2026
Meditation Mentoring Program (MMP)
Chris is currently working individually with students through his Meditation Mentoring Program, which now includes a monthly group meditation practice period and discussion.
This group is intentionally kept small, and requires an application. Currently there are a few spaces available.
Meditation class and dharma discussion. Beginners and experienced meditators welcome.
Oct 17, Saturday. 9:30-11:00 pm
Wenham Insight Meditation Center (WIMC)
72 Grapevine Rd. Wenham, MA 01984
Meditation class and dharma discussion. Beginners and experienced meditators welcome.
Oct 28, Wednesday. 7:00-8:30 pm
Wenham Insight Meditation Center
72 Grapevine Rd. Wenham, MA 01984
Meditation class and dharma discussion. Beginners and experienced meditators welcome.
Oct 31, Saturday. 9:30-11:00 pm
Wenham Insight Meditation Center (WIMC)
72 Grapevine Rd. Wenham, MA 01984
Radical Change through Insight: Mindfulness Meditation Retreat
day-retreat
Nov 7
9:00 am–4:00 pm
Wenham Insight Meditation Center
Retreat Description
Buddhist scholar Andrew Olendzki wrote that “Buddha was one of the more radical humans ever to have walked the earth.” What might this optimistic and reverent statement have to say about our own lives today and the transformative scope of meditation practice? What might “radical” mean in the context of the Dharma more broadly, and perhaps more importantly, how might insight fostered through mindfulness meditation support radical change throughout our entire lives?
In this day-long retreat, sitting and walking meditation will be supported by meditation instructions, Dharma reflections by the teacher, silence, and the support of community. Through these complimentary forms we will explore the possibility that what is radical is the mind’s capacity to release learned habits in favor of the conditions for radical well-being, and our own ability to learn how to support this change.
This retreat is open to everyone–beginners and experienced meditators welcome and encouraged to attend.
Coffee, tea, and light snacks will be provided. Please bring your own lunch. Full use of WIMC kitchen will be available.
Meditation class and dharma discussion. Beginners and experienced meditators welcome.
Nov 18, Wednesday. 7:00-8:30 pm
Wenham Insight Meditation Center
72 Grapevine Rd. Wenham, MA 01984
Meditation class and dharma discussion. Beginners and experienced meditators welcome.
Nov 28, Saturday. 9:30-11:00 pm
Wenham Insight Meditation Center (WIMC)
72 Grapevine Rd. Wenham, MA 01984
Meditation class and dharma discussion. Beginners and experienced meditators welcome.
Dec 2, Wednesday. 7:00-8:30 pm
Wenham Insight Meditation Center
72 Grapevine Rd. Wenham, MA 01984
Meditation class and dharma discussion. Beginners and experienced meditators welcome.
Dec 12, Saturday. 9:30-11:00 pm
Wenham Insight Meditation Center (WIMC)
72 Grapevine Rd. Wenham, MA 01984
Meditation class and dharma discussion. Beginners and experienced meditators welcome.
Dec 19, Saturday. 9:30-11:00 pm
Wenham Insight Meditation Center (WIMC)
72 Grapevine Rd. Wenham, MA 01984
2027
Beyond the Narrative: Mindfulness and Difficult Emotions
Full-day Retreat
Wenham Insight Meditation Center (WIMC)
January 9, 2027
9:00am-3:30pm
Retreat Description
Both pleasant and unpleasant thoughts and emotions are inevitable–the mind alternates between healthy and unhealthy, helpful and unhelpful, skillful and unskillful mind states. In response to what is arising in the mind we tend to develop ideas, concepts, and beliefs about who we are, including mental constructs revolving around how to achieve well-being, and how to be more free from difficult emotions.
From the perspective of “Buddhist Psychology” some of the narratives we assume to be true– both about why emotions arise and how to relate to them–are either erroneous or partially accurate; there is a deeper “truth” or understanding alongside our common view of emotions. Mindfulness meditation is a practical skill that helps develop wise understanding and begin transforming our relationship to difficult emotions, thus setting us on the path to greater well-being, freedom, and happiness.
This retreat will explore any/all emotions while emphasizing how to bring greater awareness and understanding to anxiety, worry, fear, and doubt specifically. Retreat is conducted mostly in silence, though there will be instructive teacher talks and periods for questions and discussion.
This retreat is open to everyone–beginners and experienced meditators welcome and encouraged to attend.
