Offering Mindfulness Meditation
in the context of the Buddha’s teachings
in a welcoming community
Meditation for Everyone
Have questions about meditation?
We all do.
Whether you are curious about exploring meditation for the first time, or you’ve been practicing for years, questions about the instructions, postures, and challenges encountered are entirely normal!
We’re pleased to offer a monthly drop-in meditation class at 10:00 a.m. the first Saturday of every month, taught by one of our Guiding Council members. The class is geared toward beginners and those wanting a refresher or with questions about their practice. This one-hour class will be offered via Zoom.
The suggested donation for this class is $20
Saturday, August 6 – Jokai Blackwell
Saturday, September 3 – Mary Stancavage
Saturday, October 1 – Ian Challis
Sunday Teachings in August
Working with Difficult Emotions
At some point in our lives, especially during these trying times, we will have to deal with difficult emotions. We’ve usually developed coping mechanisms, but these may not always be the most skillful or beneficial means of facing our challenges. The Buddha offers a wise and compassionate way to turn towards our experience with kindness rather than with aversion.
Each Sunday during the month of August, our teachers will explore how to work with different emotions and mind states that we may find hard to be with. These will include shame, regret, grief, loss, love, hatred, sadness, and joy among others. Join us in August for these teachings on how to move away from our reactivity and towards liberation of the heart and mind.
| Aug 7 | Ian Challis | Shame & Regret | |
| Aug 14 | Jokai Blackwell | Love & Hatred | |
| Aug 21 | Mary Stancavage | Grief & Loss | |
| Aug 28 | Yushin Tipton | Sadness & Joy | |
| Sep 4 | Valerie Cusson | Anger & Acceptance |
Meditation and Dharma Talk with Jokai Blackwell (Hybrid – Teacher online)
Meditation and Dharma Talk with Jokai Blackwell (Hybrid – Teacher online)
Meditation and Dharma Talk with Mary Stancavage (Hybrid)
Meditation and Dharma Talk with Mary Stancavage (Hybrid)
Meditation and Dharma Talk with Yushin Tipton (Hybrid)
Meditation and Dharma Talk with Yushin Tipton (Hybrid)
Meditation and Dharma Talk with Valerie Cusson (Hybrid – Teacher online)
Meditation and Dharma Talk with Valerie Cusson (Hybrid – Teacher online)
Meditation and Dharma Talk with Mary Stancavage (Hybrid)
Meditation and Dharma Talk with Mary Stancavage (Hybrid)
Holding Each Moment with Wisdom & Love
A Residential Retreat with Leslie Booker, Arinna Weisman & Ian Challis
October 24 to November 24, 2022 at Dhamma Dena Meditation Center, Joshua Tree, CA
Spaces remain for self-identified Black, Indigenous, or People of Color
Option to register for the first, second, or both weeks of the retreat
General registration is waitlisted.
The Buddha offered us a path of healing and liberation through the calling in and strengthening of our capacity to love and to be wise. On this retreat we enter as a community into a training to meet with kindness whatever arises within ourselves. Through moment-to-moment mindfulness wisdom grows, allowing us to discern what reduces suffering and what strengthens it. We increasingly become aware of these moments of choice and the possibility of transformation.
Please click to read more here: https://www.dhammadena.org/retreats/queer-retreat
Join us online for these regular events…
6:30 – 8 pm
Meditation as Refuge extends a weekly invitation to everyone who would like to explore meditation as a support for their spiritual development. The intention is to focus on realizing our innate capacity for care, compassion and mutual respect.
5:30 – 6:15 pm
Join friends and sangha member for a silent 45 minute peer-led sit. Everyone is welcome!
Weekly Metta Meditation with Ian Challis and Friends
4:30 – 5:15 pm
Spotlight
Volunteering is a Beautiful Act of Generosity
Dear Sangha,
As we prepare to come back to in-person gatherings, there is also the opportunity to build in-person community again. Part of creating the space to share the dharma is the need for volunteers to support it.
Volunteering is a beautiful act of generosity and can be considered a form of dana. Your time helps to support the sangha and teachers which enables us to offer the dharma today, tomorrow, and beyond. Being of service in this way also lets us connect with others outside of the Zoom mosaic, gently moving into re-entry.
You can volunteer in any number of ways. Can you help set up a few chairs or tables? Can you help with checking people in at a daylong? Can you help greet at the Sunday group? Can you help with online support? There are several ways to help us move into this next iteration of ICD, and we really do need you.
For more information or to sign up, please contact Anette Libman at volunteer@desertinsight.org
New to Meditation?
Can we help?
- Check out our Calendar for Regular and Special Events.
- Resources and information on Mindfulness Meditation
- Contact us if we can answer any questions!
