DHARMA FRIENDS | How Not to Lose it Over the Holidays

Nov 19th, 2025
6:30–8:30 PM
Hybrid | Free (by Donation for ages 18–35)

CO-SPONSORED BY TARA MANDALA AND DHARMA GATES

 Dharma Teachings • Sketch Comedy • Live Music • Holiday Gift Market

Join DHARMA FRIENDS this fall for timely Dharma Teachings, Holiday Sketch Comedy, Live Music and a Holiday Gift Market!

Dharma teachers Megan Mook, Kevin Townley, and Lopön Karla Jackson-Brewer offer practical, down-to-earth Dharma teachings about navigating the holidays while we laugh at the collective lunacy of the holiday season through comedic sketches by comedians Neil D'Astolfo and Isabel Renner. 

After the event, join us for a holiday gift market curated by Tibet House plus live music by our resident musician Rob Ward (online participants are warmly invited to stay for the music)!

DHARMA FRIENDS is offered on a sliding scale for all ages, and is free / by donation for ages 18-35 through the generosity of Dharma Gates. 

Please consider purchasing a “Generosity Ticket,” which helps us offer discounted tickets for those in need, or a “Program Sponsorship Ticket,” which helps us offer dana to the teachers and guests who freely give their time.

Registration and online programming are generously supported by Tara Mandala. 

DHARMA TEACHER BIOS:
Megan Mook holds a Master’s in Buddhist Studies and is a long-term student of both Tibetan Buddhism and yoga. She offers retreats, pilgrimages, and classes worldwide. Learn more at meganmook.com 

Kevin Townley is a writer, performer, and meditation instructor whose work explores the intersection of Dharma and the arts. Learn more at kevintownley.nyc

Lopon Karla Jackson Brewer, M.S. is a senior Dharma teacher at Tara Mandala and an adjunct professor in the Women’s & Gender Studies Department and the Africana Studies Department at Rutgers.

November Artistic Guests

Rob Ward is a classically trained violist and the songwriter / lead vocalist for Food Will Win the War.  He creates “soundscapes” using processed field recordings, electronically synthesized sound, and live performance on traditional western instruments. He also performs drone-based solo viola compositions and improvisations.

Neil D'Astolfo (he/him) is a certified mindfulness meditation instructor based in New York City, where he is a professor at Pace University. With a Masters of Fine Art from Columbia, Neil is also an actor, comedian and writer for theater and television and is a house performer at The Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) Theatre in New York. neildastolfo.com

Isabel Renner is a performer and writer from New York City.  Her debut solo show Wyld Woman (written by and starring Isabel Renner) premiers in London this fall following rave reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2024.