New and Notable
Kitchen Refresh
Thanks to all the hard work of the BCBS Facilities and Kitchen staff, we now have a new floor and a fresh coat of paint for the kitchen. We are ready again to make delicious, vegetarian meals, welcome yogis back to help in the kitchen, and to serve Bhikkhu Analayo his daily meal.[Read more...]
Campus Improvements Continue
Last week we replaced the original roof on the Dharma Hall built in 1994. Replacing the roof was a necessary first step to installing more solar capacity on that rooftop. This past year we installed 15 mini-split/heat pumps on campus for efficient heating and cooling (in addition to major insulation and lighting improvements). We have also installed a second electric vehicle charger for yogis and staff. Thanks to our generous supporters we are able to take these actions to make us less and less dependent on fossil fuels.[Read more...]
Two New Board Members
Welcome to our Two Newest Board Members![Read more...]
The Routledge Handbook of Indian Buddhist Philosophy
Congratulations to BCBS Director of Studies William Edelglass whose edited Handbook of Indian Buddhist Philosophy was published this month! Forty chapters offer a wide-ranging overview of the works of the most seminal Indian Buddhist authors from the earliest writings to the twentieth century.[Read more...]
Warm Welcome to our new Cook
We are very happy to announce that we have hired Grace Lee for the kitchen team! Welcome Grace![Read more...]
New Board Members
Welcome to our Three New BCBS Board Members![Read more...]
Welcome to our newest Staff member!
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Welcome To Our Newest Hire!
We want to thank Ben Engel for his dedication and steadiness through these past four years on staff, two of which were as Center Coordinator, and then our Facilities Manager. Best wishes on your new journey, Ben! And we offer a warm welcome to Brett Ahlstrom, who is stepping in as our new Facilities Manager.[Read more...]
Please welcome our New Staff!
In preparation of our anticipated Fall re-opening to residential courses, we are very happy to announce that April Pellegrino and Eric Baldelli have joined our team.[Read more...]
A warm welcome to our newest Staff member!
We are very pleased to announce that Erin Piermarini has joined our staff! Endlessly curious and playful, Erin is immensely grateful to be part of a community that welcomes and embraces inquiry and exuberance. She has an education in technology, psychological science, mindfulness, and complementary health care as well as professional experience in the research, technology, education, health, and customer service industries. She is excited to leverage her academic and professional experiences together with her robust personal practice to support BCBS as a Salesforce, IT, and office administrator. Outside of work she enjoys a variety of activities like hiking, climbing, and yoga.
Gratitude for Working Guests
Thank you Melissa Bailey and Nicholas Dynan! Our working guests for June, along with Ben, our Facilities Manager, helping us keep the grounds tended. We are so grateful for your kind and supportive presence.
Reopening News
We are so happy to announce that we will be welcoming yogis back to BCBS this fall! Our first public course will begin September 28th. Information on all our 2021 residential courses and links to register can be found on our course calendar. We will open 2022 course registrations in early September as usual. Online programs will remain an important part of what we do and will continue to be offered along with our residential retreats.[Read more...]
Changes in the Kitchen
We are both happy and sad to announce that Kim Matecki, our Kitchen Manager since February 2018, has decided to retire. Kim has been an inspiration in kindness and cheer, not to mention a wonderful cook who models generosity to both staff and yogis. We wish her the best in her new chapter of life. Troy Rapp, our Assistant Kitchen Manager since 2018, will be stepping into the Kitchen Manager role. Troy comes into the role with a wealth of experience, having lived and worked at Tassajara and Providence Zen Centers, as well as IMS. We are very happy that Troy will be sharing his lessons from the cook, in both meals and practice with our sangha.
New Hire – Welcome Sarah Benko!
We're happy to announce that Sarah Benko has joined our team as Program Manager. Sarah will be managing online programs to start and then residential courses when it is safe enough for us to re-open. Sarah brings a strong background in mindfulness, meditation, and education. She is especially interested in: diversity, equity, and inclusion; culturally responsive pedagogy; LGBTQIA+ advocacy; service learning; education for social change and justice; young adult literature; theater; yoga; ice-skating. Welcome Sarah!
Staffing Changes
This month, after 31 years of service to our BCBS/IMS community, our beloved Susan O'Brien is retiring from the part-time Bookkeeping position at BCBS to spend more time with her husband, and to take some quality time to enjoy life. We are so grateful for all of the warmth, care, and wisdom she has brought to every encounter with staff and yogi's. We thank her deeply and wish her the very best on her next adventure. We are also very grateful that Abigail Campbell has accepted the Accounting/Bookkeeping role, where her experience as a CPA will continue to support the dharma and the study center. Abigail held the position of Course Coordinator for 3 years and was a steady presence at the front desk for our residential programs. Her keen, organizational mind helped us standardize and improve our processes, as she held all aspects of the residential retreat experience for teachers and yogi's alike. Congratulations to both! [Read more...]
Fall Kickball
Barre Sangha gather to enjoy a game of kickball - masked and socially distanced.
2021 Programming
As many of you know, this is the time of year when we usually announce and open registration for all our courses scheduled for the following year. With so much uncertainty about when BCBS will be able to safely re-open for residential programs in 2021, we are not going to do that this year. Instead, we will continue to announce our online offerings about 2-3 months before they are scheduled. Be sure to check our emails and web site for the latest information. We will let you know about residential programming as soon as we can make plans for a safe re-opening. We all look forward to that day!
Thai Spirit House
Members of both the BCBS and IMS communities recently gathered safely in our garden field to celebrate the summer solstice with a campfire, singing, and the roasting of marshmallows. We also installed and dedicated a beautiful new Thai Spirit House generously donated to BCBS by our newest Board member Kevin Quigley. Kevin, a former monk in the Thai forest tradition, had the teak house built in Thailand for Marlboro College where it has resided, and he has been the President, for the past five years. Marlboro is now merging with Emerson in Boston and he is happy for the spirit house to have a new home. We are happy to have such a beautiful home for our most auspicious spirits.
New Board Member
Welcome, Kevin Quigley, our newest BCBS Board member. Kevin started studying Buddhism in college. He was struck by Buddhadasa Bhikku’s teaching linking dhamma to making social change. As a Peace Corps Volunteer in Thailand, Kevin had the opportunity to learn from monks in the Thai forest tradition including Ajahn Chah. He has held leadership roles at non-profits, in government, at a foundation, and has also served on numerous boards. Most recently, Kevin was president of Marlboro College in Vermont, where he helped orchestrate the merger with Emerson College.
Online Course Coordinator
We are very happy to announce that Jen Zehler has been promoted to the new position of Online Course Coordinator. She will provide crucial administrative and technical support for our quickly expanding online programs, and will report to Cassie Kollman, our Online Programs Manager. Jen has already begun providing much needed help on our online Zoom Classes.[Read more...]
