[Online] Contemplative Arts: The Magnificent Display of Awake Mind
September 20, 2026 - October 24, 2027
Online
Date and Time Details:
Once a Month, on a Sunday
at 4 pm Atlantic/3 pm Eastern
Starting Sunday, Sept 20
Occasional Open Space Pop-Ups: workshops and presentations TBA
Location: DDL Online
Contact: Contemplative Arts - Kalapa Study Group
pithpathphet@gmail.com
Cost: This online series is offered free of charge.
If you feel inspired to contribute, we suggest $10 per session or $260 for the whole series.
- Free
- CAD $10.00 to CAD $260.00 – I feel inspired to contribute.
Live French & Spanish interpretation will be available for all “Main Stage” sessions
Une interprétation simultanée en français sera disponible pour toutes les sessions de la “Scène principale
Ofreceremos interpretación simultanea al castellano para las sesiones del ‘Escenario Principal’
If you want to change the culture, change the art.”
Art as a Path of Wakefulness
When Eastern wisdom traditions met Western artistic and scientific disciplines in the 1970s, a magnificent cultural explosion took place. Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche became the foremost champion of this movement, and Naropa Institute (now University) became one of its richest grounds for exploration and creative expression.
The Series will showcase professional artists who devoted themselves to the pursuit of mastery in the contemplative arts, both as the core of their artistic expression and as part of their spiritual path.
We will survey Japanese disciplines such as Ikebana, Kyudo, Bugaku and calligraphy, as well as contemporary Western arts including theatre, dance, music, poetry, film, design and photography.
| 1 | Cultivating an attitude of nonaggression and gentleness, with the intention to contribute something positive rather than polluting the world with one’s neurosis. |
| 2 | Tuning into a level of balance and wakefulness, therefore open to “first thought, best thought.” |
| 3 | Bringing together composure and decorum, which cuts through subconscious gossip. |
The artists appearing on the Main Stage have agreed to be interviewed about their understanding of the Pith of their discipline, the contours of their own Paths, and ways that others can engage with these disciplines. Wendell Beavers and Erika Berland will introduce the contemporary Western arts, and Marcia Shibata will introduce the Japanese disciplines.
| Explore the ARTIST lineup by visiting the contemplative arts webpage for this program ↗ |
Listen to Wendell Beavers and Marcia Shibata for a glimpse of the inspiration and intention behind the Online Contemplative Arts Series.
Confirmed Artists & Disciplines
All lectures take place Sundays at 4 pm Atlantic / 3 pm Eastern.
| Sept 20 | Wendell Beavers & Erika Berland Now & Then: Context & View |
| Oct 11 | Marcia Shibata Japanese Disciplines and Ikebana |
| Nov 15 | Barbara Dilley Dance and Movement Studies |
| Dec 13 | Herb Elsky Dharma Art |
| Jan 17 | Steve Gorn & Bill Douglas Music |
| Feb 21 | Lee Worley Theatre and Mudra |
| Mar 21 | Lanny Harrison & Steve Clorfeine Performance and Workshops |
| Apr 18 | Anne Waldman Writing and Poetry |
| May 16 | Gina Stick Design |
| Jun 13 | Ellen Korman Mains Kyudo |
| Jul 18 | Barbara Bash Calligraphy |
| Jul 18 | David Schneider Writing and Calligraphy |
| Aug 15 | Arawana Hayashi Bugaku and Dance |
| Sept 12 | Victress Hitchcock Film and Writing |
Pop-Ups
Pop-Ups are open spaces for artists to present whatever they wish—from music, poetry and tributes to galleries and cinematography.
| 2026 | |
| Oct 4 | Kevin Townley Author of Look, Look, Look, Look, Look Again |
| Nov 1 | Chögyam Trungpa Resources Arts and Aesthetics: Digital Resources |
| Dec 6 | Rachel Faro Music Meditation & the Creative Process |
| 2027 | |
| Jan 10 | Betsy Kenyon & Emily Waters Visual Arts Gallery |
| Feb 14 | Richard Rutkowski Cinematographer—Apple TV, Sugar |
| Mar 7 | David Schneider Poets Phillip Whalen and Gary Snyder |
| Apr 11 | John McQuade Nalanda Miksang gallery of teachers & students |
| May 2 | Jack Niland Tribute |
| June 27 | Cécile Daimez Visual Arts and Non-Agression |
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Discover More About the Artists
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The Kalapa Study Group is a civil-society, non-sectarian interest group committed to the preservation and realization of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s Kingdom of Shambhala teachings.
Categories : Featured Events, Online