Events for February 14 - March 5

with Oren Jay Sofer

Saturday, July 24th, 2021 from 10:00am - 1:30pm ET

What role does devotion play on the Buddhist path? How can we understand and cultivate this quality in a direct and meaningful way in our lives? This half-day program will explore these and other questions related to devotion and its role in contemplative practice.

with karen g. williams, Peace Twesigye, and Kiki Williams

Friday, July 30th, 2021 from 6:30pm - 8:30pm ET
Saturday, July 31st, 2021 from 11:00am - 5:00pm ET
Sunday, August 1st, 2021 from 11:00am - 1:00pm ET (optional)

Do to unforeseen circumstances, this program will be postponed to a later date. We will be in touch with all program registrants to give a refund or credit. We apologize for any inconvenience.

with Rev. Duncan Ryuken Williams

Wednesday, August 4th 2021 from 7:00pm - 8:30pm ET

Rev. Duncan Ryuken Williams draws on Buddhist teachings to offer a perspective that can heal the karmic legacy of racial violence, division, and trauma of the United States. He will offer insight from the history and lived experiences of Asian American Buddhist ancestors who built the foundations of the American sangha.

with Devon Hase

Three Wednesdays, September 1st, 15th & 29th, 2021 from 7:00pm-8:30pm ET

Through small group practice, stories, silent meditation, and mindful speaking and listening, we’ll explore the multi-faceted world of relational mindfulness, including embodied awareness, the art of radical self-acceptance, and the possibility of finding freedom right in the middle of the tangle and dance of day-to-day relating.

with Ralph De La Rosa

Saturday, September 4th, 2021 from 1:00pm - 5:00pm ET

Whether it's falling in love, surviving a pandemic, claiming your identity, having a child, re-entering society, or having a difficult conversation... life throws us into vulnerable and uncertain situations over and over again. Join author and psychotherapist Ralph De La Rosa for a half day workshop exploring how to meet the challenges we face in this unique moment and excavate them for awakening.

with Martin Aylward

Saturday, September 11th, 2021 from 10:00am - 1:00pm, ET

During this program we will explore how to wisely and lovingly respond to our own and others’ suffering, and contemplate the traditional Buddhist ’triple gem’ of refuge as a way to steady, gladden and liberate the heart, amidst the ongoing and infinite challenges of our imperfect and unperfectable world.

with Lin Wang Gordon and Jon Aaron

Saturday, September 11th, 2021 from 2:00pm–5:00pm

For this month's Sacred Earth Sangha meeting, we will have a special gathering in Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn as we cultivate relationships with our personal genealogical ancestors as well as practice reflections and meditations that touch the truth of the whole of nature as "all my relations."

with Gary Singer

Wednesdays, September 15th - October 20th, 2021 from 10:00am - 12:00pm ET

The ten perfections (paramis) are ten qualities of character which support both your practice and your compassionate involvement in the world, whether you’re working with your family at home, at the office, or on the cushion. In this 6 week course, we’ll investigate the paramis with an emphasis on how we can bring them practically into our lives.

with Jon Aaron and Elaine Retholtz

Thursday, September 16th 2021 from 10:00am – 7:00pm ET

Yom Kippur is the Jewish Day of Atonement, a day when, as a community, Jews are asked to reflect on their actions of the past year and to ask for atonement for any actions that were unskillful. In support of this day, NYI hosts an online day of silence and reflection.

with Bodhipaksa

Thursday, September 16th 2021 from 7:00pm - 8:30pm ET

There’s no way to instantly forgive ourselves. It takes time and practice. But on this evening with Bodhipaksa we’ll explore several powerful tools, drawn from Buddhist teachings, to help us let go, move on, and be more at peace with ourselves.

with Peter Doobinin

Saturday, September 18th, 2021 from 10:00am - 1:00pm ET

In this program, we’ll learn about the qualities, in the teaching of the Buddha, that comprise our inner worth. We’ll learn how we develop these qualities and about the benefits in doing so.

with Scott Tusa

Saturday, September 18th, 2021 from 2:00pm - 5:00pm ET

In this online workshop, we will dive deep into transformational embodied awareness practices that engage a unified and joyful loving presence. Through periods of meditation and discussion we will explore and develop our connection to a calmer, more resilient, and interconnected state of being and learn how to move beyond the self-fragmentation that causes unnecessary suffering.

with Bhante Sumitta

Sunday, September 19th, 2021 from 9:00am - 11:00am ET

What do you get when you combine kindness and mindfulness? Kindfulness! Bhante Sumitta, a senior monk from Sri Lanka, explains how to cultivate "kindfulness" and why it's a critical part of Buddhist practice.

with Elaine Retholtz

Mondays, September 20th - October 25th, 2021 from 9:30am - 11:30m ET

Forgiveness can allow us to come more fully into our hearts and can be a catalyst that transforms bitterness, anger, and grief into compassion and lovingkindness. Join us for an online course examining forgiveness and how to heal our relationships with others, ourselves and the past.

