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

04/07/2026

Weekly Words to Inspire Practice!

"Listening teaches us a key ingredient in Nature Meditation practice, which is receptivity. We simply put ourselves outside and open up to the myriad sounds nature provides. Listening happens by itself, we simply have to be present for the performance!”

- Mark Coleman

04/05/2026

Join us for our Mahasati insight meditation practice and Dhamma discussion via Zoom on Monday evenings (US). The practice sessions begin at 7:00 p.m. and conclude at 8:00 p.m. US Eastern Time. There will be a 40-minute meditation practice, followed by a brief Dhamma reflection and discussion.

Mahasati does not require the adoption of any religious beliefs, and this offering is suitable for both new and experienced meditators.

Ajahn Sutthisart (Nos) is a Theravada monk and is Abbot of Ashrama Viriyadhamma in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. He 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 (Ying) 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.

Michael Bresnan is a licensed psychologist, founder of the Center for Mindfulness and Insight Meditation/Wat Sati-Ma in Redding, CT, founder of Wenham Insight Meditation Center in Wenham, MA, and author of Awareness in Action: A Practitioner’s Guide to Mahasati Insight Meditation. He has been practicing Mahasati Insight Meditation for over 30 years.

03/30/2026

Weekly Words to Inspire Practice!

"Attitude is everything. While there are many meditative strategies, what makes the difference in terms of spiritual awakening is your quality of earnestness, or sincerity. Rather than adding another 'should' to your list, choose to practice because you care about connecting with your innate capacity for love, clarity and inner peace. Let this sincerity be the atmosphere that nurtures whatever form your practice takes.”

- Tara Brach

03/23/2026

Weekly Words to Inspire Practice!

“When the mind is not trained, it is like a monkey. We have a lot of energy, but that energy is scattered and you could not focus. Meditation helps you focus. Once you are focused, you will settle and it is like water when it is clear. Then you can see things down. Same with our wisdom. You are planning something, but the mind is so cloudy. You can plan but cannot see through — how can you bring about this? It is important for any profession, that you must have clear mind in order for you to be productive. It is important, not only for enlightenment, but for our day to day life.”

- Venerable Dhammananda Bhikkhuni

03/22/2026

Please consider donating our Spring Appeal fundraising campaign in order to support the center!

03/16/2026

Weekly Words to Inspire Practice!

“Each one of our breaths holds immensity within itself and is related to the universe because the very same energy that makes us breathe also sets celestial bodies into motion.”

- Sofia Stril-Rever

03/15/2026

Join Chris Crotty for a weeklong silent retreat at Wonderwell Mountain Refuge, NH.
Natural Awakening: Insight Retreat
March 25–29, 2026
In-person and online via Zoom
This silent retreat offers a grounded and supportive environment to deepen meditation practice through insight meditation and daily dharma talks. Drawing from Theravada, Tibetan, and Zen traditions, the retreat explores how meditation cultivates freedom, clarity, and compassion, and how the path of meditative development unfolds naturally under conducive conditions.
For centuries, practitioners have turned to quiet places in nature to observe mind and body and receive liberating insights transmitted through generations of Dharma practitioners. Held within the quiet beauty of Wonderwell Mountain Refuge, and supported by sangha and daily teachings, this retreat offers continuity with that long-standing tradition.
Participants are invited to:
• Reflect on Buddhist literature across multiple traditions
• Explore the virtues of renunciation, kindness, and community
• Deepen meditation practice with guidance in insight meditation
• Recite the Three Refuges and Five Precepts as part of shared retreat practice
Whether you are new to meditation or a seasoned practitioner, and regardless of lineage or spiritual background, this retreat offers an opportunity to meet life and practice with renewed depth, clarity, and care.

For the residential retreat, registration will close on March 18th. Online registration will close on March 24th.

Learn more and register at https://buff.ly/bVXFNFW

03/09/2026

Weekly Words to Inspire Practice!

“When I’m moving, shopping, everything, I’m always doing it with mindfulness. I know these are things I have to do, but they aren’t problems.”

- Dipa Ma

03/06/2026

This Saturday - Boundless Metta: Loving-kindness Meditation Retreat with Chris Crotty
March 7th, 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM

Metta reflects the heart qualities of benevolence and friendliness. As a mind state that can be cultivated through meditation, metta functions as a wellspring of goodness–the metta mind naturally emphasizes the inherent goodness in self and others and is thus a foundation of boundless friendliness. Metta also eradicates irritability, anger, and ill-will, leaving the mind contented and happy, and serves as a support for the development of insight, greatly enhancing one’s vipassana meditation practice.

In this day-long retreat Chris will provide an overview of metta, step-by-step meditation instructions, and share teaching stories from Buddhist texts as well as his personal metta retreats in Burma/Myanmar.

Additional Information

The retreat format will consist of alternating periods of sitting and walking meditation, silence, and teacher-led discussion, Q&A periods, and instructional dhamma talks.

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).

If you are traveling to attend this retreat and want to discuss staying in the self-retreat quarters at WIMC, or want help finding accommodations near WIMC please reach out to WIMC's Operations Manager, Andrew, at andrew@wenhaminsight.org

03/02/2026

Weekly Words to Inspire Practice!

“The traditional understanding of compassion is the trembling or the quivering of the heart in response to pain. It's a movement, almost a sense of agitation, but not a restless agitation. It's trembling, it's quivering, it's open, it's tender. The courage of compassion is said to come from equanimity. Because we feel compassion in response to seeing pain we need equanimity to be able to open to the pain. In order to not deny it or pretend it's not there, or repackage it so it sounds better or looks better, we need to actually see it for what it is. We need equanimity, we need courage, we need wisdom to be able to open to pain. And then the compassion can come forth.”

- Sharon Salzberg

02/28/2026

TODAY: Overcoming Difficult & Persistent Thoughts — A Pariyatti Workshop with Chris Crotty

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).

02/23/2026

Weekly Words to Inspire Practice!

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

- Pamela Ayo Yetunde

Address

72 Grapevine Road
Wenham, MA
01984

Website

https://wenhaminsight.org/

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