“Some men see things as they are and ask why. I dream of things that never were and ask why not.” Robert Kennedy
The St. Mark’s Meditation Center is a partnership of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and the Insight Meditation Community of Washington. We endeavor to create a peaceful presence in the world, based on compassionate action, loving-kindness, and mindfulness. It is a place where we may be strengthened for service to others and to the world.
The center’s sangha (community) meets regularly on Monday evenings from 7:30 – 9:00 PM in the Adams Room of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 3rd & A Streets, SE in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Our weekly program begins with about 30-40 minutes of lightly-guided meditation, followed by a “dharma talk” and group discussion. We welcome newcomers to our community and hope you will consider joining us.
If you’re planning a first-time visit, please consider arriving between 7:15 and 7:25 to meet with regular attendees for informal conversations and questions about the sangha (our meditation community) and/ or practice. Early arrival also helps to get settled and transition to a new environment.
No RSVPs or prior notice are required.
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About Us
History
During the summer of 2005, our rector at St. Mark’s was on sabbatical. Tara Brach gave one of the guest sermons in his absence.
St. Mark’s is a very active church, filled with energy and discussion. But it is not a quiet place. Charles – Collie – Agle felt it would be great to explore the idea of creating a meditation presence at St. Mark’s. Shortly after Tara’s sermon, he phoned up a friend, John McIlwain, a former member of St. Mark’s and more recently on the Board of Directors of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington (IMCW), about the idea.
In the early days, Jonathan Foust was the guiding teacher. He, with the help of Tara, established the weekly calendar of subjects and undertook a large part of the teaching.
Other guiding teachers have been John McIlwain and Mary Aubry, also a senior teacher at IMCW. Somewhere around 2011, the St. Mark’s Meditation Center (SMMC) became a fully-functioning, chartered part of St. Mark’s, and remains so. The SMMC is also considered to be a part of the church, and not separate from it.
in 2016, our group moved from St. Mark’s beautiful nave down to the Adams Room on the lower level. The main reason for this was to foster community. The Adams Room proved a less formal setting and one where we could sit facing each other in a circle.
In an effort to formalize, the SMMC Steering Committee worked with the Sangha as a whole to develop a Vision, Mission, and Core Values statements.
Vision
That all beings awaken to their true nature and embody expressions of love, service, community, and peace.
Mission
To create a supportive environment where members of the community:
- Explore Buddhist and other contemplative teachings
- Cultivate awareness through mindfulness meditation, and
- Nurture skillful engagement with the world.
Core Values
St Mark’s Meditation Center:
- Embraces the qualities of loving-kindness, compassion, and generosity among all beings
- Supports and builds community that is harmonious, inclusive and nurturing
- Acknowledges and respects the full range of religious faiths and spiritual beliefs
- Celebrates and strengthens personal development that awakens and empowers.
Teachers
Patrick Hamilton, Teacher
Patrick is a practicing Theravada Buddhist since 1965. He has been a student of Ven. H. Gunaratana since their first meeting in 1970. He has also been privileged to study with Ven. Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Ven. Geshe Lhundup Sopa, Ven. Y. Rahula, Ven. K Uparatana, and Ven. Sobhana Bhikkhuni.
Patrick’s doctoral work focused on Contemporary Developments in Theravada Buddhism/Sri Lanka. He visits Sri Lanka frequently and maintains good relations with the numerous emerging meditation centers there. Patrick left a career as a South Asian Policy Analyst with the U.S. Government in 2008 to focus on his work with the Sackler/Freer Gallery, Capitol Hill Village, Food & Friends, Machik, and YindaYin.
As a founding Board Member of the Bhavana Forest Monastery and Retreat Center, Patrick encourages urban meditators to experience the forest tradition and deepen their practice of traditional Vipassana.
Charles “Collie” Agle, Teacher
Collie is a long-time member of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and one of the founders and principal teachers within St. Mark’s Meditation Center.
Since its founding, the Center has become an active and growing Sangha. With the structure of the Center, Collie has led on Monday nights and developed and taught courses that range from basic meditation techniques to dependent co-arising. He is committed to exploring issues, with the insight teaching framework, of privilege and exclusion, wilderness meditation, interbeing, and climate change.
Collie has two longstanding aspirations: to help others, including himself, awaken to their essential Buddha nature that is within; and, through that process of awakening, find a path of engagement in the larger world.
A graduate of the Meditation Teacher Training Institute (MTTI), Collie is grateful for the wisdom, kindness, and insight of Tara, Jonathan, Hugh, and Pat, all of whom remain mentors.
Collie lives on Capitol Hill with Betsy, his wife of 50 years.
Questions?
For any questions related to meditation or the St. Mark’s Meditation Center and its various programming, please send email us at stmarksmeditation@gmail.com
Sign-up for our weekly program e-mail newsletter!
Our newsletter is typically sent out on Fridays and provides details about the teacher and topic for the upcoming Monday night meditation program. This e-mail may also include specific information about the community, our meeting space, or special activities outside of our normal Monday night program.