Welcome!

The SFBC offers a relaxed and friendly place for people who want to participate in a Buddhist community - or want clear instruction about Buddhism and meditation and how they can apply it in their life. We are part of the Triratna Buddhist Community (formerly called "Friends of the Western Buddhist Order") and have been located at 37 Bartlett (@ Valencia/21st) in the Mission District since 1994.

Offerings

Who We Are

Calendar Highlights

• weekday morning meditations, open to all (ongoing activities)
• thursday yoga, may 2 to may 30, 6pm to 6:50, open to all (weekly events)
• wednesday sangha night, may 8 to 22, 3 week series with viveka, 7pm to 9pm, open to all (sangha night)
• day retreat, exploring buddhist meditation, may 18, 10am to 4pm, open to all (day retreats)
• day retreat, the radical embrace, led by padmadharini, june 1, 10am to 4pm, open to all (day retreats)
• thursday introduction to meditation - thursdays, 7pm to 8pm, mainly for beginners (introductory classes)
• the sfbc space is available to rent.

More About the San Francisco Buddhist Center

• San Francisco Buddhist Center Guiding Principles;
• A recent interview about the SFBC with Singhashri and Suvarnaprabha;
• Buddhist talks - a wealth of talks by members of the Triratna Buddhist Community;
• Triratna Buddhist Community News Blog;
• A report on New Hampshire TV about Aryaloka, an affiliated US center.

Our community is dedicated to supporting the development of spiritual friendship among those who wish to experience the benefits of Buddhist practice and believe that it can make a constructive contribution to the modern world. Our system of practice emphasizes the following spiritual practices in addition to both samatha and vipassana meditation: friendship/sangha, creativity/art, study, and ritual. Check out this article on sfstation.com about meditation centers affirms the SFBC as an unpretentious and friendly place to learn meditation or practice within a community.

Regular Weekly and Monthly Program

Our offerings include the following (start dates listed in the calendar of upcoming events):

• A weekly Thursday evening drop-in introduction to Buddhist meditation (see Introductory Course Descriptions)
• Six-week Tuesday evening courses in Buddhist meditation (4 per year) (see Introductory Course Descriptions)
• Six-week Tuesday evening courses in Buddhism (3 per year) (see Introductory Course Descriptions)
• A regular ongoing class ("Sangha Night") on Wednesday evenings featuring meditation, talks, study and discussion. (see Ongoing Community Class Descriptions)
• Several weekend retreats per year with two longer silent meditation retreats (7-10 days) in June and December. (retreat calendar)
• Daylong meditation retreats and daylong study retreats on weekends.
• Workshops from local and visiting teachers on stress reduction, movement, as well as arts events.
• Monthly yoga, meditation and dharma talk on the Second Saturday of each month. (see Ongoing Community Class Descriptions)