October 2025

Cleaning up the Ghost town (what the website and zoom account feels like! swinging saloon doors and lottsa dust, but when you get in the room, the dharma warmth glow fire is lit for all to benefit), if you can’t find a link you expected to still be there please give a shout. Meanwhile the offerings listed are vital and happening. May all benefit, Ah La La Ho

Bhumi into 2024: Community Meeting Summary

For anyone who missed the July 13 Bhumi community meeting about transitions for the community by 2024, we wanted to be sure to get an update out! At the meeting, we had a chance to hear from the lamas, our Community Groundskeeper Eric Busse, and the Mission Circle members, about what will be shifting by 2024, and what opportunities there are for community ownership and discernment about what will be possible. After that, Chaplain Raf (support Raf here!) held space for open comments and questions from the community, which made for a rich conversation.

Read more

The Bhumi Garden: Summer 2023

Welcome to the Bhumi Garden newsletter + blog

The Bhumi Garden is central meeting place to learn about things brewing and blooming within our community.

Want to help plant something in the Garden? We welcome contributions from the entire community! We’d love to highlight your art work, poems, practice reflections, programing (both within Bhumi and beyond), resources, and volunteer opportunities of all kinds. Email sesalli@bhumisparsha.org for more information.

 

Words from our Groundskeeper, Eric Busse

Watch the video above for a special message from Eric

 

Celebrate Queer Pride with Ayesha Ali

Always Queer, Always Here: Celebration of Resilience

Laws and threats, sometimes in our favor and often not. What is true and has always been true is our existence is not and has never been up to the acceptance or lack of acceptance of others or for that matter ourselves. Let’s come together to share across generations to celebrate ourselves.

Friday June 23rd at 7pm ET - you can join here or on the Bhumisparsha calendar.

 

May We Be Free!: Reflections on Spiritual Friendship and Community with Lama Rod and Lama Justin

Listen in as Lama Justin and Lama Rod discuss freedom, friendship, spiritual community and imagination. This intimate conversation will open up to an opportunity to ask questions about any of the topics raised within their conversation. All of our community is encouraged to join!

Sunday June 25th at Click Here to Join or find it on the Bhumisparsha Calendar

Photo va Pexels - cottonbro studios

 

New Offering! Shamatha & Friends for Anxiety

Unbalanced and/or excessive wind (Tbt: loong; Skt: vata) in the subtle body can manifest in many ways, including anxiety, constantly feeling on edge, having difficulty feeling safe in spaces and in relationships. Sowa Rigpa (Traditional Tibetan Medicine) recommends shamatha meditation for people with wind disturbances. Additionally, both Ayurveda (a Traditional Indian Medicine) & Sowa Rigpa recommend breathing practices for anxiety. Ironically, meditation and connecting to the breath can sometimes be challenging for those of us who are carrying unresolved trauma, especially early childhood, chronic trauma.

In this ongoing series we will practice some shamatha (calm abiding) meditation techniques sessions as practiced in the Nyingma tradition, breath practices for wind disturbances, and nejang yoga. These sessions are meant to be more experiential than theoretical, and the practices will be introduced in a veeery slow & gradual manner to adapt the needs of those of us carrying anxiety and unresolved trauma.

4th Thursdays (starting July 27th), 4:00 - 4:45pm Pacific / 7:00 - 7:45pm Eastern Time

Click here to join or find the offering on the Bhumisparsha Calendar

ACCESS NEEDS: Please email anita3@gmail.com if you would like to share access needs or have any questions.

FACILITATOR:

അനിത (anita) (they/them, Ohlone land) is certified as a meditation teacher by Pema Khandro Rinpoche/Buddhist Studies Institute in the Nyingma tradition.

The series is offered fully on a dana basis. All dana will be offered to Bhumisparsha for trans people of color..

To learn more and get a taste of this practice, check out recordings from anita’s first session of teachings

 

In Person Retreat with Lama Rod - Atlanta, GA

Embodiment-Based Mindfulness Meditation

Connect with Lama Rod Owens in person and welcome yourself home to the body that sustains you. Embodiment-based mindfulness meditation is a practice of being in our bodies, knowing our bodies, moving with our bodies as it moves through the world. It is breathing with it, hurting with it, and rejoicing with it.

Join Lama Rod as he supports us in gentle and clear guided embodiment-based mindfulness teachings that can invite you back into your body to establish a firmer sense of balance, stability, and connectedness not only to ourselves, but with others around us. Following the retreat, all participants will also receive a segment of the day’s teachings in written and audio format to support you in deepening your practice.

