IN PERSON: Gather & Ground: Compassionate Community Building
2025-10-09 17:00 - 19:00, 2025-10-10 17:00 - 19:00, 2025-10-14 17:00 - 19:00, 2025-10-16 17:00 - 19:00, 2025-10-17 17:00 - 19:00, 2025-10-21 17:00 - 19:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | East Bay Meditation Center, 285 17th Street, Oakland, CA, 94612, United States
Gather & Ground: Compassionate Community Building
Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays
5-7 PM PT
In person only

Starting the week of July 7th, we now have the center open every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 5-7pm. The first hour (5-6pm) will be for meditation in our temple or compassion room space or to peruse our library offerings. The second hour (6-6:45pm) will be for a fun social potluck in the kitchen space. Everyone is encouraged to bring something to share with the group. We hope this effort will build some momentum and energy for EBMC and bring more people in our community together in-person.

These new community building hours are the same evenings as our Alphabet (Tuesdays 7pm), BIPOC (Thursdays 7pm) and Maha Sanghas (Fridays 7pm) so we hope this effort will also encourage people to join those groups with a hope to generate enough attendance to bring them back to in-person every week! This was also based on feedback from the survey. See more info about our Practice Groups here.

There are so many reasons to be in community right now and EBMC wants to support this by opening our space during these times to anyone who needs it. We are stronger when we are in solidarity together to meet the moment we are in. We hope to see you soon! Come practice. Come snack. Come as you are. Feel free to bring a friend!

Please note: During these specific hours, masks will be encouraged, but not required. Again, this is a pilot effort that we are trying in this one area based on survey responses, with a goal of expanding our circle, but as of now, our masking policy remains the same for all other programming and events.

ONLINE: BIPOC Sangha
2025-10-09 19:00 - 20:30
The BIPOC Sangha is a growing community of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color waking up and getting free!
Thursdays
7 – 8:30 PM PT
**Online on Second, Fourth (and the possible Fifth) Thursdays
**Hybrid on First and Third Thursdays
**Potluck in the EBMC kitchen on the Third Thursday meeting, from 6-7 PM PT! Bring a dish or beverage to share.
Closed Captions Provided.
Zoom info: Meeting details are shared through their mailing list (subscribe on their website), and their Facebook group.

ONLINE: Maha Sangha
2025-10-10 19:00 - 20:30, 2025-10-17 19:00 - 20:30
Maha Sangha for All People & Communities
Creating Freedom in Community
Every Friday night, 7:00 – 8:30pm.
Hybrid, every 4th Friday of the month
Event Details: Meets weekly on zoom, and starting to meet once a month in person, email mahasangha at eastbaymeditation dot org for more info and get on our newsletter
The EBMC Maha Sangha for All People and Communities is a meditation and dharma group with an emphasis on radical inclusivity and social justice.
Maha is a Pali word meaning whole, great, larger/largest, deepest, and Sangha is a Pali word for community, or community of practitioners. Together, these words represent a place where all people and communities are warmly invited to explore the Dharma together in keeping with East Bay Meditation Center’s core mission to foster liberation, personal and interpersonal healing, social action, and inclusive community building. We hope that you will join us.
The EBMC Maha Sangha’s leadership team of teachers, dharma leaders, and sangha members includes: Arisika Razak, Fresh! Lev White, Rebekah Eppley, Sarwang Parikh and Shay.
Contact: mahasangha at eastbaymeditation org

ONLINE: 8 Step Buddhist Recovery Deep Refuge
2025-10-11 10:00 - 11:30, 2025-10-18 10:00 - 11:30
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: Multiracial Peer-Led Deep Refuge Group
2025-10-11 19:00 - 21:00
The Multiracial Deep Refuge Group is a monthly exploratory Deep Refuge Group for and by people who identify as multiracial. Our meetings include periods of mindfulness meditation and sharing of narratives and perspectives as we come together to be seen and to see one another. By sitting and exploring our own unique stories, we can come to know and care for the common threads that bind us together. Our collective work bravely expands the narrative that informs multiracial experience today. Meets 7pm-9pm on the second Saturdays of every month. Online and occasionally hybrid (in-person at EBMC + online).
Newcomers welcome- please contact us before your first visit: mrdrcoordinators at googlegroups dot com

