The Mindfulness Community of Hampton Roads was founded in May 1992. Its mission is to provide a sangha, or community, to support those who practice Buddhism in the Hampton Roads area. Although formation of the Mindfulness Community of Hampton Roads was inspired by the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh, it became evident soon after its inception that there was a need to expand its mission to embrace the support of practitioners from all Buddhist traditions. While our style of practice is based in the Vietnamese Zen tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh, many of our members practice in other Buddhist traditions. Our attitude is always one of respect for other Buddhist, as well as non-Buddhist, spiritual traditions and openness to their teachings.

All are welcome to join us in our practice. We meet on the first and third Sunday of each month in Norfolk, VA.   Click HERE for location and information.  Although basic meditation instruction is available for beginners, most of those in our group have received basic meditation instruction in some other context, and many continue to participate in meditation retreats in various traditions on some regular basis. Although we have established certain "ways of doing things" over the years, our traditions are not adhered to rigidly, and we are always evolving in our approach to practice as a community. Our practice is an "engaged" Buddhist practice, with an emphasis not only on formal meditation, but mindfulness-focused awareness throughout activities of everyday life. When one lives with awareness, the desire to bring joy to others and alleviate their suffering evolves naturally. To this end, our community has made the commitment to support worthy causes, and those who attend our meetings are encouraged to help support us in this effort.

We are guided in our practice by the Five Mindfulness Trainings, Thich Nhat Hanh's articulation of the traditional Five Precepts of Buddhism. Rather than trying to live rigidly in accord with these ethical standards, we strive to keep them in our awareness  as we are confronted with situations in our daily lives that may cause us suffering, or cause suffering to others. As time goes by, our awareness practice leads us naturally to live more and more in accord with these guidelines. We acknowledge, however, that  it is not possible to be perfect in our practice of these trainings; it is enough to strive in that direction. Many of us are also guided in our practice by the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings.