November 13, 2020
The Experience of Insight
A Simple and Direct Guide to Buddhist Meditation
30-Day Meditation Challenge Dates: Opening talk, Joseph Goldstein, Jan. 1, 11 AM EST; daily meditation sits, Jozen Tamori Gibson, Jan. 2-31, 9 AM EST.
On January 1, the IMS Book Club will launch a free online 30-Day Meditation Challenge! Join us for daily practice based on The Experience of Insight—the first book by IMS co-founder Joseph Goldstein, recently re-released by Shambhala Publications.
Originally published in 1976, The Experience of Insight offers a simple and direct guide to Buddhist meditation in the format of a 30-day meditation retreat.
Following the path offered by Joseph and Sharon Salzberg during their first monthlong retreat in Sequioa National Forest more than forty years ago, the book—and the 30-Day Meditation Challenge—includes meditation instructions, dharma talks, commonly asked questions, and references to other spiritual traditions that help to deepen one’s understanding of the practices and their meaning.
Our 30-Day Meditation Challenge begins at 11:00 AM EST on January 1, 2021, with instructions from Joseph on starting, maintaining, and deepening a daily meditation practice.
Over the following 30 days, IMS teacher Jozen Tamori Gibson will lead guided online meditations each day from 9:00-9:15 AM EST, beginning each session with instructions and a reflection from the book.
The Meditation Challenge will last for 30 days to help you establish your practice in the new year and to complete all 30 chapters of The Experience of Insight; one for each day day of practice.
Every week, Joseph Goldstein will offer words of encouragement and inspiration to help support you on the journey.
Join now to start your new year with committed practice and the support of this special community.
Want to Join?
Step one: Register for the IMS Book Club’s 30-Day Meditation Challenge here .
Step two: Join the IMS Book Club here, if you haven’t already. This registers you for our monthly newsletter which announces new programs and allows you to sign up for the book-of-the-month discussions that interest you.
Step three: Get the book. Although there is no fee to join the 30-Day Challenge, we recommend that you purchase your own copy of The Experience of Insight to follow along and deepen your experience throughout the month. The audiobook version is narrated by Jozen.
“Many of us seek the deeper, purer, more esoteric teachings . . . thus, there is an increasing demand for meditation training both as a means and an end. This book is a blessing . . . a highly significant contribution to our growth at this time.” —from the Introduction by Ram Dass
Joseph Goldstein has been leading insight and lovingkindness meditation retreats worldwide since 1974. He is a cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, where he is one of the organization’s guiding teachers. In 1989, together with several other teachers and students of insight meditation, he helped establish the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies. Joseph first became interested in Buddhism as a Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand in 1965. Since 1967 he has studied and practiced different forms of Buddhist meditation under eminent teachers from India, Burma and Tibet. He is the author of Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening, A Heart Full of Peace, One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism, Insight Meditation: The Practice of Freedom, The Experience of Insight, and co-author of Seeking the Heart of Wisdom and Insight Meditation: A Correspondence Course.
Jozen Tamori Gibson (they, them) began formal meditation practice in 2004 through Sotō Zen while living in Japan joined by a Theravada practice in 2010. Jozen is a participant in the 2017-2021 Insight Meditation Society (IMS) Dharma Teacher Training program and serves on the New York Insight Meditation Center’s teacher council. With certifications and embodiment studies in Yoga, Qigong, Indigenous Focusing Oriented Therapy (IFOT) and Complex Trauma, Jozen lives to provide and nourish contemplative mind-heart-body alignment practices and spaces rooted in wellness, anti-oppression and interdependent liberation for all beings. Jozen honors the wisdom and compassion of all teachers, highlighting their mother, Akimi, and dharma root teacher, Pamela Weiss.
Additional Resources
Optional Daily Retreat Schedule
Taking the Three Refuges and the Five Householder Precepts
A Behind-the-Scenes Conversation with Joseph Goldstein and Jozen Tamori Gibson
