Basic Insight Meditation

Three times a year Show Me Dharma offers its Basic Insight Meditation Series on Tuesday nights. This introductory series is offered in a way that allows you to participate on any dates that you can attend, rather than having to commit to the whole series if it were a class. Please see the schedule of events page for the current offerings.

Each weekly offering begins with 15 minutes of instruction, followed by a 30 minute guided meditation. We conclude with 15 minutes for questions and discussion. Tea and snacks are available afterward if you would like to stay and socialize or continue your discussion.

Each class is structured to be self-contained, so you do not need to worry about missing classes.  Just come when you can.

The weekly subjects are:
- What Is Insight Meditation and How to Start
- Concentration & Insight
- Mindfulness of the Body
- Mindfulness of Feeling
- Mindfulness of Mind
- Mindfulness of Dhamma
- The Three Characteristics of Experience
- The Second Arrow of Suffering
- The Five Hindrances
- The Four Noble Truths
- The Eightfold Path: The Wisdom Aggregate (Prajna)
- The Eightfold Path: The Virtue Aggregate (Sila)
- The Eightfold Path: The Concentration Aggregate (Samadhi)
- The Balance of Metta or Lovingkindness
- Mindfulness in Everyday Life
Click on the above subjects for written instructions for that particular theme. These instructions are meant as a supplement to the Basics series. We recommend that you attend the series so that you can explore the practice and your questions with a teacher.

Persons interested in reading a book prior to, or along with, exploring the practice might want to read Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana. This book is available in local bookstores as well as through on-line booksellers. An older, free version can be found on the web. We also have several copies that can be checked out in our Show Me Dharma Library.

Once you feel comfortable with the basic practices of insight meditation, we would like to encourage you to participate in our Committed Practice Group.