Insight Meditation is a Western form of Vipassana, a form of Buddhist meditation emphasizing focused concentration on bodily sensations and mental events, practiced with the intention of gaining insight into reality.
The word vipassano can be translated as "insight," and insight meditation is a method of attaining a clear awareness of exactly what is happening when it happens, or a state in which the mind is brought to rest by focusing on only one item, not allowing the mind to wander.
In insight meditation, the uses concentration as a tool through which he chips away at the wall of illusion separating him from reality. It is a gradual process that may take years. One day, the practitioner breaks through the wall and comes into the presence of light. This state of reality, known as liberation, is permanent. Liberation is the goal of all forms of Buddhist practice, but the routes to attaining it are many.
In the United States, insight meditation is represented by the Insight Meditation Society, a non-profit organization based in Barre, Massachusetts. The IMS operates a Retreat Center and Forest Refuge in rural Massachusett, as well as a correspondence course.
Other centers with various degrees of affiliation with the IMS include the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, located through the woods from the Insight Meditation Society, offers both residential and online courses in insight meditation.
Established in 1985, the Cambridge Insight Meditation Center is an urban center for insight meditation in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It offers meditation practice and instruction at all levels, as well as practice groups, workshops, retreats, and special courses and events.
Another urban center for insight meditation, New York Insight is located in New York City, where it has had a meditation room and classroom since 2003, offering onsite and offsite sittings in various locations in New York and New Jersey.
Founded by Tara Brach, Insight Meditation Community of Washington is actually in Maryland, from where it serves the greater District of Columbia region.
Insight LA is a meditation center in Los Angeles, California, where it offers secular and Buddhist classes in the Greater Los Angeles region.
Also offering insight meditation in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, Gaia House is a meditation retreat center offering silent meditation retreats in Denbury, Devon, England. It is one of the largest meditation centers in Europe.
The Meditation Center Beatenberg was established in 2000, following up on the work that was begun by its precursor organization, Dhamma Gruppe Switzerland. The center offers various forms of Buddhist meditation practices, with a specific emphasis on insight meditation and other practices from the Tibetan tradition.
Several other Insight Meditation centers and retreats can be found in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
Topics related to insight meditation are the focus of websites listed in this category. Whether affiliated with the Insight Meditation Society or another society, center, retreat, or regional movement, sites whose topics are insight meditation are appropriate for this category.
Vipassana Theravada Buddhist sites may use "insight meditation" within its descriptions or texts, as vipassana translates as "insight," but only those that are named "Insight Meditation" should be submitted to this category. Others may be submitted to the parent "Vipassana" category.
Recommended Resources
Barre Center for Buddhist Studies
Incorporating online and residential courses that include study, discussion, and meditation, the BCBS was founded by Joseph Goldenstein and Sharon Salzberg in 1991 and is affiliated with the Insight Meditation Society, nearby. Its programs, schedules, fees, and cancellation policies are delineated, and its teaching faculty is introduced. Directions, visitation policies, job openings, and announcements are included.
https://www.buddhistinquiry.org/
British Columbia Insight Meditation Society
BCIMS is a Buddhist meditation center in British Columbia, where it promotes and facilitates the practice and perpetuation of Buddhist teachings throughout Canada, including the Theravadan Buddhist traditions and practices of Metta and Vipassana meditation. Its location, schedules, residential and non-residential retreats, beginner meditation courses, dharma teaching programs, and other activities are shared.
https://www.bcims.org/
Cambridge Insight Meditation Center
CIMC is a non-residential urban center for the practice of insight meditation. Located in downtown Cambridge, Massachusetts, people of all secular and religious persuasions are welcome to participate. Upcoming programs and drop-in session schedules are published to the site, along with its membership policies, guidelines for participation, ordination practices, and program registrations are communicated.
https://cambridgeinsight.org/
Situated in a former manor house and Christian nunnery in West Ogwell, Newton Abbot, Devon, England, Gaia House is a Buddhist meditation center in the traditions of Vipassana Theravada Buddhism. General information and history of the center, insight meditation, mindfulness, and its policies on inclusion and diversity are outlined, along with a schedule of retreats, courses and events, tuition, and financial assistance options.
https://gaiahouse.co.uk/
Teaching mindfulness meditation practices at various locations in the Greater Los Angeles, California region, Insight LA has offered classes, retreats, and special events for more than fifteen years. Its class series, single sessions, retreats, and day-long training programs are introduced, and its locations and schedules are included, along with a calendar of events, teacher introductions, audio, and video.
https://insightla.org/
Known as Vipassana in the Theravada tradition, insight meditation incorporates the practice of ethics, mindfulness, depths of meditation, the opening of the heart, and wisdom teachings. The organization offers meditation groups, guided meditations, and retreats in various locations in Australia. Schedules are published to the site, its teachers are introduced, teachings are outlined, and several audio files are included.
http://www.insightmeditationaustralia.org/
Insight Meditation Community of Colorado
The IMCC was founded in 1993 by students of resident teachers at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts and the Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California, the organization offers support for Insight Meditation sitting groups, retreats, and other practice opportunities in the Theravada Buddhist tradition. Teachers are introduced, and a calendar of weekly meetings, retreats, and courses are provided.
http://www.insightcolorado.org/
Insight Meditation Community of Washington
Serving the Greater Washington DC region, the IMCW is a Buddhist community that teaches insight (Vipassana) meditation. Its history, founder, and senior teachers are acknowledged, and a calendar of events, Wednesday programs, drop-in classes, class series, workshops, and retreats are outlined. Its family and age-specific groups are outlined, and volunteer opportunities are posted. A blog is included.
https://imcw.org/
Based in Barre, Massachusetts, the IMS operates two rural retreat centers, each of which are highlighted here, including a guide to touring the facilities. Their locations, programs, schedules, and fees, and its teachers are introduced. Its mission and values are advanced, several photographs are included, along with administrative contacts and policy information. Job openings and volunteer opportunities are delineated.
https://www.dharma.org/
Opened in 2000, the organization organizes meditation retreats and other Buddhist seminars guided by Asian and Western Buddhist teachers in the traditions of insight meditation, although it offers other forms of meditation as well. Its programs are promoted, including fees and policy information, teacher introductions, directions, photographs, and promotional video. Its content is available in English and German.
https://www.karuna.ch/en-Willkommen
New York Insight Meditation Center
Located in New York City, NYI is an urban center for insight meditation, providing a variety of programs, including talks, weekly sittings, and courses, as well as day-long and weekend retreats and workshops. Its history, location, and schedules are promoted, with an overview of its teachers, board, staff, and key volunteers. Other resources include testimonials, a calendar of upcoming events, and a community blog.
https://www.nyimc.org/
