Wenham Insight Meditation Center

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Wenham, MA
Wenham Insight Meditation Center

All are welcome! In-Person Meditation Classes Sat 9:30am & Wed 7pm

02/23/2026

Weekly Words to Inspire Practice!

“The greatest gift in life is the joy of truly recognizing each other.”

- Pamela Ayo Yetunde

02/21/2026

TOMORROW: What Are the “Defilements”? — A Half-Day Workshop with Adam Groff

In Buddhism, the Pali term kilesa refers to negative mental states (greed, anger, jealousy, etc.) that cloud the mind and lead to unwholesome actions. Traditionally, kilesa has been translated as “defilement.” The Buddhist project of uprooting the defilements is a process of purifying the mind that culminates in enlightenment – a state in which the defilements no longer arise.

Today, “unhelpful mental habit” is just as valid a translation of kilesa as “defilement,” and probably a more accessible one. However, the 2500-year-old teachings of the Buddha remain just as relevant for counteracting them: Rather than fighting the kilesas, his approach invites curiosity, patience, and sustained awareness. When we see how these mental habits arise, how they influence our behavior, and how they fade when not encouraged, we begin to cultivate inner freedom. This program will provide a space for this sort of cultivation, through sitting in meditation and listening to and discussing these ideas together.

This half-day retreat is open to beginners and experienced meditators alike and will be held mostly in silence, with teacher-led discussion and instructional talks. Light snacks, tea, and coffee will be provided.

Please note this workshop is on a Sunday.

02/17/2026

In this silent residential retreat, we will be supported by each other (community), the expansive natural beauty and quietude of Wonderwell Mountain Refuge, and daily instructional dharma talks which draw upon the spiritual literature of Theravada, Tibetan, and Zen teachings. Through these talks, and instructions in insight meditation, we will gain perspectives on our own life and meditation practice from the hermit poet monks of Japan and China, ancient Tibetan masters, and the elder nuns who authored some of the earliest awakening poems in India. We will also recite the Three Refuges and Five Precepts as an exploration of the virtues of renunciation and kindness, and as a basis for sharing space together as a community (sangha).

All are welcome and encouraged to attend, including beginners and experienced meditators, and those from any Buddhist lineage or spiritual tradition. Register at https://buff.ly/bVXFNFW!

02/16/2026

Weekly Words to Inspire Practice!

“No matter how humble the activity—whether it be walking, sitting, eating, or washing the dishes—one approaches it with mindfulness, acting, and listening egolessly as if it might be the most important thing in the world, for indeed all that is, has been, and will be is contained in the present moment.”

- Charles Johnson

02/09/2026

Weekly Words to Inspire Practice!

“Buddhism continues to inspire me because there is such an emphasis on practice. What are you doing? Right livelihood, right action. We are back to that self-interrogation that is so crucial.”

- Bell Hooks

02/06/2026

Pariyatti (Pali) means to study or learn. Pariyatti Programs offer unique opportunities to systematically integrate Buddhist teachings into the path of meditative development, directly supporting the maturation of wisdom. Cumulatively, these thematic programs help build a practical framework of Buddhist teachings, serving as a foundation for one’s meditation practice. Offered a few times annually, all students are encouraged to attend.

The mind is capable of wonderful and powerful achievements. The mind is also a source of distress and its habits present as obstacles to meditative development and greater freedom in daily life. Even the Buddha reported that before his awakening his own mind harbored unhelpful and unskillful patterns of thoughts. Later, the Buddha outlined a step-by-step model for addressing the most chronic and stubborn habits of the mind. These simple and impactful teachings offer crucial insight to anyone who wishes to be more focused and free of common distractions of the mind, and are a critical set of instructions to meditators aspiring to develop – and eventually master – the practice of insight (vipassana) meditation. In this retreat we will explore step-by-step guidelines from early Buddhist teachings to recognize, curb, and eliminate difficult and persistent thoughts.

Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend, beginners and experienced meditators alike.

Coffee, tea, and light snacks will be provided. Please bring your own lunch (full use of WIMC kitchen will be available).

02/02/2026

Weekly Words to Inspire Practice!

