Going As A River - Edmonton Sangha

Going As A River - Edmonton Sangha A community of practice in the engaged Buddhist tradition of Venerable Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh

Looking back at 2025 and all that we have gone through together as a planet, we see that our unhealed traumas, our fears...
01/01/2026

Looking back at 2025 and all that we have gone through together as a planet, we see that our unhealed traumas, our fears and deep rooted belief in our separateness continue to cause much personal and planetary harm. We vow to transform the roots of war, hatred and violence, by every day generating the energy of non-violence and non-discrimination in our thinking, speaking and acting. We shall continue to challenge the boundaries of our hearts by asking ourselves: Do we have enough wisdom and courage to forgive those who have hurt us? Knowing that only by releasing the grievances of the past can we move forward as a species.

Dear Ancestors, you have taught us that no amount of wealth and power can guarantee our happiness, security and peace. True security and agency lies in our power to love and to be happy, here and now, and no one can take that away from us. We vow to actively cultivate generosity and cooperation as a way to help build a new culture of simple living, sharing and mutual trust.

In the face of despair and division, we vow to always stick together, to be a refuge for each other, and to strengthen our spiritual family as a community of nonviolence, offering each other courage to turn the tide of collective consciousness toward a more peaceful and compassionate world.

Dear Ancestors, please accept our offerings of fruits, flowers, and the incense of our heart, as a sign of our deep aspiration, respect, and love.

-Excerpt from December 31, 2025 New Year Prayer to Our Ancestors, Plumvillage.org

🙏🏽

Join for weekly practice in the new year. Wednesday nights 630-830 at Belgravia Community League. Learn more by visiting goingasariver.org for practice details.

Celebrating World Meditation Day✨Last year in a landmark decision, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 21 Dec...
12/21/2025

Celebrating World Meditation Day✨

Last year in a landmark decision, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 21 December as World Meditation Day to raise awareness about meditation and its benefits, recalling the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.

To advance and promote World Meditation Day, a two-day conference: “United and Present-Global Solutions from Within: A Mindful Approach to Diplomacy, UN Work, and Beyond” was held from 9-10 December 2025 in the Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland. Sister Dinh Nghiem was invited as a panelist to share the Plum Village mindfulness practices.

Global Moment of Silent Meditation
We sincerely invite you to join this global moment of silent meditation on Sunday, December 21st, World Meditation Day.

Let go of distractions, gently close your eyes, and let your 15-minute meditation be a gift to the world. Your participation is the key force driving the evolution of global consciousness, forming a wave of harmony and positivity.

We look forward to your participation—across regions, cultures, and time zones—in this shared meditation moment on Sunday, December 21st.

Read more on the Plum Village website here https://plumvillage.org/articles/celebrating-world-meditation-day

IMPORTANT MESSAGE: Please note that today’s snow storm is giving us the conditions to move our practice online for tonig...
12/17/2025

IMPORTANT MESSAGE: Please note that today’s snow storm is giving us the conditions to move our practice online for tonight -there will be no in-person meeting. Please flex with us in this natural rhythm as we adapt and change with nature, and huddle in our houses around zoom.

Please email goingasariver@gmail.com for the zoom link or click on the link in our stories!

🙏🏽❄️

Stay well and warm dear friends.

Please join us for our AGM, potluck brunch and private theatre viewing of the film ‘Walk With Me: A journey Into Mindful...
12/04/2025

Please join us for our AGM, potluck brunch and private theatre viewing of the film ‘Walk With Me: A journey Into Mindfulness,’ featuring Thich Nhat Hanh and Plum Village monastics.

This is an extraordinarily beautiful film by Marc J. Francis & Max Pugh, and narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch. We look forward to connecting with you!

GOING AS A RIVER | Annual General Meeting

Date: Dec 7, 2025
Time: AGM- 9-12:30pm (arrival 845am)

9 - 10:15am | AGM Meeting
10:15 - 11am | Veggie Potluck Brunch
11:00 - 12:30pm | Private Theatre viewing of the film ‘Walk With Me: A journey Into Mindfulness’

Location: Windsor Park Plaza, Edmonton

Please visit goingasariver.org for more information and to RSVP

“The Five Mindfulness Trainings are love itself. To love is to understand, protect, and bring well-being to the object o...
11/05/2025

“The Five Mindfulness Trainings are love itself. To love is to understand, protect, and bring well-being to the object of our love. The practice of the trainings accomplishes this. We protect ourselves and each other and we obtain even deeper peace and joy” For a Future to Be Possible by Thich Nhat Hanh

You’re warmly invited to join us for our upcoming mindfulness gathering on Wednesday, November 5th, from 6:30-8:30pm at the Belgravia Community Hall (Lower Hall)11540 - 73 Ave NW.

As this is our first gathering of the month, we will come together to recite the Five Mindfulness Trainings, an opportunity to reflect, nourish our aspirations, and renew our commitment to mindful living.

If you’d like a bit of quiet time or would like to help with setup, you’re welcome to arrive any time after 6:00pm.

Warmly 🌻🙏🏽

We hope you are enjoying your breathing on this beautiful Thanksgiving day. Join us Wednesday for our weekly practice in...
10/13/2025

We hope you are enjoying your breathing on this beautiful Thanksgiving day.