HYBRID: White and Awakening in Sangha
2025-10-12 10:00 - 14:00
HYBRID: White and Awakening in Sangha
Sundays from 10am to 2pm PT
September 28, October 12 and 26, November 9 and 23, 2025
With Crystal Johnson, Kitsy Schoen, and Heather Lear
Open to white-identified practitioners
Closed Captioning Provided on Zoom
The center is fragrance-free and wheelchair accessible
N95/KN95 masks required

Please note; registration for this class is two steps: 1) On-Demand materials and 2) Live Class Registration.

Course Description
Since 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.

This 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:

Building a supportive community of white people to deepen our inquiries and support our efforts to grow and change
Digesting 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
Developing intra- and inter- personal skills for personal and community development
Cultivating meditation practices that allow us to stay present in very difficult circumstances while staying grounded in our values
Building our understanding of, and commitment to, wise effort and action guided by deep compassion

Format
This 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.

Prerequisites
Please 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.
You will get the most out of this course if you:

Watch all the materials offered and complete the exercises
Do the offered practices every day
Show up with a wide open heart and willingness to be surprised
Come 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…

We invite you into our practice of Gift Economics
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. 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.
We hope that you will join us.
For 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…).

Next Steps

First, 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.
Second, please register through EventBrite for the EBMC live class here. We invite you to contribute as generously as you can, given your economic circumstances.
You 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.

Questions? Write to us at WhiteandAwakeninginSangha@eastbaymeditation.org

The On-Demand materials qualify for 6 homestudy CE credits for $100 for psychologists and California licensed MFTs, LCSWs, LEPs, LPCCs, nurses, and chiropractors.

A 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!

For in-person participation:
For 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.
To 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/
East Bay Meditation Center is a scent free / fragrance free space and is wheelchair accessible.

Universal Access Requests on Zoom to help with sound and video quality. If possible…
1. When speaking, introduce your name, pronouns, and (optionally) a brief physical description of yourself.
2. If using virtual backgrounds, please use static, simple, high-contrast backgrounds.
3. Please keep your camera still while your camera is on.
4. Please repeat your name when you speak to help those with visual impairment.
5. The host/volunteer will attempt to read any comments that appear in the chat out loud.
6. Please strive for clear audio and mute when you are not speaking. Phone access is also available.
7. 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.

TEACHERS

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.

Kitsy 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.

Heather 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.

Every Body Every Mind Sangha
2025-10-12 18:00 - 19:30, 2025-10-19 18:00 - 19:30
Every Body Every Mind Sangha is a weekly practice group for people living with disabilities, limitations, differences and chronic illnesses.
Sundays
6:00 pm – 7:30 pm

ONLINE WITH SPECIAL HYBRID DATES
March 23rd 2025 with Arisika Razak
April 20th 2025 with Anne Finger
May 18th 2025 with Mushim Ikeda
June 22nd 2025 with Anne Finger
No registration needed to attend these meetings in person. More hybrid dates may be announced in the future.

To join online, please email: ebem at eastbaymeditation dot org to request a Zoom link.
Please come and take part in this time to meditate, share our lives and support with each other, and learn more about the dharma. There is no need to register for these weekly meetings, just come and share this path together!
EveryBody, EveryMind Teacher Group: Debra Kerr, Kenji Oshima, Anne Finger, Master John W. Ellis IV, Beth Smith, Mushim Ikeda, Victor Jih, & Zac Krohn
For more info, visit the Every Body Every Mind Sangha Website.

