Events – Insight Meditation Center

Events

New Berkeley IMC Sitting Group starting Monday April 20th

Posted April 4, 2026 - Events, IMC Announcements

Mondays starting April 20, 2026: 7:00 – 8:30 pm In-person at Berkeley Finnish Hall Meeting Room: 1970 Chestnut St, Berkeley, CA Our IMC community is growing in the East Bay! We are starting a weekly sitting group in Berkeley. We will begin with a five-week Introduction to Meditation class taught by Yanli Wang and Lily Huang from April 20 – May 18. The weekly sitting group starts Monday May 25, after the intro class. Evenings will include a lightly…

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Starts Apr 5: 5-Month Series for People in their 30s and 40s

Posted March 30, 2026 - IMC Announcements, Special Events

Awake Together: The Middle Way for the Middle of Life: 5-Month Series for People in their 30s and 40s Five Sundays – April 5, May 24, June 21, July 19, and August 23, 2026: 1:30 – 3:30 pm In-person only at IMC Offered by Mei Elliott and Kodo Conlin This five-month in-person program offers an opportunity for people in their 30s and 40s to practice together in community. Each session will include meditation, dharma talks, discussion and activities that support…

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Saturday, Apr 11: LGBTQIA2S+ Half-Day Mindfulness Retreat with the IMC Queer Community and Tanya Wiser

Posted March 30, 2026 - Half-Day Retreats

Saturday April 11, 9:30 am – 1:30 pm In-person only at IMC Offered by: Tanya Wiser This half-day retreat offers a welcoming space for those who identify as LGBTQIA2S+. It’s a special opportunity for our community to come together in mindfulness, presence, and shared practice.The morning will include guided meditations, a silent sit, a short dharma talk, mindful activity, a group practice discussion, and time to enjoy lunch together in community. This is a chance to deepen your meditation practice,…

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Wednesdays, Apr 15 – May 7: Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation with Lydia Ridgway and Lauren Silver

Posted March 30, 2026 - Events, For Beginners

Five Wednesdays: April 15 – May 13, 2026: 7:00 – 8:30 pm In-person at IMC Offered by: Lydia Ridgway and Lauren Silver 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 to the pressures of daily life,…

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Thursdays 4/16 – 5/21: Mindful Self-Compassion Series with Hilary Borison

Posted March 30, 2026 - Events

Six-Week Series: 4/16 – 5/21. Thursdays, 6:30 – 8:00pm In-person at IMC Registration encouraged — see below. Mindfulness practice teaches us to be present in the moment with non-judgmental awareness, creating more ease with what is. However, many of us are plagued by judgments, often quite self-critical. We may find it’s much easier to have compassion for others than for ourselves. In this course, we learn to turn our compassion inwards, cultivating the conditions that allow us to accompany overwhelming…

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Starts Sunday Apr 26: In Chinese: 4-Month Series on Heart Qualities, 4月26日開始四個月的心靈品質（四梵度）課程

Posted March 30, 2026 - Special Events

A Journey into the Heart’s Natural Qualities 4-Month Series, on last Sunday of the month Four Sundays: April 26, May 31, June 28 & July 26, 2026, 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm Offered by: Lydia Ridgway and Yanli Wang In-person at IMC In Chinese (Mandarin) The Brahmavihāras—often translated as the “Divine Abodes”—are four beautiful qualities of the heart taught by the Buddha: loving-kindness, compassion, appreciative joy, and equanimity. These qualities are not something we have to create from scratch; they…

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Saturday May 2: Mindfulness of Thinking Daylong with Kodo Conlin

Posted March 30, 2026 - Daylong Retreats

Saturday, May 2, 9:30am – 4:00pm In-person only at IMC Part of a Series: Foundation in Freedom: Progressive Instruction in Mindfulness Meditation with Kodo Conlin and Ying Chen Offered by Kodo Conlin and Ying Chen Part and parcel of the Buddha’s path to liberation is the cultivation of mindfulness. Our Insight tradition is rich in ways to grow mindfulness in relationship with all aspects of our experience, no part left out. Let’s share in four Saturday daylong retreats for the…