If you have any questions please email programs@lamarod.com

Register & More Info Here!

 

In Person Event with Lama Justin - Philadelphia, PA

Friday July 7th, 6:00 - 8:00pm at The Rubin Museum

This introductory workshop, led by Justin von Bujdoss, aims to help workshop attendees anticipate what may or may not arise in a dark retreat setting. There will be a period of up to 15 minutes of complete darkness during the session.

These experiences tend towards the visionary and have qualities that appear to mirror some of the experiences that are encountered with certain psychedelic substances. The similarities and differences between the dark retreat and psychedelic experience are striking and highlight locations for future research.

Prior to the workshop, Justin von Bujdoss will lead a 5:15 PM tour of the Lukhang Murals located on the 2nd floor. The murals depict practitioners preparing to enter into dark retreats, a visual guide for participants to more fully understand this undertaking.

Register & More Info Here

You can also learn more about this offering through this press article covering previous events

 

The New Saints: From Broken Hearts to Spiritual Warriors

Announcing a new book by Lama Rod Owens!

Saints, spiritual warriors, bodhisattvas, zaddikim—no matter how they are named in a given tradition, they all share a profound wish to free others from suffering. “Our era calls for saints who are from this time and place, who speak the language of this moment, and who integrate both social and spiritual liberation,” says Lama Rod Owens. “I believe we all can and must become New Saints.” With The New Saints, readers will discover insights and techniques to ignite their inner fierceness and compassion; create a sustainable spiritual practice that serves others and the planet; and embody the virtues of a New Saint.

Click Here to Pre-Order

 

Creativity In Our Community

Below are some writings from our community member, Rev. Sarah Siegel. Enjoy!

A Simple Discovery

It is such a joyful discovery to find, that when the small self lays down the last of its defenses, and stands quaking and vulnerable, with nothing but a glimmer of hope for something greater; all the world removes its masks, in that very moment, and rises on the winds of Great Love to meet the one. In this meeting, the melody which has been playing since beginning‐less time finds its dancers. And the one and the many unite under a sky filled with infinite stars! Each star reflecting the image of all that is lost, within the faces of all that is found.

It is from this knowingness that I wish to abide for the rest of my years on this planet. It is from this ocean of wonder that I wish to offer others, whatever I may have to give. It truly is from within the service of letting go of everything I once thought I wanted, that I open to receive more than I could ever have believed possible.

How could it be so, you ask?

My dear friend, I can not answer. But, please, take my hand and‐seek to find the music within. It is from this place that we will dance our way out beyond all that once stood in the way of our experience of freedom.

The stillness of Motherhood

The stillness of motherhood is first pages ripped out of a half-written in journal.

I am wanting

a new start.

My stomach, oil and sand

mixed by the churning of tense nerves.

My muscles stretched taught

like the plastic wrap

I felt guilty having used to cover last night’s leftovers.

I laugh sourly at that analogy,

but this. is. my. life.

The constant need to pack in, pack away, heat up, pick up, wipe up, clean up

is never far from my heels.

Like the dog that follows me with

sullen eyes from room to room

Always wanting something that I don’t have to give.

A walk. A treat. A pat.

I have created this.

Still, I ask:

What freedom lies here?

Liberation is as much a part of

cleaning up, heating up, wiping up

as crisp air is to the autumn breeze.

All this pressured “doing” is just illusory movement

within the boundless nature of mind.

In that, it is also still.

Still.

Still the sink stands filled with dirty dishes.

And that plastic wrap now lays, crumpled, inside the trash can.

Reminding me each time I discover it beneath the silvery lid that

this particular projection

through the prism of meaning

is the same as the gust that fills my lungs with

October’s cerulean blue sky,

when I step outside to take a brief, quiet moment for myself.

Meanwhile, the children play with

wooden blocks on the living room floor while the dog whines once again to go out.

And for a second all is radiant and perfect.

For a moment all is perfectly

still.

The Bhumi Garden: Spring 2023

Welcome to the Bhumi Garden newsletter + blog

The Bhumi Garden is central meeting place to learn about things brewing and blooming within our community.

Want to help us tend the Garden? We are always looking for volunteers to lend their creative style and pragmatic skills for future issues. If you’d like to help, email Eric B, Community Groundskeeper, at eric@bhumisparsha.org:

Want to help plant something in the Garden? We welcome contributions from the entire community! We’d love to highlight your art work, poems, practice reflections, programing (both within Bhumi and beyond), resources, and volunteer opportunities of all kinds. Email sesalli@bhumisparsha.org for more information.