Communal Grief Project for BIPOC
2025-10-13 10:00 - 16:00
Communal Grief Project for BIPOC
Part 1: Monday, October 13th 2025
Part 2: Sunday, November 2nd 2025
10 AM to 4 PM PT (Time Zone Converter)
With Mushim Ikeda and Damali Robertston
Open to BIPOC, ages 18+
In person only at EBMC (285 17th St, Oakland CA)
The center is fragrance-free and wheelchair accessible
N95/KN95 masks required

This 2-part secular series, open to BIPOC-identified folx, offers a space for reflection and connection through communal listening circles and guided practices to help us move through grief, with the support of a licensed therapist. Together, we’ll look beyond grief related to death and explore how all forms of loss — from police violence and climate anxiety to threats against human rights and bodily autonomy shape our lives.

You are invited to attend both sessions or only one. Daylong #1 (Oct. 13th 2025 – register here) focuses on Communal grief and Daylong #2 (Nov. 2nd 2025 – register here) focuses on individual experiences with grief.

This listening circle is part of The Communal Grief Project, a larger international project on grief in the U.S., Mexico, and Tanzania. To participate you must be 18 years of older and be okay with a member of our team taking notes on the information shared during the listening circles. Information shared will be completely anonymous — your name and information will not be identifiable. We are gathering information about experiences with grief in order to develop communal grief practices to help heal ourselves and our communities. You can learn more about the project here: https://communalgriefproject.com/

These daylongs will include breaks and an extended lunch period. Snacks and drinks will be provided but you are invited to bring a lunch.

NOTE: Space is limited to 25 attendees. Please sign up now to save your spot!

REGISTER FOR PART 1, OCTOBER 13, 2025
REGISTER FOR PART 2, NOVEMBER 2, 2025

Cost
The 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.

The 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.

Other ways to give:
To make a gift to sustain the work of East Bay Meditation Center, you may do so at bit.ly/ebmc-give 100% of our programming on a 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 in-person participation:
For 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.
To 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.
East Bay Meditation Center is a scent free / fragrance free space and is wheelchair accessible.

Public Transportation/Parking:
– We strongly encourage public transportation/biking/walking since parking in the neighborhood is limited.Please avoid parking your car on the street in a metered space during this time as it will cause an interrupted retreat experience.
– EBMC is 4-5 blocks from 19th Street Bart (about a 7 minute walk).
– EBMC has bike parking inside the center.
– Please note that parking meters are enforced Monday – Saturday, 8 am – 6 pm.
– Parking on Alice, Jackson and 17th between Alice and Lakeside drive is unmetered and has no time limit on Saturdays. – There are also garages on Harrison at 15th and on Harrison between 17th and 19th. If you are planning to drive, please allow extra time for parking.

Teachers

Mushim Patricia Ikeda is an internationally-known secular mindfulness and Buddhist teacher working primarily with justice activists and Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) meditation practitioners. A core teacher at East Bay Meditation Center in Oakland, California, she is an author whose writing has been published in Lion’s Roar, Tricycle, Buddhadharma and various anthologies. She is the founding and guiding teacher of EBMC’s Practice in Transformative Action, a yearlong program that completed its tenth cohort in July 2023, providing secular mindfulness training for justice activists and agents of change. Mushim was selected by Lion’s Roar Buddhist media magazine as one of twenty-six “Great Buddhist Teachers” in the January 2022 issue. If you would like to make a gift to our beloved teacher, please do so via Venmo: @MushimPatricia-Ikeda or PayPal: info@mushimikeda.com

Damali Robertson, MA is a certified Resilience Toolkit facilitator, trauma-informed leader, and emerging filmmaker guided by three values: Love, Liberation, and Compassion. As a sought-after facilitator, she recently co-facilitated a series of BIPOC grief retreats at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. She also co-facilitates a weekly forum about spirituality and social justice called Imagining Justice. As Director of Community Engagement at LifeLong Medical Care, She has spent the last two years leading trauma-informed and human-centered work for more than 1,000 staff and hundreds of community members. She is also currently making a film about faith and spirituality as pathways to collective liberation. Damali’s life and work are grounded in mindfulness practices, spiritual principles, and lived-commitments to equity, justice and thriving. Damali holds BAs in Political Science and Literature from Africa and the Diaspora from Pitzer College, an MA in Communications for Social and Behavior Change from the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, and an MA in Social Justice and Community Organizing from Prescott College.

