Upcoming events

Switch to Calendar View

• Engaging Nonviolence

  • Start
    01 May 2025
  •  
    2:00 PM
  • End
    05 Jun 2025
  •  
    4:00 PM
  • Location
    DGCEC

  Register

  An introduction to the skills and tools that change our lives and the world with Brian Martin and Anne Walter

  6 Thursdays, May 1 to June 5, 2025, 2:00-4:00pm, In-Person at DGCEC

  Curious about nonviolence? Find out what it is and what it can do for you. From practical skills to useful tools, this 6-week course explores how nonviolence can help you in personal relationships, conflicts in community, and social change. Nonviolence is a way of life, a set of principles, a collection of practices for navigating conflict, and a toolbox for making change. In this course, we will introduce and explore them all. Engaging Nonviolence is an introductory class in Pace e Bene’s core course series, designed to lay the groundwork for a deeper understanding of nonviolence as a philosophy and practice.

  Join Anne and Brian, certified facilitators of this Pace e Bene program, for this series of participatory sessions featuring stories, discussions, exercises, and reflections in large and small groups. You will leave feeling inspired and empowered to create change within yourself, foster healthy relationships, and contribute to a more just and peaceful world. This course offers a unique blend of theory and practice, providing you with the tools to navigate conflict effectively and integrate nonviolence into your everyday life.

  Requirements: Participants are encouraged (but not required) to purchase the Engaging Nonviolence Study Manual. A copy can be purchased in DGCEC’s Tibetan Marketplace, from PaceeBene.org or through another bookseller. Participants will be expected to complete weekly readings/viewings and come prepared for group discussions.

  This is a pilot class at DGCEC with Brian and Anne co-facilitating. Cost on a sliding scale: please pay what you are able:  $20, $50, $80. Register HERE or 502-614-5616.

  
  

  Brian Martin is a retired Registered Nurse and holds a doctorate in higher education and adult learning. He lives with two dogs, a cat, and goldfish. He believes that nonviolence is compassion in action.

  Seeking to be a bridge-builder between cultures, religious traditions and communities, Anne Walter has served in interfaith, social justice and peace-focused ministry for over 35 years. She is the Director of Drepung Gomang Center for Engaging Compassion, providing compassion education as a Dharma Center and as an inclusive Compassion Education Center. Anne is committed to expanding compassion and the practice of nonviolence.

  
  

  Show details
• Explore The Adventures of Alaren - Intergenerational Book Discussion

  • Start
    10 May 2025
  •  
    1:30 PM
  • End
    24 May 2025
  •  
    3:00 PM
  • Location
    DGCEC Zoom

  Register

  Intergenerational Book Discussion of the award-winning novel The Adventures of Alaren by Rivera Sun

  Co-Facilitated by Anne Walter and Amelia Erler* 

  3 Saturdays, May 10, 17, and 24, 1:30 - 3:00pm Eastern Time, via Zoom

  Please register now for an inspiring exploration of this book and its message of finding ways to build peace! Registration is intergenerational, open to students in Middle and High School and Adults.

  About The Adventures of Alaren (a Supplemental Book of the Ari Ara Series): 

  Alaren must wage peace - faster, stronger, better - than his brothers can wage war!  When his two older brothers try to start a war, Alaren must gather all his friends to stop it. In a series of clever and creative escapades, he rallies thousands of people to take bold and courageous actions for peace. From the Children's March to the Women's Strike, to the resistance of hawk keepers, blacksmiths, and musicians, Alaren has a hundred tricks up his sleeve…and he'll need all of them to succeed!

              Weaving new epic tales from real-life inspirations, award-winning author and nonviolence strategist Rivera Sun brings a new kind of hero to life. The Adventures of Alaren offers perfect stories to teach peace at home, conflict resolution in the classroom, and nonviolence in your faith or peace center. Engaging, inspiring, and unforgettable, this book heralds a new era of mythic storytelling . . . one rooted in peace instead of war, nonviolence instead of violence.

