What’s New At Insight Meditation Center

Saturday Feb 1: Mindfulness Meditation and Practice Half-Day with Tanya Wiser

Saturday Feb 1: Mindfulness Meditation and Practice Half-Day with Tanya Wiser

Saturday, February 1, 2025: 9:30am – 12:15pm 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 practice and daily life practice, ask a teacher questions and practice with other sangha members. Mindfulness meditation half-days are appropriate for beginners and those with more experience. Registration is not required. Bring lunch. 9:30 – 10:15…

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February 5 – March 6: Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation with Gil Fronsdal

February 5 – March 6: Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation with Gil Fronsdal

Five Wednesday Evenings, February 5 – March 6, 2025: 7:00 to 8:30pm In-Person: Insight Meditation Center, 108 Birch St, Redwood City, CA 94062, USA 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…

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Saturday Feb 15: Live & Love Daylong with Ying Chen

Saturday Feb 15: Live & Love Daylong with Ying Chen

Saturday, February 15, 2025: 9:00am – 4:30pm In-person only at IMC Offered by: Ying Chen In this daylong we will practice Dhamma by bringing qualities of mindfulness and heartfulness together. We will learn how to live wisely and lovingly through our practices. The day will include sitting and walking meditation, instructions, a dharma talk, and an opportunity to ask questions of the teacher. Recommended for both beginners and experienced practitioners. Bring lunch. The program is offered freely, with no registration…

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Sunday Feb 16 — Offsite Daylong with Matthew Brensilver

Sunday Feb 16 — Offsite Daylong with Matthew Brensilver

Offsite Daylong: Importance of Equanimity: A Day of Practice with Matthew Brensilver in Berkeley Sunday, February 16, 2025: 9:30am – 4pm Location: Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, Education Building Upper Floor, Connie Barbour Room,1606 Bonita Ave, Berkeley, CA Registration required. Simply using attention doesn’t generate wisdom. In other words, attention isn’t wholesome in itself. Wise attention is connected to wholesomeness; it is conjoined with, among other things, equanimity. Equanimity is a kind of inner balance. It is not the absence…

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Seva: The Dharma of Volunteering

Seva: The Dharma of Volunteering

by Gil Fronsdal Some years ago, early in IMC’s growth, I asked if anyone was interested in volunteering for our center. To my surprise, many people expressed a strong interest. While I was happy with the reply, I was troubled that we did not have enough volunteer roles to meet the big interest. I knew from personal experience that volunteering at a Buddhist center can be a significant form of Dharma practice and a means for a deeper connection to…

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Saturday Dec 28: Earth Care Meeting: Global Climate Solutions with Elaine Salinger

Saturday Dec 28: Earth Care Meeting: Global Climate Solutions with Elaine Salinger

Saturday December 28, 2024: 8:30 – 10:00am on Zoom Elaine Salinger will demonstrate a global climate solutions simulator, En-ROADS Climate Interactive, a website created by MIT and Sloan. This website will compare the effectiveness of global solutions. And Elaine will discuss possible legislation in the US, as well as simple actions we can take personally, locally, and nationally. And we will also discuss hope and a path forward. Elaine leads the Citizens Climate Lobby San Mateo County chapter and is…

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Yearend Letter from Gil

Yearend Letter from Gil

Dear Friend, Thank you for your participation in IMC and IRC’s offerings,  in person and online. Your engagement—whether it’s listening to our talks, participating in our meditation and training sessions, attending our retreats, or meeting with a teacher or mentor—is invaluable to our success. Your engagement in our programs has inspired and encouraged us to continue to expand what we offer. We founded IMC with the motto, “Donations follow the practice.” This guiding principle has led us to prioritize creating…

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Nov 16: Daylong Retreat with Gil Fronsdal

Nov 16: Daylong Retreat with Gil Fronsdal

In-person at Insight Meditation Center Saturday, November 16⋅8:30am – 5:00pm, with  Gil Fronsdal   This silent daylong retreat is meant for people already familiar with the basic practice of mindfulness; no instruction will be given. The schedule consists of alternating periods of sitting and walking meditation. At the end of the day Gil gives a Dharma talk. Brief one-on-one practice discussions to talk about the practice will be available with Gil. Previous experience is recommended. Practicing mindfulness on retreat is…

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Saturday Nov 23: Mindfulness Meditation and Practice Half-Day with Maria Straatmann

Saturday Nov 23: Mindfulness Meditation and Practice Half-Day with Maria Straatmann

Saturday, November 23, 2024:  9:30 am – 12:15 pm In-person only at IMC Offered by: Maria Straatmann 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 practice and daily life practice, ask a teacher questions and practice with other sangha members. Mindfulness meditation half-days are appropriate for beginners and those with more experience. Registration is not required. Bring lunch. 9:30 –…

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Our Practice is Designed for These Times

Our Practice is Designed for These Times

The greater our ups and downs, the greater the value of Buddhist practice. Rather than a practice to avoid challenges or to avoid celebration, it is a practice that prepares us to meet them wisely and calmly. We can meet all our inner life with honesty and goodwill so we can be wise and skillful. In all challenges, it is possible to find inner peace and freedom, equally open to grief and heartbreak as to joy and love. We can…

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Buddhist Prayer for Political Responsibility

Buddhist Prayer for Political Responsibility

As we participate in our democracy, may we be guided by the ten virtues of political leadership:   May we be generous, so everyone is supported. May we have integrity, so everyone trusts us. May we renounce selfish interest, so everyone benefits. May we be honest, so everyone hears what is true. May we be kind, so everyone can relax. May we have self-control, so everyone will be safe. May we be free of ill-will, so everyone can speak freely….

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Saturday Sep 26 — Earth Care Meeting — Reconnecting with Nature Through Water with Alex Julie

Saturday Sep 26 — Earth Care Meeting — Reconnecting with Nature Through Water with Alex Julie

Saturday, October 26, 2024: 8:30 am — 10:00 am on Zoom Offered by Alex Julie Topic: Reconnecting with Nature Through Water to Create a Life-Sustaining Society for All Beings The Ocean is the source of all life on our planet, and it can also be a fertile ground for deep embodied insight. With our Ocean on the brink of climate induced collapse, the urgency of reconnection has never been greater. Join Awake in the Wild meditation teacher Alex Julie as…

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Oct 17, 1:00 p.m. Remembering Mick Bennett on Zoom

Oct 17, 1:00 p.m. Remembering Mick Bennett on Zoom

Thursday, October 17, 2024: 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm on Zoom Longtime IMC member Mick Bennett died on August 4. Mick served on the IMC Board and was the much loved founding teacher for the Chronic Disease Support Group and the Life-Threatening Illness Support Group. IMC’s support group, which is a continuation of what Mick started, will offer an open Online ZOOM session on Oct 17th 1-2:30pm PT to remember the founding leader, Mick Bennett. All are welcome to join….

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