•  Masks are optional but highly encouraged out of consideration for the well-being of everyone.
•  Vaccination is not required, but we encourage everyone to be up-to-date on COVID and flu vaccines.
•  If you are not feeling well for any reason, please stay home and take care of yourself. We look forward to seeing you when you are feeling better.

We are pleased to offer opportunities for practice, study, and community.  Your generous support will help us provide programming that will sustain our community.  Please give what you can through our donation page.

Registration

To reserve a space, please register via the link on the program’s page. You can pay via credit card or PayPal. You can also register at the Center when the program begins and pay with a check or cash. Please arrive 10 minutes early. If you are unable to attend a program for which you have registered, a refund is available. Please contact us as soon as possible prior to the program.

Generosity Policy

“Generosity is the virtue that produces peace.”
―from the Sutra of the Recollection of the Three Jewels

The Philadelphia Shambhala Center is a non-profit organization run by volunteers and supported by the generosity of its members and program participants. We are committed to making both meditation practice and the programs we offer accessible to all. Financial constraints should not be an obstacle to taking part. At the same time, the costs associated with running the Center are accurately reflected in our program pricing.

Our Generosity Policy makes our registration process a contemplative practice of generosity where, if the program price is not presently workable for you, we invite you to contemplate how much you are able to offer. Paying what you can is a gesture of support for our Center and its mission.

Our policy also encourages generosity for those who can offer more than the regular program price through “Patron Pricing,” as a way to pay-it-forward. This option enables us to cover costs for those who are not able to pay the full program price.

We thank you for your generosity.

All Programs

Introductory

Social Presencing Theater: Curiosity, Compassion, Courage

with Elaine Yuen & Nicole Taylor

June 1st—December 15th

The Philadelphia Shambhala Center is pleased to host a series of workshops cultivating embodied presence. Continue »

Registration for What the Buddha Taught Part II

July 20th—December 14th

Each month the Shambhala Center will offer a full day of study and practice, focusing on teachings that have remained central to the Buddhist view, drawn from a wide range of sources. Continue »

Speaking your truth despite the obstacles: a poetry and prose workshop (online)

with Jeffrey Lee

September 14th—November 9th

This creative writing workshop’s intent is to enable participants to overcome the many ways that one can avoid saying what really matters and what is the most meaningful to oneself. Continue »

Thursday Sitting Meditation (In person)

September 26th—February 27th (2025)

What better way to make a first return to the Center, than by returning to our 'center': the grounding and clarifying experience of being together in meditation. Continue »

Sunday Sitting Meditation (In person)

September 29th—March 16th (2025)

What better way to make a first return to the Center, than by returning to our 'center': the grounding and clarifying experience of being together in meditation. Continue »

First Sunday Extended Sitting Meditation (In person)

October 6th—February 2nd (2025)

Please come join us from 9:30 - 12:00 on the first Sunday of the month for an extended period of sitting and walking meditation. Continue »

Welcome to the Shambhala Center: Open House (in person)

with Marilia Marien

October 13th

Please join us for the Shambhala Center’s Open House on Sunday, October 13th. We welcome your curiosity and questions as we explore the heritage of Shambhala. Continue »

Learn to Meditate (In person)

October 16th

In these challenging times, the practical wisdom of meditation can help us show up for our daily lives with more kindness, confidence and curiosity. Continue »

Mindfulness for Challenging Times: Managing Election-related Stress (online)

with Marilia Marien

October 16th—October 30th

We all experience stress, and this election cycle in particular has been a source of ongoing stress for many. Join us as we learn mindfulness-based strategies grounded in Buddhist principles to help you understand and manage your own experience. Continue »

Confidence: Holding Your Seat through Life’s Eight Worldly Winds

with Ethan Nichtern

October 17th

In today’s culture of polarization and constant change, how do we find the confidence to navigate challenges? Is now really the time for meditation, for looking inward?  Continue »

What the Buddha Taught Class 10: Absolute and Relative Bodhichitta: Mahayana Moment by Moment

with Alexander DeVaron & Jude Robison

October 19th

This day-long retreat will explore how the teachings of Mahayana Buddhism play out, moment by moment, in our lives. Continue »

Making a Fresh Start at the Philadelphia Shambhala Center Part Two (online)

October 29th

How can we create a meditation center that fully reflects who we are as a community now, not five, ten or fifteen years ago? Continue »

The Art of Being Human: Shambhala Training Level I

with Jude Robison

November 9th

When we truly create the time and space to dive fully into meditation practice, we can experience the openness and relaxation that is always available in the present moment.  Continue »

What the Buddha Taught Class 11 -- Lojong: Training the mind and awakening the heart

with Marilia Marien & Mark Jacobson

November 16th

This course offers an engaging and practical approach to understanding and applying the wisdom of the profound and pithy slogans known as Lojong, or “mind training”.  Continue »

Learn to Meditate (In person)

November 23rd

In these challenging times, the practical wisdom of meditation can help us show up for our daily lives with more kindness, confidence and curiosity. Continue »

What the Buddha Taught Class 12: The Union of Wisdom and Skillfulness

with Alexander DeVaron

December 14th