“If we don’t do our work, we become work for other people.”
- Lama Rod Owens

01/30/2026

Please join us for a very special opportunity to learn from and practice with a group of renowned Thai Forest monastic teachers. Many of our sangha members are already familiar with Luangpor Da who is Michael’s teacher. He is an ordained Thai Forest Monk who has been teaching for decades. He practiced under Thai meditation master Luangpor Teean Jittasubho and is his senior Dhamma heir. Luangpor Da is currently Abbot of our sister center in Redding, CT. In this retreat, Luangpor Da will be leaving most of the teaching to the visiting teacher, Ajahn Sutthisart, who is also a Theravada monk and is Abbot of Ashrama Viriyadhamma in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. Ajahn Sutthisart was a student of the respected Thai master, Luangpor Khamkhian, and is also part of Luangpor Teean’s lineage. Ajahn Sutthisart is a revered teacher who is very much in demand throughout Thailand and parts of mainland China due to the clarity and engaging quality of his teachings. Maechee Ampika is an ordained Buddhist nun who is also based at Ashrama Viriyadhamma. In addition to being an experienced practitioner herself, she is a skilled translator and will be assisting Ajahn Sutthisart in this capacity.

This retreat is open to all – beginners and experienced meditators are welcome and encouraged to attend. While most of the day will be in silence, there will be Dhamma talks and discussions offered in both the morning and afternoon.

The retreat will also feature a potluck lunch. This is a great way to show appreciation for our visiting monastics. If you are able, please bring a dish that you enjoy sharing with others. There is a refrigerator, oven, and microwave available to store and heat up the food that you bring. If you have other dietary restrictions, or any questions, you may contact us at info@WenhamInsight.org.

01/26/2026

This Saturday January 31st, we're offering a One-Day Retreat with Luangpor Da Sammakhato, Ajahn Sutthisart and Maechee Ampika. This is a very special opportunity to learn from and practice with a group of renowned Thai Forest monastic teachers.

Luangpor Da is a Thai Forest Monk who has been teaching for decades, and is Abbot of our sister center in Redding, CT.
Ajahn Sutthisart is Abbott of a monastery in Thailand, and is a revered teacher who is in demand in Thailand and China due to the clarity and engaging quality of his teachings.
Maechee Ampika is an ordained Buddhist nun who is also visiting from Thailand, an experienced practitioner, and a skilled translator.

Dear Nikki—

This Saturday January 31st, we're offering a One-Day Retreat with Luangpor Da Sammakhato, Ajahn Sutthisart and Maechee Ampika. This is a very special opportunity to learn from and practice with a group of renowned Thai Forest monastic teachers.

Luangpor Da is a Thai Forest Monk who has been teaching for decades, and is Abbot of our sister center in Redding, CT.
Ajahn Sutthisart is Abbott of a monastery in Thailand, and is a revered teacher who is in demand in Thailand and China due to the clarity and engaging quality of his teachings.
Maechee Ampika is an ordained Buddhist nun who is also visiting from Thailand, an experienced practitioner, and a skilled translator.

We hope to see you there!

01/19/2026

Weekly Words to Inspire Practice!

“Thought is the quickest thing. It is quicker than lightning or anything. Suffering arises because we do not see thought. Thought itself is not suffering. When thought arises, we do not see, know and understand it simultaneously, so greed, anger, or delusion arises and brings us suffering.”

- Luangpor Teean

01/12/2026

Weekly Words to Inspire Practice!

“While the notion of path conveys going somewhere, retreat is about settling in, staying put, and observing one’s mind. It is about learning how to be simple. We don’t need to go anywhere or do anything special to investigate and understand the mind. We can just sit and walk. Retreat helps us to strip away everything that gets in the way of that. We take refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha, and we are protected, mostly from ourselves.”

- Chris Crotty

01/05/2026

Our 5-Day New Year Retreat is a few days away! This is a rare opportunity to practice with an abbott and a buddhist nun that are traveling from Thailand to lead the retreat with Ajahn Da and Michael Bresnan. Scholarships are available for this retreat. To request a scholarship, please contact michael@cfmim.org.

For more info and to register please visit WenhamInsight.org.

Address

72 Grapevine Road
Wenham, MA
01984

Website

https://wenhaminsight.org/

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