Introduction to Meditation with SIM Community Teacher Rich Howard

This 45-minute course is suitable for beginners or anyone who would like a refresher. It is offered on the fourth Thursday of every month before the regular sitting and dharma talk. There is no fee.

RICH HOWARD has been an active practitioner and volunteer at SIM since 2004. His area of interest is bringing meditative awareness into everyday life. He participated in SIM’s 2007 India Pilgrimage and is a graduate of SIM’s second Practice Development and Leadership (PDL) program. The pilgrimage and the PDL program led to an interest in establishing the SIM Kalyana Mitta (Pali for spiritual friends) groups. He coordinated SIM’s network of Kalyana Mitta groups until he joined the SIM Board in 2010. He was one of the SIM representatives to the Inter-Sangha Coordinating Committee, predecessor to the Sacramento Dharma Center Board, which now runs our shared space for Buddhist sanghas in Sacramento. He served as a Peace Corps volunteer in southern Africa in the 1970s and is fluent in Spanish. He is a past president of the SIM Board. His teachers are Dennis Warren and Steve Armstrong.

Sacramento Insight Meditation events 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. With our practice of dana, we support our Sangha.

At the bottom of this page, you may enter the number of people planning to attend and select the button “Confirm RSVP“.
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*Sit & Dharma Talk – Dennis Warren – Craving and Clinging

Craving and Clinging (Attachment) – Stepping Stones on The Path of Both Suffering and Awakening

Sit & Dharma Talk with SIM Founding Teacher Dennis Warren

The historical Buddha taught that the primary cause of suffering is “Craving.” But a careful examination of his nuanced and interconnected teachings reveals that this basic, and apparently simple, teaching is really about a chain of reactions that lead to suffering. Why did the Buddha designate craving as the second Noble Truth, the origin of suffering? This seems like a surprising simple question, but isn’t?
This evening will involve an examination of the historical parameters defining “craving” and its role in the chain-reaction of suffering. We’ll explore the differences between craving and “clinging”? Should these two experiences be understood as separate and independent experiences? Are they related experiences on a continuum of experience that leads to suffering? Or does craving morph into clinging?
Why being able to feel the difference between craving and clinging – the moment of discernment that sets the conditions for everything that follows and what may be possible – is the key to both managing and being liberated from suffering.
Dennis will also discuss a new 2020 SIM course entitled “Living and Practicing on the Other Side of Suffering” that is directly related to these questions and their answers.

Sacramento Insight Meditation events 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. With our practice of dana, we support our Sangha.

Thursday Night Talk Dana
“Generosity is the virtue that leads to peace.” – The Historical Buddha
We recognize that donating by cash or check at the time you attend this event may not always be convenient for you. If that’s the case, please use the form below to donate by credit card or your PayPal account. Enter the amount you’d like to give and your donation will be shared with Dennis Warren and SIM.

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11/14/2019 “When the Mind is Clear…” with Tony Bernhard

When the Mind is Clear, the Heart is Benevolent

If you would like to download this talk, please right click and select “save as” here.

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Touching the Earth Service

Enjoy a short meditation, music, chanting, and an “earth based Dharma talk” and a post-service coffee/tea and brunch. If inclined, bring a vegetarian brunch item to share!

Coming together in community to celebrate the miracle of our earth and all of our lives is the focus of this service.

Hope to see you there!

NEW Touching the Earth Sundays

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(Remote) Daylong Retreat with Dennis Warren

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An online, One Day Retreat with visiting SIM Founding Teacher Dennis Warren

Retreat Theme: What Do We Need Now To Take Us Home To Safety?

This will be a beautiful peaceful day of Practice including both Sitting and Walking Meditation. There may also be time for questions, answers and reflections. All are welcome. Note: Pre-registration is required.