ONLINE: Social Justice Lunchtime Sangha - Peer Led Deep Refuge group
2025-10-14 12:00 - 13:00
Social Justice Sangha is a place to practice and reflect with #EBMCOakland organizers and activists. Includes a 30 minute meditation and time for sharing what’s on our hearts.

Contact: socialjustice at eastbaymeditation dot org

ONLINE: Alphabet Sangha
2025-10-14 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: Kapwa Meditation for Filipinx/a/o Community
2025-10-15 07:00 - 07:30, 2025-10-22 07:00 - 07:30
We are happy to announce that a weekly Kapwa Meditation for Filipinx/a/o folks will begin on Wednesday, Jan. 8, from 7:00 to 7:30 AM Pacific Time. We will continue to gather every Wednesday morning, coming together for support and practice, on our paths of individual and collective transformation.

In addition to our weekly meditation, we would like to remind everyone of our monthly Kapwa Deep Refuge Group for Filipinx/a/o folks. Launched in the Spring of 2024, we meet on the third Sunday of every month, from 9:00 to 10:30 AM Pacific Time.
Together, in both spaces, we aspire to cultivate a special community space in the intersection of Filipinx/a/o identity + culture + history and Buddhist spiritual practice.
The Zoom credentials are the same for both our weekly Wednesday meditation and our monthly gathering.
If you identify as Filipinx/a/o and would like to join, please contact us at: kapwa.deep.refuge@gmail.com

ONLINE: Midday Sangha
2025-10-15 12:00 - 13:35, 2025-10-22 12:00 - 13:35
Join our peer-led multicultural sangha for silent meditation practice and community building.
Every Wednesday
12:00 – 12:45pm PST Silent sitting, standing or lying down meditation with optional walking meditation.
12:55 – 1:35pm PST Facilitated conversation about our practice and being the dharma in the world
HYBRID EVERY FIRST WEDNESDAY, ONLINE FOR OTHER MEETINGS (unless otherwise noted)
Midday Sangha Coordinating Committee:
emiko yoshikami, Jennie Powe Runde, Sakshi Uomoto, Elese Lebsack and Robert Gavino
email middaysangha at eastbaymeditation dot org for zoom link and password

HYBRID: Path of the Modern Bodhisattva, Class Series 1
2025-10-15 18:30 - 20:30, 2025-10-22 18:30 - 20:30
Path of the Modern Bodhisattva (Class Series 1 of 2)
with Mushim Ikeda

Wednesday Evenings
October 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th 2025
6:30 – 8:30 PM PT (Time Zone Converter)
HYBRID
Closed Captioning Provided on Zoom
The center is fragrance-free and wheelchair accessible
N95/KN95 masks required

I, myself, took the Bodhisattva Vows and made the vow, “Life after life, after life, after life, I will continue my practice and continue my work.” – Bhante Suhita Dharma, Buddhist monk and social worker, 1941-2013

Embodiment! Joy! Commitment! Strategic Action! In Mahayana Buddhism, the Bodhisattva works and plays ceaselessly to liberate all suffering beings, lifetime after lifetime. And – how do you and I show up, day after day, in the gigantic mess of our times, to do the great work?

For the seventh time, EBMC will offer two class series exploring what it means to creatively embody the Bodhisattva teachings. Those who complete both class series may participate in the final daylong and either witness or take Bodhisattva precepts and vows in order to strengthen their commitment to collective liberation. These are the same vows taken by His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama and by Thich Nhat Hanh.

