East Bay Meditation Center

EBMC Teen Sangha Winter
2017-02-15 19:00 - 20:30, 2017-02-08 19:00 - 20:30, 2017-02-01 19:00 - 20:30, 2017-01-25 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | East Bay Meditation Center, 285 17th Street, Oakland, CA, 94612, United States
EBMC Teen Sangha
Winter 2017
Wednesdays: January 11 – March 29
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Open to teens, ages 14-19
EBMC Teen Sangha is a weekly meditation group for teens, ages 14-19. Our focus will be on creating deeper relationships with ourselves and each other, having fun, getting real and supporting each other. Learn mindfulness meditation and explore the dharma (Buddhist teachings) in creative and practical ways. No experience necessary. We are committed to maintaining a Sangha (community) that is welcoming to people of all identities, cultures, beliefs and ways of being.
Led by the EBMC Teen Sangha Team: Raúl Kahlil Betancourt, Anthony “T” Maes, Sarwang Parikh, Adrienne Price, Syra Smith, and Phoenix Soleil
Registration: Registration is encouraged and space is limited. Click here or the link below to register.
http://eastbaymeditation.org/ebmcreg/?event=winter17teen
Cost: There is no registration fee for attending this event, nor most EBMC events. However, EBMC is not independently funded. The Center and the teachers will be sustained only by your voluntary donations (the practice of generous giving, or “dana”). Please donate generously, in proportion to your ability:
* Either online (you will be offered an opportunity during the online registration process)
* Or at the event, in the two baskets at EBMC, one for the Center, the second for the Teacher
Thank you for your generosity. EBMC will be only be sustained through our collective generosity.
Fragrance-free: In order to protect the health of community members with environmental illness, please do not wear fragranced products (including “natural” fragrances) or clothes laundered in fragranced products to EBMC.
EBMC is wheelchair accessible.

Raúl Kahlil Betancourt began his buddhist studies when he was 16 in L.A. and has been studying steadily since. He has studied Vietnamese Zen in LA and Soto Zen in Santa Cruz and SF as well as Green Gulch and Tassajara. He spent a year as a personal student to a head instructor from Eijeiji, at his home temple in Japan. He also earned a black belt in Aikido. He eventually found his spiritual home at EBMC in Oakland. He is currently teaching science at a high school in SF where he is also a teacher meditation leader.
Anthony “T” Maes was born and raised in the East Bay. He has practiced Buddhist meditation since 2003 including long retreats and living in a monastery in Thailand. He has volunteered on many teen meditation retreats since 2009 where he enjoys leading mixed-heritage liberation, relational mindfulness, and acrobalance. “T” graduated from UC Berkeley in 2004, completed the yearlong Commit2Dharma program at EBMC in 2011, and is a graduate of the Heart Mind Curriculum mindfulness teacher training program.
Sarwang Parikh is a Marriage and Family Therapist Intern who has worked with young people for over a decade. He has meditated and practiced yoga for the past 10 years. He is currently a part of Spirit Rock’s Dedicated Practitioner Program and EBMC’s Men of Color Deep Refuge group. Sarwang has worked therapeutically with young people across cultures and around the world in a variety of therapeutic, school-based and community settings. He currently provides holistic counseling, leads mindfulness groups, and facilitates trainings on mindfulness in education with Seeds-of-Awareness.org. Sarwang is passionately committed to integrating social change and personal healing through practicing mindfulness and developing relationships.
Adrienne Price is an educator, cultural producer, and social justice organizer living in Oakland, CA. Since she discovered Dharma practice in 2008, she has worked to deepen her learning. She looks forward to co-leading her first Teen Sangha through EBMC this summer. She has worked as a high school teacher and currently coordinates an education non-profit. She also organizes with SURJ (Standing Up for Racial Justice) and the Bay Area Childcare Collective. She hosts a weekly radio show on Radio Valencia entitled Pure Pop for Queer Lovers (Sundays 10am-12:00pm, www.radiovalencia.fm).
Syra Smith is an engaged artist, activist, community organizer, sharing cultivator and mindfulness educator interested in deep ecology and manifesting a culture where we can turn toward fearless abundance and generosity. Syra has been educating and working with young people for over 15 years. A lifetime meditator, she completed EBMC’s Commit to Dharma program in 2011 and is participating in a two year non-monastic ordination and lineage teaching program under the guidance of Venerable Pannavati Bhikkuni. In addition to co-leading EBMC’s Teen Sangha, she has joined the team at the Mind Body Awareness Project, providing transformational tools to at-risk and incarcerated youth.
Phoenix Soleil is an artist and trainer committed to creating more fun, authenticity and compassion in our society. She is a teacher and practitioner of the Vipassanna meditation tradition. She is also a teacher and practitioner of Nonviolent Communication (NVC), a form of compassionate communication that supports us to attune to our feelings and values. Whenever possible she invokes her background in conscious dance, Laughter Yoga, acting, and the expressive arts to build healthy, authentic, joyful, and engaged communities of all ages.

