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Stand Against Suffering: An Unprecedented Call to Action by Buddhist Teachers

Thirteen leading Buddhist teachers, joined by more than 100 additional signatories, call on Buddhists and all people of faith to take a stand against policies of the new administration that will create suffering for the most vulnerable in society.
BY BHIKKHU BODHI, NORMAN FISCHER, JOAN HALIFAX, MUSHIM PATRICIA IKEDA, JACK KORNFIELD, ETHAN NICHTERN, ROSHI PAT ENKYO O’HARA, LAMA ROD OWENS, GREG SNYDER, GINA SHARPE, REV. ANGEL KYODO WILLIAMS, JAN WILLIS AND MYOKEI CAINE-BARRETT| APRIL 3, 2017 Published by Lion’s Roar.

EBMC State of the Center Report, March 2017

To see our latest report on East Bay Meditation Center’s financial health and fundraising, please click here.

EBMC is seeking a Strategic Planning Consultant & Facilitator

Request for Proposals
Strategic Planning Consultant & Facilitator

March 15, 2017

East Bay Meditation Center (EBMC) is seeking an experienced and highly skilled consultant and facilitator to work with a group of EBMC staff, LSangha (board) members and core volunteers to create a strategic plan to guide the organization’s short, medium and long-term growth. This plan will be a reflection of EBMC’s values of diversity, inclusion, equity and justice, capture the skills, talents and strengths of staff and volunteers, and support long-term sustainability for the staff and the organization.

The consultation, which will include in-person meetings, phone calls and email communication, will commence upon identification of the candidate and complete no later than November 17, 2017. The project should leverage past organizational learning and development as well as existing practices and include the following deliverables:

  • Creation of a written strategic plan that:
  • supports the organization’s ability to respond  to quickly-changing needs, such as the rapid gentrification of Oakland
  • is informed by feedback gathered from key stakeholders via individual interviews, facilitated focus groups, surveys etc
  • identifies and leverages organizational strengths and opportunities as well as identifying challenges, threats and mitigating factors
  • is fully documented, including all structures, tools, processes and procedures created within the scope of the project

Background:

The mission of the East Bay Meditation Center (EBMC) is to foster liberation, personal and interpersonal healing, social action, and inclusive community building. We offer mindfulness practices and teachings on wisdom and compassion from Buddhist and other spiritual traditions. We operate with a commitment to diversity, transparent democratic governance, generosity-based economics, and environmental sustainability. EBMC is intentionally located in downtown Oakland to provide training in meditation and mindfulness practices to the diverse populations of the Bay Area, especially those who may not feel welcome in a traditional meditation center. Because EBMC prioritizes serving people of color, members of the LGBTQI community, people living with disabilities, and/or low-income people, we’ve been called the most diverse meditation center in the country. We provide various programs, including weekly sitting groups, day-long and weekend retreats, class series, yoga and other movement classes, and year-long trainings, most of which are geared to members of these communities.

The financial barrier presented by registration fees at most meditation centers has prevented a large segment of the community from having access to the skills and tools provided by meditation, yoga, and related training.  Our generosity-based economic model, with no registration fees, allows everyone access to our programs, regardless of socioeconomic class.

Staffing:

For the first four years of its existence, EBMC relied on the work of volunteers to run almost all of its operations, including the labor of an almost full-time volunteer who essentially functioned as an Executive Director.  In response to the demands of the rapidly growing organization and the inability of volunteers to handle all of the associated work, in 2011 and 2012 EBMC added part-time staff to facilitate operations and fundraising. In 2013 we worked with an organizational development consultant to streamline our staffing, systems, and operations, and in January 2014, we hired our first Center Director. In April 2016 that position was eliminated, and with the support of an organizational development consultant, EBMC began creating and implementing a Shared Leadership structure.

EBMC currently has five part-time staff members who are responsible for implementing EBMC programs, with support from three contract staff and over 200 volunteers. Staff includes an Director of Finance and Operations (62.5% time), a Development Director (50% time), a Community Coordinator (50% time), an Events Coordinator (50% time), and a Development & Facilities Coordinator (50% time).

Proposal Review Process:

A subcommittee comprised of staff and LSangha (board) members will review proposals. Part of the review process will include a phone and/or in-person interview with members of the subcommittee. The subcommittee will make recommendations to the full Leadership Sangha.  The chosen applicant will be notified by April 21, 2016.

 

Please submit your application to Amanda Ream at amanda@eastbaymeditation.org no later than March 31, 2017.

