Over the next couple of months we’ll explore the Buddha’s teachings on mindfulness and the four areas of experience where he suggested we focus our mindful awareness. They include mindfulness of the body, of feeling tones, of the heart and mind, as well as mindfulness of the ways in which we experience the teachings in our lives.

After the 7:00 pm online meditation on Thursday, September 10, 2026, we’ll have a discussion of the body scan and other meditation practices for mindfulness of the body and body sensations. The following Thursday, September 17, Chris Murray will give a talk after the 7:00 pm meditation on the practice of the Five Remembrances and awareness of the impermanence of our bodies and our lives. Those who practice with that awareness come to realize that it is not morbid, but can help us sort out what is really important to us in each moment. Please visit our Updated Resources page for articles related to these topics.

__________________________________________

IMMC Picnic and Board Changes

Our anniversary picnic at Leslie Groves Park on August 29 was wonderful. Thanks to everyone who contributed to making the picnic a success, but especially C.T. Kang, Mary Jo Coblentz, Chandra Sadro, and Sheila Moon.

We recently held our Summer Board meeting and at that time accepted the decision by Mary Jo Coblentz to step down from the Board. Mary Jo had been a member of the Board of Directors of the meditation group since we incorporated about ten years ago. Many thanks for her years of service! Fabiola Robinson was elected to the Board at the meeting. Fabiola also continues to serve as a meditation teacher for the group.

__________________________________________

Meditation and Talk on Friday, September 11, 2026

Keri Pederson and Temira Lital will lead a meditation and give a talk on the evening of Friday, September 11, 2026, from 7:00 pm till 8:30 pm. The title for the talk will be “Dropping the Burden, Stopping the Fight”. See the retreat description below for a more complete description of the topic. The Friday evening event will be held at Shalom UCC, 505 McMurray Street, Richland, and will be held in the Fellowship Hall. Please note that this is a change of location from our usual meeting place! There is no fee for the Friday evening event and no registration or RSVP is required.

Meditation Retreat on Saturday, September 12, 2026

Keri Pederson and Temira Lital will lead an Insight Meditation retreat on Saturday, September 12, 2026, from 9:00 am until 4:00 pm. The retreat will be conducted at Shalom UCC, 505 McMurray Street, Richland, in the Fellowship Hall. Please note that this is a change of location from our usual meeting place!

Registration is now open for the retreat. To register for the retreat, please send an email to the following email address: registrar@insightmeditationmc.org. We’ve found out that some people mailing to that email address receive an error message that their email was returned. In fact, the emails are received intact, so please ignore the error message. We’ll try to confirm that your email was received and that you’re registered within 24 hours.

Keri is a Guiding Teacher of the Seattle Insight Meditation Society (SIMS), and Temira is a Local Dharma Leader for SIMS.

To register for the retreat, please send an email to the following email address: registrar@insightmeditationmc.org. We’ve found out that some people mailing to that email address receive an error message that their email was returned. In fact, the emails are received intact, so please ignore the error message. We’ll try to confirm that your email was received and that you’re registered within 24 hours.

The title of the retreat is “Dropping the Burden, Stopping the Fight”.

In meditation practice and in life, we are often aware of how an attitude of striving and overdoing is not helpful, and yet it can be difficult to release. Steeped in a culture that values productivity and the optimizing of everything, we find here that our own efforts thwart us. Where is the ease, relaxation, and peace that we read so much about? We can hear ourselves arguing with the moment, with our own minds, with experience itself. Might there be a way, as the teachings point out — to make steady effort without perpetuating stress, to be dedicated to something without ongoing strain, and to engage in the world without it being a fight? 

In Friday evening’s talk and Saturday’s daylong retreat we will gather in community (sangha) to explore perspectives and experiential teachings from the early Buddhist tradition that speak to some of these questions. We’ll take a look at the ‘mind at normalcy’ (Upasika Kee), awareness becoming natural (Sayadaw U Tejaniya), and dwelling in non-contention with experience (Ajahn Amaro), and see what we find for ourselves.  

The retreat will consist of a mix of stationary meditation and movement meditation, short talks, and optional small group discussions and will be suitable for beginners and experienced meditators. 

