At the Temple
Compassionate Action Beloved Community
Practice is not confined to the cushion at Sangha House NOLA. It is how we breathe, walk, eat, listen, and live.
Through teachings, gatherings, and embodied practice, mindfulness becomes a way of living and being in community.
Dharma & Wisdom Talks
Teachings embodied through story and lived experience.
Teachings are offered by Venerable Dayananda, Dharma teachers, Core Sangha members, and emerging young leaders, alongside wisdom keepers, medicine people, culture bearers, artists, thought leaders, and others whose lives reflect the path of liberation.
At The Temple
Where practice becomes healing and community becomes refuge.
Dharma Studies
Venerable Dayananda offers Dharma study rooted in multi-lineage wisdom and personal integration. Gatherings may include book circles, sutra study, beginner’s Buddhism, meditation guidance, contemplative stays, and one-on-one dialogue. Those feeling called are invited to begin with a consultation to discern the path that feels most aligned, individually or with a small group already walking together.
Healing Practices
Collective Healing
Ceremonies are sacred containers for collective healing, attuned to the seasons, lunar rhythms, and the needs of community. They may include ancestor veneration, grief rituals, tea gatherings, earth-touching practice, walking meditation, mindfulness trainings, precept observances, novenas, Beginning Anew, and Puja. Each one honors life’s thresholds, offering space to release the past, rest in presence, and set intentions for what is to come.
Community Days of Mindfulness
An invitation into deeper presence together
Every third Saturday of the month, from 8 AM to 4 PM, we invite the greater community to come together to cultivate presence and connection. These special days invite us into a fuller rhythm of awareness, where we slow down, cultivate community, and return to presence.
Mindfulness practices including sitting meditation, walking meditation, deep relaxation, mindful eating, mindful movement, Dharma reflections, and community tending.
Silence of the Roots Garden
Listening deeply, we hear all that the roots have to say.
Silence of the Roots Garden is a place for a sacred pause and stillness. It is a practice where the quiet, unseen labor beneath the soil mirrors our path of awakening. Each seed, sprout, and breath of wind, speak to the teachings of patience, presence, and the interbeing that connects us to the ancestors who have cultivated, cared and walked upon this soil.
We welcome those who feel called to the garden to offer their hands in mindful tending, honoring our precious Mother Earth with compassion and care.
Freedom Library
A sacred gathering for wisdom, healing, and liberation
The Freedom Library is a living sanctuary of radical education and collective healing. We gather through music, visual art, poetry, study circles, and creative workshops anchored in contemplative practice. Study is sacred practice, a refuge for remembrance, transformation and healing. By centering African diasporic, queer, and BIPOC voices and the wisdom of this land and its people, we nurture spiritual sovereignty and collective liberation.
Sangha Service
Serving the Sangha with love, presence, and purpose.
Sangha Service helps maintain the temple and supports the community, creating a welcoming and steady space for all who practice. It is a way of mindfully cultivating the reciprocity between intentions, actions, and consequences. Through care, presence, and shared responsibility, we sustain the rhythms of daily life and root our practice in liberation.
From sweeping floors to tending the garden, cooking meals, creating digital designs, or offering communications support, every act is an offering. Sangha Service is a mindful way to pause, slow down, listen deeply, and give with intention, knowing that each act is a true offering from the heart.
Frequently Asked Questions
Guidance on visiting, practicing, and living in community at Sangha House NOLA.
Please note: This FAQ offers general guidance rooted in the present rhythm of Sangha House. It is not comprehensive, and details may shift depending on the season, visit type, or evolving needs of the community.
Are your offerings beginner-friendly?
Yes. Whether you’re new to meditation or an experienced practitioner, you are welcome.
What are the Five Precepts I will be asked to uphold while at Sangha House?
Are intoxicants or inebriation allowed?
No. Our path is rooted in clear consciousness and practicing the precept to refrain from intoxicants. Recreational substances are not permitted on the premises.
What is Noble Silence?
Noble Silence is a practice of stillness in body, speech, and mind. It includes refraining from speech, writing, gestures, eye contact, and non-verbal communication.
Can I meet with Venerable during my stay or visit?
How are meals and shared care handled?
What is dāna, and why is it important?
Dāna is the practice of generosity. All our offerings are pay-what-you-can with suggested donations on a sliding scale, and we turn no one away for lack of funds.
This model only works when everyone gives generously to their capacity. Your sincere offering, whatever it is, makes this work possible for many. It also ensures Venerable and the monastics have the support they need, freeing them to remain rooted in practice and available to serve. In this way, your generosity sustains refuge in the 7th Ward and beyond, carrying the Dharma into our communities for the benefit of all beings.
Is there a dress code?
We ask all visitors to wear comfortable clothing that supports ease of movement and reflects the simplicity and care of practice.
Are there animals at the temple, and can I bring my pet?
Our two beloved temple cats are essential members of the Sangha House community and part of our daily mindfulness practice. We ask that you move with gentleness around them. Please note that due to their presence, we cannot accommodate other pets. If you have sensitivities or allergies, please plan accordingly
What to bring
- A variety of loose, comfortable, casual, layered clothing
- Slip-on shoes and indoor slippers, if needed. No outdoor shoes are allowed in the Dharma Hall
- Natural, non-toxic personal fragrance, if worn. We ask that you avoid strong colognes and perfumes
- Personal hygiene products (toiletries, medications, and other personal care items you'll need for your stay)
- Earplugs, if you're a light sleeper
- Checkbook, cash, credit card, or digital wallet for dāna contributions
- Water bottle
- Optional: sitting cushion(s) or bench, if you have specific sitting support needs. The Dharma Hall has zafus, zabutons, and chairs available
What not to bring
- In care for the health of body and mind, and the wellbeing of our shared presence, please refrain from bringing alcohol, drugs, and all other intoxicants, including tranquilizers, sleeping pills, sedatives, vapes, smoking or chewing tobacco, snuff, and plant medicines. If you are taking medicine on a doctor’s prescription, please disclose this at the time of registration or with the Abbess
- In keeping with our commitment to non-violence and reverence for all life, please refrain from bringing anything that would threaten the safety of this space. If you have questions about something specific, please reach out before arrival