=Welcome to Red Maple Sangha

The Red Maple Sangha is a lay community of Buddhist practitioners who share the Red Maple vow and purpose.

We are not affiliated with any teacher or group and do not identify with any particlar Dharma sect.

We support an open year-round practice spaces for anyone, regardless of their faith orientation, who wishes to learn about and practice in a traditional Dharma environment.

We are committed to providing a range of practice opportunities to allow all practitioners to decide on the forms, be they Buddhist or secular, that suit their growth.

We encourage all practitioners who participate in any RMS activity to explore the dharma widely and define a form of practice that suits their energy, understanding and strengths.

The RMS currently holds regular weekly periods of practice on Thursdays and Saturdays in Renfrew, as well as regular retreats and workshops.

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For a seasonal summary of recent and upcoming events, see our current Turning Leaf newsletter

For the general monthly practice schedule

For the latest details on current programming and the Reflections series, visit our Red Maple Keys Blog

For news on the peaceful mind group, see the bmindful Blog

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A Brief History of Red Maple

Dharma groups have often used rural locations in the Ottawa Valley for retreats, without establishing any consistent local practice space. Individual Dharma practitioners, affiliated with mostly Ottawa-based sanghas, have settled in eastern Ontario; but had no local presence.

In 2002, lay practitioner, Ray Parchelo, began a weekly Dharma study group in Almonte called The Turning Wheel Study Group. Then, in 2004, he founded the Red Maple Sangha to provide the first Ottawa Valley-based environment for the study and practice of Dharma.

By January 2005 a small sangha began weekly practice in Carleton Place. The first practice space was a shared studio space. Later that year, the RMS moved to its own space, named Danaloka, The Abode of Generosity, in honour of the Bodhisattva of Compassion, Kannon. From there it grew to offering twice weekly practice periods and a regular series of retreats and trainings.

In 2006, Red Maple decided to extend its commitment to practice into Renfrew County. It began offering workshops and retreats in Pembroke and in 2007 it offered a weekly practice session in Pembroke. In 2007 it established a permanent learning and practice environment, at Akashaloka, the Realm of All Possibilities, in an old log house, just outside of the Town of Renfrew. In 2008 it closed Danaloka in favour of members developing stronger home practice, limiting its Lanark activities to occasional workshops.

Today it holds twice weekly practice and regular workshops and retreats at Akashaloka. Outside the Valley, it has presented Dharma talks in Ottawa, Guelph and Fredericton. All RMS activities are offered to bring Dharma to rural practitioners and their communities in the Ottawa Valley.