Fee for the retreat will be $10. Please use our online donation form to pay the retreat fee (https://donorbox.org/support-insight-meditation-society-mid-columbia) and leave a comment indicating that the donation is for the retreat on September 12. The fee will be waived for those who can’t afford it, please send an email to the Registrar’s email address (registrar@insightmeditationmc.org) if you’d like to request a scholarship.

__________________________________________

Tri-Cities Cancer Center Meditation Support Group Meets Sept. 17th

We’ll continue our monthly mindfulness meditation support group meeting at the Tri-Cities Cancer Center in September. The Cancer Center is located at 7350 West Deschutes Avenue, Kennewick and the next meeting will be Thursday, 9/17/2026. The sessions, which are held on the third Thursday of each month, are meant for cancer patients, cancer survivors, and their caregivers. The session will begin at 12:00 pm at the Cancer Center in the Fireside Room. If you have a serious illness other than cancer, or are a caregiver for someone who is ill, you’re welcome to attend the sessions. Each session includes a brief review of mindfulness and mindful self-compassion meditations and the role they can play in reducing the anxiety arising from diagnosis and treatment, an opportunity to ask questions, and the chance to practice meditation with others. Please contact Lorie MacIsaac to register for the support group session by email at Lorie.Macisaac@kadlec.org or call 509-737-3412.You’re welcome to attend even if you aren’t registered.

__________________________________________

Memorial Service for Ray Warner on September 19, 2026

Ray Warner attended our meditation sessions for many years, starting in early 2007 with his wife Judith. Ray recently passed away on August 16, 2026. There will be a Celebration of Life for Ray at 11:00 am on September 19 at Events at Sunset Gardens, 915 Bypass Highway, in Richland. All who were friends with Ray are welcome to attend.

Ray was a regular at the Thursday meditations for many years prior to the pandemic. During that time he often gave a ride to Frank Cuta, both to the regular meditation sessions and also to meditation retreats. In the last few years, Ray joined us for the online Thursday evening sessions and gave many warm testimonials to his good fortune of having great friends and beautiful hills to walk in. Ray had a stroke several months ago, and Frank would take Dial-A-Ride to the rehab center where Ray was staying and join the Thursday evening online meditation on Zoom, so that they both could be there for meditation.

One of Ray’s last wishes was that he would be remembered by his friends in Insight Meditation of the Mid-Columbia. If you knew Ray, you know how memorable he was, and how unlikely it is that we will forget him! Please keep him in your thoughts and meditations.

Also, Frank Cuta would like to attend the celebration of life for Ray, but needs a ride from his home near Red Mountain Road (near West Richland). If you’re able to give him a ride to and from the event, please contact me at insightmeditation.midcol@gmail.com, and I’ll connect you with Frank. It would be much appreciated.

Weekly Meditation Schedule

In-Person Meditations Available at Shalom UCC:

There are two in-person meditations each month at Shalom UCC, at 505 McMurray Street in Richland. They are held on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month. The meditations start at 5:30 pm and are 25 minutes long. They are followed by some discussion of meditation. The sessions are finished by 6:30 pm. Instruction and/or a guided meditation are available on the 4th Tuesday of the month. All are welcome to the meditations at Shalom. 

IMMC In-Person Meetings:

Our in-person meetings take place at All Saints Episcopal Church, 1322 Kimball Avenue in Richland. Our in-person meditation meetings are offered on Wednesdays at 9:30 a.m. and Saturdays at 9:00 a.m. We meditate for half an hour, followed by an optional time for sharing and conversation after meditation. No problem if you just want to meditate and then leave. 

Chairs are available in the meeting hall. However, if you prefer to use your own chair, blanket, cushion or bench, you are welcome to bring it. The meetings have recently moved indoors and meet in the Parish Hall at the rear of the church.

Those who regularly attend the in-person meetings have developed a masking policy for the times we meet indoors. The community levels of Covid will be checked each time we publish a newsletter. When community levels are low; masks will be optional. When community levels are medium or high, masks will be required. If there is any attending member that feels more comfortable with everyone masking, we will all mask in support of the most vulnerable among us.

