practice and study resources
The Buddha taught that all beings have the capacity to learn to live life with compassion, loving kindness, joy, and equanimity. And he offered many teachings and paths to achieve that goal. Insight San Diego aspires to provide practitioners at all levels with the opportunity to pursue this path.
Entering Practice
We welcome you on your journey to explore Insight Meditation as a path for well-being. Insight San Diego offers many resources to get you started or re-started on the path. For those new to the path, we encourage you to
- Listen to the meditation instructions and Introduction to Meditation sections in the Getting Started with Meditation section of our self-study guide.
- Explore the dharma talks on the Four Noble Truths and The Noble Eightfold Path sections in the Getting Started with Meditation section of our website.
- Attend one of our sitting groups to meditate, hear the dharma from respected teachers, and meet like-minded people.
- Browse our calendar and Join a class.
- Further explore the dharma talks in our Media Library.
Establishing Practice
Engaging with a sangha is a vital component to building a steady practice. We encourage you to take advantage of the community offerings to find the activities that can enrich your life and your practice.
- Attend a Daylong or Weekend Retreat.
- Explore our Affinity Groups: BIPOC, Social and Climate Justice, and Greeting the Heavenly Messengers.
- Attend one of our Sitting Groups.
- Explore the Dharma Talk Library.
- Get involved with our sangha.
Deepening Practice
Once you have a foundation of practice, there are many ways to deepen your practice on and off the cushion.
- For more extensive practice periods, explore longer retreats and day visits offered by the many Buddhist centers locally and regionally.
- Deer Park Monastery (Escondido, CA)
- Metta Forest Monastery (Valley Center, CA)
- Spirit Rock Meditation Center (Woodacre, CA)
- Insight Meditation Center (Santa Cruz, CA)
- In addition to exploring our Media Library, experience the many dharma talks on AudioDharma or Dharma Seed.
- Participate in one of our Affinity Groups.
- Join with Insight San Diego on social action events to put your practice into action.
- Consider coordinating a local Insight San Diego sitting group.
- Look into our Volunteer Opportunities to help offer the dharma to our community.