WORKSHOPS, SEMINARS, LECTURES, MEETINGS
Scroll down to see all Past Events through 2017
2023
January 21
Open Board Meeting, Saturday, 12 pm – 2:00 pm on Zoom
2022
December 17
Open Board Meeting, Saturday, 12 pm – 2:00 pm on Zoom
November 19
TWO EVENTS: Hybrid on Zoom and at the Episcopal Center, 505 Alexander Ave, Durham, NC 27705
- 10:30 am – 11:30 am Tea for Sangha and TIMC Board at both the Episcopal Center (505 Alexander Ave, Durham, 27705) and also on Zoom.
- 12 pm – 2:00 pm Open Board Meeting on Zoom and in-person at the Episcopal Center.
October 15
Open Board Meeting, Saturday, 12 pm – 2:00 pm on Zoom
September 17
Open Board Meeting, Saturday, 10am –12pm on Zoom
August 20
Open Board Meeting, Saturday, 12 pm – 2 pm on Zoom
July 09
Open Board Meeting. Saturday, 12 pm – 2 pm on Zoom
June 11
Open Board Meeting. Saturday, 12 pm – 2 pm on Zoom
May 21
Open Board Meeting. Saturday, 12 pm – 2 pm on Zoom
April 30
Special Open Board Meeting – Discuss Hybrid Test (April 23)
Saturday, 12 pm – 2 pm on Zoom
This special board meeting is dedicated to a review of the hybrid test meeting held on April 23rd. Problems encountered with the use of the Owls in the larger space of the Great Room at the Episcopal Center require we explore how to optimize the experience for the Zoom/virtual participants. The main issue reported for those attending virtually was a sub-optimal audio during the open discussion period, as well as a grainy video with the Owl transmission. Anyone is welcome to attend this upcoming meeting, and we are especially interested in having input from those who participated on Zoom. If you are interested in attending and have misplaced or not received a Zoom invitation, please advance RSVP us by email: [email protected].
Per the TIMC Bylaws for special meetings, no other business will be conducted other than the experience of the hybrid test meeting and what steps we may need to take in order to find a satisfactory solution.
April 23 New Test Date
Hybrid Meeting Testing Session SATURDAY, April 23, 10 am – 2:30 pm, Episcopal Center at Duke and via Zoom
The TIMC Board is actively planning for a hybrid meeting arrangement, thanks to the generosity of the sangha for helping us raise sufficient funds for purchasing the Meeting Owl Pro Conference Camera system and other necessary equipment. Barring unforeseen developments with the virus, the Technology Committee and a team of volunteers will be testing this new equipment on Saturday April 23.
If you would like to help us TEST the Hybrid camera equipment and find the best set-up procedures for holding meetings at both the EC and on Zoom — Email the Board to sign up as either an in-house (Episcopal Center) or on-Zoom (remote) participant. Test Day is currently set for April 10th. You will get the working schedule and any updates for this testing day.
Thank you!
April 09
Standing Open Meeting. 12pm-2pm. Zoom platform.
March 19
Annual Meeting. 12pm-2pm. Zoom platform.
February 19
Standing Open Board Meeting. 12pm-2pm. Zoom platform.
January 15
Standing Open Board Meeting. 12pm-2pm. Zoom platform.
2021
December 18
Standing Open Board Meeting. 12pm-2pm. Zoom platform
November 20
Standing Open Board Meeting. 12pm-2pm. Zoom platform
October 9
Standing Open Board Meeting. 12pm-2pm. Zoom platform
September 19
Standing Open Board Meeting. 12pm-2pm. Zoom platform
August 21
Standing Open Board Meeting. 1pm-3pm. Zoom platform
July 31
Standing Open Board Meeting. 1pm-3pm. Zoom platform.
June 27|
Special Open Board Meeting. 10am–12pm. Zoom platform.
The Triangle Insight Board of Directors will hold a Special Open Board Meeting on Sunday, June 27 to discuss the status of Triangle Insight’s Reopening Survey, and to discuss details for resuming in-personal meetings at the Episcopal Center, which may include coordinating volunteer assistance to ensure smooth reopening, as well as what resources would be needed to continue with Zoom for meditation sessions. Creating a schedule for Regular Board Meetings will also be discussed.
