Closed for the Holiday!
2019-11-11, 2019-11-28 | 2791 24th Street, Sacramento, CA, 95818, United States

Meditation, Jung, and the Hero’s Journey with Amie Diller
2019-11-12 18:30 - 20:30, 2019-11-19 18:30 - 20:30, 2019-11-26 18:30 - 20:30, 2019-12-03 18:30 - 20:30, 2019-12-10 18:30 - 20:30, 2019-12-17 18:30 - 20:30 UTC | 2791 24th Street, Sacramento, CA, 95818, United States
Steps on the Path to Buddhahood: Meditation, Jung, & the Hero’s Journey
with Amie Diller
November 5th-December 17th, Tuesdays 6:30-8:30 pm at Diamond Light Buddhist Center
Have you been curious about Buddhist practice, but don’t know where to begin? Have you attended Buddhist teachings, but don’t know how to meditate on the subjects you’ve studied? Have you wondered how to integrate the Western understanding of our psyche with Buddhist practice? In an age where people look outward for direction and inspiration, the Buddhist path of Lam Rim Meditations provides time-honored template for looking inward and going deep for the answers we seek.
This class will be based on the “Stages of the Path” (lamrim) tradition of Tibetan Buddhism and
teach you the fundamentals of Buddhist meditation, and give you the tools you need both to begin a daily meditation practice and to deal with problems and difficulties once you have started to meditate.
No two hearts are the same and so no two journeys are the same, and yet, it helps to have a travel guide suggesting what your next milestone should be. Together we will journey through the Lam Rim traditional text, weaving together guided meditations, myth, movies and Jungian “imaginal” play to bring our own heart’s journey alive. Undertaking a spiritual journey is an archetypal quest, filled with both transcendent moments and looming pitfalls. Together we’ll make this journey, using traditional Buddhist Lam Rim meditations, Jung’s imagery and the archetype of the Hero’s Journey.
Beginners are welcome and encouraged, as well as more advanced students wanting to review the “steps on the path” in an experiential format.
Cost: $10-$20 per class, no one turned away for lack of funds
Amie Diller is a Buddhist teacher in both the Tibetan and Zen traditions. A mother and midwife, she has also had a longtime interest in Jungian Psychology and the mythic perspective.

Closed for the Holiday!
2019-12-23, 2019-12-26 08:00 - 17:00, 2019-12-27, 2019-12-30, 2020-01-02 08:00 - 17:00, 2020-01-03 | CA

New Years Retreat: Cultivating Joy with Emily Hsu
2019-12-28 - 2020-01-01 | Harmony Ridge, Grass Valley, CA, 95945, United States
Cultivating Joy in Your Practice – with Emily Hsu
New Year’s is a great time to recover and heal from the past year, renew our energy and inspiration, and set an intention for the year to come. Going into retreat with a supportive community gives us the opportunity to rest, restore, and transform our minds to benefit ourselves and those around us. Join Emily Hsu for a 5-day residential retreat aimed at bringing joy into 2020!
Cultivating Joy in Our Life and Practice
…even in turbulent times
Is it possible to experience joy all the time, as an underlying basis of being? How do we cultivate a deeper sense of joy in our life and spiritual practice, without closing ourselves off from the reality of suffering? (And how do we keep our practice from being rote and stale, or like a duty?) What prevents us from experiencing more joy? In this retreat we will explore the nature of joy and ways to awaken and deepen it, to develop a stable wellness of being, and to counteract obstacles to maintaining a happy and joyful mind.
This retreat will be partly taught from a Tibetan Buddhist perspective, but will be beneficial for anyone who is interested in meditation and enhancing joy and well-being. The retreat will include dharma talks, meditation, exercises for developing joy, a New Years fire puja, nature and R&R.
What: a silent, residential retreat
Where: Harmony Ridge, a retreat center in Grass Valley
When: 12/28/2019-1/1/2020
Cost: $550 per person
The cost includes a semi-private room and bathroom (with one or two roommates) and prepared meals. Harmony Ridge is a lovely retreat center with walking trails and plenty of space to relax.
A $165 deposit is required to register and reserve your spot, full payment due by 11/25/2019 to continue holding your spot.
We have payment plans and scholarships available, please email diamondlight.sac@gmail.com to register or ask any questions!
Cancellation policy: To register for the retreat, we ask for 1/3 of the retreat fees as a non-refundable deposit to register and reserve a spot. We need full payment of all retreat fees by 11/25/2019 to continue holding your spot.
If you cancel your registration after 11/25/2018 we will do our best to fill your spot and refund your retreat fees. If this is not possible, we cannot issue a refund. Please understand that Diamond Light is a small, volunteer run dharma center, and the students attending pay for the retreat. There are not additional funds to accommodate last minute cancellations and refunds.
About Emily: Emily Hsu is an FPMT registered teacher who graduated in 2004 from FPMT’s seven-year Masters Program of Sutra and Tantra, an program based on the geshe studies curriculum, at Istituto Lama Tsong Khapa in Italy. In 2005 she completed a ten-month solitary retreat to integrate the material, and since that time has mainly been teaching and doing some retreat every year. She taught at Ocean of Compassion (Gyalwa Gyatso) Buddhist Center and other Bay Area centers for ten years, with the last four years as resident teacher until leaving in 2016 to do longer retreat.
Emily teaches both introductory and advanced courses in Buddhism, meditation, and leads retreats, with particular emphasis on emptiness, bodhicitta, Lamrim, the nature of mind, and calm abiding (shi-ne or shamatha) meditation.

