Cheryl has been living in Seattle since 1981, currently in Magnolia with her wife Kathie. In 2016 after a difficult period of change, Cheryl committed to a meditation practice and began diligently learning and practicing the Dhamma. As a service connected veteran, her initial introduction to Insight meditation was through an MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) class at the VA Medical Center in Seattle which was taught by a long time Insight practitioner and teacher. After a year of going to every class offered by him, included all the alumni classes and 2 12-week loving kindness classes, she asked her teacher if this was what Buddha taught. She discovered that she was learning and practicing Satipatthana the entire time. He suggested she go to SIMS.

With my practice and the amazing teachers present with me on this path, I am getting better at being able to listen quietly and be present with feedback. I am appreciating the courage I bring to being willing to keep showing up and really listen and not take it personally to the best of my ability. I’ll be honest, this has been a challenge for me and a big part of my practice. I have had some very difficult meetings with people in the sangha. This has changed in the past couple of years as my practice has gotten stronger. My relationships are also improving.

We use the Dharma, our meditation practice and our Saṅgha to explore the ways suffering and freedom are created in our own hearts as well as exploring the gross and subtle manifestations of social suffering, and its impact on personal and collective well-being. Our intention is to create a diverse and vibrant community of dedicated practitioners who support one another in waking up and in bringing more wise compassion into the world.