May 27
Closed Board Meeting. Zoom platform.
The Triangle Insight Board of Directors will be holding a closed meeting to discuss procedures around filling Board vacancies and apportioning organizational responsibilities. A Zoom address will be emailed to TIMC Newsletter subscribers at least one day prior to meeting time. To request time for a special presentation, please email by May 27th a short, informative statement of intent and estimate of time needed to [email protected].
May 4, 2021.
“May We Gather”, A National Buddhist Memorial Ceremony for Asian American Ancestors. Observed Online, Tuesday, May 4, 7 pm – 8:30 pm, EDT
Triangle Insight Meditation Community is one of many ally partners for May We Gather: A National Buddhist Memorial Ceremony for Asian American Ancestors, the first national Buddhist memorial service in response to anti-Asian violence. The ceremony will be livestreamed from Higashi Honganji Temple in Los Angeles, which was vandalized earlier this year. The event was freely broadcast online and brought together Asian American Buddhists and their allies to heal in community together. Our Statement of Support.
March 6, 2021
Renewing our Practice: Third Annual Triangle Insight Daylong Retreat.
Led by Sarah Bryce. Online, 9am-1pm, and then 4pm-5pm
Welcome Spring together by gathering to refresh and renew our practice, to “fluff” it, as Jeanne van Gemert might say, as we Spring-clean our Dharma houses. We will spend the morning together online, re-establishing our mindfulness and concentration, with guided sitting and walking meditation periods, and with some opportunities for Q&A and hearing the Dharma. We will then transition to an afternoon of self-practice, reconvening in late afternoon for a closing tea-time sharing of the fruits of our practice and a final Metta meditation. Sarah Bryce is a guiding teacher of Mindful Families of Durham and a guest teacher at Triangle Insight. To register, or if you have questions, please email: [email protected].
March 13, 2021
Closed Board Meeting.
The Triangle Insight Board of Directors will be holding a closed meeting to discuss the process for filling Board vacancies. For a longer description, see here.
March 20, 2021
2021 TIMC Annual Open Board Meeting, Online.
The Annual Open Board Meeting will be held on Zoom on Saturday, March 20, 10am-Noon.
Topics for the meeting include: Minutes from prior open meetings that have not yet been approved, a vote on a change to the TIMC Bylaws, presenting and voting on the 2020 Financial Report, the election of Board Chair and Secretary to serve a one-year term, and the election of Board Treasurer to serve a two-year term. Additionally, time may be reserved for a review of the process for filling Board member vacancies, and time will be provided to members of the community who wish to present an issue or concern to the Board for consideration.
March 27 & 28, 2021
The Thinning of Self: What It Means to Awaken, with Rodney Smith. A Southern Dharma Benefit Retreat. The thinning of ourselves begins when we decide to become more conscious by facing what is true and moving toward the difficult. As we become less defended there is more access to interconnection and true caring. We become less governed by self-concerns and more aligned with the heart. The two phases of this process include finding our true ground of sanity and releasing ourselves into the mystery of being. Each will be fully explored with dharma talks, guided meditations, dyads, Q & A, Chi Gong, and formal practice.
Please note that this at home retreat will begin at 9am Eastern Time on March 27th and end at 8pm Eastern Time on March 28th. All experience levels are welcome.
This program is being offered as a benefit to Southern Dharma Retreat Center and Rodney asks that all donations, including all teacher dana, be directed toward the Center. Thank you for your generosity.
For more information and/or to register, please click this link.
Fee Structure: Supporter, $350; Base, $200; Subsidized, $120
(A limited number of need-based scholarships are available. Please indicate your interest in a scholarship during the online registration process.)
2020
1) Saturday, February 22, 2020.
Triangle Insight Community Potluck | 6:00 p.m.
Eno Commons Common House, 1 Indigo Creek Trail. Durham, NC 27712
This Potluck will be the first in a monthly series of social events hosted by members of our community with support from the (new) Social Committee. If you are interested in hosting a social event in the future, please reach out to Robert, [email protected]
2) Saturday, February 22, 2020.
