What’s New At Insight Meditation Center

Family Retreat at Spirit Rock with Ajahn Pasanno, Gil Fronsdal, Betsy Rose and Heather Sundberg

Family Retreat at Spirit Rock with Ajahn Pasanno, Gil Fronsdal, Betsy Rose and Heather Sundberg

August 4-8, 2010 This five-day, four-night retreat is for families with children ages 5-15 and will include periods of family activities, young people’s groups, parent program and free time. Dharma activities include songs, stories, skits, games, art, time on the land, a campfire, council practice, parent discussions, meditation for parents and children, and dharma talks. See for more information

Vesak – Buddha’s Birthday Celebration with Gil Fronsdal

Vesak – Buddha’s Birthday Celebration with Gil Fronsdal

Sunday, May 23, 10-10:45am Vesak – Buddha’s Birthday Celebration. During the first part of the Sunday morning Dharma Talk, we will have a Vesak celebration to honor the Buddha’s birthday. Families with children are encouraged to attend.Come with cut flowers at 10:00 to decorate pagoda (in the IMC parking lot) 10:30 Procession into meditation hall for Buddha’s Birthday celebration.

Sati Center: The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching with Richard Shankman

Sati Center: The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching with Richard Shankman

A Day of Sutta Study on the Buddha’s First Three Discourses Friday, August 6, 9am to 5pm The entirety of the Buddha’s teaching is encapsulated in the first three discourses he delivered after his enlightenment. In this day of study we will cover all three suttas in detail, exploring how they weave together to inform each other and create a complete description of Dharma teaching and practice. Richard Shankman has been a meditator since 1970 and teaches at dharma centers…

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Introduction to Loving-kindness Meditation with Gil Fronsdal

Introduction to Loving-kindness Meditation with Gil Fronsdal

Wednesdays May 12 – June 2, 7:30-9:00 pm Loving-kindness meditation involves developing goodwill toward oneself and others. It is an important Buddhist practice in its own right, and it is a valuable compliment to mindfulness meditation. The practice brings many benefits, including greater self-understanding, goodwill, and inner stability. The four week series will systematically present the classic instruction for cultivating loving-kindness.

Healer Within – Wisdom Healing Qigong w/ Master Mingtong Gu

Healer Within – Wisdom Healing Qigong w/ Master Mingtong Gu

Sunday, May 9, 12:30pm – 4:30pm Wisdom Healing Qigong – activating life energy for self-healing and the healing of others…… Through gentle movement, visualization, sound and conscious intention, Qigong is an experiential way to address the underlying causes of life’s challenges, using the totality of the body and its connection with emotion, mind and spirit. We will share the skill and practice of transmitting chi for curing the incurable and healing others without depleting your own chi. It will enhance…

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“Passing It On” Authors’ Event

“Passing It On” Authors’ Event

Tuesday, March 23, 7:30 to 9pm Join the contributors to IMC’s latest publication “Passing It On” in an evening gathering. The authors will comment about their creative contributions and their practices. “Passing It On” is a collection of writing and art by lay practitioners connected with the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California.  It shows that helpful teaching can be found in the ordinary lives of lay practitioners.   The collection celebrates our everyday lives, but not in a way that…

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“Passing It On” is now available in print

“Passing It On” is now available in print

“Passing It On” is now available for purchase as a paperback at Amazon: “Passing It On” is a collection of writing and art by lay practitioners connected with the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California.  It shows that helpful teaching can be found in the ordinary lives of lay practitioners.   The collection celebrates our everyday lives, but not in a way that ignores its complexity. The personal essays, short stories, poetry, and art explore the challenges we face and the…

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Dharma Friends & Green Sangha Present: A Plastic Journey

Dharma Friends & Green Sangha Present: A Plastic Journey

Saturday, March 6, 1 to 4:30pm An Afternoon of Awareness and Environmental Action Plastics litter our streets and waterways, polluting the environment and killing wildlife.  Plastics are getting into our bodies, too.  Many of the chemicals used in plastics are associated with modern disorders such as asthma, cancer, diabetes, obesity, premature puberty, and reproductive failure. Green Sangha offers a mindful approach to environmental action.  Cultivating a foundation of inner peace and compassion, we can experience our work as a joyful…

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IMC Food Drive

IMC Food Drive

My name is Toren.  I am in 6th grade and go to Dharma Rocks at IMC. I have organized a food drive at IMC for Second Harvest Food Bank. If you like, when you come to IMC please consider bringing a donation for the food drive. Second Harvest prefers to receive canned food such as stew, soup, chili, vegetables, or fruit and low-sugar cereal, peanut butter, 100% fruit juices, and other non-perishable items. They ask that you do not donate…

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Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation with Gil Fronsdal

Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation with Gil Fronsdal

Six Wednesday Evenings, January 12 to February 16, 2011, 7:30 – 9pm Insight Meditation or Vipassana, is a simple technique, beginning with focusing the attention on the breath. The practice concentrates and calms the mind. At the heart of Insight Meditation is the practice of Mindfulness, a 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 to the pressures of daily life, it is…

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“Taking in the Good” with Rick Hanson

“Taking in the Good” with Rick Hanson

Saturday, August 7, 2010, 9:00am – 4:30pm Taking in the Good – Weaving Positive Emotions, Optimism, and Resilience into the Brain and Self Rick Hanson shows how to use the brain’s machinery of memory to get at the essence of beneficial change in the process of personal growth: the internalization of positive experiences. Drawing on recent discoveries about neuroplasticity, he will present a simple, four step process that weaves positive experiences into the structure of the brain and the fabric…

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Intensive Daylong Retreat with Gil Fronsdal

Intensive Daylong Retreat with Gil Fronsdal

Saturday, June 12, 2010, 6am – 9pm This is a great opportunity for a full day of immersion in silent Dharma Practice. 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. Fifteen minute Interviews with Gil…

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