Weekly Groups
Join us for meditation and community
PIMC offers gatherings online, in person at PIMC, and spiritual friendship and affinity groups in Washington and Oregon.
Drop-In Meetings by Day
Sunday – Saturday
10:00am – 12:00pm
PIMC Sunday Program
MEETS IN PERSON AND ONLINE
GUEST TEACHERS: 9/8 Candle Summers, 9/22 Gregory Maloof
2nd and 4th Sundays, 10:00am – 12:00pm
Youth Dharma Program
MEETS IN PERSON
With NOELLE WITTLIFF (she/her)
PIMC’s Youth Dharma Program is a space for children to bring their whole selves.
We offer meaningful opportunities to learn Buddhist teachings and values through engaging activities, stories, games, and art while making friends and having fun!
Children ages 5-13 are invited to join us every 2nd and 4th Sunday from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm (concurrent with the PIMC Sunday Program). One parent or caregiver must be present at PIMC while their child attends the program and will need to complete a registration form prior to attending.
We welcome children of all gender identities, races, ethnicities, cultures, backgrounds, and religions.
Suggested Dana: $15-20
1st and 3rd Sundays, 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Sunday Insight and Metta
MEETS ONLINE
SPECIAL GUEST TEACHER 9/15: Venerable Ayya Virāñāni
With CANDLE SUMMERS (she/her)
Sister Virāñāni returns to Insight & Metta September 15!
Come sit, hear a talk, and converse with Venerable Ayya Virāñāni, who has graciously accepted our invitation and looks forward to continued conversation about Metta, the practice of goodwill toward ourselves and others. As a scientist and conservation biologist, you can imagine that Metta was not easy for her at first. She will guide us through a meditation, then we will have an open Q&A. This event is offered freely, with an opportunity to show generosity to both the center and our guest.
Ayya Virāñāni began to practice meditation in 1979, as a scientist and conservation biologist in Hawai’i and New Zealand, practicing with Western teachers in the Thai Forest and Mahasi traditions. In 2003 she ordained temporarily in the Burmese lineage of Mahasi Sayadaw, beginning several years devoted to intensive practice and study. She received the permanent going forth in Burma with Sayadaw U Pandita in 2006, and now mostly resides at the Chanmyay Myaing Meditation Centre North of Yangon. Sister Virāñāni teaches mettā and vipassanā meditation retreats worldwide.
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Dharma practice and spiritual friendship presented in an easeful, natural style. The time together will include 45-minutes of gently guided insight meditation and loving friendliness practice along with personal sharing and discussion of various Dhamma topics such as applying awareness in daily life and Sutta study.
This group is committed to making the exploration of practices and teachings of the Buddha relevant and accessible in today’s world and welcomes all people of every age, ethnicity, cultural heritage and religious background, socio-economic group, ability, sexual orientation and gender identity. In this way we aspire to follow in the footsteps of the Buddha, who offered his teachings of awakening and freedom freely to everyone without exception.
Suggested Dana: $10-$25
Mondays, 7:00pm – 8:30pm
Monday Night Guest House
MEETS ONLINE
With JIM DALTON (he/him)
Reach out and connect for an evening of meditation and connection. How will we connect? We know how to do this. For centuries groups of people have banded together and supported each other through wars, famines and epidemics. Today’s situation is unique and seemingly overwhelming, but we know how to work with feelings and thoughts. We know how to build a circle of empathy. We know how to still the mind. All cultures have developed skills and rituals to summon the interior forces to face the challenges we all face as fragile human beings. Each one of us contributes to this ancient resilience and wisdom. Let’s begin.
This is an invitation to fill your electronic screen with faces and smiles and listen to how your friends are coping with our current challenges. We will be creating a group mindfulness session, including quiet sitting, guided meditation, mindful movement and time for discussion and questions. Please be compassionate with yourself and your friends. Use this virtual tool to stay connected while we are seemingly separated one from another.
Suggested Dana: $10-$25
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Thursdays, 7:30pm – 9:00pm
Heart of Freedom
MEETS ONLINE EVERY THURSDAY WITH HYBRID ONLINE AND IN PERSON ON THIRD THURSDAYS
With DOUG PULLIN (he/him)
The evening includes guided and silent sitting in the practice that leads to insight or Vipassana mind. This is the mindfulness meditation practice that was taught by the Buddha over 2500 years ago. The focus of Doug's teaching is on the cultivation of compassion, loving-kindness and wisdom through the practice of being fully present for the ever changing joys and sorrows of life. In addition to traditional mindfulness meditation, there is also an opportunity for informal discussion and for questions related to practice. The Dharma discussion is in a small group setting. Open to beginning and advanced students alike.
Suggested Dana: $10-$25
Peer-led Kalyana Mitta and Affinity Groups
LEARN MORE about PIMC Kalyana Mitta (Spiritual Friends) and Affinity Groups
Tuesdays, 9:30am –11:30am
Peer-Led Meditation Group
MEETS ONLINE
This is a friendship and meditation group. Leadership is rotated among all who wish to lead. It typically includes sitting and walking meditation, optional personal sharing, reading, and discussion of Dharma topics. Practice and find support among friends.
Suggested Dana - $10-$25
Tuesdays, Once Monthly
Northeast Portland Group
MEETS IN PERSON AND ONLINE
Organizer: Ruth Radford
For more info and to receive the Zoom link, please email woodbonestone@gmail.com with subject line "PIMC NE Portland Group".
About Kalyana Mitta and Affinity Groups
Our network of Kalyana Mitta (KM), or Spiritual Friends, groups is an important component of the PIMC spiritual community. They provide a platform for members of our sangha to deepen both their practice and their relationships with one another outside of PIMC, though regular peer-led meditation and Dharma study sessions in small groups on their own schedules. Some KM groups are open to new members and some are not. Most groups meet in members' homes.
It's important to understand that a KM group is NOT a conventional social group. The members of a KM group all agree to focus on the Dharma during their meetings – through study and meditation, as well as discussing the the way it shows up in their lives. Each KM group typically has a set of formal agreements about conduct within the group that all members accept, which will be provided to new members.
Because our own Dharma work is intensely personal, discussion in group often involves personal self-disclosure that requires a willingness to be vulnerable, as well as a deep level of trust in all of the members of the group. To help facilitate that sense of trust, all KM groups require members to hold all discussion in group as private and confidential.
By coming together on a regular basis–meditating together, studying together, and learning to know one another in an environment of trust–we deepen our ability to open fully to all that is within us, to give voice to our deepest and most authentic “selves.” By doing so, we begin to see how connected we are in this human experience. When we are able to let go of some of the boundaries and barriers we experience as “reality,” our sense of separation from others is reduced, and the perception of loneliness and isolation is recognized for the delusion it truly is. This gives us the foundation to experience "Anatta", that is, "no fixed, abiding self" on a very real and tangible basis.
May you each bring open-hearted kindness and wisdom to every contact, every relationship, every effort. May that intention be returned to your heart increased one-hundred fold.
For More Information
While PIMC is committed to providing structure and support for these affiliated groups, they do operate independently of PIMC. If you want additional information about a specific group, please follow-up with the group contact listed.
To Start a New KM Group
It is PIMC's hope that our network of KM groups will grow over time, giving more members of our sangha access to the benefits for spiritual development. If you want to create a new KM group, please contact Melissa Sheets to arrange an appointment with Robert to discuss it.