What’s New At Insight Meditation Center

Earth Care Meeting: Developing a Community Activity

Earth Care Meeting: Developing a Community Activity

Saturday, March 29, 2025: 8:30 am — 10:00 am Topic: Developing a community activity Facilitated by: Ram Appalaraju With so many changes going on in the country and particularly regressive actions taken by the government on ecological issues, we as a community have an opportunity to respond. Let’s use our meeting time on 3/29 to brainstorm and develop a program/project that we all can contribute, learn and grow. Please come prepared with thoughts, ideas, proposals etc. We also want to…

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IMC 2025 Spring Newsletter is available

IMC 2025 Spring Newsletter is available

The IMC Spring 2025 Newsletter is available online. You can read past newsletters in PDF format on the Newsletter page of the Insight Meditation Center website. You can also find the Spring Schedule of Events — called the April to June Schedule of Events — under the CALENDAR link on the IMC website.

New On Zoom: Tuesday evening Sitting and Talk with IMC Dharma Leaders — Weekly starting Tuesday April 1

New On Zoom: Tuesday evening Sitting and Talk with IMC Dharma Leaders — Weekly starting Tuesday April 1

Tuesdays 7:00 – 8:15pm starting April 1, 2025 Offered by Various IMC Dharma Leaders On Zoom Please join us for this new weekly offering on Tuesday evenings, 7 to 8:15pm. Each online session will include a lightly guided 30-minute meditation, followed by a 30-minute Dharma talk and 15 minutes for questions and discussion. Join Zoom: https://tinyurl.com/TuesdayDharma Meeting ID: 893 3396 7495 ~ Passcode: 235226 Upcoming in April April 1 with Lisa Goddard April 8: with Paul Waters April 15 Ram…

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Sunday Apr 6: The Dharma of Children’s Books—A Program for Adults

Sunday Apr 6: The Dharma of Children’s Books—A Program for Adults

Sunday, April 6, 1-2:30 pm In person at IMC Offered by: Lauren Silver Much like Dharma stories, books written for children often convey important truths with a clarity and simplicity that speaks straight to the heart. And though most aren’t meant as Buddhist instruction, they often contain rich teachings about qualities such as mindfulness and compassion that resonate not just for children but for adults as well. Join us for a joyful afternoon as we introduce a number of wonderful…

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Saturday April 19: Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation Daylong Retreat with Kodo Conlin

Saturday April 19: Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation Daylong Retreat with Kodo Conlin

Saturday, April 19, 9:30am. – 4:30pm. In-person at IMC only Offered by: Kodo Conlin This daylong retreat will include guided meditations, dharma talks, and alternating periods of sitting and walking. Instructions and guidance on mindfulness of breathing, body, emotions, thoughts, and open attention will be provided. This is an opportunity to strengthen mindfulness, develop concentration, practice with the IMC community, and ask a teacher questions. Appropriate for beginners and those with more experience. Bring lunch. The program is offered freely,…

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Saturday April 26: Daylong with Gil Fronsdal

Saturday April 26: Daylong with Gil Fronsdal

Saturday, April 26, 8:30am. – 5:00pm. In-person only at IMC Offered by: Gil Fronsdal Practicing mindfulness on retreat is one of the foundations for maturing insight meditation. The simplicity, silence and support of retreats contribute to letting go of many of the distractions that get in the way of clear seeing. Retreats also are a wonderful environment for developing a continuity of awareness for an extended period. This particular daylong retreat is meant for people who already understand the basic…

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Sunday June 1: An Afternoon with the Metta Sutta with Kim Allen

Sunday June 1: An Afternoon with the Metta Sutta with Kim Allen

Sunday, June 1, 1:00pm. – 3:30pm. Hybrid: In-person at IMC and on Zoom Offered by: Kim Allen This session explores the Buddha’s teachings on Loving-Kindness from the Metta Sutta (Snp 1.8) in a variety of ways. We will practice radiation of metta through meditation, as well as contemplation and dialogue as we engage with the verses of the sutta. Mature metta practice expresses the quiet strength of wisdom and inner resolve. This session offers a chance to deepen or broaden…

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June 10 – July 9: Introduction to Mindfulness with Tom Fenner and Lydia Ridgway

