Outside Resources

Additional Sites for Audio Dharma
Outside Interviews
Dharma Centers and Communities (Sanghas)

Other Helpful Resources

Additional Sites for Audio Dharma

Dharma Seed
Dharma Seed freely offers a growing archive of talks and guided meditations by leading teachers of the vipassana (insight) and metta (loving-kindness) practices of Theravada Buddhism. Stream, download, or order CDs of talks given at IMS and other meditation retreat centers.

Audio at Abhayagiri
Chanting and Dhamma Talks from a Buddhist community in Redwood, California, in the tradition of Ajahn Chah, Ajahn Sumedho & Amaravati Buddhist Monastery.

Dhamma Talks
Dhamma talks given by various teachers in the Theravada Forest Sangha tradition.

Audio at Mid-Peninsular Insight Meditation Center

This site is an archive of dharma talks given by Gil Fronsdal and various guest speakers at the center since 2000.

Audio at Seattle Insight Meditation Society
Listen to dharma talks offered by Rodney Smith and guest teachers at the Seattle Insight Meditation Society.

Satipanya Association
Guided meditations and talks by Bhante Bodhidhamma.

Sutta Readings

A selection of the Buddha's Suttas, read aloud by senior teachers and practitioners in the Theravada Buddhist tradition.

Outside Interviews

This material is via Buddhist Geeks

Joseph Goldstein on the Benefits of Long Term Practice

Joseph Goldstein on The Science of Insight

Sharon Salzberg on Now and Then

Sharon Salzberg: From the Point of View of Insight Meditation

Sharon Salzberg: Bodh Gaya is "The City"

Dharma Centers and Communities (Sanghas)

Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery
A Buddhist community in Redwood, California, in the tradition of Ajahn Chah, Ajahn Sumedho & Amaravati Buddhist Monastery.

Asheville Insight Meditation Group

Located in Asheville, North Carolina, this is a weekly community-led meditation group focusing on the practices of the Theravada Buddhist tradition. It supports the practice of Vipassana (Insight Meditation) by offering weekly sittings and one-day meditation events. 

The Barn, Devon, England

The Barn is a Buddhist meditation retreat center on the Sharpham Estate in Devon in south west England. Retreats are based on mindfulness practice, Buddhist inquiry, organic gardening and community living.

Bhavana Society
Established in Washington DC, in 1982, Bhavana Society is dedicated to the practice of Theravada Buddhist meditation. Bhavana is a term meaning mental cultivation. Bhavana Society is located on 42 acres of secluded forest near High View, West Virginia (approximately 100 miles west of DC). The center offers Society members and friends rare opportunities to practice Vipassana meditation in an ideal setting, in keeping with the forest tradition.

Bodhinyanarama Net
Bodhinyanarama is a monastic residence of the Theravada tradition of Buddhism set in a 51 hectare Native Reserve of regenerating bush 29 kms from Wellington, New Zealand. Bodhinyanarama has its origins in the Thai Forest Tradition and is associated with the many branch monasteries of meditation master Ajahn Chah.

Buddhist Society of Western Australia

The Buddhist Society of Western Australia is a Theravada Buddhist group based on the forest tradition of SE Asia. It was started by a small group in 1973 and has since grown to become the largest Buddhist organisation in Australia. We have members throughout Western Australia, in all states of Australia and Christmas Island, and overseas in countries such as Canada, UK, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and USA.

Cambridge Insight Meditation Center
CIMC is a non-residential urban center for the teaching and practice of insight meditation. CIMC’s programs are designed to provide a strong foundation in formal meditation as well as daily practice. Our schedule includes daily sittings, weekly Dharma talks, ongoing classes and practice groups, teacher interviews, and a variety of weekend workshops and meditation retreats. An open invitation is extended to all to stop by CIMC and browse through the library or join in any of the public sittings or Wednesday evening Dharma talks.

The Center for Mindful Inquiry
The Center for Mindful Inquiry (CMI) is dedicated to teaching the practices and principles of mindfulness to professionals.  At CMI, course participants learn how to connect with, see and understand themselves, situations, and the people in their lives with greater clarity, wisdom, and compassion.  By learning to apply mindfulness and to respond skillfully in the moment, professionals can bring benefit to themselves, to the particular situation and to all involved.

Dharma Zephyr Insight Meditation Community

Dharma Zephyr Insight Meditation Community represents Buddhist Vipassana (insight) meditation groups in northern Nevada.

Dzogchen Foundation
Dzogchen, "The Innate Great Perfection", is the ultimate teaching of the Non-Sectarian Practice Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. It is the specialty of the Nyingma school (Ancient Order) of Tibet and is practiced by masters in all Tibetan schools.

The Forest Hermitage - Wat Pah Santidhamma
This is a Buddhist monastery after the style of the forest monasteries of N.E. Thailand but set in the Heart of England. It is owned and maintained by the Buddha-Dhamma Fellowship on behalf of and for the Bhikkhu Sangha, the community of monks founded by the Buddha more than 2,500 years ago. The senior monk, or Ajahn, the Venerable Khemadhammo Mahathera, with up to four more monks and a lay-attendant reside here. The tradition is that of the Theravada school.

Forest Way Insight Meditation Center
The Forest Way Insight Meditation Center is a forest retreat center in rural Virginia. Retreats will be held on a year-round basis and will vary in length from a weekend to one year in duration. Matthew Flickstein is the resident teacher.

Gaia House
Gaia House is located in Devon, England. Gaia House offers Insight Meditation (known as Vipassana in the Buddhist tradition) and Zen Retreats throughout the year. The Centre provides comprehensive Dharma teachings and spiritual practices to realize wisdom and compassion in daily life.

Gainesville Vipassana Society
Located in Gainesville, Florida, the purpose of the Gainesville Vipassana Society is to support the practice of Vipassana (Insight Meditation) by offering frequent residential retreats and weekly sitting groups.

InsightLA
InsightLA, under the direction of Trudy Goodman, guides the practice of Buddhist meditation individually, in sitting groups, and through retreats in the Los Angeles and Southern California area. We offer a range of programs which include the practice of Insight Meditation, also known as Vipassana in the Buddhist tradition.

The Insight Meditation Center of Newburyport

IMCN offers a variety of meditation opportunities including daily sittings, practice groups, retreats and workshops. IMCN is conveniently located in a beautiful rural setting close to I-95 and downtown Newburyport, Massachusetts.

The Insight Meditation Center of the Pioneer Valley
IMC PV is a non-residential urban center. Its mission is to offer the Buddha's teachings of liberation to all those who are interested and to those who want to sustain and deepen their practice. IMC PV is also named Dhamma Dena, after a lay woman who lived during the time of the Buddha. Recognized for her profound wisdom, she becomes an example to each of us that we have the capacity to touch the fountain of compassion and wisdom that resides in us. The name Dhamma Dena honors the teacher Ruth Denison.

Insight Meditation Community of New Jersey

Insight Meditation Community of New Jersey offers peer support and beginning instruction in Vipassana (Insight) meditation. The purpose of our community is to provide a supportive and friendly environment for
the  practice of meditation. The group meets in Morristown, NJ for weekly Sunday night group meditation, and for monthly Saturday all day peer retreats.

The Insight Meditation Community of Washington D.C.
IMCW offers training in Vipassana – or Insight – meditation and related Buddhist practices that awaken the heart and mind. We serve the entire DC metro area. In addition to our flagship Wednesday night class in Bethesda, IMCW’s programs include weekly classes and sitting groups in Washington; Takoma Park and Frederick, MD; northern Virginia and Shepherdstown,WV. We also offer nonresidential weekend retreats and workshops, as well as a thriving community of peer-led Kalyana Mitta or spiritual friends – groups. Longer residential retreats, held several times a year, are open to out-of-towners as well as DC-area residents. IMCW is guided by founder and senior teacher, Tara Brach, in addition to a Teachers Council and Board of Directors.

The Insight Meditation Group, Dublin, Ireland

We have been in existence for over 25 years. We meet weekly in Rathfarnham, Dublin. This meeting includes a period of sitting meditation, ongoing discussion on a book related to the practice. We also have time for tea and chat.

Insight Meditation Society of Orange County
Located in California, IMSOC is just a name for two overlapping sitting groups, or meditation support groups, one called the John Wayne Dhamma Center, the other called Awareness Grove.