Good Ground

Dear Community, 

It is a joy to introduce the Spring 2023 issue of the Bhumi Garden! 

For those who may not know me, my name is Eric (he/they) and I am privileged to serve as Community Groundskeeper for Bhumisparsha. On behalf of myself, all community organizers and teachers, Mission Circle volunteers, and the entire pantheon of beings and ancestors looking out for us, thank you for making all of this possible. Thank you for enabling whatever learning, healing, and love has been felt throughout this ecosystem over the past few months. Thank you for your donations. Thank you for watching a recording. Thank you for your presence. Thank you for your kindness in these bruising times. Thank you for having the courage to behold your own body-mind; to feel your heart breaking for the world again and again and yet you still muster magic from the depths to touch this Earth and continue caring for beings with dignity and maybe even some joy. Amazing!

My sincere hope is that everyone in this community is able to regard their own practice as being worthy of honor and respect. You all inspired me to compose a bhumi-altar as an offering and heartfelt expression of my love for Bhumisparsha, for everything we care deeply about, and for all the beings we are praying for. May all creations experience themselves as the Beloved, just as they are. May brutal dualities be released. Ma Harriet, please hold this community close! Let rainbow light reign. 

Sincerely,

Eric 

Image courtesy of Eric

Celebrating Community Dharma Sharing

Bhumisparhsa Community Dharma Sharing, Co-facilitated by Brenda Collins, Mary Ganzon, Karen NelsonOur Community Dharma Gatherings are comprised of people who join together to support each other on their spiritual path. We form authentic relationships. We support each other through meditation practices, movement and co-bodying prompts, dharma discussion and sharing. We share how we move in the world, particularly how and why we suffer. We apply Dharma teachings to meet our challenges and to inspire us to see wisdom unfolding. All welcome, always.

Community Dharma Sharing is held every Wednesday from 8:00 - 9:30pm EST. For more information and to hop into a session, check out our public calendar.

Preview of Community Dharma Sharing Series

Weaving Community: Invitation and Offerings

What do we mean by "community", and what does being in community call us to do? In the video below,  Ayesha Ali (she/her/Majesty) shares her intentions as Community Weaver and invites everyone to check out Bhumi’s numerous opportunities for exploring the possibility of community life as an affirming, joyful path toward our shared liberation. See the section below for descriptions, dates, times, and links for these offerings. Stay tuned for info about January’s schedule coming soon!

Whenever possible, Ayesha’s monthly community-wide offering will be recorded and shared for those unable to join. Subscribe to our Youtube channel to stay up-to-date as new recordings are added to the Weaving Community Archive. These offerings are made possible through support from the Bess Family Foundation.

Announcing new weekly Global Majority Sit

This weekly practice session with Ayesha Ali is offered weekly on Thursday mornings from 8-9 am EST for all who identify as BIPOC +/ People of the Global Majority. Click here to join Global Majority Sit every Thursday morning on Zoom.

Global Majority Hangouts

Global Majority Hangouts are offered as a way for global majority +/ BIPOC folks to connect. Join us for our brunch/dinner time together where we might share the gifts of the Dharma, food, song, and poetry. The next North American edition Global Majority Hangout will be March 24th from 7pm – 8pm EST. Click here to join Global Majority Hangout (North America edition) on Zoom

photo of Ms. Ayesha welcoming you with flowers

Weaving Community: Holding On

The winds of the world blow us away from ourselves and each other. This month the focus will be on the difficulty and the ways to stay connected in light of this reality. ALL are welcome to join our next beloved Weaving Community offering with Ms. Ayesha Ali on March 23rd from 7pm – 8:30pm EST ft. music and spiritual friendship. Click here to find out more and join!


Welcome to the Bhumiverse!

Join us on the second Tuesday of each month from 5:30 - 6:45 pm EST to learn more about Bhumisparsha including info about what’s available, how to connect, and where to find helpful resources. Next month’s session will be held on Tuesday, April 11th

Everyone—newer or elder— is welcome to come hang out in community while sharing wisdom and practical information about how Bhumisparsha has (or has not!) supported spiritual practice and creative awakening. Click here to join Welcome to the Bhumiverse on Zoom.


Monthly Holding Space

Though “Holding Space” monthly Saturday gathering programs have been happening since November 2020, every month, care and wisdom in the sangha blossom anew within our 90 minutes together.