DENNIS WARREN is SIM’s Founding Teacher and has been teaching mindfulness, meditation and contemplative practices since 1998. He recently completed his 11th year as a Volunteer Clinical Professor in Mindfulness in the Division of Pain Medicine at the UC Davis School of Medicine and Medical Center. He is certified as a Mindfulness Teacher, Professional Level (CMT-P), by the International Mindfulness Teachers Association. He is a graduate of the professional trainings in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression. He also is a graduate of the Spirit Rock Medication Center’s Dharma leaders training program. You can learn more about Dennis’ background and activities at https://www.denniswarren.net/ .
Dennis has been participating in residential meditation retreats, and has maintained a daily meditation practice, in the Theravadan Buddhist tradition for over 30 years. 2018 was his 20th year of teaching Insight Meditation and mindfulness practices in residential, retreat, educational, medical, corporate and community settings. In 2007 and 2014, Dennis led month long pilgrimages and moving retreats in Thailand, India and Nepal. A third is being planned for late 2021.

Sacramento Insight Meditation events 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. With our practice of dana, we support our Sangha. If you prefer to make a donation for this event online using a credit card or PayPal account, click here to DONATE ONLINE.

Summary of Important Dates

  • 02/15/2020 – Registration opens and is required.
  • 04/24/2020 – Registration via this website will close at 4:00 pm. At 6:00 pm, the registrar will send you an email with details on how to join the online retreat.
  • 04/25/2020 – Attend and enjoy the wonderful retreat.

Registration Details

Registration is $15.00 per person due before the start of the event. If you are able and interested in further supporting SIM financially, you have the option of a registration fee of either $25 or $35 dollars. To pay the registration fee online, use the “Tickets” section at the bottom of this page. Specify the number of people you are registering to this retreat and click the button “Get Tickets”. You’ll be automatically directed to a secure web-page where your registration payment can be made by credit card as a guest (no PayPal account required) or payment can be made by PayPal after you sign-in to your PayPal account if you have one.
For the registration fee, we accept checks and cash. No one will be turned away for lack of funds; please contact the registrar for more information. Day-of registration will be on a first-come first-serve basis, contingent on availability of space.

Before registering to this event, click here to review the terms of use for this website.

Volunteer Opportunities

It “takes a village” to put on a large event for our community. If you would be available to assist in set-up, take-down, tea service, providing flowers or other duties for the event, please contact the retreat registrar for more information..

Questions for the Registrar?

If you need to contact the retreat registrar with any questions, click here.

How to attend this online retreat

Once you’ve registered, you’ll receive an email the evening before the retreat.

Join online meeting: see email sent by retreat registrar for the hyperlink.
Join by phone: 1-669-900-6833 ( see email sent by retreat registrar for the Meeting ID )
For tips and instructions on how to use the access methods listed above, click here.
To give a donation after attending the retreat, click here.
To contact the retreat registrar, click here.
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(Cancelled) Daylong Retreat – Vance Pryor

In-person events will not be meeting at SDC through 4/15/20. SIM is working with Vance Pryor to see when we can schedule this retreat in the future.

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“Generosity is the virtue that leads to peace.” – The Historical Buddha
Our Dharma teachers rely on the generosity of our community. Though we’ve had to cancel in-person meetings, our teacher relies on dana for his livelihood. We encourage you to give as generously as you can to support Vance. Please use the form above to donate by credit card or your PayPal account. Enter the amount you’d like to give and 100% of your donation will be shared with Vance Pryor.

A One Day Retreat with visiting Teacher Vance Pryor

Retreat Theme: Mindfulness in Daily Life

A day of mindfulness can be a wonderful way to gain some momentum with meditation practice. The daylong will emphasize integrating mindfulness practice into activities of daily living. There will be alternating periods of sitting and walking meditation and ample time between formal meditation sessions for question and answer periods. All are welcome. Please bring your lunch.

VANCE PRYOR, PsyD, began insight meditation in 1998. He has been deeply influenced by the teachings of Sayadaw U Pandita and Sayadaw U Tejaniya. His training to become a teacher has been supported by the mentorship of Steve Armstrong and Kamala Masters. He is currently participating in Insight Meditation Society’s 2017-2021 Teacher Training Program.