4-Fold Vision Quest Meditation with Amie Diller
2020-01-07 18:30 - 20:30 | 2791 24th Street, Sacramento, CA, 95818, United States
Will You Follow the Compass of Heart?
Join Amie Diller to set your intention and create your vision for 2020 and the new decade to come!
• Discover the synergy between what the world needs and what you are here to give.
• Journey from scattered desires to focused vision.
• Use the luminous capacity of your meditation, imagination & creativity to manifest your unique vision of a meaningful life!
What is your own unique vision of a meaningful life?
Beginners encouraged and welcome 🙂
Tuesday January 7 6:30pm-8:30pm
at Diamond Light Meditation Center
2791 24th Street, Room 14 Sacramento CA 95818
(upstairs, parking lot in back)
Cost: suggested donation $10-$20, no one turned away for lack of funds
www.diamondlightsac@gmail.com
Amie Diller is a Buddhist teacher in both the Tibetan and Zen traditions. A mother and midwife, she has also had a longtime interest in Jungian Psychology and the mythic perspective.

Cultivating Compassion Training - developed by Stanford University
2020-01-09 18:30 - 20:30, 2020-01-16 18:30 - 20:30, 2020-01-23 18:30 - 20:30, 2020-01-30 18:30 - 20:30, 2020-02-06 18:30 - 20:30 | 2791 24th Street, Sacramento, CA, 95818, United States
Cultivating Compassion Training
developed by Stanford University
Discover Your Fearless Heart: Explore the power of compassion!
With Seona Gwon
Preregistration required for the 8-week course, not a drop in course, space is limited, register now: https://bookwhen.com/diamondlightsac/e/ev-szgx-20200109183000
All of us have a natural capacity for compassion. However, everyday stress, social pressures, and strong emotions can make it difficult for us to fully express our compassion. Cultivating Compassion Training (CCT) can increase self-compassion and self-care; reduce stress, anxiety, and depression; and enhance our connection with others.
In this course, individuals will learn how to:
– Increase kindness and compassion for yourself and others
– Decrease symptoms of burnout and distress in response to suffering
– Develop skills that build personal resilience in response to stress
– Develop increased ability to focus and sustain attention
– Do something to help even when you feel like you can’t do anything
– Build closer connections with others to build and repair relationships
Why Cultivate Compassion?
Cultivating compassion goes beyond feeling more empathy and concern for others. It develops the strength to be with suffering, the courage to take compassionate action, and the resilience to recover from, or prevent burnout.
These qualities support a wide range of goals, from improving personal relationships to making a positive difference in the world. Compassion cultivation can also support one’s own health, happiness, and wellbeing.
Scientific studies suggest that a kind and compassionate attitude can greatly reduce the distress we feel in difficult situations and become a profound personal resource in times of stress. Through instruction and the interactive nature of the processes incorporated in this course, you will have opportunities to cultivate new ways in which to access, recognize, and strengthen compassion and empathy − as a default response to the ever-present challenges that characterize our human experience.
What is Compassion Cultivation Training?
Compassion Cultivation Training – CCT© is an eight-week course developed at the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) at Stanford University School of Medicine. The program is designed to develop the qualities of compassion, empathy, and kindness for oneself and for others. CCT integrates traditional contemplative practices with contemporary psychology and scientific research on compassion. The CCT protocol was developed at Stanford University by a team of contemplative scholars, clinical psychologists, and researchers.
In CCT, the training process includes:
– Daily meditation practices to develop loving kindness, empathy, and compassion.
– A two-hour weekly class that includes lecture, discussion, meditation, and in-class exercises.
– Real-world “homework” assignments to practice compassionate thoughts and actions.
Cultivating Compassion Training Registration Information
Dates: 8 Thursdays, January 9th – February 27th, 2020
Time: Thursdays, 6:30-8:30 pm
To be held at: Diamond Light Meditation Center, Sierra 2 Center 2791 24th Street, Room 14, Sacramento
Website: www.diamondlightsac.org
Registration: https://bookwhen.com/diamondlightsac/e/ev-szgx-20200109183000
Cost: $295, an additional $50 fee for those collecting CEU’s
Scholarships Available, please email diamondlight.sac@gmail.com for more information
This workshop is eligible for 16 hours of Continuing Education credits (pending):
– CE credits for psychologists are provided by the Spiritual Competency Resource Center (SCRC) which is co-sponsoring this program. The Spiritual Competency Resource Center is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Spiritual Competency Resource Center maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
– The California Board of Behavioral Sciences accepts CE credits for LCSW, LPCC, LEP, and LMFT license renewal for programs offered by approved sponsors of CE by the American Psychological Association.
– LCSWs, MFTs, and other mental health professionals from states other than California need to check with their state licensing board as to whether or not they accept programs offered by approved sponsors of CE by the American Psychological Association.
– SCRC is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN Provider CEP16887) for licensed nurses in California.
– For questions about CE, visit www.spiritualcompetency.com or contact David Lukoff, PhD at CE@spiritualcompetency.com.

