NEWS

Board of Directors Message, coronavirus

,

March 12, 2020

Dear SIM attendees,

Tonight’s SIM gathering will be focused on “Meditative Tools for These Uncertain Times”.  The evening will include an opportunity for people to share what is happening for them, as well as some thoughts from Rich Howard about how practice can help us deal with the current situation in a helpful, heartfelt way.

We want you to know that SIM is working in concert with the Sacramento Dharma Center and our sister sanghas to minimize the threat of coronavirus/COVID19 transmission. We are not cancelling our events at this point but ask that you read the following, use wise judgement, and help keep everyone safe and reduce the potential spread of this virus.

What we are doing at SIM events:

  • Extra cleaning, wiping of shared surfaces with disinfectant.
  • Setting up chairs farther apart.
  • Discontinuing tea service for the near term. (We have been asked to not use SDC utensils, dishes or cups at this time.)
  • Discontinuing providing shawls/blankets for the near term.
  • Providing paper towels in the bathroom.

What you can do to help:

  • Please stay home and make use of our audio dharma link.
    • If you have a fever (oral temperature 99°F or greater), cough or shortness of breath
    • If you have traveled by plane within the past 14 days
  • Use bows or verbal greetings instead of handshakes or hugs to greet people.
  • Wash your hands thoroughly before coming in the Dharma hall for at least 20 seconds (hum Happy Birthday twice or chant the Refuges to time yourself!). Also wash hands thoroughly after using the bathroom or touching shared surfaces. 
  • Keep your hands away from your face – mouth, nose, eyes (a good awareness practice).
  • For sneezes and coughs, do so into the crook of your arm. If you have them, you may use tissues, then throw away and wash your hands as described immediately.
  • Bring your own water container with a lid. 
  • Bring your own shawl or blanket if you want one.

We will continue to track the situation and make adjustments as needed. 

Thank you for your help keeping our community healthy! 

The SIM Board

/by

Special 2019-Tax Note

SIM is grateful for all our donors and we’ve already emailed tax letters to those who gave $250 or more in 2019. If you have not received the tax letter and you think you should have, please check your email Inbox, as well as your Spam or Junk folder. If you still don’t find it, please contact SaraD@sactoinsight.org.

/by

Cancelled – tonight’s Young Person’s Sangha

We apologize for the last-minute cancellation of tonight’s Young Person’s Sangha meeting, Dec 24th, 2019. Future meetings are posted to our calendar at https://sactoinsight.org/events/category/young-person-sangha/list/ .

/by

New eleven-month course starts Feb 2020

We are pleased to offer a new eleven-month course called A Year to Live: a practical course on living and dying. The course is lead by SIM’s community teacher Reverend Diane Wilde and registration opens December 18th. The class size is limited so register as soon as possible; the course fee is $35 (no one turned away due to lack of funds).

The course meets at the Sacramento Dharma Center from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM the third Monday of the month from February through December 2020. There are also smaller group meetings in between the larger group discussion. In the past, the smaller meetings have met in participants’s homes but this is still to be determined. To register to the course, click here.

/by

Next Beginning Meditation Course

This month we’ll open the online registration to our six week Beginning Meditation Course that starts Tuesday, February 25, 2020. This course will be lead by SIM’s Community Teacher Rich Howard and Community Mentor Sandra Sigrist. Here is the Course Flyer in PDF format. Registration opens December 15.

/by

Your generosity helps SIM thrive!

“Generosity brings happiness at every stage of its expression. We experience joy in forming the intention to be generous. We experience joy in the actual act of giving something. And we experience joy in remembering the fact that we have given.”
—-the historical Buddha

Dear SIM Friends,

We hope that this letter finds you well. As we reflect back on 2019, we feel pride in and gratitude for our sangha. Together we have created a vibrant, generous community. We now have an active Young Persons’ Sangha, which promises that SIM will continue on with the next generations. Forty people attended our annual retreat, led by Kamala Masters and Vance Pryor. We continue to offer our monthly day-long retreats, Thursday night sits and Dharma talks.

Through these activities, we continue to fulfill our mission as an educational non-profit of providing support to those practicing in the Insight/Vipassana tradition. We are able to provide these activities and others because of the support of dedicated volunteers and generous donors like you.

At this time of year-end giving, we invite you to support two fundraising goals:

First, we want to express SIM’s gratitude to our existing faculty through a year-end dana contribution in recognition of their ongoing commitment and teaching. Without the dedication and wisdom of our faculty – Dennis Warren (SIM Founder), Diane Wilde, and Rich Howard – we would not be the community that we are now.

Second, we want to continue to build our Teaching and Development Initiative, which has increased support for our existing faculty, including additional dana and resources to support them in their practice, as well as dedicated funding to host new teachers for SIM offerings. For 2020, we aim to continue to maintain and nurture relationships with Senior Teachers, develop relationships with new teachers, and work to identify and support potential teachers from within the community.

As you plan your year-end giving, we hope that you will consider supporting SIM by making a one-time, year-end contribution to support our Teaching and Development Initiative and/or signing up for a monthly, automatic on-line contribution to SIM. Monthly contributions are key to our long-term financial health, covering basic operating expenses as well as sustaining our Teaching and Development Initiative.

Please make a donation today at Sacramento Insight Meditation.

Looking forward to continuing to strengthen our community and our practice together in the coming year.

Warmly,

Sara Denzler
Treasurer, SIM Board of Directors

/by

New six-week course starts April 2020

We are pleased to offer a new six week course called Living & Practicing On The Other Side of Suffering. The course is lead by SIM’s founding teacher Dennis Warren and registration opens December 20th. The course meets 7:00 pm to 9:15 pm for six Wednesdays starting April 22 plus one Saturday on May 23, 2020 from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Session themes include: Sensory Awareness, Gratitude, Joy, Generosity, Kindness & Compassion, Equanimity, and Becoming More Fully Human. For more information, click here.

/by

Change in Dharma Talk Presenter Nov 21

We’re sorry to announce that Dennis Warren will be unavailable November 21, 2019. SIM has cancelled the Introduction to Meditation class scheduled for that evening and the November 21st dharma talk will be presented by Neesha Patel instead.

Thank you for your understanding.

/by

No Family Sangha in December

There will be no Family Sangha on Sunday, December 8. Family Sangha will resume on January 12.

/by

Our Annual Potluck Dec 12th

Please join SIM friends and acquaintances (if you are new, you will leave with at least one SIM friend) at our annual Holiday Potluck, Thursday, December 12 during our regular meeting time, more or less– 6:30 pm to 9 pm. Friends and relatives are welcome. Bring a vegetarian dish to share that will serve 8-12. Also bring your own plate, glass, and napkin to minimize our contribution to the local landfill (but don’t worry if you forget.) We hope to see you there.

Click here to send in your RSVP which will help us plan table and chair setup so everyone is comfortable.

/by