Insight Meditation South Bay

IMSB, dedicated to the liberating teachings of the Buddha, was founded by Shaila Catherine to support Buddhist meditation practice in the Silicon Valley and South Bay area of California. IMSB offers training  in mindfulness-based meditation, lovingkindness, ethics, concentration and jhana practices. Weekly meditation groups are held in Mountain View. Monthly daylongs, nonresidential weekend seminars, residential retreats, and Dharma study courses are offered in the nearby cities of San Jose, Campbell, Palo Alto and Menlo Park, as well as in Mountain View. Beginning and seasoned meditators are welcome.

The International Meditation Centres
There are six International Meditation Centres in the Sayagyi U Ba Khin Tradition. All were founded to provide facilities for the instruction and practice of Theravada Buddhist Meditation. Each of the centres in the West is a direct offshoot of the International Meditation Centre of Yangon, Myanmar (formerly Rangoon, Burma), which was founded by Sayagyi U Ba Khin.

Kalyana Centre for Mindfulness
Kalyana Centre for Mindfulness is located in the south west of Ireland, on the Dingle Peninsula, close to Mount Brandon. The Centre offers Mindfulness Meditation, as well as Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction. Simple movements known as Kum Nye (Tibetan healing yoga) and a skillful use of the voice (Voice Awareness) are integrated in some of our workshops and retreats.

Madison Insight Meditation Group
The Madison Insight Meditation Group is comprised of people with varying levels of training and experience in Vipassana, or Insight Meditation. They focus on the essence of the Buddha's teachings that underlie 2500 years of cultural traditions.

Mariposa Sangha
The Mariposa Sanghs offers weekly meditation, book discussions, beginning meditation instruction and Dharma talks. There are experienced meditators available to provide instruction. We collaborate with other Texas sanghas to offer retreats in Central Texas with visiting teachers from Spirit Rock in Woodacre, CA and Seattle Insight Meditation Society (SIMS). We enjoy occasional potlucks, Buddhist Movie Night and other social activities. Newcomers are welcome.

Meditation Center Beatenberg Switzerland
The center offers various forms of meditation from among the great wealth of Buddhist traditions, continuing thereby a tradition of 2500 years, at the same time introducing forms and methods that are helpful in our modern times. Particular emphasis is given to Vipassana meditation retreats. The center is located in the Bernese Alps, a quiet, beautiful mountain area of Switzerland with a grand view over Thun lake and the surrounding mountains.

Metta Forest Monastery
Metta Forest Monastery (Wat Mettavanaram, or "Wat Metta" for short) is a Thai forest monastery established in the rural hills outside of San Diego.

Mid America Dharma Group
Mid America Dharma Group is a non-profit organization dedicated to making the practice of vipassana or Insight Meditation available to others in the central region of the United States.

Mid-Peninsula Insight Meditation Center
The Insight Meditation Center of the Midpeninsula has been meeting since 1986 and is a gathering of individuals who meet in order to learn, support and deepen their mindfulness practice. It is an informal group and those interested in mindfulness meditation are heartily welcome to join whenever they wish.

The Mountain Hermitage
Conceived as small meditation center in the exquisite, pristine, high country of northern New Mexico, The Mountain Hermitage is dedicated to the cultivation of wisdom and compassion and a way of life based on teachings of the Buddha. The deep belief that this sanctuary will help the world is the motivation for creating the Hermitage; where experienced meditators can undertake an extended period of intensive, independent practice. Marcia Rose is the founder and guiding teacher.

New York Insight Meditation Center
New York Insight (NYI) was founded as a nonprofit center for the practice of mindful awareness (vipassana or insight meditation). NYI provides a place where all are welcome to begin or deepen meditation practice based on the liberation teachings of the Buddha. Programs include evenings with renowned meditation teachers, ongoing classes, daylong retreats and weekend courses for the integration of meditation teachings in daily life. The events, except where noted, are suitable for beginning as well as experienced meditators. NYI welcomes the participation of all interested people.

Pa-Auk Forest Monastery
Pa-Auk Forest Monastery is a Buddhist monastery in the Theravàda tradition, with emphasis on the teaching and practice of both Samatha (tranquility) and Vipassanà (insight) meditation. Situated in a forest along the Taung Nyo Mountain range in Mon State, Myanmar, the monastery provides a conducive setting for the practice of long-term, intensive meditation.

