Calendar and Events
This page lists special events, the schedule of teachers and dharma talk topics for our Thursday evening meetings, and the Activities Newsletter.
Scroll down or click on a topic for more information:
Events such as daylongs and retreats produced, sponsored, or supported by the Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley will be listed here. If no such events are currently scheduled, please see the websites of affiliated local meditation communities for a wealth of dharma events and practice opportunities. Also check the IMCB Activities Newsletter for other community events.
- Q&A Orientation for Newcomers to our Sangha
On Thursday, March 1, we will offer an informal Q&A session for people who are new (or relatively new) to IMCB. It will be in the dining room from 7-7:25 pm. As you enter the monastery, the dining room will be to your left at the end of hall. Come to the potluck at 6 pm or just come to the Q&A session. We have a few materials for you and we would be happy to answer your questions. If you know of any other newcomers, please pass along this invitation.
Berkeley Buddhist Monastery
2304 McKinley Ave (at Bancroft)
Berkeley, CA 94703
- Monthly Community Potluck
On Thursday, March 1 , please join us for our monthly potluck in the monastery dining hall from 6 to 7 pm. As you enter the monastery, turn left and go through the double doors at the end of the hallway. Please note that the monastery requests that all potluck offerings be vegetarian and free of garlic, onions, scallions, or shallots. Our regular Thursday meeting begins at 7:30 pm.
Berkeley Buddhist Monastery
2304 McKinley Ave (at Bancroft)
Berkeley, CA 94703
- Dhamma, Media, and Modern Issues Series at Berkeley Buddhist Monastery
Sundays 7pm-9pm
Berkeley Buddhist Monastery
2304 McKinley Ave (at Bancroft)
Berkeley, CA 94703
The class is hosted by Thai Forest monk Ajahn Guna, who
presents documentaries and speakers on current issues through the framework of the
Buddha's teachings.
This class is suitable for both
teenagers as well as elders. Everyone is welcome! Free of charge.
Upcoming topics and co-presenters:
Feb 5 Globalization & Spirituality (Peter Dale Scott
professor emeritus UCB)
Feb 12 Century of Self, part 3. (award-winning British television documentary film)
Feb 26 World Hunger, Our Hunger, and Our Minds (Kim Behan, Executive Director of Buddhist Global Relief)
March 4 Century of Self, part 4 (award-winning British television documentary film)
For more info, visit:
http://www.berkeleymonastery.org/class-dhamma-media-and-modern-issues.html
- Jon Kabat-Zinn: The Role of Mindfulness in Education
Friday February 17 - Reception 6 pm, Talk 7:30 pm
Zellerbach Auditorium
UCB Campus
Berkeley, CA
Tickets: $15-$250
This benefit for Mindful Schools is a tremendous opportunity for educators in the Bay Area to learn more about how mindfulness can benefit them, their students, and their school communities. Consider volunteering to help get the word out. Or share the flyer via email, Facebook, or Twitter.
For more information and tickets: http://www.mindfulschools.org/home/jkz-benefit/
- Beginning Meditation Series
James Baraz will teach a beginning meditation class starting March 12, 2012 for those interested in learning or reviewing the practice of mindfulness. Classes are held on Monday evenings for six successive weeks, from 7:30 to 9:30 pm, at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda, between Solano and Marin Avenues), Berkeley, CA. Topics for the six meetings are:
What is Mindfulness?
The Four Noble Truths
The Eightfold Path
The Five Hindrances
Qualities of the Heart
Bringing Practice into Daily Life
This class is provided on a donation basis, with no pre-registration necessary.
- Follow Eugene Cash's Progress and Donate to His Care
On Saturday, September 24, Eugene Cash, a member of the Spirit Rock Teachers Council and founding teacher at SF Insight, was in a severe cycling accident. He is currently recovering from multiple broken bones and a concussion. To follow Eugene’s progress please visit www.CaringBridge.org. If you would like to contribute to Eugene's care, please visit SF Insight for two ways to do so.
(special events)
(top of page)
Following is a list of teachers and topics for our Thursday evening meetings. You can also receive email notification of the teacher and topic for the following Thursday by subscribing to our email lists. Visit the Recorded Dharma page to download or listen to these dharma talks.
| Date |
Teacher |
Topic or Association |
| September 6 |
Heather Sundberg |
See Heather's biography in the 4/26 entry in this list. Website |
.