with Tara Mulay

Saturday, October 2nd, 2021 from 10:00am - 2:00pm ET

During this practice period together, we will explore the conditions that progressively lead to awakening. When we practice mindfulness with these as our foundation, we begin to develop a sense of empowerment based on an initial confidence in the practice, which leads to joy and stillness.

with Bodhipaksa

Wednesdays, October 6th - October 27th, 2021 from 7:00pm - 8:30pm ET

On each of the four evenings of this course, Buddhist teacher Bodhipaksa will explore one of the myths that bind us to resentment and keep us mired in the suffering it causes. He will also offer tools and perspectives for finding our way to peace and forgiveness.

with Walt Opie

Thursday, November 18th, 2021 from 7:00pm - 9:00pm ET

The very purpose of cultivating mindfulness is to enable us to see the impermanent nature of things--their arising and passing away--directly in our own experience. This leads to the liberating understanding that there really is nothing worth clinging to because everything will inevitably change.

with Lin Wang Gordon

Sunday, November 28th, 2021 from 10:00am - 3:00pm ET

Enjoy the magnificent fall foliage in the peaceful beauty of the Hudson Valley with a guided, meditative hike to connect with nature and ourselves.

with Dr. Eliot Tokar

Thursday, December 9th, 2021 from 7:00pm - 9:00pm ET

Tibetan medicine provides the modern world with an enormous wealth of accumulated information regarding health and healthcare, contextualized within a Buddhist perspective that becomes even more relevant as we face this watershed moment in public health worldwide.

with Bodhipaksa

Saturday, December 11th, 2021 from 9:30am - 1:00pm ET

On this half-day retreat, Bodhipaksa will introduce us to what it means to practice “wise self-care,” so that in forgiving others we don’t inadvertently invite them to behave in ways that are harmful to us.

with Ayya Soma

Sunday, December 19th, 2021 from 9:00am - 11:00am ET

During this talk, Buddhist monk Ayya Soma will share some verses and stories of enlightened bhikkhunis and eminent lay disciples from the time of the Buddha. These stories provide inspiration and guidance for our own practice of attaining awakening.

Friday, December 31st, 2021 from 9:00pm - 12:15am ET

We are excited to present this evening, including meditation, chanting, time for silence and connection, time to set intentions for the new year, and our wonderful surprise ending in which all are invited to participate.

with Mona Chopra

Saturday, January 8th, 2022 from 10:00am - 2:00pm ET

Similar to what we observe in the natural world, the winter offers us a precious time to connect with the deeper layers of our experience, our consciousness, our being - to tend to the vast depths of the ocean underlying the surface waves of our experience. This half day retreat will support us in opening up to these depths within as we move into the new year.

with Peter Doobinin

Saturday, January 15th, 2022 from 10:00am - 1:00pm ET

As we make our way along the path to a greater happiness, it’s essential that we learn to practice acceptance. In this three-hour class, we’ll learn about the skill for developing acceptance, in meditation practice and in life.

with Ayya Soma

Sunday, January 16th, 2022 from 9:00am - 11:00am ET

Buddhist monastic Ayya Soma will discuss the purpose of precepts and explore the difference between letting go and deprivation.

with Nikki Mirghafori

Thursday, January 20th, 2022 from 6:00pm - 8:00pm ET

The Buddha advised all practitioners, lay and monastic alike, to engage with the Five Daily Reflections. The more we welcome these five friends into our awareness, the more they shake us out of complacency of wasting time, motivate us to live aligned with our values, open our hearts in generosity and letting go, keep us from falling into the trap of self-pity, moisten our hearts in compassion for ourselves and others, and more.

with Patricia Mushim Ikeda

Thursday, January 27th, 2022 from 7:00pm - 9:00pm ET

Our worlds have changed completely in the last two years. How can social justice-informed mindfulness practices help us regain a sense of wholeness and daily well being in a deeply wounded and polarized society and world? How can self-healing and community-healing be understood as two ways of describing the same thing that is needed to go forward? During this evening with Patricia Mushim Ikeda, we'll explore these inquiries, and more, together.

with Peter Doobinin

Thursdays, February 3rd - February 24th, 2022 from 6:00pm - 7:30pm ET

Right view informs the steps we take as we make our way on the path to a greater happiness. And right resolve provides us with the wholehearted intention and sense of purpose that’s needed in order to take these steps. In this four week course, we’ll learn about these elemental components of the Buddha’s path and how to skillfully apply these understandings as we make the journey along the path.

with Oren Jay Sofer

Friday, February 4th, 2022 from 7:00pm - 8:30pm ET

Dharma practice offers encouragement to develop a wise and kind inner voice, to become an ally, companion and advocate for ourselves in life. Join author and meditation teacher Oren Jay Sofer for an evening of meditation and exploration on how we can transform our inner dialogue.

