The Buddhist Faith Fellowship of Connecticut Sangha News page features inspiring highlights, reflections, and photo galleries from our center’s past Buddhist events, including special meditation programs, retreats, field trips, sound baths, kirtans, and social gatherings. Curated for our community and newcomers alike, these stories showcase how community-engaged Buddhist practice, mindfulness, and spiritual friendship come alive in our sangha’s ongoing activities and celebrations.
Buddhist Faith Fellowship Highlights & Sangha News – Middletown, CT
The atmosphere of the Nirvana Day practice was quiet, reverent, and deeply grounded in gratitude for the Buddha, his life and example, and his teachings. The gathering invited reflection on the completion of the Buddha’s life of wisdom and compassion, and on the living presence of those qualities in the world today. During the service,…
Our Saturday, January 31, 2026 field trip to the Yale University Art Gallery was a rich and enjoyable afternoon of art, learning, and community. During our two-hour visit, we explored Buddhist art—especially the fascinating Gandharan tradition, with its blend of Greco-Roman and Buddhist influences—alongside works from Indonesian, Greco-Roman, and modern collections, including pieces by Picasso,…
On Saturday, January 17, 2026, from 6:00 to 7:30 PM, the Buddhist Faith Fellowship hosted a transformative Winter Sound Bath experience at the Mansfield Freeman Center in Middletown, CT, with the serene Shôyôan Teien Japanese Garden as our backdrop. Nearly 40 participants joined us in person for this restorative immersion, led by the gifted Kris…
On January 11, 2026, practitioners gathered from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. for our Beginning Anew Silent Retreat, held overlooking the serene Shoyoan Teien Zen Garden in Middletown, Connecticut. Participants shared that the retreat offered a meaningful way to begin the new year with intention, clarity, and care. In the closing reflection, many spoke of the…
We would like to give a special thanks for all those members and friends who participated in our Bodhi Holiday Season Food Drive, on December 21, 2025, which took place right after our Meditation & Talk Sunday Meeting, benefiting Amazing Grace Food Pantry in beautiful Middletown, CT. We had a good amount of non-perishable food…
Our Sunday morning field trip to Wadsworth Falls in Middletown, Connecticut , on October 19, 2025, was filled with soothing meditation practice next to the beautiful cascade, and the breathtaking beauty of a warm New England autumn. Our gathering began with silent sitting meditation by the magnificient waterfall, enhanced by the faint sizzle of ionized…
On Sunday morning, October 12, 2025, we hosted our annual Autumn Silent Simplicty Retreat at the Mansfield Freeman Center for East Asian Studies, Wesleyan University, in beautiful Middletown, Connecticut. It was 2.5 hours of listening and quiet sitting (zazen) and walking (kinhin) meditation, lead by our guiding Dharma Teacher, Rev. G.R. Lewis. The retreat started…
Our field trip to the Tibetan Cultural Festival 2025 in Redding, Connecticut was awesome. From eating traditional momos (dumplings) with fried rice, and drinking warm traditional butter and sweet teas to shopping for unique Tibetan items in the market place, watching the animal blessing, listening to the monks from Tibetan and Theravada traditions chant ancient…
This morning’s Mindful Bike Ride experience along the beautiful Hop River Trail was such a refreshing experience! The weather was perfect. A heartfelt thank you to Ruth for the wonderful ride, her thoughtful exchange truly enriched the journey. Grateful for the peaceful moments and connection found on two wheels today. Here’s to more mindful journeys…
This morning a few of us enjoyed a peaceful outdoor meditative experience under an ancient elm tree at the Wethersfield Green, in historic Old Wethersfield, Connecticut on August 24, 2025 We enjoyed a peaceful 30-minute seated meditation under the the open summer sky, surrounded by the shade of trees and the spacious green. This mindfulness…