 

Summary of Important Dates

  • 01/30/2020 – Registration opens.
  • 03/19/2020 – Registration closed. In-person events will not be meeting at SDC through 4/15/20.

Questions for the Registrar?

If you need to contact the retreat registrar with any questions, click here.

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*Daylong Retreat – Rich Howard – Awareness Practice and Inquiry

Awareness Practice and Inquiry

Daylong Retreat with SIM Community Teacher Rich Howard

“Awareness knows” says Burmese monk and meditation teacher Sayadaw U Tejaniya. Sounds simple – is it? With all the approaches to mindfulness floating around, it may be a challenge to know how to practice a simple yet effective form of awareness that leads to insight and eventually freedom. Let’s spend a day of practice and inquiry into the nature, feeling, and function of awareness. With reminders from Sayadaw’s two most recent books, “Collecting Gold Dust” and “Relax and Be Aware” as support, we will practice sitting, standing, and walking meditation, with some guided meditations. There will also be periods for questions and answers. The day will otherwise be held in noble silence. Bring a lunch and plan to spend all day on site to support continuity of awareness. Copies of Sayadaw U Tejaniya’s book “Dhamma Everywhere” will be offered to the first 20 people who register.

Rich HowardRICH HOWARD has been an active practitioner and volunteer at SIM since 2004. His area of interest is bringing meditative awareness into everyday life. He participated in SIM’s 2007 India Pilgrimage and is a graduate of SIM’s second Practice Development and Leadership (PDL) program. He served on the Board from 2010 until 2015, the last two years as president. He was one of the SIM representatives to the Inter-Sangha Coordinating Committee, predecessor to the Sacramento Dharma Center Board, which now runs our shared space for Buddhist sanghas in Sacramento. He served as a Peace Corps volunteer in southern Africa in the 1970s and is fluent in Spanish. His teachers are Dennis Warren, Tony Bernhard, and Steve Armstrong. Rich completed online courses with Steve on the Abhidhamma (the Buddhist psychology) and the Manual of Insight. He took Gil Fronsdal’s online course on the Majjhima Nikaya (Middle-length Discourses of the Buddha). His interest in the environment led him to the One Small Planet training with Kerry Nelson and the Ecosattva training with One Earth Sangha. In 2018, he completed a 10-month Dhamma Awareness Training with Steve Armstrong and Kamala Masters called Touching the Earth. He is currently enrolled in Meg Gawler’s 8-month course Preparing the Ground for Samadhi.

Sacramento Insight Meditation events 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. With our practice of dana, we support our Sangha. If you prefer to make a donation for this event online using a credit card or PayPal account, click here to DONATE ONLINE.

Summary of Important Dates

  • 01/19/2020 – Registration opens.
  • 02/28/2020 – Registration via this website will close at 3:00 pm however you may register in person at least 15 minutes before the retreat begins.
  • 02/28/2020 – Attend and enjoy the wonderful retreat.

Registration Details

Registration is $15.00 per person due before the start of the event. If you are able and interested in further supporting SIM financially, you have the option of a registration fee of either $25 or $35 dollars. To pay the registration fee online, use the “Tickets” section at the bottom of this page. Specify the number of people you are registering to this retreat and click the button “Get Tickets”. You’ll be automatically directed to a secure web-page where your registration payment can be made by credit card as a guest (no PayPal account required) or payment can be made by PayPal after you sign-in to your PayPal account if you have one.
For the registration fee, we accept checks and cash. No one will be turned away for lack of funds; please contact the registrar for more information. Day-of registration will be on a first-come first-serve basis, contingent on availability of space.

Before registering to this event, click here to review the terms of use for this website.

Volunteer Opportunities

It “takes a village” to put on a large event for our community. If you would be available to assist in set-up, take-down, tea service, providing flowers or other duties for the event, please contact the retreat registrar for more information..

Questions for the Registrar?

If you need to contact the retreat registrar with any questions, click here.

