New Year's Eve Sangha Gathering

The New Year's Eve Sangha Gathering is an online Buddhist gathering for people who want to close one year and open the next in the company of others who practice. It is led by Susan Morgan and Bill Morgan, and it takes place on the internet, so you can join from wherever you are. It suits anyone drawn to Dharma practice who would rather spend the turning of the year in community than alone.

What to Expect

The gathering is built around three simple elements: reflections, encouragement, and guided meditation. Together they give the evening a clear arc. You look back over the year that is ending, rest in meditation, and then turn toward what lies ahead.

The central intention is to bring your Dharma aspirations forward together. Rather than treating the new year as a list of personal resolutions, the gathering invites you to hold your deepest commitments in the company of a sangha, the community of practitioners that Buddhist traditions have long counted as one of the supports of the path. Hearing others voice their hopes, and being encouraged in your own, is a large part of what the time offers.

The meditation is guided, so you do not need to bring a developed practice of your own to take part. The setting is the threshold between two years, and the tone is meant to be reflective and supportive rather than celebratory in the usual New Year's Eve sense.

Leading the Gathering

Susan Morgan and Bill Morgan lead this online sangha gathering together. They also appear together as teachers in the wider program of Dharma retreats in which this gathering is listed, which includes both online and residential offerings.

Before You Go

Because this is an online event, there is no travel to arrange. Find a quiet place where you can sit comfortably, with a cushion or chair, and where you will not be disturbed while the meditation is guided. It can also help to think beforehand about the aspirations you would like to carry into the coming year, so that you arrive with something to bring to the circle.