photo of two young people with hands in anjali
BMC group photo 12/2018
BMC summer retreat at IMCN
Chris, Sayadaw, Mimmi
Chris and Rod
About
Boston Meditation Center (BMC) is a Buddhist sangha in the Insight tradition serving greater Boston and the East Coast. Emphasizing the development of wisdom and kindness through traditional practices made accessible and relevant to modern-day lives, BMC welcomes everyone who seeks greater freedom and happiness in their lives. Central to our vision is the belief that the path of awakening is attainable by all and should be available to all. Our guiding teacher is Chris Crotty.
We offer weekly meditation classes and dharma talks, as well as daylong and residential retreats.
Announcing BMC’s New Managing Director – from Chris Crotty
In March BMC underwent a significant transition. Sarah Mitchel, BMC’s Managing Director, stepped down from her position. For nearly two and a half years Sarah has been instrumental in sustaining BMC, improving how we work together, and helping BMC grow. She has taken the lead on innumerable important tasks and larger projects, managed our daily work flow, and she has been thoughtful, clear, and considerate in her approach and in her relationships. During this time, Sarah has also been a sincere and devoted practitioner, taking time to further her practice through retreats and study programs with different teachers. Personally, I have learned a lot from Sarah, and for both this and her contribution to BMC, I am grateful. Thank you, Sarah!
Our new Managing Director, Ryan Cunningham, has already begun to settle into the role. Ryan has done some training with Sarah in order to get acquainted with BMC’s daily operations, and they have already begun to share their experience and expertise acquired over many years of working with organizations like ours and helping them succeed. Ryan has had a leadership presence in local contemplative spaces for a long time: they are a Dharma practitioner, experienced yoga teacher, and body worker integrating yoga and manual therapy. We look forward to working with Ryan, learning from Ryan, and providing them with a new dharma home to further their vocational path. Welcome, Ryan!
For more information see our Staff page.
Regular Offerings
BMC currently meets every Thursday from 7:00pm to 8:30pm ET. Meetings typically begin with 20 to 30 minutes of guided meditation, followed by a dharma talk and discussion with our guiding teacher, Chris Crotty, or another teacher or facilitator.
BMC also meets every day from 6:30am to 7:15am ET for daily morning meditation. As a silent, peer-led practice period, morning meditation provides a consistent time and structure to begin or sustain a personal, daily meditation practice.
Donations are gratefully accepted.
Though grounded in the Theravada tradition, we strive to expose our members to diverse approaches to the dharma by occasionally hosting teachers from other traditions, such as Tibetan or Zen Buddhism.
Next Day Program:
May 8 - Stress, Relaxation, and Release: an Insight Dialogue Retreat
A Half-Day Workshop with Janet Surrey
Description
In this half-day retreat, we will explore the Four Noble Truths as the foundation for our meditation practice. Recognizing dukkha (stress) and the sources of stress in our lives and relationships, we can practice together to incline our bodies and hearts toward relaxation and release. The practice of Insight Dialogue, a relational meditation practice in the Theravada tradition, cultivates relational conditions which support and amplify the factors of mindfulness, serenity and release. The guidelines of Insight Dialogue (Pause, Relax, Open, Attune to Emergence, Listen Deeply and Speak the Truth) will be introduced and practiced in relationship. We will address direct application of these guidelines to our relational lives beyond formal meditation practice.
When
Saturday, May 8 from 9:30am to 1:00pm ET
Where
A Zoom link will be emailed before the program.
Investment
$25 Base
$35 Sustaining
$45 Contributing
Paying at the highest level you can afford helps us make our programs available to as many people as possible. There is also an opportunity to offer additional dana (generosity) for the teacher at the end of the program.
Please let us know if finances are an obstacle. Scholarships are available for anyone experiencing financial hardships.
Teacher
Janet Surrey, PhD, is an Insight Dialogue teacher with the organization Metta Programs. She teaches Insight Dialogue retreats worldwide and leads a monthly practice group in the Boston area. Jan has been a faculty member of Metta’s Relational Insight Meditation Program and serves on Metta Programs’ Teachers Council. Jan has studied with a number of Vipassana teachers for over twenty-five years, and has worked with Gregory Kramer since 2007. Her original teacher was Vimala Thakar, but Jan has also done many retreats with Thich Nhat Hanh and Joanna Macy. In 2008 she completed a two-and-a-half-year Community Dharma Leader training at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. Jan is a practicing clinical psychologist and founding scholar of the Jean Baker Miller Training Institute at the Wellesley Centers for Women. She is on the faculty and board of the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy. Jan is dedicated to a lifelong exploration of the power of relationships to create suffering and the power of relationships to liberate and transform suffering. Jan lives in Newton, Massachusetts.
Next Home Retreat:
April 16–18, 2021 - Spring Retreat: The Joy of Daily Refuge
2-Night Home Retreat with Chris Crotty
Description
In keeping with the tradition of putting aside time for meditation practice, dharma teachings, and connection with community, BMC’s spring retreat, taught by guiding teacher Chris Crotty, will offer teacher guidance and dharma talks, structured support for your meditation practice, alongside opportunities to experiment with different ways to integrate meditation into daily life. In order to accomplish this, the spring retreat will balance the amount of time spent practicing as a group with time for individual self-supported practice, minimizing screen time and creating the opportunity for both community and independence. Practicing in this way helps us to achieve agency and confidence in our meditation practice, while learning to find true refuge in the midst of all that makes up our daily lives.
This short retreat (Friday night through Sunday midday) is designed to fit easily into your schedule while providing a substantial opportunity to balance daily responsibilities with the quiet, calm, and joy of the Dharma. Good for experienced practitioners who want to refresh their practice and for anyone who has not taken retreat yet and wants to try a short format. The spring retreat is also offered at a low cost.
When
Friday, April 16 – Sunday, April 18 (2 nights)
Friday: 6:30pm – 8:30pm EST
Saturday: 6:30am – 8:00pm EST
Sunday: 6:30am – 12:00pm EST
Where
A Zoom link will be emailed before the program.
Investment
$110 Base
$145 Sustaining
$180 Contributing
Paying at the highest level you can afford helps us make our programs available to as many people as possible. There is also an opportunity to offer dana (generosity) for the teacher at the end of the program.
Please let us know if finances are an obstacle. Scholarships are available for anyone experiencing financial hardships.
Teacher
Chris Crotty is a Buddhist teacher, pastoral counselor, and adjunct professor in alternative medicine. Practicing meditation since 1998, he has taken retreat with Burmese monastics Sayadaw U Inndaka and Sayadaw U Tejaniya, scholar-practitioner Bhikkhu Analayo, western monastics of the Zen and Thai Forest tradition, and senior western Vipassana teachers. Chris was authorized to teach Buddhadharma in 2015, and in 2016 was encouraged to teach vipassana and metta by Sayadaw U Inndaka.