Candlelight Meditation & Vigil
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From the venue:
About this event
1 hour 30 minutes
Summary:This unique event will give you the opportunity to both cultivate inner peace with a meditation guided by Buddhist monks and honor your departed loved ones by sharing this positive energy with them during this special outdoor candlelight meditation and vigil. This combination of activities is very powerful to help process grief and loss amongst a supportive community and also just witness and be a part of a beautiful enchanted evening of peace and healing. Although not mandatory, you have the option to place a picture of a departed loved one on our memorial structure. This event is free and open to all ages. For more details, see the schedule below.
The Teaching Monks: Venerable Michael (an Atlanta native) and Venerable Nick (a San Diego native) will be in town to run and guide this event. If you would like to get to know them or take a look at the YouTube videos, guided meditations, books, and many other spiritual resources they have created, you can do so with this link.
Ticket Options: this event is free of charge. However, all of the costs of materials including candles, lighters, food, drink, and other expenses involved in running these events are supported by donations from others. If you would like to pay forward the generosity of the donors who have come before you and enabled us to run a free event, you can become a “Pay It Forward Patron” by selecting that ticket option, or you can make a donation of another amount by choosing the donation option. But if your situation does not allow for a donation, then it is completely fine to select the free option. Thank you for your kindness that will enable us to sustainably offer these types of free events into the future 
SCHEDULE
7:30 PM - people should try to arrive around this point in order to socialize, have some complimentary snacks/refreshments, and start to find their seats on the lawn while we have some peaceful music playing in the background. During this time will give everyone the opportunity who wants to place a picture or write the name of their departed loved ones on our memorial structure. As it gets closer to 8pm, the emcee will invite everyone to be seated as the Buddhist monks take their seats on the stage in order to officially start the candle lighting and meditation.
8:00 PM - everyone will light their candles and be guided in meditation followed by spreading of loving-kindness, prayers, and positive energy to departed loved ones and to the whole world in order to promote world peace through inner peace.
9:00 PM - after the end of the meditation, there will be some parting words shared before the end of the program at 9PM or a little bit earlier. At this point, everyone will be given the opportunity to make a wish or pray for their departed loved ones and then light a floating lotus candle that they will be able to place in the pool of water that will be situated in front of the memorial structure to honor the departed. Everyone is welcome to stay a little bit longer to socialize, have some refreshments, and enjoy the peaceful music and magical atmosphere of the candlelight and decorated trees under the night sky.
(Optional) Bringing a Picture of a Departed Loved One
If you have a loved one who has passed away and you would like to commemorate them during the candlelight vigil/meditation, then you may bring a picture of them to place upon the shrine that we will create. We will have 4x6 picture frames stands that you can borrow in the event that you would like to print your photo and do not have a frame. If you have a framed photo, you can place that on the memorial structure as well. However, if you would just prefer to write the name of your loved one on a slip of paper and place it on the shrine, this is also an option.
Please note that this is a public event and pictures will be taken so those in attendance can enjoy them afterwards and also to help spreading the word about future events.
The video below is from an outdoor candlelight event we did at our center last year. The other pictures are similar events that the monks have done both at our center and other locations as well.