What Would Buddha Do? Practical Teachings for Difficult Time

September 12th and 13th, 2026 at Cleveland Shambhala Meditation Center, Lakewood, Ohio.

What Would the Buddha Do? Practical Teachings for Difficult Times

The Buddha was explicit that aggression is never appropriate, whatever the provocation. This is often misunderstood as a call to passively accept oppression, greed, and violence. 
If we look closely at what the Buddha actually taught, however, we see a very different picture. We learn that we can oppose injustice from a ground of compassion and wisdom—more effectively, in fact, than by reacting to hatred with more aggression. 
In this weekend teaching, we’ll explore what the Buddha said and did in response to the turmoil of his own time and place. This timely program is designed for social justice advocates, political activists, and anyone else who feels called to work for a realistic end to the injustices currently infecting our world. The program includes talks, meditation instruction and practice, and many opportunities for discussion.

This hybrid retreat will meet on Saturday, September 12, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and Sunday, September 13, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
at the Cleveland Shambhala Meditation Center, as well as online via Zoom

For details of the retreat, and to register, please visit our website: https://cleveland.shambhala.org/program-details/?id=869371