Midday Sangha
2017-02-15 12:00 - 13:30, 2017-02-08 12:00 - 13:30, 2017-02-01 12:00 - 13:30, 2017-01-25 12:00 - 13:30
Midday Sangha at EBMC Wednesdays at Noon!
Join our peer-led multicultural sangha for silent meditation practice and community building.
Every Wednesday
12:00 – 12:45 Silent sitting, standing or lying down meditation with optional walking meditation.
12:45 – 1:35 Potluck lunch with facilitated conversation about our practice and being the dharma in the world
Midday Sangha Coordinating Committee:
Abe Doherty, Bang Nguyen, Jenn Biehn, Kam McCallum, Karen Jackson, Manuel Vasquez, Preston Justice, Shawki, Yvette Flores

Alphabet Sangha
2017-02-14 19:00 - 20:30, 2017-02-07 19:00 - 20:30, 2017-01-31 19:00 - 20:30, 2017-01-24 19:00 - 20:30
A meditation group for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Same-Gender Loving, and Two-Spirit communities. Because that’s such a mouthful, we call ourselves the Alphabet Sangha.
Tuesdays
7:00 – 8:30 pm
For more information, visit the ALPHABET SANGHA WEBSITE

Living with Passion & Purpose
2017-02-13 19:00 - 21:00, 2017-02-06 19:00 - 21:00
Mondays, February 6, 13, 20, 27, 2017
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
with Spring Washam
Discovering your life’s purpose can help you to move with greater focus and clarity in your everyday life. You can start to find and develop your own purpose by asking two questions: What is most important to me in my life? What are my deepest values and beliefs? In this class series we will explore these questions and many others to discover what touches and inspires us most deeply. There comes an important moment in life when we consciously choose to dream a new dream. Join us for this uplifting and inspiring class.
Registration: Registration is required and space is limited. Click here or the link below to register.
http://eastbaymeditation.org/ebmcreg/?event=feb17living
Cost: There is no registration fee for attending this event, nor most EBMC events. However, EBMC is not independently funded. The Center and the teachers will be sustained only by your voluntary donations (the practice of generous giving, or “dana”). Please donate generously, in proportion to your ability:
* Either online (you will be offered an opportunity during the online registration process)
* Or at the event, in the two baskets at EBMC, one for the Center, the second for the Teacher
Thank you for your generosity. EBMC will be only be sustained through our collective generosity.
Fragrance-free: In order to protect the health of community members with environmental illness, please do not wear fragranced products (including “natural” fragrances) or clothes laundered in fragranced products to EBMC.
EBMC is wheelchair accessible.

Every Body Every Mind Sangha
2017-02-12 18:00 - 19:30, 2017-02-05 18:00 - 19:30, 2017-01-29 18:00 - 19:30
Every Body Every Mind Sangha is a weekly sitting group for people living with disabilities, limitations, differences and chronic illnesses.
Sundays
6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Please come and take part in this time to meditate, share our lives and support with each other, and learn more about the dharma. There is no need to register for these weekly meetings, just come and share this path together!
Teachers include Charlie Johnson, Deb Kerr and others.
For more info, visit the Every Body Every Mind Sangha Website.

