Creating Connection
Everyday Skills for Peaceful Dialogue
Friday, February 27, 2026
7:00pm–9:00pm PST (Pacific Standard Time)
in person and online
Program Category: Universal Education for Compassion and Wisdom
This is a hybrid event, and we are using the
Zoom video conferencing system
for online participants.
Please register below to receive your online access information.
By registering for this event, you understand that the
sessions may be recorded and published in the public
domain (such as YouTube), and consent to this process.
Our interactions with others can be a source of harmony or discord, so it is essential that we adopt skillful communication. In this session, we will explore foundational principles of nonviolence that support effective, empathic dialogue. Together, we will look at practical ways to navigate conflict and foster mindful, meaningful connection with those around us.
Don Handrick is a touring teacher for the FPMT,
sharing the Dharma with centers and study groups in North
America and other parts of the world, both in-person and
online. From 2006 through 2020, he served as the resident
teacher at
Thubten Norbu Ling,
in Santa Fe, NM. During
that time, he also taught regularly at Ksitigarbha Tibetan
Buddhist Center in Taos, NM, and volunteered for the
Liberation Prison Project,
teaching Buddhism once a month
at a prison in nearby Santa Rosa. Beginning in 2016, Don
became a touring teacher for half of each year, visiting
and teaching at other centers worldwide. Since 2012 he has
been an active member of the Interfaith Leadership
Alliance of Santa Fe.
Don has received teachings from many esteemed lamas in
the Tibetan Buddhist tradition including His Holiness the
Dalai Lama, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Ribur Rinpoche, Choden
Rinpoche, and Khensur Jampa Tegchok. In 1998 he attended
the FPMT's
Masters Program of Buddhist Studies in Sutra and Tantra,
a seven-year residential study program conducted at
Lama Tzong Khapa Institute
in Tuscany, Italy.
He completed all five subjects of this program in
2004, receiving an FPMT final certificate with high
honors. In 2015, he had the honor of being selected to
lead the renowned November Course, a one-month teaching
and meditation retreat held annually at Kopan Monastery in
Kathmandu, Nepal.
Registration
Suggested Donation: $50
Registration is required to receive your online access information.
All our Dharma teachings and events are offered on a
dana (generosity) basis
— in the spirit of giving freely, just
as the Buddha taught. This is a beautiful opportunity to support
the teachings and open your heart through generosity.
There is no charge to attend, and no one is turned away. While
teachings are free, your support helps keep the Center running
and makes these precious teachings available to others. We have
included suggested donation amounts to help guide your offering.
Ordained sangha are warmly welcome to attend free of charge.
If you are not able to donate at this time, please email
office@oceanofcompassion.org.
Thank you for joining in this shared act of support. We rejoice for you.