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Wednesday, March 18th, 2026 | 6:30pm – 8:30pm ET
In-Person Location: New York Insight at 115 West 29th Street, 12th floor
Online via Zoom – RSVP to receive your link
Although Buddhism is often seen as a solitary path, sangha, or community, is an essential part of meditation practice. However, cultivating this sense of community has been a difficult challenge in this day and age of social isolation and Zoom fatigue.
This series of in-person New York Insight community gatherings consists of guided meditation, a talk by one of our teachers, followed by group discussion, and opportunities to socialize and connect with like-minded practitioners.
Whether you are brand new to meditation practice, new to New York Insight, or are a longtime, experienced meditator, all are welcome to join us for this series of in-person community meditation gatherings.
We hope to see you there!
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Sunday, April 12th, 2026 | 10:00am – 12:00pm ET
In-Person Location: New York Insight at 115 West 29th Street, 12th FloorThis monthly Sunday morning practice is a staple at New York Insight. Similar to our weekday Community Meditation Gathering, Sitting on Sunday is led by NYI’s seasoned teachers, who will guide participants in both seated and moving meditation, offer a Dharma talk, and engage in dialogue with the community.
Suggested donation is $15 but whatever you offer is greatly appreciated. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
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Wednesday, April 15th, 2026 | 6:30pm – 8:30pm ET
In-Person Location: New York Insight at 115 West 29th Street, 12th floor
Online via Zoom – RSVP to receive your link
Although Buddhism is often seen as a solitary path, sangha, or community, is an essential part of meditation practice. However, cultivating this sense of community has been a difficult challenge in this day and age of social isolation and Zoom fatigue.
This series of in-person New York Insight community gatherings consists of guided meditation, a talk by one of our teachers, followed by group discussion, and opportunities to socialize and connect with like-minded practitioners.
Whether you are brand new to meditation practice, new to New York Insight, or are a longtime, experienced meditator, all are welcome to join us for this series of in-person community meditation gatherings.
We hope to see you there!
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Sunday, May 3rd, 2026 | 10:00am – 12:00pm ET
In-Person Location: New York Insight at 115 West 29th Street, 12th FloorThis monthly Sunday morning practice is a staple at New York Insight. Similar to our weekday Community Meditation Gathering, Sitting on Sunday is led by NYI’s seasoned teachers, who will guide participants in both seated and moving meditation, offer a Dharma talk, and engage in dialogue with the community.
Suggested donation is $15 but whatever you offer is greatly appreciated. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
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with Leslie Booker and Dalila Bothwell
Thursday, May 14th, 2026 | 6:30pm – 7:30pm ET
In June, New York Insight is holding its second-ever non-residential retreat, designed to help integrate practice into your daily life and life into your practice.
We often think of retreat as a chance to get away—traveling to a quiet meditation center in a serene natural setting. But for those of us who live in cities, this can create a split: retreat happens there, life happens here. Practicing together in the same city where we live, work, and navigate daily challenges creates a powerful opportunity: we can begin to carry the clarity and presence of retreat into the rhythms of ordinary life.
During this live Q&A session, teachers Leslie Booker and Dalila Bothwell will explain the format of this summer’s retreat and answer any questions you may have about embarking on a weeklong commitment to meditation practice.
Reserve your spot now for a special sneak peek into this weeklong retreat!
Attendance at this event is encouraged but not required to register for June’s retreat.
Save the date! The retreat itself will be held June 13-19, 2026.
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with Leslie Booker and David Grogan
Saturday, March 28th, 2026 | 10:00am – 5:00pm ET
In-Person Location: New York Insight at 115 West 29th Street, 12th Floor
It can often feel like we are rushing through our days, accumulating stress, missing out on meaningful moments, and making reactive decisions. And even though we know that pace isn’t good for us, it’s still hard to slow down.
Join us for a special in-person or online daylong silent meditation retreat for those who want to reconnect and deepen their practice.
This retreat day will be one of noble silence for those who want to deepen their practice. It will include sitting, walking, and select inspirational readings for contemplation. Individual interviews will be available. Participants are welcome to bring their lunch to maintain the meditative atmosphere and concentration.
