About Our Events
The Friday Evening Meeting and Saturday Day of Mindfulness events are FREE OF CHARGE. You can register for an upcoming event here.
If you would like to regularly receive Zoom links for OBS Online Events, please subscribe to the Monthly OBS Newsletter.
Throughout the year the Ottawa Buddhist Society provides opportunities for mindfulness meditation, the study of Buddhist teachings and their practice within a warm and welcoming Buddhist community.
The following regular programs and events are coordinated annually by the OBS with the help of nearby monastic communities.
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All are welcome to attend the Friday Evening Meetings. No previous mediation experience is required, and the event is free of charge.
There are two online Friday Evening Meetings each month, usually scheduled on the first and third Fridays. They are held via Zoom from 7:30 – 9:15 pm.
The FEM is usually led by a monastic teacher residing at one of the local monasteries. Occasionally it is led by a monastic teacher in the Theravada tradition from another part of Canada or abroad. Where a monastic is not available to teach, the FEM will be led by an experienced lay teacher.
The FEM includes chanting, a guided meditation period, a dhamma talk and an opportunity to ask questions.
Agenda
Sign into Zoom from 7:15–7:30 pm
WelcomeChanting
30 minutes guided meditation
Dhamma talk
Q&A
Chanting
Thank you/Announcements/Paying respects/Sharing of Merit
To receive Zoom links for upcoming Friday Evening Meetings and other events please subscribe to the Monthly OBS Newsletter
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The OBS in-person Day of Mindfulness takes place on the third Saturday of each month from 9 am until 3 pm. It is held at the Tu An Pagoda (Ottawa Vietnamese Pagoda) 3591 Albion Road, Ottawa.
The Day of Mindfulness is an opportunity to meditate together and support one another’s practice. The agenda includes chanting, periods of sitting meditation (often with some guidance), walking meditation and a dhamma talk given by the teacher.
To allow for reflection, the day is held in “noble silence”, though there are opportunities to ask questions after the talk and to socialise at the end of the session.
The DoM includes a pot-luck vegetarian lunch, shared by all those who attend. Please bring a vegetarian dish to share if you are staying for the lunch. Utensils are provided.
The DoM is free and does not require registration though you may make a donation on site if you wish. Please arrive between 8:30 and 8:50 am for a 9 am start. You may attend for a full or half day.
When a monastic is not available to teach, the Day of Mindfulness will be led by a lay practitioner. These sessions will focus on group discussion around a dhamma theme and the sharing of reflections and experience.
If you live in the Ottawa area, we hope that you will be able to attend in person as we look forward to interreacting with members and friends, both new and old, supporting one another’s practice and strengthening connections within our community. However, when a monastic is teaching the OBS will provide for online participation for those that cannot attend in person.
Agenda:
8:30–9:00am: Arrival (sign into Zoom after 8:45 if event is hybrid)
9:00–11:15am: Welcome, opening chant, sitting meditation, walking meditation
11:15am–12:45pm: Lunch Break (Zoom will remain open)
12:45–3:00pm: Dhamma talk, walking meditation, sitting meditation and closing chant
(Schedule may be adjusted by teacher)
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Generosity is one of the foundational pillars of Buddhism. When we give selflessly without expecting to be rewarded for our time, energy or material offerings, we help to foster a more compassionate and interconnected world. Our Community Outreach Program gives our members and friends the opportunity to serve those in need in our community.
We offer help on three Sunday mornings a year from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm at the Shepherds of Good Hope dining room and kitchen. We prepare food and serve meals to those who come for the free lunch.
Volunteers who have taken part previously have enjoyed coming together as a community to practise service. We hope to expand this program as we examine future opportunities.
Opportunities to take part will be announced in the Monthly OBS Newsletter. All adult OBS members and friends are welcome to join us.
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OBS Hybrid Residential retreats are held at the Galilee Retreat Centre in Arnprior. The retreats allow participants to strengthen their practice by having an extended period to turn inwards, to settle into stillness and to reflect on the Buddhist teachings.
OBS silent retreats include taking precepts, chanting, sitting meditation, walking meditation and listening to instruction and reflections offered by the teacher.
The hybrid retreat format allows people from far and wide to fully participate in the retreat via Zoom.
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The Rhona Goodspeed Bursary provides financial assistance for anyone of limited financial means to experience an in-person retreat. For more information, please click HERE.
