Honoring the Six Directions: Buddhist Teachings on Relationship and Community

East Bay Meditation Center 285 17th Street, Oakland, CA

Dr. Sean Feit Oakes In a beautiful and famous discourse, the Sigālaka Sutta, the Buddha taught a framework for building and sustaining healthy communities. He used the model of the Six Directions, where the practitioner thinks of themself in a web of relationships: with their parents (east), teachers (south), partner and family (west), friends and […]

Mapping the Heart of Metta: A Journey Towards Tenderness and Love

East Bay Meditation Center 285 17th Street, Oakland, CA

with Amana Brembry Johnson The heart is a lantern that illuminates the path of our lives.  It is also the lens through which we view the world. That lens, when rubbed against the abrasions of experience, begins to glow dim with distortion.  The practice of Lovingkindness clears our vision to see the heart in its […]

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A Lineage of Liberation: Intro to the history of Buddhism

East Bay Meditation Center 285 17th Street, Oakland, CA

with Sean Feit Oakes, PhD The moment the Buddha’s first student heard his teaching and was liberated, it’s said that the “Wheel of Dharma” began to turn. Since that moment, generations of devoted practitioners have spread the Dharma of liberation around the world. In this series, we’ll explore a range of Buddhist cultures, and trace […]

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Beginning a Meditation Practice

East Bay Meditation Center 285 17th Street, Oakland, CA

A four-class series led by Mushim Ikeda Wednesday evenings January 8, 15, 22 & 29, 2020   Part of EBMC’s Core Buddhist Teachings – 6-month Curriculum 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 stationary and walking/gentle movement meditation […]

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Teen Circle

East Bay Meditation Center 285 17th Street, Oakland, CA

with Raul Betancourt, Sarwang Parikh, Sara Oakes, Louije Kim and Anthony “T” Maes EBMC Teen Circle is a weekly meditation group for teens, ages 14-19 Our focus is 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 […]

Opening the Heart Through the Buddha’s Teachings: Family Practice

East Bay Meditation Center 285 17th Street, Oakland, CA

with Baruch Golden, Julie Goshe, Vickie Chang and Michele Ku For Children Ages 0-13 and Family / Caregivers We invite you to come and be a part of the diverse family sangha at EBMC. We welcome families with babies, toddlers, and children up to age 12. Children under 5 will need to have a parent/caregiver […]

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Introduction to Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Reconciliation

East Bay Meditation Center 285 17th Street, Oakland, CA

with Kazu Haga, Sierra Pickett and Julia Rose Golomb Kingian Nonviolence grew out of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King and is a transformative philosophy dealing with the transformation of conflict. Many forms of political resistance only deal with “fixing issues,” while ignoring the need to heal relationships. However many healing modalities do not […]

Getting Back in Charge: Mindfulness-based Skills for People with Depression

East Bay Meditation Center 285 17th Street, Oakland, CA

with Mushim Ikeda and Kitsy Schoen Mindfulness-based practices can help put a spacer between us and the negative symptoms of depression. With that bit of breathing room, we can begin to make small changes that, when practiced over time, can help manage downward mood swings and negative thinking. This introductory workshop will include mindfulness meditation […]

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Trust the Struggles: Making Peace with the Five Hindrances to Mindfulness

East Bay Meditation Center 285 17th Street, Oakland, CA

with Melvin Escobar Why’s it so hard to meditate!? This question is as old as the practice. Join us for this class series that gets to the root of our struggles: The Five Obstacles. We’ll learn ways to work with these “hindrances” guided by Buddhist teachings, contemporary psychological frameworks and an understanding of structural oppression. […]

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Buddha’s 4 Big Truths: Liberation from Suffering

East Bay Meditation Center 285 17th Street, Oakland, CA

A four class series with Mushim Ikeda  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. These form the foundation of Buddhist life and understanding. The four “big” truths address human suffering and oppression, analyze their root causes, […]