About NYI
We Teach What the Buddha Taught
WHO WE ARE
New York Insight is a nonprofit organization founded in 1997 by committed meditators in the Insight Meditation (Vipassana) tradition who wanted to build a sangha (community) here in the city, integrating the teachings they had practiced on retreat into the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Today, New York Insight is run by a small but mighty team of volunteers, staff, board members, and teachers.
Mostly, New York Insight is a community of practitioners. We are beginners and long-time practitioners. We come from a variety of backgrounds and with a range of life experiences. We are older, younger, and everything in between. And our aspiration is to make New York Insight a place where everyone belongs.
OUR TEACHERS
Our classes and meditation sessions are taught by resident teachers, visiting teachers, and trained practice leaders. Our resident teachers are graduates of the Community Dharma Leaders Program (CDL) of Spirit Rock Meditation Center or similar programs, and most have many years of teaching experience in insight and other Buddhist traditions. Most importantly, our teachers walk the walk: they dedicate themselves to ongoing study and dharma practice (including yearly residential retreats) and to living out the embodiment of the Buddha’s teachings. Meet our guiding teacher, Leslie Booker.
NYI also has peer-led sitting groups led by trained practice leaders, who give basic meditation instruction and facilitate group discussions.
All NYI Teachers, Board Members and Practice Leaders agree to a Code of Ethics grounded in the Five Precepts. You can download a copy: NYI Code of Ethics.