Welcome to the Heartwood Sangha!

We are a group of practitioners and students dedicated to bringing the buddhadharma into the our modern American culture in accessible, relevant, and creative ways. Whether you are new to Buddhism and looking for guidance along a path that can lead to less suffering in your life and the world, or you are a more experienced practitioner seeking companions with whom you can share your journey, you will find our sangha warm, welcoming and supportive no matter where you are in your own spiritual development.

History

Meditation and spiritual awakening have been an integral part of the Heartwood vision since its inception.  Our meditation center was founded in 1999 under the guidance of His Holiness Penor Rinpoche, making it one of the longest-running continuously active meditation programs in the Chicagoland area. Meditation and study is led by Nancy Floy and Larry Akey. In addition, over the years, we have been blessed by an array of visiting teachers from a variety of Buddhist and other spiritual traditions.

Vision

Our sangha is open, inclusive and community-oriented. We believe the practice of dharma should be personally relevant and socially engaged. We are committed to creating a harmonious environment for practice and study, offering unique and inspiring programs from a variety of teachers and wisdom traditions, and providing relevant study materials and opportunities for practitioners of all levels.

Although our teachings and practices emphasize the innate openness, clarity and compassion of one’s inherent basic nature (as transmitted in the Mahamudra and Dzogchen traditions of Tibet), we intend to work with a number of other teachings and texts — both classical and modern — that will provide us with a firm grounding in Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism. We seek to integrate our practice into the joys and challenges of daily life.

We believe in shared leadership, transparency and accountability. We seek to uphold the ethical responsibility inherent in the Buddhist path that directs us to refrain from committing harm, including all forms of abuses of power — physical, emotional, sexual and financial.

“There are 84,000 Doors to Enlightenment” – Khuddaka Nikaya

Mission

Our mission is to encourage and strengthen the causes of happiness and liberation, both in ourselves and for all sentient beings. Using tools the Buddha offered, we provide a genuine path to a more open, kind, and full life. To that end, we offer mindfulness practices and teachings on wisdom and compassion from Buddhist and other spiritual traditions. We provide regular classes each Friday and Sunday, meditation opportunities (including daylong, weekend and week-long retreats), public talks and teachings, and study programs in our shrine room in Evanston for the benefit of the entire Chicagoland area.

We at Heartwood are deeply saddened by the many reports of abuses of power by Gurus in Tibetan Buddhism such as Shambhala and Rigpa. We offer Heartwood as a sanctuary and safe place for any survivor of Guru or teacher abuse and have services available to help. Please contact Nancy Floy 847-491-9858 for further information. Heartwood is a 501c3 non profit.  All donations are tax deductible.