Sign up for Series 2 (Nov 5-26, 6:30-8:30pm PT)
Sign up for the daylong ceremony (Dec 14, 10am-4pm PT)

Mushim (Patricia) Ikeda received Bodhisattva precepts and vows at the Zen Buddhist Temple-Toronto, Canada in 1983. She is an EBMC core teacher, a widely-published writer, and a social justice activist based in Oakland, California. Mushim has practiced as both a monastic and a lay householder. For events, writing, video teachings, go to www.mushimikeda.com

Cost
The 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.

The 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.
Other ways to give:
To make a gift to sustain the work of East Bay Meditation Center, you may do so at bit.ly/ebmc-give 100% of our programming on a sliding scale and no one will ever be turned away for lack of funds.

Please 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.

Venmo: @MushimPatricia-Ikeda
PayPal: info@mushimikeda.com

Please indicate “Bodhisattva” in the subject line.

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 in-person participation:
For 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.
To 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/
East Bay Meditation Center is a scent free / fragrance free space and is wheelchair accessible.

For Zoom participation, these are our Universal Access Guidelines:
1. When speaking, introduce your name, pronouns, and (optionally) a brief physical description of yourself.
2. If using virtual backgrounds, please use static, simple, high-contrast backgrounds.
3. Please keep your camera still while your camera is on.
4. Please repeat your name when you speak to help those with visual impairment.
5. The host/volunteer will attempt to read any comments that appear in the chat out loud.
6. Please strive for clear audio and mute when you are not speaking. Phone access is also available.
7. 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.

Teacher

Mushim Patricia Ikeda is an internationally-known secular mindfulness and Buddhist teacher working primarily with justice activists and Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) meditation practitioners. A core teacher at East Bay Meditation Center in Oakland, California, she is an author whose writing has been published in Lion’s Roar, Tricycle, Buddhadharma and various anthologies. She is the founding and guiding teacher of EBMC’s Practice in Transformative Action, a yearlong program that completed its tenth cohort in July 2023, providing secular mindfulness training for justice activists and agents of change. Mushim was selected by Lion’s Roar Buddhist media magazine as one of twenty-six “Great Buddhist Teachers” in the January 2022 issue. If you would like to make a gift to our beloved teacher, please do so via Venmo: @MushimPatricia-Ikeda or PayPal: info@mushimikeda.com

HYBRID: BIPOC Sangha
2025-10-16 19:00 - 20:30
The BIPOC Sangha is a growing community of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color waking up and getting free!
Thursdays
7 – 8:30 PM PT
**Hybrid on First and Third Thursdays (online only on other Thursdays)
**Potluck in the EBMC kitchen on the Third Thursday meeting, from 6-7 PM PT! Bring a dish or beverage to share.
Closed Captions Provided.
Zoom info: Meeting details are shared through their mailing list (subscribe on their website), and their Facebook group.

HYBRID: Ceasefire Sangha Presents: Practice for Palestine Liberation
2025-10-18 13:00 - 16:00
HYBRID: Ceasefire Sangha Presents: Practice for Palestine Liberation
October 18th 2025
1-4 PM PT
With anuradha bhagwati, Tania Triana, and Ream
Closed Captioning Provided on Zoom
The center is fragrance-free and wheelchair accessible
N95/KN95 masks required

Please join the EBMC community in practice for Palestine. Our hearts are with the people of Palestine as we continue to act as a Ceasefire Sangha— a beloved community working for the liberation of all in alignment with the teachings of the Buddha.
We hear the call to Free Palestine and respond from our hearts. We know legacies of settler colonialism and racism are being undone by this freedom movement. We come together in this time of rising up for land and liberation by people across the world, inspired by Palestine, and in reverence and practice with the Land Back movement and the Ohlone, Oakland’s indigenous people.
This afternoon of practice will include: mindfulness, ceremony and sharing in community, as we call in the protection and support of the buddhas, elements and our ancestors for this work. There will be dharma reflection and sharing, stationary and moving meditation, and community support.
We welcome you to join us as you are, with your broken heart, your anger and your longings for a home in liberation.
Presented with decolonial dharma.