.
. |
| April 26 |
Heather Sundberg |
Heather Sundberg began teaching meditation in 1999 primarily to youth and families. She completed teacher training at Spirit Rock and is mentored by Jack Kornfield. Heather has studied with senior teachers in the Insight Meditation and Tibetan (Vajrayana) traditions, and has sat 1-3 months of retreat a year for over a decade. She was teacher & Manager of the Spirit Rock Family Program from 2001-2010. She is a Teacher for Mountain Stream Meditation Center in the Sierra Foothills, and also teaches classes, daylongs and retreats nationally, especially at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. Website |
| April 19 |
James Baraz |
|
| April 12 |
James Baraz |
|
| April 5 |
James Baraz |
|
| March 29 |
James Baraz |
|
| March 22 |
James Baraz |
|
| March 15 |
James Baraz |
|
| March 8 |
James Baraz |
|
| March 1 |
James Baraz |
|
| February 23 |
Daniel Doane |
Daniel Doane has been a student of vipassana meditation since 1983, has led meditation days and practice groups for over a decade. He teaches meditation and yoga in the bay area and is interested in socially engaged spirituality and art. |
| February 16 |
Kate Janke |
Kate Janke is Director of Training and mindfulness teacher for Mindful Schools in Oakland. Mindful Schools offers in-class instruction, professional training, and other resources to support mindfulness in education bringing dramatic improvements in concentration, attention, and empathy among students, while building a climate of calm in the classroom. |
February 9 |
Shaila Catherine |
Shaila Catherine has practiced meditation since 1980, with more than eight years of accumulated silent retreat experience. She has taught since 1996 in the USA and internationally. She has dedicated several years to studying with masters in India, Nepal and Thailand, completed a one year intensive meditation retreat with the focus on concentration and jhana, and authored Focused and Fearless: A Meditator’s Guide to States of Deep Joy, Calm, and Clarity. She has extensive experience with the practice of metta, including seven months exploring metta as the meditation subject in retreats. In recent years, Shaila had continued her study of jhana and insight with the guidance of Venerable Pa-Auk Sayadaw of Burma. Her second book is: Wisdom Wide and Deep: A Practical Handbook for Mastering Jhana and Vipassana. Website |
| February 2 |
Ajahn Guna |
Ajahn Guna (or called Bhante Guna) was born in a small Indiana farming town near Chicago in 1974. In 1987 he moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. He finished his B.A. degree in Jazz Piano Performance at the Berklee School of Music in Boston in 1996. He first came to Abhayagiri in 1998 where he was introduced to the Ajahn Chah Tradition. He went to ordain in Thailand at Wat Pah Nanachat later in 1998 and received Bhikkhu ordination in 2000 at Wat Nong Pah Pong, Ajahn Chah's monastery, with Luang Por Liem as his preceptor. Since then he has lived with many of the senior disciples of Ajahn Chah, such as Ajahn Anan at Wat Marp Jan and Ajahn Pasanno. After 10 years of living in Thailand, he returned to Abhayagiri in May 2009 and currently resides at Berkeley Buddhist Monastery. Ajahn Guna helps Bhikkhu Bodhi with his charity called Buddhist Global Relief as BGR Representative of Northern California--giving talks and helping organize BGR events such as Walk to Feed the Hungry. His mother is also a Theravadin Buddhist nun. |
| January 26 |
James Baraz |
Amazing Grace |
| January 19 |
James Baraz |
Embracing Resistance |
| January 12 |
James Baraz |
Honeyball Sutta: The Source of Our Confusion and the Way Out |
| January 5 |
Wes Nisker |
See Wes's biography in the Feb 10 entry iin this list. Website |
| January 6 |
James Baraz |
What Really Matters |
Archive of 2011 schedule
Archive of 2010 schedule
Archive of 2009 schedule
Following is a list of the activities the IMCB planning committee scheduled for the current month to encourage a sense of community in our sangha. You can also pick up a copy of the Activities Newsletter at the greeter table on Thursday evening, receive it by email by subscribing to our Announcements email list, or view or print a PDF of the newsletter. (You need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view or print a PDF, which you can download here.)
If you have an idea for a sangha activity and are willing to organize and lead it, please contact Ernie at 526-0711 or talk to him on a Thursday evening. The activity can be anything you would enjoy sharing with the sangha: a poetry night, a potluck get-together, a musical or theater event, folk singing, an outdoor adventure, dancing, drawing/painting, drumming, a visit to another sangha. Be creative.
