Community Events

The Wisdom Seat recently concluded a weekend of teachings with our guest, Jetsunma Jamyang Yeshe Palmo, exploring aspects of hinayana, mahayana, and vajrayana practice. Friday evening was an in-person and online event at Swarthmore College. Saturday was an all day session of teachings concerning the nature of boddhisattva practice, held at Pawo Khandro Ling in Wallingford, PA, followed by a reception. Sunday, our guest gave talks for vajrayana practioners, again at PKL. We ce

How do we navigate with wisdom, compassion, and fierce courage in an age of spiritual crisis? We joined Buddhist teachers Michael Carroll and Susan Piver for a week of meditation, community, and real talk about how to take our practice into the beauty and confusion of our world. Michael and Susan at the Great Stupa at Drala Mountain Center, leading participants in the Refuge and Bodhisattva vow ceremonies. Another successful collaboration between the Open Heart Project and Th

A close look at the Luminous Dignity (Ösel Ziji) thangka, recorded live from the Pawo Khandro Ling shrine room for The Wisdom Seat's July 2026 Mindful Gathering. Thangka painter Greg Smith has lived and painted at Drala Mountain Center for 37 of the past 47 years and oversaw much of the painting in the Great Stupa of Dharmakaya. Michael Carroll, co-founder of The Wisdom Seat and author of Awake at Work, The Mindful Leader, and Fearless at Work, commissioned this thangka after

On June 25, we gathered on Zoom, with Bill sitting at Alex deVaron's piano, for a conversation about music, presence, and dharma. Alexander deVaron is a composer, music theorist, and longtime Buddhist teacher who began teaching in Shambhala in 1986 and spent five years living at Karme Choling. His primary teachers have been Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, and Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, and he has spent decades exploring where Buddhism and music actua

The dharma protectors are among the most striking figures in Tibetan Buddhism. Fierce, wrathful, often terrifying in appearance. For the May Mindful Gathering, Barry Boyce joined Bill Moriarty and the community to talk about what they actually are and what it means to work with them in practice. Barry laid out three levels of protector practice: outer, inner, and secret. At the outer level, protectors guard teachers and places. At the inner level, they protect the teachings f

A Mindful Gathering with Susanna Lack, Rhea Colmar, and Bill Moriarty On April 30, 2026, The Wisdom Seat hosted a Mindful Gathering on one of the least visible parts of community life: what it actually takes to plan and hold a group retreat. Every retreat has a visible side and an invisible one. Susanna Lack and Rhea Colmar joined Bill Moriarty to discuss what planning and holding a group retreat actually involves - from choosing a venue and approaching teachers, to managing

On April 16, The Wisdom Seat held an open discussion on death, dying and illness. There was no agenda, specific topics, or desired outcomes. Just an open discussion to share inner reflections on death and dying. As a community, we explored: how can we support ourselves and each other to deepen our experience of our mortality? How can we further our exploration of our own impermanence? What wisdom is to be found hidden beneath the surface of the reality of the human condition?

Video starts about 2 minutes in. The March Mindful Gathering was on Dependent Origination, one of the Buddha's core teachings. Michael used the metaphor of Indra's Web to explain it: everything finds its nature in relationship to everything else, rather than existing as independent objects with independent causes. Nothing that is happening in the world today happened overnight. What does it mean to really sit with that? From there the conversation opened up into territory tha

On Thursday, February 5, 2026, Andrew Safer and Michael Carroll came together for an enriching conversation on mindfulness meditation and how we can engage with the profound paradoxes of our modern world. The session explored how insight, skill, and compassion can help us navigate a world filled with both abundant resources and heartbreaking crises. The Challenge We Face We live in a time of extraordinary possibility, yet we're simultaneously confronted by widespread tragedie

On January 27, 2026, we gathered on Zoom to explore Chapter Five of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche's Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior , titled "Synchronizing Mind and Body." It was a facilitated group discussion where everyone was invited to share their reflections, questions, and insights, whether they were familiar with the teaching or encountering it for the first time. If you missed it and want to explore this teaching on your own, we recommend reading Chapter Five an

Exploring the Five Wisdom Energies with Irini Rockwell On December 11, 2025, The Wisdom Seat welcomed Irini Rockwell for an exploration of the Five Wisdom Energies, a Buddhist framework for understanding personality, emotions, and relationships in everyday life. Irini, who has been teaching for over 40 years and founded the Five Wisdoms Institute , introduced each energy's characteristics. She emphasized recognizing and aligning with each energy's wisdom aspects while working

On November 18, 2025, The Wisdom Seat gathered for a community discussion exploring Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche's teaching on nowness from chapter 11 of Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior . Board President Bill Moriarty facilitated the conversation, inviting everyone to share their reflections, questions, and insights on this foundational teaching. This session was not recorded. Trungpa Rinpoche writes: "The way to experience nowness is to realize that this very moment, t

At this month's Mindful Gathering, I presented on Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche's life, his influence on American Buddhism, and connection to The Wisdom Seat. Born in 1910 in eastern Tibet, he spent 13 years in solitary retreat before being called to teach.

By Alison Driscoll Hearing about the teachings before taking the vows The Refuge & Bodhisattva Vow ceremonies took place at Pawo Khandro Ling, The Wisdom Seat meditation hall, both live and online, on Sunday, September 28th. Capably led by Michael Carroll, as preceptor, the ceremonies were uplifted and inspiring. Michael spoke about the view, practice, and conduct of each of the Refuge and Bodhisattva vow and prior to the ceremony spoke with each of those who took one or the

A Mindful Gathering with Dr. Varun Khanna Watch the recording: https://youtu.be/17XM3Gq2XxU Ever wonder what you're actually saying when you chant "Om" or mumble through "Gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha"? Join us for a fascinating conversation with Dr. Varun Khanna, who studied traditional Sanskrit grammar in India and did his MPhil in Sanskrit and PhD in Hinduism at the University of Cambridge, UK . We explore how ancient practitioners understood Sanskrit as vibra

A Mindful Gathering with Michael Carroll and Bill Moriarty Watch the full discussion below: (I didn't record this one in the usual way, so only the hosts' video is displayed. My mistake -Bill) In our Mindful Gathering of July, we had an open conversation about the Four Immeasurables: loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity. This discussion featured insights from Michael, a long-time practitioner of Buddhism, who shared his personal connection to these tea

This Summer SOULstice gathering was the third annual mini-retreat, and the excitement in the air was unmistakable. Coming together in person felt incredible. Sharing food and practicing together were highlights of the day. The pot-luck format encouraged everyone to contribute their favorite dishes. It was a beautiful reminder of how food can unite us, fostering connections and lively conversations that flowed as freely as the laughter around the table. With around 15 people a

A Mindful Gathering with Bill Moriarty and Carolyn Gimian

A Mindful Gathering with Marybeth McMurray, Margerie Strousser, Michael Carroll, and Bill Moriarty

A Mindful Gathering with Bill Moriarty