General Information

The Insight Meditation Society's Retreat Center first opened its doors over 30 years ago, providing meditation instruction based on the teachings of the Buddha. Today, it offers a yearly schedule of meditation courses, designed for both new and experienced practitioners, lasting from a weekend to three months. Most retreats run for 7-9 days, and are taught by recognized insight meditation teachers from all over the world.

Teachers give daily instruction in meditation practice and offer talks about the Buddha’s teachings. At regular intervals throughout a retreat, individual or group interviews with the teachers take place. A typical daily retreat schedule starts at 5:30 am and ends at 10 pm. The day is spent in silent practice comprising alternate periods of sitting and walking meditation, as well as a one-hour work-as-pratice period.

Meals are nutritious and vegetarian. Accommodations at the Retreat Center are simple single or double rooms. Men and women do not share accommodations, and camping is not available.

Silence and Simplicity

Over the decades, IMS teachers and staff have given careful consideration to creating the conditions most conducive to deepening the qualities of tranquility, kindness and understanding. Silence and simplicity stand as two core pillars of our retreat culture and provide the framework for stepping back from the busyness and complexity of our lives and moving into a quieter way of being and living.

In this spirit, we request that you turn off your cell phones for the duration of your stay. We also ask that you leave behind your laptops, iPods and other communication devices so that you can commit to your retreat wholeheartedly and reap the benefits of that commitment.

Since walls are thin at IMS and everyone lives together in close community, your willingness to embrace the silence and simplicity helps us all. It not only acts as a support for your own practice but is also a direct way of supporting your fellow retreatants.

Please give our office number to a family member or close friend to use in case of emergency. If you have fragile or dependant family members that you need to stay in contact with, please notify our Retreat Center office so arrangements can be made.

Evening Talks

When a Retreat Center course is in progress, anyone is welcome to attend the evening talks about the teachings, known as dharma talks. Those with insight meditation experience are also welcome to attend group sittings.

If you haven’t been to IMS before, please speak first with the Retreat Center office for an orientation prior to attending a talk or sitting period.

Teacher talks given at the Retreat Center are available for downloading, streaming or podcasting.