...a welcoming spiritual community

Great Pond Sangha

We study the mind because we want the harmony of peace to prevail,
because we need the joy of love in our hearts,
because we care about the quality of life our children will inherit...
To be attentive requires tremendous love of living.

     ~ Vimala Thakar, a living Indian sage

Tibetan Buddhist Meditation

at North Parish

3 Great Pond Road, North Andover

Old Center Hall, upstairs

Meditation, Dharma Talks, Study Group, Discussion, monthly Children's Session & Potluck

2008 schedule (pdf)

Great Pond Sangha information flyer, 2007 (pdf)

We come together to practice Mindfulness, Love and Compassion, Self-Inquuiry, Innate Wisdom and Natural Awareness (Dzogchen). As we learn to "see things as they are" and let be, we are able to experience our lives with immense joy and peace.

Beginners/Newcomers are welcome. Activities are open to all Merrimack Valley residents. Children of all ages may attend the monthly Intergenerational Gathering.

In addition to our regular schedule, Great Pond Sangha

• Offers Practice Days/Mini Retreats twice a year at Old Center Hall
• Coordinates Buddhist/Unitarian Universalist services at North Parish.
• Maintains an email list to keep members up to date on Sangha activities and other events of interest in the greater Boston area.
• Coordinates monthly “Field Trips” to Cambridge for Dharma talks and meditation with the Lamas at Dzogchen Center
• Hosts Movie Nights and other social activities
• Provides opportunities for Seva (sacred service) and social action.

Sangha Leaders Laura and Brad Howell have been practicing meditation since the late 1980’s. They’ve had the great fortune to study with extraordinary teachers such as Lama Surya Das, Nyoshul Khenpo Rinpoche, Ram Dass, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Pema Chodron. Since 1993, Laura has been a student of Dzogchen Master Lama Surya Das who is a lineage holder in the Rime (non-sectarian) tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. 

Welcoming Congregation

North Parish is a Welcoming Congregation, consistent with the guidelines of the Unitarian Universalist Association. We actively welcome lesbian, gay. bisexual, transgender, and intersex people as full participants in the life of the church. For more information, see our Welcoming Congregation page, or contact our Interweave chapter.