Together on the path to peace
Contact Us
Who We Are
Madison Insight Meditation Group began in September 1995 to serve people interested in meditation and Buddhism in Madison, Wisconsin, and the central Midwest. In 2001, we split into two connected, collaborative organizations: Madison Vipassana, Inc., to host retreats, and Madison Insight Meditation Group, to provide regular local meditation sessions and various practice opportunities.
Madison Insight Meditation Group and Madison Vipassana practice meditation in the tradition of Theravada Buddhism developed in India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, and Cambodia. Insight meditation, or what the Buddha called the practice of samatha/vipassana, is a practice of developing calm through sustained awareness of a meditation object (frequently the breath) and developing insight through mindful observation, investigation, and reflection.
You do not have to identify as a Buddhist to learn and practice this style of meditation or to benefit from or participate in our activities and events. People with varying levels of training and experience in meditation attend our activities.
A practice home for all
It is our deepest wish to provide an open and welcoming environment where all can practice in safety and ease. Yet we recognize that this remains more an aspiration than a reality as long as divisions of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and physical ability stand in the way of the flourishing of all.
Here are some steps we’ve taken to date:
We’ve committed to invite at least one teacher of color to lead a retreat every year and to do all we can to secure venues that are accessible and can accommodate the schedules of our invited teachers.
We’ve implemented a “pay what you can” approach to retreat fees.
We’ve adopted a policy prioritizing retreat registration for young people and people of color.
This is necessarily a work in progress. We invite your ideas and guidance as we strive to make our sangha a welcoming home for all.
Our Mission Statement
The mission of Madison Insight Meditation Group and Madison Vipassana, Inc. is to provide formal opportunities for practicing samatha/vipassana meditation and studying Buddhist teaching in the Theravada tradition. We welcome people of every race, culture, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, gender identity, ability, age, and religion.
Our objectives are to provide:
Opportunities for weekly meditation
Dhamma teaching and discussion
Encouragement and support for the application of the Buddha’s teachings in our daily lives
Shared leadership in the activities of the sangha
Training in the Buddha’s teachings and meditation practice
Residential and non-residential retreat experiences
Support for activities that bring the Buddha’s teaching to the community at large
An atmosphere of kindness and welcome to all
Madison Insight Meditation Group Statement on Racial Violence
We feel compelled to speak about the continuing evidence of violence and hatred based on white supremacy.
Those lost to racism and gun violence are family to all of us. We are a human family. Our vulnerability to violence, poverty, and other forms of suffering may differ depending on the color of our skin, but we are as connected as the facets of a diamond. As a sangha, we affirm our aspiration for peace and our understanding that without freedom for all, none can be free. These winds of injury and suffering call on us to reexamine what each of us is doing to create conditions that promote equal opportunity and fair treatment for all.
Madison Insight Meditation Group seeks not to blame or to castigate but to better understand the causes and conditions that lead to and perpetuate fear, hatred, and anger. We strive to diminish our unexamined or habitual reliance on mental formations or constructs regarding race, gender, sexual orientation, and physical ability that keep us from recognizing how connected we all are. And we seek to embody, in the conduct of our Dhamma practice and in ways relevant to these troubled times, the understanding that our well-being depends on each other.
May we all take responsibility for our actions, and may good hearts prevail.