GF Meditation Center

New Location

2011-04-10T19:13:00.000-07:00

New Address is

4361 Aitheson Rd. Beltsville, MD 20705

Office: 240.786.7528, 301.490.4404

We are moving to a new location!

2010-06-15T13:01:00.000-07:00

Hello, all!

We are glad to announce that Good Friends Meditation Center will move to a new location in Maryland this summer. Away from downtown, the new location is surrounded by woods and provides a better environment for meditation. In addition, there is an ample space for parking, so you don't have to worry about tickets any more! Please stay tuned for more updates. Thank you for your support!

Regards,
GFMC

A Lotus Lantern Ceremony on the Occasion of Buddha’s Birthday with Ven. Pomnyun Sunim

2010-04-27T11:50:00.000-07:00

We cordially invite you to a Lotus Lantern Ceremony, on the occasion of Buddha’s Birthday. The ceremony will be dedicated to peace in the Korean Peninsula and the World.

It will take place on Saturday, May 15th from 10:30-1pm & 2:20pm-4:40pm, in the Constitution Gardens just off the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Church of the Epiphany near the White House (please see the attached map).

Lighting a lantern on Buddha’s Birthday symbolizes the enlightenment of sentient beings through Buddha’s wisdom and compassion. As this year marks the 60th anniversary of the Korean War, we would like to call upon the wisdom and compassion of the world to bring an end to the war and bring about peace and reconciliation to the region.

The ceremony will consist of two parts. In Part I, everyone is invited to make their own lotus lanterns, as well as hear from Venerable Pomnyun and other luminaries. We will also feature traditional Korean merrymaking performances. For Part II, the venue is moved to the Church of the Epiphany near the White House. We will engage directly with Venerable Pomnyun in his renowned Q&A Dharma Talk, “Design Your Life with True Happiness,” which will be interpreted from Korean to English to encourage active participation from everyone.

We hope you can join us for this joyful and happy celebration on Buddha’s Birthday and look forward to seeing you on May 15th.

Sincerely yours,

=========================================================

A Lotus Lantern Ceremony on the Occasion of Buddha’s Birthday
-Dedicated to peace in the Korean Peninsula and the World-

Time: Saturday, May 15, 2010 (Buddhist Era 2554)
Venue: Constitution Gardens & The Church of the Epiphany

The 1st Event: Lotus Lantern Ceremony (10:00am-1:00pm)
// Master of Ceremony: Jihyun Kim, Interpreter: Jason Lim
Venue: Constitution Gardens (near the Vietnam War Memorial)

1. Pre-Ceremony: 10:00-11:00am
- Lotus Lantern Making
- Samulnori (Korean Traditional Music Performance)
2. Main Ceremony (11:00-12:00)
- Salpurichoom Silent Tribute
- The Prayer for the Departed
- Peace Message by Venerable Pomnyun Sunim
- Meditation Dedicated to Peace in the Korean Peninsula and the World
3. Merrymaking Performances (12:00-1:00)
- Janggu (Hourglass-shaped drum) Performance
- Seungmoo (Korean Traditional Dance)
- Singing
- Samulnori (Korean Traditional Music Performance)
- Lantern Parade (Chanting of “Shakyamuni Buddha”)

Break (1:00-2:20)
- A chance to visit the Korea War Memorial
- Change of venue for the 2nd event

The 2nd Event: Design Your Life with True Happiness (2:20pm-4:40pm)
Q & A Dharma Talk by Venerable Pomnyun Sunim
//Master of Ceremony: Spencer Yang, Interpreter: Jason Lim
Venue: The Church of the Epiphany
1317 G St. NW, Washington DC 20005

[Schedule]March/2010

2010-03-23T08:15:00.000-07:00

Meditation center will be open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays between 11:00am and 6:00pm.
Classes begin at 11:30am and finish at 5:30pm.
For details, please click the link under "Mediatation Program" on the left.

On May13th (Thursday), Ven. Pomnyun Sunim will lead evening class directly.
If you want to join this live class, please contact us.

Thank you.

Free Meditation Class with Venerable Pomnyun Sunim in Person

2010-02-20T13:15:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,
Good Friends Meditation Center (GFMC) is happy to announce that we will be offering a meditation class guided by Venerable Pomnyun Sunim in person.

GFMC was opened on November last year in Washington DC with the motto of “we will be good friends with all beings”. To promote peace and compassion in our mind in the heart city of the world, we offer mind cultivating meditation programs every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday with video guide by Venerable Pomnyun Sunim.

New to this year, we recently added an evening class offered last Friday of every month from 6:50 pm to 8:50 pm to accommodate those who would like to practice meditation after work.

