Free Satsang in Vancouver, BC · Buddha Chair
The search ends
where seeing begins.
An invitation to sit together in presence, look into the nature of the self, and notice what remains when the search for something more comes to rest.
What is Buddha Chair?
Returning to a home
you never left
Buddha Chair is a free, in-person satsang in Vancouver for people who are curious about presence, the nature of identity, and the end of seeking.
We begin by sitting together in silence while I guide a self-inquiry, drawing attention out of thought and into stillness. Once the room has settled into a shared sense of presence, I offer the chair across from me to anyone who'd like to sit face to face in silent witnessing.
Nothing is added in that chair. Sitting in plain view of each other, the seeking mind tends to lose its footing. It can become obvious that nothing is actually missing, and that ideas like self and other are just that: ideas.
There is no technique to master and no belief to adopt. Nothing here is offered as a path to a better or more spiritual version of yourself.
You don't need to know anything about nonduality, Advaita or meditation to come. If you have explored those things for years, you are just as welcome.
- shaktipatSanskrit
- From śakti, power or energy, and pāta, descent. In Indian traditions, the awakening said to be kindled by a teacher's presence, look or touch.
- darshanSanskrit
- "Seeing" or "being seen." A meeting in person, often in silence.
Relevant terms
Buddha Chair borrows the spirit of these words, without asking anyone to take on a tradition.
The Evening
An evening, a room, a few chairs. An encounter with totality. Details to be confirmed
- Admission
- FreeDonations welcome, never expected.
- Where
- Vancouver, BCWest Side location to be confirmed.
- When
- Monday eveningsProposed: 7:45–9:00 p.m.
- Length
- About 75 minutesSilence, guided inquiry, then the chair.
- Group
- Small & intimateAn unhurried room, kept small on purpose.
- Experience
- None neededCome as you are. Nothing to prepare.
Buddha Chair is a free Vancouver satsang for nonduality and self-inquiry, planned for the West Side near Oakridge, Kerrisdale, Dunbar and Kitsilano. The first evenings are being planned now. Leave your email and you'll hear once a date and venue are confirmed. Registration will be requested so the room stays comfortable.
Register InterestThe Buddha Chair
A room full of stillness.
A chair with an open invitation.
What may happen
- We open in shared silence, and I guide a self-inquiry.
- Once the room has settled, I offer the chair across from me to anyone who wants it.
- Sitting there is face to face, silent witnessing. No words are needed.
- Everyone else rests in the same stillness. Staying in your seat is also a complete way to take part.
What isn't asked of you
- a requirement to sit in the chair.
- a performance, or the right thing to say.
- a teaching to believe or a practice to master.
The chair isn't a stage, and I'm not expecting anything of you. It's a place for us to look, together, at what is already fully here.
A note from Kyle
Kyle Hoobin
Facilitator · Founder of The Method School
In April 2002, after a long battle with depression, I went through a profound and irreversible shift in consciousness.
Today I work with people who are drawn to direct self-inquiry, looking closely at the sense of being a separate self and the patterns of seeking, resistance and identification that shape so much of ordinary experience.
I'm the author of The Method: 5 Inquiry Steps to Enlightenment, a direct, unsentimental map of the final stages of awakening, written for those who have exhausted every other path.
What I share isn't lineage-based, and it isn't therapy. It points to one thing: the end of seeking.
At Buddha Chair I'm not a guru, and I don't have anything you lack. At most, I'm a mirror for you without distortion. I sit in a chair, the same as everyone else in the room.
Kyle
Explore The Method SchoolFrom those who’ve sat with Kyle
“You never pushed or preached; you just kept gently pointing, sometimes with a word, sometimes with nothing but your presence, toward the truth that everything we’re searching for has been here all along… You didn’t give us something new. You helped us remember something we’d never lost.”
Ash
“Kyle is like a gentle stealth bomber from the ‘Stillness Squadron.’ No trace of deployment and yet the mission is complete.”
Kas
“It was oh so sublime to sit in the quiet… what we created together is still ringing in my heart.”
Amy
“Yes to the depth of stillness forged in the moment… Such a beautiful flow, simple being.”
Debbie
Questions
Before you come
Is this a meditation class?
Not in the usual sense. The evening opens with a guided self-inquiry to help the mind settle into silence, but nothing is taught as a technique to practise or get better at. The point is to look directly at what is already here.
Is this satsang?
In spirit, yes. Satsang is a Sanskrit word meaning roughly "being in the company of truth." In many traditions it describes people coming together in silence, conversation, or both, to look into what is real. Buddha Chair draws on that spirit in a plain, contemporary setting.
What happens in the Buddha Chair?
After the opening silence and guided self-inquiry, Kyle offers the seat in front of him to anyone who'd like it. You sit face to face, in silence, simply witnessing. There's nothing to say or do, and no particular result you're meant to reach. People often describe feelings of deep peace, release and insight.
Do I need previous experience?
None at all. Some people arrive after years of meditation, retreats or reading. Others have never been to anything like this. Both are equally at home here.
Is there a cost?
No. The evenings are free. There is no paid tier and no expectation to sign up for anything else. Donations are welcome: you'll find a dana bowl (dāna is the Pāli word for generosity) near the entrance for cash, and a QR code if you'd prefer to give electronically. You can also offer a donation online.
Do I have to speak or sit in the chair?
No. The time in the chair is silent, and it's always optional. You're free to stay in your seat for the whole evening and simply be part of the room.
Is this connected to a particular religion?
No. Words like shaktipat, darshan and satsang come from Indian traditions, and "Buddha" simply means "one who is awake." Buddha Chair isn't a Buddhist group and doesn't ask you to hold any belief. The name points to a quality of simple, awake presence that is open to anyone, not to a religious affiliation. People of any faith, or none, are welcome.
Is there satsang in Vancouver?
Yes. Buddha Chair is a free satsang in Vancouver, BC, led by Kyle Hoobin. The evenings bring together silence, guided self-inquiry and the Buddha Chair, and they welcome anyone interested in nonduality, Advaita, awakening or simply sitting in stillness with others. No previous experience is needed.
Where and when are the evenings held?
The first evenings are planned for Vancouver's West Side, proposed for Mondays from 7:45 to 9:00 p.m. The venue and dates aren't confirmed yet. Leave your email below and you'll be told as soon as they are.
An open invitation
You are welcome
exactly as you are.
No preparation. No special knowledge. No need to arrive as anything other than yourself.
If something here resonates, come and sit with us. I'll keep a chair open. Kyle