Registration is now open for this five week online course facilitated by SIM Teacher Walt Opie.
This course explores each of the Seven Factors of Awakening and learn how we can cultivate them more deliberately in our own practice for a greater sense of well-being. These factors include: mindfulness, investigation, energy, joy, tranquility, concentration, and equipoise. It’s said that these factors, or treasures, have healing potential and lead to awakening or Nibbana.
This course meets remotely via Zoom for five consecutive Tuesday evenings on February 10, 17, 24, and March 3,10, 2026 from 7pm to 8:30pm. For registration details, visit https://sactoinsight.org/event/7-factors-awaken-2026/.
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We apologize for the inconvenience. Currently our website is experiencing minor problems with how some of our calendar events display in a list. We are currently working on the issue and thank you for your patience.
Rooted in the Dharma: Creating the Future Together
Dear SIM Friends,
What a remarkable year it has been! Thanks to your generosity and dedication on, our sangha has flourished, creating a vibrant community where the Dharma comes alive and nourishes all who participate.
The heart of this vitality lies with our teachers, whose offerings have guided our practice throughout the year. Diana Clark, Walt Opie, and Vance Pryor joined us this year with fresh perspectives, offering inspiring talks, daylong retreats, courses, and a transformative weeklong residential retreat at the Mercy Center in Auburn this spring. At the same me, Dennis Warren, Diane Wilde, and Rich Howard continued to share their steady wisdom and guidance, along with our dedicated visiting teachers Tony Bernhard, Seth Castleman, JD Doyle, and Heather Sundberg. Together, these teachers have made this year a me of deep learning, connection, and inspiration.
This year, SIM offered four rich courses: A Year to Live, Experiencing Insight, Beginning Meditation, and The Five Hindrances. These programs provided opportunities for deepening practice and reflect on. We also hosted a talk series on The Buddha’s An dotes to Challenging Times, supported by kalyāṇami a groups and the October mini-retreat which offered practical support for bringing the teachings into daily life.
Behind the scenes, our dedicated staff, including the Operations Manager, Web_Manager/Bookkeeper, and AV support, have provided a strong and steady foundation. Their work ensures that every program runs smoothly and allows our teachers and Board members to focus fully on offering the Dharma.
Looking ahead, our Board and faculty remain committed to SIM’s five-year plan, strengthening our teaching, leadership, and community. These efforts are helping SIM grow as a refuge for practice and awakening, and we are excited for what the next year will bring.
Your support has made all this possible. Our Rooted in the Dharma fundraising campaign was a wonderful success, sustaining and strengthening SIM’s programs and foundation. Even so, the year-end period remains a special opportunity to help ensure that our momentum continues into the new year and beyond.
With your continued generosity, SIM will thrive and remain rooted in the Dharma for generations to come. You can support SIM in these ways:
If you are 70½ years old, make a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) from a traditional IRA Thank you for your continued generosity and commitment to the Dharma. Together, we create a living expression of wisdom and compassion that touches our community and beyond. With gratitude,
Amy Kovak, on behalf of the SIM Board of Directors and Faculty
Make a one- me donation or set up a recurring monthly contribution
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This holiday season, SIM is once again participating in the Saint John’s Adopt-a-Family Program. Our goal is to raise $1,500 to purchase gifts for a family, helping bring warmth and joy to women and children who are working hard to build brighter futures.
Any funds raised beyond what is needed for holiday gifts will go toward SIM’s monthly meal for St. John’s residents. Each month, SIM volunteers shop for groceries, cook, and serve a comforting dinner of meatloaf, broccoli, rice, salad, and clementines for more than 80 people. This cherished tradition costs about $300 each month and is deeply appreciated by all who share in it.
Your generosity helps keep this beautiful circle of giving alive. Thank you for helping us make the season brighter for the women and children at St. John’s Program for Real Change.
NOTICE: We thank everyone that helped make this 2025 adopt-a-family campaign a success and the donation link is no longer accepting donations. Throughout the year, you may still contribute to support the meal program. For more information, click here.
To make a general donation to Sacramento Insight Meditation, click here.
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We hope you’ll join us in SIM’s Beginning Meditation course. Participants meet for six weeks on Tuesday evenings from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm from January 6 through February 10, with a daylong retreat on Saturday, January 31 from 9:00 AM to 4:00 pm. For more information, visit the course overview page. The following link includes all registration details, or you can visit https://sactoinsight.org/event/beginning-meditation-2026jan/
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We’d like to share that Vance Pryor, who joined our SIM Faculty and leadership team earlier this year, has decided to step down from this core teaching and administrative role to focus on his teaching and other endeavors.
We are deeply grateful for Vance’s contributions to SIM during this past year and for the wisdom and care he brings to his teaching. We’re pleased that he will continue his relationship with SIM as a visiting teacher and remains committed to teaching our 2028 residential retreat with Diana Clark and Walt Opie.
We wish Vance all the best as he continues his work in sharing the Dharma, and we look forward to welcoming him back to teach at SIM in the future.
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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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!
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.
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