Currently, the Covid community levels are low in Benton County; masks are optional on Saturday and Wednesday morning unless any participant feels more comfortable with everyone masking. Please bring a mask to all of the in-person sessions in case the meeting is moved indoors and there is an attending member with greater vulnerability.

We’re looking forward to welcoming some of you in person and being there online for others.

Online Meetings:

In addition to our in-person meetings we have three online meditations a week, on Wednesday morning, Thursday evening, and Saturday morning. The Zoom links for those meetings can be found on the Events Calendar. You’re welcome to join us online for any of the 3 meetings each week.

During the Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday online meetings, we “sit together” for meditation for half an hour. Meditations include guided meditations, meditations with some initial guidance and instruction, and silent meditations. The Wednesday morning meditation starts at 9:30 am, with half an hour of meditation, followed by half an hour of sharing. On Thursday evenings there is a talk or discussion and sharing following meditation. Meditation is from 7:30 until 8:00 pm, with the talk and discussion ending at about 9:00 pm. The Saturday morning meditation starts at 8:00 am, with half an hour of meditation followed by half an hour of sharing.

If you can’t or don’t wish to join the online sessions you can just meditate at the same time as we’re meeting and know that there are others from the group who are meditating with you. 

We’re looking forward to welcoming some of you in person and being there online for others.

___________________________________________

Volunteers at Coyote Ridge Corrections Center

The Insight Meditation group has supported Buddhist meditation groups at the state prison in Connell, WA since 2003. Those visits were on hold during the height of the pandemic but resumed last year. Currently we have two volunteers visiting the medium-security prison on Monday afternoons and we are seeking additional volunteers to support that effort, especially when our lead volunteer isn’t available.

There are several requirements for those volunteering at the prison.  Orientation and training are required. Applicants also need to undergo a background investigation. Applicants with a criminal background need to be off of supervision or parole for a year before applying. 

Those applying to volunteer should have a regular meditation practice and at least some knowledge of Buddhist teachings and be willing to learn more so that you can discuss Buddhist practice with the inmates. If you’re interested, please contact Chris Murray for more information about volunteering at Coyote Ridge.

__________________________________________________

Online Donation Form for Insight Meditation of the Mid-Columbia

Please use our online donation form if you wish to contribute to the meditation group.

Warm regards and thank you for your support,

Insight Meditation of the Mid-Columbia

Larry Rosenberg provides a good description of approaches to practicing with awareness of death as a way to re-orient our priorities in life, and through that awareness let go of some of the pettiness that we may experience in our relationships with others. You can find that article here:  Death Awareness

A related practice that can be helpful in allowing us to focus on what is true and beautiful in our lives are the five remembrances taught by the Buddha. A good description of practicing with the five remembrances by Koun Franz can be found here:  Buddhism’s Five Remembrances

~ Eugene Cash

Keri Pederson and Temira Lital will lead an Insight Meditation retreat on Saturday, September 12, 2026, from 9:00 am until 4:00 pm. The retreat will be conducted at Shalom UCC, 505 McMurray Street, Richland, in the Fellowship Hall. Please note that this is a change of location from our usual meeting place!

Registration is now open for the retreat. To register for the retreat, please send an email to the following email address: registrar@insightmeditationmc.org. We’ve found out that some people mailing to that email address receive an error message that their email was returned. In fact, the emails are received intact, so please ignore the error message. We’ll try to confirm that your email was received and that you’re registered within 24 hours.

Keri is a Guiding Teacher of the Seattle Insight Meditation Society (SIMS), and Temira is a Local Dharma Leader for SIMS.

The title of the retreat is “Dropping the Burden, Stopping the Fight”.

In meditation practice and in life, we are often aware of how an attitude of striving and overdoing is not helpful, and yet it can be difficult to release. Steeped in a culture that values productivity and the optimizing of everything, we find here that our own efforts thwart us. Where is the ease, relaxation, and peace that we read so much about? We can hear ourselves arguing with the moment, with our own minds, with experience itself. Might there be a way, as the teachings point out — to make steady effort without perpetuating stress, to be dedicated to something without ongoing strain, and to engage in the world without it being a fight? 

