Special Day for the Dalai Lama

Tenzin Gyatso, otherwise known as His Holiness the Great 14^th Dalai Lama, has made several visits to Santa Barbara to offer his inspired messages of peace and hope for the world. Formally recognized as the 14^th Dalai Lama at age 2, he assumed full duties at 15 in 1950 after the People’s Republic of China’s incorporation of Tibet and fled to India during the 1959 Tibetan uprising. Over half a century, the 14th Dalai Lama has traveled the world delivering talks about not only Tibetans, but also the environment, economics, women’s rights, non-violence, science, neuroscience, and much more, as well as Buddhist teachings. His efforts earned the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.

On Friday night, July 6, Santa Barbara Summit for Tibet and the Himalayan Community in the Santa Barbara area are coming together to celebrate the Dalai Lama’s 83^rd birthday with a community celebration. All are invited to partake of the program, which includes refreshments during the 6 to 9 pm event at Unity of Santa Barbara, 227 E. Arrellaga St. Summit for Tibet comprises Tibetan exiles and other members of the Santa Barbara community who have come together to preserve and share the cultural legacy of Tibet. The organization produces a slate of activities, including sand mandala creations by Tibetan monks during Tibet Week every January.

Donations go toward Summit for Tibet’s goals of establishing a long-term contemplative center, as well as a community cultural center with other learning program and facilities, and to find creative ways to effect change in the hearts and minds of the Chinese leadership concerning the human and political crisis in Tibet. For more information, call (510) 776-3730, visit www.tibet.net or email thepotibet@gmail.com.

4 Qs for Peace

Byron Katie‘s The Work is about as simple a process as one could imagine – just four direct questions to handle any troubling thoughts and bring relief from confusion and suffering. Mastering the applications and all the subtleties is another matter, though it can lead to unbridled freedom within. Which is why thousands of people across the world are using The Work to handle everyday stresses and life challenging crises. Even Katie herself employs her own method to manage a cancer diagnosis.

Opportunities to work with Katie, who is based in Ojai, include a two-hour intro and a nine-day School for The Work, both of which are coming up this week. The intro takes place at 10 am this Thursday, July 5, on site in Ojai or online, and the offer is that participants will leave the workshop with everything they need to do The Work on their own. The School for The Work is much more immersive, of course, and takes place July 10-19 at Ojai Valley Inn, 905 Country Club Road, Ojai. The deep dive will also put a dent in your wallet to the tune of $5,997, which includes tuition, double-occupancy room, and food. Then again, just how priceless is an “ultimate inner adventure” where you might lose “the fear-based stories you’ve innocently clung to all your life…. and be supported so you can be completely yourself without fear of judgment, perhaps for the first time in your life.” Get details, register, and find out more online at (http://thework.com/en/events).

Q-ing up Healing

Unity is also the site for one of reverend Denese Schellink‘s periodic seminars in The Q Effect: The Art & Practice of Living with Nothing and No One Against You. The interactive workshop features powerful exercises, multimedia presentations, and discussions as participants make their through a workbook designed to offer freedom from old stories that no longer serve. The practice comes from the concept that people often believe that outer circumstances are holding us back or causing us pain. When we wait for others to change or for outer circumstances to adjust, we give away our sense of wholeness and our freedom to craft the life our heart desires. The Q Process is designed as a specific set of guidelines to work through those beliefs and find a new way of being and behaving.

Three evening coaching sessions to support integrating the practice follow the 9:30 am to 4:30 pm training on Saturday, July 7, and all who complete the course are also eligible for ongoing online meetings and practice sessions conducted by Reverend Schellink, who is a certified Q coach. The workshop fee is $129. which includes the 5:30 pm coaching sessions on August 1, 8, and 11. Email unity@santabarbaraunity.org or call (805) 966-2239 for possible scholarship. Contact Reverend Shellenk at (805) 708-7345 or email deneseds@gmail.com, or visit www.santabarbaraunity.org/q-process-workshop-2.

Meditation in Montecito

Saturday evening brings singing, chanting, meditation, and more with the saintly Himalayan monk His Holiness Swami Vidyadhishananda to All Saints By the Sea Church in Montecito. Hosted by Self Enquiry Life Fellowship from Hansavedas Sangha, the gathering features a discourse based on Patañjali Yogasutra, followed by a guided meditation. The Swami will talk about other methods besides and beyond breathing to calm the mind, and how to make the mind contemplative and reflective based on routine experiences, which in turn can be immensely helpful for deepening a meditation practice. Participants will experience authentic Yoga-sutra teachings, pranayama breathwork, mantra chanting, devotional singing, blessing line (darshan), and blissful meditation at the 6 to 9 pm event on July 7 in Parish Hall, located at 83 Eucalyptus Lane in Montecito. Entrance is free with registration, but love donations are appreciated. Pre-registration is highly encouraged, but guests are also welcome to register at the door. For further information, email quest@hansavedas.org, call (909) 543-6003, or visit www.meetup.com/hansavedas.

Chanting, Then Chewing

The meme “meditation in Montecito” used to belong to the Mantra Lounge Kirtan, which formerly held its monthly gatherings at the community hall/library space in the upper village before Divya Dasi brought the event downtown to the crystal glass-illuminated spiritual space in the chapel at Unity of Santa Barbara. The kirtans take place every first Saturday of the month, from 7 to 9 pm, when Divya and others practice the lyrical process of meditation that involves call-and-response devotional chanting, which, as she writes, helps you to “lose your mind to find your freedom.” The sharing of joyful meditative song, accompanied by harmonium, tablas and often other instruments, helps to free the mind and open the heart, creating a connection that is only deepened by the plant-based refreshments served after the singing. No experience necessary, and open to all, from the merely curious to the kirtan enthusiast. Admission of $10 donation is collected at the door and includes vegan refreshments. Call (805) 722-0064, email mantraloungesb@gmail.com, or visit www.facebook.com/MantraLoungeKirtanSantaBarbara or www.meetup.com/Santa-Barbara-Mantra-Lounge-Kirtan.