Happy 2026! We had a full house during our "Endings, Beginnings" New Year's event, preparing for the end of 2025 by chanting the Vajrasattva Hundred Syllable Mantra to clear and leave behind all that we do not wish to take with us into 2026. In Asian Buddhist traditions, cleaning and clearing the negatives of the year coming to a close is a more common emphasis than making new resolutions for the new year per se. Thus, every year on New Year’s Eve, Urban Dharma hosts and karmic cleansing...
2 months ago • 2 min read
Endings, Beginnings: A Candlelight Vigil of Release & Renewal Mark your calendars for our annual New Year's Eve service, "Endings, Beginnings." As the year comes to an end, let us gather to purify the past year's negativities through chanting the Vajrasattva purification mantra. The Buddhist tradition recognizes the power of examining our past actions. Recalling those which brought happiness to us and others can help us to repeat those beneficial activities, and conversely reflecting on our...
3 months ago • 2 min read
Join us for an evening of thanksgiving! Join us for a potluck dinner and movie night tonight—Friday, 11/28 at 6PM. Bring any of your Thanksgiving leftovers to share, and afterwards we will watch the Hong Kong Award winning film The Last Dance. From Wikipedia: This film explores themes related to Hong Kong's death care and follows a wedding planner who enters the funeral industry through a partnership with a traditional Taoist priest, seeking to understand the meaning of life and death through...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Join us for an evening of thanksgiving! Join us for a potluck dinner and movie night on the day after Thanksgiving—Friday, 11/28 at 6PM. Bring any of your Thanksgiving leftovers to share, and afterwards we will watch the Hong Kong Award winning film The Last Dance. From Wikipedia: This film explores themes related to Hong Kong's death care and follows a wedding planner who enters the funeral industry through a partnership with a traditional Taoist priest, seeking to understand the meaning of...
3 months ago • 1 min read
A Night to Remember On Saturday, November 1, Urban Dharma celebrated our first Remembering & Renewing evening, held in conjunction with the observance of Allhallowtide (“Every Holy Season”—All Hallows Eve, All Saints Day, and All Souls Day) in the Christian calendar. That evening, Dr. Lye led a short service in remembrance of all our dearly departed in front of a beautiful altar to welcome and make offerings to our spiritual and temporal ancestors. He also spoke on ancestral healing and...
4 months ago • 1 min read
Join us for an evening of remembrance and festivities! Saturday 11/1, 6:00-9:00 PM November 1st is traditionally known as “All Saints’ Day” and the eve of “All Souls’ Day” in Christendom. The timing of these two days harkens to pre-Christian celebrations honoring the dead such as Samhain. In Mexico, November 1st is also part of “Day of the Dead” observations. This year, we will observe this season to honor our ancestors, our dearly departed, and all those who have passed with prayers and...
4 months ago • 1 min read
Buddha's Breath Learn the Buddha’s Instructions for Meditation Just a reminder that it's not too late to register for the "Buddha's Breath" retreat this upcoming weekend. This program will offer participants an opportunity to practice HH Drikung Kyabgön Chetsang Rinpoche’s “Shravasti Meditation” system which skillfully weaves together the historical Buddha’s main method of practice as found in the Anapanasati Sutta together with Mahāmudrā and Zen approaches to training the mind and a set of...
5 months ago • 2 min read
Smoke Cleansing Offering Every Sunday morning we share a smoke cleansing offering ceremony. Just a one hour service, come join us to engage in this Tibetan Buddhist practice of clearing of the nonphysical through aromatic smoke. Camping Retreat Last weekend, a group of us gathered at Lake James for a weekend camping-retreat, invited by Dr. Lye to participate in a set of teachings on Mahāmudrā, a system of practice particularly in the Kagyu Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. It was also “family...
5 months ago • 2 min read
Mark your calendars! For some exciting programs coming up in October and November Buddha's Breath Learn the Buddha’s Instructions for Meditation Dorlop Rinpoche, Dr. Lye will offer a 2-day weekend retreat on “Buddha’s Breath” at Urban Dharma. This program will offer participants an opportunity to practice HH Drikung Kyabgön Chetsang Rinpoche’s “Shravasti Meditation” system which skillfully weaves together the historical Buddha’s main method of practice as found in the Anapanasati Sutta...
6 months ago • 1 min read
