What is Insight Meditation?

Vipassana Meditation, also known as Insight Meditation, originated in the Theravadan School of Buddhism, now primarily located in India, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia. Vipassana, which means: "to see clearly", is the simple and direct practice of moment to moment mindfulness which leads to the development of wisdom and compassion.

Through careful and sustained attention we experience for ourselves the ever-changing flow of the mind/body; including sensations in body, hearing, thoughts, emotions, and consciousness itself. This awareness leads us to accept more fully the pleasure and pain, fear and joy, sadness and happiness that life inevitably brings. As insight deepens we develop greater equanimity and peace in the face of the three basic characteristics of reality, the truths of annica (impermanence), dukkha (unsatisfactoriness), and anatta (no-self).

Our practice also develops other qualities of heart and mind, the spiritual paramis or perfections; such as patience, renunciation, morality, lovingkindness, and equanimity. Free from the entanglements of our hearts and minds and from a place of greater wisdom and compassion we then seek to share the fruits of our practice with others through our caring and service.