In Friday evening’s talk and Saturday’s daylong retreat we will gather in community (sangha) to explore perspectives and experiential teachings from the early Buddhist tradition that speak to some of these questions. We’ll take a look at the ‘mind at normalcy’ (Upasika Kee), awareness becoming natural (Sayadaw U Tejaniya), and dwelling in non-contention with experience (Ajahn Amaro), and see what we find for ourselves.  

The retreat will consist of a mix of stationary meditation and movement meditation with instruction and a Dharma talk and will be suitable for beginners and experienced meditators. 

Fee for the retreat will be $10. Please use our online donation form to pay the retreat fee (https://donorbox.org/support-insight-meditation-society-mid-columbia) and leave a comment indicating that the donation is for the retreat on September 12. The fee will be waived for those who can’t afford it, please send an email to the Registrar’s email address (registrar@insightmeditationmc.org) if you’d like to request a scholarship. Those who are registered for the retreat will receive an email the week of the retreat with additional information.

Please note that this is a change of location from our usual meeting place! There is no fee for the Friday evening event and no registration or RSVP is required.

The title of the Friday evenings talk & Saturday’s retreat is “Dropping the Burden, Stopping the Fight”.

In Friday evening’s talk and Saturday’s daylong retreat we will gather in community (sangha) to explore perspectives and experiential teachings from the early Buddhist tradition that speak to some of these questions. We’ll take a look at the ‘mind at normalcy’ (Upasika Kee), awareness becoming natural (Sayadaw U Tejaniya), and dwelling in non-contention with experience (Ajahn Amaro), and see what we find for ourselves.  

In meditation practice and in life, we are often aware of how an attitude of striving and overdoing is not helpful, and yet it can be difficult to release. Steeped in a culture that values productivity and the optimizing of everything, we find here that our own efforts thwart us. Where is the ease, relaxation, and peace that we read so much about? We can hear ourselves arguing with the moment, with our own minds, with experience itself. Might there be a way, as the teachings point out — to make steady effort without perpetuating stress, to be dedicated to something without ongoing strain, and to engage in the world without it being a fight? 

Over the next couple of months we’ll explore the Buddha’s teachings on mindfulness and the four areas of experience where he suggested we focus our mindful awareness. They include mindfulness of the body, of feeling tones, of the heart and mind, as well as mindfulness of the ways in which we experience the teachings in our lives. Please go to Updated Resources for various articles related to these discussions

After the 7:00 pm online meditation on Thursday, August 27, 2026, we’ll have a discussion of mindfulness of body postures and walking meditation. The following Thursday, September 3, Chris Murray will give a talk after the 7:00 pm meditation on the body scan and other meditation practices for mindfulness of the body and body sensations. This will include the practice of mindfulness of the elements, a meditation that can help us be aware of different aspects of our body and experience, and begin to loosen our attachment to the body. Below you can find resources with more information about the practice of mindfulness of the body.

__________________________________________

IMMC Picnic and 20th Anniversary Celebration August 29th

There will be a picnic for the meditation group at Leslie Groves Park in Richland on Saturday, August 29, from 11:30 am – 2:30 pm. We plan to meet in Picnic Shelter #1, near the Park Avenue entrance. That’s the shelter closest to the volleyball court and the river. We will provide: Table cloths, utensils (forks, knives, spoons), plates, napkins, cups, a big water jug, iced tea, lemonade, and a cooler with ice. Please bring a potluck dish to share and any utensils needed to serve it. You may also want to bring a chair to sit on. There is seating on benches in the picnic shelter, but additional seating will be needed. All participants in the meditation group are welcome to attend, even if you’re new or if you haven’t been participating in the last few years. Spouses, family, and significant others are also welcome. 

August 2026 marks the 20th anniversary of the founding of Insight Meditation of the Mid-Columbia, so if you’re a part of the community, or have been in the past, we hope you’ll join us for the picnic and celebration.

If you’re planning to attend, please RSVP to this email: insightmeditation.midcol@gmail.com. This will help us plan for what we need to provide.