Coffee, tea, and light snacks will be provided. Please bring your own lunch. Full use of WIMC kitchen will be available.
The Wisdom of and Open Heart: Integrating Mindfulness and Compassion
Residential Retreat
Barre Center for Buddhist Studies
Jan 29-Feb 3, 2027 (5 nights)
Retreat Description
What if wisdom arises from being honest about all that is unresolved in our heart and mind, from our ability to be open, unguarded, and fearless in the face of confusion, uncertainty, loss, grief, sadness, and anger? What if vulnerability itself, when met with the presence of mindfulness and the heart qualities of kindness and compassion, reveals a self that is subject to distress and simultaneously ephemeral and resilient when faced with life’s changing and sometimes painful experiences?
Siddhartha Gautama, despite his spiritual achievements, endured human predicaments and difficulties. Together, we will explore the reality of day-to-day living, balancing the Buddha’s radical optimism with the practical concerns of our human lives: past regrets and future desires, relational challenges, social inequities, environmental degradation, existential questions related to finding and sustaining purpose in our lives, and the inevitable ways impermanence confronts us through aging, sickness, and end-of-life.
This retreat explores how mindfulness, compassion, and loving-kindness meditation can be mutually beneficial and practiced together. Practicing and living in this way can help us to see more clearly that we don’t need to turn away from anything in our life. Rather, it is the truth of our lives that can wake us up. We will investigate this theme in formal practice in the Dharma Hall and in mindful communication. We will also explore teachings on Buddhist wisdom, compassion, and loving-kindness in the classroom, alongside an exploration of how supportive qualities–such as vulnerability, self-honesty, and humility–can be discovered as virtuous allies on the spiritual path.
Program Format: This retreat will include silent and guided meditation, time for personal reflection, mindful communication with peers, and classroom sessions with presentation and discussion.
Kind-Attention: Distinguishing Detachment from Indifference
A Mindfulness Meditation Retreat
March 6, 9:00 am-4:00 pm
Wenham Insight Meditation Center, Wenham MA
Retreat Overview: Mindfulness and insight meditators can find themselves at a place of discernment, or even confusion as to how to work with particular mind-states that may come up in meditation practice. One such area revolves around reconciling instructions on detachment in the context of important matters–friendship and loving relationships, social injustice, environmental, political, economic concerns, ethical dilemmas, etc. It is common to question why one might “detach” from such important issues which may be aligned with other virtuous aspects of the Dharma, such is decreasing suffering and living wisely.
This retreat explores the difference between detachment and indifference and how through kind-attention we can meet every moment skillfully, freeing ourselves from habituated responses–the result being both wise discernment and less stress.
This retreat will be held mostly in silence with short periods of instruction and a question and discussion period.
Caring for the Heart and Mind: Loving-Kindness & Insight Meditation Retreat
March 17-21, 2027 (4 nights)
Wonderwell Mountain Refuge, New Hampshire
Info and Registration available November 2026
Focus and Freedom: Mindfulness in the Age of Technology
(3-week class series)
Monday Oct 18
Monday October 25
Monday Nov 21
6:30-8:15 pm EDT
This program will be held online via Zoom. All registrants will receive the link to join the program in their Order Confirmation email. This program will not be recorded. Times are ET.
Registration: Cambridge Insight Meditation Center
Many of us come to meditation for greater presence and peace from the stress and pace of modern life. Early Dharma teachings commonly refer to the path of meditation as a refuge, a type of “sanctuary” where, through learned insight and understanding, we strengthen our ability to resist the habitual seductions of distraction and learn to enjoy the freedom of a mind at ease.
This three-week class series emphasizes the aspirational breadth of mindfulness meditation while directly exploring the implications of learning and sustaining a meditation practice in an increasingly fast-paced, technology-driven world.
This program doesn’t negate the value of technology but rather inquires into the wise use of technology. We will engage in an intimate and personal reflection of our own habits and tendencies while living in a world of devices, gadgets, apps, and social media. Without mindful awareness, our relationship to technology can pose a threat to our agency, potentially robbing us of our time, presence, and ultimately our well-being.
Instructions in mindfulness meditation and home practice guidelines will be shared during this three-week class. This will include suggestions and examples for practices that students can choose from based on their personal interests, lifestyle, time availability, and which teachings and perspectives they are most drawn towards.
Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend, including experienced meditators and beginners (no prior experience is necessary).
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