Remembering Steve Armstrong
We share the news that Steve Armstrong, beloved teacher, practitioner, and longtime steward of the Insight Meditation Society, passed away peacefully at his home on Maui, December 23, with his wife and teaching partner, Kamala Masters, at his side.
In the months leading up to Steve’s death, our community came together in an overwhelmingly generous and beautiful way. Through a GoFundMe organized by friends and colleagues, support poured in to help ensure that Steve could receive care at home with comfort and dignity, and to ease the many practical and emotional burdens Kamala carried during that time. That fundraiser remains open, with updated information on the page about how ongoing contributions will support Kamala during this period of grief and transition, and as she continues her Dharma work.
We invite you to read a full remembrance of Steve’s life and service—reflecting on his decades of teaching, his deep commitment to practice, and the quiet humanity that touched so many lives.
IMS at 50: A Day of Practice, Lineage, and Renewal
On February 14, 2026—Valentine’s Day and the 50th anniversary of our founding—Insight Meditation Society invites the global sangha to gather for a one-day online mini-retreat with live and pre-recorded offerings honoring five decades of Dharma in the West.
Led by Resident Teacher Chas DiCapua, this special anniversary gathering weaves together sitting and walking meditation, reflections from founding and senior teachers, multimedia storytelling, and live dialogue across generations.
Highlights include a rare, pre-recorded Founders’ Roundtable featuring Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg, Jack Kornfield, Jacqueline Mandell, and Steven Schwartz, moderated by Dan Harris, as well as a live panel with next-generation and current IMS teachers exploring how the Dharma is being carried forward today.
The live portions of the program will be fully recorded, and all of the content, including the founders’ roundtable, will be available to registrants for 90 days.
Saturday, February 14, 2026 | 10:00 am–4:30 pm ET (online)
This online event is offered freely. As a benefit for IMS, we gratefully welcome donations to support retreat scholarships.
For fifty years, one of IMS’s deepest aspirations has been to share the Buddha’s teachings with all who are interested. Your support of our scholarship fund makes retreats accessible to practitioners around the world, regardless of financial means.
February at the Forest Refuge
There are spaces available at the Forest Refuge during the month of February with Caroline Jones and Bhante Buddharakkhita, who just completed teaching at the Three-Month Retreat at the Retreat Center and is teaching at the FR for the first time. As Caroline will be concluding her time as Teacher-in-Residence at the FR at the end of 2026, this winter retreat offers a meaningful opportunity to practice with her in the months ahead.
You are welcome to join us for the full month, or for a minimum of seven nights anytime throughout February.
The Forest Refuge supports experienced meditators in sustained, longer-term retreat practice in a beautiful, secluded, wooded setting. Covered in snow, winter in Barre offers an opportunity for even deeper silence and stillness.
IMS Book Club with Mirka Knaster
Tuesday, February 3
Join us for a special Book Club evening with author Mirka Knaster as we explore Living This Life Fully: Stories and Teachings of Munindra, her luminous portrait of one of the twentieth century’s most influential Vipassana meditation masters, Anagarika Munindra (1915–2003).
Known for his unassuming presence and his unwavering encouragement, Munindra embodied the essence of the Buddhist teachings—living each moment mindfully, dynamically, and with totality. Mirka’s book brings together never-before-published excerpts of his teachings, personal stories and remembrances from Western students, a rich biographical narrative, and rare photographs that illuminate his life and impact.
During our conversation, Mirka will share insights into Munindra’s approach to mindfulness, his deep influence on students such as Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg, and Jack Kornfield—as well as other early IMS teachers—and what she learned through gathering these stories of a beloved and quietly transformative teacher.
Whether you’re encountering Munindra for the first time or revisiting his teachings, this promises to be an inspiring evening that invites reflection on how to “live this life fully” in our own practice and daily experience.
Mirka will be with us live on Tuesday, February 3, from 7–8:15 pm ET for conversation, reflection, and Q&A. This is a free IMS online offering.
Spaces Available at In-Person Retreat: Newcomers Welcome
Saturday, March 21 – Thursday, March 26
Living Dharma: Essential Teachings for Our Times (March 21-26) has openings. This silent retreat will explore the key teachings of the Buddha, and offer core instructions for meditators to build a practice that leads us toward wisdom, compassion, and skillful, embodied living.
The essential teachings of the Buddha help to open the heart, settle the mind, and loosen the inner grasping that leads to suffering. The teachings have been carried forward by countless beings, generation by generation, for 2,600 years, and are revealed within our own unique experiences in this moment.
Led by Dawn Scott, nakawe cuebas berrios, and Shelly Graf, with assistant Wynn Fricke, and Juan Sosa offering movement. This retreat is open especially to newcomers and all who want to strengthen their practice through an understanding of the core teachings of the Buddha.
A Deep Exploration of Metta with Sharon Salzberg and Devon Hase
Friday, March 27 – Sunday, March 29
Metta is the practice of offering positive intentions for the safety, peace, and wellbeing of ourselves, others, and ultimately all beings. Join Sharon Salzberg and Devon Hase for this weekend of cultivating deeper connection to ourselves and all of life.
