What we’re about
PASADHARMA BUDDHIST MEDITATION is a circle of seekers, practitioners, and few openminded skeptics. We explore "meditation" (bhavana, jhana/Dhyana, samadhi, vipassana) from an ancient Buddhist perspective. Yoga, an ancient Vedic tradition, informs us as do Jainism and Taoism.
We are on a quest for the meaning of life and the ultimate -- enlightenment and nirvana. Serenity and insight, compassion and wisdom, integrity and authenticity are our tools. What is the "Middle Way" the Buddha pointed out? It is our Path to liberation and complete freedom: Nirvana.
As a supportive "spiritual community," a sangha, we utilize teachings from the diverse Buddhist schools -- Theravada, Himalayan Vajrayana, Zen, American Vipassana, Far Eastern Mahayana-- to learn, explore, and adapt techniques and useful yogic practices.
Sitting as a group enables us to establish a daily practice on our own, building independence in a community of mutual support.
It's free, donations are accepted, and ALL are welcome. We serve in the spirit of making the historical Buddha's Dharma (the gift of the Teaching) available to all. This is the Path of Purification, the Path to Freedom...with a healthy and sometimes irreverent sense of humor. Come play. Enlighten up.
How should I dress? Come as you are: casual, loose, comfortable clothes for indoor sitting on a soft seat and mindful outdoor walking in our garden under giant redwood trees. Between Old Town Pasadena and the Rose Bowl. Our practice hall is warm and inviting. Beginners always welcome.
What shall we eat? Delicious vegan refreshments and time to socialize as we close each session. Come meet your tribe, companions, maybe even your soul mate.
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- (Hybrid: In-Person) Intro to the Teachings of Sayadaw U Tejaniya (Insight LA)Benedict Canyon Retreat House, Beverly Hills, CA
This event is the in-person version of a hybrid daylong retreat which will take place both in-person and online. To register for the online version, please click here.
Find directions, information on what to bring, and more on this link.
Sayadaw U Tejaniya was born in Burma into a Buddhist family. He started meditating as a teenager, guided by the late Shwe Oo Min Sayadaw (1913-2002).
- "U" is neither a name nor an initial but an honorific pronounced "oo."
After marrying and taking over the family business, he struggled with depression and addiction. Due to family responsibilities, he could not go on a long retreat as he wished.
Instead, he practiced meditation at home while taking care of the business and his family. Through daily life practice at home and work, he learned to integrate meditation into his lay life and maintain it in any situation.
In 1996, he became a Buddhist monk and now teaches meditation at the Shwe Oo Min Dhamma Sukha Forest Meditation Center in Rangoon, Burma (Yangon, Myanmar).
Sayadaw U Tejaniya’s approach is free from rigid styles or forms, influenced by his previous life as a layperson and his interest in adaptable practice.
His teachings emphasize right view, awareness, and the continuous practice of maintaining these teachings throughout the day.
In this daylong retreat, we will learn the keys to practice outside of retreat settings, using Sayadaw U Tejaniya’s style.
Generosity (dana)
This is a dana (donation-based) retreat. The practice of giving donations or dana helps continue the ancient Buddhist monastic tradition of teaching on a dana basis – dana being the Pali (the language the Buddha spoke) word for "generosity" or "giving freely."Contributions help InsightLA teachers lead a life devoted to teaching both at InsightLA and in other parts of the world, including communities without the means to donate. Gifts also allow teachers to take time for their own practice, ensuring that their teachings are continuously enriched.
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Suggested Donation: $85
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insightla.org/event/introduction-to-sayadaw/2025-01-11-09-00/
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Teacher LC Tran (insightla.org/teacher/lc-tran)
- In-person group meditation with ShambhalaShambhala Meditation Center of Los Angeles, Burbank, CA
Burbank in-person community meditation
Inside the Main Shrine Room of the BURBANK CenterJoin community for group meditation practice
Sessions are open with a few brief English chants. Short periods of silent sitting meditation alternate with walking meditation, contemplation practice, and group discussion.The final half hour is for snacks and socializing. ALL are warmly welcome.
Meditation instruction is available.Practitioners are welcome to arrive and leave at any time to fit their needs and schedule.
Basic format (approximate):
- 10:00 am - Welcome, chants, brief guided meditation instruction
- 10:10 am - Sitting and Walking Meditation
- 11:45 am - Contemplation Practice and Discussion
- 12:30 pm - Community Social Time
Every first Sunday of the month includes tonglen (“sending and taking”) instruction and practice. This is a traditional Buddhist compassion practice: We breathe in the pain and suffering of others so they can be well. Then we breathe out happiness, joy, or whatever will relieve that suffering. This is best practiced with the support of a meditation community (sangha).
There is ample free street parking. This group meditation is a free offering, but donations are always welcome.
- la.shambhala.org/in-person-meditation
- (Also in Santa Monica and Orange County)
- InsightLA: Youngish Adults (20s, 30s, 40s) Practice Group1430 Olympic Blvd, Santa Monica, CA
NEW LOCATION: Youngish Adults (20s, 30s, 40s) Practice Group - Santa Monica and Online (Insight LA Meditation)
Interested in mindfulness meditation with a supportive hybrid in-person/online community of peer practitioners?
