What does coming to Sunday Open Meditation feel like?
My work occasionally brings me to the Ballard Farmer’s Market, often before the general public fills the streets. I found myself there waiting for the vendor, sitting quietly to the side while the hustle and bustle was still just getting started. As tents were being built and goods unpacked into stalls, I witnessed firsthand the incredible sense of community – small acts, like farmers checking in with each other and planning later trades, or a baker offering tastings to neighbor stalls. You could see how these natural moments done regularly come together in this ecosystem of mutual support and collaboration.
This experience echoes how I feel about going to Sunday Open Meditation at Nalanda West. For the past year and a half, I’ve been coming to practice, learn, and gather during these weekly occasions, and in the same way that the Farmer’s Market reminded me of community, I’ve found immense joy, practical help, and genuine connection here.
When I first started coming, I had no background in Buddhism, only a passionate interest in deepening my meditation practice. After first attending an Intro to Meditation class (part of a much wider curriculum available and how I found Nalanda West to begin with), I thought I would give the Sunday Open Meditation a try. Seeing it as an opportunity to at least put these meditation techniques to practice, the format suited this well – an hour of alternating silent sitting and walking meditation followed by an hour of teachings, with enough cues and guidance to follow along.
Although I hadn’t initially expected to dive into the teachings, over time I felt how considering the teachings and applying them in my day-to-day life facilitated calmer, more stable meditation practice. The variety of teachings – coming from local senior practitioners, dedicated lamas and teachers in the Nalandabodhi organization, and even visiting professors / nuns – offered many opportunities to engage in the Dharma from different perspectives and viewpoints. Consistently, the quality of the teachings was remarkable and much richer than an app or suggested Youtube video might provide.
As I came more regularly, I began to appreciate this underlying thread of thorough and genuine respect and care that runs throughout the teachings and extends to the lunch afterwards. Going from the quiet personal practice and teaching time into the social potluck style lunch was at first intimidating – I remember thinking, “How can these worlds meet?” Much like the Farmer’s Market experience, I found it to be met in small but significant ways – friendly community members more than happy to answer questions, lamas and longtime practitioners excited to discuss the teachings, regulars just enjoying food and communion, even newcomers jumping up to offer help with cleanup. It became like a regular (less stressful than an actual) family reunion, a form of easy shared experience that offered reminders of kindness and compassion in everyday life.
In these trying times amidst wars, unrest, and a completely flooded attention economy, our minds are met with a constant stream of negative thoughts vying for our attention. For my own practice, gifting myself quiet time to practice meditation like during the Sunday Open Sessions helps me see the positive signs of hope and humanity around me more easily. These small gestures nourish me, and the space the practice gives me to manage the ups and downs of life helps me to nourish others in turn.
Alex S. has been studying Buddhism through Nalandabodhi since January 2024 having first been introduced to meditation in high school. An ex-tech worker, he opened a cafe in Seattle with his wife and close friend in 2022. In his free time he enjoys reading, dance, and finding unexpected connections between culture, cosmology, and contemplation.