Family Practice Class: Opening the Heart through the Buddha's Teachings
2017-02-12 10:00 - 12:30
For Children Ages 0-12 and Family/Caregivers
October class led by Shahara Godfrey, Baruch Golden, Michele Ku, and Jenn Biehn (movement)
We invite you to come and help create the diverse family sangha at EBMC. We welcome families with babies, toddlers and children up to age 12. The teachers will offer the Buddha’s teachings and mindful practices that can be practiced at home. Parents/caregivers and young people will meet together and separately during the class. Children under 5 will need to have a parent/caregiver stay with them. We will explore bringing the Dharma to our daily lives through song, story, sharing, art and mindfulness practices. We are committed to creating a diverse family sangha. No prior experience is necessary.
Registration: Registration is required and space is limited. Click here or the link below to register.
http://eastbaymeditation.org/ebmcreg/?event=feb17family
Cost: There is no registration fee for attending this event, nor most EBMC events. However, EBMC is not independently funded. The Center and the teachers will be sustained only by your voluntary donations (the practice of generous giving, or “dana”). Please donate generously, in proportion to your ability:
* Either online (you will be offered an opportunity during the online registration process)
* Or at the event, in the two baskets at EBMC, one for the Center, the second for the Teacher
Thank you for your generosity. EBMC will be only be sustained through our collective generosity.
Fragrance-free: In order to protect the health of community members with environmental illness, please do not wear fragranced products (including “natural” fragrances) or clothes laundered in fragranced products to EBMC.
EBMC is wheelchair accessible.

Dancing with Difference: Growth, Compassion, and Healing in Intimate Multi-cultural Relationships
2017-02-11 10:00 - 16:00
with Arisika Razak
Open to self-identified people of color, including biracial and multi-ethnic individuals of all gender identities, and sexual orientations, whether currently in a relationship or not. Also open to those whose parents (biologic or adoptive) were of a different race or ethnicity.
It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept and celebrate these differences. – Audre Lorde
Cradled in one culture, sandwiched between two cultures, straddling all three . . . la mestiza undergoes a struggle of flesh, a struggle of borders, an inner war. – Gloria Anzaldua
How do we sustain loving in intimate partnerships across racial and ethnic divisions? What gifts and opportunities, or wounds and challenges arise in these relationships? Using embodied spiritual practices, story-telling and movement, we will honor our differences, celebrate our humanity, and explore the transformative power of love and compassion.
Registration: Registration is required and space is limited. Click here or the link below to register.
http://eastbaymeditation.org/ebmcreg/?event=feb17difference
Cost: There is no registration fee for attending this event, nor most EBMC events. However, EBMC is not independently funded. The Center and the teachers will be sustained only by your voluntary donations (the practice of generous giving, or “dana”). Please donate generously, in proportion to your ability:
* Either online (you will be offered an opportunity during the online registration process)
* Or at the event, in the two baskets at EBMC, one for the Center, the second for the Teacher
Thank you for your generosity. EBMC will be only be sustained through our collective generosity.
Fragrance-free: In order to protect the health of community members with environmental illness, please do not wear fragranced products (including “natural” fragrances) or clothes laundered in fragranced products to EBMC.
EBMC is wheelchair accessible.

People of Color Sangha
2017-02-09 19:00 - 21:00, 2017-02-02 19:00 - 21:00, 2017-01-26 19:00 - 21:00
The People of Color Sangha is a growing tribe of people of color waking up and getting free!
Thursdays
7:00 – 9:00 PM
For more information, visit the: POC SANGHA WEBSITE

Buddha’s 4 Big Truths: Liberation from Suffering
2017-02-08 19:00 - 21:00, 2017-02-01 19:00 - 21:00
Part of EBMC’s Core Buddhist Teachings: 5-month Curriculum
4 Wednesdays: February 1, 8, 15, 22, 2017
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
with Mushim
Why do we suffer? How can we be released from suffering? The Buddha’s first teaching after his Enlightenment is called the Four Truths for Noble Ones, which form the foundation of Buddhist life and understanding. These four “big” truths address human suffering and oppression, analyze their root causes, and describe a path of liberation from human suffering that is both profound and practical. Dharma talks, interactive exercises, journaling, meditation and optional readings. Beginners in meditation are welcome.
Registration: Registration is required and space is limited. Click here or the link below to register.
http://eastbaymeditation.org/ebmcreg/?event=feb17fourtruths
Cost: There is no registration fee for attending this event, nor most EBMC events. However, EBMC is not independently funded. The Center and the teachers will be sustained only by your voluntary donations (the practice of generous giving, or “dana”). Please donate generously, in proportion to your ability:
* Either online (you will be offered an opportunity during the online registration process)
* Or at the event, in the two baskets at EBMC, one for the Center, the second for the Teacher
Thank you for your generosity. EBMC will be only be sustained through our collective generosity.
Fragrance-free: In order to protect the health of community members with environmental illness, please do not wear fragranced products (including “natural” fragrances) or clothes laundered in fragranced products to EBMC.
EBMC is wheelchair accessible.