This online retreat is open to practitioners of all levels, and will include periods of guided, sitting, and walking meditation, along with dharma talks and question-and-response sessions. Participants are encouraged—but not required—to create a home retreat container, giving themselves the gift of quiet practice for the weekend.
As Sharon says, “You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.”
Recipe of the Month
This Red Beans and Rice recipe has quickly become an IMS favorite, and it comes from a yogi on retreat, Shawn Burke. During his stay, Shawn overheard staff in the kitchen wishing they had a version of the dish that felt truly authentic and Southern.
At the end of his retreat, Shawn shared with Taunia Kellerby, the supervising cook, that he had learned to cook in New Orleans at Crescent City Cooks, and that he had a recipe he’d be happy to pass along—one rooted in Southern tradition.
Before leaving IMS, Shawn wrote out the recipe from memory. Both the Forest Refuge and Retreat Center kitchens have been using it ever since, and it has become a beloved staple.
Shawn is currently back on retreat at the Forest Refuge and has graciously given us permission to share his recipe with the wider IMS community.
Authentic Red Beans & Rice
8 Servings
Ingredients
1 1/3 pounds Camellia red beans, soaked (don’t use red kidney beans)
1 3/4 Tablespoons Tony Chachere’s “More Spice”
4 bay leaves
1/2 cup butter, unsalted
1 1/3 large green bell peppers, chopped
1 1/3 yellow onions, large, chopped
8 celery stalks, chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/3 Tablespoons salt
Directions
1. Soak beans overnight. Drain & rinse.
2. Melt butter in a Dutch oven at medium heat until foaming subsides. Add the Trinity (green pepper, onion, celery), salt and Cajun spice. Sweat the veggies, stirring occasionally, until the onions just barely start to caramelize.
3. Add garlic, beans, bay leaves, and enough boiling water to cover the beans by about an inch.
4. Bring to a boil. Cover, then reduce heat to a simmer.
5. Stir occasionally, and check the water level. You want cooked beans, not soupy beans. Beans will cook in 3-4 hours.
6. Remove bay leaves. Using a potato masher, mash about 1/5 of the cooked beans in the pot. Stir and check seasoning.
7. Serve with basmati or Texmati rice. Add hot sauce to your liking.
We recommend serving with slow-cooked collards and braised red cabbage.
Job Openings at IMS
Additional opportunities to join our team!
Head Groundskeeper
The Head Groundskeeper is responsible for the maintenance and care of the grounds at IMS including the Retreat Center, Forest Refuge, and staff and teacher housing. The Facilities Department is responsible for ensuring a safe, efficient physical plant, safe and pleasant grounds, and a clean, neat and aesthetically pleasing environment at both of our meditation centers.
Kitchen Assistant: Intentional Practice Program
We are seeking two individuals who are interested in serving IMS while deepening their personal practice. The Intentional Practice Program offers a practice experience that combines the depth of residential retreat and formal daily practice, with the breadth of daily life while living and working harmoniously in community.
Online Program Coordinator: Per Diem
We are seeking an Online Program Coordinator who will support the programming of IMS Online. This per diem position may work 100% remotely from the following states: MA, CT, IL, NH, NY, TX, and VT.
Retreat Center Highlights
- April 13 – 20 | Embodying Kindness and Wisdom: Insight and Lovingkindness Meditation
- Rebecca Bradshaw, Greg Scharf, and Roxanne Dault
- May 5 – 10 | Living the Buddha’s Teachings: Insight Meditation Retreat
- Annie Nugent and Devin Berry
- June 17 – 23 | Steady Refuge: Annual BIPOC Retreat
- Devin Berry, Yong Oh, and Cara Lai
Other Upcoming Programs
from IMS Online
- January 20 | Insight Recovery Sangha with Walt Opie & Dalila Bothwell
- January 26 | Monday Night Meditation with Victoria Cary
- February 8 | The Wisdom of the Dhammapada with Christina Feldman
- Thursdays, February 12 – April 2 | Living with the Wisdom of Death with Jeanne Corrigal and Nikki Mirghafori
Beginning Tuesday, October 6th, there will be an online meditation sit at 7 am every Tuesday on Zoom (Meeting ID: 446 639 1110
password: insight).
Quick Note
Just a reminder to sangha members that when we meet together to discuss any topic, it is imperative to be mindful of what we call right speech. We must be committed to the idea that the ideas expressed are solely our own, that we’re not speaking on behalf of other people or even the Buddha, that our comments be respectful, timely, truthful, and helpful. If you want to say something that doesn’t conform to those guidelines, please keep it to yourself and reflect on what your ‘wise’ intention might be.
IMC-CC Course Offering: Buddhism in a Nutshell:
IMC-CC will be offering its popular Buddhism in a Nutshell course in Buddhism essentials facilitated by Jim Hild and Tom Farkas later this year either in the late Fall of 2025 or early in 2026. Keep checking this site for more definite information. This course is offered freely but Dana donation to support IMC-CC are welcomed. Course materials for the sessions can be found here.
We have new online Mixed-Media learning opportunities! To access please Click Here
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