Bring the dharma into your daily life as an engaged Buddhist*. You can work with one of the IMCW-sponsored programs, or join Good Works, partnering with charitable organizations in the D.C. metro area.
* A term coined by Vietnamese Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh.
Click on the Contact link of the program you're interested in, and email the contact for more information. They'll be delighted to hear from you!
IMCW-Sponsored Programs
Good Works: Partnering with Charitable Organizations
This program provides guided meditations to the incarcerated. Our volunteers lead meditations in a correctional facility.
Currently all volunteer positions are filled. Please check back periodically for more information.
Meetings are on the first Thursday of each month.
The Insight Meditation Community of Washington recognizes our relationship to the web of life.
• We belong to the Earth. We are each profoundly connected with and dependant upon all beings on planet Earth.
• We are alive at a critical moment in history. Thousands of choices of billions of people add up. The impact of human beings on the earth has reached a critical point so that we, collectively, are changing the Earth’s lands, waters and climate, harming countless beings and threatening the very systems upon which all life depends.
• Our actions matter. When we believe ourselves to be separate from each other and from all of life, we consume and exploit. Conversely, when we act from our connectedness, we contribute to healing. No matter the size or visibility, each act of love for the Earth affirms our belonging, creating positive change in the web of life and in ourselves. We encourage all members of the IMCW Sangha to take steps and incorporate practices that express our love for the Earth and the truth of our interconnectedness. IMCW’s Green Program supports the sharing of ideas as well as organizing collective initiatives.
Send your ideas on how we can continue to evolve a green community. Share steps are you and your family taking to reduce waste or heal ecosystems. Send email to green@imcw.org and we’ll post the highlights here.
The Good Works program promotes the dharmic principle of generosity as IMCW volunteers work with other charitable organizations. The organizations will offer a variety of volunteer opportunities, as well as volunteer training and support.
Learning Ally, formerly Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic provides audio textbooks, digital playback equipment and training for individuals with visual, learning, or physical disabilities that prevent them from reading print. Nearly 3,500 students in the Washington metropolitan area use RFB&D recorded texts to gain access to education and employment opportunities.
Learning Ally asks for a commitment of 2 hours per week for one year. Daytime, evening, and Saturday morning hours are available at the DC office in Friendship Heights. Weekday hours are available to NIH employees at the satellite studio on campus. Financial contributions are always appreciated.
On Our Own of Fairfax County is a community drop-in center that assists people who are living with serious mental illnesses. Individuals show mutual care by promoting self-help, peer support, socialization, advocacy, education, spirituality, economic development, personal growth and creativity.
Volunteers are needed to establish weekly Oasis Mindfulness/Meditation Groups and will commit to attending 2 evening groups per month for a total of 3 hours.
You can help us brainstorm ideas on how to bring more mindful consumption techniques to the lives of the IMCW sangha, the general Buddhist community, and the larger community as a whole. Come to our next meeting! We will discuss organizing and actions to take to bring mindful consumption to our communities.
