Insight meditation, or vipassana, is one of the central meditation teachings of the Buddha. Vipassana has been practiced and passed on within the Theravada Buddhist tradition for the past 2,500 years. The core of insight meditation is the practice of mindfulness, that quality of awareness that sees without judgment. Sitting and walking meditation, the first steps in formal practice, become the foundation and the continuous inspiration for meeting all aspects of life with a greater openness and willingness to learn. The pressures of daily life become a part of the practice because the challenges they offer help us develop the art of mindful living.

Cambridge Insight Meditation Center (CIMC) was established in 1985 as a nonprofit, nonresidential urban center for the practice of insight meditation. Located in the heart of Cambridge, CIMC provides an environment where the contemplative life can be developed and protected amidst the complexities of city living. We offer a place where people come together to learn, support, and deepen practice.

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Director: Colette Bourassa

Address: 331 Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02139 USA

Assistant Director: Pash Voynow

24–hour information line: (617) 491–5070

Office number: (617) 441–9038

Cambridge Zen Center is one of the largest residential practice centers in the United States. It currently houses about 30 people, most of whom are lay practictioners. Many people also come to practice at the Center from the surrounding Boston-area community.

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Cambridge Zen Center199 Auburn St. (Central Sq.)

Cambridge, MA 02139

617-576-3229

CambZen@aol.com

The FWBO (Friends of the Western Buddhist Order) is an international Buddhist movement successfully transmitting the spirit of Buddhism in the contemporary world. The FWBO is a nonsectarian movement that draws inspiration from all Buddhist traditions, studying and practicing their principles for the growth and development of the individual.

The forms in which Buddhist truths are expressed always adapt according to the circumstances. But the essence of Buddhism transcends culture and conditions. In the west today we are heirs to the whole of the Buddhist tradition. We need not be restricted to Theravada Buddhism, to Zen, or Tibetan Buddhism, but can draw from them all. The FWBO's attitude is not one of eclecticism, however. We take what is useful according to our actual spiritual needs. We take whatever will help us grow under the conditions of modern Western life. (FWBO)

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Dharmachari Vajramati

FWBO Cambridge

P.O. Box 381171

Cambridge, MA 02238-1171

(617) 576-7345

vajramati@aol.com

Massachusetts Buddhist Association, located at Lexington, MA, has members speaking most Mandarin Chinese. It has a large temple, a library of Buddhism books and audio tapes(in Chinese), and many friendly members. Many regular activities are held there, including Introductory courses in Buddhism, invited talks from monks all over the world, and meditation classes lead by experienced teachers.

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Dharmakaya Center

319 Lowell Street, Lexington, MA 02173

Tel: (617(863-1936

The Insight Meditation Society was founded in 1975 as a nonprofit organization to provide a place for the intensive practice of insight meditation. IMS operates a retreat center set on 80 wooded acres in the quiet country of central Massachusetts. It provides a secluded environment for intensive meditation practice. Complete silence is maintained during retreats at all times except during teacher interviews.

Insight Meditation (vipassana) is a simple and direct practice-the moment-to-moment observation of the mind/body process through calm and focused awareness. This practice originates in the Theravada tradition of the teachings of the Buddha. Learning to observe experiences from a place of stillness enables one to relate to life with less fear and clinging. Seeing life as a constantly changing process, one begins to accept pleasure and pain, fear and joy, and all aspects of life with increasing equanimity and balance. As insight deepens, wisdom and compassion arise. Insight meditation is a way of seeing clearly the totality of one's being and experience. Growth in clarity brings about penetrating insight into the true nature of our experience and increases peace in our daily lives.

 The Barre Center for Buddhist Studies is dedicated to bringing together teachers, students, scholars and practitioners who are committed to exploring Buddhist thought and practice as a living tradition, faithful to its origins and lineage, yet adaptable and alive in each new time and place. The Center's purpose is to provide a bridge between study and practice, between scholarly understanding and meditative insight. It encourages active engagement with the tradition in a spirit of genuine inquiry and investigation.

The Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, or more informally, the Study Center, offers a variety of study and research opportunities, lectures, classes, seminars, workshops, conferences, retreats, independent study, and, in the future, a scholars-in-residence program. The Study Center plans to offer research and publication facilities for Buddhist scholarship and translation. Its vision calls for dialogue between different schools of Buddhism and discussions with other religious and scientific traditions. The emphasis is always on the interrelationship between study and practice, and on exploring the relevance of classical teachings to contemporary life.

 BY CAR ~ IMS is located about 2 miles north of Barre in central Massachusetts. It is about 50 minutes by car from Worcester, 2 hours from Boston, and 3 ½ hours from New York City.

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