NEWS

Registration Now Open (From Meditation Obstacles to Meditation Objects)

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Registration is now open for this four week online course facilitated by SIM Teacher Diana Clark.

As anyone who has tried to establish a meditation practice knows, different mind states often arise that make meditation (and living our wisest life) difficult. Please join us as we explore and discuss well-known obstructions, the “Five Hindrances.” In this course we’ll explore how to skillfully address sensual desire, ill will, sloth & torpor, restlessness & worry and doubt using mindfulness and practical antidotes. We’ll practice how to turn these potential stumbling blocks into stepping stones to greater ease and happiness. The course will include talks, guided meditations and discussions. 

This course meets remotely via Zoom for four consecutive Tuesday evenings on November 4, 11, 18, 25, 2025 from 7pm to 8:30pm.
For registration details, visit https://sactoinsight.org/event/5-hindrances-2025/

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Three-Day Teacher Weekend with Vance Pryor

Join us for the final 2025 teacher weekend! Vance Pryor will be in Sacramento for the Thursday night sit and Dharma talk, an informal gathering on Friday, and the Saturday daylong retreat. This is a wonderful opportunity to practice with Vance and get to know him better. We hope you can join us! 

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Kalyāṇamitta Groups for The Buddha’s Antidotes for Challenging Times

This August, SIM is launching a new opportunity to help our community connect more deeply with the Dhamma and with each other. As part of our upcoming six week talk series, The Buddha’s Antidotes for Challenging Times, we invite you to join a Kalyāṇamitta group — a small circle of spiritual friends who will explore these teachings together.

About the Talk Series
The series will offer practical teachings on timeless qualities that can help us meet difficult times with wisdom and care:

  • August 21 — Introduction & Karuṇā (Compassion)
  • August 28 — Mettā (Loving-kindness)
  • September 4 — Gratitude
  • September 11 — Forgiveness
  • September 18 — Generosity
  • September 25 — Equanimity & Wrap-up

How it works

  • Groups can meet weekly or biweekly during the series.
  • Groups can meet in person, on Zoom, or a mix — whatever works best for everyone.

Why try it?
Gathering in spiritual friendship helps bring the teachings to life, creates connection, and reminds us that we don’t walk this path alone — especially in challenging times.

How to join
If you’d like to be part of a kalyāṇamitta group for this series, please sign up by August 15 by filling out the form below. We’ll create the groups and send out an email with your other group members.

Questions? Please reach out to David Guerrieri, davidg@sactoinsight.org

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Upcoming SIM Courses – Save the Dates

We’re delighted to share some new opportunities to explore core teachings of the Buddha together at SIM. Each course will be offered via Zoom so you can join from wherever you are.
Whether you’re new to these teachings or wish to deepen your understanding, we invite you to join us and strengthen your practice. Click here to view the registration pages for these courses.

Teacher: Diana Clark

Practicing with the Five Hindrances

This online course meets 4 consecutive Tuesday evenings – November 4, 11, 18, 25, 2025

For course details, visit https://sactoinsight.org/activities/study-groups/the-five-hindrances/

Teacher: Walt Opie

The Seven Factors of Awakening

This online course meets 5 consecutive Tuesday evenings – February 10, 17, 24, and March 3,10, 2026

For course details, visit https://sactoinsight.org/activities/study-groups/the-seven-factors-of-awakening/

Questions?

If you have any questions, use the following form to contact our course registrar.

Name(Required)
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Please let us know what's on your mind. Have a question for us? Ask away.

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Join Us for a SIM Community Event – July 17

Tree inside a lotus medallion.

Rooted in the Dharma: A Celebration of Generosity
Join us for a special evening of community and celebration as we mark the success of our Five-Year Pledge Campaign and look ahead to the opportunities unfolding in our sangha.

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With Deep Gratitude – Celebrating Our Pledge Campaign Success

Tree inside a lotus medallion.

Dear Friends,

We’re thrilled to share the incredible success of our pledge campaign.

A heartfelt thank you to the 34 generous donors who have pledged a total of $32,750 annually—bringing us to an astounding $163,750 over the next five years. That’s 99% of our $165,000 goal! What we’ve achieved together is truly something to celebrate.

This extraordinary outcome reflects the strength of our community and the deep commitment we all share to SIM’s future. Your support ensures that our vision is not just a dream, but a living reality for years to come.

As we conclude the active phase of the campaign, please know the pledge form will remain open. If you’d still like to join in or adjust your existing pledge, you’re always welcome to do so.

With deep gratitude and joy,

Amy Kovak

On behalf of the SIM Board

To Make a Pledge

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Name:(Required)
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We’re Almost There — Pledge Campaign

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We’re Almost There—Let’s Finish Strong!

Thanks to your incredible generosity, we’ve already raised 92% of our goal for Rooted in the Dharma: Creating the Future Together. Your support is helping bring SIM’s Five-Year Plan to life by expanding our teachings, supporting leadership, and strengthening our community and infrastructure.

We’re just $13,350 away from fully funding this vision.

If you haven’t had a chance to give yet, we invite you to help us close the gap this week. Even small gifts make a big difference.

Whether you’re able to give $10 or $100, your support matters. Every offering helps SIM grow into a vibrant future rooted in the Dharma.

Let’s turn this shared aspiration into a lasting reality.

To Make a Pledge

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Tea with Diana (Friday, May 30)

Please join us in welcoming our new faculty member, Diana Clark, to the SIM community. CLICK HERE for details and to RSVP.

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Status on the Pledge Campaign

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We’re Two-Thirds of the Way There—Can You Help Us Reach Our Goal?

Thanks to the generosity of 19 donors, we’ve raised $26,530—80% of our $33,000 annual goal!

