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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250902T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250902T203000
DTSTAMP:20260429T004531
CREATED:20210710T180923Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250313T193346Z
UID:10007382-1756839600-1756845000@eastbaymeditation.org
SUMMARY:HYBRID: Alphabet Sangha
DESCRIPTION:A meditation group for the Lesbian\, Gay\, Bisexual\, Transgender\, Queer\, Intersex\, Same-Gender Loving\, and Two-Spirit communities. Because that’s such a mouthful\, we call ourselves the Alphabet Sangha. \nTuesdays\n7:00 – 8:30 pm \nHYBRID on First and Third Tuesdays of the month! Meet at EBMC or online. \nPlease email: alphabetsangha at eastbaymeditation dot org to request Zoom link to join online.  \nFor more information\, visit the ALPHABET SANGHA WEBSITE
URL:https://eastbaymeditation.org/calendar/online-alphabet-sangha-2-2022-12-27/2025-09-02/
LOCATION:East Bay Meditation Center\, 285 17th Street\, Oakland\, CA\, 94612\, United States
CATEGORIES:Hybrid,Practice Groups
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250903T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250903T133500
DTSTAMP:20260429T004531
CREATED:20231031T215537Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250716T051937Z
UID:10009643-1756900800-1756906500@eastbaymeditation.org
SUMMARY:HYBRID: Midday Sangha
DESCRIPTION:Join our peer-led multicultural sangha for silent meditation practice and community building. \nEvery Wednesday\n12:00 – 12:45pm PST   Silent sitting\, standing or lying down meditation with optional walking meditation. \n12:55 – 1:35pm PST   Facilitated conversation about our practice and being the dharma in the world \nHYBRID EVERY FIRST WEDNESDAY\, ONLINE FOR OTHER MEETINGS (unless otherwise noted) \nMidday Sangha Coordinating Committee:\nemiko yoshikami\, Jennie Powe Runde\, Sakshi Uomoto\, Elese Lebsack and Robert Gavino \nemail middaysangha at eastbaymeditation dot org for zoom link and password 
URL:https://eastbaymeditation.org/calendar/online-midday-sangha-2024-10-23/2025-09-03/
LOCATION:East Bay Meditation Center\, 285 17th Street\, Oakland\, CA\, 94612\, United States
CATEGORIES:Hybrid,Practice Groups
GEO:37.8050656;-122.2660299
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250916T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250916T203000
DTSTAMP:20260429T004531
CREATED:20250918T043317Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250918T043317Z
UID:10007440-1758049200-1758054600@eastbaymeditation.org
SUMMARY:HYBRID: Alphabet Sangha
DESCRIPTION:A meditation group for the Lesbian\, Gay\, Bisexual\, Transgender\, Queer\, Intersex\, Same-Gender Loving\, and Two-Spirit communities. Because that’s such a mouthful\, we call ourselves the Alphabet Sangha. \nTuesdays\n7:00 – 8:30 pm \nHYBRID on First and Third Tuesdays of the month! Meet at EBMC or online. \nPlease email: alphabetsangha at eastbaymeditation dot org to request Zoom link to join online.  \nFor more information\, visit the ALPHABET SANGHA WEBSITE
URL:https://eastbaymeditation.org/calendar/online-alphabet-sangha-2-2022-12-27-2/2025-09-16/
LOCATION:East Bay Meditation Center\, 285 17th Street\, Oakland\, CA\, 94612\, United States
CATEGORIES:Hybrid,Practice Groups
GEO:37.8050656;-122.2660299
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250921T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250921T103000
DTSTAMP:20260429T004531
CREATED:20250807T235712Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250819T184133Z
UID:10010733-1758445200-1758450600@eastbaymeditation.org
SUMMARY:HYBRID: Celebrate the Changing Seasons w/ Mindful Movement: Fall Equinox
DESCRIPTION:Celebrate the Changing Seasons with Mindful Movement: Fall Equinox \nSunday\, September 21st 2025 \n9:00 – 10:30AM PT (Time Zone Converter) \nHYBRID \nwith Rosetta Saunders and Jenn Biehn \nClosed Captioning Provided on Zoom \nThe center is fragrance-free and wheelchair accessible \nN95/KN95 masks required \n  \nWe invite you to join us in community movement meditation as we welcome the season of Autumn. \nWe will practice easy-to-learn tai chi and qigong movements that gather the chi/the life force from the earth and circulate chi in our bodies.  These accessible\, non-strenuous movements invite softness and continuity as they release tension\, negativity and stress and bring healing to body-heart-mind-spirit. \nTogether we will practice movements that cultivate connection with nature – honoring the elements and deepening our oneness with Mother Earth and all her beings.  Embodying mindful awareness together\, we experience a profound synergy and ever-deepening interconnectedness – so important in these challenging times. \nMovements can be practiced both seated and standing.  