Ann Arbor Special Events Sept – Dec 2023
ANN ARBOR SANGHA ACTIVITIES
TAI CHI – Sundays Weekly, 4:00 – 5:00pm ET
Learn and practice Wu Style Tai Chi Chan with instructor Marilyn Feingold.
DATES: No Sessions June 11, 25, and July 30, September 24, October 8, November 26, December 10, 24 and 31
COST: Drop-in, $5 per session at the door.
HATHA YOGA WITH SAMANTHA LIEBERMAN – Thursdays Weekly, 9:15 – 10:15am ET
DATES: August/September/October/November/December: Thursdays, 9:15 – 10:15am
August 3, 17, 24 31, September 7, 14, 21, 28, October 5, 12, 19, 26, November 2, 9, 16, 30, December 7, 21, 28. No Session August 10, November 23, December 14, 28. Looking ahead, no session on January 11, 2024
COST: Drop-in $15 per session – First visit FREE! Cash or Venmo at door. Seniors receive 10% discount. Discounted packages available. Bring your own mats.
Sam Lieberman has been practicing yoga since 1988. She received teacher trainings in Yoga Fit and Yoga Medics. Yoga Medics is a medical model approach with emphasis on alignment and therapeutic needs.
JEWEL HEART READERS – 2nd Sunday Monthly online only, 7:00 – 8:30pm ET
DATES: September 10, October 1 , November 12, December 10. No Session June, July, August
Book Selection: Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman. Click for the zoom registration link. December 10 Selection: The Wakeful Body by Willa Blythe Baker.
Contact [email protected] or check out the Ann Arbor calendar for more information.
FREE FILM AND DISCUSSION – Fridays Monthly, 7:00pm ET
Bring friends and enjoy a free film and follow up group discussion onsite. Free concessions available.
LOCATION: 1129 Oak Valley Drive, Ann Arbor 48108
DATES: August 11, September 8, November 10, December 8. No session October 13
August 11: TRAVELERS AND MAGICIANS (2005) – A universal tale of a young man with big dreams and no real plan to achieve them, linking how we live our lives and how we imagine our lives should be. Filmed entirely in Bhutan, directed by Khyentse Norbu
September 8: HEAL – (2017) A documentary film that takes us on a scientific journey where we discover that by changing one’s perceptions, our thoughts, beliefs and emotion, the human body can heal itself from dis-ease. The fact is we have more control over our health and life then we have been taught to believe.
November 10: LEGEND OF BAGGER VANCE (2000) – A story about finding your true self, people see similarities between how this story is told and the Bhagavad Gita. Directed by Robert Redford starring Will Smith, Matt Damon and Charlize Theron
December 8: THE TREE OF LIFE (2011) – The impressionistic story of a Texas family in the 1950s. The film follows the life journey of the eldest son, Jack, through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as he tries to reconcile a complicated relationship with his father. Jack finds himself a lost soul in the modern world, seeking answers to the origins and meaning of life while questioning the existence of faith. Starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn
HAPPY HIKERS – 3rd Saturday Monthly hikes at various Ann Arbor parks, 10:00 – 11:00am ET
NEXT DATE/TIME/LOCATION: December 16, 1:00 – 2:00pm – Lillie Park, 4365 Platt Road, Ann Arbor, 48108
Dates: January 28, February 18, March 18, April 15, May 20, June 17, September 16, December 16. No hikes July, August, October, November.
Contact Heather MacKenzie at [email protected] for information.
DHARMA DISC’ERS DISC GOLF – Saturday Afternoons Monthly, 1:00pm – 3:00pm ET
New and experienced players welcome!
LOCATION: Mary Beth Doyle Park, 3500 Birch Hollow Drive, Ann Arbor 48108
Meet in the parking lot adjacent to the swing set.
Dates: April 22, May 13, July 22, August 26 cancelled, September 30, October 28, No sessions in November & December. Resumes April 2024.
Instructions – Time of play is usually 1-3 hours, depending on number in group and how many holes we play. Typically, 18 holes but you can also play 9 or however many you like.
Wear good hiking shoes with a good gripping sole as ground may be muddy. Discs will be available to use for the day. If you have your own discs (or plan to purchase a starter set), please bring your own. You might also want to bring a small bag or backpack to carry your discs.
Note: Play is weather permitting so please check this webpage first.
Contact: [email protected]
BLISSFUL BIRDERS – Saturday, September 2, 8:00 ~ 10:00am ET
Colorful warblers, vireos, tanagers, orioles, and flycatchers are exiting Michigan on migration farther south during early September. We’ll visit Matthaei Botanical Gardens, one of the best Ann Arbor birding hotspots for fall migrants.
Location: Matthaei Botanical Gardens, 1800 N Dixboro Rd, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA (map) We will meet on the steps of the Conservatory building, then walk the nearby trails for at least two hours.
Cost: Free. Parking at Matthaei costs $2.20 per hour, with a $6 daily maximum charge, so please consider carpooling with fellow sangha members.
Instructions: Bring binoculars, dress appropriately, and wear sensible shoes because trails can be wet with morning dew. Please, no strollers or dogs.
Guide
Contact: Send an email message to [email protected]
LOVING KINDNESS CRAFTERS – Sundays Monthly, 1:00 pm ET
Interested in knitting, sewing, quilting, baking or other crafts? No knowledge necessary. Beginners and experts and all in between are welcome. Onsite.
DATES: January 22, March 12, April 16, September 17, October 15, November 19, December 17 – No sessions May – August
Beginning in September, we will be knitting/crocheting chemo caps for St. Joseph and University of Michigan cancer patients. Materials available or bring your own. Instructions available.