As we enter the second half of our pledge drive, we’re inviting everyone in the sangha to participate. Every gift truly matters. Whether it’s $600, $300, or $100, your contribution supports the community and helps bring our five-year vision to life.

We’ve made wonderful progress toward our goal. Many of the larger gifts have already been pledged—now we’re looking to build the foundation with gifts $600 or less.

Can you join us?

Suggested Giving Structure

Our pledge drive is rooted in the Dharma and built on collective effort. Help us create the future together.

With deep gratitude,

Amy Kovak

SIM Board President on behalf of the SIM Board and Faculty

To Make a Pledge, visit https://sactoinsight.org/generosity/sim-5-year-pledge-campaign/.

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Launching Our Five-Year Pledge Campaign

Rooted in the Dharma: Creating the Future Together

Tree inside a lotus medallion.

This year, we have launched SIM’s Five-Year Plan – a series of transformative efforts to guide SIM through the next five years. It embodies a dynamic vision of the future where SIM remains grounded in the Dharma and evolving to meet the needs of our sangha for future generations.

Through this plan, we will • Expand our core faculty by integrating Diana Clark, Walt Opie, and Vance Pryor as Dharma leaders. • Offer deeper practice opportunities with a diversity of topics and perspectives, including coordinated Dharma talks, and spring and fall courses. • Introduce three-day in-person teaching events led by each faculty member four times per year. • Continue popular courses like A Year to Live, Beginning Meditation Course, as well as adding new offerings. • Support faculty integration through collaborative meetings for mutual growth and leadership development. • Create continuity as our core faculty —Dennis Warren, Diane Wilde, and Rich Howard—begin to step back, passing the torch to our next generation of teachers and leaders. • Sustain the administrative and technical support needed to assist the Board and Faculty.

Our Path Forward

The Five-Year Plan is a bold and inspiring vision for SIM’s future—and it comes with additional costs to bring it to life. A central part of this plan is supporting our three new teachers with modest annual stipends totaling $33,000. We’ve also expanded our administrative capacity by hiring a part-time Operations Manager to help support our Board and Faculty and sustain our programs.

While we’ve taken meaningful steps to reduce costs and increase revenue, it is essential that we raise additional funds to stay on this path. To meet this need, we are launching a pledge campaign to raise $165,000 over the next five years. This is a special commitment—above and beyond your current donations—that will allow SIM to meet immediate needs, ensure long-term financial stability, and rebuild our reserves.

For the past 22 years, SIM has been a place of deep practice—rooted in the Dharma, guided by dedicated teachers, and sustained by the strength of our community. Together, we can ensure that SIM continues to thrive as a refuge for wisdom, in-depth practice, and spiritual friendship.

We invite you to join us in supporting this vision by making a pledge to the Five-Year Plan.

Thank you for your generosity and your ongoing commitment to the Dharma!

With deep gratitude,

Amy Kovak

SIM Board President on behalf of the SIM Board and Faculty

Scroll down this page to view the Frequently Asked Question section.
To view a status update about this campaign, click here.

To Make a Pledge

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Name:(Required)
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How I Will Pay:(Required)

Frequently Asked Questions

I’m concerned that the new teachers are not local and will only be teaching on Zoom.

Almost from SIM’s inception, we’ve had the unusual good fortune of having three local teachers. This is the exception to the rule for nearly all mid-level meditation communities in California who are peer lead or rely on visiting teachers. Our three new faculty – Diana, Walt, and Vance – will collectively teach 50% of their scheduled events in-person in Sacramento this coming year. They are committed to developing a close relationship with the SIM community, including mentoring opportunities and new course offerings. This change in format calls for SIM and our community to remain flexible and adaptable, so we can continue offering high-quality teachings from both existing and new faculty.

How is SIM spending my donations?

The SIM Board takes its fiduciary responsibility very seriously and is committed to carefully stewarding the financial resources entrusted to us. Below, you’ll find a detailed breakdown of the projected expense budget and anticipated revenue for 2025.

How much should I give?

The amount you give is entirely up to you. To help guide your decision, we’ve outlined some sample pledge levels, and the number of donors needed at each level to reach our fundraising goal.

Do you see yourself at one of these levels?

I’m ready to pledge—how do I do it?

Thank you for your support! The first step is to fill out a pledge form, where you’ll provide your contact information and let us know your intended financial commitment.

From there, you can choose when to begin your first installment. Some people prefer to give monthly through PayPal—either by starting a new recurring donation or increasing an existing one. Others may choose to write a single check or give in installments by check (just note “Pledge Campaign Donation” in the memo line). You can also make a charitable gift through a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) or stock if that fits your situation. There’s flexibility in how and when you give—whatever works best for you.

To make your pledge, please visit: https://sactoinsight.org/generosity/sim-5-year-pledge-campaign/ .

I’m afraid to make a commitment because these are such uncertain times.

We understand—these are politically and economically uncertain times, and it’s natural to feel the urge to hold on more tightly to what we have. But it’s in these very moments that the refuge of the Dharma and the support of a caring sangha become even more vital. Contributing to SIM is an investment in what is steady, wholesome, and deeply needed in our world.

I’m new to the SIM community and don’t feel ready to commit to the Five-Year Pledge Campaign.

It’s completely understandable—everyone needs to reflect on what the SIM community and the Dharma mean to them, and how that fits into their life right now. If a five-year commitment doesn’t feel right at this time, you might consider becoming a monthly donor instead. It’s a meaningful way to support SIM at a level that works for you.

You can sign up to be a monthly donor here: https://sactoinsight.org/generosity/general_donation

To view these FAQs in PDF format, click here.

To view a status update about this campaign, click here.

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