Together on the path to peace

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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.

lotus flower floating in water

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

The Board of Madison Insight Meditation Group
Statement on Global Violence
may 2024 

As members of the Board of Madison Insight Meditation Group, we feel compelled to speak about the continued spread of violence and hatred at home and around the world.

Those injured or killed because of discrimination, gun violence, terrorism, religious imperialism, and war are family to all of us. We are a human family. Our vulnerability to war, poverty, and other forms of suffering may differ depending on the color of our skin, our ethnicity, our religion, or the land we live on, but we are as connected as the facets of a diamond. As a board, 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 compassion, generosity, understanding, equal opportunity, and fair treatment for all.

Our hope is that each of us and those who participate in our sangha seek not to blame or to castigate but to better understand the causes and conditions that lead to and perpetuate fear, hatred, anger, and prejudice. We commend those who stand up for peace and justice, engage in peaceful protest of ongoing injustices, and negotiate through right speech. We strive to eradicate our unexamined or habitual reliance on our ideas regarding race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, physical ability, political affiliation, or national identity that keep us from recognizing how connected we all are.  Our hope is that our sangha will be a refuge and an inspiration as we seek to embody in our conduct and Dhamma practice the understanding that our well-being depends on each other.

May we all take responsibility for our actions, and may good hearts and kindness prevail.

With metta,

The Board of Madison Insight Meditation Group, May 2024
Jayson Chung
Lori Creswell
Colleen Hermans
Cathy Loeb
Jean Rawson
Janice Sheppard
Katrina Daly Thompson
Brandon Warner
Judy Woodburn