No prior experience necessary. \nJoin us as we welcome the season of Autumn.. \n  \nOPTIONAL SOCIALIZING AT THE CENTER: After the class\, you’re invited to stay for snacks and fellowship in the EBMC kitchen\, from 10:30-11:15AM! \n  \nSave the Date for Our Final Session! \nWinter Solstice – Sunday\, December 21st from 9:00-10:30 AM. \n  \n\n\n\n\nCost \nThe teachings are regarded as priceless. So they are offered without a fee. You are invited to support the teachings and our efforts by contributing voluntary donations (the practice of “Dana”) for the expenses of the meditation center and the support of the teachers. \nThe ticket prices are listed as different tiers with suggested donations based on income ranges. For those who wish to give more\, you may choose an “add-on” to your ticket. For those unable to give\, there is an option for that. \n  \nOther ways to give: \nTo make a gift to sustain the work of East Bay Meditation Center\, you may do so at https://bit.ly/ebmc-give 100% of our programming is sliding scale and no one will ever be turned away for lack of funds. \nPlease also consider giving a financial gift to our teachers as well\, who do not receive a salary for their work\, and give their teachings freely to all. \n  \nTo make a gift to support the teachings\, please do so via \nPayPal: sweetdrum8@gmail.com \nor Venmo: @Rosetta-Saunders \nPlease indicate “Fall Equinox” in the subject line. \n  \nThank you for the gifts of your generosity and for supporting the work of East Bay Meditation Center and our beloved teachers who have volunteered their time. \n  \nFor in-person participation: \nFor those wishing to practice in person\, space will be limited to 60 people to allow ample space for social distancing. Participants will be asked to wear N95 or KN95 face masks. (N95 face masks will be available at EBMC.) Please note: The teacher may be unmasked while teaching. \nTo attend in person\, you need to be completely free of fragranced body and clothing products — more information and a list of fragrance free products\, including those that are especially good for people of color\, appears on our website: https://eastbaymeditation.org/resources/fragrance-free-at-ebmc/ \n  \nEast Bay Meditation Center is a scent free / fragrance free space and is wheelchair accessible. \n  \nFor Zoom participation\, these are our Universal Access Guidelines: \n1. When speaking\, introduce your name\, pronouns\, and (optionally) a brief physical description of yourself. \n2. If using virtual backgrounds\, please use static\, simple\, high-contrast backgrounds. \n3. Please keep your camera still while your camera is on. \n4. Please repeat your name when you speak to help those with visual impairment. \n5. The host/volunteer will attempt to read any comments that appear in the chat out loud. \n6. Please strive for clear audio and mute when you are not speaking. Phone access is also available. \n7. If you have unmet access needs\, please send a message to the volunteer or host in the chat. If the chat is not accessible to you\, please offer them briefly in one minute or less via voice. Please do not send access requests directly to other participants. \n \n \nRosetta Saunders is a retired educator and historian with over 20 years teaching “People of Colors History” in the United States. Currently a core facilitator for Deep Time Liberation\, Ancestral Healing retreats\, Rosetta’s passion for West African and Afro-Cuban drumming has primarily been a source for individual and collective healing. She aligns herself with her ancestral lineage through Earth based practices. She was introduced to the Buddha/Dharma in 2002 and completed a two-year Dharmacharya program with Venerable Pannavati and Pannadipa receiving Confirmation of Ordination and recently completed the Braided Wisdom Leadership training program and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction certification program. \n \n\n  \n\nA Buddha/Dharma/Sangha practitioner for the past 40 years and active with EBMC for the past 15 years\, Jenn Biehn has served on the Leadership Sangha and is a co-founder of several peer-led sanghas including Midday Sangha. Co-creating communities of belonging without othering has been a lifelong focus for Jenn. She teaches Transforming White Privilege on the Path to Racial Equity and was recently an elder mentor for the Braided Wisdom Leadership Training Program which includes cross cultural mindfulness practices. She has taught mindful movement practices including tai chi and qigong for the past 35 years to various communities throughout the SF Bay Area.  Jenn’s spiritual practice includes engaging with Mother Earth through cross country skiing and backpacking in the high Sierra.
