[UD News] Recent Happenings and Upcoming Events
The Walk For Peace in North CarolinaOn January 17th, Dr. Lye and members of Urban Dharma joined many others in Salisbury & Spencer, North Carolina, to pay respects to the monks undertaking the Walk for Peace from Fort Worth, Texas to Washington, DC. Dr. Lye shares some explanations of the tradition these monks are practicing: “Thudong” is Thai/Lao for “dhutanga” – a set of 13 ascetic practices that the historical Buddha recommended and allowed for his disciples. Dhutanga practices include strict adherence to the monastic rules (not handling money, not eating after noon, not physically engaging those of opposite gender), living in forests, caves or outdoors, wearing patched robes, eating only alms food in a single bowl, carrying minimal possessions (bowl, razor, kettle, umbrella with mosquito net) and walking long distances on foot.
These venerable monks have truly brought the Buddha’s core message to this country at a time when we ALL need to take a step back from all the anger, anxiety, suspicion, aggression, intolerance, fear, agitation and stress. As the monks keep repeating to everyone meeting them on their path: Let TODAY be your peaceful day. Let each day be such a day! Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!
At the Hermitage: The Buddha is Seated!The Buddha statue that arrived at the hermitage being built in Green Mountain, NC has been installed. In this short video, Dr. Lye shares some wisdom on the image on the Buddha's image, which is "meaningful to behold:" "It has the power to pacify our suffering, our discontent, simply by gazing on it. It's meaningful not because of the physical qualities, but because of what the physical qualities are pointing to." Vajra Dakini Nunnery 2026 Shravasti RetreatWith Ven. Khenmo DrolmaOur friends at Vajra Dakini Nunnery are pleased to announce their third Ten Day Shravasti Retreat, to be held at Pilgrim Lodge in Maine, May 24–June 2, 2026. The course was designed by His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche specifically for 21st century practitioners, and is considered the new Drikung foundational practice (Ngondro) for all meditators: “Many practitioners have attended advanced teachings on Dzogchen or Mahamudra without being able to meditate with a single-pointed mind for 10 or even 5 minutes. Meditation is not easy. You should start with calm-abiding to stabilize your mind and, if possible, attend a Shravasti Meditation retreat, not only to receive teachings, but to whole- heartedly engage in meditation practice and increase your ability to stabilize your mind. The Shravasti Meditation is an integrated meditation approach that relies directly on the Buddha’s words as the source of instruction. It is based on the Anapanasati Sutra (Discourse on Mindfulness of Breathing).”
-HH Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche
For those who are unable to commit to the full ten day program, a one day program will be available on May 25th. Registration is now open! Click here for program details. |
Urban Dharma
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...
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...
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...