A Refuge for the Busy Mind

Be a part of creating a Center For Mindfulness, Tranquility, and Wisdom in the heart of Silicon Valley!

IMSB’s Future

IMSB has reached the limit of what we can offer at our current locations. Since Shaila Catherine founded IMSB in 2006, we have become a vibrant and diverse community of individuals who practice mindful meditation to develop clarity and joy in the midst everyday living. We are part of the ever-expanding movement to bring the wisdom teachings of the Buddha into forms that meet the realities of modern life without divorcing them from their ethical and liberating roots in Buddhism. We regularly benefit from Shaila’s depth of practice, clarity of understanding, and skill as a lay teacher.

IMSB programming is rich, and includes retreats, sutta study courses, and beginner and advanced practice programs. Unfortunately, our programming is severely limited by space and scheduling restrictions at our current rented sites.

The IMSB community is simultaneously growing beyond our brick-and-mortar boundaries. As Shaila’s teachings and writings become more well-known, we are welcoming members from across the country and even across the globe at retreats and online courses.

In January 2015 expanded to offer a Thursday evening meditation group in San Jose-Saratoga. This expansion will enable the continued growth of the community while we simultaneously raise funds and search for a dedicated facility of our own.

It is time for us to bring our programs under one roof by establishing a dedicated facility, which will enable the expansion of our offerings, give us a place to call home, and build an even stronger community of practitioners.

Why a New Center?

IMSB currently meets in rented rooms of churches, community buildings, private homes, and borrowed conference rooms in San Jose, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Los Altos, Saratoga. Without ownership or lease of the space, we do not have flexibility in our schedule or control over our environment. You may have been present for an event when we had to quickly pack up and change rooms or sites due to scheduling conflicts. On Tuesday nights when our neighbors in the adjoining room begin their boisterous socializing, you may have to abandon concentration practice and shift to mindfulness of hearing. Having our own center would alleviate some of these challenges.

A dedicated facility would enable us to:

  • hold weekly meditations without interruption from neighboring groups
  • offer introductory and advanced classes at more times throughout the week
  • offer programs that integrate mindfulness with movement disciplines such as Yoga, Qi Gong, and Feldenkrais
  • offer programs that serve teenagers, children, and families
  • develop curriculum for online courses that share the teachings given locally with an expanding global community of practitioners
  • maintain a reading center for individual study and contemplative reflection
  • schedule personalized meditation instruction with skilled teachers
  • cultivate community by making the new center available for social gatherings and member-initiated discussion groups

With a home of our own we will be able to develop a stronger sense of sangha—a place we can put a “face” to. What do you imagine when you think of an ideal meditation community? That vision may be possible with a dedicated facility.

The Vision

Our center will be located in the Silicon Valley area with easy access to major freeways. It will be a peaceful refuge—a place where people can meditate before or after work. It will ideally have a large room that will accommodate between 100-200 people for meditation sessions, a few smaller rooms for classes and meetings, and a library room from which you can check out books or read in a quiet and comfortable environment.

The center’s meeting rooms could be used for a variety of purposes, including member-initiated discussion groups, daily practice, event planning and administration functions. A kitchen would encourage social events such as volunteer appreciation lunches, and getting-to-know-you afternoon teas.

With a home of our own we will enjoy the blessings of meditation, and establish a center where the dhamma will thrive for generations to come.

How You Can Help

You can be a part of this groundbreaking project and experience the joy of helping to create our new home.
Our greatest current challenge is funding. We must have funding in place in order to accelerate the search for a specific facility. Your tax-deductible donation to the IMSB Building Fund will help to make this vision a reality.

  • You can help by joining our sustaining members with a recurring donation designated for either the Building Fund or General Expenses.
  • Visit our Generosity and Donate Now pages for details about how to give.
  • Follow the links for information about making donations of securities, in-kind gifts, volunteering skills or services, and including IMSB in your estate plans.
  • Please keep an eye out for suitable facilities that might be available either for purchase or lease.

Keep In Touch

For more information or to get involved in the building development project, contact center.
For information about giving, contact treasurer.
To offer your time sign up here to volunteer, or contact volunteer.

Links and Additional Resources

  • Watch a 4 1/2 minute video with our founder, Shaila Catherine, explaining her vision for developing IMSB as a center for mindfulness, peace, and awakening. This video was created in August, 2013.
  • Listen to Shaila Catherine (Founding Teacher) and Ed Haertel (Treasurer) share their vision in this eleven minute talk that was presented to the IMSB community on October 27, 2012.
  • Download printable remit slip