The Philadelphia Meditation Center
A Non-sectarian Meditation Center in the Philadelphia Area. A center for regular silent meditation practice. A place for learning in an open and non-sectarian environment. A place to meet others, learn a non-hierarchical, non-teacher centered place where we can support each other's spiritual growth.

Plum Village
Plum Village, a Buddhist monastery for monks and nuns and a practice center for lay people in France, was founded in 1982 by the Vietnamese Zen-Master Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay). During the course of the year, Plum Village welcomes thousands of retreatants from all over the world.

Princeton Insight Meditation
Princeton Insight Meditation is a meditation group that welcomes and respects all spiritual and religious traditions. We offer knowledge, skills and tools that can be naturally integrated into daily life and personal values. We provide a supportive place to learn how to meditate or deepen meditation practice. Sitting groups, both teacher-led and peer-led, meet in downtown Princeton.

Sacramento Insight Meditation
Sacramento Insight Meditation's mission is to serve as a learning, training, and community center for the development, integration, and skillful use of meditation practices and awareness in all aspects of individual, family, educational, institutional, work, and community life.

Santa Fe Vipassana Sangha
A Dharma Community in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Santa Fe Vipassana Sangha is a community of Dharma practitioners seeking liberation through Insight Meditation and integration of the Buddha's teachings into daily life.

Saranaloka Foundation

The Saranaloka Foundation supports the ten-precept nuns of Amaravati and Chithurst Monasteries when they visit the United States. Saranaloka acts as steward for their needs while in the U.S. by providing financial and travel support as well as helping to arrange teaching opportunities and personal retreats. Visit the website to find up-to-date information on teaching tours by the nuns.

Sati Center for Buddhist Studies
Sati Center for Buddhist Studies supports the study of Buddhist teachings. Our perspective balances scholarly inquiry with serious meditation practice. Our goal is to help participants explore original Buddhist texts and appreciate the richness of the tradition and lineage. We want to facilitate ongoing dialog and exchange among meditators, teachers, students and scholars. Classes -- held at various venues in the San Francisco area -- are small to encourage personal contact and discussion. Our perspective is primarily Theravadin, but not exclusively so.

The Satipanya Buddhist Trust

Devoted to Vipassana Insight Meditation in the tradition of Mahasi Sayadaw of Burma, Satipanya is non-sectarian and of benefit to anyone of whatever religious or non-religious persuasion. The unifying principle is the practice of Mahasi Vipassana Insight Meditation. The appointed Spiritual Director of the Trust is Bhante Bodhidhamma, an English Theravada monk of twenty years' standing.

Seattle Insight Meditation Society
The Seattle Insight Meditation Society (SIMS) is a non-profit organization devoted to offering the Buddha's teachings on insight and awareness to all those who seek them. Founded by a group of longtime practitioners of the dharma, or teachings of the Buddha, SIMS intends to create and nurture an open and cohesive spiritual community, or sangha, to support the practice of mindfulness in daily life.

Seminarhaus Engl
Seminarhaus Engl e.V.is a non-profit organization that was founded 1990 to offer retreats from different Buddhist traditions. We were inspired and encouraged by Sylvia Wetzel and Fred von Allmen. We want to help that attitudes like compassion, tolerance and insight get more attention in our society. Seminarhaus Engl as a place of practice, retreat and meeting should not be an island, but a bridge to a life with meaning right in our time. Engl is set among fields and woods in Niederbayern, about 100 km east of Munich, Germany.

The Sharpham Centre for Contemporary Buddhist Enquiry, Devon, England
The Sharpham Centre for Contemporary Buddhist Enquiry offers a broad education in traditional Buddhist values critically applied to contemporary needs. The nature of this education is meditative, transformative and creative. The curriculum is designed to nurture a wiser and more compassionate orientation to daily life. It aims to enhance confidence and conviction in one's basic values, stimulate a renewal of personal and social vision, and cultivate a deeper sense of connectedness with, and responsibility for, others.

Southern Dharma Retreat Center
Southern Dharma Retreat Center is a nonprofit educational facility, welcoming a variety of spiritual paths, whose purpose is to offer meditation retreats. Southern Dharma is located in a remote mountainous area of Western North Carolina, an hour northwest of Asheville. Facilities include a meditation hall, dormitory, a private forest hermitage and creekside campsites.

