(IN-PERSON) Daylong Retreat – Rich Howard – Begin Again

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Hybrid Event

August 29 @ 9:00 am – 4:00 pm PDT

Daylong Retreat with SIM Teacher Rich Howard

For biographical details of the teacher Rich Howard, click here.

Begin Again
We follow the breath for a while and the mind drifts off: Begin again. We practice diligently for months and life events intervene, taking us away from regular formal practice. Circumstances change: Begin again. We get caught up in the busy-ness of our day and lose awareness. Then we remember: Begin again. It has been said that beginning again IS the practice. Whether in formal meditation, on retreat, or in daily life, the ability to start over without judging ourselves or getting discouraged is key to developing the continuous awareness that leads to insight and transformation. In this daylong retreat, Rich will offer a modified version of SIM’s beginning class retreat, with lightly guided sitting and walking periods. There will be a body scan and opportunities for questions and responses. Bring a lunch and plan to stay all day in noble silence. This day will be ideal for newer students and for more experienced meditators who are willing to bring an open mind and gentle self-compassion to their practice.

About This Hybrid Retreat
  • The teacher will present in-person at the Dharma Center. Participants may attend this Hybrid event via Zoom or in-person at the SDC.
  • Pre-registration is required and we recommend you pay the registration fee in advance using the registration button shown below. Since your registration choice indicates if you’ll be attending via Zoom or in-person, registering early helps us determine how many people the meditation room should accommodate.
  • After you’ve registered you may later offer a donation in gratitude of the teacher. To offer teacher dana, visit https://sactoinsight.org/retreat-dana-online/.
Summary of Important Dates
  • 07/12/2026 – Registration opens.
  • 08/29/2026 – Attend and enjoy the wonderful retreat.
  • 08/29/2026 – For registration after the retreat, send a message to the registrar to arrange payment.
Registration
$25 – $50 Registration fee

After registration opens, select one of the following registration “ATTEND” buttons to indicate if you’ll be attending via Zoom or in-person. The fee is $25.00 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 $35 or $50 dollars. For the registration fee, we also accept personal checks. No one will be turned away for lack of funds; please contact the registrar for more information.
Before registering for this event, please click here to review SIM’s Registration Refund Policy.

After we receive your registration payment, SIM will confirm your registration within 48 hours. Thanks for your patience.

August Daylong registration – Attend in-person

$25.00 – $50.00

Attend In-person

August Daylong Registration – Attend on Zoom

$25.00 – $50.00

Attend on Zoom
Questions for the Registrar?

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

Teacher Dana

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. To make a donation for this event using a credit card or PayPal account, click here to DONATE ONLINE.

How to Attend Remotely via Zoom
Join Retreat Online
  • The link to attend the retreat via Zoom appears in three places: The Zoom link is on this page – select the button “Join Retreat Online” to connect to the meeting.
  • The Zoom link is included in the automated email sent with your “Attend on Zoom” registration.
  • The Zoom link is https://joinconferencing.zoom.us/join, with Meeting ID: 839 3764 6351 and Passcode: 900965

Hybrid (in-person and online)

3111 Wissemann Drive (or *ZOOM)
Sacramento, CA 95826 United States

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(IN-PERSON) Sit & Dharma Talk with Seth Castleman

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Hybrid Event

October 1 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm PDT

Insight Meditation and Dharma Talk with Visiting Teacher Seth Castleman

For biographical details of the teacher Seth Castleman, click here.

* The teacher will present IN-PERSON at the Dharma Center.
Hybrid events can be attended via Zoom or onsite at the Sacramento Dharma Center.

Offer a Teacher Donation

Seth Castleman will receive at least 75% of your donation.

Use the following donate button and select Thu Oct 1 – Seth from the dropdown list.

DONATE – Thu Talk
How to Attend Remotely
Join Zoom Meeting

Join online meeting: https://zoom.us/join or join by phone at 1-669-900-6833
( Meeting ID: 870 6359 1101 and Passcode: 679854)
For tips and instructions to join the meeting, click here to check this news blog.

Hybrid (in-person and online)

3111 Wissemann Drive (or *ZOOM)
Sacramento, CA 95826 United States
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(IN-PERSON) Sit & Dharma Talk with Diana Clark

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Hybrid Event

September 24 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm PDT

Insight Meditation and Dharma Talk with SIM Teacher Diana Clark

For biographical details of the teacher Diana Clark, click here.

* The teacher will present IN-PERSON at the Dharma Center.
Hybrid events can be attended via Zoom or onsite at the Sacramento Dharma Center.

Offer a Teacher Donation

Diana Clark will receive at least 75% of your donation.

Use the following donate button and select Thu Sep 24 – Diana from the dropdown list.

DONATE – Thu Talk
How to Attend Remotely
Join Zoom Meeting

Join online meeting: https://zoom.us/join or join by phone at 1-669-900-6833
( Meeting ID: 895 2162 7007 and Passcode: 933142)
For tips and instructions to join the meeting, click here to check this news blog.

Hybrid (in-person and online)

3111 Wissemann Drive (or *ZOOM)
Sacramento, CA 95826 United States
/by

(IN-PERSON) Sit & Dharma Talk with Diane Wilde

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Hybrid Event

September 17 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm PDT

Insight Meditation and Dharma Talk with SIM Teacher Diane Wilde

For biographical details of the teacher Diane Wilde, click here.

