By Donation

Living Wisdom Project will begin hosting weekly Sunday Open Meditation gatherings at the SHIRe on July 5. The gatherings will offer members of the San Juan Islands community a welcoming place for meditation, quiet reflection, conversation, and connection.

The Sunday program will be open to people from all meditation traditions, as well as those who are entirely new to contemplative practice. No particular spiritual belief, lineage, meditation technique, or level of experience will be required.

We recognize a growing need for a local meditation community—a place where people can sustain their individual practices while experiencing the support of practicing alongside others. Our hope is to create a consistent, welcoming space where islanders can gather in stillness, learn from one another, and deepen their connection with themselves, their community, and the living world.

Each Sunday gathering will follow this schedule:

10:00–10:30 a.m. — Open Social
Participants may arrive, settle into the space, meet others, and enjoy informal conversation.

10:30–11:30 a.m. — First Sit
A shared period of meditation and quiet personal practice.

11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. — Tea and Discussion
An opportunity for tea, conversation, and reflection on meditation and contemplative life.

12:30–1:30 p.m. — Second Sit
A second shared meditation period offering time to return to silence and deepen into personal practice.

1:30pm–2:00 p.m. — Open Social
Close out the day with socializing and connecting with your fellow practitioners. 

Participants may attend the entire gathering or join for the portion of the day that best supports their practice.

The SHIRe was formerly Sakya Kachod Choling, the retreat center of the Sakya Society, and is known locally as the Gompa on Bullfrog Road. For more than three decades, the property was cared for as a place of Buddhist study, meditation, and retreat.

Living Wisdom Project is not seeking to recreate or replace the former Buddhist center. We  hope to respectfully carry forward the land’s legacy of contemplative practice by opening it once again as a sanctuary for the local community.

Sunday Open Meditation begins July 5 at the SHIRe, located at 865 Bullfrog Rd SJI. Please Carpool - Limited parking is available

For additional information, visit www.lw-project.org or contact Tony Held.