About the teacher: Seona Gwon, PhD Buddhist Studies, works as a teacher, producer, writer, translator, and interpreter in South Korea. She teaches the Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) program as well as Mindful Self-compassion (MSC) in Korean and English. Seona is also an instructor at Joongang Sangha University, the primary Buddhist university in Korea for both monks and nuns.
Seona lives with her husband, John, in Seoul. Her central path is developing and deepening compassion and then manifesting it in life and action in the larger society.

Genuine Happiness: A Friday Evening Talk with Dr. B. Alan Wallace
2020-01-10 19:00 - 21:00 | The 24th Street Theater at Sierra 2 Center, 2791 24th Street, Sacramento, CA, 95818, United States
Genuine Happiness
with Dr. B. Alan Wallace
Friday, January 10, 2020, 7-9pm at The 24th Street Theater at the Sierra 2 Center for the Arts and Community
For details and to register, go to www.diamondlightsac.org and click on the event link. (https://mailchi.mp/c17c587f32b5/balanwallacesacramento)
The path to Genuine Happiness is knowable and attainable, even today. To achieve lasting happiness, you must access your own innate resources, the wellspring of genuine happiness within. Author, scholar, scientist and contemplative, Dr. B. Alan Wallace, shares accessible tools and concepts to forge your own path to true and lasting happiness.
Aimed at a general audience interested in the convergence of science, philosophy and contemplative studies to attain an understanding of the potential for genuine happiness, this evening will include a lecture-style presentation and a discussion about the Center for Contemplative Research, founded by Dr. Wallace. The evening may conclude with a guided meditation and Q&A, if time permits.
Cost: General admission starts at $25*; scholarships available; no one turned away due to lack of funds
*Base fee of $25 primarily covers event costs and teachers’ expenses; higher fee amounts support scholarships; teachers are not paid and rely solely on donations (see explanation of Dana on event information page)
For details and to register, go to www.diamondlightsac.org and click on the event link. (https://mailchi.mp/c17c587f32b5/balanwallacesacramento)
_____________
Dr. Wallace, a scholar and practitioner of Buddhism since 1970, has taught Buddhist theory and meditation worldwide since 1976. Having devoted fourteen years to training as a Tibetan Buddhist monk, ordained by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, he went on to earn an undergraduate degree in Physics and the Philosophy of Science at Amherst College and a doctorate in Religious Studies at Stanford.
Since 1987, Dr. Wallace has been a frequent translator and contributor to meetings between the Dalai Lama and prominent scientists. He has written and translated over forty books and is regarded as one of the West’s preeminent meditation teachers. In 2002, he founded the Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies, which is dedicated to interdisciplinary research and education to advance understanding of the nature and potentials of consciousness.
The Center for Contemplative Research in Tuscany, Italy, is a current project of the Santa Barbara Institute and was established as a nexus for advancing interdisciplinary and cross-cultural understanding that joins scientific knowledge and spiritual practice. It is a non-sectarian organization that reaches out to the scientific and academic communities, a variety of contemplative traditions, and the general public.