Cost
The 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.
The 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.
Other ways to give:
To 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.

Support our teachers:
Venmo: ranger18ream
Please reference “Palestine Liberation”. Teachers will share the gifts with each other.
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 in-person participation:
For 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.
To 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.
East Bay Meditation Center is a scent free / fragrance free space and is wheelchair accessible.

Universal Access Requests on Zoom to help with sound and video quality. If possible…
1. When speaking, introduce your name, pronouns, and (optionally) a brief physical description of yourself.
2. If using virtual backgrounds, please use static, simple, high-contrast backgrounds.
3. Please keep your camera still while your camera is on.
4. Please repeat your name when you speak to help those with visual impairment.
5. The host/volunteer will attempt to read any comments that appear in the chat out loud.
6. Please strive for clear audio and mute when you are not speaking. Phone access is also available.
7. 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.

Teaching Team

ONLINE: Kapwa Deep Refuge Group for Filipinx/a/o Practitioners
2025-10-19 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

ONLINE: Reconnecting to Our Depth in Latinx Community
2025-10-19 10:00 - 14:00
Reconnecting to our depth in Latinx community
Reconectando con nuestra profundidad dentro de la comunidad Latinx
Con Margarita Loinaz y Melvin Escobar
Sunday, October 19th, 2025 – 10am-2pm, Pacific Time
Domingo, 19 de octubre, 2025 – 10am-2pm, tiempo pacífico
Via Zoom

Open to all who identify as part of the Latin American diaspora
Bienvenido a los que se identifican como parte de la diáspora latinoamericana

The Buddhist word for community is “sangha” which has also been translated as “inseparable.” Our diverse Latinx community provides a uniquely rich opportunity to connect to the wisdom and compassion inherent in the depth of our experiences. Join us for a bilingual / bicultural experience of meditation, mindful movement, and interactive activities to rest and reconnect in community.
La palabra Budista por comunidad es “sangha”- que también significa lo que es inseparable. Nuestra diversa comunidad Latinx ofrece una rica oportunidad para practicar a conectarnos con la sabiduría y compasión inmanente en la profundidad de nuestra experiencia. Les damos la bienvenida a esta experiencia bilingüe / bicultural de meditación y movimiento consciente, junto con actividades interactivas para descansar y reconectar en comunidad.

Cost
The 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.
The ticket prices are listed as different tiers with suggested donations based on income ranges. Please scroll through the entire menu to see all the options. 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.

Other ways to give:
To make a gift to sustain the work of East Bay Meditation Center, you may do so at bit.ly/ebmc-give 100% of our programming on a sliding scale and no one will ever be turned away for lack of funds.

Giving to our teachers:
Please 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. In this way, we practice sacred reciprocity between teachers and students.
For Margarita:
PayPal: paypal.me/loinaz2020
For Melvin:
PayPal: melvin@melvinescobar.com
Venmo: @Melvin-Escobar
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:
1. When speaking, introduce your name, pronouns, and (optionally) a brief physical description of yourself.
2. If using virtual backgrounds, please use static, simple, high-contrast backgrounds.
3. Please keep your camera still while your camera is on.
4. Please repeat your name when you speak to help those with visual impairment.
5. The host/volunteer will attempt to read any comments that appear in the chat out loud.
6. Please strive for clear audio and mute when you are not speaking. Phone access is also available.
7. 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.

Teaching Team

MARGARITA LOINAZ es originalmente de la República Dominicana y ha vivido en el área de la Bahía desde 1970. Aprendió a meditar en su juventud en las tradiciones de Tibet y Vipassana y es madre y abuela. Como médico, sirvió a la comunidad Latina y jornaleros del área de San Francisco por muchos años. Ha estado enseñando la meditación desde 1995.

