Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center: dharma talks and meditation instruction

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IMS’s Retreat Center first opened its doors in 1976. It offers a yearly schedule of meditation courses, lasting from a weekend to three months. Most retreats are designed for both new and experienced meditators. Recognized insight meditation teachers from all over the world offer daily instruction and guidance in Buddhist meditations known as vipassana (insight) and metta (lovingkindness). While the context is the Buddha’s teachings, these practices are universal and help us to deepen awareness and compassion.

via dharmaseed.org


    • Jun 1, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • weekdays NEW EPISODES
    • 52m AVG DURATION
    • 546 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center: dharma talks and meditation instruction

    Bart van Melik: Trust Impermanence

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 1, 2025 47:00


    (Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) How attuning to change can bring the greatest happiness

    Bart van Melik: Emergency Metta

    Play Episode Listen Later May 31, 2025 44:29


    (Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) How kindness and the breath can be used when feeling fear.

    Bart van Melik: What's in the Way, is the Way

    Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2025 46:16


    (Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) Exploring how the 5 hindrances can become opportunities for growth.

    JoAnna Hardy: Morning Instructions, hindrances, sense doors

    Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2025 41:53


    (Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) Touching in to normalize the hindrances, then guidance on sense doors, internal/external awareness and curiosity of sensations and experience

    JoAnna Hardy: Metta Introduction and Instructions

    Play Episode Listen Later May 29, 2025 42:12


    (Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) An brief over view of the Bramaviharas, focusing on Metta for easy being, neutral being and self

    Bart van Melik: What would kindness do?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 25, 2025 45:03


    (Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) Reflections on how kindness manifests as generosity, friendship and a willingness to learn.

    Joseph Goldstein: Q & A

    Play Episode Listen Later May 24, 2025 71:38


    (Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) A variety of interesting dharma topics

    Bart van Melik: Emergency Metta

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2025 51:20


    (Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) Using the power of kindness and relaxation when feeling afraid

    Nakawe Cuebas Berrios: Morning Instructions Open Awareness

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2025 43:49


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    Nakawe Cuebas Berrios: Equanimity Practice

    Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2025 43:43


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    Andrea Castillo: Practice Like a Naturalist

    Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2025 46:21


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    Bart van Melik: Being Aware of Thoughts and Emotions

    Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2025 49:01


    (Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) Instructions on being with thoughts and emotions.

    Nakawe Cuebas Berrios: Touching the Earth, Befriending Hinderances

    Play Episode Listen Later May 21, 2025 39:59


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    Andrea Castillo: Cultivating Sympathetic Joy

    Play Episode Listen Later May 21, 2025 43:43


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    cultivating sympathetic andrea castillo
    Joseph Goldstein: Why Meditate

    Play Episode Listen Later May 20, 2025 64:55


    (Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) Exploring the implications of 'Mind is the forerunner of all things:' steadying the attention, importance of motivation, how insights into impermanence, dukkha, and non-self impact our lives.

    Nakawe Cuebas Berrios: The Heavenly Abode of Compassion

    Play Episode Listen Later May 20, 2025 44:30


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    Dawn Scott, Jessica Morey, Rachel Lewis: Retreat Closing

    Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2025 55:32


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    retreat rachel lewis jessica morey
    Rachel Lewis: Equanimity in the world

    Play Episode Listen Later May 9, 2025 52:11


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    Jessica Morey: Equanimity Guided Meditation

    Play Episode Listen Later May 9, 2025 62:25


    (Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) In this guided practice period, we explore two aspects of equanimity - non-reactivity towards our moment-to-moment experience and acceptance and non-control towards the experiences of those we love.

    Rachel Lewis: Mudita and non-self

    Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2025 48:27


    (Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) After some comments on the relationships among the Brahmaviharas and how an understanding of non-self supports the natural expression of the Brahmaviharas, we practice mudita with respect to several categories of beings. This session ends with a brief Q&A.

    Rachel Lewis: GRAIN: working with emotions

    Play Episode Listen Later May 7, 2025 57:34


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    Rachel Lewis: Equanimity internally and externally: practicing with the hindrances

    Play Episode Listen Later May 6, 2025 52:14


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    Rachel Lewis: Bringing kind awareness to the body

    Play Episode Listen Later May 5, 2025 34:47


    (Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center)

    Sharon Salzberg: Mindfulness

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 30, 2025 41:47


    (Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center)

    Rebecca Bradshaw: Choiceless Attention Guided Meditation

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 20, 2025 61:41


    (Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) Intro and guided meditation.

    Rebecca Bradshaw: Equanimity Brahmavihara

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 19, 2025 47:28


    (Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) Exploration of Equanimity Brahmavihara and guided meditation.

    Roxanne Dault: Mudita: Brief Intro and guided.

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 18, 2025 46:43


    (Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) Practicing with mudita for an ease being and joy for self

    Roxanne Dault: Walking on this path with faith and courage.

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 17, 2025 43:10


    (Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) Inviting faith and wise effort to inspire our practice.

    Rebecca Bradshaw: Instructions - Body Sensations and Emotions

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 17, 2025 58:45


    (Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) Instructions and guided meditation.

    Roxanne Dault: Guided Metta for Self

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2025 45:10


    (Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) Inviting this warmth in meeting all that we are and cultivating kindness

    Rebecca Bradshaw: Steadying The Heart

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 12, 2025 45:03


    (Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) Finding a home base to steady our heart.

    Rebecca Bradshaw: The Graceful Heart

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 12, 2025 60:34


    (Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) Learning to live life graceful poise.

