Who We Are
Great River Tendai Sangha is a branch of the Tendai Buddhist Institute. We serve the diverse communities of greater Washington, DC, Northern Virginia, and Maryland.
Our Mission
We offer opportunities for laypeople to integrate the Tendai Buddhist tenets of wisdom, compassion, and skillful conduct into householder life through group practice and activities.
What We Do
We promote peace, well-being, and spiritual awakening by promoting the cultivation of the innate Buddha-qualities in all who join in. To do this, we:
1. welcome all members of the local community with an open-door policy and a spirit of inclusion. We recognize and affirm the capacity for awakening that is latent in all without exception and without discrimination.
2. create and maintain a culture dedicated to upholding Buddhist conduct in everyday life in order to meet the changing needs of our members and community.
3. hold regularly-scheduled meditation and chanting services, and occasional retreats and social gatherings to encourage sangha collaboration and cohesion.
4. grow methodically to become more and more capable of service and leadership in our region. We do not seek worldly fame or wealth for its own sake; we seek to develop in line with our core values.
5. participate in initiatives by which a more just, peaceful, and spiritually-fulfilling society may become possible.
6. provide pastoral services to a growing Buddhist and interfaith fellowship with a non-consumerist, family oriented emphasis.
7. offer an open space for inquiry, questioning, and critique in a spirit of openness and pluralism. We do not proselytize.
8. actively offer comfort and rest to those in need.
9. operate democratically and in a socially and environmentally-responsible manner to the best of our ability.