A Day of Silent and Interpersonal Practice | 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Episcopal Center at Duke.
A daylong retreat of silent and interpersonal practice will be offered by Mary Grigsby, Sharon Jamison and Sue Brown. We will explore the Buddha’s teachings through silent meditation, guided movement and interpersonal meditation. This retreat is open to anyone interested in deepening their insight meditation practice.
2019
_A nonresidential retreat will be offered instead, Sept 20-21 at the Episcopal Student Center.
November 2, 2019.
Triangle Insight’s 10th Anniversary Celebration | Saturday, 6-10 p.m. at the Episcopal Center
Please join us in celebration of our 10th year anniversary of the Triangle Insight Meditation Community.
We are planning an evening of fun, food, fellowship and even some dancing! There will also be interactive time to get to know one another on a deeper level. There will be no formal sitting and come prepared to have some fun — and put on your dancing shoes!
Mediterranean vegetarian fare will be catered by Neomonde, and bring a guest is you wish. There is no charge for this event, but do please register so that we will know how to plan.
If you would like to contribute to help with the costs of this event, there will be an opportunity to do so at the time of registration. If you have any questions, please contact Glaeshia at [email protected] or 919-949-6637. To register, just click HERE!
We look forward to seeing you there!
TIMC Anniversary Planning Committee
October 10-13, 2019
The Fourth Refuge: Trusting in Your Own Potential for Awakening, with Susan Stone and Ron Vereen. Serenity Ridge Retreat Center. Nelson County, Virginia
REGISTRATION: Insight Meditation Community of Charlottesville (IMCC) is sponsoring this event. You may Register with them directly HERE. Early Bird registration discounts are available through Sept. 8th. Scholarships are also available, with a link on the site to the Scholarship Application Form
For information about the teachers please click on this link.
October 18-20, 2019
Resonant Body, Spacious Awareness: The Synergy of Continuum and Mindfulness Practice, A Non-Residential Retreat with Sabine Mead and Ron Vereen.
Shared Visions Retreat Center, Durham, NC
Fri., 7-9 p.m. and Sat., 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sun., 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
In this two-day retreat, participants will be exposed to a variety of practices from both Continuum and Insight or Mindfulness Meditation. Our time together will unfold and progress as we dive into practices that build upon one another. Designed to drop us into the spacious, formless awareness that simply observes all phenom ena arising and passing away, the fluid and dynamic nature of existence can be directly known from a deep, experiential level. Wisdom reveals that the bodily form is movement, bringing forth the realization that movement is not what we do but rather what we are – formlessness within form, a reflection of the whole of the universe – returning us to the primordial world of the preformed.
For more information about the teachers, please click on the following links for Sabine Mead and Ron Vereen. To register for this retreat, please go here.
A short non-residential retreat at the Episcopal Center at Duke, 505 Alexander Ave., Durham, NC 27705. September 20 from 1-5 p.m. and September 21 from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
At the close of our time with Ruth this spring she said: “What the country is lacking right now is a critical mass of white people understanding whiteness – that’s what’s needed.”
Using the Insight Dialogue guidelines we will explore our experience of racial identity and our capacity to listen at deeper levels to social dynamics that sustain suffering. We will be listening at both an individual and systemic level. With mindfulness established, together we may see what we might not see alone.
*We suggest reading Mindful of Race by Ruth King as a helpful preparation for our time together. Please plan to attend the entire time and bring your own lunch on Saturday (no cooking available). Tea and snacks will be provided.
There is a $26.00 registration fee to cover the building rental and snacks. Scholarships are available if needed. Questions can be directed to Daya Breckinridge at [email protected] Register Here
Dana This event is offered as expressions of generosity from the teachers (dana). At the close of the retreat, participants will have the opportunity to offer donations to support the teachers and Triangle Insight.
Scholarships and Triangle Insight If you would like to contribute to the Scholarship fund so that those in financial need are able to attend, or would like to make a donation online toward furthering the work of Triangle Insight, follow this link.
