Community Groups

35 & Under Sangha

• Sundays: 7:00-8:15pm
• Dates: September 27 | October 25 | November 22 | December 13 (second Sunday).
• Zoom Link (registration not required): Click here or dial +1 (646) 876 9923 and enter the Meeting ID: 972-3845-0358.
• Donation (dana): Please consider making a donation to CIMC in support of this program.

This affinity group -- appropriate for both new and experienced meditators -- provides an opportunity for those ages 18-35 to practice the dharma in a supportive community setting.

The fourth Sunday of the month will be led by teachers Matthew Hepburn or Zeenat Potia. 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.

Please see CIMC's online program calendar for up-to-date information.

Elders Sangha

• Tuesdays: 10:30am-12:00pm
• Dates: January 14, 2020 | February 11 | March 10 | May 12 | June 9 | July 14 | August 11 | September 8 | October 13 | November 10 | December 8
• Zoom Link (registration not required): Click here or dial +1 (646) 876 9923 and enter the Meeting ID: 963-1055-6128.
• 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 Ron Denhardt, Olivia Hoblitzelle or Betty Burkes.

LGBTIQ Sangha

• Fridays: 7:00-9:00pm
• Dates: January 17, 2020 | February 21 | May 15 | June 19 | October 16 | November 20
• Zoom Link (registration not required): Click here or dial +1 (646) 876 9923 and enter the Meeting ID: 997-5010-1653.
• 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 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning. 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.

Little Buddhas Sangha

• Sundays: 10:00-10:30am
• Dates: September 20 | October 25 | November 15 | December 6
• Zoom Link (registration not required): Click here or dial +1 (646) 876 9923 and enter the Meeting ID: 992-0690-6921.
• 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.

People of Color Sangha

• Fridays: 6:30-8:15pm
• Dates: January 3, 2020 | February 7 | March 6 | May 1 | June 5 | July 10 (second Friday) Lower Meditation Hall | August 7 | September 11 (second Friday) | October 2 | November 6 | December 4
• Donation (dana): Please consider making a donation to CIMC in support of this program.
• Zoom link: The PoC Sangha is a Dharma practice space meant for those who identify as a person of color. If you wish to be sent the Zoom information and to be added to the PoC ListServ kindly email cimcpocsangha@gmail.com or office@cambridgeinsight.org before 4 pm on the day of the program.

The PoC Sangha provides a dedicated practice space at CIMC for those who self-identify as people of color, and generally meets on the first Friday of each month from 6:30-8:15pm.

General outline of our time together:
- Welcome and Introductions
- Guided Meditation
- Dharma Reflection/Teaching
- Small Group Reflection
- Large Sharing Circle, with Q and A, if time allows
- Brief Sit / Blessing
- Announcements

In 2020, the PoC Sangha will explore the Buddha’s teachings on the Three Characteristics. All that exists in the universe is subject to these characteristics:

• Impermanence (anicca). Everything is limited to a certain duration and, consequently, liable to disappear.
• Sufferings, worries, dissatisfactions of all kinds (dukkha). Everything is unsatisfactory. There is nothing that can be relied upon, there is nothing that can bring true happiness.
• The absence of a self (anatta). Everything is deprived of a self. There is no self-inherent entity, nothing that can be controlled.

The PoC Sangha will be supported by CIMC Core Teacher Matthew Hepburn, visiting teachers and the PoC Affinity Group Leaders (Novelette DeMercado and Vicky I). You’re invited to explore these Three Characteristics with the PoC Sangha at any, or all, of the monthly gatherings.

The PoC First Friday Drop-In is appropriate for beginners as well as those with meditation experience.

White Awake Sangha

Please see the info and resources for the SEPTEMBER 13th meeting by clicking here

• 2nd Sundays: 5:00-7:00pm
• Dates: September 13 | October 11 | November 8 | December 13
• Zoom Link (registration not required): Click here or dial +1 (646) 876 9923 and enter the Meeting ID: 969-8476-9058.
• 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

Please see CIMC's online program calendar for up-to-date information.