Our regular meditation sessions are offered every week unless explicitly canceled. Participants are asked to arrive a few minutes early to avoid disturbing a session in progress, and to remove outdoor shoes in the lobby.
Find an unoccupied chair or mat (zabuton), grab a bench or whatever cushions you need to make yourself comfortable, and settle in. Feel free to chat with other participants until the session leader indicates it is time to start.
If you are new to meditation, please ask for the session leader and introduce yourself, or contact us in advance to arrange for personal instruction.
Sunday: Morning Meditation
Our Sunday morning offering has a distinctly Tibetan Buddhist flavour. Everyone is welcome to attend, although this session is primarily intended for those with previous meditation experience. After the shrine is opened, we begin with a few chants (chant books are provided):
- The Four Dharmas of Gampopa
- Seven Line Supplication to Padmakara
- Supplication to the Takpo Kagyu
- The Heart Sutra
These are follwed by alternating sitting (~20 minutes) and walking (~10 minutes) meditation periods ending at 11am. Those arriving after 9am are asked to enter quietly or to wait until one of the walking periods.
Tuesday: Simple Sit
A no-frills meditation practice. The session starts with a short statement of contemplative material. This is followed by group meditation instruction if there are new partipants. We then sit until 11:00am. 10 minutes of optional walking meditation follow, allowing those who are looking for an abbreviated session to leave or arrive. A final sitting practice of about 20 minutes rounds off the session at 11:30am.
Those arriving after 10:30am are asked to enter quietly or to wait until the walking meditation period.
Wednesday: Beginner's Mind
This weekly meditation circle welcomes those new to meditation and those newly returning to meditation, as well as seasoned practitioners who aspire to cultivating the openness of “beginner’s mind.” The first few minutes of seated and walking meditation are guided. There is an opportunity to ask questions and to reflect upon meditation practice. This circle is led by Jan Cressman and Kathie Brown.
First Saturday: Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation
In our day-to-day life, we often spend a lot of time in pressured situations moving from task to task. Mindfulness meditation is designed to help us bring our bodies and mind together instead of the normal way of doing one thing and thinking about something else. Mindfulness is simply about being present and experiencing our world more fully
Each session runs from 10 – 11am on the first Saturday of each month, and includes meditation instruction, meditation practice, walking meditation and an opportunity for questions and discussion.