The Ancient Forest Sangha of Humboldt Bay is a small Buddhist sangha (community) in the Plum Village tradition of Vietnamese Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. We are located in Humboldt County, CA, in the heart of the ancient redwood forest. We were founded many years ago and then paused. We have been gathering together again in some format since early 2016.
We take refuge in the sangha by offering one another support on the path via our weekly meditation and dharma sharing meetings, days of mindfulness, book group and by practicing Thay’s* teachings on Buddhism and the art of mindful living together.
Sangha business is carried out by the Caretaking Council (CTC). The CTC meets quarterly, or more often if needed, to plan DOMs, make decisions about sangha activities, review sangha finances etc. Please email us if you are interested in learning more about the CTC.
New friends are warmly welcome to join us. We strive to be an open and inclusive community. We welcome thoughtful feedback that helps us identify ways in which we can be more inclusive and barriers to inclusivity in our sangha that we may not have recognized.
*Thich Nhat Hanh is affectionately referred to as Thay (“Tay”) for “teacher” by his students. “Thay” can also refer to any Buddhist teacher.
Our Teacher, Alexa Singer-Telles
Alexa Singer-Telles, True Silent Action, received lamp transmission as a dharma teacher from the Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh in Plum Village in 2014. After meeting Thay at a retreat for helping professionals in 1991, she co-founded a sangha in Redding, California. It has a thirty year history. Alexa is a practicing psychotherapist and the guiding teacher for several sanghas. She recently founded the MotherRoot Sangha in honor of the early women of Buddhism. She was guided to bring “the beauty of spirit into form” and so she includes the creative expression of poetry, SoulCollage®, writing, ritual and movement into her dharma teaching. Alexa is delighted to be sharing the Dharma with the vibrant Ancient Forest Sangha and has been doing so regularly since the beginning of 2021.
Alexa usually leads our sangha on the first Thursday of the month via Zoom, and in other activities such as Days of Mindfulness. She offers periodic trainings to sangha members who would like to facilitate regularly or as an occasional back-up. Although we have returned to in-person sangha meetings, we plan to continue a Zoom-only meeting once a month with Alexa.
Ancient Forest Sangha of Humboldt Bay 