Each month Ms. Brenda Collins and Leigh Rosenberg host Holding Space as intimate gatherings of Bhumi community members, anchored by a fresh topic for silent or guided meditation, plus discussion around the topic. We’ve visited topics like compassion … to skillfully relating to teachers … to practicing in conversation … and more. We are always inspired by how our sangha learns together and holds space for authenticity with one another as we deepen in our practices.

All are welcome, whether you are new to practice or Bhumisparsha or have been around a while. We meet on the 3rd Saturday of the month at 11am ET/8am PT (but be sure to check the calendar for occasional schedule changes). And if you have a topic suggestion for a future Holding Space, or any questions or feedback, let us know! You can reach Brenda at bcollins12@hotmail.com or Leigh at larosenberg@gmail.com.

Community Chaplaincy

A short sermon offered at Union Theological Seminary’s Field Education chapel

By Rafael Diaz, Bhumisparsha Community Chaplain intern

As chaplains and spiritual professionals we’re called to hold people in the fullness of experience—in the darkness and the light, no matter how much we’re tempted to cling to binaries: to be lost in our suffering, to reject and ignore it by only looking at the bright side, or to try to escape from our suffering as soon as possible, reaching for the nearest quick fix. But our role, I think, is to hold our people through all of it. Because the other side of the pain and suffering we’re so averse to is healing. And alongside that healing is the realization that everything in our experience and in ourselves, including the things we don’t want to look at, are all part of a greater whole.

But thankfully, the very reason I think we’re all here, in this particular place, at this particular time, is that we have faith that we’re not on our own: that we can be held, every part of ourselves, the darkness and the light, in the loving arms of Great Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, of God and her saints and prophets, in the ongoing revelation of nature itself.

Because we know that when we’re quiet, in our moments of solemnity and sincerity, or even in the greatest despair, love is constantly offering itself to us throughout and within every moment, holding us in the crucible of suffering, leading us toward transformation.

And we know that if we just continue to discipline ourselves toward surrendering to that perfect love, we can be cradled in our suffering always, and not be attached to the light and averse to the darkness, instead bringing them into union for us to walk through our experience free of grasping and clinging. We can create a firm, yet flexible, and tender foundation to help us serve others and hold them in their suffering, to be companions walking through the vast mystery of being. We can build the beloved community we need to heal and lead each other through the multiple crises we know are facing us, to build a world without hunger, homelessness, cages, or borders; someday to be liberated both in our communities and the depths of our very hearts, resting in the primordial purity of mind and the vast spaciousness of love.

Book a 1-on-1 spiritual care session with Raf at www.calendly.com/bhumicare These spaces will currently only be available up to May 10th.

Rafael also has an upcoming event you can join on March 22nd at 7pm ET. More details on the flyer —->

Youtube Archive

Transitioning away from Crowdcast for the time being has given us an opportunity to transfer the treasury of all of our earliest recordings into our new Youtube Archive. To stay up to date as recordings are added, please subscribe to our Youtube channel. We hope you enjoy perusing these incredible resources!


Shape Our Practice Philosophy

What makes it a Bhumisparsha practice unique?

“Microbial Love”, painting by Sesalli Castillo

Join our three part creative container where we as a community will work on a community led draft of our Bhumisparsha lineage statements and practice philosophy. This container will be active April - June on the first Thursday of each month at 5pm ET. 

If you are unable to attend but would like to include your voice in the project, please email sesalli@bhumisparsha.org by May 1st with an answer to the questions:

  • What makes a Bhumisparsha practice?

  • What is unique about the way we practice together?

Your answers will be shared with the group as we go through the process of creating this draft together. 

April’s meeting we will be looking at Bhumisparsha’s current and historical writing (like the Vision & Values, Love & Rage, etc) to pull the pieces that resonate.

May we will review the submissions from the community (emailed to Sesalli) and talk together about what makes practice unique, identifying key themes.

June we will work in groups to take all the themes and juicy pieces we have pulled from the previous meetings to write our draft together!

You can join by from the Bhumisparsha calendar, click here to view the calendar page. Also feel free to email Sesalli@bhumisparsha.org with any questions


Support + Connect

We created this Support + Connect bulletin as a resource for gathering all of the various links and other helpful information that make it easier to navigate through the Bhumiverse, and maybe meet new friends along the way!

