Description
The seeds of ease, peace, wisdom, and compassion lie within the mindful presence we bring to each moment of our lives. Can we learn to be fully receptive to life, wholeheartedly present with each moment just as it is?
Countless moments of our life are spent ruminating, reviewing, remembering the past or planning for, thinking about, anticipating the future. All the while, the simplicity of our presence is what really matters. What we deeply yearn for is not found in more sights, sounds, tastes or thoughts but in living the moment with awareness, wisdom, and compassion.
The clutter of our lives covers over the precious simplicity that surrounds us and is within us. Often the inner noise created by our busyness drowns out the wonder of silence. Our culture mistakenly links simplicity with deprivation, silence with absence, and overfills our lives with information, objects and distractions.
In the moment, we can let go of craving for the future, preoccupations with the past, and strategies to protect the present. There is nowhere left to be but where we are. To connect with the moment is to begin to appreciate the beauty and joy of being alive. This is an act of compassion.
Together we will practice being fully alive and awake in the moment. Every moment is unique. Every moment is precious. Don’t let them slip away.
This program is appropriate for both new and experienced meditators and will include formal meditation practices, as well as discussion and reflection. Willingness to practice between sessions will deepen this exploration. All are warmly welcome.
Attending an in-person practice group
- CIMC is a refuge. Out of compassion for those with chemical sensitivities, please avoid using scented products such as lotions, deodorant, after-shave, hair products, perfume, and clothes laundered with scented detergent or dryer sheets—before you come to the Center.
- Please arrive at least 20 minutes early to check in and to find a comfortable place in the meditation hall.
- Please power off your phone, smartwatch, and other electronic devices for the duration of the program.
- Please leave your shoes on the shoe shelves on the first floor and keep your valuables with you.
- Parking at CIMC is limited; we suggest you use public transportation to the Center whenever possible.
- Food and beverages, including water, are not allowed in the meditation halls.
- We strongly recommend you dress in layers since the temperature in the meditation hall varies throughout the day. The hall thermostat is set to a comfortable temperature. Still, please give yourself a range of clothing options, as individual preferences for warmth or coolness differ widely and cannot be accommodated.
- Masks are optional. Some masks are available at the entrance of the Center.
- CIMC provides zafus (round cushions), zabutons (large mats), meditation benches, blankets, and chairs. At the end of each program, we request that you brush off and plump up zabutons and zafus and neatly return them where they belong.