An Intermediate-level course based on 

The Profound Treasury of the Ocean of Dharma, Volume One

Wednesdays 7 - 8:45 PM ET

January 14th to April 8th, 2026

Meets in person at The Aligned Center (with Zoom option)

Led by Tom Pantaleoni, Warner Dick, Dorian Burden, and Erich Kramer

Suggested Donation: $120

We will closely follow the chapters in the book, including a deep exploration of the heart of buddhist practice, shamatha-vipashyana meditation. We begin with the simplicity of shamatha or "calm abiding," and explore many topics, culminating in a discussion of vipashyana; the development of an insightful, skillful awareness that can expand to all aspects of our life.

WMC Introductory Level Course

Tuesdays 7 – 9 PM

Jan 13 - June 9, 2026

In person at the Aligned Center, Irvington, and also on Zoom, for those unable to attend in person.

Taught by Jane Kolleeny, Paul Griffin and David Frankel

We have a choice in how we react to the circumstances of life. We can let them harden us and make us resentful and afraid, or we can let them soften us, allowing our inherent human empathy to emerge. In The Places that Scare You: Cultivating Fearlessness in Difficult Times, Pema Chödrön provides essential tools for dealing with the difficulties that living our lives entails, teaching us how to encourage our basic human goodness and connect more easily with others—to accept ourselves and our world including its imperfections. She shows the courage that comes with staying with what’s happening in our lives right here, right now and helps us unmask the ways in which ego causes us to resist life as it is. If we go to the places that scare us, Pema suggests, we just might find the boundless life we’ve always dreamed of. We will use the book as the centerpiece of this class.