one or both the following offerings:

1.     Those wanting to explore and discuss the trainings may do so with Dharma Teacher Karen Hilsberg, in two sessions: Thursdays June 11 and 18, 5:00 – 6:00 PM PDT

2.     Those interested in making the commitment to the Five Mindfulness Trainings, or in renewing their commitment, may do so during our formal ceremony, scheduled for the Summer Solstice: June 21, 7:00 AM PDT.  All community members welcome to join, space is limited to 100, those receiving the trainings will have priority.

The Venerable Thich Tu Luc, transmission master for Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, will be presiding over the ceremony. Monks, Nuns and Lay Dharma Teachers of the Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism will also be in attendance. You are also welcome to witness and support the community of aspirants during this ceremony.

The ceremony is offered as a gift. Any donations will be given to the Hayward Compassion Meditation Center. 

To join the Ceremony or discussion simply go to:

https://retreat.sugarplumsangha.org/courses/5-mindfulness-trainings

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Honoring Juneteenth: Love and Justice in the time of Coronavirus

from Sister HaiAn

Sunday, June 14th, 8am-10am Pacific/11am-1pm Eastern

Join Kaira Jewel Lingo and Sr. Hai An in this two-hour, online Zoom event to mindfully honor Juneteenth – the historical moment when Union soldiers announced the end of slavery in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865. We will reflect on the history of Juneteenth and the legacy of slavery in light of the pandemic and offer space to grieve the recent murders/lynchings of African Americans. The facilitators are a biracial woman of African descent and a white woman. Through guided meditation and discussion in identity groups, we will practice mindfully opening to our pain so that we may heal our ancestors and ourselves, and move toward compassion and justice for all. 

We welcome people of all racial identities to explore how this historical legacy of slavery and it’s transformation impacts all of us and how we can take part in racial healing. 

Please register in advance using this link so that we can prepare the breakout groups according to your self-identified racial identity. This information will be kept private and used only for the purposes of this call. The call will begin and close together with the middle divide into separate groups for BIPOC and white folks.

The Zoom call information will be sent to you after you register.

For full details visit:

Kairajewel.com or Facebook

There is no fee for this event. You are invited to offer a donation to support the teachers/facilitators via PayPal https://www.paypal.me/KairaLingo or Venmo (@Kaira-Lingo).

sr haian