with Elaine Retholtz

Mondays, February 7th - March 21st, 2022 from 9:30am - 11:30am ET

In this course we will explore the various facets of Lovingkindness practice. There will be ongoing home practices each week, including questions for reflection. In every class there will be time to ask questions and share insights, as well as time to be in breakout rooms sharing, reflecting and learning from each other in smaller groups.

with Kaira Jewel Lingo

Saturday, February 19th, 2022 from 10:00am - 1:00pm ET

In this half day of mindfulness, we’ll learn powerful practices of staying rooted and grounded in the midst of life’s storms by listening to the wisdom of the body.

with Ayya Santussika

Sunday, February 20th, 2022 from 9:00am - 11:00am ET

Meditation doesn't need to be difficult - and if we establish the right foundations for our practice, meditation becomes much easier. In this session, bhikkhuni Ayyā Santussikā will draw on the Buddha's teachings to explain how we can use activities and concepts to strengthen our meditation.

with Jenny Hannah

Saturday, February 26th, 2022 from 2:00pm - 5:00pm ET

Join this workshop as we explore ways to deepen our relationships, and unstick our image based and verbal processing, both with ourselves and others. Through moving meditation, short investigative talks, group inquiry, discussions, and experiential breathing and movement exercises, we will fully embody our authentic felt presence and communicate with whole body expression.

with Dr. Shanté Paradigm Smalls

Saturday, March 5th, 2022 from 10:00am - 1:00pm ET

This half-day workshop explores the deep wisdom and power of the Four Reminders which turn the mind toward liberation, the dharma, and freedom.

with Jeanne Corrigal

Thursday, March 10th, 2022 | 7:00pm - 9:00pm ET

In this online session, we will explore the intersections of indigenous culture and Insight Meditation and the guidance they offer for living in a sacred, kind, wise way in the world, in the midst of these times.

with Nikki Mirghafori

Saturday, March 12th, 2022 from 1:00pm - 5:00pm ET

Rather than running away from our inevitable mortality, we can harness the power of this reflection to stay aligned with our deepest values and to live and love more fully. Fully embracing our life’s impermanence can give rise to a deep letting go and freedom, so that we can be fearlessly, peacefully prepared for our death as a potentially liberative moment.

with Bhante Kusala

Sunday, March 20th, 2022 from 9:00am - 11:00am ET

In Buddhism, the term 'mindfulness' means far more than just 'awareness' - it also incorporates the development of incisive, mind-transforming wisdom. Bhante Kusala will walk us through the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta and discuss how we can relate it to our contemplative practice, to take us far beyond mere attention and deep into the domain of profound insight.

with Amanda Gilbert and Jay Michaelson

Thursday, March 31st, 2022 from 7:30pm - 9:00pm ET

Join Amanda Gilbert and author, editor and teacher, Jay Michaelson, for an intimate and personal discussion on why Loving-Kindness and these practices of the heart are a leading practice and primary means to engage with ourselves and each other in today’s world. We will explore how these heart practices can guide us towards deeper transformation, personal growth, and connection to our authentic self.

with Seth Zuihō Segall

Saturday, April 2nd, 2022 from 10:00am - 1:00pm ET

This half-day retreat utilizes insight meditation and Zen practices to cultivate intimate, whole-hearted presence with our bodies, hearts, and minds, and our fundamental connection to others and the world.

with Jill Satterfield

Fridays, April 8th - 29th, 2022 from 6:00pm - 8:30pm ET

The union of body/mind is integral to full understanding and liberation of heart. Being embodied isn’t necessarily innate, but can definitely be cultivated. We can become aware of how a feeling tone feels, how thoughts and emotions are sensed in sensations and how the mind can be felt energetically in terms of expanded or contracted shapes.

with Deborah Eden Tull

Friday, April 22nd, 2022 from 6:00pm - 7:30pm ET

It is through embodied presence, rather than mental effort or philosophizing, that we remember the already awakened state. Our bodies know the way home. Awareness is the key that allows us to recognize this, beyond habits of hierarchical perception. In this experiential teaching, we will explore the subtle body as guide to both inner-connection and interconnection, both on and off the cushion.

with Deborah Eden Tull

Saturday, April 23rd, 2022 from 10:00am - 3:00pm ET

At this moment in history, there is a significant tear in the fabric of human relationship, and we all long for deeper connection and understanding. This retreat teaches the dharma of relational intelligence, which is the ability to see ourselves and one another clearly with the heart, beyond the mind of separation.

with Bhante Buddharakkhita

Sunday, April 24th, 2022 from 10:00am - 1:00pm ET

Meeting fear with mindfulness and courage can make difference between being caught up in fear and being free from it.