Forum on Being in the Present Moment in Richland on May 8, 2026
The Praxis Forum on May 8 will investigate the question “What does it mean to be in the present moment and how do I do it?” with perspectives from science, religion, and philosophy. The forum will be held in the Uptown Theatre in Richland at 6:30 pm on May 8. Chris Murray from Insight Meditation of the Mid-Columbia will discuss mindfulness from a scientific and experiential perspective, while Gail Johnson and Eric Cunningham will provide religious and philosophical perspectives. Dara and Dylan Quinn will provide musical interludes during the evening. You can find more information and purchase tickets at the Praxis Forum website: https://travisrybarski.wixsite.com/praxis-forum
____________________________________________
Change in Saturday Morning In-person meditation
Our in-person meditation sessions on Saturday mornings are going to start an hour later, at 9:00 am. We’re hoping that the later start time will be helpful for people who would like to attend on Saturday mornings but wanted a later start time. The meditation sessions will still take place at All Saints Episcopal Church, 1322 Kimball Avenue, Richland. See the detailed location information in the Weekly Meditation Schedule below.
____________________________________________
Thursday Evening Meditation & Talk:
Over the next couple of months we’ll explore several mental and emotional habits that can interfere with meditation and mindfulness in daily life. They include greed, aversion, sloth, anxiousness and worry, and doubt. These hindrances can make life and meditation difficult. We’ll take a look at ways to work with them, emphasizing compassion and kindness rather than attacking them as “bad” habits or states of mind. We’ll provide links to resources available on the internet for these topics.
After the 7:00 pm online meditation on Thursday, April 23, 2026, Chris will give a talk on aversion, including ill will and fear, and the way in which they unsettle the mind. We’ll look at ways of exploring ill will, and responding to it with kindness and compassion. The following Thursday, April 30, we’ll have an open discussion of our exploration of ill will and fear. Below you can find a resource with more information about aversion as one of the hindrances to meditation.
Please go to Updated Resourcesto get more information about the five hindrances to meditation.
____________________________________________
Link for Dharma Talk by Genjo Marinello Roshi
The livestream of Genjo’s talk from Whitman College this past weekend was not successful because of microphone issues. We apologize to any of you who tried to tune into his talk. If you’re interested, Genjo has graciously provided a link to a recent Zen talk that he gave on the same subject. The talk examines the nature of true insight and where it comes from. You can find his talk here: https://genjo.libsyn.com/jishu-chapter-12
_______________________________________________
Weekly Meditation Schedule:
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.
__________________________________________
Tri-Cities Cancer Center Meditation Support Group Meets May 21st
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,5/21/2026. 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.orgor call 509-737-3412.
___________________________________________
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