Next Practice Offering

Please Join Us

November 16, 2025 - In Person

9:00 AM – 12 Noon ET

November 16, 2025, 9 am to noon - in-person

Jan Surrey, Marsha Lawson, and Annie Hoffman - in-person at Peace House, Cambridge.

Mini-Retreat, Sunday, November 16, 2025, 9am - noon, in-person offering of the Art and Soul of Insight Dialogue, Peace House, Cambridge, MA.

Anicca Dukkha - Suffering of Change

All are welcome, some mediation experience recommended

“Now this, bhikkhus, is the noble truth of suffering: birth is suffering, aging is suffering, illness is suffering, death is suffering; union with what is displeasing is suffering; separation from what is pleasing is suffering; not to get what one wants is suffering; in brief, the five aggregates subject to clinging are suffering.” SN 56.11

This year, the Northeast Insight Dialogue Sangha is offering mini retreats on the The Three Characteristics: Anicca: impermanence, Dukkha: suffering or stress, and Anatta: no inherent, unchanging self. In November, we will contemplate with the Insight Dialogue guidelines of Pause, Relax, Open, Attune to Emergence, Speak the Truth and Listen Deeply.

We all know that change is inevitable from our daily life experience. The five recollections are facts of life, yet they are some of the most difficult aspects of our human condition. The five recollections are: Being human, it is natural that: 1. Ageing cannot be avoided. 2. Illness cannot be avoided. 3. Death cannot be avoided. 4. We will be separated from all that is dear to us. 5. We own our karma (actions), our happiness and unhappiness arise from our actions, not from outside sources. The Buddha suggested practicing with these five recollections daily.

For this Sunday, we will explore our experience with these five truths. We will practice to understand and respond to Anicca Dukkha, the suffering of change, in a wholesome and compassionate way. We will investigate what is helpful and liberative in the deep knowing and wise meeting of Anicca Dukkha.

The framework of this investigation is the practice of Insight Dialogue, a relational practice developed by Gregory Kramer and the Insight Dialogue Community. We will practice together to explore the teachings based in the Pali Canon, the collection of suttas in the Theravada Buddhist tradition.

Please use the following link for more information about Insight Dialogue: https://insightdialogue.org/relational-practices/insight-dialogue/.

Registration: Please email Marsha Lawson at mjlawson118@gmail.com for registration - stating that you wish to attend. The program is limited to twenty people. We encourage you to register early to help us with planning. This program is currently full with a small waiting list. If you wish to be included on the waiting list, please let Marsha Know. mjlawson118@gmail.com.

When: Sunday November 16, 2025. 9 am to noon. Doors open for check-in at 8:30am.

Where: Peace House, 362 Broadway, Cambridge 02139. A note from the Director of Peace House: "Peace House has a two-fold mission. We provide a sacred place that is first and foremost a monastic residence: a supportive place for monks to further their spiritual development. Second, through various offerings, we invite visitors to engage in spiritual discovery, meaningful community, and practice. We aim to create conditions where individual and collective peace, connection, and discovery can flourish."

Cost/Dana: There is a suggested donation of $20, more or less, to go towards the maintenance of Peace House. Please bring cash, check, or donate directly to Peace House at their payment/donation page: https://www.cambridgepeacehouse.org/donations.

Jan Surrey and Marsha Lawson will offer the teachings, and Annie Hoffman movement practice, on a dana basis. Dana is the system of generosity in giving and receiving that the Buddha initiated some 2500 years ago where teachers freely offered the teachings, and students gave what they could to support the teachers and the continuation of the teachings. To learn more about the practice of dana, please see https://insightdialogue.org/giving/. You can give a financial donation to Jan use this Paypal link. by donation to and/or Marsha at venmo @marshajeanne or paypal paypal.me/marshalawson1935.

Parking: Sunday parking on the streets is free.

Questions: Please email Marsha Lawson at mjlawson118@gmail.com or call her at 207-233-8714.

Health safety: Please do not come to this program if you have any symptoms of illness of any kind. Thank you for your consideration for the health of our group. Masks are optional.

December 14, 2025, 9-noon, on zoom, see below for link

Sarah Merin, Sue Brown, Annie Hoffman

For the December offering we continue in the footsteps of our spiritual friends in this series exploring the 3 characteristics of existence: impermanence (anicca), suffering or dissatisfactoriness (dukkha), and not-self or selflessness (anatta).

Our focus in Decemebr will be on anatta. Anatta is famously known as difficult both to translate and to realize. Our aspiration as facilitators, therfore, is to delve into this topic as deeply as we can over the next couple of months and share what we discover that might help us find our way. What we do know is that our time together on the 14th will include a guided meditation, a short intro, and plenty of time for practice. We will include brief body care pauses as well as another gentle and creative movement offering with Annie Hoffman tailored to support this exploration of anata. And so, in the spirit of attuning to emergence, we leave you for now with this poem by Rosemary Watola Trommer: (*Thanks to our friend, Kathleen Fink for sharing this poem with us!)

One Encouraged by the Leaves

flying the story of myself

like a kite in the wind—

can I let go of the string

More to come….

There will be periods of guided meditation, relational practice, and movement practice.

All are welcome, no registration necessary, some meditation experience would be useful, but not required.

Zoom Meeting ID: 829 3553 9493 Passcode: pause

Click Here To Join the Zoom Meeting

Art & Soul of Insight Dialgoue is offered by the Insight Dialgoue Northeast cohort on a dana basis - by donation. If you would like to contribute to Insight Dialogue Northeast, you may do so via this link by choosing Insight Dialogue Northeast from the pull down list on the right side of the page. If you wish to contribute to individual teachers, you may do so via this link - find the teachers’s picture and bio and ways to give to an individual teacher will be listed at the bottom of the bio listing (not the donate button to the right on the page).

Cost

2025-2026 Schedule

Dear Friends,

Welcome to our 2025-2026 schedule of Art & Soul of Insight Dialogue, a monthly series that continues with online mini retreats and occasional in person offerings.

This year’s dharma theme will be the Three Characteristics, also known as the "Three Marks of Existence": are impermanence (anicca), suffering or dissatisfaction (dukkha), and not-self or selflessness (anatta). We look forward to practicing with you.

Insight Dialogue is an interpersonal meditation practiced in direct, face-to-face, heart-to-heart relational contact. We will practice together in dyads and small groups with the six meditation guidelines - pause, relax, open, attune to emergence, listen deeply and speak the truth - and explore the power of relationship in awakening.

We hope you will join us and taste the joyful potential for release and freedom often hidden in our everyday relations. You are invited to attend any and all of these sessions. There will be periods of silent meditation practice, dharma talk, relational meditation practice and mindful movement with Annie Hoffman.

You are welcome to come to any and all of our practice sessions.