ONLINE: White and Awakening in Sangha: Continuing on the Path
2024-05-19 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | East Bay Meditation Center, 285 17th Street, Oakland, CA, 94612, United States
White and Awakening in Sangha: Continuing on the Path
The Wisdom of the Eightfold Path: A Online Anti-Racism Workshop Series for White People
with Crystal Johnson, EBMC Community Teacher

5 Sunday sessions on Zoom
March 24, April 7, April 21, May 5, May 19
10 AM to 12 PM Pacific Time

A mind which is focused on achieving a certain result is motivated by greed. Wisdom knows the cause-effect relationships and it will therefore concentrate on fulfilling the causes and conditions.
(The daily Tejaniya, February 7, 2024)

The dharma offers us priceless guidance as we work to free ourselves from the delusional conditioning of whiteness and fulfill the causes and conditions for the relief of the suffering arising from race-based oppression. Last year, we investigated the practices of the Brahmaviharas as supports to keep our anti-racism work wholesome and sustainable. In this series, we will focus on the teachings of the Eightfold Path as a source of guidance and inspiration. The course will offer a space for you to bring your own dilemmas and challenges for discussion in a workshop format. Each session will combine practice, dharma reflections and an invitation for participants to share where you are feeling stuck or frustrated or confused. We will harvest the wisdom of the group in the framework of the Eightfold Path as we learn together in community.

If you are white and have not taken the original course, you are also welcome here; just know that this is not a beginning discussion. If you are biracial or otherwise identify with a significant dose of European ancestry, you are also welcome. Again, just know that our focus is on whiteness and white conditioning.

About the money: at 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. Those of you who have taken the course know that the teachers have always donated their time and wisdom as a personal practice of reparation. All proceeds from your registration contributions will go to support the East Bay Meditation Center (EBMC). 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 seek to end suffering and cultivate happiness. Our mission is to foster liberation, personal and interpersonal healing, social action, and inclusive community building. We hope that you will join us.

To make a gift to sustain the work of East Bay Meditation Center, please do so via or our website: eastbaymeditation.org/dana.

All registered participants will receive a link to join us via Zoom with their EventBrite confirmation email.

Universal Access Requests for Zoom Participation:

Please do not use virtual or blurred backgrounds
Please keep your camera still when it’s turned on
Please repeat your name when you speak
Facilitators will attempt to read any comments in the chat out loud
Please mute when you’re not speaking

Crystal 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.

ONLINE: Grieving While Queer
2024-05-23 17:15 - 18:45, 2024-05-30 17:15 - 18:45
Grieving While Queer
An Online Class Series with Tania Triana and Ream
3 Thursday sessions: May 16th, 23rd, and 30th, 2024
5:15 – 6:45 PM Pacific Time (Time Zone Converter)
Open to all who self-identify as queer
Closed captions available

In this three part series we will hold space for change, loss and the unknown. Grief is a powerful emotion that can lead us towards meaning, connection and freedom if we tend to what it’s asking for. Working through the queer body we will ask ourselves this simple question: what is needed now? And allow what’s here to be felt and known within a container of support and belonging.

Teacher Information

Dr. Tania Triana (she/they/ella/elle) is a member of the inaugural class of East Bay Meditation Center’s Spiritual Teacher and Leadership Program, and has served on EBMC’s Leadership Sangha (board of directors) since 2019. Tania is grateful to have found a spiritual home and social justice community at EBMC.

Ream, pronouns: They. Ream is a queer organizer and somatics practitioner of European ancestry on unceded Ohlone Land, working for over 25 years in the labor movement, currently as the Strategic Campaigns Director for the United Domestic Workers’ Union. Ream is a co-founder of EBMC’s Social Justice Sangha, and the Deep Refuge Group “Racial Justice Skills for White Practitioner’s” and graduated from Spirit Rock’s Dedicated Practitioner’s Program in 2016. Ream is a teacher and practitioner with Generative Somatics. They began practicing in the Western Insight Tradition in 2006, and with Generative Somatics in 2011.

To support the teachings, please do so via:

PayPal: taniatriana@gmail.com
Venmo: @Tania-Triana

All dana will be shared amongst the teachers.

To make a gift to sustain the work of East Bay Meditation Center, please do so via Paypal: paypal.me/eastbaymeditation or our website: eastbaymeditation.org/dana 100% of our programming is sliding scale and no one will ever be turned away for lack of funds.

Thank 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.

For Zoom participation, these are our Universal Access Guidelines:
– Please do not use virtual or blurred backgrounds
– Please keep your camera still when it’s turned on
– Please say your name when you speak
– Facilitators will attempt to read any comments in the chat out loud

ONLINE: 8 Step Buddhist Recovery Deep Refuge
2024-05-25 10:00 - 11:30, 2024-06-01 10:00 - 11:30, 2024-06-08 10:00 - 11:30, 2024-06-15 10:00 - 11:30, 2024-06-22 10:00 - 11:30, 2024-06-29 10:00 - 11:30, 2024-07-06 10:00 - 11:30, 2024-07-13 10:00 - 11:30 and 6 more dates
Every Saturday from 10AM – 11:30AM PST / PDT ONLINE
Compassionate Dharma Deep Refuge Buddhist meetings focus on ways to heal addiction. Based on the Eight Steps to Recovery developed by Dr. Mason-John M.A (hon.doc) and Dr Groves, we believe this inclusive approach can build a solid foundation for those at any level of recovery and for those who have yet to seek help.
Through these practices we hope you gain a practice that can sustain you in your recovery.
We are a multi-recovery space. Whether you are navigating addiction to substances like drugs and alcohol, or process addictions, such as disordered eating, codependency, or sex and love addiction–you are welcome here.
Advance Registration is not required.
For additional information, please contact: ebmcrecovery at gmail dot com.

ONLINE: Alphabet Sangha
2024-05-28 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-06-11 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-06-25 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-07-09 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-07-23 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-07-30 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-08-13 19:00 - 20:30
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.
Tuesdays
7:00 – 8:30 pm
Please email: alphabetsangha at eastbaymeditation dot org to request Zoom link to join online.
For more information, visit the ALPHABET SANGHA WEBSITE

ONLINE: Parent-Caregiver Sangha
2024-06-03 20:00 - 21:15, 2024-07-01 20:00 - 21:15, 2024-08-05 20:00 - 21:15
EBMC’s Parent-Caregiver teaching team will be offering a monthly parents’ meditation group for restoration, support and connection.

Parenting often can be challenging…as well as a great practice. We offer a short talk, guided meditation and sharing. We gather to create a safe refuge to share the joys and the challenges of caring for young people by cultivating loving-kindness, compassion, patience and generosity with the support of the sangha. We welcome all parents/grandparents/caregivers of young people to join us. No prior experience necessary.

Meeting time: First Mondays of the month, 8-9:15 PM Pacific Time. On Zoom (closed captions provided).

Click here for more information.

ONLINE: Kapwa Deep Refuge Group for Filipinx/a/o Practitioners
2024-06-16 09:00 - 10:30, 2024-07-21 09:00 - 10:30, 2024-08-18 09:00 - 10:30
This is a peer-led deep refuge group for self-identifying Filipinx/a/o (including mixed) folks. Together we cultivate a special community space in the intersection of Filipinx/a/o identity + culture + history and Buddhist spiritual practice. We gather to support each other, heal, and walk the Dharma path.

Kapwa Deep Refuge will meet every 3rd Sunday at 9am PST – 10:30am PST via Zoom. The inaugural meeting will be on April 21, 2024.

If you identify as Filipinx/a/o and would like to join, please contact us at: kapwa.deep.refuge@gmail.com
