JOIN US for in person sangha
MONDAY November 17, 7:00pm - 8:30pm EDT
Magda will facilitate
Meditation schedule
Upcoming events
We’d love to hear from you.
Have a suggestion, question, or reflection to share with the sangha? Use the form below to let us know.
All submissions are anonymous unless you choose to include your name.
Love is the Strongest Force
We’re honored to share that Dharma Teacher Annie Mahon’s article, Love is the Strongest Force, has been published on the Plum Village website.
Written at the start of the current administration, the piece explores how fierce compassion—rooted in mindfulness, community, and the Four Noble Truths—can help us respond to injustice and suffering without turning away from love. Annie reflects on how practicing boundless care allows us to transform both personal and collective pain, and to build sustainable communities that truly care for all.
We are all one
We recognize the struggles of immigrants because many, though not all, of us have experienced immigration, arriving in this country ourselves or our ancestors arriving before us. We also stand in solidarity with members of the LGBTQ+ community who experience discrimination and hardship.
To offer support, we warmly invite you to review the information and links we provided.
Organizations we support
Support VOLAR (Village of Love and Resistance)
VOLAR’s mission is to co-create a cooperative community in East Baltimore owned by Black and Brown people … built through the reclamation of land, healing, reconnecting and building a base of community power.
Learn how VOLAR has evolved and where it is going — and how you can be a part of this incredible initiative.
LEARN MORE
Engaged Buddhism / Deep Listening to our Differences
by Annie Mahon
In this article we explore the transformative art of deep listening while door knocking in the lead up to the US election from Annie Mahon, an engaged practitioner and Dharma teacher in The Plum Village Tradition.
New book release from friend of our sangha, Magda Cabrero:
WALKING ON EARTH WITH THICH NHAT HANH: My Experiences with Silence & The Sanctuaries & Kindred Spirits I Found in Many Places
by Dr. Magda De La Paz Cabrero
First Mindfulness Bell article in Spanish:
Inhabiting Interbeing / Habitando el Interser
We're so excited The Mindfulness Bell has published their first article in Spanish!
All are invited to join our community
Mindfulness is being here now, with kindness and open hearted curiosity.
The Opening Heart Mindfulness Community is open to everyone and meets to practice sitting and walking meditation and discuss mindfulness-related topics every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at Circle Yoga. We practice together in the tradition of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.
No previous mindfulness or meditation experience necessary.
No registration is required, and there is no fee to attend. Donations are joyfully accepted to support this and other similar programs Sitting meditation can be done on the floor or in a chair.
In consideration of those who have chemical sensitivities, we ask that you do not wear any fragrances (including essential oils) while attending Opening Heart meditation events.
Making-Visible
The Opening Heart Mindfulness Community created this special sangha to build awareness on the issues of social injustice facing our country and the world today.
Dear friends,
This week, we will meet Monday evening, November 17, from 7-8:30PM ET in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); Wednesday morning, November 19, from 7-8AM ET online; and Friday, November 21, from 12-1PM ET in person/online (hybrid).
On Monday, in celebration of Native American Day, Magda will guide us in exploring Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings on reverence for our ancestors.
Magda will share reflections on the gifts of wisdom and healing from Indigenous traditions in a special two-week series.
This week, Magda will honor the Piscataway, Tainx, and Osage peoples—especially the women she has encountered throughout her life and deeply admires. Next week, she will honor the Navajo and New Mexico Pueblos, the Apache involved in the Oak Flat movement, and the Sioux.
Please wear comfortable clothing, as Magda will also guide us in an Earth Touching Ceremony.
Warriors, Artists, and Meditators: Honoring Indigenous Women and Their Most Precious Gifts
“A nation is not conquered until the hearts of its women are on the ground; then, no matter how brave its warriors nor how strong their weapons, it is done.” The Spirit of Indian Women, p. 93
“I was ready to spend ten days in the mountain wilderness as a young woman. This was my final preparation for a future as a renowned medicine woman.” The Spirit of Indian Women, p, 123
In Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet, Thich Nhat Hanh writes that Earth will be saved by warriors, artists, and meditators. As we celebrate Native American life, I think of the Indigenous women whose courage, creativity, and spirituality have deeply touched my heart. I think of their strength and of the ways they have used their creative and healing hands to serve their communities.