Melvin Escobar is a bilingual-bicultural Dharma teacher, licensed psychotherapist, and certified yoga instructor. He is a graduate of EBMC’s Commit to Dharma, and for more than a decade has served EBMC in a variety of roles, including on the development team for Resilience, Refuge and (R)evolution, a six-month leadership program for People of Color. He is a U.S.-born bilingual-bi-cultural Salvadoran who haswalked the path of service for most of his life, drawing on his life experiences as a working-class queer man of color. Having encountered the priceless wisdom embodied in Buddhism and Yoga, he continues daily to learn the revolutionary potential of body-centered contemplative practices for personal and social healing.

HYBRID: Gathering Kapwa: Weaving Dharma with Our Indigenous Roots
2025-10-19 10:00 - 16:00
Gathering Kapwa: Weaving Dharma with Our Indigenous Roots
with Victoria Mausisa, Kimi Mojica, Jonathan Relucio, and Jessy Zapanta
Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025
10 a.m. – 4 p.m. PT (Time Zone Converter)
HYBRID
Closed Captioning Provided on Zoom
The center is fragrance-free and wheelchair accessible
N95/KN95 masks required

Join us for our 3rd annual daylong of Gathering Kapwa: Weaving Dharma with our Indigenous Roots. Whether you’ve attended in the past or are new to us, we invite you to join us as we ask ourselves: How can we re-member and honor our Indigenous roots? Where do we feel colonized in our bodies, in our minds, in our lives? What does it mean to embody liberation, through our grief and joy, and to unapologetically take up space? What can be composted, and what can we transform, when we gather in kapwa?
Guided by a cadre of Filipinx teachers, this daylong retreat is a welcoming space open to self-identified Filipino/a/x/o practitioners of all levels. Through creative expression, gentle risk-taking, and embodied practices (including ceremony, meditation, music, movement, and journaling), we will explore what it means to shed layers of colonialism and tap into our Indigenous essence – an essence we all have! Our gathering will be shaped by the shared experiences and wisdom of the collective, and the guidance of Buddhist teachings, as we continue on this difficult path of re-membering ourselves. Yes, you are “Filipino enough.” Yes, your body holds ancestral memory. Let us witness each other and make space for what emerges.
This hybrid format allows participants to join either in person at EBMC or virtually from the comfort of their own homes. All registered participants will be invited to bring an object from home to add to our community centerpiece and supplies for ritual will be forthcoming. Those in person can look forward to a potluck lunch. Let us celebrate and make meaning together, nuancing what our cultural identity means on our spiritual path.

Cost
The 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.
The 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.
Other ways to give:
To make a gift to sustain the work of East Bay Meditation Center, you may do so at bit.ly/ebmc-give 100% of our programming on a sliding scale and no one will ever be turned away for lack of funds.
Please 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.
Venmo:@Kimi-Mojica
Paypal: kimi.mojica@gmail.com
CashApp: $KimiMojica.
Please indicate “Gathering Kapwa EBMC” in the subject line. Kimi Mojica will collect dana on behalf of the teachers.

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 in-person participation:
For 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.
To 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.
East Bay Meditation Center is a scent free / fragrance free space and is wheelchair accessible.

For Zoom participation, these are our Universal Access Guidelines:
1. When speaking, introduce your name, pronouns, and (optionally) a brief physical description of yourself.
2. If using virtual backgrounds, please use static, simple, high-contrast backgrounds.
3. Please keep your camera still while your camera is on.
4. Please repeat your name when you speak to help those with visual impairment.
5. The host/volunteer will attempt to read any comments that appear in the chat out loud.
6. Please strive for clear audio and mute when you are not speaking. Phone access is also available.
7. 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.