Bhumisparsha is always in need of volunteer support! If you are interested in helping out in any aspect of the Bhumisparsha ecosystem, please check out the “Bhumisparsha Volunteer opportunities” document (also included in the Support + Connect bulletin) to get a sense of where we need help and how you might like to offer support in a way that feels good for your current capacity. All help is deeply appreciated! May all beings benefit from the wealth of generosity emerging from this community in myriad ways.


Community Creations + Reflections + Shoutouts

This section of the Bhumi Garden is dedicated to sharing reflections, artwork, dance, poetry, photography, or any other mode of creation and reflection. If it feels good to share, you are very welcome to do so. We look forward to including contributions from the community in next month’s issue of the Bhumi Garden! To submit materials and/or proposals, email sesalli@bhumisparsha.org

A message & poems offered by Mary Ann N.

I recently made a channel on Slack called Mudita, and I'm welcoming all to join it. It is a space to share our joys with one another, large or small, so that we can celebrate with each other. A space where we can pause to be glad of all the good things that are arising in each other's lives.

Sometimes I ask questions, but really anyone can post any joy there at any time so that we can all show up to be happy for you and with you!

Poem #1: Practice

I want to wax poetic a bit
about the joys of doing less, whenever possible
having time to admire the setting sun
being awake enough to appreciate the birds
isn't this what we're alive for?
isn't this essential?

And yes I know
Soon we have to go and put on our big boy and big girl, our gender non conforming pants
And do so many different things all day long
in order to care for ourselves and others
Still
Isn’t it nice to sit here for a while?

And I want to tell you, too, my Friend
The other day,
Walking up the stairs to my workplace
the walls cinderblock, painted white
Joy arose in me
spontaneously
for no reason at all
As precious and unexpected
as a blue jay
cawing

Poem #2

Precious Sangha,
I'm sitting waiting for a poem to land
a jewel to bring you
from ether.

This precious day know where you are right now
so you can share that with me too.

What love is sustaining you through the darkness of your nights,
the noise and tumult of your days?

What breath breathes through you,
alighting on cells fueled by the dust of ancient Stars
animating bones adorned like coral?

Dear Sangha, if I gave you my heart on a silver platter
would you swallow it whole in one gulp?
I in you and you in me?

Today I celebrate our aliveness
Earth, whose waters sparkle blue and white and green from space
these bodies built from the ashes of worlds long passed,
our first encounter with Dharma.

Precious Sangha,
do you know what a miracle it is you are alive, breathing, as vibrant as you are today?

Teach me to hold you like the goddesses hold you
infinite presence in infinite space.

Taste my heart
Tell me if it's sweet or sour or tough or tender

How does my heart sit with you today?


Notes From the 92805: Is That Sour Cream on your Sandwich?
by albert rodriguez

There is an event from my 5th grade class that has stayed with me till the present day. I recall the day being windy, and as a result having to remain inside for lunch. When lunch began, I took out a sandwich from my lunchbox, like I usually did, without thinking much of it. Next thing I know, my teacher, Mrs. ******* asks me, or rather, shames and castigates me remarking: “is that sour cream on your sandwich? Ill, gross.” I was jolted into a frozen, constricted, and confused position. My shy, introverted, 10-year-old self did not understand what was happening. What did she mean when she said that sour cream on my sandwich was gross? I had never thought that sour cream on a sandwich was gross, or gross in general. In fact, I loved sour cream on many of my foods during my childhood (still do to this day). I would have sour cream, otherwise known as crema on my arroz, fidello, tacos, and sandwiches to name a few things. How could this creamy, salty, and delicious condiment be gross? Mrs. ******* was trippin’ hard and I did not then have the tools to tell her that she was. As a child I thought: “you must have never had a sandwich with sour cream on it.” To me, it was the bomb.com

After the initial effects of her comments seeped into my consciousness I became meek and slumped into my chair. I did not know how to respond. I simply answered her question by saying “yes.” I didn’t have the words or bravery to stand up to her and this unjust experience at the time. As bell hooks tells us in All about Love children are at the whim of adults. I was belittled, teased, and experienced a micro-aggression from a teacher that should have known that this was no way to talk to a child, that should have embodied the fact that she was a teacher to a 98% Latinx population that would have different cultural “norms” than she; she should have known better. And yet, sadly, she did not.

I remember on my walk home from school thinking about how I could find the “answer” to my “problem,” that is, how I could keep her from making fun of me—to fit in with the dominate, normative, white culture that controlled my life five days a week, 6 hours a day. Those were obviously not the words I used at the time; I just remember that I wanted to fit in.

