I really miss Larry Rosenberg. The center has lost its shine since Larry has faded away from teaching. He was my first teacher in 1980 and I am forever grateful for his teaching. The center now seems to promote special groups "sanghas". I began practicing because of the Buddhist view of non self and non identification to self, so it seems to me an antithesis to Buddhism of integration and inclusion. I also feel that communication from the center is aggressive about raising money. Volunteering is only for friends of Narayan, or so it seems because she has the final say in approving or rejecting a volunteer. In full disclosure, I have been practicing since1980 but moved away from the center to explore Tibetan Buddhism. After attending a day retreat in July I tried to reconnect by responding to a request for volunteers. I was turned down by Narayan with no explanation. That being said I am aware that many lost souls can find solace in the appearance of the projected peace at the center. read more

CIMC is a wonderful place. The teachers are all brilliant, kind, generous, and understanding. Each of them offers the teachings of the Buddha in their own way - making them accessible to a wide range of people who come to learn about and practice meditation. Meditation is described as more than sitting on a cushion - it is a way of living life, of listening to ourselves and others, of becoming kinder and more compassionate. The actual building is beautiful, simple, and welcoming. If you haven't been there - try it! It can become your spiritual home, as it has for me. read more

I have learned so much from the teachers here and made deep friendships. I started off as a total meditation newbie and it has always felt like a welcoming environment. read more

I love this place, and the people that keep it running. I look forward to the center's reopening when it is safe to do so. More than just a quiet place to meditate and receive instruction, CIMC has been, for me, an opportunity to be around people who model what it is to try to live life with skillful introspection and with kindness, both to others and themselves. read more

CIMC is not a community nor does it have a sangha. Pretends and promotes that, but it is a clique regardless of your experience. No matter how hard you try to be involved, the center chooses long-time members to assist in volunteer positions. And if you have an "in" with the office/ED, you're accepted to manage even though no experience. In a true sangha all would be embraced, welcomed to participate. Feedback has been given about this point, ad nauseum, but not heard by the center, and still continues. Instead, I guess, they offer white privilege workshops, etc., to be favorably viewed to the public and hopefully draw poc to their nearly white community, and apparently to make themselves feel active. Not a nice place, surface presentation, and only welcome if you're in one of the clique groups. Sad. Used to be much better before Michael left and Larry was much more active. read more

Love this place. It's a perfect antidote to the busy city. I've only done their drop in meditations on Sundays, which are excellent. They have many workshops, retreats, and events though too. So peaceful and I love that you can just drop in for just one sitting. Don't forget to donate in their wooden boxes, they don't ask and it's totally worth supporting this great place if you can! Oh and it's pretty secular, for those of us who are religion weary. read more

My favorite place in the Boston area. The teachers are fantastic, the space is calming, and people of all levels of familiarity with meditation and Buddhism are welcomed with warmth. I feel like the best version of myself when I go to CIMC. I cannot recommend a place more highly. SUPER WONDERFUL. read more

This is a lovely welcoming space. It was not intimidating to go there for the first time. I enjoyed a few drop-in meditation sessions and I was convinced to try more. So I signed up for a class that lasted about 6 weeks. It was great. It went soo fast. I was sad when it ended. I want to take more classes but my work schedule really conflicts. I will find a way though. Their offerings are actually pretty flexible to different kinds of schedules. There's a 6 AM and PM drop in sitting. The teacher, Michael, was clear patient and extremely sincere. I did not feel (too much) pressure to have to subscribe to any particular school of thought. It was mine to make out of it what I wanted. Exactly what I was looking for. A special place indeed. Take your shoes off when you get there, and wear comfy clothes. Try it. You might like it. :) PS - I also think it would be helpful to read up on Buddha and insight meditation a little bit before going. I did, and it helped me know what to expect. read more

Needless to say, we all have our reasons for seeking out some sort of spiritual belief or a way to come to terms within ourselves and our environment. I turned to meditation for that help. This was probably the best place I could've gone. I'm doing the drop-in classes on Tuesday and really want to take one of the weekend, more in-depth classes. CIMC is welcoming, beautiful, and calming. I didn't feel out of place or like I didn't know what I was doing there. I can't even think of what to say about this place because it exceeded my expectations--which is hard to do since I set such high expectations of absolutely everything in my world. They don't try to push anything on you, religion-wise; rather they allow you the opportunity to just be with yourself and to feel centered--again, something that doesn't come naturally to me. While I was there, the teacher said, "if any of this resonates with you, then meditation can help you." A useful note: the $5 is a suggested donation and they won't turn you away if you absolutely don't have it. Which I'm thankful for since I live on an AmeriCorps stipend and don't have much extra, but once I have the money, I will gladly give them that $5. It's worth it. read more

