FāVS News News and Commentary about Religion and Ethics in Eastern Washington and North Idaho
Residents of the Sravasti Abbey will break their three-month long silent meditation retreat on Mach 18 with Sharing the Dharma Day. The abbey, a Buddhist monastery, has set aside the day to explore how the Buddha’s teachings are relevant in today’s society. It will include a guided meditation and Dharma talk, a vegetarian potluck lunch, and facilitated discussion. Guests are invited to stay afterward for tours of the abbey’s property, meditation hall and Buddhist artwork. The first session begins at 9:45 a.m., lunch is at noon, and the program ends at 3 p.m. One Sunday a month the abbey opens its doors to people of all faiths and backgrounds who would like to know more about Buddhist teachings and share in a community celebration. More information on the program is available on the abbey website.
Tracy Simmons is an award-winning journalist specializing in religion reporting and digital entrepreneurship. In her approximate 20 years on the religion beat, Simmons has tucked a notepad in her pocket and found some of her favorite stories aboard cargo ships in New Jersey, on a police chase in Albuquerque, in dusty Texas church bell towers, on the streets of New York and in tent cities in Haiti. Simmons has worked as a multimedia journalist for newspapers across New Mexico, Texas, Connecticut and Washington. She is the executive director of SpokaneFāVS.com, a digital journalism start-up covering religion news and commentary in Spokane, Washington. She also writes for The Spokesman-Review and national publications. She is a Scholarly Assistant Professor of Journalism at Washington State University.
