Visit Us!

We are glad you're visiting our web site and want to invite you to visit us during one of our Sunday teachings. If you haven't been to a Tibetan Buddhist Sangha meeting, you might have some questions. It's perfectly normal- all of us were new to Tibetan Buddhism at one time or another and we are all learning!

Here's a brief outline of our normal Sunday teachings. It may occasionally vary due to the availability of qualified teachers or visits from traveling monks:

Prostrations to the Buddha, the Dharma and Sangha led by our resident teacher.
Group meditation.
A preliminary group recitation prior to the teaching of the day. The teaching is in the from of a guided group discussion moderated by a qualified teacher.
A dedication prayer.

Visitors are under no obligation to participate in the activities unless they wish to. The Buddha actually encouraged those who listened to his teachings to 'make an investigation' of his teachings prior to becoming a follower. This is still true today.

If you are concerned about accidentally offending the sensibilities of the group, don't be! We are all human and mistakes are part of our human existence. We do, however, have a few etiquette pointers for visitors:

Please arrive on time.
Please bring your own cushions or, if you prefer, a chair for seating.
Wear comfortable clothing, but make sure that it is not distracting to others.
Hats and shoes should be removed prior to entering the shrine room.
Please be respectful of others practice. Activities such as eating, drinking, moving about the room should be avoided during meditation and the teaching.
Please stand prior to the prostrations. Participation in prostrations is optional but we request that you stand respectfully if you chose not to participate. Remain standing until the teacher sits or motions for the group to be seated. Although we are seated on cushions, it is not proper to lie down.
The bottoms of your feet should not be extended towards the teacher, the altar or other sacred objects.
Texts, prayer materials and other sacred objects are not placed on the floor. They should be on cushions or mats in front of you. Avoid stepping over any of these items or the monks teaching platform.
Remain seated until the teacher rises or indicates the teaching is over.
Your donations are sincerely appreciated!

We are currently studying A Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life by Shantideva.