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*Daylong Retreat – Diane Wilde – Tangled in Thought

Tangled in Thought  –  How to beat your mind at its own game

Daylong Retreat with SIM Community Teacher Rev. Diane Wilde

Some new practical ideas will be offered at this daylong and there will be a writing/observation exercise. Please bring paper and pen.

It’s the New Year, the first retreat of 2020, and perhaps we made the resolution that this is the year where we are really going to develop a meaningful meditation practice.

For many of us, the challenge for developing an ongoing meditation practice is the inability to let go of thought. Memories, plans, past and future… all seem to take us away from that perceived “blissful state” we long for. The good news is that we can actually work with the thinking process and incorporate it into our meditation practice. We will discuss our practice as well as practical strategies for working with ‘thinking” on January 25. Please bring your lunch.

Diane WildeDIANE WILDE has studied meditation in various traditions since 1990. In 2001 she was a founding member of Sacramento Insight Meditation. She founded Buddhist Pathways Prison Project (BP3) in 2010. Since 2003, she has been a BP3 prison chaplain and aids in coordination of 75 volunteers who offer Buddhist services at numerous California prisons and jails. She is a graduate of Sati Center’s Buddhist Chaplaincy program and graduated from Spirit Rock Meditation Center’s Community Dharma Leadership Training Program. She is a board member of Sati Center for Buddhist Studies, Sacramento Dharma Center, Buddhist Pathways Prison Project and California Dept. of Corrections Volunteer Advisory Board. In 2015 she was lay-ordained as a Buddhist minister by her teacher Gil Fronsdal.

Sacramento Insight Meditation events 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. With our practice of dana, we support our Sangha. If you prefer to make a donation for this event online using a credit card or PayPal account, click here to DONATE ONLINE.

Summary of Important Dates

  • 11/19/2019 – Registration opens.
  • 01/24/2020 – Registration via this website will close at 3:00 pm however you may register in person at least 15 minutes before the retreat begins.
  • 01/25/2010 – Attend and enjoy the wonderful retreat.

Registration Details

Registration is $15.00 per person due before the start of the event. If you are able and interested in further supporting SIM financially, you have the option of a registration fee of either $25 or $35 dollars. To pay the registration fee online, use the “Tickets” section at the bottom of this page. Specify the number of people you are registering to this retreat and click the button “Get Tickets”. You’ll be automatically directed to a secure web-page where your registration payment can be made by credit card as a guest (no PayPal account required) or payment can be made by PayPal after you sign-in to your PayPal account if you have one.
For the registration fee, we accept checks and cash. No one will be turned away for lack of funds; please contact the registrar for more information. Day-of registration will be on a first-come first-serve basis, contingent on availability of space.

Before registering to this event, click here to review the terms of use for this website.

Volunteer Opportunities

It “takes a village” to put on a large event for our community. If you would be available to assist in set-up, take-down, tea service, providing flowers or other duties for the event, please contact the retreat registrar for more information..

Questions for the Registrar?

If you need to contact the retreat registrar with any questions, click here.

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*Daylong Retreat – Dennis Warren – Exploring Realistic Standards

Exploring Realistic Standards for Community Practice
Comparing Monastic & Community Level Practice

A One Day Retreat with SIM Founding Teacher Dennis Warren

The historical Buddha created different models of practice. One for monastics – nuns and monks – and another for community level practitioners with families whose lives are filled with obligations and responsibilities.
The practice approach we’re developing here in the West is an attempt to blend these two models. We are studying and practicing from teachings that were, for the most part, intended for monastics. These individuals were engaged in intense, deep and sophisticated practices in protected environments shielded from most of the pressures, stresses and responsibilities each of us routinely face every day. The monastic model, as well, did not involve responsibility for addressing the real-life social, economic, family and political conditions that contribute so substantially to the stress of community level practitioners.
This one-day retreat will examine the different models of practice offered by the historical Buddha. It will explore questions about, and the implications of, our attempt to blend them into a new western model. Our goal for the day will be a relaxed discussion that will help each of us establish realistic standards for our individual practices informed by historical context.
Dennis will also discuss a new 2020 SIM course entitled “Living and Practicing on the Other Side of Suffering” that is directly related to issues that will be raised during this one-day.

