East Bay Meditation Center

Meeting Pain with Compassionate Presence
2019-03-17 10:00 - 12:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | East Bay Meditation Center, 285 17th Street, Oakland, CA, 94612, United States
with Satya de La Paz August
This workshop will offer gentle movement which both strengthens and stabilizes the body, with an special focus on joints. Multiple expressions of each pose will be offered and participants are invited to practice lying down, seated, or standing, according to their own body wisdom and access needs. We will explore the relationship between mental, physiological, emotional states and joint pain. Incorporating practices of Tonglen and Ayurveda, we will cultivate a capacity to relate with our pain in a way that awakens compassion and wisdom. Practice cultivating acceptance and kindness to deepen and transform the relationship to physical pain.
Space is limited and registration is required. REGISTER HERE
Cost: There is no registration fee for attending this event, nor most EBMC events. However, EBMC is not independently funded. The Center and the teachers will be sustained only by your voluntary donations (the practice of generous giving, or “dana”). Please donate generously, in proportion to your ability:
* Either online (you will be offered an opportunity during the online registration process to donate to EBMC; the teachers will not receive any part of this online donation).
* Or at the event, in the two baskets at EBMC, one for the Center, the second for the Teacher.
Thank you for your generosity. EBMC will be only be sustained through our collective generosity.
Fragrance-free: In order to protect the health of community members with environmental illness, please do not wear fragranced products (including “natural” fragrances) or clothes laundered in fragranced products to EBMC.
EBMC is wheelchair accessible.

Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation Class Series for People of Color
2019-03-18 18:30 - 20:30, 2019-03-25 18:30 - 20:30
with Carol Cano
For Self Identified People of Color
Mindfulness-based meditation is not a religious code as much as it is a social psychology that supports experiences of well-being. -Ruth King (Author of Mindful Race)
This four-week course will introduce you to secular mindfulness meditation. We will get a brief overview of the historically background and the fundamentals of how to start a mindfulness meditation practice. We will explore how this practice can cultivate balance, peace and support at times that are very challenging and difficult to navigate. This series will give you a fresh perspective to an already stressful life during these chaotic times.
The objective is how to address fluctuating mental states of fear, anxiety and other negative or positives mental states that arise by fostering awareness as a tool for creating a clear, less receptive behaviors and develop qualities of the heart to can promote balance and beauty.
Space is limited and registration is requested. REGISTER HERE
Cost: There is no registration fee for attending this event, nor most EBMC events. However, EBMC is not independently funded. The Center and the teachers will be sustained only by your voluntary donations (the practice of generous giving, or “dana”). Please donate generously, in proportion to your ability:
* Either online (you will be offered an opportunity during the online registration process to donate to EBMC; the teachers will not receive any part of this online donation).
* Or at the event, in the two baskets at EBMC, one for the Center, the second for the Teacher.
Thank you for your generosity. EBMC will be only be sustained through our collective generosity.
Fragrance-free: In order to protect the health of community members with environmental illness, please do not wear fragranced products (including “natural” fragrances) or clothes laundered in fragranced products to EBMC.
EBMC is wheelchair accessible.

The Buddha’s “How to” Guide to a Life of Happiness and Well-being
2019-03-20 18:30 - 20:30, 2019-03-27 18:30 - 20:30
with Mushim Ikeda
Part of EBMC’s Core Buddhist Teachings: 5-Month Curriculum | This Class is a Four Class Series Open to All
Everyone wants to live and be happy, yet human life is marked by suffering. Many are intimately and historically affected by social injustice, and we all experience loss of what is dear to us, sickness, aging, and death. How do we develop wisdom (insight) and spiritual strength (a practice that sustains us during the hard times)? The Buddha’s teaching of the Eightfold Path is a roadmap for a life well-lived. This class series will include interactive exercises, meditation, Dharma talks, and discussion. Beginners in meditation are welcome.
Space is limited and registration is requested. REGISTER HERE
Cost: There is no registration fee for attending this event, nor most EBMC events. However, EBMC is not independently funded. The Center and the teachers will be sustained only by your voluntary donations (the practice of generous giving, or “dana”). Please donate generously, in proportion to your ability:
* Either online (you will be offered an opportunity during the online registration process to donate to EBMC; the teachers will not receive any part of this online donation).
* Or at the event, in the two baskets at EBMC, one for the Center, the second for the Teacher.
Thank you for your generosity. EBMC will be only be sustained through our collective generosity.
Fragrance-free: In order to protect the health of community members with environmental illness, please do not wear fragranced products (including “natural” fragrances) or clothes laundered in fragranced products to EBMC.
EBMC is wheelchair accessible.