URL:https://eastbaymeditation.org/calendar/hybrid-celebrate-the-changing-seasons-w-mindful-movement-fall-equinox/
LOCATION:East Bay Meditation Center\, 285 17th Street\, Oakland\, CA\, 94612\, United States
CATEGORIES:Classes,Hybrid
GEO:37.8050656;-122.2660299
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250928T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250928T140000
DTSTAMP:20260429T004531
CREATED:20250723T220256Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250805T220644Z
UID:10010728-1759053600-1759068000@eastbaymeditation.org
SUMMARY:HYBRID: White and Awakening in Sangha
DESCRIPTION:HYBRID: White and Awakening in Sangha \nSundays from 10am to 2pm PT \nSeptember 28\, October 12 and 26\, November 9 and 23\, 2025 \nWith Crystal Johnson\, Kitsy Schoen\, and Heather Lear \nOpen to white-identified practitioners \nClosed Captioning Provided on Zoom \nThe center is fragrance-free and wheelchair accessible \nN95/KN95 masks required \n  \nPlease note; registration for this class is two steps: 1) On-Demand materials and 2) Live Class Registration.   \n  \nCourse Description \nSince 2007\, the East Bay Meditation Center (EBMC) has been offering courses designed for white people who want to build awareness and skills for disrupting the operation of white supremacy culture.  We began this journey by developing a  curriculum that guided white people into deeper awareness of our white conditioning\, and built intra- and inter-personal skills to support the creation of inclusive sangha.  Over time\, we have gone deeper into the dharma practices that guide us toward wise effort and wise action in our lives and communities to address the harm arising from race-based oppression.  By bringing our practice to bear our actions are guided by the Precepts and informed by the teaching of the Eightfold Path.   \n  \nThis year\, we are offering the foundations class in a revised format and adapted for a time of great conflict and violence\, and of intense political and psychological polarization around issues of race and justice and harm.  We are offering the basic curriculum in an On-Demand\, online format that participants can watch on their own time or by joining one of the hosted “watch parties” that will be offered.  The live course meetings will be focused on: \n\nBuilding a supportive community of white people to deepen our inquiries and support our efforts to grow and change\nDigesting and sharing our increasing understanding of white conditioning\, the operation of systemic racism and the psychological strategies that keep us stuck as we work to engage with the painful realities of white supremacy\nDeveloping intra- and inter- personal skills for personal and community development\nCultivating meditation practices that allow us to stay present in very difficult circumstances while staying grounded in our values\nBuilding our understanding of\, and commitment to\, wise effort and action guided by deep compassion \n\n   \nFormat \nThis course is designed to include people with a wide range of experience.  We will cover the basics of whiteness through the On-Demand materials that can be viewed privately or in one of the watch parties that we will host.  The live sessions (offered both in person and online) will offer additional materials\, including guided meditation\, dharma talks and discussion\, Q&R\, small group conversations\, and large group sharing.  Partial recordings of live sessions will be available for people who wish to review the material or who have to miss a class meeting. \n  \nPrerequisites \nPlease come to the class with an established meditation practice\, a genuine openness to learning from the teachers and other participants\, and the willingness and capacity to move through difficult emotions and psychological disruption while staying engaged.  This work requires courageous and honest self-reflection and the commitment to show up for ourselves and each other with compassion.  We rely on the strength of our community to get through the hard stuff. \nYou will get the most out of this course if you: \n\nWatch all the materials offered and complete the exercises\nDo the offered practices every day\nShow up with a wide open heart and willingness to be surprised\nCome in person\, if at all possible.  We are very happy to welcome those who join us from far away\, and we do feel there is something lost in being remote…\n\n  \nWe invite you into our practice of Gift Economics \nAt the East Bay Meditation Center (EBMC)\, we practice Gift Economics\, which means\, among other things\, that we welcome you into our community\, and invite you to contribute according to your capacity and inspiration\, rather than as if you are purchasing a product/course.  By donating to EBMC\, you are supporting a community founded and dedicated to creating a dharma refuge for BIPOC\, LGBTQI2+\, people with disabilities\, other marginalized communities\, and everyone (including us white identified folks) who seeks to end suffering and cultivate happiness. Our mission is to foster liberation\, personal and interpersonal healing\, social action\, and inclusive community building.   \nWe hope that you will join us. \nFor this course\, the teachers offer their time without monetary compensation as a practice of reparation\, so that 80% of your donation for the On-Demand materials\, and 100% of your registration contributions will go to support the East Bay Meditation Center (EBMC).  We will invite you to offer dana twice in this registration process (yes it’s a little clunky…).   \n  \nNext Steps \n\nFirst\, please register for the On-Demand materials through Spirit Rock.  The dana that you offer here will support EBMC (80%) who created the class\, and Spirit Rock (20%)\, who produced it.  \nSecond\, please register through EventBrite for the EBMC live class here. We invite you to contribute as generously as you can\, given your economic circumstances. \nYou may also contribute each time the class meets\, or at any time\, by going to the EBMC Donation page or through Venmo at @eastbaymeditation.   If you attend the class in person\, you may also contribute via check or cash.\n\n  \nQuestions?  Write to us at WhiteandAwakeninginSangha@eastbaymeditation.org \n  \nThe On-Demand materials qualify for 6 homestudy CE credits for $100 for psychologists and California licensed MFTs\, LCSWs\, LEPs\, LPCCs\, nurses\, and chiropractors. \n  \nA technical note: You should receive a confirmation email within a day of completing your registration.  If you don’t receive this email\, please contact us at whiteandawakening@eastbaymeditation.org so that we can troubleshoot this issue! \n  \nFor in-person participation: \nFor those wishing to practice in person\, space will be limited to 60 people to allow ample space for social distancing. Participants will be asked to wear N95 or KN95 face masks. (N95 face masks will be available at EBMC.) Please note: The teacher may be unmasked while teaching. \nTo attend in person\, you need to be completely free of fragranced body and clothing products — more information and a list of fragrance free products\, including those that are especially good for people of color\, appears on our website: https://eastbaymeditation.org/resources/fragrance-free-at-ebmc/ \nEast Bay Meditation Center is a scent free / fragrance free space and is wheelchair accessible. \n  \nUniversal Access Requests on Zoom to help with sound and video quality. If possible… \n1. When speaking\, introduce your name\, pronouns\, and (optionally) a brief physical description of yourself. \n2. If using virtual backgrounds\, please use static\, simple\, high-contrast backgrounds. \n3. Please keep your camera still while your camera is on. \n4. Please repeat your name when you speak to help those with visual impairment. \n5. The host/volunteer will attempt to read any comments that appear in the chat out loud. \n6. Please strive for clear audio and mute when you are not speaking. Phone access is also available. \n7. If you have unmet access needs\, please send a message to the volunteer or host in the chat. If the chat is not accessible to you\, please offer them briefly in one minute or less via voice. Please do not send access requests directly to other participants. \n \nTEACHERS \n \nCrystal Johnson is a retired clinical psychologist and a Community Teacher at the East Bay Meditation Center (EBMC) in Oakland\, CA\, where she also serves on the Leadership Sangha (Board) and as a member of the Radical Inclusivity Committee. She completed the year long Commit2Dharma training at EBMC\, as well as the 2-year Dedicated Practitioner Program and the 2-year Community Dharma Leader Program at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. In her teaching\, she focuses on creating/co-creating programs for white dharma practitioners seeking to build awareness\, knowledge and skills to challenge the dynamics of white privilege and race-based oppression\, and create truly inclusive sangha. Her courses include White and Awakening in Sangha at EBMC\, Unpacking Whiteness: Reflection and Action at the San Francisco Zen Center\, White and Awakening Together at Spirit Rock Meditation Center\, Unpacking Whiteness for the Soto Zen Buddhist Association and Unpacking the Whiteness of Leadership for Branching Streams. She offers consultation to individuals and organizations seeking to disrupt the practices of white supremacy culture and support change toward racial equity. \n \nKitsy Schoen\, MSW\, began her mindfulness practice and was inspired to work as a hospice social worker after meeting Stephen Levine in 1979. Throughout her career she has been able to integrate mindfulness and her passion for racial equity into her work. At Kaiser Permanente\, Kitsy led the NCAL Kaiser Psychiatry’s Cultural Diversity Workgroup and was a founding member of the “Isms Collaborative”\, a group of representatives from public and private health care organizations that sought to address workplace bias in agencies committed to reducing health disparities. In 2004 she began Spirit Rock’s Community Dharma Leader program with the specific focus of bringing insight and compassion practices to working with other white people on racism. In 2007\, she joined the Leadership Sangha (board) of East Bay Meditation Center and began offering antiracism classes to white practitioners. Kitsy has provided training and consultation to numerous mental health training programs and dharma centers on issues of racism\, power and privilege. \n \nHeather Lear (she/her) was born and raised with the Dharma in a family of Insight Meditation practitioners in the South\, and is now based on unceded Ramaytush Ohlone land in San Francisco. She studies and teaches at the intersection of heart-centered Dharma\, embodiment practices and DEIA work around white and awakening in community\, and serves as the Program Manager at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. Heather has completed various study and teaching programs\, including Spirit Rock’s LEAP program\, the Sati Center’s Buddhist Chaplaincy Training\, and Radiant Heart Qigong Teacher Training with Teja Bell. She has served on the board at Insight Santa Cruz\, on the teaching team offering the 6-month White and Awakening in Sangha program at the East Bay Meditation Center since 2019\, and is part of the current Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leaders (CDL7) cohort.
URL:https://eastbaymeditation.org/calendar/white-and-awakening-in-sangha/2025-09-28/
LOCATION:East Bay Meditation Center\, 285 17th Street\, Oakland\, CA\, 94612\, United States
CATEGORIES:Classes,Hybrid
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