Events

EVENTS

2025 Residential Retreats

Autumn 2025: September 26th – October 6th
Building Capacity for a Compassionate Life
A 10 day Residential Retreat with Claudia Hansson and Beth Johnson
Mercy Center, Auburn, California
We all carry the desire to live a more compassionate and awakened life, but find it difficult to realize our good intentions. This retreat will focus on deepening the foundational skills that set the conditions for living in awareness.  We will focus on deepening our capacity and breadth of attention, increasing our skill in managing energy, exploring ways to increase ease in the body, and honing our mindfulness off the cushion.
The retreat will include teachings, guided meditations, directed movement and individual interviews. Neil Taylor will be providing the movement work. Mercy Center provides full meals, linens and beautiful grounds for outside work.
The cost for this retreat is $1910 which includes teacher dana.  Payment is due by 9/15/25 
See the newsletter for registration details.

Spring 2026: March 23rd – 30th

Summer 2026: June 29th – July 20th (3 weeks)

Autumn 2026: November 9th – 16th

Upcoming Events
(see newsletter for details on how to register)

Beacons of Mindfulness – An Experiential Exploration of the Vows of Individual Liberation
Starting July 1st and running through August 5th (Tuesday evenings, 5pm PST)

“We can think of the precepts both as keys to self discovery, allowing us to see how our habitual patterns of thinking lead us to do things that are hurtful to ourselves and others, and as companions signaling us when we are about to take hurtful action. They encourage us in the spirit of open questioning to unveil our deepest beliefs that define for us the shape and limitations of how we view who we are. They reveal with crystal clarity the truth that our happiness and well-being are intricately connected to the happiness and well-being of others; we can’t have one without the other. In the deepest sense, our actions are our heritage let go into the world.”
Diane Eshin Rizzetto

Pratimoksha, otherwise known as the Five Vows of Individual Liberation, are often regarded as vows to not take actions, speak words, or think thoughts that are hurtful. But rather than only a set of injunctions, prescriptions or proscriptions, they offer us a rich field of exploration and contemplation of our behavior in day-to-day life. A precept can be thought of as a beacon of light, much like a lighthouse beacon that warns sailors that they are entering dangerous waters and guides them on course. It can show us the way but it also warns us – Pay Attention! Look! Listen!  In that way, the precepts can also be regarded as a place to enter our daily lives, bringing mindfulness and attention to our ever-changing stream of thoughts feelings and emotions.
Over the course of six weeks we will spend time discussing, contemplating and bringing daily attention to these vows: 
I Take Up the Way of Supporting Life.
I Take Up the Way of Speaking Truthfully.
I Take Up the Way of Taking Only What is Freely Given and Giving Free of All That I Can.
I Take Up the Way of Engaging in Sexual Intimacy Respectfully and With an Open Heart.
I Take Up the Way of Cultivating a Clear Mind.

Each week we will touch in with one of the vows, understanding how it is traditionally presented and discussing ways in which we can open to and engage the intention behind this vow our daily lives. Students will be encouraged to then work with that Intention during the week between classes, bringing mindfulness and intention to our habitual ways of behaving in body, speech and mind.

Each week students will be provided with resources such as practical ways to explore the vows and occasional supplementals including recommended readings, and links to talks. time for discussion.

WEEKLY AND MONTHLY GROUPS

Times listed below are PST