What’s New At Insight Meditation Center

Non-residential Online Retreat with Andrea Fella

Non-residential Online Retreat with Andrea Fella

Awareness and Wisdom Integrated Home Retreat (Online Zoom format) Taught by Andrea Fella Inspired by the teachings of Sayadaw U Tejaniya. May 5-11, 2024 (Sunday through Saturday) with two online sessions daily Registration is required:To register, click on this Registration Form.  For questions, contact Yosh Haggerty at yosh@insightretreatcenter.org.  After registration, you will receive the retreat details, including Zoom link information. This retreat is designed to integrate our mindfulness practice with our everyday activities. During this weeklong online retreat we will…

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Online: The Heart of Burmese Buddhism Under Threat

Online: The Heart of Burmese Buddhism Under Threat

Sunday, January 21, 2024:  12:00 pm – 1:00 pm With Carol Wilson, Greg Scharf and Billy Ford on Zoom Burma has experienced more than 70 years of conflict, but nothing like the national inter-ethnic uprising that emerged after the military coup in February 2021. For the first time, many of the Bamar majority have risen up alongside ethnic minorities. The ongoing violence and strife has led to more than 2 million people being displaced, from all ethnicities and spiritual backgrounds, and an unprecedented spiritual…

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CANCELLED: Christmas Day Vegetarian Potluck

CANCELLED: Christmas Day Vegetarian Potluck

This event has been cancelled. Monday, December 25, 2023: 11:30am – 1:30pm In-person at IMC Hosted by Gloria Schulz Please bring a vegetarian dish to share. Both indoor and outdoor eating options will available. We will need help setting up and putting away tables and cleaning up afterwards, so come a little early if you are able to help.

Winter Solstice Walk in Edgewood Park — Thursday December 21

Winter Solstice Walk in Edgewood Park — Thursday December 21

Thursday, December 21, 2023: 11am Where: Let’s meet in the Edgewood Park parking lot at 11am for a 3+ mile hike. What: We will celebrate this celestial event walking through local ecosystems with some periods of silence bringing our awareness to the present, paying attention to our senses. There will be a time of sitting with a ritual and a gathering together. Join: Kristen Benson, a current Eco Buddist Chaplain cohort with Sati Center. A chaplain of the spiritual connection…

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December 9 Trudy Opitz Memorial

December 9 Trudy Opitz Memorial

Saturday, December 9⋅2:00 – 3:00pm At IMC In November, Trudy Opitz (b. 1934) died peacefully in bed in the middle of the night.  She was a longtime member and regular participant in our programs and events at IMC, including sitting many retreats at IRC, both residential and online. Her warmth and delight lit up many of our gatherings. Her sincere practice and reflections on the practice inspired many. She was known by most of the IMC teachers because of her wonderful…

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Joint Dharma Bodhis — Mindful Teens meeting — Sunday December 10

Joint Dharma Bodhis — Mindful Teens meeting — Sunday December 10

Sunday, December 10, 2023:  5:15 pm – 6:45 pm In-person at IMC We will combine the Mindful Teens Dharma Bodhis (6th – 8th graders) for our meeting on Sunday, December 10. Please RSVP if you plan to attend. For more information and to RSVP: FOR DHARMA BODHIS: Contact Hilary Borison at  IMC.familyprogram@gmail.com or 650-575-2052. FOR MINDFUL TEENS: Contact Laura Hansen at imcmindfulteens@gmail.com You can see more about The Mindful Teens and Dharma Bodhis programs on our Youth and Family Progems page.  

The Radiance of Emptiness: Mindfulness Meditation Daylong — Saturday December 16

The Radiance of Emptiness: Mindfulness Meditation Daylong — Saturday December 16

Saturday, December 16, 2023:  9:00 am – 4:00 pm In-person only at IMC Offered by Francisco Morillo Gable assisted by Sandra Sanabria The practices of emptiness in Early Buddhism are ways of mindfully emptying the heart and mind of obstructions to true joy, compassion and care. These practices create conditions for insightful stillness. Being empty allows our goodness to radiate freely. Our day will include guided meditations, dharma talks, and small group activities. This day will be 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….

