On Friday June 6 from 7-8 PM, meditate to the healing sounds of Brian Sparks’ Tibetan bowl harmonics. Brian received his spiritual teaching from several masters in the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. His teachers blessed his bowl work by giving him the specific “Prayer of Aspiration” and granted him many Buddhist empowerments.
No registration necessary! Donations gratefully accepted. Any funds collected will be split evenly with Brian.
On Saturday May 17 the BDC will host an Intro to Meditation class from 9 AM to 12:30 PM. This class will focus on what to do when you get stuck in your practice and ways to expand your “meditation toolkit.” Bring your questions and spend the morning learning and exploring how to bring curiosity and compassion to your practice.
This class will be offered in person and via Zoom.
The Bozeman Dharma Center will host a Mahasangha Half-Day Retreat on Saturday May 10 from 9 am to noon. This even allows you to get a feel for the different groups that practice at the BDC and practice in a community. Make connections with dharma friends old and new. In addition to sitting and walking meditation, chanting, and tea, we will perform a Wesak Ceremony celebrating the Buddha’s birthday, enlightenment, and passing! The Wesak Ceremony will begin at 11:10 and is child-friendly. Offered in person and via Zoom. Please bring flowers if you can!
Tentative Schedule
9:00 Welcome
9:05 Insight Group –
9:25 Palyul – The Four Immeasurables
9:45 Stretch/Walking Meditation
10:00 Mindspace –
10:20 Tergar – Tonglen
10:40 Stretch/Walking Meditation
10:50 Joining Rivers –
11:10 Zen Group – Wesak celebration
12:00 End (Stay for tea and cake!)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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!
