Flowering Lotus Meditation

03/24/2026

Grant-Funded Juneteenth Retreat Offers Healing and Liberation Space for People of African Descent

Bay St. Louis, MS — June 2026

Flowering Lotus Meditation is proud to announce a grant-funded Juneteenth retreat created specifically for people of African descent, offering a dedicated space for healing, reflection, and collective liberation.

“Juneteenth Retreat: Meditation, Liberation, and Healing for People of African Descent” will take place June 18–21, 2026.

This residential retreat provides an opportunity to gather in community, honor ancestral resilience, and engage in contemplative practice in an affinity space intentionally designed for people of African descent.

Thanks to grant funding and community support, participants can attend for just $200, which includes:
• 3 nights of accommodations
• 8 freshly prepared meals
• Full retreat programming
• Access to experienced teachers and a supportive community

Programs of this kind typically cost $750 or more per person, making this a rare and accessible opportunity.

The retreat will be guided by respected teachers Dr. Vimalasara (Valerie Mason-John) and Arisika Razak, MPH, and will include meditation, embodied practice, ritual, and time for rest and reflection.

Flowering Lotus Meditation, a Gulf South-based nonprofit, is committed to making meditation accessible while creating spaces that center healing, equity, and belonging.

In alignment with Buddhist tradition, participants will be invited to practice dana (generosity) by offering donations to teachers at the end of the retreat.

🔗 Learn more or reserve your spot:
https://givebutter.com/juneteenth26

🔗 Learn about dana:
https://www.floweringlotusmeditation.org/dana

Vimalasara Mason-John
Shonda Bashir
Sama Studio
Wild Heart Meditation Center
Heartwood Mandala
Sangha House NOLA

03/24/2026

This special Juneteenth retreat invites people of African descent to gather in sacred community, drawing upon the deep wells of African wisdom and Buddhist contemplative practices to reconnect with freedom, healing, and joy. Held in the heart of the south, this retreat offers a rare and necessary affinity space for practitioners of African descent—especially those living in the Gulf region of Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee, and Florida—to practice liberation in both body and spirit.

Link in bio to read more!

03/11/2026

03/07/2026

We honor Venerable Pannavati with our practice.
Let the retreat begin.

03/06/2026

On the way the for a zen retreat in the woods for the weekend!

03/03/2026

IMCW's Second Sunday Dharma Series presents: Tending to What's Real, with Ven. Dr. PannavatiIn this class, Ven. Pannavati talks with IMCW teacher Kristin Bar...

03/03/2026

Dear Sangha and Friends,

This weekend feels especially meaningful.

In the wake of Venerable Pannavati’s passing, many of us are longing for a way to practice together — to sit, to reflect, to honor her life not only with words, but with presence.

This weekend’s retreat, In the Heart of the Woods: A Zen Retreat with Rev. Greg Reimoku, has taken on a deeper significance.

Rev. Reimoku has generously offered that all dana and proceeds from this retreat will be given to the lineage of our beloved Spiritual Director, Venerable Pannavati . Dana collected will directly support Heartwood Mandala and Sangha House NOLA, continuing the work and communities she cared for so deeply.

This is no small gesture. It is a living expression of respect, gratitude, and lineage connection.

If you have been wondering how to honor her life — this is one way.

If you have been meaning to deepen your practice — this is a beautiful opportunity.

If you simply want to sit in community and feel the steadiness of sangha — this weekend offers that space.

And I want to share something new:

You can now attend Saturday only.
We’ve added a one-day practice option for Saturday, which includes both lunch and dinner. If a full weekend isn’t possible, please consider joining us for the day. Even one day of shared practice can be powerful.

Rev. Reimoku is coming to us from Mid City Zen in New Orleans. His teaching style is grounded, sincere, and accessible. If you’d like to get to know him beforehand, here is a podcast he recorded some years back. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-90-zen-buddhism-shadow-work-and-authentic/id1159462930?i=1000488295628

This retreat is happening this weekend. The timing feels tender and important. I truly hope you will consider coming.

Let us gather.
Let us practice.
Let us honor her lineage with our presence.

With care,
Beth

Please share this with a friend.

Link to Read More:
https://givebutter.com/March26

03/02/2026

Come to Canton this Weekend for a Special Retreat

02/28/2026

We’d love to gather to share stories and memories of our joyous Spiritual Director.

Dear Sangha, With deep respect and gratitude, we share that our beloved Spiritual Director, mentor and supporter, Venerable Pannavati, has passed into her next realm. Though her physical presence is no longer with us, her spirit and wisdom continue on. Flowering Lotus Meditation exists today because...

02/25/2026

Let’s gather with Rev. Reimoku, sharing group practice, shared vegetarian meals, & time in nature.

Www.floweringlotusmeditation.org has all the details!

02/11/2026

🌏Would you like to join tens of thousands of people all around the world in a global loving-kindness meditation?

On Wednesday, February 11, 2026 at 4:30pm EST, the monks who have journeyed over 2,300 miles through 10 states over 108 days on the Walk for Peace will be leading this meditation.

You can join in here:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/walkforpeaceusa
Website: https://dhammacetiya.com/walk-for-peace/global-meditation/

Let’s all take a moment to pause, breathe, and extend compassion to a weary and troubled world.

01/16/2026

Meditation for World Peace
Saturday January 17th, 7-8AM Pacific Time.
Registration link: https://sfu.zoom.us/meeting/register/Hc2iUzf7RZOtY4LhweU8Rg

With ongoing and escalating crisis around the world, Ainaz (who is Iranian and stands in solidarity for justice and freedom for the land and people she comes from) felt called to host a meditation on world peace. Vimalasara and Kenley have accept the invitation to guide this meditation.
Dr. Valerie (Vimalasara) Mason-John, is a senior dharma teacher in the Triratna Buddhist Community. Dr Ken Hardy named them as "one of the premier social, cultural, and psychological healers of our times."
Kenley Neufeld is a Dharma teacher of mindfulness in the Zen Plum Village tradition, a lifelong pacifist, and an educator.