May the merits of this practice,
benefit all beings
and bring peace.
During this time of the pandemic, the River Oak Sangha is meeting via Zoom on Wednesday evenings 6:30 - 8:00 p.m., roughly following the same format as our pre-pandemic Wednesday evening gatherings. If you have already signed up to receive River Oak Sangha emails you will be contacted with Zoom Invitations that allow you to join these online meetings.
The River Oak Sangha welcomes everyone with an interest in mindfulness practice, including first-time visitors and guests.
In Buddhist tradition, a sangha is a community that supports people in the practice of meditation, ethical living and the development of compassion and wisdom. We aspire to apply mindfulness meditation practices to everyday life. Such a path can decrease suffering, increase happiness, and ultimately lead to the natural development of compassion and wisdom. However, you do not have to be in a Buddhist tradition to find that mindfulness meditation by itself can be useful.
There are many ways to develop mindfulness through sitting, walking, standing, or lying down meditations. In the general Buddhist context, mindfulness is a not only a goal in its own right, but also a tool to help further development. The capacity to be mindful has many benefits in and of itself as documented in thousands of scientific journal articles as well as in our own personal experience.
Our sangha includes non-Buddhists and Buddhists. All who wish to experience the benefits of meditation and mindfulness are welcome to practice with us. It is not necessary to be a Buddhist to benefit from mindfulness practices.
The River Oak Sangha calendar consists of regular activities and periodic events as outlined below:
Regular Activities
- Meditation and Dharma Discussion (Weekly on Wednesday evenings). There are practices that we do and generally visitors are given very simple instructions. We have a Sangha etiquette which is expected of each person attending. The etiquette is presented in the section on Wednesday Night Meditation.
- Mindful Reading Meetings (Twice a month, 2nd and 4th Monday evenings)
- Deepening Practice Meetings (Periodically on weekend mornings)
- For more information about activities other than the weekly meditation meeting, go to the Activities page.
- Half-day or full days of mindfulness
- Weekend-long retreats
- Seasonal ceremonies or celebrations
Check back periodically for information about upcoming events on the Events page.
