Category Archives: Lineage

Awakening Through Change with Elaine Huang

Half-Day Retreat, Non-denominational

In times of profound change and uncertainty, we are often presented with unique opportunities to explore our true nature. The pressures of the external world can lead us to inner shifts that elevate our awareness beyond the ordinary.

On Saturday April 26 from 9 am to noon, Elaine Huang will lead participants through guided practices, meditations, and insightful talks designed to help participants uncover and draw from their deeper essence. Attendees will learn about psychological and neuroscience based concepts, along with somatic and mindfulness practices that both foster resilience and stabilize their recognition of fundamental nature. By the end of the session, participants will leave empowered with practical tools that nourish this renewed clarity and resilience in their everyday lives.

Elaine is a seasoned mindfulness teacher and guide, recognized for her extensive experience and skill in the field. She is a dedicated meditator and a certified mindfulness instructor. Elaine adeptly facilitates mindfulness retreats in various settings as well as leadership trainings in corporate environments. With two master’s degrees—one in social work and another in clinical psychology—she brings a rich educational background to her practice. Elaine’s expertise lies in supporting individuals on their journeys of personal growth and spiritual transformation.

Koan Salon with Michael Smith

Half-Day Retreat, Zen

Join us on Saturday April 5 from 9 AM to noon for a Koan Salon.

Koans can be offered in multiple ways. They can be healing stories, conversations, poems, fragments of song. Technically, koan is a Japanese term that refers to a legal public case. In Zen, koans are designed to give us pause, to enter deeply our own “case”, revealing how we look at the world.  During several short periods of meditation, we will sit with a phrase, a story, a poem. There will be walking meditation and time after each koan to consider together. All are welcome, no previous experience with koans is necessary. In person and online.

Tim Olmsted at Tergar via Zoom

Tibetan

On Wednesday March 26 from 5:30 – 7 PM, Tergar Bozeman welcomes Tim Olmsted via Zoom to give a teaching and to host a Q&A session.  

Tim is a skilled Senior Tergar International Instructor and co- founder of Tergar International. He spent 11 years in Nepal studying with Tulku Urygen Rinpoche, father of Tergar’s guiding teacher Mingyur Rinpoche.  Tim is the spiritual guide of the Buddhist Center of Steamboat Springs, CO.  Tim’s teaching style is warm and inviting and very heart felt.  Please join us for this wonderful opportunity. In person or online.

The Noble Search with Chaim Bryski

Daylong Retreat, Insight

Saturday, March 15 from 11 AM – 4:30 PM

While myths and legends abound surrounding the life of the historical Buddha (Pāli: Siddhattha Gotama; Skt: Siddhārtha Gautama), much of the traditional folklore began appearing only centuries after the Buddha’s lifetime. Yet the earliest Buddhist discourses (as collected in the Pāli Canon and its Chinese and Sanskrit parallels), focused as they are on the content of his teachings, contain no comprehensive biography of the Buddha.

Rather, scattered throughout these many thousands of discourses, we find numerous snippets of autobiographical narrative attributed to the Buddha himself. In these first-person accounts, often shared with his audiences for didactic purposes, the Buddha recounts a number of his own early-life experiences on his path to awakening, as a means of imparting some of the hard-won lessons and insights he gained over the course of his personal struggles and breakthroughs.

During this daylong study and practice program, we will examine a number of these ancient texts, explore their practical lessons and insights, and discuss and reflect upon their relevance and application to our own lives.

To enhance our exploration of the texts, the day will also incorporate short dharma talks and guided meditation practices, as well as periods of group discussion, peer-based dialogue, and personal reflection.

*Please note that all participants will receive a collection of the relevant texts we will be exploring. Hard copies of the material will be available to those attending in-person at the Bozeman Dharma Center, while those joining online will receive a digital PDF copy via email.

March SoundGate: Jessie Solon

Non-denominational, SoundGate

Join us on Friday March 7 from 7-8 pm for an evening of deep vibrational rejuvenation for the mind, body, and spirit! Jessie Solon facilitates relaxation through the use of sound healing instruments including crystal and Himalayan singing bowls, a symphonic gong, bells, & chimes, wave, and monochord. No registration necessary. Donations welcome. Any funds collected will be split equally between the BDC and the artist.

Dharma Thoughts: From Steve Allison-Bunnell of Joining Rivers

Dharma Thoughts, Non-denominational

For most of my life, I always smiled when I saw the bumper sticker that says, “If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention.”