__________________________________________

Meditation and Talk on Friday, September 11, 2026

Keri Pederson and Temira Lital will lead a meditation and give a talk on the evening of Friday, September 11, 2026, from 7:00 pm till 8:30 pm. The topic for the talk will be announced soon. The Friday evening event will be held at Shalom UCC, 505 McMurray Street, Richland, and will be held in the Fellowship Hall. Please note that this is a change of location from our usual meeting place! There is no fee for the Friday evening event and no registration or RSVP is required.

Meditation Retreat on Saturday, September 12, 2026

Keri Pederson and Temira Lital will lead an Insight Meditation retreat on Saturday, September 12, 2026, from 9:00 am until 4:00 pm. The retreat will be conducted at Shalom UCC, 505 McMurray Street, Richland, in the Fellowship Hall. Please note that this is a change of location from our usual meeting place!

Registration is now open for the retreat. To register for the retreat, please send an email to the following email address: registrar@insightmeditationmc.org. We’ve found out that some people mailing to that email address receive an error message that their email was returned. In fact, the emails are received intact, so please ignore the error message. We’ll try to confirm that your email was received and that you’re registered within 24 hours.

Keri is a Guiding Teacher of the Seattle Insight Meditation Society (SIMS), and Temira is a Local Dharma Leader for SIMS.

The topic for the retreat will be announced when it is available, by email and on our website.

The retreat will consist of a mix of stationary meditation and movement meditation with instruction and a Dharma talk and will be suitable for beginners and experienced meditators. 

Fee for the retreat will be $10. Please use our online donation form to pay the retreat fee (https://donorbox.org/support-insight-meditation-society-mid-columbia) and leave a comment indicating that the donation is for the retreat on September 12. The fee will be waived for those who can’t afford it, please send an email to the Registrar’s email address (registrar@insightmeditationmc.org) if you’d like to request a scholarship. Those who are registered for the retreat will receive an email the week of the retreat with additional information.

__________________________________________

Tri-Cities Cancer Center Meditation Support Group Meets Sept. 17th

We’ll continue our monthly mindfulness meditation support group meeting at the Tri-Cities Cancer Center in May. The Cancer Center is located at 7350 West Deschutes Avenue, Kennewick and the next meeting will be Thursday, 9/17/2026. The sessions, which are held on the third Thursday of each month, are meant for cancer patients, cancer survivors, and their caregivers. The session will begin at 12:00 pm at the Cancer Center in the Fireside Room. If you have a serious illness other than cancer, or are a caregiver for someone who is ill, you’re welcome to attend the sessions. Each session includes a brief review of mindfulness and mindful self-compassion meditations and the role they can play in reducing the anxiety arising from diagnosis and treatment, an opportunity to ask questions, and the chance to practice meditation with others. Please contact Lorie MacIsaac to register for the support group session by email at Lorie.Macisaac@kadlec.org or call 509-737-3412.You’re welcome to attend even if you aren’t registered.

__________________________________________

Memorial Service for Ray Warner on September 19, 2026

Ray Warner attended our meditation sessions for many years, starting in early 2007 with his wife Judith. Ray recently passed away on August 16, 2026. There will be a Celebration of Life for Ray at 11:00 am on September 19 at Events at Sunset Gardens, 915 Bypass Highway, in Richland. All who were friends with Ray are welcome to attend.

Ray was a regular at the Thursday meditations for many years prior to the pandemic. During that time he often gave a ride to Frank Cuta, both to the regular meditation sessions and also to meditation retreats. In the last few years, Ray joined us for the online Thursday evening sessions and gave many warm testimonials to his good fortune of having great friends and beautiful hills to walk in. Ray had a stroke several months ago, and Frank would take Dial-A-Ride to the rehab center where Ray was staying and join the Thursday evening online meditation on Zoom, so that they both could be there for meditation.

One of Ray’s last wishes was that he would be remembered by his friends in Insight Meditation of the Mid-Columbia. If you knew Ray, you know how memorable he was, and how unlikely it is that we will forget him! Please keep him in your thoughts and meditations.

Also, Frank Cuta would like to attend the celebration of life for Ray, but needs a ride from his home near Red Mountain Road (near West Richland). If you’re able to give him a ride to and from the event, please contact me at insightmeditation.midcol@gmail.com, and I’ll connect you with Frank. It would be much appreciated.

