Strategies for Supporting Our Compassionate Action (Modules 5 & 6)

When we see suffering we all want to do something about it, and many of us are called to the path of service including service in our jobs, as family members, as volunteers as well to our friends and our community. This calling is often a long journey; it is easy to get lost or tired. Joy and inspiration can give way to frustration and depletion, and the overwhelm that comes when we feel that there’s so much at stake.

We all need support to shore up our commitment and strengths, to persevere and sustain our compassionate action. The goal of this course is to provide tools for your path of compassionate action. Everyone is welcome to participate – each half-day module stands on its own while it contributes to the overall theme of Sustainable Service. You may attend either the morning or afternoon session, or the entire day. The Program includes lecture, interactive discussion and meditation.

The Program has eight topics presented in individual modules, and these modules will be offered in quarterly day-longs over the coming year. For each training date, one module will be offered in the morning and one in the afternoon. You can find a complete description of the Program at lionsroardharmacenter.org.

November 8, 2025

Morning module: Managing Conflict Compassionately – 9:30 am – 12:30 pm.

In this module, we will gain insight into how conflict works, why it happens, and practical skills and steps we can use to address conflict using an informative, interactive, and fun process. The aim is to improve our capacity to listen without defensiveness, speak without offending, find common ground, and reach mutually satisfying solutions.

Participants will find that the skills learned in this training also greatly benefit their interactions at work, at home, and in the community.

Afternoon module: Self-compassion. What it is, what it’s not and how it can make you happier – 1:30 pm – 4:30 pm

Self-compassion is simply treating yourself with the same kindness, concern, and support you’d show a good friend. Why is it so difficult? What are some of the obstacles to self-compassion? Is there a way we can train ourselves in self-compassion?

In this module, we will explore some of the current research showing that increasing our self-compassion resources us, and motivates us to reach out in connection and service to others. We will learn simple self-compassion practices to support our development of this fundamental skill.

March 7, 2026

• Module Seven: Managing Emotions Mindfully
• Module Eight: Reclaiming Joy

Lunch will be on your own with water and coffee supplied at the temple. Parking available in the adjacent parking lot and on the street.

For questions, please contact Susan Farrar at [email protected].

Tenzin Chogkyi (she/her/hers) is a teacher of workshops and programs that bridge the worlds of Buddhist thought, contemplative practice, mental and emotional cultivation, and the latest research in the field of positive psychology. Tenzin first became interested in meditation in the early 1970s and then started practicing Tibetan Buddhism in early 1991 during a year she spent studying in India and Nepal. She completed several long meditation retreats over a six-year period and took monastic ordination with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, practicing as a monastic for nearly 20 years. Since 2006 she has been teaching in Buddhist centers around the world and taught in prisons for 15 years.

She is currently based in Santa Cruz, California. You can find more about her at unlockingtruehappiness.org.

Info: In this module, we will gain insight into how conflict works, why it happens, and practical skills and steps we can use to address conflict using an informative, interactive, and fun process. The aim is to improve our capacity to listen without defensiveness, speak without offending, find common ground, and reach mutually satisfying solutions. Participants will find that the skills learned in this training also greatly benefit their interactions at work, at home, and in the community.

Info: Self-compassion is simply treating yourself with the same kindness, concern, and support you’d show a good friend. Why is it so difficult? What are some of the obstacles to self-compassion? Is there a way we can train ourselves in self-compassion? In this module, we will explore some of the current research showing that increasing our self-compassion resources us, and motivates us to reach out in connection and service to others. We will learn simple self-compassion practices to support our development of this fundamental skill.

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