Donate Online Here
When making a donation online, please use the provided space to tell us where you would like to direct your contribution. Thank you for your generosity.
3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Episcopal Center at Duke, 505 Alexander Ave. Durham, NC 27705
Your RSVP is required prior to August 13, 6:00 p.m. so seating may be arranged.
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For general attendance, include the name/s of those who will be coming, and put ATTENDING on the subject line. Reply before Aug. 13, 6 p.m.
- To present a petition or raise a topic for the Board to consider, you must schedule your intention with the Board Chair. RSVP the topic in specific detail, list name of presenter(s), and how long you will need to speak.The Chair will work with you to fit your request into the time available, so submit your request as early as possible.
Put REQUEST TIME on the subject line, Reply no later than 6 p.m. Aug. 13. - The Board will consider all requests carefully and return a response.
RSVP to [email protected]
PLEASE ENTER THROUGH THE DOOR FACING ALEXANDER AV. From the parking lot, follow the path around the right side of the building.
July 13, 2019
Stepping Lightly into the Waters of Aging, Illness, and Death
❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊ ❊
The Episcopal Center at Duke
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Please join Laura, Heather, and Jeanne for a Buddhist inquiry into a more meaningful life by exploring and increasing our awareness of Aging, Illness and Death.
In addition to the silent meditation retreat practices of sitting and walking, we will include writing and dialogue: stepping together easily, lightly, and significantly. Please bring your own lunch (no cooking available), a journal or paper and pen. Tea and snacks will be provided.
This daylong activity is being offered free of charge, with donations accepted to support the teachers and defray the costs of renting the facility.
If you plan to attend, please register by contacting us at [email protected], Your email will help in our planning.
July 23-28, 2019
Awakening Together: An Insight Dialogue Retreat with Sharon Beckman-Brindley and Phyllis Hicks, at Southern Dharma Retreat Center, in Hot Springs, NC
For more information and to register, please go here
June 1-2, 2019. Lama Rod Owens returns to the Triangle.
Triangle Insight was pleased to be a part of a wonderful collaborative group that brought Lama Rod Owens to Durham for the past two years. The collaborative group will be bringing Lama Rod back to the Triangle on June 1-2, 2019 for an Interfaith Dialogue, Public Talk and workshop for the POC/LGBTQ communities.
Click here to view full program, including list of speakers and to register.
June 5, 2019
Wednesday meditation and Dharma talk with Emily Griffith Burke, Guest Teacher. 6:30pm-8pm, Please come a few minutes early.
Episcopal Center, 505 Alexander Ave., Durham, NC 27705.
Emily is a recent transplant from Boston, MA and a member of our Sangha since August, 2018. She organized and now serves as administrator for the TIMC Young Adults Kalyana Mitta Group, and also serves on the TIMC Board of Directors. In the past she has taught meditation, yoga and mindfulness classes at Northeastern University, Kadampa Meditation Center Boston, and Franciscan Children’s Hospital. Now in Durham she has begun teaching Sunday morning Sati School to young children with the Mindful Families of Durham, and hopes to begin her interfaith Clinical Pastoral Education at Duke this summer.
Alongside her spiritual practice, Emily enjoys cultivating expression, connection and healing through music.
May 23-26, 2019
Opening to the Whole of Life: Memorial Day Weekend Residential Retreat, with Jeanne van Gemert & Ron Vereen, at Avila Retreat Center, Durham, NC
At times it is helpful to inquire as to why we are on this path of insight meditation and to what led us to this practice to start with. Perhaps it was something heard or read which extolled the virtue of bringing more calm into our lives. Unfortunately, many forsake the journey when experience does not always measure up to the expected results. It is easy to accept the pleasant abidings, but what about the rest of life? Most of us just need more skills to face what’s difficult. This retreat is an invitation to practice being open to the totality of existence without exclusion, creating a container of support for deepening inquiry and investigation. Qualities of recognition, receptivity, and curiosity will be supported through various forms of practice.