Teen Sangha: Winter Session
2019-03-20 19:00 - 20:45, 2019-03-27 19:00 - 20:45
EBMC Teen Sangha
Winter 2019
Wednesdays, January 2nd to March 27th 7:00 pm – 8:45PM pm
EBMC Teen Sangha is a weekly meditation group for teens, ages 14-19
Led by Anthony Maes, Raul Betancourt, Louije Kim and Sarwang Parikh
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 creative experiential ways. No experience necessary. We are committed to maintaining a sangha (community) that is welcoming to people of all identities, cultures and backgrounds.
Registration: Registration is required and space is limited. Click HERE to register.
Cost: There is no registration fee for attending this event, nor most EBMC events. However, EBMC is not independently funded. The Center and the teachers will be sustained only by your voluntary donations (the practice of generous giving, or “dana”). Please donate generously, in proportion to your ability:
* Either online (you will be offered an opportunity during the online registration process to donate to EBMC; the teachers will not receive any part of this online donation).
* Or at the event, in the two baskets at EBMC, one for the Center, the second for the Teacher.
Thank you for your generosity. EBMC will be only be sustained through our collective generosity.
Fragrance-free: In order to protect the health of community members with environmental illness, please do not wear fragranced products (including “natural” fragrances) or clothes laundered in fragranced products to EBMC.
EBMC is wheelchair accessible.

Drop by Drop: Keeping Faith for the Long Haul
2019-03-24 10:00 - 16:30
with Deb Kerr
Changing the mind’s conditioning can be a slow process. We need patience for the long haul. And we need faith that what we are doing is effective to lessen suffering. What does faith mean in a Buddhist context? How does faith in dharma practice develop, and support our deeper awakening? In this daylong workshop, we’ll be exploring these themes using silent and guided meditation, personal reflection and interactive exercises. Participants will learn to uncover and rest on their own bedrock of faith, and to foster its ongoing emergence.
Space is limited and registration is requested. REGISTER HERE
Cost: There is no registration fee for attending this event, nor most EBMC events. However, EBMC is not independently funded. The Center and the teachers will be sustained only by your voluntary donations (the practice of generous giving, or “dana”). Please donate generously, in proportion to your ability:
* Either online (you will be offered an opportunity during the online registration process to donate to EBMC; the teachers will not receive any part of this online donation).
* Or at the event, in the two baskets at EBMC, one for the Center, the second for the Teacher.
Thank you for your generosity. EBMC will be only be sustained through our collective generosity.
Fragrance-free: In order to protect the health of community members with environmental illness, please do not wear fragranced products (including “natural” fragrances) or clothes laundered in fragranced products to EBMC.
EBMC is wheelchair accessible.