__________________________________________

Weekly Meditation Schedule

In-Person Meditations Available at Shalom UCC:

There are two in-person meditations each month at Shalom UCC, at 505 McMurray Street in Richland. They are held on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month. The meditations start at 5:30 pm and are 25 minutes long. They are followed by some discussion of meditation. The sessions are finished by 6:30 pm. Instruction and/or a guided meditation are available on the 4th Tuesday of the month. All are welcome to the meditations at Shalom. 

IMMC In-Person Meetings:

Our in-person meetings take place at All Saints Episcopal Church, 1322 Kimball Avenue in Richland. Our in-person meditation meetings are offered on Wednesdays at 9:30 a.m. and Saturdays at 9:00 a.m. We meditate for half an hour, followed by an optional time for sharing and conversation after meditation. No problem if you just want to meditate and then leave. 

Chairs are available in the meeting hall. However, if you prefer to use your own chair, blanket, cushion or bench, you are welcome to bring it. The meetings have recently moved indoors and meet in the Parish Hall at the rear of the church.

Those who regularly attend the in-person meetings have developed a masking policy for the times we meet indoors. The community levels of Covid will be checked each time we publish a newsletter. When community levels are low; masks will be optional. When community levels are medium or high, masks will be required. If there is any attending member that feels more comfortable with everyone masking, we will all mask in support of the most vulnerable among us.

Currently, the Covid community levels are low in Benton County; masks are optional on Saturday and Wednesday morning unless any participant feels more comfortable with everyone masking. Please bring a mask to all of the in-person sessions in case the meeting is moved indoors and there is an attending member with greater vulnerability.

We’re looking forward to welcoming some of you in person and being there online for others.

Online Meetings:

In addition to our in-person meetings we have three online meditations a week, on Wednesday morning, Thursday evening, and Saturday morning. The Zoom links for those meetings can be found on the Events Calendar. You’re welcome to join us online for any of the 3 meetings each week.

During the Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday online meetings, we “sit together” for meditation for half an hour. Meditations include guided meditations, meditations with some initial guidance and instruction, and silent meditations. The Wednesday morning meditation starts at 9:30 am, with half an hour of meditation, followed by half an hour of sharing. On Thursday evenings there is a talk or discussion and sharing following meditation. Meditation is from 7:30 until 8:00 pm, with the talk and discussion ending at about 9:00 pm. The Saturday morning meditation starts at 8:00 am, with half an hour of meditation followed by half an hour of sharing.

If you can’t or don’t wish to join the online sessions you can just meditate at the same time as we’re meeting and know that there are others from the group who are meditating with you. 

We’re looking forward to welcoming some of you in person and being there online for others.

___________________________________________

Volunteers at Coyote Ridge Corrections Center

The Insight Meditation group has supported Buddhist meditation groups at the state prison in Connell, WA since 2003. Those visits were on hold during the height of the pandemic but resumed last year. Currently we have two volunteers visiting the medium-security prison on Monday afternoons and we are seeking additional volunteers to support that effort, especially when our lead volunteer isn’t available.

There are several requirements for those volunteering at the prison.  Orientation and training are required. Applicants also need to undergo a background investigation. Applicants with a criminal background need to be off of supervision or parole for a year before applying. 

Those applying to volunteer should have a regular meditation practice and at least some knowledge of Buddhist teachings and be willing to learn more so that you can discuss Buddhist practice with the inmates. If you’re interested, please contact Chris Murray for more information about volunteering at Coyote Ridge.

__________________________________________________

Online Donation Form for Insight Meditation of the Mid-Columbia

Please use our online donation form if you wish to contribute to the meditation group.

Warm regards and thank you for your support,

Insight Meditation of the Mid-Columbia

Spirit Rock has a good introduction to the practice of mindfulness of the elements on their website. One major emphasis of the practice is to come to a better understanding of our identification with the body. When we can let go of even a little bit of that attachment, we can learn to view our life differently and experience a little more freedom. The Spirit Rock practice guide includes Dharma talks and guided meditations on the practice of the elements. You can find their practice guide here: The Four Elements

~ Jon Kabat-Zinn