New and Notable
Mu Soeng Retiring
After 27 years at BCBS, our long-time resident scholar and program director Mu Soeng is retiring. He leaves his farm house office at the end of June but he and Kathy plan on staying in the area. Mu Soeng will be dearly missed by yogis, teachers, and staff but we hope to have him teaching a couple courses per year at BCBS well into the future. We are dedicating our library to Mu Soeng in honor of the amazing collection of Buddhist studies books he has assembled while here at BCBS. We have also established a Mu Soeng Library and Scholar Support Fund with all donations going toward library acquisitions and support of scholars and teachers at BCBS. Please join us in wishing him the very best![Read more...]
Meet David McGown
Meet David McGown our new Center Caretaker at BCBS. David has been a Buddhist practitioner since 2006 and has a background in solar energy, residential and small commercial remodeling, and property maintenance. He also worked for several years at the Rangjung Yeshe Gomde Meditation Center in Cooperstown, NY. David is deeply concerned about climate change and is taking classes for commercial and residential solar design. We are very happy to have David on the BCBS team to help keep the center running smoothly and efficiently--and looking beautiful.
BCBS Welcomes Jessica Morey to Board of Directors
We are pleased to announce that Jessica Morey has agreed to join the BCBS Board of Directors. Jessica brings a wealth of experience as the executive director and lead teacher of Inward Bound Mindfulness Education (iBme), a nonprofit organization bringing in-depth mindfulness and compassion training to teens, young adults and the parents and professionals who support them. She began practicing meditation at age 14 on teen retreats offered by IMS. She is currently in the IMS 2017-2021 Teacher Training Program. Before joining iBme, Jessica worked in clean energy and climate policy and finance. She holds a BA in Environmental Engineering and Masters degrees in Sustainable Development and International Affairs. Welcome Jessie!
William Edelglass Appointed Director of Studies
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New Library Titles – October 2018
New Titles for October[Read more...]
Electric Vehicle Charging Station
BCBS is happy to announce that we have installed a Level 2 electric vehicle charging station thanks to the generous donation of a frequent yogi and staunch supporter of the study center. The charging station is located in our parking lot and is available to visiting yogis, teachers, and staff. It takes about 4 hours to charge a car and two cars can be charging at the same time if one of them has their own cable. We are happy to be able to take this small step in protecting our one precious planet.
In Memoriam of Sarah Doering
Sarah Doering (1926-2018) passed away in a hospice setting in Amherst, Massachusetts on the morning of November 16, 2018. She was 92 years old. She was a great benefactor of Insight Meditation Society, Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, and the Forest Refuge, all in Barre, Mass; Cambridge Insight Meditation Center in Cambridge, MA; and Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California. All of these recipients of Sarah Doering’s generosity reflected her lifelong interest in the practice of vipassana (insight) meditation in the Buddhist tradition.[Read more...]
Farewell to Steve Hallquist, Kitchen Manager
It is with both sadness (for us) and joy (for him) that we announce the transition of Steve Hallquist from being a long-serving, well-loved member of the BCBS team, to moving on to other opportunities at the end of November. We will dearly miss Steve's solid, reassuring presence in the kitchen and his delicious meals. We wish him the very best on his new adventures on the west coast. Here is a brief letter that he wanted to share with all of you.[Read more...]
New Library Titles – August & September 2018
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Welcoming New Board Members
We were very happy to welcome Nihdi Kohli (left) and Novelette DeMercado to our Board of Directors at our meeting on September 30th. We are so grateful to our volunteer Board for the energy, expertise, and time they put into guiding and caring for this organization that means so much to them. Thank you all!
IMS Teacher Trainees – Aug 2018
BCBS was very happy to host the IMS Teacher Trainee's in August, along with teachers Joseph Goldstein, DaRa Williams, Pannavati Bhikkhuni, Kamala Masters, and Guy Armstrong. We love this group!
New Library Titles – July 2018
New Titles July 2018
New Library Titles – June 2018
New Titles June 2018
New Library Titles – May 2018
2019 In the Footsteps of the Buddha Pilgrimage-Fundraiser to Northern India and Nepal
BCBS is very pleased to be partnering with Sacred Path LLC on a pilgrimage and fundraiser in December 2019. This once-in-a-lifetime In The Footsteps of the Buddha journey through northern India and Nepal will be co-led by longtime BCBS Dharma teacher Gloria Taraniya Ambrosia and Buddhist scholar Justin Kelley. The trip visits locations central to both the life of the historical Buddha and modern-day Buddhist communities, illuminating the rich history and contemporary dynamism of this region. The trip will be limited to just 25 participants and part of each program fee will be a tax-deductible donation to BCBS. We hope you can join us! Learn More.
Coming up Strawberries
Our garden is providing nutritious strawberries, greens, kale, and garlic. More coming up everyday. Lots of appreciation for our staff and volunteers who tend and support the garden.
IMS Teacher Training
Barre Center for Buddhist Studies hosted the IMS Teacher Trainee's in May. What a phenomenal, amazing group including the teachers in the front row: Joseph Goldstein, George Mumford, Rebecca Bradshaw, and DaRa Williams! We look forward to having them back.[Read more...]
New Cottages Ready for Occupancy
Our two new cottages are now ready for occupancy. Each has two bedrooms, with a shared bathroom and kitchenette. Cottage #4 will be ADA compliant with a removable handicap ramp and both cottages have solar hot water. A deep bow of gratitude to our generous Cottage Campaign donors, our builders and suppliers, and our Facilities Manager, Scott Perky, who acted as general contractor on the project.[Read more...]
2018 Course Lottery Deadlines
Lotteries for two of our most popular courses are closing soon.[Read more...]
New Cottages Underway
Thanks to the generosity of our Cottage Campaign donors, we have begun construction on two new cottages in our back field. Each of these new cottages will have two bedrooms with a shared bath and kitchenette and will allow us to accommodate more yogis and more self-study retreatants. They should be completed in time for Spring 2018 courses. These are in addition to the new cottage we built earlier in the year for Bhikkhu Analayo who is very happy living at BCBS. Deep, deep gratitude to all those who helped (and continue to help) make this project possible.[Read more...]