Please include the following with your proposal submission:

  • Resume or CV
  • Two professional references that can speak to your skills and experience in strategic planning
  • A cover letter which includes: statement of understanding of and alignment with EBMC’s mission, and statement of understanding of and commitment to be fragrance-free when attending in-person meetings

You are invited! EBMC Teen Sangha & 3 Realms Collective Digital Mural Unveiling and Community Gathering

Sunday, March 26, 2017
12:30 pm – 3 pm
Lunch provided

The 3Realms Collective and EBMC Teen Sangha collaborated on a vision for a “Healing Justice” digital mural that will cover EBMC’s windows facing Harrison Street. Supported by the Akonadi Foundation and Spirit Rock, this digital mural evokes ancestral healing and the healing of future ancestors.

Please join us on March 26 for the unveiling of the Healing Justice mural and community gathering. Lunch will be provided from 12:30-1:30pm. There will also be time after lunch for community Q&A with LSangha (board) and staff members. This is an opportunity for you to get information, ask questions and give input about EBMC’s finances, programs, development as a spiritual community leader of radical inclusion, and more!

We know your time is valuable, and we will be honored by your participation in this important dimension of Sangha life as we co-evolve our meditation center.

RSVP required

Support the Dharma-thon and dine with Ruth King!

Become a Dharma-thoner and Celebrate Buddha’s Birthday on April 8 with Ruth King!

You will also enjoy a delicious multi-course meal, lovingly prepared by local chef Jocelyn Jackson.

To become a Dharma-thoner all you need to do is:

• set up a fundraising page and
• raise a minimum of $250 OR get donations from at least 10 people!

Go to www.firstgiving.com/ebmc/dharma-thon-2017

Setting up a page is quick and easy. If you have questions, please email cassandra@eastbaymeditation.org.

Ruth King is the founder of Mindful Members Insight Meditation Community in Charlotte, NC and a core teacher in the Dedicated Practitioners Program at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. She is the creator of “Mindful of Race Training - A Stimulus for Social Healing and Leadership” and the author of Healing Rage: Women Making Inner Peace Possible.

Jocelyn Jackson’s passion for seasonal food, social justice, creativity, and community is rooted in a childhood spent on the Kansas plains, where her diverse, vibrant family would sing a song before sitting down at the table to share a soulful meal. She founded JUSTUS KITCHEN to continue to create food experiences that inspire people to reconnect with themselves, the earth, and one another. And she still starts every meal with a song.

 

Community Survey

Community Survey

We invite you to complete our anonymous community survey. Your feedback will help shape the future of EBMC’s programming and operations.

Complete the survey to enter a raffle for prizes including various books by Jack Kornfield and Sylvia Boorstein, and gift certificates to Spice Monkey (restaurant).

Survey will close on Friday, March 24

Your Feedback

Spiritual Sanctuary Statement

The East Bay Meditation Center aspires to provide a sanctuary space for anyone targeted by structural violence and profiling based on race, ethnicity, immigration status, ability, sexual orientation, gender, socioeconomic status, and other categories. We provide spiritual sanctuary by offering a place of refuge for meditation and for those facing discrimination to be in beloved community. Our practices of radical multicultural inclusivity overtly encourage actions and behaviors aligned with principles of cultural humility and social justice activism. We stand for resilience, grassroots empowerment, sustainability, equity and joy. May all find safety and protection at #EBMC as we work to resist oppression at home and in the world.

Shared Leadership at EBMC

Shared Leadership at EBMC is both a collaborative governance system based on mutual accountability and a culture of respect and inclusion rooted in Dharmic society values. Our shared leadership approach stewards the mission and vision of the organization through role clarity, transparency, compassionate confrontation and timely attention to areas of tension.

Awakening Together on Inauguration Day

Join us as we accompany each other in being the dharma in our ever changing world.
We will meditate together and share tea and fruit during the inauguration on Friday, January 20, 2017.

Friday morning, January 20
8:30 – 9:00   Arrival and settling in
9:00 – 9:45    Mindful Meditation – sitting, walking, lying down, standing
9:45-10:45   Tea and sharing how our dharma practice strengthens our capacity to show up with equanimity and compassion.

With love and gratitude for our beloved EBMC community,
EBMC Midday Sangha
 

Join the EBMC Contingent: Oakland Women’s March, Jan. 21, 2017

People of all genders, you are invited to join in building beloved community. Join our East Bay Meditation Center Sangha to practice moving-together-in-community meditation at the Oakland Women’s March on Saturday, January 21.  People across the gender spectrum and folks using wheelchairs and scooters are welcome. We are moving together in community to heal from the violence, hatred and fear that pervades our current political arena. We are participating in this event to build and nourish beloved community by cultivating compassion and understanding for ourselves, our country, and our world.

We will gather around our #EBMC banner near the corner of 8th and Jackson at Madison Park at 10 am.  The march begins at 11 am and ends at Oscar Grant Plaza at 12:30 pm, then the rally begins.

Bring your own signs (optional), hearty snacks and water.  See links below for more info.  Questions?  Contact Joan at roaminlohman2@sbcglobal.net

Info on Oakland Women’s March with directions and parade route

Info on Women’s March on Washington and its inspiring mission statement