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Sunday May 3: Vesak — Buddha’s Birthday Celebration during the Sunday Sit with Kim Allen

Posted March 30, 2026 - Special Events

Sunday, May 3, 2026, 9:25 – 10:45am In-person at IMC Vesak – Buddha’s Birthday Celebration Today’s meeting will include a Vesak celebration to honor the Buddha’s birthday. The adults will listen to the first part of the dharma talk and chant the refuges before the children join the sangha, bringing in the flower-laden pagoda to celebrate the Buddha’s birth. Families with children are encouraged to attend. Kids are welcome to come at 9:30 with a few flowers to decorate the…

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Saturday May 23: Intensive Daylong with bruni dávila

Posted March 30, 2026 - Daylong Retreats

May 23, 2026 6:00 am – 9:00 pm In-person only at IMC Offered by: bruni dávila 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…

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Monday May 25: IMC Cancer Survivors: Honoring Strength and Community with Ying Chen and Sylvie Leotin

Posted March 30, 2026 - Special Events

Monday, May 25, 2026 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm In-person at IMC Offered by: Ying Chen and Sylvie Leotin Join us for a special gathering of cancer survivors at IMC. Whether you are newly navigating survivorship or are many years beyond treatment, your presence is warmly welcome. There will be space for mingling, acknowledging, and celebrating the strength and resilience each of us carries. The gathering will begin with a brief guided meditation — a quiet moment to breathe and ground ourselves. Following this, we…

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Saturday May 30: Daylong Retreat on the Burmese Roots of Insight Meditation with Kristina Isberg and Peter Fenczik

Posted March 30, 2026 - Daylong Retreats

Saturday, May 30, 2026 9:30 am – 3:30 pm In-person only at IMC Offered by: Kristina Isberg and Peter Fenczik In this daylong retreat, we will explore the teachings of Burmese Vipassana teacher Mahasi Sayadaw through his foundational instructions on mental noting, walking meditation, and mindfulness of the four elements. This retreat is an opportunity to learn about Vipassana history, strengthen mindfulness and concentration, practice with the IMC community, and ask questions of the teachers. The day will include guided meditation,…

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Saturday Mar 7: Refining Our Meditation Practice Half-Day with Matthew Brensilver

Posted March 6, 2026 - Half-Day Retreats

Saturday, March 7, 9:00am – 1:00pm In-person only at IMC Offered by Matthew Brensilver Meditation is a subtle art, and even seemingly simple instructions are easy to misunderstand or misapply. We often repeat the same habits in meditation that operate in daily life. There is no endpoint at which we have finally understood the instructions and can simply go about implementing them. In other words, we are always discovering how to practice. During our time together, Matthew will provide a…

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Saturday Mar 14: Silent Mindfulness Daylong with bruni dávila

Posted March 3, 2026 - Daylong Retreats

Saturday March 14, 2026 8:30 am – 5:00 pm In-person only at IMC Offered by: bruni dávila 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…

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Friday Mar 20: Spring Equinox Walk in Edgewood Park with Kristen Benson

Posted March 3, 2026 - Events, other

Friday, March 20, 2026: 11:10 am Where: Let’s meet in the Edgewood Park parking lot on Edgewood Rd, San Carlos at 11:00 am for a 3+ mile hike — approximately 3 hours. 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, anEco Buddist Chaplain through…

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Saturday Mar 21: Mindfulness of Emotions Daylong with Ying Chen

Posted March 3, 2026 - Daylong Retreats

Saturday, March 21, 9:30am – 4:00pm In-person only at IMC Part of a Series: Foundation in Freedom: Progressive Instruction in Mindfulness Meditation with Kodo Conlin and Ying Chen Offered by Kodo Conlin and Ying Chen Part and parcel of the Buddha’s path to liberation is the cultivation of mindfulness. Our Insight tradition is rich in ways to grow mindfulness in relationship with all aspects of our experience, no part left out. Let’s share in four Saturday daylong retreats for the…

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