Will Meditation Make Me Boring?
2017-02-05 10:00 - 13:00
with Mushim
Half-day retreat for committed practitioners
Does strong equanimity make us boring and apathetic? Excitement, speed, and intense emotions and opinions can be highly pleasurable. So why did the Buddha teach the importance of Equanimity as the foundation for wise loving kindness, compassion, and empathetic joy? We’ll explore dwelling in upekkha (equanimity) close and up front in this half day retreat for committed practitioners. Meditation, Dharma talks, and community dialogue.
A “committed practitioner” is one who does not need instructions in sitting or walking/movement meditation, but who already has an established practice of any kind of meditation that can be done in silence and, during the sitting meditation periods, in stillness.
Registration: Registration is required and space is limited. Click here or the link below to register.
http://eastbaymeditation.org/ebmcreg/?event=feb17committed
Cost: There is no registration fee for attending this event, nor most EBMC events. However, EBMC is not independently funded. The Center and the teachers will be sustained only by your voluntary donations (the practice of generous giving, or “dana”). Please donate generously, in proportion to your ability:
* Either online (you will be offered an opportunity during the online registration process)
* Or at the event, in the two baskets at EBMC, one for the Center, the second for the Teacher
Thank you for your generosity. EBMC will be only be sustained through our collective generosity.
Fragrance-free: In order to protect the health of community members with environmental illness, please do not wear fragranced products (including “natural” fragrances) or clothes laundered in fragranced products to EBMC.
EBMC is wheelchair accessible.

Embracing Change
2017-02-04 09:30 - 15:30
with Rev. Keiryu Liên Shutt
Change can be hard. Especially if it’s not one that we’ve chosen: a job or relationship loss, an illness, or other life-transition events. At such time, thinking about all the possible options can feel confusing: “Should I do what I’ve always wanted to do or stay with what I know? Go towards my ‘heart’s desire’ or get more training?”
Join us as we explore how incorporating meditative practices and motivational tools can assist in meeting change with ease, grace and skill. Learn ways to be with, envision and then find the drive to go towards the life you can create!
Registration: Registration is required and space is limited. Click here or the link below to register.
http://eastbaymeditation.org/ebmcreg/?event=feb17change
Cost: There is no registration fee for attending this event, nor most EBMC events. However, EBMC is not independently funded. The Center and the teachers will be sustained only by your voluntary donations (the practice of generous giving, or “dana”). Please donate generously, in proportion to your ability:
* Either online (you will be offered an opportunity during the online registration process)
* Or at the event, in the two baskets at EBMC, one for the Center, the second for the Teacher
Thank you for your generosity. EBMC will be only be sustained through our collective generosity.
Fragrance-free: In order to protect the health of community members with environmental illness, please do not wear fragranced products (including “natural” fragrances) or clothes laundered in fragranced products to EBMC.
EBMC is wheelchair accessible.

POC Retreatants Peer-Led Deep Refuge
2017-02-03 19:00 - 22:00
This is a monthly meetup open to people of color who have attended residential people of color retreats at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Deer Park Monastery, or both. This Deep Refuge Group is intended to nurture the experience of retreat — mindfulness, sangha, dharma sharing, and the Five Mindfulness Trainings — in our everyday lives. Meetings are held the first Saturday of each month at EBMC, from 7-10pm, and feature a potluck meal, eaten in mindful silence, a practice period, and discussion about the dharma. The group is open to new members until early 2017, so please attend a monthly meeting before March if interested. And please bring a dish to share!

