Christopher Kilkenny
Mental Health Counselor
When I started meditating, I wanted to be certain to learn an effective approach and especially to be involved with a reputable, ethical, and established organization. I have been involved with many meditation groups and visited many regional retreat centers. These organizations include secular and religious organizations. There is nothing inherently religious about the meditation that I have described on this web page, which is a neutral process of observing presence, distraction, letting go, and returning to presence. It is possible to have a meditation practice with no religious or spiritual belief or content. Many Western and Eastern religions include meditation as an important religious practice. Many of the approaches to mindfulness and meditation that have been proven effective by science and incorporated into mainstream Western medicine were derived from Buddhism by removing religious aspects yet preserving meditative techniques. Most of my experience has been with secular meditation groups and Buddhist groups, and I provide information on both here. Please use whatever resources are helpful in your own meditation practice, and be encouraged to search for support within your own religious tradition if that is important to you.
Mindfuness-Based Stress Reduction Hartford Groups Recovery Groups Shambhala/Tibetan Buddhism Zen/Chan Theraveda/Vipassana
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a completely secular, scientifically proven method of employing mindfulness and meditation to improve wellness and mental faculties, reduce stress, and even treat a variety of mental and phsical difficulties and disorders. It is based on the 2,500-year-old tradition of Buddhist meditation. However, all religious aspects have been removed, leaving only skillful approaches to working with mind, body, and daily life. MBSR and other similar approaches have been studied by psychaitrists, psychologists and other medical and scientific professionals for 35 years. Recent neuroimaging studies demonstrate that gray matter in parts of the brain involving learning, memory, and emotion regulation increased in participants during an eight week MBSR course. This is just one example of many studies demonstrating the effectiveness of MBSR for increasing well-being and mind-body functioning. Therefore, I highly recommend taking an MBSR course, especially for anyone who is interested in mindfulness and meditation but hesitant about the religious aspects of Buddhism.
Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Healthcare, and Society
We are very fortunate to have the Center for Mindfulness, which is the pioneer and premiere organization for mindfulness research, within communting distace from Hartford in Worcester, Massachusetts. The eight-week MBSR course is an excellent introductory immersion experience that also has great potential to enrich the practice of experienced meditators. The couse meets for 2.5 hours per week for eight weeks with one full day of mindfulness. The Center for Mindfulness also offers weekly meditation sessions and various programs.
Groups in the Immediate Hartford Area
Copper Beach Institute is a local center that offers MBSR courses and other mindfulness programs.
Hartford West End Mindfulness Center offers mindfulness, meditation, and yoga programs.
Boundless Way Zen Meditation Group in Hartford
Dharma Drum Mountain Hartford Chan Meditation Center (Chan)
Refuge Recovery and Heart of Recovery
Two organizations focused on addiction recovery:
Refuge Recovery currently has a meeting at the Hartford West End Mindfulness Center and other locations.
Heart of Recovery currently meets at the New Haven Shambhala Center
Shambhala and Tibetan Buddhism
Shambhala is an international organization with centers in many cities. Shambhala centers and regional retreat centers offer a sequence of five weekend training/retreat programs starting with Level I: The Art of Being Human and continuing through Level V: Open Sky and beyond. These weekend programs offer an excellent introduction to meditation and Buddhist values and concepts. Shambhala centers also offer group meditation sessions, talks, and other programs throughout the week, and regional retreat centers offer a variety of weekend retreats on various topics and long term meditation retreats. The Shambhala organization was founded by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, a Tibetan monk and teacher who is renowned for his ability to teach meditation and Buddhism in a way that was particularly relevent to Westerners.
Local Shambhala Centers
Pioneer Valley Shambhala Center, Northampton, MA
Regional Retreat Centers
Zen and Chan
Zen and Chan are Japanese and Chinese Buddhist traditions. Whereas Tibetan forms of Buddhism may seem philosophical and involve interpretations of Tibetan beliefs and legendary figures, Zen and Chan are more straightforward, and generally focus on meditation and ethical living.
Kwan Um School of Zen
Trinity Zen in Hartford
New Haven Zen Center
Boundless Way Zen
Boundless Way Zen Meditation Group in Hartford
Boundless Way Temple, Worcester
Zen Mountain Monastery
Zen Center of New York City
Dharma Drum Mountain Hartford Chan Meditation Center (Chan)
Theraveda and Vipassana
The Theraveda tradition is the oldest surviving school of Buddhism and adheres strongly to the Buddha's original teachings and other very early Buddhist records and practices. Thereveda teaching is typically pragmatic, straightforward, and thorough, and provides a very firm foundation for understanding the most important aspects of Buddhism. Bhante Gunaratana is a Theraveda monk who has written a series of very helpful books on mindfulness and meditation. He is the abbot of the Bhavana Society, a Theraveda monastery in West Virgina.
Vipassana is an approach to meditation based on early forms of Buddhism, and there are various groups and teachers in the West invovled in vipassana. One of the most influential was S. N. Goenka, who founded the Vipassana organization. There are numerous Vipassana centers thoughout the world. The oldest and nearest is in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts:
Dhamma Dharā: Vipassana Meditation Center in Shelburne, Massachusetts