Category Archives: Lineage

Social Sangha Supper

Non-denominational, Uncategorized

Many BDC members have expressed interest in having more social events outside of the meditation hall. To that end, we have scheduled our first Social Sangha Supper for this June! We will meet on Friday June 26, from 6-7 PM at Fork & Spoon.

Come have dinner with us! Not only will we get to socialize, we will get to support Fork & Spoon, Bozeman’s only pay-what-you-can restaurant where buying one meal helps buy a meal for someone else’s. Typically a dinner costs around $12.50, but you can pay more or less as you need.

Email info@bozemandharmacenter.org to let us know if you can join us so we can reserve a table for everyone. See you there!

Newcomer Orientation

Classes, Non-denominational

Come learn about the Bozeman Dharma Center. No registration necessary. No fee! Just bring your curiosity. Learn basic meditation skills, get a quick orientation to the Center and ask your questions. It’s an easy, low-commitment way to learn about Buddhism and meditation.

The June Newcomer orientation is Tuesday June 2 from 5-6 PM.

Dharma Book Club

Non-denominational

On Monday June 1 from 1-2 PM you are invited to join an informal book discussion. This book club is held the first Monday of every month. Come even if you haven’t read the book! For June, the group will be reading Vigil by George Saunders. No registration necessary. In person.

Mahasangha Half Day Retreat

Half-Day Retreat, Non-denominational

Coming up on Saturday May 30 from 9 AM to 12:30 PM is one of our favorite gatherings of the year, the Mahasangha Half-Day Retreat! This retreat is an opportunity to learn about all the different lineages represented at the BDC. It is free! No registration needed. All are welcome!

Practitioners and leaders from each group will discuss their traditions–for this retreat we are focusing on the theme of grief. Join leaders as they share their teachings on loss, letting go, equanimity, transformation, remembrance, and peace.

One of the traditions will be sharing will be burning the remembrance cards from the Kwan Yin altar.

After the retreat, stick around from 12-12:30 PM for our Spring Pop Up Sale! We’ll be selling items we no longer need–books, cushions, a bell! Any remaining items will be available for purchase for the rest of the week.

The Joyful Body Retreat

Half-Day Retreat, Non-denominational, Tibetan

Join us on Saturday May 16, 8:30 AM – 12 PM for a nourishing half-day retreat exploring the body as a doorway to awareness and innate joy. This retreat invites you to discover how simple moments of embodied presence can reveal a natural sense of ease, openness, and well-being that is already within you.

Together, we will gently explore practices that help you reconnect with your lived, felt experience—using the body not as something to fix, but as a direct path to awakening. Whether you are new to meditation or deepening an existing practice, you are warmly invited.

During our time together, we will explore:

  • Movement-based practices to awaken embodied presence
  • A breathing practice to balance energy
  • Guided meditations rooted in somatic awareness
  • Contemplative journaling and quiet reflection

This retreat offers a supportive space to rest into your experience and discover a sense of wellbeing that emerges when awareness and body meet.

Meet the Teacher

Stephanie Wagner is a long-time meditator and meditation teacher with the Tergar Meditation Community, studying under the guidance of Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche. She has trained with other renowned Buddhist teachers including Tsoknyi Rinpoche, Sharon Salzberg, and Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche.  She is also the Director of Learning and Development at Humin, a global nonprofit founded by acclaimed neuroscientist Dr. Richard Davidson, where she works at the intersection of neuroscience and meditation.

Getting Familiar with the Flavors of Dukkha

Insight

Bozeman Insight Community welcomes Ann Brand (in person!) to the Thursday May 7 sangha meeting from 6:30 to 8 PM. Please join us!

Ann Brand is a mindfulness teacher, facilitator, and mentor based in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Since receiving her mindfulness teacher training in 2014, Ann has brought the practice of mindfulness to both K-12 and higher education and her community in Western Wisconsin. In 2019, Ann started mentoring with Dave Smith, rooting her practice and study in Theravada Buddhism and Secular Dharma.  Ann mentors meditation students one-on-one, integrating Insight meditation practices, concepts from early Buddhist teachings, and contemplative Christian practices to encourage individuals in cultivating a practice that supports flourishing, skillfulness, and ease.

Intro to Meditation

Classes, Non-denominational

To begin to meditate is to look into our lives with interest in kindness and discover how to be wakeful and free. – Jack Kornfield

Meditation is a simple but powerful tool that can help us cope when we feel overwhelmed, anxious, and stressed. Meditation is a useful tool at other times too with known health benefits. If you’re interested in starting a meditation practice and aren’t sure how to start, this class is for you! We’ll discuss and practice different styles of meditation including practicing with the breath, body scans, working with a question, Metta practice and Tonglen. You’ll leave with an understanding of meditation fundamentals such as different postures that work well, how to work with attention, and ways to support your meditation practice.

This event will be held in person and via Zoom on Saturday May 2, 9 AM – 12:30 PM. We plan on recording the class and sending the link to registrants who request it.

Zen Half-Day of Practice

Non-denominational

Join the Bozeman Zen Group on Sunday April 26 from 8 AM to 12 PM for a half-day of practice including sitting and walking meditation with an emphasis on zen forms including musical instruments used in Zen practice. There will be opportunities to practice and receive instruction with chanting (kokyo), bell ringing (doan), altar-care (chiden).