Note: Collecting care package items for the Delonis Homeless Shelter continues. Donations for kits can be placed in the box marked. Items needed follow:
Toilet paper, toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss, chapstick, bar soap, washrags & hand towels, travel size Kleenex, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, body lotion, hand shavers, men’s shaving cream, women’s tampons & panty liners, Q-tips, shower caddies.
Contact Rowena Villarias at [email protected] for more information.
JEWEL HEART ANN ARBOR FOOD DRIVE
Local sangha are hosting a food drive for Food Gatherers to fight against hunger right here where we live. When onsite, please see the poster on the Sangha Council bulletin board for needed items or the donation box in the cafe. We plan to donate around the holiday timeframe so don’t wait too long to donate!
Click to explore the many Jewel Heart Programs.
Click for Weekly Free Virtual Programs.
Click for Jewel Heart Healing Meditations and Practices.
Ann Arbor Programs Sept – Dec 2023
ANN ARBOR PROGRAMS
DEMO RINPOCHE – ANCIENT WISDOM. MODERN TIMES. ~ Sundays Weekly, 11:00am – 12:00pm ET, Onsite and Online
Join Demo Rinpoche for weekly Sunday public talks on a variety of topics based on Buddhist wisdom that remains relevant for today’s modern life. Onsite and online facilitated group discussions follow the morning talk.
All are welcome. Sundays serve as a perfect entry for newcomers, a wonderful introduction to Demo Rinpoche and the Jewel Heart community. Come as you are. Contact [email protected].
Ancient Wisdom. Modern Times. Zoom Link for online participation.
No live onsite sessions October 8, December 24 and 31. Sunday Talk recordings will be posted on the Ancient Wisdom. Modern Times. webpage on these dates.
WHITE TARA GUIDED HEALING MEDITATION ~ Sundays Weekly, 9:30 – 10:30am ET, Online, onsite welcome. No sessions on December 24 and 31.
White Tara Meditation Zoom Link
Upcoming 2024
For Foundation of All Perfections – Register at [email protected]
Offered both onsite Ann Arbor and via Zoom!
Join Jewel Heart Instructors Vicki Cahill and Joseph Palms onsite Ann Arbor and online via zoom for this new program on Wednesday evenings, January 10, 17, 24, and 31.
Click here for details and to register.
2023 September – December Programs
The Vajrasattva Holiday Intensive will be onsite Ann Arbor and online via Zoom, Wednesday, December 27 – Saturday, December 30. Click for details and to register.
DELAM: The Smooth Path to Enlightenment – Mondays, September 11 – November 27, 7:00 – 8:30pm ET
Delam, the Smooth Path to Enlightenment, has a special emphasis on meditation practices. We will study the teachings of Tibetan Buddhist Master Gelek Rimpoche, which provides a contemporary window into the heart of all spiritual practice. This 12 week course will meet on October 9 at 7:00pm after the Fall Seminar has concluded.
Jewel Heart Instructors: Karen Markey and Jack Schramm
Karen Markey has been teaching various Jewel Heart courses and has studied Tibetan Buddhism with Gelek Rimpoche and Demo Rinpoche for many years. She is Professor Emerita at University of Michigan where she taught in the School of Information for over 30 years.
Jack Schramm is a retired scientist interested in energy conversion technologies. He began mediating in 1969, while also studying various philosophies and yogas, East and West. He has practiced Tibetan Buddhism since 2006 with Gelek Rimpoche, and now Demo Rinpoche.
Suggested donation – $75. Give what you can – no one turned away. Jewel Heart Members Free.
To register or for questions: Write [email protected]. The course is held onsite at 1129 Oak Valley Drive.
To purchase and pick up the course paperback transcript, visit the Jewel Heart store onsite or write [email protected] or call 734 994 3385. To purchase and download a digital version of the course transcript, click here.
CREATING SPACE: Clarity and Insight through Meditation – Wednesdays, September 6 – November 1, 7:00 – 8:30pm ET Note: No session Wednesday, October 25.
Meditation provides us with a clear and stable mind, necessary for a happy life and the foundation for deepening our spiritual journey. This course offers hands-on experience with basic elements of meditation using breath, posture and techniques for coping with distractions and laxity of mind.
Jewel Heart Instructors: John Madison and Wendy Weiner
John Madison has been teaching meditation for over 25 Years. with a Masters degree from University of Michigan, he is Principal Violist of the Michigan Opera Theatre orchestra, a regular with the Detroit Symphony, and on Wayne State Faculty.
Wendy Weiner has enjoyed lifelong learning on the spiritual path, growing up Christian, raising a Jewish family while practicing Tibetan Buddhism for the past 15 years. Wendy also has her MBA and gratefully serves as the Jewel Heart Ann Arbor Sangha Council President and a Jewel Heart Board Member.
FREE – Donations welcome.
Questions & Registration – Write [email protected]. The course is held onsite at 1129 Oak Valley Drive.
OPEN MEDITATION – Thursdays Weekly Onsite, 6:00 – 6:45pm ET
Facilitators offer lightly guided concentration meditation sessions onsite for all levels of experience. No sessions on November 23, December 7, 28.
FREE. Contact [email protected] for questions.
LAMA CHOPA & TSOH – Fridays Monthly Onsite, 6:30pm ET
Lama Chopa is a comprehensive practice to help ground and strengthen our relationship with our spiritual teachers as well as the various activities that support realizing our fullest spiritual potential, to reach enlightenment for the greater benefit of all. More information about Lama Chopa and Tsoh is available here.
All are welcome. Donations for the tsoh welcome.
DATES: August 4, September 22, November 17. Join us Thursday, December 7 for the Je Tsongkhapa Day Lama Chopa & Tsoh. No Lama Chopa in October.