Contact info: pocretreatantgroup@gmail.com

New Year Mental Cleanse
2017-01-30 19:00 - 21:00
Mondays, January 9, 16, 23, 30, 2017
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
With Spring Washam

Many of us carry large amounts of mental clutter and loads of junk in the mind. Are you ready for the ultimate mental cleanse to let it all go? If so then join us for this powerful class series meant to jump-start the New Year. For 30 days we will develop a mindfulness practice, cultivate love and compassion, and let go of the past. This is a great class for beginners as well as experienced students!
Registration: Registration is required and space is limited. Click here or the link below to register.
http://eastbaymeditation.org/ebmcreg/?event=jan17cleanse
Cost: There is no registration fee for attending this event, nor most EBMC events. However, EBMC is not independently funded. The Center and the teachers will be sustained only by your voluntary donations (the practice of generous giving, or “dana”). Please donate generously, in proportion to your ability:
* Either online (you will be offered an opportunity during the online registration process)
* Or at the event, in the two baskets at EBMC, one for the Center, the second for the Teacher
Thank you for your generosity. EBMC will be only be sustained through our collective generosity.
Fragrance-free: In order to protect the health of community members with environmental illness, please do not wear fragranced products (including “natural” fragrances) or clothes laundered in fragranced products to EBMC.
EBMC is wheelchair accessible.

A Day of Cultivating Metta
2017-01-28 10:00 - 16:00
with Carol Cano
“The practice of metta, uncovering the force of love that can uproot fear, anger, and guilt, begins with befriending ourselves”
– Sharon Salzberg
The Buddha did not separate lovingkindness (Metta) from the four foundation of the mindfulness (Satipatthana). In this daylong we will practice a foundation of mindfulness, silence, and deep listening that nourishes love and understanding through the practice of metta. These practices will open you to the heart of the matter in your life and cultivate a path of peace.
The teacher requests that you give yourself time to integrate back into a busy life by not booking too much after this retreat.
Registration: Registration is encouraged and space is limited. Click here or the link below to register.
http://eastbaymeditation.org/ebmcreg/?event=jan17metta
Cost: There is no registration fee for attending this event, nor most EBMC events. However, EBMC is not independently funded. The Center and the teachers will be sustained only by your voluntary donations (the practice of generous giving, or “dana”). Please donate generously, in proportion to your ability:
* Either online (you will be offered an opportunity during the online registration process)
* Or at the event, in the two baskets at EBMC, one for the Center, the second for the Teacher
Thank you for your generosity. EBMC will be only be sustained through our collective generosity.
Fragrance-free: In order to protect the health of community members with environmental illness, please do not wear fragranced products (including “natural” fragrances) or clothes laundered in fragranced products to EBMC.
EBMC is wheelchair accessible.

Beginning a Meditation Practice
2017-01-25 08:00 - 17:00
Part of EBMC’s Core Buddhist Teachings – 5-month Curriculum
4 Wednesdays: January 4, 11, 18, 25, 2017
7:00 – 9:00 pm
with Mushim
Are you looking for a way to start a mindfulness meditation practice, but don’t quite know how? These classes will give you the basics of sitting and walking/movement meditation in the vipassana (insight) style, and metta (goodwill) meditation. Don’t worry about “getting it right” – if you can sit – on a folding chair, on floor cushions, in a wheelchair – or lie down – and breathe, you’re off to a good start! This series is for those seeking stress reduction, or it can be the gateway to those new to Buddhism. Meditation can help you, over time, to develop a sense of increased physical well-being, mental clarity, compassionate connection, and spiritual growth.
Registration: Registration is required and space is limited. Click here or the link below to register.
http://eastbaymeditation.org/ebmcreg/?event=jan17beginner
Cost: There is no registration fee for attending this event, nor most EBMC events. However, EBMC is not independently funded. The Center and the teachers will be sustained only by your voluntary donations (the practice of generous giving, or “dana”). Please donate generously, in proportion to your ability:
* Either online (you will be offered an opportunity during the online registration process)
* Or at the event, in the two baskets at EBMC, one for the Center, the second for the Teacher
Thank you for your generosity. EBMC will be only be sustained through our collective generosity.
Fragrance-free: In order to protect the health of community members with environmental illness, please do not wear fragranced products (including “natural” fragrances) or clothes laundered in fragranced products to EBMC.
EBMC is wheelchair accessible.
