Tranquil Lotus Sangha
A People of Color centered mindfulness practice community
in the Plum Village tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh, based in Pasadena CA
Welcome to The Tranquil Lotus Sangha! We are a people of color and allies sangha that provides a safe and intimate space where people of color, side by side with white allies, can practice mindfulness and meditation in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh and Plum Village.
We are intentional in making our space people of color (POC)-centered and welcome white allies who are open to understanding what this means. We are a sangha that is exploring how to practice engaged Buddhism, and how to create a container to deeply look into and transform our country's racial karma. We focus on racial justice and equity the last Tuesday of each month and we are trying two dharma sharing circles (one POC, one white) to discuss the dharma talk/reading. The other Tuesdays, include the mindfulness trainings and reading/listening to texts and talks offered by dharma teachers in the Plum Village tradition. We welcome you to join and we can see how it all resonates.
We are committed to:
holding a courageous space for sharing in aspiration of building a safe space to practice and study the dharma.
Caring for and healing ourselves, our community, and our world.
Promoting healing and love through mindful communication and deep listening
Transforming violence, oppression, racism and discrimination in ourselves and in the world
When We Meet? Every Tuesday, 7:30-9:00pm
**** We are a virtual/in-person hybrid space ****
We meet both in-person and on Zoom at the same time for our weekly sangha
INTENTION OF SANGHA
Our meeting space online together is still a sangha space- just as if we are practicing together in person in Pasadena or at Deer Park Monastery. Therefore, please mute yourself as you enter, set aside your electronic devices and distractions, and refrain from using the chat box, especially during dharma discussion. We come together to co-create a space of mindfulness, meditation, and reflection.
Please join our mailing list to receive more information about our sangha meetings.
Practicing Together - Taking Refuge in the Sangha
We meet every Tuesday night from 7:30 to 9:00 to practice together and build our beloved community. Standard sangha schedule starts with silent sitting meditation, followed by readings/listening to dharma talks and dharam sharing. We also dedicate the beginning and end of the month to the following themes:
Mindfulness Trainings Recitation
We recite the 5 Mindfulness Trainings every first week of the month. The 5MTs have their root in Five Precepts offered by the Buddha. They have been expanded and updated so that they represent a way to bring mindfulness into our daily life. They are not set of hard and fast rules, instead, they offer as a framework to reflect on our actions, speech and thinking so we can create more happiness for ourselves and for the world around us. We also rotate our recitation with the Contemplations on the Five Mindfulness Trainings, A New Paradigm For Racial Justice and the Global Pandemic offered by ARISE Sangha, and the 14 Mindfulness Trainings for the Order of Interbeing.
Social Equity
Our sangha is learning how to practice engaged Buddhism, and how to create a container to deeply look into and transform our country's racial karma. We focus our practice and study on racial justice and equity on the last Tuesday of each month, and we have two dharma sharing circles (one for POC, one for white allies) to create safe space for deep personal sharing and reflect on the dharma talk and reading.