The opening of our new Thursday evening meditation group in Saratoga got off to a superb start with 60 people in attendance. Shaila Catherine gave teachings on mindfulness with breathing, and we enjoyed meeting each other over refreshments. The new facility at Westhope Presbyterian Church was warm, spacious, comfortable, and very quiet. With a broad array of guest [...]
2014 was a productive year for IMSB. We enclosed the letter below in a recent mailing to our donors, sharing the highlights of our work in the past year. Dear IMSB supporter, With your support 2014 was an amazing and productive year for IMSB. Much of the work is quietly accomplished behind the scenes, so [...]
We can all take great satisfaction in our sangha’s generous response to the 2014 year-end appeal. We raised $27,254, up 39% over the total for 2013. Almost 60 donors participated, up from about 40 the year before. Historically, year-end donations have covered about half of IMSB’s operating budget each year. This past year’s gifts will [...]
This week IMSB mailed the annual recognition letters for tax deductible gifts. Letters were sent to the approximately 170 donors who offered dana to any of our funds (General Fund, Scholarship Fund, Teacher Dana, Karuna Fund, Building Fund) during 2014. It is our custom to track donations throughout the year and send a single convenient letter for donors tax [...]
The Saturday morning weekly email event digest is quietly created by a few volunteers behind the scenes each week. A recent change has occurred that you might not know. After two years of editing our weekly digest, Debra R. has now passed the baton onto a new volunteer, Lesli S. We welcome Lesli S. to the publicity [...]
Three new sutta study groups have just formed that are focusing on the Numerical Discourses of the Buddha. Our Monday night online class is full with a wait list. Our Thursday night and Friday morning local groups have a lovely mixture of new and returning students, with 9-10 people registered for each section. The local groups can accommodate [...]
A new project that involves volunteering at a nursing home or helping care for the elderly is reviving IMSB's Outreach Committee. If you are interested in joining with other sangha members to explore service as an integral aspect of your mindfulness and compassion practice, please contact Sonali at service. We welcome input, ideas, and eager volunteers. We are currently [...]
Less than half of IMSB's expenses are covered by donations through event baskets. We rely upon your generous response to this annual appeal, and appreciate each and every contribution. Please read our Annual Appeal and Donate Now.
IMSB is offering a new series of courses in Saratoga, just 2 blocks off Highway 85 (map). This new group will emphasize the development of mindfulness and is designed to help newcomers establish a meditation practice and gain an overview of basic Buddhist principles. Cultivating Mindfulness Developing the Heart Strengthening Mindfulness Overcoming Obstacles to Meditation Fundamental Buddhist Principles Read more [...]
We are delighted to launch this new website. It represents the dedicated work of several volunteers, each of whom contributed vision, skill, time, and creativity to create this site. If you find anything amiss, please let us know so that we can correct or improve it. Send comments, corrections, and suggestions to webmaster. And if you'd like [...]
Chip in, make friends, and get involved! We currently need volunteer help with several projects including maintaining the events calendar on this website, improving various features on the website, coordinating volunteers, and managing events. Fill out our volunteer form to see a fuller list of current volunteer needs. We value your help to enable IMSB to grow and [...]
IMSB talks are now available on DharmaSeed We have set up an IMSB portal on Dharma Seed to publish talks, guided meditation, and recordings by Shaila Catherine or IMSB guest teachers. Please bookmark our portal since it is a sub site within a broader DharmaSeed collection and most of our guest teachers can be found only through the search features [...]
Did you see the new entry about our teacher, Shaila Catherine, in Wikipedia?
Insight Journal, a publication of the well known Barre Center for Buddhist Studies in Barre, Massachusetts, has published an interview with our teacher. Shaila discusses how she came to the practice, her practice and study of the jhanas, the value of sutta study, practices of happiness, and other topics. You can read the interview on the Barre [...]