Invitation to Freedom: Order of Awarezen Mitras (OAM) Ordination

The Order of Awarezen Mitras (OAM) is an innovative contemplative order traversing interspiritual and intercontemplative ground. We are a beloved community of contemplatives with a heart for spiritual awakening and transformation, both personally and collectively. We journey together with wisdom and compassion, emptiness and grace, experiencing the mysteriousness of life and embodying an ethical and meditative way of living for a divinely full present and a mindfully enlightened tomorrow — one that celebrates unity in diversity, plurality, and inclusivity. The word "Mitra" is Sanskrit for spiritual friend, semantically cognate with the heart of loving-kindness (Sanskrit: maitri). The invitation is open for all who feel drawn to this contemplative way of life to be part of our community.

We are simultaneously a Sangha (a Pali-Sanskrit Buddhist term for spiritual community) and an Ekklesia (a Greek Christian term for called-out or consecrated assembly). We are contemplatives belonging to Jesus from different faith and secular backgrounds. We believe that wisdom and goodness can be found in all authentic spiritual and secular humanistic traditions, where the Spirit blows as He wills and pours Himself out upon all flesh regardless of our dogmas and prejudices. We honour and respect all authentic spiritual teachers and pioneers across lineages and traditions, both Western and Asian. In particular, we revere the Buddha as a teacher of awakening par excellence. From the Pali-Agama teachings of Early Buddhist Tradition, through lineages of the Chan/Zen tradition, to the wisdoms of Indo-Tibetan Sutra, Tantra, Mahamudra and Dzogchen traditions, we embrace and celebrate them all in our everyday and retreat contemplative practice.

At this inaugural Ordination ceremony of our first OAM members, there will be a transmission of the Twelve Awareness Trainings of the OAM and essential pointing-out instructions serving as mind-to-mind Dharma transmission to our Ordainees. We will recite the OAM Contemplative Liturgy together, receiving the blessings and empowerment of Christ that this liturgical moment offers us. Ordainees will also receive their ordained OAM names, all of which for this inaugural ceremony will have the term "Dhamma-" prefixed to their names. For example, Ordainees may be given names such as Dhammanando, Dhammalayo, or Dhammasilo etc. 

You are warmly invited to join and be witnesses to this wonderfully significant event. We will be witnessing the inception of a prophetic and contemplative reform of the ekklesia and sangha alike, transcending man-made boundaries and fixed dogmas for a shared future of awakening, nonduality, and peace in the sanctifying journey of Christogenesis — God, cosmos, and humanity seamlessly yoked in cosmotheandric mystery.

RSVP for unique Zoom link. Our invitation from the heart to all who wish to be part of OAM remains open. Email chriskang@awarezen.com for Zoom link and expressions of interest to be ordained as an OAM contemplative.