SIM’s Insight Mediation sitting group is designed to provide a safe and friendly environment where we can meet, develop our meditation skills and knowledge, practice together, and develop friendships.
The usual format includes a silent or guided meditation period, a question and answer period on meditation practice issues, and a talk and discussion. The evenings are structured to introduce, review, and work with core principles of meditation practice and their supporting meditative psychology. Emphasis is placed on exploring the use of meditative awareness in daily life and relationships.
The topic for each Thursday evening is examined in the context of a number of important experiential questions:
- How can meditative awareness help us live a more conscious, wise, and compassionate life?
- What would it look and feel like for meditative awareness to manifest itself in our intentions, thinking, decision-making, listening, speaking, and conduct?
- How is meditative awareness specifically relevant to everyday life?
Most Thursday evenings include a handout summarizing the important points of the talk and discussion and include specific experiential homework. Each session includes recommendations for experiential “homework.” This takes the form of specific practices or questions that provide a framework for investigating and applying the teachings directly to day-to-day activities. See Sitting Group Model Handout for a representative illustration. Many of the Thursday evening talks are recorded so if you can’t attend in person you may listen to the talk later. For more information, click here.
See the Calendar for a listing of dates, times, and talk topics that will be explored at the weekly meditations.
Everyone is welcome on a drop-in basis, regardless of prior meditation practice experience or tradition. No prior experience is necessary. No pre-registration is required.
Sitting groups are typically held every Thursday evening at the Sacramento Dharma Center at 3111 Wissemann Dr, Sacramento, CA 95826. Our Thursday meetings are often in Hybrid format so you may attend remotely via Zoom if interested.
Volunteer Opportunity
Volunteers are needed for event set up, and as greeters, name badge yogis, flower yogis, tea yogis, to manage recording and hearing systems and for housekeeping.
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