Those who sign up for the Buddy Program are randomly paired with another person for a three month period to share and discuss the experience of the Thursday evening meditation and talk. If you are interested in joining the program, now is the time.

How does the Practice Buddy Program Work?
A Daily Practice assignment will be handed out as part of the Thursday night Dharma talk. Buddies will then practice with this assignment and compare notes with one another regarding: 1) What they are experiencing; and 2) What are they learning. If the Buddies should become confused over an assignment, it is suggested they both reread the handout and continue to discuss the exercise. If the issue remains cloudy, it is suggested they contact a Community Mentor: Rich Howard, Jeff Hardin, Diane Wilde, Sandra Sigrist.

Why would I want a Practice Buddy?
The Buddha’s teachings are simple and direct. Learning how to apply them in our daily life is sometimes challenging. Having a Practice Buddy to check in with once or twice a week brings clarity to the issues being studied and practiced. Talking about our experience with a “buddy” helps us develop more focus in our practice and enables us to better understand and deal with our emotional reactivity. Working with a Buddy also teaches us how to talk skillfully about our meditation practice and gain skill at framing questions from a meditative perspective.

The Practice Buddy Program provides a great way to meet and get to know SIM community members. We encourage random selection of Buddies for this reason. However, you have the option to Buddy up with someone you know. If you decide to choose your own Buddy, we would appreciate being contacted by email.

If you are interested in becoming a Practice Buddy or have questions, please email Brian McKinsey at brian@sactoinsight.org with your name and email address. The only requirement is to attend the 2nd and 4th Thursday evening sit and Dharma talk.