Special Events – Insight Meditation Center

Special Events

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…

Read More Read More

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…

Read More Read More

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…

Read More Read More

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…

Read More Read More

Summer Potluck Picnic at Red Morton Park — Sunday May 26

Posted May 13, 2024 - Events, Special Events

Sunday, May 26, 2024: 11:00 am – 2:00 pm Location: Red Morton Park, 1120 Roosevelt Ave, Redwood City, CA Picnic Area #1— near the entrance to the parking lot on Valota Road 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:…

Read More Read More

IRC Online Retreats — Online Retreat Sangha Gathering with Gil Fronsdal — Sunday May 5

Posted April 23, 2024 - Special Events

Sunday, May 5, 2024: 11:30 am – 12:30 pm On Zoom, Hosted by the Insight Retreat Center with Gil Fronsdal Everyone involved or interested in IRC’s online retreats is invited to an Online Sangha Gathering with Gil Fronsdal. This event will be held online over ZOOM on Sunday, May 5th, hosted by Insight Retreat Center. The event will include a short meditation, discussion of practicing on retreats from home, an update about Insight Retreat Online, and information about how to become…

Read More Read More

On Zoom: Full Simplicity with Kim Allen — starts Tuesday June 25

Posted March 31, 2024 - Events, Special Events

Offered by: Kim Allen On Zoom with two supplemental meetings in-person at IMC Registration closed June 25. MAIN PROGRAM: Tuesdays: June 25, July 9, July 23, Aug 6, 2024 — 6:00 – 8:00 pm Pacific time — on Zoom SUPPLEMENTAL SESSIONS: Sundays: June 30 & July 28, 1:00 – 2:30 pm Two supplemental in-person sessions at IMC Redwood City are offered for those able to come in person. These are not an official part of the program, but provide an…

Read More Read More

Non-residential Online Retreat with Andrea Fella

Posted January 10, 2024 - Events, Special Events

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…

Read More Read More

Online: The Heart of Burmese Buddhism Under Threat

Posted January 9, 2024 - Special Events

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…

Read More Read More

2024 Path of Fearlessness with Diana Clark and Tanya Wiser

Posted November 19, 2023 - Events, Special Events

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,…

Read More Read More

Non-Residential Online Retreat with Andrea Fella

Posted August 3, 2023 - Events, Special Events

Awareness and Wisdom Integrated Home Retreat (Online Zoom format) Taught by Andrea Fella Inspired by the teachings of Sayadaw U Tejaniya. November 12-18, 2023 (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…

Read More Read More

The Great Passing Away of the First Buddhist Nun: A Benefit for the Saranaloka Nuns

Posted October 8, 2015 - Special Events

Saturday, November 14, 6:30 – 7:30 pm – reception 7:30 – 8:30 pm – Dramatization 8:30 – 9:00 pm – reception At IMC IMC will host a grand dramatization of the great passing away of the first Buddhist nun, the Buddha’s foster mother, Mahāpajāpatī. The dramatization will be based on an ancient poem that confidently asserts the spiritual potential of women. It also celebrates the role Buddhist nuns have for teaching the Dharma and displaying the attainment of liberation. Dramatizing the…

Read More Read More

Gathering the Mind with Max Erdstein

Posted August 26, 2014 - Events, Special Events

Aspects of Concentration in Mindfulness Practice Five Thursday evenings Sept 18 – Oct 16 7:30pm – 9:00pm The Buddha taught that one who has cultivated samadhi, usually translated as concentration, see things as they are. This five-week series of talks and guided meditations will explore the practice of samadhi and how it relates to vipassana practice. Topics will include: the benefits of concentration practice, factors that support the deepening of concentration, how concentration relates to vipassana, and the role for…

Read More Read More

Establishing A Practice Group

Posted June 26, 2014 - For Beginners, Special Events

4 Monday evenings, October 6, 13, 20, and 27, 7:30 – 9 pm, at IMC Annex, 1040 Brewster Ave. Suite D. People who have completed IMC’s Introduction to Meditation class, are welcome to apply to be part of a small four week support group focused on getting further established in a regular meditation practice. The group will be led by Chris Clifford, a long time IMC practitioner and instructor. Participants will have a chance to have a personal meeting with Chris to…

Read More Read More

Finding the Dharma in the Midst of Conflict with Daniel Bowling

Posted April 24, 2014 - Special Events

A two week series: Thursday June 12 and June 19 7:30 – 9:00 pm Whenever we are caught up in conflict with another, it’s as if we are enveloped in fog. Maintaining mindful presence becomes much more difficult. In these moments, we are more likely to create a separate sense of self and blame the one(s) with whom we are in conflict and/or attack ourselves. This two week series focus on the Buddha’s teachings on conflict, including specific…

Read More Read More