June 10 – July 9: Introduction to Mindfulness with Tom Fenner and Lydia Ridgway

Four Tuesdays: June 10 – July 1: 2:00 – 3:30pm & One Wednesday: July 9: 2:00 – 3:30pm In-Person at IMC Offered by: Tom Fenner and Lydia Ridgway Mindfulness meditation, also known as insight meditation or vipassana, is a simple technique that concentrates and calms the mind. At the heart of mindfulness meditation is the practice of moment-to-moment observation which cultivates a clear, stable and non-judgmental awareness. While mindfulness practice can be highly effective in helping bring calm and clarity…

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Saturday June 14: Four Postures and Beyond: Mindfulness Meditation Daylong

Saturday June 14: Four Postures and Beyond: Mindfulness Meditation Daylong

Saturday, June 14, 9:30am. – 3:30pm. In-person at IMC only Offered by: Kim Allen Buddhist teachings emphasize abiding in mindfulness during meditation and throughout our daily activities. This daylong retreat includes instruction in all four meditation postures — sitting, walking, standing, and lying down. We will also practice mindfulness during speech and mindfulness of our thoughts. The day will include guided meditations, dharma teachings, and a short session of speaking in small groups. This daylong retreat is an opportunity to…

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Sunday June 29: Summer Potluck Picnic at Red Morton Park

Sunday June 29: Summer Potluck Picnic at Red Morton Park

Sunday, June 29, 11:00am. – 2:00pm. Location: Red Morton Park, Picnic Area #3 Join the IMC community to share friendship and favorite summer foods at IMC’s vegetarian potluck picnic. If possible, bring a vegetarian dish to share with 4–6 people. If you are unable to bring food, bring yourself! We’ll drive to Red Morton Park after the Dharma talk, DIRECTIONS FROM IMC: Head west on Hopkins Ave Turn left onto King St Turn right onto Jefferson Ave Turn Left onto…

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Friday, March 21- Mindfulness of Emotions: online daylong with IRC with Gil

Friday, March 21- Mindfulness of Emotions: online daylong with IRC with Gil

1 day Mindfulness of Emotions Online Daylong Retreat with Gil Fronsdal March 21, 2025,  Friday, 9:00 am (PT)  to 4:30 pm (PT) This daylong retreat will focus on mindfulness instructions for practicing with emotions. The day will include sitting and walking meditations, guided meditation, instructions and opportunities to ask questions of the instructor. The retreat will take place on IRC’s virtual Meditation Hall. After you apply, you will receive an email with a link to the website we use for our online retreats one…

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Ethical Sensitivity, essay by Gil Fronsdal

Ethical Sensitivity, essay by Gil Fronsdal

The ethical core of the Buddhist path is one of its most important features. Maturing on this path goes hand in hand with developing and strengthening this core. Ethics is about both behavior and motivation. Regarding behavior, ethics addresses some of the most challenging, interesting, and at times confusing aspects of our lives, including sex, money, security, power, truth, and questions of life and death. As for motivation, ethics addresses some of the most beautiful aspects of the human heart;…

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The Discourse on the Wheel-Turning Monarch

The Discourse on the Wheel-Turning Monarch

The early Buddhist Discourse that was the basis of the 2/9/25 Sunday  morning talk titled “Myths to Live By” can be find on the SuttaCentral website here. It is the 26th discourse in the collection called The Long Discourses of the Buddha. As it is a translation, feel free to change some of the translation choices in the myth told in the discourse. For example, you could read it to it is more  gender neutral, or have more inspiring near synonyms…

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Buddha’s Guidance to Rulers

Buddha’s Guidance to Rulers

Rulers honor, respect, and venerate the truth, have truth as their banner and guide. They provide just protection and security for their court, troops, aristocrats, assistants, brahmins and householders, towns people and country people, ascetics and brahmins, animals and birds. They do not let injustice prevail in the country. They provide support for the poor.                              — The Buddha (from the Great Monarch Sutta; Long Discourses 26)  

The success of IMC’s fundraiser for Save the Children

The success of IMC’s fundraiser for Save the Children

We can joyfully celebrate that the $70,000 goal for IMC’s fundraising drive for Save the Children has been achieved!  Because some donations where sent through IMC, we actually raised just over $100,000! Surpassing our goal is an even greater joy and further nourishes the care-giving attitude in all of us.  Thank you to all who donated!  If Save the Children can provide us with information for how they used our gift, we will report this here. Donations can still be…

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