Who We Are as a Community

We are a Buddhist community dedicated to supporting the liberation of ourselves and all beings from the suffering of the human condition, and the profound opportunity of waking up to the potential of life. Our teachings and practice come from the wellspring of Tibetan Buddhism—especially the Karma and Shangpa Kagyu lineages. We endeavor to teach the methods of awakening exactly as we received them, and yet to be respectful of the differences in time and culture.

All Buddhist practice offers profound tools for addressing suffering and its causes. While we value study and reflection, we know that profound change will not happen unless we bring our insights and joyful effort to daily life. Our tools are meditation—to see more clearly—and other practices that increase wisdom and compassion. Our emphasis is to take what we learn and implement it in everything we do.

We know that a healthy community is a good support for a lifetime of practice, so we do our best to engage with transparency, accountability, and honest dialogue as we meet students at every stage of life and practice. We know that liberating ourselves from limiting or harmful lifelong patterns and habits will require patience and honesty, tenderness and perseverance, so we support each other as we go along.

We aspire that every sincere student has access to teachings and practice opportunities, regardless of financial circumstances or other barriers. We are grateful to volunteers and benefactors who help us do this.

Photo: In the garden after our visit with Khenchen Rinpoche in 2025.