Beautiful people and wonderful Insight meditation center. There is a kitchen for patrons but only vegan food may be consumed on sight. Tea cups are provided and tea as well to use when here. read more

Narayan, a so-called spiritual teacher at this "center" has some nerve talking about compassion when she sees herself as beyond reproach. She is not compassionate in my experience. She will not apologize or admit wronging someone who is in spiritual crisis as a result of the center. Underneath her meditation "mask" is a cold person Beware the teacher who is a hypocrite and cannot admit mistakes and weaknesses and hurts good people who are just trying to heal. In my opinion she would learn from others if she would get off her pedestal. Narayan and Larry take advantage of survivors and lost souls who just want to meditate and find some peace of mind and find a self without all the garbage they feed you along the "path." There is not just one way to meditate or that all "attachments" are wrong as they would have you think. They over-exaggerate the message of the Buddha and are very narrow in their views of meditation. They want you to be attached to them and the center so they can feel like they're "helping" and feel their power which they abuse in many ways, especially in individual meetings. Highly overrated!!! read more

i'm not a buddhist. "i'm just a fucked-up girl who is looking for my own peace of mind." (clementine - eternal sunshine of the spotless mind) at any rate, i decided i needed more serenity and clarity in my life and so i decided to drop in the meditation center for a beginner's class on a tuesday night. for nearly an hour (and for a mere $5) i was almost able to live "now" and stop worrying about the past or the future. if only i could wrap it up, bag it, and put a big bow on it. read more

Have you ever walked into a place, and immediately felt the good energy there? That's what CIMC was like for me: the moment I walked in the door I felt better, as if long years of continuous positive energy, goodwill, and focused meditation had suffused the interior of the building with a kind of wholesome, serene karmic resonance. The interior is very elegant, with good feng-shui. The atmosphere is peaceful; the people friendly and smiling. The teaching is excellent (I was happy to donate the suggested $5.00, which I understood to be necessary for the continued upkeep of the premises I so appreciate), the meditation is great; it's just a wonderful place to be, and if your path in life brings you there, you are fortunate indeed. Highly recommended for anyone interested in exploring the Buddhist path. read more

I still think CIMC is a wonderful, awesome, great place but their brand of Buddhism wasn't for me. It's not their fault, it's mine. After a while, it seemed too sanitized, too clean, too disassociated from the dharma that I decided to leave. Lovely place though. read more

I just went to a Beginner's Insight Meditation Workshop. What a great experience. The teacher (Maddy) had a great sense of humor and was realistic with us about the difficulties of the practice. The space is so beautiful and calm, with a lovely kitchen and extensive library on mindfulness meditation and Buddhism. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. read more

Not religious at all. A great place to take classes and practice. I love Larry Rosenthal- many of the teachers here are on Dharmaseed.com

Beautiful space, beautiful teachings, a true refuge from the hurries and worries of the outside world.

dropped in for 6:00 pm, tues night meditation session had to remove shoes, but small, 2-person bench was occupied about 80 people all crammed inside top-floor room leader spoke for about 15 min, then had us walk around the room for 10 (particularly difficult without tripping over everyone else) about 20-25 min of silent meditation followed, after which leader fielded some questions from participants in a humorous, if not helpful, manner would have preferred chanting and maybe some more fire exits read more

We went to CIMC for the first time this weekend, to one of the introduction to meditation day long workshops. I totally think of myself as a laid back, chill, "everything is cool" type B type, however OTHER people have suggested that I can be a little high strung and crazy... so I decided to try meditation. Turns out I'm waaaaaay more relaxed than anyone could have imagined because I slept the whole way through. Yup. The whole time. What I can tell you in this review, was that CIMC was clean, welcoming, comfortable, and just the right temperature for four (yes, four) Saturday afternoon naps. Although I didn't quite reach enlightenment (I did dream about taco seasoning which I'm convinced is very nearly almost enlightened), other people in the group seemed to get a lot out of it. Maddy, our instructor was funny, warm, and very understanding. She was really helpful and explained everything really well. I would definitely recommend giving it a try - just make sure you get a full nights sleep beforehand. read more

Not much else to add here - except to mention that CIMC offers many ways to sit. They make zafus, benches, and chairs available to accommodate everyone. read more

Nancy S. puts it perfectly when she writes that CIMC is "a haven of peace and serenity in the heart of a city."