    Yuka Nakamura: Bodhicitta - For the welfare of all

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 8, 2025 53:22


    (Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) Bodhicitta—the mind of awakening—is the aspiration to attain awakening for the benefit of all. Seeing our practice in this light can be a source of inspiration and counteract the tendency to self-centeredness. The talk discusses the historical development of the concept and explains what it means.

    Akincano Marc Weber: Where the heart gets stuck - upādāna and the consequences

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 7, 2025 69:02


    (Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) Upādāna in different Buddhist Teachings: – Clinging as fuel for renewed becoming (punabbhava) – Clinging in the 5 aggregates (khandha) – Clinging in Dependent Arising (paṭiccasamuppadā) – Clinging as four specific forms: (i) kāmūpādāna – clinging to and identification with sensuality (“Seeking” experiences) (ii) diṭṭhūpādāna – clinging to and identification with views (“Being right, being competent“) (iii) sīlavaṭūpādāna – clinging to and identification with virtue, practices and ritual (“Having the right technique“) (iv) attavādūpādāna – clinging to and identification with doctrines of a self / Self (“Being someone”)

    Yuka Nakamura: Guided Meditation: Equanimity

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 7, 2025 44:42


    (Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) Introduction and guided meditation

    Akincano Marc Weber: Morning reflections - challenges to contemplation of mind states

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 7, 2025 48:10


    (Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) Training and understanding the mind happens with the mind already affected by the very states it wishes to understand and transform

    Akincano Marc Weber, Thimo Wittich, Yuka Nakamura: Questions from the basket (three teachers take turns).

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 6, 2025 74:30


    (Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) Thimo, Yuka and Akincano respond to practitioner's questions.

    Akincano Marc Weber: Muditā Practice: Intro followed by Guided Practice to cultivate sympathetic joy.

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 6, 2025 41:39


    (Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) How wonderful you are in your being! I delight that you are here! I take joy in your good fortune! May your happiness continue and increase! (From a Sinhalese Ms of the 19th century. Monks' and nuns‘ practice upon receiving alms).

    Yuka Nakamura: Morning instructions: Mindfulness of mind states

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 6, 2025 56:20


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    Yuka Nakamura: Saddhā - Trust

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 5, 2025 61:17


    (Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) Saddhā - trust or confidence - is a fundamental quality that we need on our path. Why can it be difficult to trust? What is actually trustworthy? How does it manifest in our mind and in our actions?

    Yuka Nakamura: Introduction and guided meditation on compassion

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 4, 2025 45:58


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    Yuka Nakamura: Morning instructions: Mindful awareness and meeting physical pain in meditation.

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2025 41:59


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    Yuka Nakamura: Awake mind, wise mind.

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 2, 2025 62:05


    (Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) To bring attention to the right things in the right way is crucial for our path. Through the mindful contemplation of our experience we can gain insight and develop liberating wisdom.

    Yuka Nakamura: Morning Instructions: First Day

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2025 40:59


    (Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) Calming and collecting the mind

    Kaira Jewel Lingo: Equanimity Meditation

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2025 45:04


    (Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) This meditation explores upekkhā, or equanimity—the deep steadiness of heart that meets life's joys and sorrows with wisdom and care. Through reflections, guided phrases, and a progression of categories (from self, to loved one, neutral person, difficult person and finally all beings), we cultivate balance and spaciousness in the face of life's ever-changing conditions. Rooted in the Brahmavihārā tradition, this practice invites us to rest in the truth that all beings are moving through causes and conditions beyond our control.

    Kaira Jewel Lingo: Mindfulness of Thoughts

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2025 52:48


    (Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) In this talk, we explore mindfulness of thoughts as part of the third foundation of mindfulness—learning to meet thoughts not as distractions or enemies, but as present-moment experiences to observe with curiosity and care. Through guided practice and teachings, we investigate the nature of thinking, including how to relate to repetitive or difficult thoughts with clarity and compassion. By developing this skill, we discover a deeper steadiness and freedom in the midst of the mind's activity.

    Kaira Jewel Lingo: Introduction to the Brahmaviharas and the Practice of Metta

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 25, 2025 58:28


    (Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) We begin with a song and for the first half hour Kaira Jewel gives a brief overview the Four Brahmaviharas followed by an introduction to the practice of metta: what it is, how it can transform our lives, what some of the challenges are and then how to practice with the categories and the phrases. Then in the second half hour Kaira Jewel leads a guided metta meditation offering metta to ourselves, our benefactor and a dear friend.

    Kaira Jewel Lingo: The Power and Freedom of Equanimity in Polarized Times

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 24, 2025 60:11


    (Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) In this talk we explore the power of equanimity to help us remain steady and spacious in the face of life's ups and downs. Trusting, relaxing and letting go all help us to see we don't have to hold the challenges of life alone, we can open to the larger mystery holding us all. We also look at how to engage with the suffering and injustice of our world, to practice sacred criticism, and depolarizing ourselves and our communities. We take inspiration from the Civil Rights Movement and their practices of self-emptying and how we can give our whole hearts to the task and then let go of attachment to the outcome. Kaira Jewel ends by singing the poem Recommendation by Thich Nhat Hanh.

    Alexis Santos: Closing Day Talk

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 12, 2025 104:03


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    Carol Wilson: Steady recognition of awareness untangles confusion

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 9, 2025 51:28


    (Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center)

    Carol Wilson: Liberating Simplicity of Awareness

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 8, 2025 51:11


    (Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center)

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