Join in either online by Zoom or in-person in Santa Monica. Share the collective wisdom related to sitting meditation practice.
**All weekly meetings beginning in January 2024 will be held Sundays from 7:00-830 pm PST. Attendees will have optional time for connection from 8:30-9:00 pm after the session wraps up.**
Young-ish (in your 20s, 30s or 40s)?
What’s most alive in your practice? What are you struggling with? In a supportive group environment, we will meditate and explore practical application of the Buddhist wisdom tradition in daily life.We’ll focus on the challenges you might be facing as a youngish adult, including:
- How to live the teachings of mindfulness and compassion in daily life, navigating transitions, relationships, and careers.
If you have a topic that you would like to bring more mindfulness to, bring it up in the group!
Who is this practice group for?
The Young-ish Practice Group is for people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s who would like to deepen their mindfulness practice and understanding of Buddhist psychology in community. All are welcome, regardless of previous mindfulness or meditation experience.Intentions:
- Explore Buddhist psychology and mindfulness science to support practical integration in daily life. (There's no need to identify as a Buddhist because ALL are welcome).
- Foster ongoing development of inclusive community and supportive friendship among younger practitioners.
- Practice in support of the cultivation of wisdom and the alleviation of suffering for all beings, without exception.
Typical Group Activities/Format:
- Welcome and introductions
- 30-40 minute guided mindfulness meditation.
- Variety of Buddhist Dharma talks, exploration of mindfulness science, small group discussion, other experiential exercises.
Teachers alternate and subject to change.
Where is this event?
It is now at InsightLA's new location in Santa Monica on Olympic Blvd. (near the Santa Monica Co-op) and online via Zoom.For those attending in-person, here are directions and accessibility info. Please consider carpooling as there is limited parking available (more info). Click Sign Up for ride-share options.
> In keeping with non-harming, be in good health. Masks are optional.
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Donation based
Although this is a donation-based class, registration is required. Suggested donation: $20. If you cannot attend, please cancel your reservation so that others may attend in your place. Space is limited. - UCLA MARC (Mindful Awareness Research Center) mindful meditationRonald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
Free Weekly UCLA Meditation Class with MARC Director Dr. Diana Winston and Guests
Join UCLA Mindful’s Director Dr. Diana Winston live online for a weekly opportunity to practice together and learn about different aspects of mindfulness.Each week explores a new theme on mindfulness (sati). Topics may include
- self-compassion,
- working with judgment,
- obstacles to meditation,
- dealing with difficult emotions,
- mindfulness in challenging times,
- the spectrum of awareness,
- and much more.
ALL levels of practice experience and inexperience are welcome.
- Wednesdays, 4:00 pm-5:30 pm (Pacific Time)
- Mindful Awareness or MARC at UCLA: uclahealth.org/uclamindful
- https://uclahs.zoom.us/j/97878342670
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ON OTHER DAYS, ACCESS RECORDINGS OF GUIDED MEDITATIONS
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Meditate in many languages with UCLA's MARC (Mindful Awareness Research Center)
Translations of free guided meditations available in 15 languages, with more to come.
Sandy Cohen explains: Guided meditations can be a helpful way to begin or sustain a regular mindfulness practice.Whether you speak American English, Armenian, Mandarin Chinese, Farsi, Tagalog, Korean, Hindi, Russian, or American Sign Language, find guided meditations in that language at UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center (MARC).
Thanks to funding from CalHOPE and FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency), MARC’s guided meditations are now available in 14 languages, in addition to English.
“We were in a great position to help because we have a program called Training in Mindfulness Facilitation, a teacher training program that we've done for 11 years, and we've actually had participants in that program from all over the world, speaking many different languages,” says MARC’s associate director, Dr. Marvin Belzer, PhD (external link), adding that graduates of the program helped create the translations.
“So it was easy to say yes. And, of course, we were also very excited about it.”
The guided meditations available through the MARC website and on the free UCLA Mindful app (external link) range in length from 3 minutes to 19 minutes.
They include basic breathing and body-scan meditations, a “loving kindness” (metta) meditation to generate compassion and a meditation for working with difficult physical or emotional sensations.
Focused on the present moment
Guided meditations can be useful for people new to mindfulness meditation, a practice that helps cultivate the ability to “pay attention to present-moment experiences with openness and curiosity and a willingness to be with what is,” according to Dr. Diana Winston, PhD, director of mindfulness education at MARC.In the simplest terms, mindfulness meditation is the practice of focusing on something real, but something that isn’t too complicated, Dr. Belzer says, such as the feeling of the breath moving in and out, sensations in the hands or feet, or ambient sounds.
The aim is to place nonjudgmental attention on the object of focus, and when you notice the mind has wandered — which it will because this is normal — to gently guide your attention back to the chosen focus. "Begin again," as Sharon Salzberg says.
For novices, it’s often hard to sit still and stay connected to the present moment for more than a few seconds — because the mind quickly wanders, looking for something more stimulating, diverting, interesting, worrisome, dangerous, falling into the past or leaping into the predicted future.
We’re suddenly making imaginary shopping lists or thinking about what will be served for lunch. Hearing the voice of a teacher can be helpful for maintaining focus.
But guided meditations are far from the only way to practice mindfulness, Dr. Belzer notes.