Righteous anger in the face of the parade of injustices near and far was an essential part of my identity as someone who cared about the world and whose brain wiring includes an extreme sensitivity to unfairness. 

So today, when the opportunities for outrage come by the hour, I can only be grateful for Thay’s teachings on nurturing compassion when we would rather take comfort in the energy of anger. Instead of telling us to simply not be angry, Thay invites us to look at the causes and impacts of anger within ourselves. It is not easy, but, Thay offers, it is the path of peace.

What do you see when you look more closely at your anger? What happens when you befriend it?

Waking Up & Growing Up: A Transformational Weekend

Non-denominational, Weekend Retreat

The BDC is excited to welcome Diane Musho Hamilton for a retreat weekend with an evening talk on Friday March 28 form 7-8:30 PM and a daylong workshop on Saturday March 29 from 9 AM to 4:30 PM.

Waking Up is the profound experience of awakening to your essential nature, known across mystical traditions as Enlightenment, Cosmic Consciousness, or Unity Awareness. This transformational state has inspired countless seekers in traditions like Buddhism, Hinduism, Sufism, and Christian mysticism.

Equally essential yet often overlooked is Growing Up, the journey of personal evolution through the developmental stages of life—from infancy to adulthood and beyond. Research shows that Growing Up is key to cultivating emotional maturity, resilience, and meaningful relationships.

But what if you could explore both paths in one integrated experience?

This extraordinary weekend offers just that. Under the expert guidance of Diane Musho Hamilton—a Zen teacher and dedicated student of Ken Wilber for over two decades—you will explore:

Waking Up Practices

  • Meditation to still the Mind
  • Big Mind to discover Boundlessness
  • Techniques to Open the Heart

Growing Up Tools

  • Recognizing and transforming defensive patterns
  • Self-regulating your nervous system for resilience
  • Cultivating emotional maturity and interpersonal skills

This unique workshop weaves together the wisdom of Zen and developmental psychology to help you unlock profound, lasting transformation in your life. Whether you’re seeking recognition of your true nature or practical skills to navigate relationships and life’s complexities, this weekend offers tools, insights, and practices you need to make real, meaningful change.

Practicing with the Hindrances: A Creative Approach

Daylong Retreat, Zen

The former Executive Director of the BDC, Zen priest, and good friend, Karen DeCotis, will be back at the end of February to lead a retreat on “Practicing with the Hindrances.” She will give an eventing talk on Friday February 28 from 7-8:30 PM and a Saturday day long retreat on March 1 from 9 AM to 4:30 PM. Both events will be held in-Person and on Zoom and registration is available for the full retreat or the Friday event only.

We face so much in our lives: within society, community, and family. Yet, it is with our own good selves where we have some agency and possibility for growth and healing. There are states of mind and heart we encounter over which we have little control, but we do have influence. Our practice is a creative endeavor, rooted in the here and now. Working with obstacles is an opportunity to be fully alive, interested and brave.

Karen DeCotis is a Zen student and teacher who received priest ordination in the Soto Lineage in 2016 and Dharma transmission in 2019. She taught the Bozeman Zen Group for almost 20 years before moving to San Antonio in October of 2024. Devoted to service and engaged learning, Karen brings knowledge of and experience with the Buddhist traditions along with a clear-eyed view of human life, suffering and transformation.  She is known for her humor and warmth, bringing her intelligence, wit and humility to every teaching opportunity.

Exploring Bhutan: Land of the Thunder Dragon

Non-denominational, Uncategorized

CANCELED DUE TO EXTREME WEATHER! We’ll Reschedule at a later date! Bhutan is a Buddhist kingdom on the Himalayas’ eastern edge, and is known for its monasteries, fortresses, and dramatic landscapes that range from subtropical plains to steep mountains and valleys. Did you know it is also known as the country of happiness?

On Friday February 7 from 6-7 PM you can see images and hear personal stories and impressions from Marilyn Raffensperger and Catherine Cussaguet from their ten day journey in Bhutan last November. No registration necessary. Free and open to the public with donations gratefully accepted on behalf of the BDC. Photo courtesy of Catherine Cussaguet.

Newcomer Orientation

Classes, Non-denominational

Are you interested in starting a meditation practice or building a community around your practice? The Bozeman Dharma Center hosts a newcomer orientation on the first Tuesday of each month. Join us in February on the 4th from 5- 6 pm to find out more about the Center, get your questions answered, and receive basic meditation instruction. No registration required!