Together we will pause, reset, and find some much-needed mental space and clarity.
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with Leslie Booker, Jay Michaelson, and Jacoby Ballard, assisted by Steph McIsaac
Half-Day Retreat – The One about Sex (Saturday, April. 18, 10:00am – 1:00pm ET)
What does it mean to engage in sexual relationships ethically? How do queer relationship structures and practices – including polyamory, kink, open relationships, asexuality, and periods of celibacy – fit within the precepts? How do we lovingly navigate relationships with exes and former lovers in often tightly-knit communities? -
with Leslie Booker and Brian Simmons
Saturday, April 25th, 2026 | 10:00am - 5:00pm ET
In-Person Location: New York Insight at 115 West 29th Street, 12th Floor
It can often feel like we are rushing through our days, accumulating stress, missing out on meaningful moments, and making reactive decisions. And even though we know that pace isn’t good for us, it’s still hard to slow down.
Join us for a special in-person or online daylong silent meditation retreat for those who want to reconnect and deepen their practice.
This retreat day will be one of noble silence for those who want to deepen their practice. It will include sitting, walking, and select inspirational readings for contemplation. Individual interviews will be available. Participants are welcome to bring their lunch to maintain the meditative atmosphere and concentration.
Together we will pause, reset, and find some much-needed mental space and clarity.
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Registration Coming Soon
Thursday, May 14th, 2026 | 6:30pm – 7:30pm ET
In June, New York Insight is holding its second-ever non-residential retreat, designed to help integrate practice into your daily life and life into your practice.
We often think of retreat as a chance to get away—traveling to a quiet meditation center in a serene natural setting. But for those of us who live in cities, this can create a split: retreat happens there, life happens here. Practicing together in the same city where we live, work, and navigate daily challenges creates a powerful opportunity: we can begin to carry the clarity and presence of retreat into the rhythms of ordinary life.
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More Information & Registration Here
Belonging, Courage and Love is a ten-month immersion in the pāramīs—the ten heart qualities the Buddha cultivated over countless lifetimes to prepare for awakening.
Before he became the Buddha, he was a bodhisattva devoted to perfecting generosity, patience, truthfulness, and lovingkindness. These were not abstract ideals, but living practices, ways of being in relationship with a complex world.
Guided by Booker—a Black, queer Dharma teacher and lover of liberation whose work bridges wisdom and justice, this program invites you to walk that same human path. Through embodied practice, storytelling, reflection, and community connection, you’ll learn to bring the pāramīs to life in your everyday experience at work, in relationships, and in moments of challenge or joy.
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Register Here for May
Register Here for June
with Leslie Booker, Jay Michaelson, and Jacoby Ballard, assisted by Steph McIsaac
Four Tuesday evening classes plus a Saturday half-day retreat
Evening Classes: Tuesdays, February 17th, March 17th, May 12th, and June 16th 2026 | 6:30pm – 8:30pm ET
Half-Day Retreat: Saturday, April 18th, 2026 | 10:00am – 1:00pm ET
Sign up for the full course, a single session, or anything in-between!In-Person Location: New York Insight at 115 West 29th Street, 12th Floor
The Five Precepts form the foundation of Buddhist ethics in the insight tradition. Yet for queer people in 21st century America, they can also be a little…. fraught. What counts as “sexual misconduct” (if that’s even the right term to use)? Do all drugs “lead to confusion”? What counts as “harsh language” in a culture that is often serving tea?
In this 5 month series, we’re going to take an honest, deep, and participatory dive into the precepts. We’ll explore where they serve us, and where they may not. We’ll work with the complexities that come with any 2500-year-old tradition, particularly one which often promotes monasticism as an ideal.
There will be a ½ day retreat mid way through the course, and we’ll also have the opportunity to meet in small groups and with a teacher in between the monthly sessions for support to deepen our personal understanding and to cultivate spiritual friendships.
Ultimately, we hope to arrive at multiple ways of navigating ethics and community together. (And since we take an expansive definition of queerness, you’re welcome to join if that word speaks to your experience.)
The Unreliability of Identity, and the Undeniability of its Impact
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.