Beginning Buddhism

In person with Abbey monastics

Class continues weekly through November!

Wednesdays, 6 – 7:30 pm

at Souls Center

707 N Cedar St, Suite #2, Spokane, WA 99201

Sravasti Abbey is pleased to return to Spokane for weekly teachings. A rotating pair of Abbey monastics will teach from Ven. Thubten Chodron’s Open Heart, Clear Mind, giving a solid foundation in understanding the Buddhist world view.

Join Venerables Thubten Chonyi and Thubten Kunga as they explore Buddhist remedies for two painful emotions—clinging and anger. Classes will include time for discussion and Q&A, along with guided meditations from time to time. No prior experience required; just bring your open and curious mind!

No registration necessary.

All Abbey programs are offered freely, and your offerings are welcomed. Make an offering here.

The book

Open Heart, Clear Mind: An Introduction to Buddha’s Teaching by Abbey founder Venerable Thubten Chodron is a practical introduction to the application of Buddhist psychology to modern life in order to better understand ourselves and improve the quality of our lives.

The teachers

Ven. Thubten Chonyi began attending classes with Venerable Thubten Chodron at Dharma Friendship Foundation in Seattle in 1996 and has practiced steadily under Venerable’s guidance ever since. She moved to the Abbey in 2007 and took śrāmaṇerikā and śikṣamāṇā precepts in May 2008. Ven. Chonyi received bhikshuni (full) ordination at Fo Guang Shan temple in Taiwan in 2011.

She shares Buddha’s teachings at the Abbey, online, and, occasionally, at Buddhist centers in the US and abroad. She co-taught meditation and Buddhist ideas at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Spokane for 11 years, and continued on the team when the class moved to Zoom in 2020. She especially enjoys interfaith exchange and bringing Buddhist values into social justice issues. Read her full bio >

Ven. Thubten Kunga began practicing the Dharma in 2014 with the Insight Meditation Community of Washington and the Guyhasamaja FPMT center in Fairfax, VA. She traveled to Nepal in 2016 to teach English and took refuge at Kopan Monastery.

She first met the Abbey by attending the 2016 Exploring Monastic Life retreat and received anagarika ordination the following year. She ordained as a novice at the Abbey in 2019 and received bhikshini ordination at Fo En Si Temple in Taiwan in March 2024. Read her full bio >