On March 5, from 6:50pm to 9:00pm, Venerable Pomnyun Sunim will guide a free meditation class at GFMC in person. Join our “live” meditation program by Venerable Pomnyun Sunim and let peace in your mind become a way of life which brings compassion and harmony in our society.

Please RSVP by no later than March 3 to goodfriends.meditation@gmail.com.
Due to limited space and seats, this class is offered on a first come first served basis.
We look forward to seeing you on March 5.

Sincerely yours,
Good Friends Meditation Center

[Schedule]February/2010

2010-02-02T09:54:00.000-08:00

Meditation center will be open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays between 11:00am and 6:00pm.
Classes begin at 11:30am and finish at 5:30pm.
For details, please click the link under "Mediatation Program" on the left.

On February 26th, the last Friday of the month,
we have an evening class from 6:50 pm to 8:50 pm.
We plan to continue extended hours on the last Fridays of the month.

The first week's Fridady on March, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim will lead evening class directly.
Thank you.

[Schedule] January/2010

2010-01-02T10:03:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

Meditation center will be open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays
between 11:00am and 6:00pm.

Classes begin at 11:30am and finish at 5:30pm.
For details, please click the link under "Mediatation Program" on the left.

On January 29th, the last Friday of the month,
we have an evening class from 6:50 pm to 8:50 pm.
We plan to continue extended hours on the last Fridays of the month.

Thank you.

[Schedule] December/2009

2009-12-06T17:31:00.000-08:00

I. The 2nd and 3rd Week (Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday-8, 10, 11 / 15, 17, 18)

Meditation center will be open between 11:00am.-6:00pm,
and classes begins at 11:30am and finishes at 5:30pm.

II. The 4th and 5th week
Meditation center will be closed because of holiday week.

Invitation to Good Friends'Night (11/12/2009)

2009-11-05T10:11:00.001-08:00

Opening of Meditation Center in Washington DC
Dear Friends:

We would like to cordially invite you to Good Friends’ Night on Thursday, November 12. This is to celebrate the opening of Good Friends Meditation Center next to our office in DC.

Our motto is “We will be good friends with all beings”. In order to be good friends with all living beings, we first need to cultivate peaceful mind. One of the best ways to find the ultimate peace in our mind is meditation. This is why we are opening Good Friends Meditation Center at the heart of Washington DC. Anyone can walk in for meditation at anytime and find peace in their minds. Our mediation center is open to all visitors for free.

For the initial phase, we are going to open the meditation center every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday during 11:30am-5:30pm. Our staff will be at the reception to assist visitors with how to use the meditation room and answer basic questions regarding meditation. From next year, we will open the center every day during business hours.

1) Time: November 12th, 6:30pm – 8:30pm
2) Venue: Good Friends Meditation Center
734 15th St. NW. Suite # 525 Washington, DC
Tel. 202-824-0788
3) Parking: Parking space will be available along H St., 15th St., and New York Ave. after 6:30pm

Program of the Good Friends’ Night:
6:30 – 7:00 Greetings (Light dinner will be served)
7:00 – 7:15 Introduction of Good Friends’ work
7:15 – 7:45 How to do meditation (Video lecture of Ven.Pomnyun Sunim)
7:45 – 8:00 Launching of Good Friends Meditation Center / operational details
8:00 – 8:30 Q&A and sharing

Please RSVP by no later than November 10th to sanghee.jeong@gmail.com
We look forward to seeing you at Good Friends’ Night.

About US

2009-11-05T10:04:00.001-08:00

Good Friends is an International NGO for Peace, Human Rights and Refugees. Our offices are in Seoul, Washington, DC, and Maryland.

Motto of Good Friends is “We will be good friends with all beings”. In order to be good friends with all living beings, we first need to cultivate peaceful mind. One of the best ways to find the ultimate peace in our mind is meditation. This is why we are opening Good Friends Meditation Center at the heart of Washington DC. Anyone can walk in for meditation at anytime and find peace in their minds. Our mediation center is open to all visitors for free.

Meditation Program

2009-11-05T09:16:00.000-08:00

Good Friends Meditation Center

Hours: Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, 11am-6pm
The Last Friday of the Month, 11am-9pm
Video Meditation Guide: Ven. Pomnyun Sunim.

[Morning Program]

Program I (45min) starts at 11:30am-12:15p
- Video lecture: “Before Meditation” (20min)
- Meditation (20 min)
- Video lecture: “After Meditation” (5min)
Break (10 min)
Program II (50min) starts at 12:35pm
- Video lecture: “Short Guide to Meditation”(5 min)
- Meditation (20 min)
- Walking Meditation (5 min)
- Meditation (20 min)
Close at 1:25pm

[Afternoon Program]

Program I 3:30pm~4:25pm
Break (10 min)
Program II 4:35pm~5:25pm

*You can choose to participate in one of two programs
or in both programs.