* The teacher will present IN-PERSON at the Dharma Center.
Hybrid events can be attended via Zoom or onsite at the Sacramento Dharma Center.

Offer a Teacher Donation

Diane Wilde will receive at least 75% of your donation.

Use the following donate button and select Thu Sep 17 – Diane from the dropdown list.

DONATE – Thu Talk
How to Attend Remotely
Join Zoom Meeting

Join online meeting: https://zoom.us/join or join by phone at 1-669-900-6833
( Meeting ID: 895 2162 7007 and Passcode: 933142)
For tips and instructions to join the meeting, click here to check this news blog.

Hybrid (in-person and online)

3111 Wissemann Drive (or *ZOOM)
Sacramento, CA 95826 United States
/by

(ZOOM) Sit & Dharma Talk with JD Doyle

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Hybrid Event

September 10 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm PDT

Insight Meditation and Dharma Talk with Visiting Teacher JD Doyle

For biographical details of the teacher JD Doyle, click here.

* The teacher will present via ZOOM.
Hybrid events can be attended via Zoom or onsite at the Sacramento Dharma Center.

Offer a Teacher Donation

JD Doyle will receive at least 75% of your donation.

Use the following donate button and select Thu Sep 10 – JD from the dropdown list.

DONATE – Thu Talk
How to Attend Remotely
Join Zoom Meeting

Join online meeting: https://zoom.us/join or join by phone at 1-669-900-6833
( Meeting ID: 895 2162 7007 and Passcode: 933142)
For tips and instructions to join the meeting, click here to check this news blog.

Hybrid (in-person and online)

3111 Wissemann Drive (or *ZOOM)
Sacramento, CA 95826 United States
/by

(IN-PERSON) Sit & Dharma Talk – Dennis Warren – The Factor Animating Choice and Karma

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Hybrid Event

September 3 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm PDT

Insight Meditation and Dharma Talk with SIM Founding Teacher Dennis Warren

For biographical details of the teacher Dennis Warren, click here.

* The teacher will present IN-PERSON at the Dharma Center.
Hybrid events can be attended via Zoom or onsite at the Sacramento Dharma Center.

The Factor Animating Choice and Karma
Choice plays a pivotal role in the architecture of Buddhist practice. For example, it surfaces in the five strategies for dealing with distracting thoughts, the four types of Right Effort, and the five ways of letting go or abandoning unskillful states of mind. Each set of options asks that we weight the circumstances and select a course of action.


And yet, curiously, the Pali Canon — that vast record of the Historical Buddha’s psychology, teachings and methods — contains no word or phrase equivalent to our conventional sense of “choice.”


This reflects the Historical Buddha’s tendency to redirect attention away from the surface of a question towards what he considered its root. If choice, as commonly understood, is not the true axis of decision-making, then what is? And what might this reveal, as a practical matter, about the nature of skillful decision making and how it can be embodied in practice and life?


This is the question we’ll explore this Thursday evening.


We invite you to join us either in person or via ZOOM. Dennis will be presenting in person. He encourages you to be there in person, as well, to meet with old, as well as new, friends and enjoy an evening of community and investigation the Historical Buddha’s teachings.

Offer a Teacher Donation

Dennis Warren will receive at least 75% of your donation.

Use the following donate button and select Thu Sep 3 – Dennis from the dropdown list.

DONATE – Thu Talk
How to Attend Remotely
Join Zoom Meeting

Join online meeting: https://zoom.us/join or join by phone at 1-669-900-6833
( Meeting ID: 895 2162 7007 and Passcode: 933142)
For tips and instructions to join the meeting, click here to check this news blog.

Hybrid (in-person and online)

3111 Wissemann Drive (or *ZOOM)
Sacramento, CA 95826 United States
/by

(Onsite) Maranasati (12 of 12)

December 20 @ 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm PST

This is part of an twelve month course lead by SIM’s community teacher Diane Wilde. For course details or to make a teacher donation while participating in the course, visit Maranasati: Mindful of Death, Alive to Life.

Hybrid (in-person and online)

3111 Wissemann Drive (or *ZOOM)
Sacramento, CA 95826 United States
/by

(Onsite) Maranasati (11 of 12)

November 15 @ 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm PST

This is part of an twelve month course lead by SIM’s community teacher Diane Wilde. For course details or to make a teacher donation while participating in the course, visit Maranasati: Mindful of Death, Alive to Life.

Hybrid (in-person and online)

3111 Wissemann Drive (or *ZOOM)
Sacramento, CA 95826 United States
/by

(Onsite) Maranasati (10 of 12)

October 18 @ 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm PDT

This is part of an twelve month course lead by SIM’s community teacher Diane Wilde. For course details or to make a teacher donation while participating in the course, visit Maranasati: Mindful of Death, Alive to Life.

Hybrid (in-person and online)

3111 Wissemann Drive (or *ZOOM)
Sacramento, CA 95826 United States
/by

(Onsite) Maranasati (9 of 12)

September 20 @ 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm PDT

This is part of an twelve month course lead by SIM’s community teacher Diane Wilde. For course details or to make a teacher donation while participating in the course, visit Maranasati: Mindful of Death, Alive to Life.

Hybrid (in-person and online)

3111 Wissemann Drive (or *ZOOM)
Sacramento, CA 95826 United States
/by