Community Groups offer regular opportunities for both new and experienced practitioners to participate at the Center in the company of others whose life experiences may be similar to their own. Visit our Drop-In Programs page to learn more about each group, and please check CIMC’s Online Calendar for up-to-date schedule information.
35 & Under Sangha
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 group offers two different formats:
- With Teacher. The second and fourth Sundays 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. There is time after the evening ends for participants to gather informally for tea and conversation.
- Practice Sunday. The first and third Sundays of the month will be led by CIMC Practice Leaders and offer silent sitting and walking periods for deepening stillness and strengthening self-guided meditation practice in the company of the sangha. Practice Sundays do not offer meditation instruction. Beginners should first attend a few sessions that are guided by a teacher.
Beloved Community Circles
A series of conversations facilitated by CIMC Board Member Betty Burkes, Beloved Community Circles (BCC) provide a forum for cultivating awareness within the CIMC community about social realities and conditioning, informed by the Dharma. Recognizing the particular need for consciousness regarding race and racism in our culture, this theme is one foundation for the series.
We practice deep listening to one another and share our experiences to promote greater understanding of ourselves and each other. Honoring the gift and importance of sangha on this path of liberation, we will explore how we relate as spiritual friends and the barriers to this aspiration. BCC is open to everyone in the CIMC community.
Elders’ Sangha
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. For more information, please see our Listserve for Elders Sangha or click here for additional supporting material.
LGBTQ Sangha
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. After our formal program, all are invited to gather in the dining room for tea and snacks.
People of Color Sangha
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. (Once or twice a year we meet on the second Friday instead.) We start with sitting meditation practice which is followed by a Dharma talk and/or discussion. After our formal program, all are invited to gather in the dining room for a vegetarian community potluck and conversation. This affinity group is a "drop-in" and is appropriate for beginners as well as those with meditation experience.
In 2019, we are engaged in a year of practice focused on Wisdom, Virtuous Action and Meditation (The Noble Eightfold Path), a guide to the end of suffering. The Buddha gave this teaching in virtually all his discourses and his directions are as clear and relevant for today's practitioner as they were when he first gave them.
This year of practice is led by CIMC Core Teacher Matthew Hepburn, visiting teachers and the POC Affinity Group Leaders Novelette DeMercado and Vicky I. Please feel free to come to any, or all, of the monthly gatherings.
White People Waking Up Study Groups
Conditioning around white racial identity deserves to be the focal point of dharma practice as much as any other form of conditioning that contributes to suffering. Beginning in 2015, a committed group of CIMC practitioners who identify as white have explored how to do so within our sangha. In collaboration with CIMC leadership, programming blossomed and so did interest from white-identified practitioners who wanted to engage in regular reflection and education and find ways to take action. Now there are a dozen small peer-facilitated groups that meet regularly outside CIMC to investigate how racism affects relationships with self and others, and to build resilience for the task of confronting and dismantling racism in community. We aspire to realize the potential of Buddhist practice to shift attitudes and behaviors, bring healing to our community, and support collective liberation. These small groups come together at CIMC several times a year to share information and build community.
Twice a year, CIMC offers a six-week "White People Waking Up Study Group." The class is peer-facilitated and is limited to 12 participants. It is ideal for those who are new to this exploration.