Mission, Vision, and Values

Mission

Rooted in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, our Center is a welcoming refuge and teaching center for all who seek inner peace through the liberating practice of insight meditation (vipassana). As a community and as an institution, we endeavor to follow the Buddha’s path of ethics, tranquility, wisdom, and compassion. As an urban center, CIMC is dedicated to the integration of practice into every aspect of community and daily life.

Vision

• CIMC is a vibrant and relevant center of Dharma practice and learning.
• CIMC is financially stable, with a balanced budget, a broad donor base, and sufficient contingency funds.
• Generosity is a shared community value and is experienced as an opportunity for people to deepen their practice and support the practice of others.
• The programs offered at CIMC are available to all, regardless of personal circumstances.
• CIMC provides a safe and supportive environment for all members of its sangha to practice and participate according to their individual needs.
• CIMC teachers are well-supported in their teaching.
• CIMC is efficiently run with a well-supported staff, a diverse, engaged, committed board, and a large, active volunteer community.
• Our building and gardens are beautiful and well-maintained.

Values

CIMC’s core values are grounded in the teachings of the Buddha.

• The Dharma
  We dedicate ourselves to the ethics of the Five Precepts and the liberation framework of the Four Noble Truths.
• Wisdom and Compassion
  The teachings of wisdom and compassion guide our work and daily relationships at CIMC and in the larger world.
• Generosity
  We actively cultivate the open-hearted practice of generosity (dana). We recognize that generosity is a foundational, transformative practice on the path of awakening and an opportunity for individuals to support the Center and the CIMC community.
• Personal Responsibility and Capacity
  We are each responsible for our ethical behavior, actions, feelings, and happiness, and we are each capable of realizing liberation.
• Diversity and Inclusion
  We are dedicated to creating a welcoming community for people of all cultural and religious backgrounds, races, socio-economic classes, sexual orientations, gender identities, ages, education, and physical abilities. CIMC is committed to making the Buddha’s teachings available to everyone regardless of financial circumstances.
• Stewardship
  We undertake responsible stewardship of financial, human, and natural resources for future generations. We are committed to developing and maintaining a healthy, responsive organization with stability and a clear purpose. We recognize our ongoing personal and collective responsibility to sustain CIMC.
• Simplicity
  We value simplicity and moderation in life to embody the Dharma.