About Insight Meditation Community Houston

Insight Meditation Tradition

Vipassana, Insight, Mindfulness or "clear seeing" are 2500-year-old meditation teachings rooted in Theravada Buddhism. These teachings are a component of all Buddhist traditions and compatible with any spiritual practice, whatever the tradition.

Our intention is to open to innate compassion and wisdom, to come to self-knowledge through exploration and direct contact with experience, and to bring arising wisdom into all life experience. We invite everyone to learn with us a few basic practices that help us plunge deeply into silence and to discover:

Insight Meditation or Vipassana teachings have changed countless lives of those fortunate enough to discover them.

Sangha Leaders

Insight Meditation sangha leaders act as spiritual friends, guiding the student through obstacles of the path. Exposure to multiple recognized teachers is encouraged. Students are continually asked to rely on their own hearts for inner guidance, to become aware of and trust their own process and experience. They are also asked to be open and willing to learn, to come to appreciate that much suffering is the result of conditioning and lack of understanding.

Mary Rees photoOur guiding teacher is Mary Rees. Mary has been practicing Insight Meditation since 1985, exploring contemplative practices since 1975, and teaching insight and mindfulness meditation since 1989. She has worked with teachers from various traditions, most closely with Insight Meditation Teachers Rodney Smith and Marcia Rose.

Mary is the author of Being Prayer—Transforming Consciousness: Good News of Buddhist Practice and a meditation course, Going Beyond what you Believe to be True.

Greg Van Meter is an engineer by profession. He has been working with Mary since 2004 and practicing yoga since 1973. His is a certified yoga teacher, has been practicing insight meditation since 1985, and Christian meditation since 2003. He began mentoring in 2005. He is currently teaching introductory sessions in meditation and hosts a sitting group on the West side of Houston . Greg also enjoys writing, bicycling, and hiking.

 

Lisa Hoover has been working with Mary since 2000 and practicing insight meditation since 1999. She began mentoring apprenticeship in 2005. She is currently teaching beginning courses and hosting a meditation group in Southern Brazoria County. Lisa works part time as a corporate trainer and technical writer and full time as the parent of a teenager. Lisa's hobbies include cooking, gardening and reading.

 

Affiliation

We are affiliated with the major retreat centers of the Insight Meditation network including:

The semiannual journal of the Vipassana community can be found online at Inquiring Mind.


Financial Support (Dana)

IMCH events are offered for expenses only, with free will donations, called dana, requested for the teaching. The tradition of dana makes these practices accessible to anyone drawn to them.The teachings are considered priceless, a gift that comes only due to auspicious circumstances or good karma. Dana is a practice of generosity for both students and teachers. It is an important practice in itself and manifests uniquely for each individual.In dana courses there is no charge for dharma teachings, only for expenses. Dana is requested, accepted and greatly appreciated for the teachings. Sometimes a modest amount is suggested. Please help save this unique and precious practice and develop your own spiritual quality of generosity. A generous donation (neither offering too little nor too much) is a joyful experience.

Insight Meditation Community Houston
PO Box 20161
Houston, TX 77025