Holiday Schedule 2021

The Prairie Sangha will not meet on December 21 and December 28. Our regular Monday schedule will resume on January 4, 2021.

Selected Readings & Links

Since transitioning to our online format, the Prairie Sangha has read and discussed excerpts from selected texts and talks, including the following:

  • “My Path to Becoming a Buddhist” by Emma Slade

  • “Five Hindrances to Self-Mastery” by Master Shi Heng Yi

  • The Noble Eightfold Path: Way to the End of Suffering by Bikkhu Bodhi

  • Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana

  • A Whole-Life Path: A Lay Buddhist’s Guide to Crafting a Dhamma-Infused Life by Gregory Kramer

  • Poetry of Presence: An Anthology of Mindfulness Poems, edited by Phyllis Cole-Dai and Ruby Wilson

  • “Compassion in Action” by Ram Dass

  • “Radical Self-Compassion” by Tara Brach

  • The Places that Scare You by Pema Chödrön

  • No Time Like the Present by Jack Kornfield

  • One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism by Joseph Goldstein

  • The Experience of Insight by Joseph Goldstein

  • “Unlimited Friendliness” from Taking the Leap by Pema Chödrön

  • Living in the Light of Death: On the Art of Being Truly Alive by Larry Rosenberg

  • When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times by Pema Chödrön

  • The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh

  • Everyday MInd: 366 Reflections on the Buddhist Path, edited by Jean Smith

  • Elements of Buddhism by John Snelling

  • Insight Meditation: The Practice of Freedom by Joseph Goldstein

  • Nothing Special: Living Zen by Charlotte Joko Beck

Updated December 5, 2020

Prairie Sangha 2019 Annual Report

The Prairie Sangha of Urbana-Champaign was originally established in 1990 by Sandra Hammond, a graduate of the first Community Dharma Leaders program at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. When Sandra moved to Colorado in 2005, the sangha continued as a peer-led community of practitioners in the Theravada Buddhist tradition of Vipassana (or "Insight") meditation.

The Prairie Sangha Not-For-Profit Corporation was created to assume the activities, assets, and liabilities of the sangha as a 501(c)(3) public charity beginning in February 2018. This was intended to address three needs:

  1. To put in place an accountable leadership for the organization,

  2. To facilitate important financial decisions, and

  3. To provide structure and continuity as the sangha continues to grow and change.

This annual report is divided into two sections. Part 1 provides an account of the activities and decisions made by the board of directors in 2019. Part 2 details the financials for the organization--income, expenses, and our projected budget for 2020. Questions about the report may be addressed to directors@prairiesangha.org.

We are grateful for everyone who has helped the Sangha thrive for thirty years--Sandra and the original members, all who have sat with us in silence, the teachers who provided guidance and inspiration through dhamma talks and retreats, and all who offer their time and gifts of dana to keep the sangha running from week to week.

Thank you!

With gratitude and metta,

Tom Burton, President
Betsy Hearne, Secretary
Jason Scott, Treasurer
Liora Bresler, Director
Philip Douglas, Director
Tom Howley, Director

2019 Prairie Sangha Annual Report (PDF)