Open Public Sitting Hours

Public Sitting

All public sittings are free of charge (donations appreciated).

BSMC is open Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings for mindfulness meditation from 7:00-8:00 PM.  Free meditation instruction available. Newcomers please arrive 10 minutes early for introduction and brief orientation.

Mondays 5:30-6:30 pm Adaptive Meditation. Participants can sit, walk, or lie down in the meditation room and quietly come and go as needed. We are all unique individuals, and many of us may have physical or emotional challenges that prevent us from enjoying a traditional meditation practice.

Friday morning meditation 7:00-7:30 AM

Community Events

All free of charge (donations appreciated)

Mindful Monday Community Conversations: On the third Monday of each month, we practice meditation 7:00-7:30 PM, followed by a presentation and discussion of how mindfulness can be applied to different areas of our life and society.

Dharma Talks: On the First Monday of each month, we practice meditation 7:00-7:30 PM, followed by a presentation regarding concepts from the Buddhist and Shambhala teaching with discussion. These talks explore what we can learn from these two intertwined wisdom traditions that can support our own lives and meditation practices.

Blanketeers: Mondays from 3:00pm-5:00pm.  This is a loosely knit (pun intended) group who enjoys knitting, crocheting, sewing, or otherwise constructing blankets to donate to the Linus Project.  Recipients are children in trauma situations such as hospitalization, residing in shelters, or removed from families due to abuse or neglect.

Introductory

Resilient Parenting

with Phyllis Mark

May 16th—October 10th

Ten lessons based on the Parami - qualities to practice that keep us from acting from the place of "me first." Working with these paramis, we learn to interact with others more authentically. Therefore... we can use these paramis to become more connected Continue »

Foundations for Freedom: The Hinayana Course III - The Second Noble Truth: The Origins of Suffering, Part II - The Wheel of Life, Karma and the Twelve Nidanas

with Acharya Judith Simmer-Brown & Loden Nyima

September 6th—October 25th

The Birmingham Shambhala Center is excited to present the third in a series of five courses from Shambhala Online exploring the profundity of the Hinayana teachings of the Buddha. Continue »

Introduction to Shambhala: Buddhadharma as the Mountain, Shambhala as the Rivers and Trees

with Shastri Janet Bronstein

October 3rd

We are invited to this program that Shastri Janet Bronstein is presenting on Zoom for the Hoosier Heartland Shambhala Group in Bloomington, Indiana. Continue »

Learn to Meditate

November 14th

In this introductory class you will receive the technique, guidance and experience necessary to start a mindfulness-awareness or "peaceful abiding" meditation practice. Continue »