  Each fictional folktale includes a footnote on the real-life inspiration and discussion questions. Explore the sit-ins for peace of the war-stopping women of Liberia; discover the 80,000-person nonviolent "Peace Army" of Badshah Khan; and learn the true history of the tree-huggers. Find out how ordinary people have made extraordinary change all over the world. Be inspired and encouraged, and learn nonviolence skills that are pertinent and necessary in our world today.

  Register at DrepungGomangUSA.org or call 502-614-5616. Fee on a sliding scale: $20, $35, $50. Free for teens.

  Please let us know your grade level or if you are a life-long learner.

  The Adventures of Alaren is available at https://riverasun.com/or in DGCEC’s Tibetan Marketplace.

  Meet the Facilitating Team*

  - Anne Walter has been a seeker on the path of compassion and nonviolence for over 40 years. She is deeply inspired by the wisdom imparted through stories like Rivera’s, as well as being the Director of Drepung Gomang Center for Engaging Compassion in Louisville.

  - Amelia Erler, co-facilitator, is 17 and is in the 11^th grade in Germany. After living in several countries, Amelia has learned to find strength in the world’s differences. She is an avid supporter for equality, equity and nonviolence.

  Author/Activist Rivera Sun has written numerous books and novels including the award-winning Ari Ara Series and the Dandelion Trilogy. She is the Editor of Nonviolence News and a nationwide trainer in strategy for nonviolent change. Rivera is an organizer with Campaign Nonviolence, serves on the advisory board of the World BEYOND War, and is on the board of Backbone Campaign.

  Show details
• Meditation Techniques for Stress Management

  • Start
    13 May 2025
  •  
    6:00 PM
  • End
    27 May 2025
  •  
    8:00 PM
  • Location
    DGCEC and via Zoom

  Register

  with Suhas Kulkarni

  3 Tuesdays, May 13 - 27, 6:00 - 8:00pm, In-Person or via Zoom

  Stressors of all kinds cause us suffering, but is there anything we can do? What is stress really, what is it doing to our bodies and our minds, and what control do we have? Learn more about the neuroscience of stress, the physiological and social impact, and then build your own meditation techniques that can reduce the impact and duration of your suffering. Suhas uses guided meditation throughout the class, as well as silent sitting.

  This class is suitable for beginners or a refresher for people who practice meditation.

  Sliding Scale: $55, $75, $95 – please pay what you are able.

  Register HERE or call 502-614-5616.

  Some partial scholarships may be available: DrepungGomangCompassion@gmail.com.

  Suhas Kulkarni is a lay practitioner of insight meditation. He is an ardent student of science and contemplative practices and will explore concepts in the context of the two traditions and science with the aim of deepening one’s practice. Suhas has lived in Louisville for 32 years with his family and participates in several non-profit activities.

  Show details
• The Power of Compassion - In Gratitude for His Holiness the Dalai Lama and His Mission

  • When
    18 May 2025
  •  
    3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
  • Location
    DGCEC and via Zoom

  Register

  Sunday, May 18, 2025

  3:00 – 4:30pm, at DGCEC, In-Person and via Zoom

  You are invited to join us to honor His Holiness’ great kindness through nine decades of compassion commitment, to reflect on vital projects that have grown from his 2013 visit, and to recommit to compassionate living.

  This event at DGCEC’s is part of a world-wide “Year of Compassion” celebration. Thupten Jinpa, long time translator for His Holiness, will speak about the international significance of His Holiness’ four principal commitments. Well respected speakers will address the expansion of compassion locally and in the United States as we also mark the 12^th anniversary of “Engaging Compassion” when His Holiness blessed DGCEC and spoke to 17,000 people in Louisville.

  FREE EVENT but Please Register. DrepungGomangUSA.org or 502-614-5616.