The Path to Genuine Happiness: A Weekend Workshop with Dr. B. Alan Wallace
2020-01-11 09:00 - 17:00, 2020-01-12 09:00 - 17:00 | Curtis Hall at Sierra 2 Center, 2791 24th Street, Sacramento, CA, 95818, United States
The Path to Genuine Happiness
with Dr. B. Alan Wallace and co-teacher Eva Natanya
Saturday & Sunday, January 11 & 12, 2020, 9am-5pm at Curtis Hall at the Sierra 2 Center for the Arts and Community
For details and to register, go to www.diamondlightsac.org and click on the event link. (https://mailchi.mp/c17c587f32b5/balanwallacesacramento)
Where is the path to genuine happiness? Would you like to go deeper, explore the way and know more about the Buddhist view of genuine happiness?
Join author, scholar, scientist, Buddhist and founder of the Center for Contemplative Research, Dr. B. Alan Wallace, as he shares insights gleaned from decades of contemplation and work with such spiritual leaders as His Holiness the 14th Dali Lama. Dr. Wallace will be assisted by co-teacher Eva Natanya, PhD, scholar, lecturer, writer and translator.
Meditations offered during this two-day weekend workshop present a path to inner fulfillment and human flourishing. This is a happiness through the awareness of our own inner obstacles and the realization of the inherent resources in our hearts and minds. You will probe the nature of awareness itself, following the path of genuine happiness to its source and probing into the nature of consciousness.
Aimed at people inspired to explore the path in more detail and to gain insights into the Buddhist view of genuine happiness, this weekend retreat will include an introduction to the path (known as the nine stages of shamatha) with guided meditations and Buddhist perspectives useful for both beginning and experienced practitioners. The afternoons will introduce compassion and heart-opening practices and the days may conclude with Q&A, if time permits.
Cost: General admission starts at $80 per day*; scholarships available; no one turned away due to lack of funds
*Base fee of $80 per day primarily covers event costs and teachers’ expenses; higher fee amounts support scholarships; teachers are not paid and rely solely on donations (see explanation of Dana on event information page)
**If you want to attend the entire weekend workshop, you must register for both days!!
For details and to register, go to www.diamondlightsac.org and click on the event link. (https://mailchi.mp/c17c587f32b5/balanwallacesacramento)
_____________
Dr. Wallace, a scholar and practitioner of Buddhism since 1970, has taught Buddhist theory and meditation worldwide since 1976. Having devoted fourteen years to training as a Tibetan Buddhist monk, ordained by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, he went on to earn an undergraduate degree in Physics and the Philosophy of Science at Amherst College and a doctorate in Religious Studies at Stanford.
Since 1987, Dr. Wallace has been a frequent translator and contributor to meetings between the Dalai Lama and prominent scientists. He has written and translated over forty books and is regarded as one of the West’s preeminent meditation teachers. In 2002, he founded the Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies, which is dedicated to interdisciplinary research and education to advance understanding of the nature and potentials of consciousness.
The Center for Contemplative Research in Tuscany, Italy, is a current project of the Santa Barbara Institute and was established as a nexus for advancing interdisciplinary and cross-cultural understanding that joins scientific knowledge and spiritual practice. It is a non-sectarian organization that reaches out to the scientific and academic communities, a variety of contemplative traditions, and the general public.
_____________
Eva Natanya is a scholar of Indian and Tibetan Buddhism, an academic lecturer, writer, translator and retreat leader. She has earned an masters degree in Christian Systematic Theology at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA, and a doctorate in Religious Studies from the University of Virginia. For over twenty years, she has studied mediation, yoga, and philosophy in both the Christian and Buddhist traditions with master teachers in the United States, England, and India.

Meditation with Heart: Using Love and Compassion as the Path
2020-01-14 18:30 - 20:30, 2020-01-21 18:30 - 20:30, 2020-01-28 06:30 - 20:30, 2020-02-04 18:30 - 20:30 | 2791 24th Street, Sacramento, CA, 95818, United States
Join Marc and Heather for a five-week class on the ancient Buddhist practice of The Four Immeasurables. By meditating on loving kindness, compassion, joy and the love for all beings (equanamity) we cultivate a mind filled with happiness, connectedness, self love and love for others. Each class will include lecture and meditations.
Tuesdays January 14 – February 11 6:30pm-8:30pm
at Diamond Light Meditation Center
2791 24th Street, Room 14 Sacramento CA 95818
(upstairs, parking lot in back, ADA accessible)
*Classes offered by donation.
suggested Donation $10-$20 per class
www.diamondlightsac.org
.
Marc Ross has been a body therapist for over 40 years. He has meditated for over 25 years, and has taught meditation in the US and Europe for 12 years. Heather Breault has studied Buddhism and meditation for 12 years, and began teaching a few years ago. She has practiced yoga for 19 years.

Learn Tibetan Buddhist Meditation
2020-01-27 18:30 - 20:00, 2020-02-03 18:30 - 20:00 | 2791 24th Street, Sacramento, CA, 95818, United States
Evidence shows that even 5 minutes of meditation a day can go a long way to reduce stress, increase happiness, and sharpen focus. Sometimes it seems just getting to the cushion is the biggest obstacle! Join long time meditator and Tibetan Buddhist practitioner David Drabble as he shows us what it takes to set up and keep a daily practice! Each class will have instruction, discussion and meditation.
Mondays 6:30-8:00pm
at Diamond Light Meditation Center
2791 24th Street, Room 14 (upstairs)
Sacramento, CA 95818
parking lot in back, ADA accessible
suggested donation: $10-$20 per class, no one turned away for lack of funds
www.diamondlightsac.org
