Affinity Groups

35 & Under Sangha

• Sundays: 7:00-8:15pm, in person
• Dates: January 29, 2023 | February 26 | March 26 | April 23 | May 21 | June 25 | July 23 | August 13 | September 24 | October 22 | November 19 | December 17
• If online: Zoom Link (registration not required): Click here or dial +1 (646) 876 9923 and enter the Meeting ID: 972 3845 0358 (passcode: cimc)
• Donation (dana): Please consider making a donation to CIMC in support of this program.

This affinity group provides an opportunity for those ages 18-35 to practice the dharma in a supportive community setting. Meetings are led by Affinity Group Leaders Alex Baskin, Ben Polletta, and Melanie Cherng. These evenings start with a period of guided sitting practice and walking meditation, followed by time for sharing: dyads (partner work) and small or large group discussion. Appropriate for both new and experienced meditators. Click here to meet a member of the 35&Under Sangha.

Disability & Chronic Illness Sangha

• Sundays: 5:30-7:00pm
• Dates: January 22, 2023 | February 5 | March 5 | April 2 | May 7 | June 4 | July 16 | August 6 | September 17 | October 1 | November 5 | December 3
• Zoom Link (registration not required): Click here or dial +1 (646) 876 9923 and enter the Meeting ID: 935 2507 3737 (passcode: cimc)
• Donation (dana): Please consider making a donation to CIMC in support of this program.

These gatherings are an opportunity to practice together and build community for those who self-identify as disabled and/or chronically ill*. We welcome the great variety of experiences and perspectives this includes, and we seek to view our experiences through the lens of dharma. Most meetings will include introductions, guided meditation, small and/or large group discussion, dharma teaching and a brief closing. To learn more about our sangha, we invite you to read our Welcome Statement.

The sangha is led by Reya Stevens who has had a disabling illness since she was a teenager, including 20 years’ riding a wheelchair and decades spent mostly lying down at home. Reya has been practicing Dharma since 1984 and has taught occasionally since 1997, as health and venue accessibility have allowed. Click here to meet Reya.

*This includes those who prefer different terminology—for example, a more specific descriptor like ‘blind’ or ‘neuro-divergent,’ or to simply explain their situation as needed. Please note, however, that the group is not geared towards people whose conditions are expected to be fully cured or healed in a relatively brief time (e.g., three months or less).

Elders Sangha

• 2nd Tuesdays (online) ; 4th Tuesdays (in person): 10:30am-12:00pm
• Dates: January 10 & 24, 2023 | February 14, 28 | March 14, 28 | April 11, 25 | May 9, 23 | June 13, 27 | July 11, 25 | August 8 | September 12, 26 | October 10, 24 | November 14, 28 | December 12
• Zoom Link (registration not required): Click here or dial +1 (646) 876 9923 and enter the Meeting ID: 963 1055 6128. (passcode: cimc)
• Donation (dana): Please consider making a donation to CIMC in support of this program.

Intended for people ages 65 and up, the Elders Sangha meets on the second Tuesday of each month. As elders, we're invited as never before to look deeply into the great issues of impermanence, diminishment, and mortality. Yet through practice these are balanced by expanding compassion, joy and appreciation of life. Let us take advantage of this opportunity and come together every month for talks, discussion, and meditation. Together we'll explore both the challenges and sources of inspiration that enrich the process of creative, conscious aging. The group is led by Olivia Hoblitzelle or Betty Burkes on 2nd Tuesdays (with Jo Ann Share or Kate Beers as co-facilitators), and by Kate Beers on 4th Tuesdays. Click here to meet a member of the Elders Sangha.

LGBTQIA+ Sangha

• Fridays: 7:00-8:30pm
• Dates: January 13, 2023 | February 17 | April 21 | May 19 | June 16 | July 21 | September 22 | November 17
• Zoom Link (registration not required): Click here or dial +1 (646) 876 9923 and enter the Meeting ID: 997 5010 1653. (passcode: cimc)
• Donation (dana): Please consider making a donation to CIMC in support of this program.

These evening gatherings provide a dedicated practice space at CIMC for people who self-identify as LGBTQIA+. This is a great opportunity to connect with and build community as we come together to practice, learn and celebrate who we are.

CIMC Core Teacher Madeline Klyne leads sitting and walking meditation followed by a Dharma teaching and/or discussion. Our affinity group is a “drop-in” and is appropriate for beginners as well as those with prior meditation experience. Click here to meet a member of the LGBTQIA+ Sangha.

Little Buddhas Sangha

• Sundays: 10:00-10:30am
• Dates: January 22, 2023 | February 26 | March 12 | April 2 | May 7 | June 11 | July dates and onwards TBD.
• Zoom Link (registration not required): Click here or dial +1 (646) 876 9923 and enter the Meeting ID: 992 0690 6921. (passcode: cimc)
• Donation (dana): Please consider making a donation to CIMC in support of this program.