Taming Anxiety
2019-03-30 09:00 - 15:00
with Rev. Keiryu Liên Shutt
Does your mind seem to “be all over the place”? Do you find yourself worrying a lot? Do you feel easily overwhelmed and filled with anxiety? Do you obsess about “shoulds’” and “coulds’” and, therefore, find it hard to focus?
Buddhist teachings and practices have long addressed ways to be with such emotions and thoughts. In this one-day, we gather to work with worry and anxiety: how to be with these emotions and engage with practices which can foster calm and ease in both body and mind.
Dharma teachings, meditations, group discussions and experiential exercises are offered.
Open to all
Space is limited and registration is requested. REGISTER HERE
Cost: There is no registration fee for attending this event, nor most EBMC events. However, EBMC is not independently funded. The Center and the teachers will be sustained only by your voluntary donations (the practice of generous giving, or “dana”). Please donate generously, in proportion to your ability:
* Either online (you will be offered an opportunity during the online registration process to donate to EBMC; the teachers will not receive any part of this online donation).
* Or at the event, in the two baskets at EBMC, one for the Center, the second for the Teacher.
Thank you for your generosity. EBMC will be only be sustained through our collective generosity.
Fragrance-free: In order to protect the health of community members with environmental illness, please do not wear fragranced products (including “natural” fragrances) or clothes laundered in fragranced products to EBMC.
EBMC is wheelchair accessible.

Clearing The Mind:Tools and Techniques for Increasing Calm Abiding
2019-04-01 18:30 - 20:30, 2019-04-08 18:30 - 20:30, 2019-04-15 18:30 - 20:30, 2019-04-22 18:30 - 20:30
with John Mifsud
Clearing the Mind is for both experienced and new meditators. We will explore practical techniques that increase deep relaxation and steady concentration. Simple, how-to tools will combine with traditional Buddhist teachings to strengthen calm abiding in meditation practice.
All classes are stand-alone, come to one or all four.
Week 1: Single Pointed Concentration, Moment to Moment
Awareness and Luminous Mind
Week 2: Body Scans, Mantras and Creative Visualizations
Week 3: What Gets in the Way – The Five Hindrances
Week 4: Focusing on the Divine Abodes: Loving Kindness, Compassion, Appreciative Joy & Equanimity.
Space is limited and registration is requested. REGISTER HERE
Cost: There is no registration fee for attending this event, nor most EBMC events. However, EBMC is not independently funded. The Center and the teachers will be sustained only by your voluntary donations (the practice of generous giving, or “dana”). Please donate generously, in proportion to your ability:
* Either online (you will be offered an opportunity during the online registration process to donate to EBMC; the teachers will not receive any part of this online donation).
* Or at the event, in the two baskets at EBMC, one for the Center, the second for the Teacher.
Thank you for your generosity. EBMC will be only be sustained through our collective generosity.
Fragrance-free: In order to protect the health of community members with environmental illness, please do not wear fragranced products (including “natural” fragrances) or clothes laundered in fragranced products to EBMC.
EBMC is wheelchair accessible.

Calming the Heartmind: Practicing Love, Compassion, Joy & Equanimity
2019-04-03 18:30 - 20:30, 2019-04-10 18:30 - 20:30, 2019-04-17 18:30 - 20:30, 2019-04-24 18:30 - 20:30
with Mushim Ikeda
Part of EBMC’s Core Buddhist Teachings: 5-Month Curriculum
The Brahmaviharas (Divine Abodes), also called the Four Immeasurables, are Buddhist teachings and practices that help us to access dynamic calming, stilling, and healing mindbody states. As we cultivate the limitless qualities of loving goodwill, compassion, empathetic joy, and equanimity, in time we harvest true happiness, spiritual strength, and awakening insight. These practices are considered complementary to insight (mindfulness) meditation. Dharma talks, discussion, interactive exercises. Instruction provided for beginners in meditation.
Space is limited and registration is requested. REGISTER HERE
Cost: There is no registration fee for attending this event, nor most EBMC events. However, EBMC is not independently funded. The Center and the teachers will be sustained only by your voluntary donations (the practice of generous giving, or “dana”). Please donate generously, in proportion to your ability:
* Either online (you will be offered an opportunity during the online registration process to donate to EBMC; the teachers will not receive any part of this online donation).
* Or at the event, in the two baskets at EBMC, one for the Center, the second for the Teacher.
Thank you for your generosity. EBMC will be only be sustained through our collective generosity.
Fragrance-free: In order to protect the health of community members with environmental illness, please do not wear fragranced products (including “natural” fragrances) or clothes laundered in fragranced products to EBMC.
EBMC is wheelchair accessible.