Spirit Rock Meditation Center
Located in Woodacre, California, Spirit Rock is dedicated to the teachings of the Buddha as presented in the vipassana tradition.The practice of mindful awareness, called Insight or Vipassana Meditation, is at the heart of all the activities at Spirit Rock. The Center hosts a full program of ongoing classes, daylong, and residential retreats.

Springwater Center for Meditative Inquiry and Retreats
Springwater Center holds retreats throughout the year on 200 acres of woods, fields and streams in western New York. Retreats are in silence with a non-technical approach to meditation, no ritual, and an entirely optional sitting and walking schedule. Questioning her affiliation with formal Buddhist Zen, Toni Packer left the Rochester Zen Center, where she had been a teacher, with a group of friends in 1981. Springwater was born out of this need to see through the raw material of our everyday lives rather than grapple with traditional koans and practices.

Stichting Inzichts Meditatie
This organization promotes the practice of vipassana meditation in The Netherlands and organizes vipassana meditation retreats with teachers from the East and the West.

Suan Mokkh
Suan Mokkh is a forest monastery along the coast of Southern Thailand, 600 km from Bangkok. It was founded in 1932 by Buddhadasa Bhikkhu and grew to become the most innovative and progressive Buddhist teaching center in Siam. Although Buddhadasa Bhikkhu has passed away, much of his work continues.

The Swedish Vipassanagruppen
Vipassanagruppen is a Swedish nonprofit organization for people who are interested in insight meditation. They arrange regular sittings, seminars and retreats.

Taos Mountain Sangha
Based in the beautiful mountains and mesas of Northern New Mexico, Taos Mountain Sangha is a small community-based meditation center dedicated to the practice and teaching of Buddhist principles. Under the guidance of Marcia Rose, the community offers group meditations, classes, retreats, talks, and discussions aimed at deepening participants’ practice and understanding.

Te Moata
Te Moata is a beautiful retreat centre situated six kilometres north of Tairua, New Zealand, in 850 acres of protected native forest in the heart of the Coromandel peninsula. Te Moata offers regular Insight Meditation Retreats and many other workshops.

Tibet House
Tibet House is dedicated to the proposition that the wisdom and arts of all human civilizations vitally enrich the emerging global culture. Within this, we focus on a special concern for Tibet, its people, its spectacular highlands, and its civilization of extraordinary wisdom and beauty. Tibet House New York is part of a worldwide network of Tibetan institutions committed to ensuring that the light of the Tibetan spirit never disappears from the face of the earth.

True North Insight Meditation Centre

TNI is a Canadian rural residential retreat centre coming into being in Eastern Ontario. The intention for the Centre is to offer a place of serenity and meditation primarily in the Insight / Vipassana tradition. TNI is an undertaking open to all, for the benefit of all.

Vallecitos Mountain Refuge
The Vallecitos Mountain Refuge is a wilderness ranch and contemplative retreat center seeking to strengthen and support progressive leaders and advocacy organizations working for social change and the protection of the environment in our society.

Vermont Insight Meditation Center
Vermont Insight Meditation Center is a community-based, non-residential center for the practice of Vipassana or Insight meditation, and for the study of Buddhist teachings and mindfulness practice in daily life. We are located at Solar Hill, 229 Western Avenue in Brattleboro, Vermont. Vermont Insight offers a range of study programs and meditation practice opportunities.  All are welcome to participate.

Vipassana Dhura Meditation Society

An IMS teacher in the '70s, the monk Achan Sobin teaches precision mindfulness. Learn sitting/walking meditation, the Sixteen Stages of Insight, mindful eating and more.

Vipassana Metta Foundation of Maui
Located on Maui, the Vipassana Metta Foundation currently conducts regular silent vipassana metta retreats: daylong, weekend, annual two-week (March) and an annual month-long (August). We undertake cultivation of awareness through the traditional practices of generosity, moral conduct, concentration, insight and lovingkindness with the understanding that liberation of the heart brings the greatest happiness which is peace.Our vision includes establishing a small spiritual sanctuary and hermitage for solitary dhamma practice.

