What’s New At Insight Meditation Center

“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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Daylong Retreat with Gil Fronsdal

Daylong Retreat with Gil Fronsdal

Saturday, November 20, 2010, 9am to 4:30pm This is a daylong retreat with alternating periods of sitting and walking meditation, instruction in mindfulness practice, particularly in mindfulness of the body and a dharma talk. It is recommended for both beginners and experienced practitioners. No interviews. Bring lunch.

Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation Taught by Andrea Fella

Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation Taught by Andrea Fella

Five Wednesday Evenings March 24 to April 21, 2010, 7:30 to 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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An Evening with U Pyinya Zawta

An Evening with U Pyinya Zawta

Tuesday, February 16, 7:30 to 9pm Hosted by Alan Senauke of Clear View Project Short Meditation followed by a talk and discussions. Clear View Project has been working closely with several groups of activist monks inside Burma and in exile to support the monks, nuns and Burmese democracy movement. U Pyinya Zawta is Executive Director in Exile of the All Burma Monks’ Alliance, a leader of Burma’s Saffron Revolution in the autumn of 2007. In 2008, arriving in the United…

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Meditation Retreat Discussion with Kim McLaughlin, Megan Cowan & Jim Podolske

Meditation Retreat Discussion with Kim McLaughlin, Megan Cowan & Jim Podolske

Sunday, February 21, 2010, 11:15am to 12:30pm For those who have never sat a retreat, or those who have but are curious about extended retreat practice, experienced practitioners will discuss the following: • A typical retreat day, retreat “etiquette”, interviews, accommodations, food • Types of retreats: Vipassana, metta, monastic, study, abroad, self-retreat • Preparing for a retreat and post-retreat integration • Helpful hints Kim McLaughlin has been a student of insight meditation since 1987. Prior to that she practiced concentration…

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