Join us Wednesday for our weekly practice in a discussion around chronic pain, and how we can use our practice, including our suffering to transform this pain.

Please feel encouraged to invite your friends and have them reach out so we can join together in practice at the Belgravia Community Hall (Lower Hall) 11540 - 73 Ave NW.

If you’d like a bit of quiet time or would like to help with setup, you’re welcome to arrive any time after 6:00pm.

In gratitude 🙏🏽🌻

“ Mindful walking is the foundation of hiking Zen. Training yourself to stop this hell-bent sprint through life, to look...
09/24/2025

“ Mindful walking is the foundation of hiking Zen. Training yourself to stop this hell-bent sprint through life, to look deeply and see the profound beauty of the present moment, is one of the most difficult—and yet most rewarding-—things we can do. “
~ excerpt from Hiking Zen

We hope you are all enjoying this beautiful fall equinox and we look forward to practising with you Wednesday September 24th at our NEW LOCATION Belgravia Hall in Edmonton!

Please note there has been a change in programming -we will be practicing ‘Hiking Zen’. We will take some time to become acquainted with our new practice location, with an extended Walking Meditation practice within the Meditation Hall and outside, in the surrounding park. Our practice will be guided by shared excerpts from the recently published ‘Hiking Zen’ book, by Br. Phap Luu and Br. Phap Xa.

Please come prepared with weather appropriate footwear and attire for outdoor walking.

We look forward to practising with you!

Learn more about the NEW LOCATION and practice guidelines on at goingasariver.org

🙏🏽🍂🌻

As we say goodbye to our latest Zendo at Riverdale Rink House we are excited to welcome you to practice with us in a new...
09/22/2025

As we say goodbye to our latest Zendo at Riverdale Rink House we are excited to welcome you to practice with us in a new location and day of the week!

Wednesday, September 24 Practice **PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE IN DAY & VENUE

Dear Friends on the path. Please join us Wednesday in our first gathering at the Belgravia Community Hall, where we will come together in our new space for a blessing Sutra Ceremony, lead by Alda.

Please arrive 5-10 minutes early so that we may all be settled to begin at 6:30pm.

**Please note that for security reasons, the doors will be locked at 6:30pm. If you arrive late, please enjoy your breathing in the hallway until we are able to welcome you into the studio at ~6:55pm.

**PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE IN DAY & VENUE**

Weekly Practice:
Wednesdays 6:30 - 8:30pm

Belgravia Community Hall
(Lower Hall)
11540 - 73 Ave NW

A scholar of Buddhism, systems theory, and deep ecology, Joanna Macy (May 2, 1929 – July 19, 2025), PhD, was one of the ...
07/22/2025

A scholar of Buddhism, systems theory, and deep ecology, Joanna Macy (May 2, 1929 – July 19, 2025), PhD, was one of the most respected voices in the movements for peace, justice, and ecology. She interweaves her scholarship with learnings drawn from six decades of activism, has written thirteen books.

Joanna was a deeply love dharma teacher in the Plum Village tradition. Her teachings and passion for reciprocity and connection continue to impact the world at a time when we need her wisdom more than ever.

You can listen to Joanna on the podcast The Way Out Is In, in a republication of episode 12 (November, 2021). Zen Buddhist monk Brother Phap Huu and lay Buddhist practitioner and journalist Jo Confino were joined by Joanna Macy to discuss the relevance of Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings to the crises we face today as a species; the energy of simplicity; truth-telling and the power of facing the truth; the grounds for transformation; impermanence; interbeing. 

As soft summer rains nourish the earth and the seeds we plant within and around us, we look forward to gathering again i...
07/21/2025

As soft summer rains nourish the earth and the seeds we plant within and around us, we look forward to gathering again in community. Our next practice will be held this Monday, July 21st at 6:30pm at the Riverdale Rinkhouse (9928 92 St NW).

This week’s theme, Being Peace, comes to us as a suggestion from a fellow sangha member. Rooted in the teachings of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, the Plum Village tradition reminds us that peace is not something we arrive at later, it is something we can cultivate and embody in each step, each breath, and each moment.

If you’d like to help with setup or simply arrive early to settle into the space, you are warmly welcome anytime after 6:00pm.

The Five Mindfulness Trainings are powerful commitments invite us to live with openhearted awareness and to nourish unde...
07/07/2025

The Five Mindfulness Trainings are powerful commitments invite us to live with openhearted awareness and to nourish understanding, peace, and compassion in ourselves and our communities.

Our next community gathering will be this Monday, July 7th at 6:30pm at the Riverdale Rinkhouse (9928 92 St NW), where we will come together to recite the Five Mindfulness Trainings.

If you’d like to help set up or ease into the evening gently, feel free to arrive anytime after 6:00pm.

“We think that when we are not doing anything, we are wasting our time. That is not true. Our time is, first of all, for...
07/06/2025

“We think that when we are not doing anything, we are wasting our time. That is not true. Our time is, first of all, for us to be. To be what? To be alive, to be peace, to be joy, to be loving. And that is what the world needs the most – so, we train ourself in order to be.” - Thich Nhat Hanh

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Edmonton, AB

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