Restorative Practices: Exploring the Gap between Intent and Impact
2019-04-06 10:00 - 16:00
with the Restorative Practices for Dharma Practitioners Sangha
Shahara Godfrey, Kimi Mojica, Jamilah Bradshaw, Jenn Biehn, Kevin Martin, Joan Lohman, DeNNiS SOmeRa and Ann Uyeda
EBMC’s Multicultural Agreements provide us with a guidepost to connect and communicate across differences of culture, identity, history, and power. Through attending to the gap between intent and impact, we can honor our needs, lessen harm, and create space for accountability and redemptive possibilities.
Please join us in inquiry:
when we or someone else acts or speaks unskillfully,
when there’s a break in trust or rupture in the sangha,
what might our practice invite us to do next?
We will reflect upon and explore strategies we have found and are seeking to unearth, and the lessons we have learned along the way.
Space is limited and registration is required. REGISTER HERE
Cost: There is no registration fee for attending this event, nor most EBMC events. However, EBMC is not independently funded. The Center and the teachers will be sustained only by your voluntary donations (the practice of generous giving, or “dana”). Please donate generously, in proportion to your ability:
* Either online (you will be offered an opportunity during the online registration process to donate to EBMC; the teachers will not receive any part of this online donation).
* Or at the event, in the two baskets at EBMC, one for the Center, the second for the Teacher.
Thank you for your generosity. EBMC will be only be sustained through our collective generosity.
Fragrance-free: In order to protect the health of community members with environmental illness, please do not wear fragranced products (including “natural” fragrances) or clothes laundered in fragranced products to EBMC.
EBMC is wheelchair accessible.

Teen Sangha: Spring Session
2019-04-10 19:00 - 20:45, 2019-04-17 19:00 - 20:45, 2019-04-24 19:00 - 20:45, 2019-05-01 19:00 - 20:45, 2019-05-08 19:00 - 20:45
EBMC Teen Sangha
Spring 2019
Wednesdays, April 10th to June 19th 7:00 pm – 8:45PM pm
EBMC Teen Sangha is a weekly meditation group for teens, ages 14-19
Led by Anthony Maes, Raul Betancourt, Louije Kim and Sarwang Parikh
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 creative experiential ways. No experience necessary. We are committed to maintaining a sangha (community) that is welcoming to people of all identities, cultures and backgrounds.
Registration: Registration is required and space is limited.

Cost: There is no registration fee for attending this event, nor most EBMC events. However, EBMC is not independently funded. The Center and the teachers will be sustained only by your voluntary donations (the practice of generous giving, or “dana”). Please donate generously, in proportion to your ability:
* Either online (you will be offered an opportunity during the online registration process to donate to EBMC; the teachers will not receive any part of this online donation).
* Or at the event, in the two baskets at EBMC, one for the Center, the second for the Teacher.
Thank you for your generosity. EBMC will be only be sustained through our collective generosity.
Fragrance-free: In order to protect the health of community members with environmental illness, please do not wear fragranced products (including “natural” fragrances) or clothes laundered in fragranced products to EBMC.
EBMC is wheelchair accessible.

Family Practice Class: Opening the Heart through the Buddha's Teachings
2019-04-14 10:00 - 12:30
with Baruch Golden, Lev White and Michele Ku
For Children Ages 0-13 and Family / Caregivers
We invite you to come and help create the diverse family sangha at EBMC. We welcome families with babies, toddlers, and children up to age 13. Children under 5 will need to have a parent/caregiver stay with them.
This class features training on “Family Tea Time” and how mindful practices can bind the family together. We will also explore how meditation and meditative movement can contribute to successful family life. Parents/caregivers and young people will meet together and separately during the class. We are committed to creating a diverse family sangha. No prior experience is necessary.
Please bring a snack (without nuts) to share. Please note, each family only needs one registration. Thank You!
REGISTER HERE
Cost: There is no registration fee for attending this event, nor most EBMC events. However, EBMC is not independently funded. The Center and the teachers will be sustained only by your voluntary donations (the practice of generous giving, or “dana”). Please donate generously, in proportion to your ability:
* Either online (you will be offered an opportunity during the online registration process to donate to EBMC; the teachers will not receive any part of this online donation).
* Or at the event, in the two baskets at EBMC, one for the Center, the second for the Teacher.
Thank you for your generosity. EBMC will be only be sustained through our collective generosity.
Fragrance-free: In order to protect the health of community members with environmental illness, please do not wear fragranced products (including “natural” fragrances) or clothes laundered in fragranced products to EBMC.
EBMC is wheelchair accessible.