Deeply held conditioned patterns can then be seen, not as obstacles to practice, but rather as vehicles toward greater insight and surrender. This seeing that frees becomes the gateway through which to open to the formless awareness that has been and always will be available.
Open to participants with all levels of meditation experience, this retreat will be conducted in Noble Silence to support moving into greater stillness and quiet. In addition to the forms of practice, group interviews with the teachers will provide further support for inquiry and investigation. Jeanne van Gemert and Ron Vereen have years of meditation experience and are co-founders of the Triangle Insight Meditation Community, graduates of the Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leader Program, and instructors in the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program.
Cost: Double Room $ 310 ($ 325 after April 30); Small Single $ 340 ($ 355 after April 30); Large Single $ 370 ($ 385 after April 30).To Register: Please click on this registration link(note: To allow the registration program to align with the registration process, the $10 registration fee has been inserted, with a $10 reduction in the total fees noted above when room selection is made. For any questions or difficulties with the registration process, please contact Leah Rutchick at [email protected].
Scholarships: Financial assistance is available for this retreat such that no one will be turned away due to an inability to pay. If you would like to request a scholarship, please contact Leah at [email protected]. Scholarships are made possible through the generosity of others, and if you would like to make a contribution toward this effort, please do so through this donation link.Thanks for your generosity.
April 14, 2019
A Special Meeting of the TIMC Board of Directors. In Room 1 of the annex building at the Eno River Universalist Unitarian Fellowship, 907 Garrett Rd, Durham, NC 27707, from 6:00pm – 8:00pm. This meeting will be closed to the general public, and will:
- Approve the Minutes of the 3/24 meeting
- Open a discussion of Operational Norms
- Discuss and decide whether to hire an outside facilitator for defining Operational Norms and expanding Bylaws in accord with Norms, and if so who that person will be.
- Discuss and decide about creating an Ad Hoc committee for administrative tasks associated with the next phase of Board development.
Leah Rutchick, Chair of the TIMC Board of Directors April 14, 2019, 12:35 AM
March 15-17, 2019. Mindful of Race Training, with Ruth King. A residential retreat at Avila Retreat Center, Durham, NC. This Training Workshop is now full.
Participants will follow an engaged exploration of our racial conditioning through a mindful lens. With mindfulness practice, we learn to stay present to what’s true and what’s difficult with a caring and wise heart as we investigate our “individual” and “collective” racial conditioning and “systemic” proliferation.
Ruth King is an international teacher in the Insight Meditation tradition, and an emotional wisdom author and life coach. She is on the Teacher’s Council at Insight Meditation Community of Washington and Spirit Rock Meditation Center, and is the founder of Mindful Members Insight Meditation Community in Charlotte, NC.
Time: 10am-12pm. Location: In the Studio at Shared Visions Retreat Center, 3717 Old Murphey School Road, Durham, 27705.
The Preliminary Agenda may be viewed here.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY, 2019
A Year-Long Process
The Triangle Insight Meditation Community has been engaged in a year-long exploration to examine the values, norms, and structure of our organization, and has now undertaken a process toward a transition to a governance structure that is aligned with this effort. A sangha-wide meeting was held on December 19, 2018, during which we reviewed the new Vision, Mission and Values document as well as the revised Bylaws, both of which have been approved by the current Board of Directors after considerable input from the sangha. A process is now underway toward the expansion of the Board in preparation for the Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors on Wednesday, February 20, 2019, from 6:30 – 8:30 PM. Nominations for the Board are now open and will be reviewed by the current Board, after which a slate of new directors will be prepared for presentation and election at the Annual Meeting. If you would like to review these and other documents that emerged from this initiative, you may do so by clicking on the links below:
Overview of Values, Norms, & Structures Process for TIMC; TIMC Vision, Mission, and Values; TIMC Revised Bylaws (12.06.18); Next Steps in the Transition of TIMC
We want to express gratitude to each of you for your support of Triangle Insight during our efforts toward this transition over the past year, to the members of the Vision, Mission, and Values and Bylaws working groups for their diligent service on behalf of the sangha, and to Katherine Turner for her expert facilitation of this process.