Vipassana Hawaii
Vipassana Hawaii was established in Honolulu in 1984 to support the teachings of classical Buddhism and to make them relevant to the issues of our day. Our teachers currently offer weekly guided sittings, classes for old and new students, individual meditation instruction, and weekend, ten-day and three-week retreats.

Wat Dhammabucha
A Theravada Buddhist community serving central and south Texas.

The Westcoast Dharma Society
The Westcoast Dharma Society was formed in Vancouver, BC, Canada to promote Buddhist meditation practices (primarily Vipassana and Metta) for the benefit of all beings. WDS focuses on retreat management with the specific mandate of bringing senior Western Dharma teachers to Vancouver to lead meditation retreats.

Other Helpful Resources

Access To Insight
Resources for practice and meditation -- directories, text archives, self-guided tour through the Pali Canon.

Beliefnet
Beliefnet: a resource for faith, religion, inspiration and spirituality. Includes a section on Buddhism.

BuddhaDharma Magazine
Buddhadharma: The Practitioner's Quarterly is the first in-depth, practice-oriented journal for everyone with a serious interest in Buddhism. From the publishers of The Shambhala Sun.

Buddha Net
BuddhaNet is the result of a vision to link up with the growing world-wide culture of people committed to the Buddha's teachings and lifestyle, as an on-line cyber sangha. In this way, an ancient tradition and the information superhighway will come together to create an electronic meeting place of shared concern and interests.

Buddhism in Canada
Links to Buddhist centers and temples throughout Canada.

Buddhist Geeks

Buddhist Geeks is a free weekly netcast presenting interviews and discussions with Buddhist teachers, scholars and advanced practitioners. Combining ancient wisdom with modern technology, Buddhist Geeks aims to catalyze a community of practice committed to awakening.

Buddhist Peace Fellowship

The Buddhist Peace Fellowship envisions a future in which people from all backgrounds come into a heartfelt realization of our interconnection to each other and to the Earth. We believe that actions generated from this understanding will create societies guided by generosity, compassion, wisdom, and justice.

DharmaNet International
A gateway to Buddhist resources.

Fearless Mountain
The newsletter of Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery.

Forest Sangha's Newsletter
The Forest Sangha is a world-wide Buddhist community in the Thai Forest tradition of Ajahn Chah. The newsletter contains news, views, articles, transcribed talks, poems, tutorials, contact addresses, forthcoming events, retreat schedules, etc.

Gift of Lovingkindness
The Gift of Lovingkindness is an online discussion group for anyone interested in lovingkindness (metta) meditation. Share experiences, ask questions, lend and receive support.

Journal of Buddhist Ethics
The Journal of Buddhist Ethics has been established to promote the study of Buddhist ethics through the publication of research articles, discussions and critical notes, bulletins, and reviews.

Inquiring Mind
Inquiring Mind is a donation supported, semiannual journal dedicated to the creative transmission of Buddha-dharma to the West. Founded in 1983 and published each April and October, the journal is distributed worldwide to a readership of more than 30,000 people.

Midwest Buddhist Information Center
A complete directory of Buddhist temples and centers in the Greater Chicago area. (northern Illinois, northern Indiana, southern Wisconsin, and southwestern Michigan.) Also offering a monthly calendar of activities of Buddhist organizations in this area.

Mind & Life Institute
The Mind and Life Institute is dedicated to creating a collaboration and research partnership between modern science and Buddhism.

Parallax Press
Gateway to Thich Nhat Hanh: schedule, books, information and centers.

Shambhala Sun Magazine
The Shambhala Sun is the magazine about waking up, bringing a Buddhist view to all the important issues in modern life.

Sounds True
Publisher of audios, books and tools, including material by IMS teachers.

Tricycle: The Buddhist Review
Tricycle is a non-profit quarterly magazine with an educational charter to spread the dharma.

Turning Wheel

The journal of socially-engaged Buddhism that brings a sharp focus to urgent matters of peace, social justice, environmental activism, and dharma practice. Turning Wheel's fresh style and plain-speaking quality reflect the grassroots activism of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship.

Vipassana Fellowship
We are an independent site promoting a balanced approach to the practice of Buddhist meditation as found in the Theravada tradition. We aim to offer resources to help nurture and sustain a fulfilling and effective meditation practice that is consistent with the Buddha's teachings.