Our courses and study groups offer members an opportunity to deepen their level of familiarity with various aspects of the dharma and meditation. Each Course or Study Group has a specific topic of focus. Some have a limited duration of study and some are ongoing, always welcoming new participants.
Active Groups
- Main Sitting Group – ongoing weekly Thursdays.
- The Five Hindrances – a new 4-week, online course starting Nov, 2025.
- Maranasati – a 1-year, in-person course starting Jan, 2026. Previously named A Year to Live.
- The Seven Factors of Awakening – a new 5-week, online course starting Feb, 2026.
- The Eight-Fold Path – a new 4-week, online course starting Nov, 2026.
- Beginning Meditation course – a 6-week, hybrid course offered once or twice a year. The next offering will be in Jan-Feb in 2026.
- Young Person’s Sitting Group – ongoing every other week Wednesdays, in-person.
- Buddhist Recover Group – ongoing weekly Wednesdays, in-person.
- Dharma Book Clubs – schedule varies by group.
- Single day Retreats – ongoing monthly Saturdays, 4 to 8 hour duration. (Registration Info…)
- Multi-day Retreats – offered once a year, 5 to 8 day duration.
Closed Groups
Here are some of the courses we’ve previously offered the community. These courses are currently closed to new enrollments but details about them are listed below as FYI.
- A Year to Live (CLOSED) – A 12-month course. See A Year to Live for details. This course was replaced by Maranasati: Mindful of Death, Alive to Life.
- Introduction to Meditation (CLOSED) – A 45-minute course. See Introduction to Meditation for details.
- Experiencing Insight (CLOSED) – a 3-month course. See Experiencing Insight for details.
- Discovering Balance (CLOSED) – a 7-week course. See Discovering Balance for details.
- The Noble Eightfold Path (CLOSED) – a 9-month course. See The Noble Eightfold Path for details.
- Living on the Other Side of Suffering (CLOSED) – a 10-week course. See Living on the Other Side of Suffering for details.
- OSOS Meditation (CLOSED) – A 5-week course for graduates of the Living on the Other Side of Suffering course. This course won’t be on the 2023 schedule.
- How Can I Help? (CLOSED) – A year-long focus on the direct application of Buddhist practices and psychology to real life situations. The course is designed to bridge the artificial separation between meditation & dharma practice, on the one hand, from the activities and relationships of the rest of our lives, on the other. See How Can I Help? for details.
- Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (CLOSED) – An 8-week course. For more information you can access details from a previously held course offering. See MBSR for details.
- The Brahma Viharas (CLOSED) – An eight month study focus. The Brahma Viharas are utilized in meditation as well as serving as an everyday mindfulness practice. Their development ultimately causes ease and a balanced concern for all sentient beings, including ourselves. This study group examines these sublime states of mind, learning how to integrate these practices into our busy lives. See The Brahma Viharas for details.
Visit Us
SIM meets online and in-person at the Sacramento Dharma Center
What is Dana?
Dana is a Buddhist word that means generosity or heart. Nearly all Sacramento Insight Meditation activities are offered on a dana (donations) basis. This means our programs are sustained by the generosity of instructors in offering teachings freely and on the generosity of students and members of the meditative community in the form of financial support, service and participation in events. Practice dana, please support our Sangha. DONATE NOW