HYBRID: Bodhisattva Vows and Precepts Ceremony

Sunday December 13th

10AM - 4:30PM PST ()

HYBRID on Zoom and onsite at EBMC

Closed Captioning Provided

EBMC is a fragrance-free, wheelchair-accessible space

Masking is strongly encouraged

with Mushim Patricia Ikeda, an EBMC Core Teacher

These times are full of uncertainty and fear — and opportunities for spiritual breakthrough. In Mahayana Buddhism, the Bodhisattva is an archetypal great being who tirelessly and joyfully works to liberate all beings from suffering. For the fourth time, EBMC will offer two class series exploring what it means to creatively embody the Bodhisattva teachings. Those who complete both class series may participate in the final daylong and either witness or take Bodhisattva precepts and vows in order to strengthen their commitment to collective liberation. These are the same vows taken by His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama.

Part of the Buddhist curriculum at EBMC, the Path of the Modern Bodhisattva Series has three components:

Wednesdays, 6:30 - 8:30 pm

October 7, 14, 21, & 28

Note: This is a deepening of the Class Series One materials, not a repeat

Wednesdays, 6:30 - 8:30 pm PT

November 4, 11, 18, (no class 25), Dec. 2nd

HYBRID: Bodhisattva Vows and Precepts

Daylong Retreat and Ceremony

Sunday, December 13, 2026

10 am – 4:30 pm PT

Note 1: You may participate as a witness/observer, or *apply to receive the Bodhisattva Vows and Precepts after participating in the preceding classes.

Note 2: In-person ticket sales END ON DECEMBER 10, so we can get an accurate headcount of who will be in the center. Online ticket sales end at 10AM PT on December 13th.

Application For RETAKING Bodhisattva Vows and Precepts [2026 Form A]

(link coming soon)

Deadline to apply is December 1, 2026

Application For Taking Bodhisattva Vows and Precepts FOR THE FIRST TIME with EBMC [2026 Form B]

(link coming soon)

Deadline to apply is December 1, 2026

*Separate registration is needed for each part of the Path of the Bodhisattva class series (Part 1, Part 2 + Precepts Ceremony). Participants interested in receiving the Bodhisattva Vows in Dec are required to take Part I + II of the class series.

I, myself, took the Bodhisattva Vows and made the vow, “Life after life, after life, after life, I will continue my practice and continue my work.” – Bhante Suhita Dharma, Buddhist monk and social worker, 1941-2013

Also, those who do not wish to take the Bodhisattva vows may take either of the two class series. The final daylong is open to everyone who wishes to witness the joyful ceremony (you do not need to have taken any of the previous classes, though it is recommended that you do so) and those who have completed the previous classes and have received permission from the teacher may receive the Bodhisattva Precepts, take the Bodhisattva Vows, and at that time they will receive a Buddhist name from the teacher. Meditation (instruction provided for beginners), Dharma talks, and interactive exercises.

This will be a Hybrid class, where in person participants are asked to use an N95 or KN95 mask. Instructors are given the option to be unmasked while speaking into a microphone. For those wishing to practice in person, space will be limited to 60 people to allow ample space for social distancing. N95 face masks will be available at EBMC.

To attend in person, you need to be completely free of fragranced body and clothing products -- more information and a list of fragrance free products, including those that are especially good for people of color, appears on our website:

https://eastbaymeditation.org/resources/fragrance-free-at-ebmc/

East Bay Meditation Center is a scent free / fragrance free space and is wheelchair accessible.

For Zoom participation, these are our Universal Access Guidelines:

1. When speaking, introduce your name, pronouns, and (optionally) a brief physical description of yourself.

2. If using virtual backgrounds, please use static, simple, high-contrast backgrounds.

3. Please keep your camera still while your camera is on.

4. Please repeat your name when you speak to help those with visual impairment.

5. The host/volunteer will attempt to read any comments that appear in the chat out loud.

6. Please strive for clear audio and mute when you are not speaking. Phone access is also available.

7. If you have unmet access needs, please send a message to the volunteer or host in the chat. If the chat is not accessible to you, please offer them briefly in one minute or less via voice. Please do not send access requests directly to other participants.

Cost: The teachings are regarded as priceless, so they are offered without a fee. You are invited to support the teachings and our efforts by contributing voluntary donations

To offer a gift to support the teachings, please do so Venmo: Mushim Ikeda @MushimPatricia-Ikeda or PayPal: [email protected]

To make a gift to sustain the work of East Bay Meditation Center, please do so via Paypal: paypal.me/eastbaymeditation or our website: eastbaymeditation.org/dana 100% of our programming is sliding scale and no one will ever be turned away for lack of funds. Thank you for the gifts of your generosity and for supporting the work of East Bay Meditation Center and our beloved teachers who have volunteered their time.

Mushim Patricia Ikeda is an internationally-known secular mindfulness and Buddhist teacher working primarily with justice activists and Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) meditation practitioners. A core teacher at East Bay Meditation Center in Oakland, California, she is an author whose writing has been published in Lion's Roar, Tricycle, Buddhadharma and various anthologies. She is the founding and guiding teacher of EBMC's Practice in Transformative Action, a yearlong program that completed its tenth cohort in July 2023, providing secular mindfulness training for justice activists and agents of change. Mushim was selected by Lion's Roar Buddhist media magazine as one of twenty-six "Great Buddhist Teachers" in the January 2022 issue. If you would like to make a gift to our beloved teacher, please do so via Venmo: @MushimPatricia-Ikeda or PayPal: [email protected]