EVERYDAY EQUITY: Awakening Power, Love, and Justice
2019-04-21 10:00 - 16:00
with Renato P. Almanzor and Mushim Patricia Ikeda
Everyday Equity is both a realization of and a path from power, love, and justice. This mindfulness-based daylong facilitates a process for awakening power, love, and justice; and draws from what matters (e.g., grace, gratitude, gravitas), through what’s difficult (e.g., hurt, healing, hope), to what’s possible (e.g., courage, compassion, connection). As an experiential workshop, this program includes practicing the use of tools, applying concepts, and reflecting through meditation, journaling, small groups and large group dialogue. The day will remind us of our loveliness – allowing us to contribute to community well-being by understanding and healing from harmful conditions toward transformative change. Instructions for meditation will be provided.
Space is limited and registration is requested. REGISTER HERE
Cost: There is no registration fee for attending this event, nor most EBMC events. However, EBMC is not independently funded. The Center and the teachers will be sustained only by your voluntary donations (the practice of generous giving, or “dana”). Please donate generously, in proportion to your ability:
* Either online (you will be offered an opportunity during the online registration process to donate to EBMC; the teachers will not receive any part of this online donation).
* Or at the event, in the two baskets at EBMC, one for the Center, the second for the Teacher.
Thank you for your generosity. EBMC will be only be sustained through our collective generosity.
Fragrance-free: In order to protect the health of community members with environmental illness, please do not wear fragranced products (including “natural” fragrances) or clothes laundered in fragranced products to EBMC.
EBMC is wheelchair accessible.

To Cherish All Life: Buddha’s 5 Precepts
2019-05-01 18:30 - 20:30, 2019-05-08 18:30 - 20:30
with Mushim Ikeda
Part of EBMC’s Core Buddhist Teachings – 5-month Curriculum
Together we’ll safely take a deep dive into how to hold the questions and ethical complexities that arise when we grapple with trying to live in accordance with the Precepts. The Buddha’s 5 basic guidelines for peace and happiness are: Not to kill but to cherish all life; not to lie but to tell the truth; not to steal, but to respect the things of others; not to commit sexual misconduct but to respect the wholeness of relationship; not to misuse intoxicants but to practice clarity of mind. Dharma talks, contemplative journaling, discussion, interactive exercises. Meditation instruction provided for beginners.
Space is limited and registration is requested.

Cost: There is no registration fee for attending this event, nor most EBMC events. However, EBMC is not independently funded. The Center and the teachers will be sustained only by your voluntary donations (the practice of generous giving, or “dana”). Please donate generously, in proportion to your ability:
* Either online (you will be offered an opportunity during the online registration process to donate to EBMC; the teachers will not receive any part of this online donation).
* Or at the event, in the two baskets at EBMC, one for the Center, the second for the Teacher.
Thank you for your generosity. EBMC will be only be sustained through our collective generosity.
Fragrance-free: In order to protect the health of community members with environmental illness, please do not wear fragranced products (including “natural” fragrances) or clothes laundered in fragranced products to EBMC.
EBMC is wheelchair accessible.

“Letting Go” with Forgiveness & Goodwill
2019-05-04 09:00 - 15:00
For Self-Identified People of Color
with Rev. Keiryū Liên Shutt
Impermanence is part of life. We want “to move on” through wishing ourselves or another well, yet it’s hard to do. The thought of “sending goodwill” is nice but it may seem insurmountable.