My remedy: I would make the switch to mayonnaise! Excited about this prospect I came home and told my mom that I wanted to have mayonnaise at the house from now on. She said “ok mijo, vamos a Sam’s Club este Viernes.” Friday couldn’t come sooner. My brother Jose took my mother and I to Sam’s Club in his dilapidated 1985 Chevy Nova.

We bought the mayonnaise and brought it home. I couldn’t wait to try it, so I decided first to have un sándwich de jamon with mayonnaise. I quickly made my “white sandwich” with two ingredients, ham and mayonnaise in anticipation of what it would feel like to be “normal” in America. I took a bite of the sandwich and immediately had a visceral rejection of the mayonnaise. I was chewing and could not bring myself to swallow what I deemed to be disgusting food. My throat experienced a gag reflex and I headed to the trashcan to spit out my food. I thought, “how could people like this?” My mother saw my response to the sandwich. She obviously understood that I didn’t like it. However, she didn’t understand why I wanted the mayonnaise in the first place. She must have thought that I had tasted someone’s sandwich with mayonnaise and liked it I suppose though I am not sure. What I did know was that I did not want to tell her how Mrs. ******* had made me feel about my brownness, my culture, my Mexican roots, that is, about me. My parents like the parents of Cathy Park Hong (Minor Feelings) had no agency in this white country, were never taken seriously, and were consistently made fun of.

Perhaps I knew that she felt powerless being an immigrant, non-English speaking, blue-collar worker. Perhaps I knew that she would not be able to do anything to make my life better, if anything it could make my life worse (my teacher could have it “out for me”). Perhaps I knew that her passivity would lead to no action and would only make her feel bad for me. Perhaps I knew that if one was broke and “illegal” one had no power in this unjust society. So I stayed quiet. Has this not historically been the situation for los de abajo?

Maitri


Regular practice opportunities:

We have a robust list of regular offerings hosted by our beautiful community of volunteers. Click here to subscribe to Bhumisparsha’s calendar for the most up-to-date schedule information. You can also click here to view the calendar page on our website.


Additional opportunities for study + practice with Lama Rod and Lama Justin

Lama Rod

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

Lama Rod Owens will teach at Heartwood on April 1 from noon to 2p. An author, activist, and authorized teacher in the Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, Lama Rod calls himself a "Black Buddhist Southern Queen." A leading voice in a new generation of Buddhist teachers, he is the co-founder of Bhumisparsha, a tantric practice and study community that is helping shape a new and vibrant American Buddhism. Lama Rod will teach on "Tantric Practices for the Apocalypse." We will send out more specifics about this exciting visit early next week.

Lama Rod will teach at Heartwood in conjunction with a visit and talk at Northwestern University. We are grateful to Dr. Sarah Jacoby and the Khyentse Foundation for helping to make this opportunity possible. Register & find out more here!

Lama Justin

NEW ONLINE CLASS!!! The Death Process and Dharma Practice: for Self and for Others - 9 Week Online Course with Lama Justin Von Bujdoss

THURSDAYS MARCH 16TH - MAY 11TH 2023
9 - 11am Los Angeles
12 - 2pm New York
6 - 8pm Rome

In every faith tradition and every culture, death and the mysteries surrounding it holds a tremendous amount of energy and meaning. In the Buddhist tradition this is also the case. In fact, one of the most profound places of practice that we find in the Vajrayana tradition is bringing the process of death and the bardo experience into the spiritual path.

In this class we will journey together into this unique and powerful way of bringing insight and wisdom into our own eventual experience of death. We will also develop skills around caring for loved ones who may be entering into the death process, and hone skills that are useful for professional caregivers including chaplains, social workers and other clinicians who wish to go deeper into the intersection of Vajrayana spiritual formation and their respective caregiving modalities.

There will also be an additional optional in-person retreat at Pure Land Farms centered around an intensive practice of the meditation practices which serve as time-tested spiritual training and intervention for self and other when it comes to bringing death on to the path.

This class is a wonderful way to deepen the relationship of dharma into caregiving and how we can understand caregiving to be a profound spiritual practice. Click here for more info or to register

Monthly In-person gathering in Brooklyn with Lama Justin:
Our next gathering will be April 15th from 11:00am to 1:00pm EST
Location: Greenpoint Church - 136 Milton Street, Brooklyn, NY 11222

Join us by just showing up! See you there :)

In-Person teaching!! at Fire Lotus Temple in downtown Brooklyn!