Teaching Team

Victoria Mausisa, (she/siya/we), Filipina, Lola/grandmother. Victoria began her practice over 20 years ago and is a Dharma Teacher ordained in the Plum Village tradition of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, Order of Interbeing. She is a community builder, sangha and retreat leader. An advocate for racial and social justice, she co-founded ARISE Sangha — Awakening Through Race, Intersectionality and Social Equity. Victoria is called to heal communities of color and to cultivate inclusiveness. She combines trauma resiliency with mindfulness and also trained at the Sati Center Buddhist Chaplaincy program. She is a graduate of East Bay Meditation Center’s inaugural Spiritual and Teacher Leader Program. A contemplative at heart who leans on authenticity and ritual, Victoria thrives on spiritual practice and deep relationships with our ancestors, our lands, family, and friends.

Kimi Mojica (they/she/siya) fell deeply in love with the Buddha Dharma over twenty years ago when they touched the earth at Deep Park Monastery’s People of Color retreat with the venerable Thich Nhat Hahn. Since 2007, they’ve considered East Bay Meditation Center their spiritual home and currently serve as one of BIPOC Sangha’s Guiding Teachers. Previously she held roles as Chair of the Leadership Sangha, co-founder of the Restorative Practices for Dharma Practitioners (RPDP) deep refuge group, and is a graduate from EBMC’s Commit2Dharma and Spiritual Teacher and Leadership (STL) programs. Kimi has taught at Buddhist Peace Fellowship, Braided Wisdom and Dhamma Dena among others. Siya’s commitment to racial, gender and healing justice is evident through the dynamic ways they hold space as a facilitator, process strategist, coach, and conflict transformation practitioner. It brings Kimi much joy to commune with ancestors, plantcestors and beings through ritual, movement and creative arts, all while discovering, co-creating and centering liberatory practices that cultivate wholeness and well-being for all in everyday life.

For a decade, Jonathan Relucio (he/him/siya) was a Senior Trainer for Niroga Institute, teaching trauma-informed yoga, meditation, and mindfulness in urban schools, mental health clinics and juvenile detention centers. He completed Spirit Rock’s Mindfulness Yoga and Meditation Training (MYMT); Communities Rising Yoga and Meditation Training for People of Color; and East Bay Meditation Center’s inaugural two-year Spiritual Teacher & Leadership (STL) training. Currently, he teaches at both Spirit Rock Meditation Center and East Bay Meditation Center and will begin Spirit Rock’s Community Dharma Leaders Program in January 2025. Jonathan facilitates transformation in social justice movements as a Trainer for Rockwood Leadership Institute; integrates mindfulness with restorative circles for healing and racial equity as co-founder of AllThriveEd.org; and serves on the Healing Advisory council for Filipino Advocates for Justice. With over 20 years of experience in social services, community organizing, training, and leadership development, Jonathan values Buddha Dharma, mindfulness, yoga, meditation, indigenous medicine, martial arts, dance, DJing and grounding in his Filipino ancestral roots as practices for liberation that heal us from systems of oppression.

Founder of Healing Without Hierarchy & Kapwa Flow Somatic Meditation, Jessy Zapanta (he, she, siya) is a community builder, educator, and survivor-centered mindful movement and meditation facilitator born and raised in the working-class, BIPOC-majority parts of the lands known as the Bay Area (Ohlone territory). Jessy is a graduate of EBMC’s Practice in Transformative Action Program and inaugural two-year Spiritual Teacher and Leadership Program, and is a co-founder of Dharma in Motion Sangha. Experienced in western and Asian bodywork, counseling, Raja Yoga, qigong, somatics, and improv, he has held space for queer, trans, gender-diverse, disabled, and neurodivergent folks of all ages. Siya is passionate about radical inclusion and access, inviting the collective needs of participants into the room. With roots spanning across Pangasinan and Pampanga, Nagasaki, and Fujian, Jessy’s path includes reclaiming diverse ancestral teachings, trusting intuition, and building intersectional, intergenerational communities of care.

HYBRID: Alphabet Sangha
2025-10-21 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
HYBRID on First and Third Tuesdays of the month! Meet at EBMC or online.
Please email: alphabetsangha at eastbaymeditation dot org to request Zoom link to join online.
For more information, visit the ALPHABET SANGHA WEBSITE