This 1-day workshop and retreat provides a gentle container to foster letting go of old hurts and pains. In the morning, teachings, exercises and practices on forgiveness are offered. In the afternoon, we switch to a retreat format: engaging in guided meditations, generating goodwill to specific categories.

* Please bring any form of mementos for those you’d like to generate forgiveness and/or goodwill to in these meditations.

Cost: There is no registration fee for attending this event, nor most EBMC events. However, EBMC is not independently funded. The Center and the teachers will be sustained only by your voluntary donations (the practice of generous giving, or “dana”). Please donate generously, in proportion to your ability:
* Either online (you will be offered an opportunity during the online registration process to donate to EBMC; the teachers will not receive any part of this online donation).
* Or at the event, in the two baskets at EBMC, one for the Center, the second for the Teacher.
Thank you for your generosity. EBMC will be only be sustained through our collective generosity.
Fragrance-free: In order to protect the health of community members with environmental illness, please do not wear fragranced products (including “natural” fragrances) or clothes laundered in fragranced products to EBMC.
EBMC is wheelchair accessible.

Tender Self-Care in the Midst of Pain
2019-05-11 10:00 - 16:00
A Daylong for People Living with Disability, Illness or Chronic Pain
Led by Debra Kerr and Mushim Ikeda
In this daylong meditation retreat, we will explore the possibility of finding space and ease, even while dealing with painful conditions of body or mind. Mindfulness and sangha are powerful tools for finding ways of working with pain, for lessening isolation, and for increasing our compassion, both for our own pain, and for the pain of others. There will be guided and silent meditation, movement practice, lovingkindness and compassion practice, as well as small and large group discussions and dharma talks. As we work with pain, we will also find ways of inviting pleasure and joy into the day.

In order to protect the health of community members with environmental illness, please do not wear fragranced products (including “natural” fragrances) or clothes laundered in fragranced products to EBMC.

Cost: There is no registration fee for attending this event, nor most EBMC events. However, EBMC is not independently funded. The Center and the teachers will be sustained only by your voluntary donations (the practice of generous giving, or “dana”). Please donate generously, in proportion to your ability:
* Either online (you will be offered an opportunity during the online registration process to donate to EBMC; the teachers will not receive any part of this online donation).
* Or at the event, in the two baskets at EBMC, one for the Center, the second for the Teacher.
Thank you for your generosity. EBMC will be only be sustained through our collective generosity.
Fragrance-free: In order to protect the health of community members with environmental illness, please do not wear fragranced products (including “natural” fragrances) or clothes laundered in fragranced products to EBMC.
EBMC is wheelchair accessible.

Family Practice: Opening the Heart through the Buddha's Teachings
2019-05-12 10:00 - 12:30
with Julie Goeshe, Keisha Turner, Lev White and Michele Ku
For Children Ages 0-13 and Family / Caregivers
We invite you to come and help create the diverse family sangha at EBMC.We welcome families with babies, toddlers, and children up to age 13. Children under 5 will need to have a parent/caregiver stay with them.
This class features training on “Family Tea Time” and how mindful practices can bind the family together. We will also explore how meditation and meditative movement can contribute to successful family life. Parents/caregivers and young people will meet together and separately during the class. We are committed to creating a diverse family sangha. No prior experience is necessary.
Please bring a snack (without nuts) to share. Please note, each family only needs one registration. Thank You!

Cost: There is no registration fee for attending this event, nor most EBMC events. However, EBMC is not independently funded. The Center and the teachers will be sustained only by your voluntary donations (the practice of generous giving, or “dana”). Please donate generously, in proportion to your ability:
* Either online (you will be offered an opportunity during the online registration process to donate to EBMC; the teachers will not receive any part of this online donation).
* Or at the event, in the two baskets at EBMC, one for the Center, the second for the Teacher.
Thank you for your generosity. EBMC will be only be sustained through our collective generosity.
Fragrance-free: In order to protect the health of community members with environmental illness, please do not wear fragranced products (including “natural” fragrances) or clothes laundered in fragranced products to EBMC.
EBMC is wheelchair accessible.
