About the Insight Recovery Sangha
Meets on the third Thursday of each month from 6:30 pm - 7:45 pm ET.
The Insight Recovery Sangha will meet monthly on Zoom and is for anyone (self-identified) who is working with strong cravings or addictions. We will meditate, hear short dharma talks related to Buddhist teachings and recovery, and share candidly with each other in community. The purpose of this group is to foster community and learn how to apply teachings on mindfulness, compassion and wisdom to our recovery program.
The emphasis will be on how craving causes suffering and how cultivating insight into the nature of craving can greatly ease our suffering, and help us lead more peaceful and contented lives. We have no affiliations with any other organizations and this is not a 12-Step group, although various known addiction recovery modalities may be referred to from time to time.
This group is open to everyone. There is no need to qualify for membership when you introduce yourself to the group. However, we do believe this group will work best for those committed to a life free from substance abuse and harmful addictive behaviors.
The teachers, Walt Opie and Dalila Bothwell, will serve as group facilitators, dharma teachers, and sangha (community) members. Over time, there will be guest teachers, as well.
There is no fee to enroll in the Insight Recovery Sangha. If you would like to support this program or your teachers, you may make an offering within the program platform after you enroll.
Upcoming Dates
August 15, 2024
September 19, 2024
October 17, 2024
Meet Your Teachers
Walt Opie
Walt Opie (he/him) is a dharma teacher in the insight meditation tradition who has been
in recovery for over three decades. He was first introduced to insight meditation in 1993
and began sitting regular residential retreats in 2005. Currently, his most influential
teachers include Sayadaw U Tejaniya, Bhikkhu Analayo, Joseph Goldstein, Sharon
Salzberg, Guy Armstrong, and Gil Fronsdal. Walt is a graduate of the recent IMS
Teacher Training Program, as well as Spirit Rock’s Community Dharma Leaders
program. He has led sitting groups for people in recovery and served as a volunteer
teacher in several California prisons for many years. He teaches around the U.S. at
centers including Sacramento Insight Meditation, Cambridge Insight Meditation Center,
New York Insight Meditation Center, Spirit Rock, and Insight Meditation Society. His
website is www.waltopie.com.
Dalila Bothwell
Dalila Bothwell’s (she/her) Dharma-meditation practice lives at the intersection of love for
community, land, justice, and 12-step recovery. The granddaughter of Claudia and
Gussie Pearl, she finds refuge and hope in the liberation teachings of revolutionary
lovers - from the Buddha to bell hooks. During her nearly decade-long tenure as a
director for New York Insight Meditation Center, she learned the priceless value of
sangha and the role relationships play in embodying the teachings and in creating kinder
human beings. Dalila is a graduate of the Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leaders
Program and currently mentors with Ten Percent Happier and the Mindfulness
Meditation Teacher Certification Program. She has served with the Buddhist Peace
Fellowship, Insight Meditation Society, and Dharma communities throughout the US.
FAQ
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Recordings
To help create a safe space for the vulnerability that arises in our sanghas and the desire to make these "community-centered," which is more authentically a live experience, recordings will be unavailable.
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Additional Questions
If you have additional questions please contact us at [email protected].