Echoes of Emptiness: Community Kirtan & Meditation with Chandra Easton

Join Chandra Easton, renowned Tibetan Buddhism teacher and devotional chantress, for an evening of sacred sound where we experience the "echoes of emptiness"—the empty yet appearing nature of all sound, thought, and experience. This event blends Buddhist and Hindu Tantric traditions, offering an accessible, joyful exploration of devotional music and meditation suitable for all levels.

Special offering:Healing Chöd ritual: Chöd is a unique blend of the Tibetan shamanic traditions and the Buddhist tradition of compassion and emptiness. This centuries-old practice is sung and accompanied by a traditional Chöd drum and bell. Healing arises when fear, fixation, and self-clinging are cut through—when we nurture, rather than fight, what assails us. This gives rise to awareness of the empty nature of afflictive emotions. Chöd is the source of the modern practice of Feeding Your Demons, which Chandra often teaches at the Alembic. Participants are invited to meditate seated or lying down to receive the practice as a healing ritual.

Event highlights:

Call and response chanting: Engage in traditional Sanskrit mantras to promote inner peace and spiritual reflection. Through kirtan (melodic chanting) and japa (mantra repetition), we uplift our spirits, center ourselves, and open our hearts to spiritual blessings.Meditative atmosphere: Connect deeply with your inner self through rhythmic, repetitive chants, exploring the space where sound and silence meet.Community connection: Share a collective musical journey that fosters unity and illuminates our interconnectedness. If the spirit moves you, dancing is always welcome.Buddhist & Hindu wisdom: Experience practices from Mahayana, Vajrayana, and Hindu Tantric traditions, including sacred deity practices such as the 21 Taras, Avalokiteshvara, and Saraswati for deeper states of meditative absorption.

Chandra’s unique approach emphasizes direct spiritual experience over conceptual understanding, encouraging participants to move beyond intellectual knowledge into embodied wisdom. By weaving together chanting, storytelling, and meditation, she creates transformative journeys that connect us with our innate enlightened nature—the very essence of “emptiness” in Buddhist philosophy.

Join us for an evening where the echoes of ancient wisdom resonate through community practice, guiding us toward the realization of our true nature and the profound understanding of emptiness.

This event is in-person only. Tickets are sliding scale $15-$40. No one turned away for lack of funds.

Chandra Easton is a prominent Dharma teacher, author, and translator of Tibetan Buddhist texts. Her journey in Buddhism began at a young age, taking refuge with the 16th Karmapa at the age of four. She later studied Buddhism and Tibetan language at the Library of Tibetan Works & Archives in Dharamsala, India, and received her degree in Religious Studies from the University of California Santa Barbara. In 2015, Easton was given the title Dorje Lopön (Vajra Teacher) of Tara Mandala under Lama Tsultrim Allione and given the name Lopön Yeshe Dawa Zangmo by H.E. Gochen Tulku Sang-ngag Rinpoche.

Chandra has made significant contributions to Buddhist teaching and practice throughout her career. She co-translated "Sublime Dharma, A Compilation of Two Texts on the Great Perfection" and authored "Embodying Tara: Twenty-One Manifestations to Awaken Your Innate Wisdom," published in 2023. Easton has studied with prominent Tibetan and Western Buddhist teachers, including H.H. Dalai Lama, H.H. Karmapa, Lama Tsultrim Allione, and B. Alan Wallace. She serves on various councils at Tara Mandala, including the Executive Upaya Council, Guiding Teacher Prajna Council, and the Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Council. Her work focuses on making traditional Tibetan teachings relevant and accessible for modern experiences, particularly in bringing forth the voice of the sacred feminine in Buddhist theory and practice.

Based in Berkeley, California, Chandra continues to teach at various venues, including the Berkeley Alembic and the SF Dharma Collective, and has been offering annual retreats at Esalen since 2003. She co-founded the 21 Taras Collective (www.21tarascollective.org) to record music for the twenty-one Taras mantras. Chandra has studied classical Indian Hindustani singing with Rita Sahai and Sudhanshu Sharma. Visit www.chandraeaston.com.

Host or Publisher The Berkeley Alembic Foundation