Welcome to the Canberra Insight Meditation Group

We are a group of meditators practising a Buddhist form of meditation in the style of Mahasi Sayadaw of Burma. This is a type of insight or vipassana meditation based on the Satipatthana Sutta (the four foundations of mindfulness). More about our form of practice can be found here.

CIMG’s foundation is the weekly practice group.

We meet in person on Sunday evenings at the Sakyamuni Buddhist Centre in Lyneham. Our practice sessions are self-led without a teacher. Group members share the running of the sessions and coordinate other activities. 

We also hold one day retreats once a month and longer retreats and social activities from time to time. These activities are open to anyone who has come to the group for at least one month.

New meditators

New meditators are welcome to join us on Sunday evenings for our weekly sitting group. Click here to find out how to get started and what to expect. 

We have recently introduced a Mindfulness Meditation course for people who are new to meditation or to the method that we practise. Please see description below and email us for more details.

Mindfulness Meditation Course

This course is being offered from 27 February to 27 March 2025 on Thursday evenings from 6-7.30pm over five sessions. We will meet in the shrine room at the Sakyamuni Buddhist Centre in Lyneham.

The first four weeks will explore the four foundations of mindfulness (known as insight or vipassana meditation) and the final week will introduce metta practice (loving kindness or friendly kindness) which is beneficial for supporting and balancing mindfulness meditation.

The course includes formal meditation postures, practice instructions, guided and silent meditation, how to apply mindful awareness in daily life, and a Q&A discussion. While these sessions are essentially for people who are new to meditation or this group, the course is also suitable for more experienced meditators with a 'beginner's mind'. 

It is being offered by Lynda, one of CIMG's experienced long-term meditators. Previously a Mahayana and Vajrayana practitioner, she has been a committed meditator in the Mahasi Sayadaw tradition for the last eight years. She has attended multiple silent retreats each year, including a number of month long retreats and has recently returned from a three month retreat in the US. Her principal teacher is Patrick Kearney.

COVID safety

Please stay at home if at all unwell, even with the mildest symptoms.

Group founder

CIMG was founded by Lesley Lebkowicz in 2008 who offered teaching and support for meditators until early 2021. She practised with Western teachers and Burmese meditation masters in the Mahasi lineage of insight meditation in Burma, Nepal, the United States and Australia. Her main teachers were Michele McDonald, Sayadaw U Pandita, John Hale and Sayadaw U Vivekananda.

Lesley’s guided meditations and Dhamma talks can be found on our audio page, and her translations and Buddhist writings can be found here. Lesley continues to lead retreats at the Blue Mountains and the South Coast.

John McIntyre supported CIMG and led the Dhamma Discussion Group from 2015 to the end of 2019. 

Incline the mind to mindfulness;

Incline the mind to kindness;

That’s all.