Practicing in the Tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh
Welcome to Ahimsa Acres Sangha! Located near Cottage Grove, Oregon, we are practioners in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh and engaged Buddhism.
Our normal Sangha practice consists of meeting once a week to meditate and share how we are using the teachings in our day-to-day lives. We are not a “drop in” Sangha but prefer to have regular attendance in order to build community and build trust with each other so we can share on a deep level. Dale Lugenbehl serves as sangha leader. You may want to look at his blog, The Wisdom of the Buddha at www.ahimsaacres.blogspot.com to get an idea of what we are about. Our Sangha is part of Ahimsa Acres Educational Center, the website for which can be found at www.ahimsaacres.org You may contact us at ahimsaacres@gmail.com
Sangha activities include: instruction in mindfulness/vipassana meditation and other practices; regular weekly meditation practice and discussion/sharing regarding our experience using the practice in our day-to-day lives; recorded dharma talks; 1 day retreats; service work in keeping with the spirit of Thich Nhat Hanh and engaged Buddhism.
We are currently rebuilding our membership after losses due to concerns about Covid, members moving away, and a death. We are very interested in having new members!
About Dale Lugenbehl
Dale’s main influences in the Buddhist tradition have been Thich Nhat Hanh, Joseph Goldstein, Charlotte Beck, Eckart Tolle, Pema Chodron, Sharon Salzberg, and Jack Kornfield.
Dale grew up in the Los Angeles area, and attended college for 11 years after graduation from high school. For 3 years he attended California State Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo and studied architecture. After that, he studied at California State University at Long Beach (BA in art, BA in philosophy, MA in philosophy) and then at the University of California at San Diego (MA in philosophy) and doctoral study. His education also includes 31 years of Buddhist study, practice, meditation retreats, and sangha work.
For more than 40 years Dale has been a college and university teacher, teaching Western and Eastern philosophy. and meditation. In 1994, Dale moved to Oregon with wife Sandy Aldridge Lugenbehl, and started construction on their homestead which would eventually become Ahimsa Acres Educational Center www.ahimsaacres.org . Also that year, as a result of living simply, Dale and Sandy were able to become job independent.
Dale taught philosophy at Lane Community College in Eugene from 1995 to 2020, teaching Contemporary Moral Issues, Logic, Ethics, and Religions of China, Japan, and Southeast Asia. He also created and taught for seven years Buddhist Meditation Traditions: Principles and Practice, the first college credit Buddhist meditation class ever offered in Oregon. Other activities and interests include, writing for academic as well as popular periodicals, and offering guest talks and classes in the local community, as well as posting to a blog The Wisdom of the Buddha at https://ahimsaacres.blogspot.com/ He can be reached at ahimsaacres@gmail.com