DENNIS WARREN is SIM’s Founding Teacher and has been teaching mindfulness, meditation and contemplative practices since 1998. He recently completed his 11th year as a Volunteer Clinical Professor in Mindfulness in the Division of Pain Medicine at the UC Davis School of Medicine and Medical Center. He is certified as a Mindfulness Teacher, Professional Level (CMT-P), by the International Mindfulness Teachers Association. He is a graduate of the professional trainings in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression. He also is a graduate of the Spirit Rock Medication Center’s Dharma leaders training program. You can learn more about Dennis’ background and activities at https://www.denniswarren.net/ .
Dennis has been participating in residential meditation retreats, and has maintained a daily meditation practice, in the Theravadan Buddhist tradition for over 30 years. 2018 was his 20th year of teaching Insight Meditation and mindfulness practices in residential, retreat, educational, medical, corporate and community settings. In 2007 and 2014, Dennis led month long pilgrimages and moving retreats in Thailand, India and Nepal. A third is being planned for late 2021.

Sacramento Insight Meditation events 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. With our practice of dana, we support our Sangha. If you prefer to make a donation for this event online using a credit card or PayPal account, click here to DONATE ONLINE.

Summary of Important Dates

  • 10/28/2019 – Registration opens.
  • 12/27/2019 – Registration via this website will close at 4:00 pm. After this time, please register in person at least 15 minutes before the retreat begins.
  • 12/28/2019 – Attend and enjoy the wonderful retreat.

Registration Details

Registration is $15.00 per person due before the start of the event. If you are able and interested in further supporting SIM financially, you have the option of a registration fee of either $25 or $35 dollars. To pay the registration fee online, use the “Tickets” section at the bottom of this page. It’s not necessary to Log in before purchasing and you won’t need to print the ticket on paper. On the left side, specify the number of people you are registering to this retreat. On the right side, click the button “Buy now” and you’ll be automatically directed to a secure webpage where your registration payment can be made by credit card as a guest (no PayPal account required) or payment can be made by PayPal after you sign-in to your PayPal account if you have one.
For the registration fee, we accept checks and cash. No one will be turned away for lack of funds; please contact the registrar for more information. Day-of registration will be on a first-come first-serve basis, contingent on availability of space.

Before registering to this event, click here to review the terms of use for this website.

Volunteer Opportunities

It “takes a village” to put on a large event for our community. If you would be available to assist in set-up, take-down, tea service, providing flowers or other duties for the event, please contact the retreat registrar for more information..

Questions for the Registrar?

If you need to contact the retreat registrar with any questions, click here.

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*Sit & Dharma Talk – Greg Scharf – Mindfulness of Mind

Mindfulness of Mind
Sit & Dharma Talk with Visiting Senior Teacher Greg Scharf

This talk will explore the nature of mind and will look at the Buddha’s instructions in the Third Establishment of Mindfulness in the Satipatthana Sutta.

The Satipatthana Sutta is one of the most revered teachings in the Pali Canon and forms the Buddha’s single most comprehensive set of instructions for Vipassana Meditation. In the 3rd section of this discourse, Mindfulness of Mind, the Buddha describes simple but extremely powerful & liberating ways to bring awareness to the mind in meditation. This talk explores our direct experience of the mind as process, as well as offering reflections for the practical application of the Buddha’s instructions in this core teaching.

Greg Scharf, an Insight Meditation Society guiding teacher, has practiced with Western and Asian teachers in the Theravada tradition since 1992. He has been teaching residential retreats since 2007, including the annual Three-Month Retreat at IMS. Greg’s love of nature and the outdoors deeply informs both his practice and teaching.

Sacramento Insight Meditation events 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. With our practice of dana, we support our Sangha.

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