  
  

  Show details
• The Power of the Present Moment: The Four Pillars of Mindfulness Meditation

  • Start
    22 May 2025
  •  
    6:00 PM
  • End
    12 Jun 2025
  •  
    8:00 PM
  • Location
    DGCEC

  Register

  with Jenny Bell

  4 Thursdays, May 22 to June 12, 6:00 – 7:30pm

  In-Person at DGCEC

  Join Jenny for this grounded, hands on course based on the most contemporary neuroscience research melded with 2,500 year old ancient wisdom. This transformative course uses clear language and step by step guidance to show you how to practice mindfulness and access peace, power, freedom in the midst of your busy life. It is based on the four foundations of mindfulness and is bookended with the latest discoveries and knowledge about the human brain from the fields of neuroscience and modern psychology.

  Sign up and explore the how and why of

  • the theory, practical aspects and scientifically proven benefits of mindfulness and mindfulness meditation
  • working with thoughts and feelings
  • generating a sense of safety and belonging in the body
  • applying the attitudinal qualities of mindfulness to your life
  • using mindful gauges and somatic awareness to work with experience

  This course employs trauma sensitive mindfulness skills, modifications and tools for those with a highly active stress response. Grow your window of tolerance and resourcing.

  Open for beginners wishing to start a new meditation practice or for those seasoned practitioners who feel they have hit a plateau. Learn safe and practical methods to demystify mindfulness and reignite your sitting practice. Come witness the power of the present moment in your life!

  Cost on a sliding scale – please pay what you are able:  $85, $105 or $125. Register at DrepungGomangUSA.org or 502-614-5616.  Some partial scholarships may be available: DrepungGomangCompassion@gmail.com. 

  Jenny Bell is a poet, aspiring heart healer and earth artist. She is a Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness instructor offering classes and retreats throughout our community. Her offerings are born where spirituality + creativity intersect. She is a compassionist by heart ~ a stone mason by trade. Most days you will find her in the wilderness creating nature mandalas.

  Show details
• Buddhist Psychology and the Nature of the Mind

  • Start
    25 May 2025
  •  
    1:00 PM
  • End
    27 Jul 2025
  •  
    3:00 PM
  • Location
    DGCEC

  Register

  with Geshe Rapgyal

  9 Sundays, May 25 to July 27, 2025, 1:00 – 3:00pm Eastern Time, In-Person and via Zoom

  Explore the mind, guided by the great Nalanda Buddhist Tradition. This special Dharma offering is in response to His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s vision and effort to share this ancient tradition in accessible language. During this nine week class Geshe Rapgyal will introduce the nature of the mind and its typology, the distinction between sensory and primary mind, mental factors and their processes of perceptions, and mind training through meditation.

  The content of the class is based on Science and Philosophy in the Indian Buddhist Classics, Vol 2: The Mind (Conceived and introduced by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, edited by Thupten Jinpa; Wisdom Publications, 2020). This text is required for participation and can be purchased for a discount through DGCEC’s Tibetan Marketplace.

  Geshe Lharampa Kalsang Rapgyal has served as the Spiritual Teacher and Executive Director of DGCEC since 2010. He holds the highest degree in Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and offers regular Buddhist teachings for our community.

  About the Text, from Wisdom Publications: “Readers are first introduced to Buddhist conceptions of mind and consciousness and then led through traditional presentations of mental phenomena to reveal a Buddhist vision of the inner world with fascinating implications for the contemporary disciplines of cognitive science, psychology, emotion research, and philosophy of mind. … To present these specific ideas and their rationale, the volume weaves together passages from the works of great Buddhist thinkers like Asaṅga, Vasubandhu, Nāgārjuna, Dignāga, and Dharmakīrti. His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s introduction outlines scientific and philosophical thinking in the history of the Buddhist tradition. To provide additional context for Western readers, each of the six major topics is introduced with an essay by John D. Dunne, distinguished professor of Buddhist philosophy and contemplative practice at the University of Wisconsin. These essays connect the traditional material to contemporary debates and Western parallels, and provide helpful suggestions for further reading.”

  All students are welcome. In gratitude and support of a dharma center from which to teach, we ask for a fee. Please choose an amount fits your budget from this sliding scale: $125, $160, $195, or $300 Sponsor Rate. To inquire about a scholarship, please email Anne at DrepungGomangCompassion@gmail.com.

  Show details