2018
October 23rd-28th, 2018
Leading with an Open Heart: A Radical Dharma Vision of Using Our Broken Hearts to Get Free Locations in Durham, NC.
Tuesday, 10/23
Gathering for men only, 7:00 pm, Episcopal Center at Duke
Wednesday, 10/18
Meditation and Dharma Talk, 7:00 – 8:30 pm, Triangle Insight Meditation Community, Episcopal Center at Duke
Friday, 10/20
Free Public Talk, 7:00 pm, Hayti Heritage Center
Saturday 10/21
Daylong Retreat for all, 9 am – 5 pm, MDC Learning Center
Sunday 10/22
Daylong Retreat for those who identify as LGBTQ and People of Color, Duke Integrative Medicine
An Insight Dialogue retreat at the Southern Dharma Retreat Center, Hot Springs, NC
As humans we are exquisitely sensitive and can easily become overwhelmed in the sea of relentless sensory contact. Learning how to cultivate mindfulness and tranquility in the flow of daily life is a profound resource for peace and for wise action. In this Insight Dialogue retreat we will practice taking refuge in awareness, wisdom, and spiritual friendship (Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha).
Triangle Insight Meditation Community’s Day of Values, Norms, and Structure Exploration, with Katherine Turner and the Sangha
Friends Meeting House, 404 Alexander Ave., Durham, NC
Saturday, 9 am – 4 pm
Please join the Triangle Insight Meditation Community as we explore our values, norms, and structure with Katherine Turner. At the regular meeting of the sangha on Wed., June 6th, Katherine was introduced to the sangha and we began planning for our upcoming day-long retreat in which we will explore our values, norms, and governance structure.
A set of group agreements was established along with an exploration of a set of questions and subquestions that will be considered at the day-long gathering. A working group is currently reviewing these documents with Katherine and will be finalized prior to the meeting, and will be posted here as soon as they have been completed. More information about the retreat will also be included. We invite as many of you who are willing and able to attend, and we ask that you register by contacting us at [email protected] so that we may make the necessary preparations for this event.
2017
Friday, November 10, 2017
Media Night. Music and Meditation, with Erica Alexander. A hands on evening of meditation joined with learning and playing the Native American inspired flute. We will start with a guided meditation to be followed with a presentation on the flute and structured playing. Erica will bring flutes, but if you have a flute, plan to bring it — especially if it is in the key of A.
October 17-22, 2017
A Week-long Visit of Lama Rod Owens,
Love, Grief, and Activism: Radical Dharma Vision of Change and Vulnerability.
Locations in Durham.
Tuesday, 10/17
Radical Mindfulness in Times of Crisis, 3:05 – 4:30 pm.
Duke Lecture, Perkins Library Building, Rubenstein 153 (Holsti-Anderson Family Assembly Room)
Wednesday, 10/18
It Gets Better: Developing Basic Friendship with Ourselves, 6:30 – 8:00 pm.
Triangle Insight Meditation Community, Episcopal Center at Duke, 505 Alexander Ave.
Friday, 10/20
Real Vulnerability as a Tool for Social Change, 7:00 pm.
Duke Memorial United Methodist Church, Whitford Hall, 504 W. Chapel Hill St., Durham.
Saturday 10/21
Love, Grief, and Activism: Radical Dharma Vision of Change and Vulnerability,
9 am – 5 pm. MDC Learning Center, 307 W. Main St.
Sunday 10/22
Love, Grief, and Activism: Radical Dharma Vision of Change and Vulnerability,
1 pm – 5 pm, for those who identify as LGBTQ and People of Color.
Temple Building, 302 W. Main St.
Friday, September 22, 2017
Potluck supper, screening of the documentary film, Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret. The film offers a surprising take on the environmental movement and the interconnectedness of all beings. It features Richard Oppenlander, lauren Ornelas, Michael Pollan, Will Tuttle, and more.
Friday, July 14, 2017
Screening of 13th, an in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation’s history of racial inequality. The New York Times Review described the film as “powerful, infuriating, and at times overwhelming.” If you would like to view the official trailer, please use this link.