First-Time Visitors
Whether you’re new to meditation or an experienced practitioner, our Sunday morning program offers multiple ways to engage with the Dharma. Our community includes both beginners and those with decades of practice, creating a rich environment for learning and growth.
Join us at 9:15 AM for:
- Brief orientation to our space
- Introduction to meditation basics
- Help with meditation posture
- Guided meditation suitable for beginners
What to Expect
Our center occupies a unique space: a 1920s speakeasy transformed into a traditional Tibetan Buddhist shrine room. When you visit, you’ll enter into a welcoming community space where you can:
- Remove your shoes
- Hang your coat
- Enjoy tea or coffee while settling in
- Use either chairs or meditation cushions
Our Practice
At the heart of our practice are traditional Tibetan Buddhist sadhanas: unique meditative practices that blend chanting, visualization, and prayer. These powerful rituals, often performed in Tibetan, guide us into a deeper connection with compassion, wisdom, and the nature of mind. While deeply rooted in tradition, they offer a transformative and dynamic approach to meditation that is rarely found outside of Tibetan Buddhism. If you’re new to this, don’t worry (most of us don’t speak Tibetan either). A chant leader (Umdze) guides us through the melodies, and all our texts include both pronunciation guides and English translations. You’re welcome to participate however you feel comfortable, whether that’s chanting along in Tibetan, following the English translation, or simply sitting quietly and taking in the experience.
Between practices, we take short breaks for tea, coffee, and conversation in our community room. This gives everyone a chance to stretch, reflect, and connect with fellow practitioners.
Shrine Room Etiquette
A few customs of respect for the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha, in the order you’ll meet them.
When you arrive
- Come in quietly. If practice has started, take the nearest open seat.
- Before sitting, some people do three prostrations to the shrine, a traditional way of showing respect for the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. You’re welcome to do the same; just ask and someone will show you how. It’s never expected.
- Wear clothes you can sit comfortably in, and nothing likely to distract others.
During practice
- Stand when the lama enters to teach, and again when the lama rises at the end.
- Sit so your feet don’t point toward the shrine or the Buddha images.
- Keep practice texts off the floor: rest them on your cushion or in your hands, and please don’t fold or write in them.
- Chant along, follow the English, or simply sit and listen. There’s no pressure to keep up.
Afterwards
- Leave the texts in the shrine room. If you’d like to borrow one for study, ask Lama Sean.
- Save conversations for the community room, and keep your voice low nearby while the shrine room is in use.