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In-Person Half-day Mindfulness Meditation and Practice — Saturday December 9

In-Person Half-day Mindfulness Meditation and Practice — Saturday December 9

Saturday, December 9, 2023:  9:30 am – 12:15 pm In-person only at IMC Offered by: Tanya Wiser This half-day of mindfulness practice will include guided or lightly guided meditations, a brief dharma talk,  group discussion, and mindful activity. This is an opportunity to deepen your meditation and daily life practice, ask a teacher questions, and practice with other sangha members. Half-day Mindfulness meditation and practice are appropriate for beginners and those with more experience. Registration is not required. Bring lunch. Attendance…

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Middle Length Discourses Course with Gil and Diana Clark; New Sati Center Course

Middle Length Discourses Course with Gil and Diana Clark; New Sati Center Course

A one of a kind course that offers a deeper appreciation and understanding of this fundamental text of the Pāli Canon as well as an opportunity to deepen practice through studying the words and life of the Buddha. The Middle Length Discourses course with Gil Fronsdal and Diana Clark was originally held over Zoom beginning in the summer of 2021 and ran through May 2023. It consisted of 49 classes and covered approximately 50 suttas, or about a third, of…

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Jan 14: New Year Refuge and Precept Ceremony

Jan 14: New Year Refuge and Precept Ceremony

With Gil Fronsdal Sunday, January 14, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. At IMC, in person “Going for Refuge” and “Committing to the Precepts” are the two primary Buddhist rituals. These mark the start of residential insight retreats and initiate almost every other Buddhist ceremony. Everyone is invited to come to the January 14 ceremony, beginning the new year with a clear intention to have refuge and precepts be an integral part of one’s life for 2024. Gil will offer a…

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January 20, Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation Daylong Retreat with Kodo Conlin

January 20, Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation Daylong Retreat with Kodo Conlin

With Kodo Conlin Saturday, January 20, 2024⋅9:30am – 4:30pm In person at Insight Meditation Center 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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2024 Path of Fearlessness with Diana Clark and Tanya Wiser

2024 Path of Fearlessness with Diana Clark and Tanya Wiser

Saturdays 12:30pm – 3:30pm (Pacific time) Jan 27, Feb 24, Apr 13, May 25, Jun 29 and Aug 10, 2024 On Zoom Offered by: Diana Clark and Tanya Wiser In order to find real freedom it is important to practice right in the middle of our lives, including those areas that are unresolved, frightening, or painful. Often enough, it is easy for us to hear and practice Dharma teachings without knowing how to apply these to the deepest personal, emotional,…

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Mindfulness Meditation Daylong — Saturday November 18

Mindfulness Meditation Daylong — Saturday November 18

Saturday, November 18, 2023:  9:30 am – 4:30 pm In-person at IMC only Offered by: Mei Elliott This daylong retreat will include guided meditations, a dharma talk, and alternating periods of sitting and walking. Instructions and guidance on mindfulness of breathing, body, emotions, thoughts, and open attention will be provided. This daylong retreat is an opportunity to strengthen mindfulness, develop concentration, practice with the IMC community, and ask a teacher questions. This daylong is appropriate for beginners and those with more experience….

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Threshold Choir — Sunday November 12

Threshold Choir — Sunday November 12

Sunday, November 12, 2023:  1:00 pm – 2:00 pm In-person at IMC Members of the local Threshold Choir chapters will offer quiet, meditative a cappella singing at IMC on Sunday, November 12,  from 1 to 2 p.m. The mission of the Threshold Choir is to sing for people at the thresholds of life, especially those who are on hospice. There will be a zero gravity recliner chair available should anyone wish to experience what it’s like to be surrounded by soft,…

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CANCELLED: Half-Day Mindfulness Meditation Retreat — Saturday, November 11

CANCELLED: Half-Day Mindfulness Meditation Retreat — Saturday, November 11

Saturday, November 11, 2023: 9:30 am – 12:15 pm In-person only at IMC Offered by: Tanya Wiser This event has been cancelled. This half-day of mindfulness practice will include guided or lightly guided meditations, a brief dharma talk,  group discussion, and mindful activity. This is an opportunity to deepen your meditation and daily life practice, ask a teacher questions, and practice with other sangha members. Half-day Mindfulness meditation and practice are appropriate for beginners and those with more experience.  Registration…

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