This group is an informal opportunity for parents and small children (ages 3-8) to explore a family practice. Through singing, playful movement and storytelling we learn how to spend time together mindfully. Seasonal and festive themes are interwoven in our work to bring in color, fun, and a community atmosphere. We introduce the concepts of awareness, non-judgement or acceptance, and stillness (in heart and mind -- the body may be moving). Some examples of mindfulness that might be explored are: mindful listening, mindful breathing, mindful seeing, and more. Children are naturally in tune with their bodies and their environment. Our work together tries to harness this beautiful quality of wonder and presence. We have a high tolerance for movement and sound, and the children are not expected to sit still or be quiet all the time. At the end of the session, there is some time reserved for conversation.

Children must be supervised by an adult at all times. Our activities are geared to children ages 3-8. However, we are happy to welcome younger and older siblings so that families have the opportunity to practice and be together. Click here to meet a member of the Little Buddhas Sangha.

Parents Sangha

• 2nd Thursdays: 8:00-9:15pm
• Dates: January 12, 2023 | February 9 | March 9 | April 13 | May 11 | June 8 | July 13 | August 10 | September 14 | October 12 | November 9 | December 14
• Zoom Link (registration not required): Click here or dial +1 (646) 876 9923 and enter the Meeting ID: 987 8139 8893. (passcode: cimc)
• Donation (dana): Please consider making a donation to CIMC in support of this program.

CIMC’s Parents Sangha provides an opportunity for parents of children of all ages to practice together and build community. Bringing mindful attention to our skills as parents can increase our capacity to form strong bonds with all the members of our family. The practice of mindfulness cultivates conditions of openness and receptivity, in which communication and emotional connection naturally flourish.

Parenting is both a joyful and a challenging endeavor. In this group, we seek to view our experiences through the lens of Dharma. We will learn how to regulate our nervous systems, and model mindfulness for our families, so that we are able to navigate the inevitable waves of joy and frustration that accompany every parent’s experience with a greater sense of ease.

This sangha will be jointly led by parents Jim Austin, Roberval Oliveira, and Zeenat Potia, and is appropriate for new and experienced practitioners and parents of children of all ages. Gatherings will include meditation practice, discussion, and questions.

People of Color Sangha

• Fridays: 6:30-8:15pm
• Dates: January 6, 2023 | February 3 | March 3 | April 7 | May 5 | June 2 | July 14 | August 4 | September 8 (second Friday) | October 13 (second Friday) | November 3 | December 1
• Donation (dana): Please consider making a donation to CIMC in support of this program.
• If online: Zoom link (registration not required): Click here or dial +1 (646) 876 9923 and enter the Meeting ID: 922 8607 7706. (passcode: cimc)
• Please check our online calendar to determine if the POC Sangha will meet online or in person.

The PoC Sangha provides a dedicated practice space at CIMC for those who self-identify as people of color and is appropriate for beginners as well as those with meditation experience. Over the course of the year, this drop-in program will explore the Dharma of the human experience; taking Buddhist teachings as our lens to explore the ups and downs, joys and sorrows, tenderness and beauty of living in a world of change. Please feel free to come to any, or all, of the monthly gatherings.

Our Friday evenings together will typically include:

• Guided Meditation
• Dharma Reflection/Teaching
• Small Group Reflection
• Large Sharing Circle, with Q and A, if time allows
• Community Announcements

The PoC Sangha is led by Affinity Group Leaders Gina LaRoche, Juan Sosa, Roberval Oliveira, and Victoria I along with occasional guest teachers Devin Berry and Tara Mulay. Click here to meet a member of the POC Sangha.

 

White Awake Sangha

• 2nd Sundays: 5:00-7:00pm (5:00-6:30pm on January 8)
• Dates: January 8, 2023 | February 12 | March 12 (in person) | April 9 | May 14 | June 11 | July 9 | August 13 | September 10 | October 15 | November 12 | December 10
• Zoom Link if online (registration not required): Click here or dial +1 (646) 876 9923 and enter the Meeting ID: 969 8476 9058 (passcode: cimc)
• Donations (dana) can be made to The Loveland Foundation, Black Lives Matter Boston, White Awake, CIMC, or another appropriate organization.

The White Awake Sangha is a community of white CIMC practitioners doing the emotional work of examining racism and white supremacy, how we internalize them, and how we perpetuate them interpersonally, culturally, and institutionally, both as individuals and collectively. Our goal is to bring our spiritual practice to the work of interrogating and dismantling white supremacy in ourselves, our relationships, our communities, and especially at the meditation center we call our spiritual home.

The White Awake Sangha is appropriate for any white practitioner no matter what meditation style they practice or where they are on their antiracism journey. Our goal is to build community as well as resilience, capacity, and commitment for the work of fighting systemic oppression. All are invited to explore issues of whiteness and racism, and our role as white practitioners: to not just be good allies in antiracist work, but to be actively engaged and taking initiative in dismantling racism within ourselves, at CIMC, and anyplace we may encounter it.

Below is a sample framework for our time together:

• Meditation
• Introduction & Review of Community Norms
• Check-In
• Teaching/Reflection/Activity on Dharma, Racism, & Undoing White Supremacy
• Small Group Reflections
• Large Sharing Circle, with Q and A
• Discussing Challenges & Setting Intentions
• Meditation

The White Awake Sangha also maintains a listserv to share postings related to the topic of white affinity work in a Buddhist context, including sharing resources for upcoming meetings. Please direct any request to be added to (or removed from) the listserv to benpolletta@gmail.com. Click here to meet a member of the White Awake Sangha.