Since we opened our doors in 1994, we have been committed to awakening the heart of great wisdom and compassion in the Twin Cities, and we can think of no better way to celebrate this heart-centered work than our upcoming 24-Hour Sit-A-Thon, which will be held at Clouds in Water (and via Zoom) from 10:30 am on Saturday, March 29th to 10:30am on Sunday, March 30th.
For 24 continual hours, our doors will be wide open to meditators in the Twin Cities in person and around the world online, where we will sit together for peace during this painful time in the world. We'll be ending the whole 24 hours by ringing 108 bells for a more just world.
Last year, we raised over $40,000 for the Zen Center and logged hundreds of hours of sitting for peace as a community, with meditators of all ages participating.
This year, we're going for 24 hours (our guiding teacher, Sosan, is meditating the WHOLE time!), and we have an incredibly generous donor who is offering to match every dollar raised this year and put it toward our mortgage! That means we can raise $50,000 to keep our center open and thriving while at the same time putting an additional $50,000 toward paying off our sanctuary in the heart of the city.
Why Support Our Work?
As Buddhists, when we sit, we actually sit for ALL beings. We believe in the ripple effect of this practice to bring more peace, love, and justice to our hurting planet. We know of no other practice that can meet what we're up against with such grace, resilience, courage, and tenderness.
From our services and classes throughout the week to our LGBTQ support, BIPOC sitting group, Racial Awareness Groups, Friday Night Zen, 12-Step Mindfulness Group, Youth & Family Program, and more, Clouds is passionate about creating and maintaining a thriving sangha that celebrates diversity. But we can’t do it without the generosity of people who believe that this ancient spiritual technology is vital, especially in these noisy, tumultuous times.
Your donation is tax-deductible and will go towards all things Clouds: programming, BIPOC sitting group, maintaining our beautiful space, community outreach, youth and family programming, and more.
The Sit-A-Thon is our biggest fundraiser of the year, but it’s more than a way to raise funds–we hope that through sitting together, inviting others in our lives to join or support us, and encouraging meditators throughout the city to participate, we’re reminding our community that Clouds is a much-needed refuge.
We are run primarily on donations and no one is turned away for lack of funds for any of our programming.
From our services and classes throughout the week to our LGBTQ support, BIPOC sitting group, Racial Awareness Groups, Friday Night Zen, 12-Step Mindfulness Group, Youth & Family Program, and more, Clouds is passionate about creating and maintaining a thriving sangha that celebrates diversity. But we can’t do it without the generosity of people who believe that this ancient spiritual technology is vital, especially in these noisy, tumultuous times.
We hope you join us at Clouds, or online via Zoom.
You can learn more about our work on our website - and feel free to email us with any questions you have.
🙏 May you be happy, healthy, safe, and at ease in 2025 and beyond!
Sosan and Ren's cat, Circe, having a quiet moment together during the 2024 Sit-A-Thon. 💗