February 2012
CARPOOLS. If you need a ride to the Thursday night sitting or just want to be green, you can use the Bulletin Board email list to find a shared ride.
February Eco-Tip:
Use a worm box to compost your food waste quickly and produce high quality compost. Instructions can be found on-line, e.g., at www.wikihow.com/Make-Your-Own-Worm-Compost-System, or you can buy a container and take a workshop at Berkeley's Ecology Center. For free red-wiggler worms email Linda Gallaher-Brown.
Please also see our Eco-tip Archive, which contains all previous eco-tips and additional information and resources. |
1. MONTHLY POTLUCK Thursday, Feb 2, 6 pm at the Monastery before the sitting. To honor the precepts of the monks, no meat, no garlic, no onions. Please arrive by 6:30 and finish eating by 6:50 to allow cleanup time. Next month's potluck will be March 1.
2 GREEN SANGHA MEETING. We meet in Berkeley, call 510-532-6574 or see http://greensangha.org/calendar-of-events/ for details
3. PLANNING COMMITTEE. There is no planning committee meeting in February. Next meeting is March 18th. Details in the March newsletter.
4. SANGHA HIKE. Sun, Feb 26, 1 pm. Let's walk 3 flat miles through Hoffman Marsh at Point Isabel. We will see birds and have great views of the Bay. We will stop for some meditation, bring a snack to share. Rain cancels. From Hwy 80 North, go onto Hwy 580 West in Albany, then exit after one mile at Central Ave. Turn left at the top of the bridge, then right at the stop sign onto Rydin Road. Park at the end of the road. Ernie, 526-0711.
5. JON KABAT-ZINN: THE ROLE OF MINDFULNESS IN EDUCATION. Friday February 17 - Reception 6 pm, Talk 7:30 pm Zellerbach Auditorium, UCB Campus, Berkeley, CA, Tickets: $15-$250 This benefit for Mindful Schools is a tremendous opportunity for educators in the Bay Area to learn more about how mindfulness can benefit them, their students, and their school communities. For more information and tickets: http://www.mindfulschools.org/home/jkz-benefit/
6. VISITING OTHER SANGHAS. Sun, Feb 26th, 11:00 a.m. we will visit Dhyana
Hall in Pt. Richmond for Mediitation and Teachings with the Tibetan teacher Anam
Thubten Rinpoche. Rinpoche is the founder and spiritual adviser of the Dharmata Foundation and author of several books including "No Self, No Problem." www.dharmatafoundation.com. Meet at 235 Washington Ave., Pt. Richmond. Exit 580 at Pt. Richmond, go left under the freeway, left on Tewksbury, right on Washington. Ends at 1:15. Allison, allison.vogel@sbcglobal.net, 621-8312.
7. BEGINNING MEDITATION SERIES. Begins March 12, 2012 James Baraz will teach a beginning meditation class starting March 12, 2012 for those interested in learning or reviewing the practice of mindfulness. Classes are held on Monday evenings for six successive weeks, from 7:30 to 9:30 pm, at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda, between Solano and Marin Avenues), Berkeley, CA. This class is provided on a donation basis, with no pre-registration necessary.
DHARMA FRIENDS (KALYANA MITTA) GROUPS. Generally consisting of 8-10 members, these groups usually meet every two weeks for about two hours to meditate and discuss a reading about Buddhism. They are a rich way to maintain and expand your practice and study of the dharma, and connect with like-minded spiritual friends. To join an existing group, to form your own, or to find new members for your group, email Ross or call him at
237-6020 .
SPIRITUAL CARE PROGRAM. A Buddhist trained chaplain is available to offer spiritual support to Sangha members and their families who are experiencing a health, end-of-life, or other spiritual crisis. Email Janet.
DANA TALKS. Volunteer to give one of the weekly dana talks, share your thoughts and feelings about generosity. Help in what to say can be provided. Sign up at the greeter’s table or contact Giedra, 508-2680.
ACTIVITY LEADERS WANTED. If you are interested in leading an activity that the Sangha would enjoy, contact Ernie, 526-0711. It could be anything – a poetry night, folk singing, drawing/painting, outdoors, drumming – you can be creative about it.
|
