BUDDHAFEST
June 20 - 23
A Festival for Heart + Mind
FILMS TALKS MEDITATION MUSIC
Featuring Leading Teachers & Speakers:
Robert Thurman, Sharon Salzberg, Khen Rinpoche Lobzang Tsetan, Venerable Pannavati Bhikkhuni, Rev. Marilyn Sewell, Ruth King, Anand Mehrotra, Marianne Elliott and HeatherAsh Amara
BuddhaFest is a 4-day festival inspired by the Buddhist practices of mindfulness, compassion and meditation. It's held at Artisphere in Rosslyn, VA, just outside Washington, DC. Last year's festival filled over 4,000 seats, and almost all events sold out. PLEASE GET YOUR TICKETS EARLY.
Artisphere is conveniently located just off Route 66 and the George Washington Memorial Parkway, near the Key Bridge. It's two blocks from the Rosslyn Metro, and parking is free.
Festival Partner: Tricycle

A Rare Opportunity to See Robert Thurman and Sharon Salzberg Together in the DC Area
"Buddhism: A Joyous Science of
Kindness and Wisdom"
Six Films
Five Filmmakers
Six Spiritual Talks
Three Musical Performances
+ Tibet Fest
See Event Descriptions + Trailers Here
Opening Night
One Track Heart: The Story of Krishna Das
Gaura Vani Performs Live after the Film
ONE TRACK HEART director Jeremy Frindel introduces the film. Kirtan artist Gaura Vani closes out the evening with a live musical performance.
Friday Night:
Getting to the Heart of Courage
Venerable Pannavati Bhikkhuni and Ruth King open the evening with wisdom and wit in their talk, "Fierce Compassion & Daring Hearts." Then we bring you a spiritual adventiure story set in the highest hills of the Himalayas, a harrowing motorcycle trip that forces its riders to confront their fears - and to better understand courage.
The Highest Pass producer Adam Schomer and Anand Mehrotra from the film take questions from the audience after the screening.
An Inspiring Closing Night Presentation
"Touching, awe-inspiring... At their best, this is what movies can do." - Rory Aronsky, Movie Gazette Online
Rev. Marilyn Sewell from the film introduces RAW FAITH. Afterwards, she shares insights from a remarkable two-year spiritual journey, during which she questioned her future, her difficult past, her God, and most importantly, her ability to love. The evening closes with a musical performance by Ambika Cooper and Jeremy Frindel, director of our opening night film, ONE TRACK HEART.
New This Year!
Join Us for Tibet Fest
Saturday, June 22, 3:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Artisphere Ballroom
New at the festival this year is Tibet Fest. Come hang out with us and our Tibetan friends as we set up camp inside the ballroom at Artisphere. Tibet Fest is a family friendly event inspired by Tibetan Buddhist culture and the global concern for its survival inside Tibet.
Come share in the food, dance, music and spirit of Tibet. Experience and explore the rich traditions of Tibetan culture through an afternoon of activities for the whole family -- including making prayer flags, and creating birthday cards to send to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. There will be special performances from the stage, as well as a Tibetan market so you can take home a piece of Tibetan culture.
Free admission for children 12 and under.
Presented in partnership with International Campaign for Tibet and Capital Area Tibetan Association.
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An Evening of Sacred Music
The GuruGanesha Band in Concert
Saturday, June 22, 8 pm
Spectrum Theatre
Doors open at 7:30
The GuruGanesha Band delivers a unique blend of kirtan, raga, rock and deeply meditative folk music. Their vocals are a group effort, with plenty of rich two and three part harmonies, plus knockout lead vocals by Paloma Devi, who will blow you away with her powerful voice and soulful presence. We've seen their shows twice now, and we just loved them.
The audience is fully encouraged to participate, whether singing along, dancing joyfully in the aisles, or simply sitting in meditative resonance with the music. Come share a magical evening that will transport you into higher realms. This is going to be a real treat!
New video just released by the GuruGanesha Band
See Event Descriptions + Trailers Here
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THANK YOU BUDDHAFEST SPONSORS
Insight Meditation Community of Washington





