Albuquerque Vipassana Sangha
Sangha History
As we have time and more information, we'll fill in more of the sangha
history here. If you have any suggestions or requests for the contents
of this page or if you have more precise dates or additional information,
please contact Wynette at richards
cs.unm.edu. Thanks!
Teachers
- Long-term resident teachers:
- Eric Kolvig: Eric visits our sangha
monthly and has done so since 2005. He was also our teacher between
1997 and 1999. During those years, he was the resident teacher
for the Santa Fe and Albuquerque sanghas. Eric now lives
in northern New Mexico. In mid-2005, he started traveling
to Albuquerque about once a month to sit with us and give a
dharma talk. He continues to join us nearly every month.
- Shaila
Catherine:
Shaila was resident teacher for the Santa Fe and Albuquerque sanghas
from September 2001 through July 2003.
- Others: We have had many many other wonderful teachers join us for talks,
retreats, and residencies. See links in the Activities section
below for details.
Activities
Where and When
- Members' Homes: In 1988 or thereabouts, Joan Granger sent a
letter to people in the Albuquerque area who were on the IMS mailing list,
inviting them to join her in starting a vipassana sitting group in
Albuquerque. The sangha was formed from that first meeting at
her home. We met in members' homes, on Sunday nights, for approximately
9 years. A Tuesday night sitting group also met for a few years during
this period.
- Unitarian Church: In 1997, Eric Kolvig moved to Santa Fe and
was teacher for both the Santa Fe and Albuquerque sanghas. During that
time we started meeting on Thursday nights in a large room at the
Unitarian Church on Carlisle.
- Adelante: In 1999 (or thereabouts), when the Unitarians needed
to reclaim our meeting room for a remodeling project, sangha member
Mike Kivitz, director of Adelante Development Center, graciously
allowed us to meet at the Adelante headquarters on Balloon Park
Road. We met there on Thursday nights for approximately 2 years.
- Nahalot Shalom: In 2001, after we had outgrown the meeting room
at Adelante, we moved to Nahalot Shalom, a Jewish synagogue on Rio Grande
Blvd. We met there for 9 months.
- The Wat: In 2002, the monks at the
Wat, 145 Madison NE, where we currently meet, generously allowed us
to use their temple for our meetings. They have been wonderful dharma
friends and host for our sangha.
Non-Profit Corporation
- Incorporation: In June 1999, the Albuquerque Vipassana Sangha received its official
Certificate of Incorporation from the State of New Mexico.
See Non-Profit Corporation.
- Tax-Exempt Status: In June 2000, we received tax-exempt status from the IRS.
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