Changing Minds. Transforming Cities.
Our motto expresses the vision of living the transformative teachings of the Buddha in a contemporary context. At Urban Dharma, we strive to integrate rather than compartmentalize, engage rather than retreat, commune rather than isolate.
We believe that Buddhist teachings have much to offer—not only to those who self-identify as Buddhist, but more fundamentally to all who seek to live intentional, compassionate, and balanced lives. And we believe that we can do this best when we have a community that is welcoming, open, and supportive.
Stay tuned as Urban Dharma offers a number of special programs throughout the year. We regularly host visiting teachers, offer short multi-week courses on special topics, celebrate Buddhist holy days, and organize educational, artistic, and cultural programs that resonate with our vision and mission.
The best way to keep abreast of Urban Dharma events is to visit our Facebook page.
Upcoming Events
Urban Dharma hosts a number of special programs throughout the year. Some of these feature visiting teachers, some are multi-part, short-courses on special topics, celebrations of Buddhist holy days, and sometimes educational, art and cultural programs that resonate with the vision and mission of Urban Dharma. Visit our Facebook page for the most up-to-date event schedule.
Regular Wellness
Tuesday 10-11 am
*Healing Yoga (w/Linda Cammarata, RYT) *Taught by Emily Nichols until December
Tuesday 11 am-Noon
Healing Qigong (w/Linda Cammarata, RYT) *Taught by Emily Nichols until December
Tuesday 5:30-6:45 pm
Roots Yoga (w/Rich Fabio, RYT)
Wednesday 10:30-11:45 am
Meditative Qigong (w/Emily Nichols, RYT)
Thursday 10:30-11:45 am
Roots Qigong (w/Rich Fabio, RYT)
Regular Dharma
Last Sunday of month, 10-11 am
Meditation for the Young (secular, non-religious)
Tuesday 7:30-8:30 pm
Guided Calm-abiding Meditation (secular, non-religious)
Thursday 7:30-9 pm
Urban Dharma Open Sangha Night (guided meditation & open discussion on Buddhist teachings)
Friday 7-8:30 pm
Refuge Recovery (Buddhist-based addiction recovery group)
Saturday 3-4:30 pm
Open Practice & Service (Formal Buddhist service)
Sunday 6-7:30 pm
Refuge Recovery (Buddhist-based addiction recovery group)
Regional Buddhist Events
In line with our mission, Urban Dharma collaborates with other Buddhist groups in our area by hosting special community events. Among others, we have collaborated with Great Tree Zen Temple, Windhorse Zen Community, & Milarepa Ösel Chö Dzong (MOCD). Check in here from time to time, as we will highlight special programs offered by other Buddhist centers and groups in our area.
How we serve the community
Learn & Practice
Urban Dharma is focused on providing educational and spiritual support and training for those interested in the teachings of the Buddha. Although our spiritual director is grounded in the Tibetan tradition, Urban Dharma is home to several different practice groups and we host teachers and programs from various Buddhist traditions. We believe that Buddhist teachings have much to offer—not only to those who self-identify as Buddhist, but more fundamentally to all who seek to live intentional, compassionate, and balanced lives.
Temple & Sanctuary
Conveniently located across from the Grove Arcade in downtown Asheville, in the midst of an increasingly busy and hectic mountain city, our temple is a sanctuary and sacred space for all those seeking silence, inspiration, or solace. We offer a meditation space to rest the body and mind, a consecrated Buddhist shrine to experience the sacred and be blessed, a meeting place for friends to talk over tea, and an extensive library (upstairs) for studying Dharma.
Gifts, Books & Art
Our temple gallery offers quality gifts with hints of the exotic East, meditation-related items, sacred art and decor and a selection of books on Buddhism, spirituality and holistic living. Our offerings are specially selected from a much larger range of items that we offer at our online store Tibetan Spirit – a popular, online Buddhist practice supplies store, offering high-quality, yet affordable, Dharma supplies to practitioners and communities that do not have easy access to such items.
Small Rituals (Brian L.)
For a Buddhist, it can be disconcerting to walk through the Asian art wing of the Art Institute of Chicago. Eighth-century Bodhisattva statues flank the entrance to exhibition spaces filled with artifacts. Museum visitors stream by on the search for a famous Van Gogh or Matisse, barely turning their
Big Ideas (Ian P.)
One of the ways humans make sense of the world is by telling stories—to ourselves, about ourselves, about others. About where we came from and where we’re going. All too often, our focus on story—our insistence that there is one and that it go a certain way—interferes with our ability to exp
Uncertainty (Joel Q.)
The future is full of uncertainty. I have studied both law and natural systems and think often about the limits of what society will tolerate, of physics, of our biology. Given this preparation, my career will involve working with a series of uncertain outcomes....
Finding a Fresh Start (Aaron B.)
This of course is no easy task. I can moan about my apartment’s lousy Internet and I can worry that I’m not being social enough with my classmates. I have plenty of materials to craft a mundane life. But the truth is I came to Nepal to pursue the Buddhadharma; I came to pursue a change.