April 7th:

Death and Resurrection: The Practice of the Recognition of the Clear Light of Awareness in the Face of our Inevitable Death: Fire Lotus Temple is delighted to welcome Lama Justin for this Good Friday dharma talk at Fire Lotus Temple, where he will share reflections from the Vajrayana tradition on death, dying, the bardo—the intermediate state between this life and the next—and the practice of Clear Light meditation a meditation that can be taken up here and now to help us experience liberation in the bardo state. More info & register here

April 8th:

Working with our Humanity: Engaging the Expression of Kleshas and the Spaciousness Within Them - In this day-long retreat we will explore methods through which the intensity of our kleshas, the reactive emotions that contribute to our experience of suffering – can be brought directly into meditation and similarly, how the view of the various forms of mediation that we will be exploring from the Dzogchen, Mahamudra and Zhije Vajrayana lineages can aide us in bringing our ordinary mundane reactivity to the path. More info & register here

SAVE THE DATE!!!! NEW PROGRAM AT THE RUBIN MUSEUM!

Join me for 2 workshops centered around the dark retreat at the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art!

What is dark retreat? See my recent interview with Lion’s Roar about dark retreat: https://www.lionsroar.com/what-is-a-darkness-retreat/
I will be leading 2 workshops one on Saturday, April 22nd and the other on Saturday, May 6th which will begin with a tour of the museum’s Lukhang mural exhibition followed by an introductory talk on dark retreat followed by a dark retreat simulation in the museum’s auditorium followed by discussion and Q&A.
Join me for this first-of-it’s-kind program at the beautiful Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art EVER on dark retreat. More info & register here!

Generosity: every dollar helps

Our hope is that this community can be sustained through the heartfelt contributions of those who feel connected to Bhumisparsha and share visions of personal transformation, beloved community, and collective liberation.

One-Time Gift

One-Time donations are just as vital to ensuring we can meet our budgetary needs for the year. Your gift now will helps fuel Bhumi's practice. Click the button to the right to offer a One-time contribution:

Through our fiscal hosting partnership with Open Collective Foundation (OCF), all donations made to Bhumisparsha are tax deductible as charitable contributions. Click here to learn more.

A message from Ms. Brenda Collins

This year is coming to a close and new beginnings are on the rise.  I look forward to 2023 as a year of continued transformation as I continue to do the work that Lama Rod encourages us to do. 

One of my changes is that I have decided to step down as President of the Mission Circle.  I will stay on for a couple of months to assist in identifying additional members for the Mission Circle. It has been most rewarding and some challenging moments, particularly when you are holding space for an entire community, along with the Mission Circle members. The Mission Circle members are all committed to being of service to the entire community. This Community is special in that we all truly come as we are or is working on getting there. I will continue to co-facilitate Community Dharma Gathering and Holding space offerings, and perhaps support in other ways as well.

If you are interested in supporting Bhumisparsha through a Mission Circle role, creating, fundraising, etc., please look for an invitation to apply in the coming weeks. I am also happy to speak with anyone who may be considering if a role like this would be a fit.

Again, I thank you for allowing me to serve you in this capacity and look forward to new opportunities with you.

Brenda Collins

Bhumisparsha is seeking a volunteer Treasurer

Dear Treasured Bhumi Folk,

Bhumisparsha is in need of a treasurer! The Mission Circle (currently consisting of Brenda Collins, Leigh Rosenberg, Lisa Hoff and Transitional General Coordinator, Eric Busse) are writing to see if you have the interest/capacity to offer support in this much needed volunteer role. 

Background: Thus far Lama Rod has held this role, but we need to replace him for a few different reasons. One is a desire to adopt best practices in limiting potential abuses of power by having one of your Lamas as a treasurer. We also need someone who has greater capacity to be more hands-on in helping us cultivate a sustainable financial future for our community.

Details: One of the most important roles the treasurer will embody is as an “Administrator” on our Open Collective platform where all of Bhumisparsha’s finances now live. Our fiscal hosting relationship with Open Collective Foundation (OCF) reduces the administrative burden around most financial processes (i.e. managing how people get paid, transparency, processing donations, tax preparations, etc.). However, as an emerging collective we need someone who is willing to assist by monitoring the account, contributing to regular reporting processes to the community, providing financial wisdom as opportunities arise, and supporting the broad sustainability of our shared resources as a community. The treasurer will also become part of the Mission Circle and participate in monthly Mission Circle meetings. 

Beyond that, the nuances and responsibilities of this role will be clarified in collaboration with the Mission Circle and Eric Busse.  Additional aspects of this role may include: 

  • Working alongside Eric to make sure contractors get paid in a timely manner. 

  • Collaborating in the creation of project-specific and yearly budgets

  • Advising the Mission Circle through the process of conducting an external audit with an outside accountant

  • Generating financial reports we can share with the larger community 

  • Lending expertise and support around fundraising processes

Alongside the administrative support we receive as an OCF Collective, our intention in the near term is to hire an accountant to conduct an audit and to explore the viability of regular bookkeeping services. So, the person who fills this role does not necessarily need to have professional bookkeeping experience. However, prior experience as a treasurer or other leadership experiences in the realms of strategic development, resource management etc., are valued. This role would be suitable to someone who has a disposition toward attention to details and a passion for the art of administration. Ideally, we would like someone with some experience in financial reporting processes as well as planning and tracking budgets. Importantly, this role is for someone who feels excited about lending their wisdom and experience in service to the Bhumi community and our shared vision of personal awakening and collective liberation.  You will be supported by the staff and existing volunteers within the organization. If you are considering applying for the role but need more info or have questions, please reach out to Eric Busse at eric@bhumisparsha.org and he will connect with you. Ready to volunteer as Bhumisparsha’s new treasurer? Please send an email communicating your interest to info@bhumisparsha.org by Wednesday, April 6th.

In love and Sangha,

The Mission Circle

(Image: “Mural of Vajrasattva - Dorje Sempa - with Mexican Iconography”, flickr.com)

A message from Ekta Hattangady and Lama Justin

Dear Bhumisparsha sangha,

I am very happy to share this message written by community member Ekta Hattangady. May it benefit all beings everywhere as we continue to make mistakes, learn, and inquire together about the meaning of beloved community. I especially want to thank Ekta for their courage and willingness to share their experience with our community.

Sincerely,

Eric Busse (he/him), Transitional General Coordinator

Bhumisparsha: A safe space, brave space

“A safe space is ideally one that doesn’t incite judgment based on identity or experience - where the expression of both can exist and be affirmed without fear of repercussion and without the pressure to educate. While learning may occur in these spaces, the ultimate goal is to provide support.

A brave space encourages dialogue. Recognizing difference and holding each person accountable to do the work of sharing experiences and coming to new understandings - a feat that’s often hard, and typically uncomfortable.”

Source: https://alternativebreaks.org/safe-or-brave-spaces/

The above video features Lama Justin and a Bhumisparsha community member, Ekta. We hope that this video illustrates the concepts of safe and brave spaces and highlights the power of true racial repair work. It references an incident that took place in a small group with Lama Justin in Feb. 2022, where Ekta was the only non-white participant. Some of the language used during that group was unfortunate and unacceptable. Ekta wrote an email to Bhumisparsha and Lama Justin. A meeting was organized on March 2nd, where Lama Justin and Ekta participated in a dialogue. They were witnessed by two members of the Bhumisparsha community.

Ekta and Lama Justin embodied great courage and vulnerability in participating in the meeting, being open to accountability, and subsequently creating this video for our larger community as encouragement and education. Bhumisparsha is committed to being a brave space for people of all backgrounds. We invite compliments and critique with equanimity and tirelessly remain committed to the goal of collective liberation.

We invite your comments in response to this video.

Structure conversation: Considering paid staffing needs

On November 30, Repa Trinlay and I sat down to talk more about how Bhumisparsha should begin to implement some of the new paid staff positions which were discussed earlier in our restructuring conversation. Recognizing that at present we have limited funds to work with, we set out to create a list, prioritizing which roles we believe should be developed first as we work towards an updated structure.

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Slowing down, asking questions

At the Nov. 12 meeting on revisiting Bhumisparsha’s structure, Trinlay and I (Leigh) talked about needing to slow our timeline down to better align with transparency, workload, and the hiring of a new staff person. We also returned to discussing possible choice points for our organizational structure, and laid out a few specific questions for feedback from the sangha.

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Bhumisparsha is Hiring Again!

As the Bhumisparsha sangha approaches the end of the calendar year, we have come to realize that our growth and change over this past year needs new people to support our ongoing operations and organizational shifts.

We are excited to announce, then, that we will be hiring a Transitional General Coordinator to take on this work for the year ahead! Please follow the link below for more information about the position:

Transitional General Coordinator

To apply, please submit a resume and cover letter to General Coordinator Alex Rodríguez at alex@bhumisparsha.org by Monday, December 6th at 3:00 pm EST. Related inquiries may also be directed to him at that address.