This Week's Events

Classes

Retreats

Welcome to Bellingham Insight

Bellingham Insight Meditation Society (BIMS) supports meditation and practice in the Buddhist Theravada tradition. We do not have a single guiding teacher. Rather, we are a sangha-led community. We bring in regional and national teachers, including monastics, for residential and non-residential retreats. Our weekly programs are facilitated by senior members in coordination with our Board and Program Committee.

Bellingham Insight Meditation Society welcomes visitors. To receive announcements and links to our Zoom meetings, join our list-serve by emailing bellinghaminsight+subscribe@googlegroups.com or by e-mailing the listserv moderator.

Insight meditation is a simple and direct practice, the moment-to-moment investigation of the mind/body process through calm and focused awareness. Learning to observe experience from a place of stillness enables one to relate to life with less fear and clinging. Seeing life as a constantly changing process, one begins to accept pleasure, pain, fear, joy and all aspects of life with increasing equanimity and balance. As insight deepens, wisdom and compassion arise. This practice is sometimes called "vipassana", which is a Pali word for insight.

We meet at the Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship (BUF): 1207 Ellsworth Street (at the corner of Ellsworth and I Street a few blocks north of downtown). The main entrance faces Ellsworth Street.

You can become a member of the Bellingham Insight Meditation Society by completing the Membership form found on the Supporting BIMS page.

News

Tuesday April 1: The Importance of Maintaining Inner Stability in Times of External Uncertainty

Our Tuesday evening meditation will continue in a hybrid format: in-person at Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship (1207 Ellsworth Street, at the corner of Ellsworth and I Street) and also via Zoom.

Our greeters will be at the main entrance of BUF from 6:30 until 6:55pm to let you into the building.

Tuere Sala, co-guiding teacher with Seattle Insight, will join us via zoom. Tuere will give a dharma talk entitled "The Importance of Maintaining Inner Stability in External Uncertainty." She says "When external conditions begin to fluctuate and spin at a fast pace, we need to know how to ground and stabilize ourselves internally. This is what the four foundations of mindfulness are pointing towards. Knowing how to establish mindfulness is an empowerment. It creates agency in oneself and allows us to move through challenging situations with strength and integrity."

Tuere will be co-leading the BIMS spring retreat later in April with Rachel Lewis.

6:30 Hall opens

6:45 Zoom room opens

7:00 Meditation led by Tuere

7:35 Introductions and Announcements

7:45 Dharma talk by Tuere, followed by discussion

8:30 Close

We hope to see you - in person or on Zoom

3/30/25

Tuesday March 25th - Meditation and Mindful Self Compassion

Tonight"s meditation will continue in the hybrid format: in-person at Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship (1207 Ellsworth Street, at the corner of Ellsworth and I Street) and also via Zoom.

Our greeters will be at the main entrance of BUF from 6:30 until 6:55pm to let you into the building.

After a 45-minute sit, announcements and introductions, Marc will lead a Mindful Self Compassion Practice.

6:30 Hall opens

6:45 Zoom room opens

7:00 Silent Meditation

7:45 Introductions, Announcements, Short Break

7:55 Mindful Self Compassion Practice

8:30 Closing

We hope to practice with you Tuesday evening.

3/23/25

Walking in Mindfulness - Sunday March 23 - Big Rock Gardens

Join the BIMS Sanga as we enjoy a morning of mindfulness, nature, exercise and community.

When: Sunday, March 23, 10:00 AM to 11:00 PM - Rain or Shine!

Where: Big Rock Gardens

The Plan:

10:05 A brief reading and instruction for a contemplative walk.

10:15 We will walk and mindfully explore Big Rock Gardens for approximately 30 minutes.

10:45 We will have an opportunity to share what we saw/heard/experienced.

11:00 Informal Social time – you can choose to walk and/or talk together.

Parking: There is parking at Big Rock Gardens, 2900 Sylvan Street, Bellingham WA

Contact: If you have any questions please contact MaryLou Stern via text: 360-734-7846, or marylou.foxstar@gmail.com

3/19/25

Tuesday Mar 18th - Meditation & Dharma talk - Joy in Practice

Our Tuesday evening meditation will continue in a hybrid format: in-person at Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship (1207 Ellsworth Street, at the corner of Ellsworth and I Street) and also via Zoom. If you are not on the list and wish to attend via Zoom, send an email to info@bellinghaminsight.org

Our greeters will be at the main entrance of BUF from 6:30 until 6:55pm to let you into the building.

Rachel Lewis, a dharma teacher with British Columbia Insight Meditation, will join us via zoom. Rachel will give a dharma talk on the "Joy in Practice." She will be co-leading the BIMS spring retreat with Tuere Sala. Rachel began practicing insight meditation in 2003, while completing her physics PhD at Yale. She completed the IMS/IRC 4-year teacher training in 2021. Her dharma teaching interests include the power of music, humor, and creativity to increase our capacity for learning, as well as the way that practice supports and is supported by social justice work.

6:30 Hall opens

6:45 Zoom room opens

7:00 Meditation led by Rachel

7:35 Introductions and Announcements

7:45 Dharma talk by Rachel, followed by discussion

8:30 Close

3/15/25

Tuesday March 11th - Soup and meditation

This Tuesday from 6-6:50 PM we will be hosting Soup with the Sangha, a simple vegetarian meal of soup and bread (and possibly chocolate chip cookies) - a chance to gather as a community before our meditation. No need to bring anything, though of course you can. We will be eating in the space near the Bellingham Unitarian kitchen which is right off our meditation space.

Our meditation will continue in a hybrid format: in-person at Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship (1207 Ellsworth Street, at the corner of Ellsworth and I Street) and also via Zoom. Our greeters will be at the main entrance of BUF until 6:55pm to let you into the building.

We will not have a formal program after meditation, but there will be time to connect with sangha members

6:00 Soup with the Sangha

6:45 Zoom room opens

7:00 Silent meditation

7:45 Dedication of Merit, Introductions & Announcements

We hope to see you this Tuesday evening.

3/6/25

Tuere Sala Retreat at Camp Samish, April 19th to 25th, 2025

Join Tuere Sala for a five-day residential retreat, hosted by Bellingham Insight Meditation Society (BIMS), on Samish Island, Saturday April 19th to Friday April 25th. The retreat's title is "Cultivating a Mind in Balance".

THIS RETREAT IS FULL. PLEASE FILL OUT THE FORM AT THIS LINK IF YOU WISH TO BE PUT ON THE WAITING LIST.

In this retreat we will explore how seven friends–the seven factors of awakening–can develop in our practice and support our mind to find a deep balance between ease and energy. These seven factors are beautiful qualities of the mind that are innate potentials in all of us. When developed, they lead to awakening; they are also characteristics of the awakened mind.

Tuere Sala is a Co-Guiding Teacher at Seattle Insight Meditation Society and Spirit Rock Retreat Center. She is a retired prosecuting attorney who has practiced Vipassana meditation for over 30 years. Tuere is committed to lay practice and inspired by bringing the Dharma to nontraditional places. She is a strong advocate for practitioners living with high stress, past trauma and difficulties sitting still. Tuere has been teaching since 2010 and has a long history of assisting others in establishing and maintaining a daily practice.

Learn more about the retreat at this link.

We are using online registration for this retreat. The registration form is found at this link.

12/29/24

Regular Activities

-Tuesday Night Group Meditation

-Tuesday Night Programs

-Book Club

-Soup with the Sangha

-Sangha Mamas