Dharma Talks and Sangha Shares

Insight Meditation Houston
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What does it mean to truly wake up — not someday, but in this very life? Insight Meditation Houston ("IMH") invites you to find out. Rooted in 2,500 years of Vipassana tradition and planted in Houston's spiritual community since 1980, this podcast brings you the liberating teachings of the Buddha — accessible, grounded, and alive for modern practitioners. Each episode can offer guided meditations, Dharma talks, and teachings drawn from the ancient path of insight meditation: the careful, compassionate observation of breath, thought, and emotion that slowly — and then suddenly — changes everything. Whether you're sitting for the first time or deepening a lifelong practice, you'll find here a genuine refuge. Not a performance, not a philosophy debate — just sincere companions on the path, committed to mindfulness, ethical living, and the wisdom that sets the heart free. Join a community that has been quietly, persistently waking up together for over four decades — and discover what it means to meet your own life with presence, clarity, and compassion. All backgrounds welcome. No experience necessary. Just bring yourself. Visit us at our website: insighthouston.org

  1. Oct 6

    Mudita to purify the Heart

    Joy isn't something we have to manufacture — it's something we can learn to recognize and receive. In this talk, Ginger Clarkson guides the group through mudita, or sympathetic joy, drawing on teachings from Sylvia Boorstein, the late Cambodian Buddhist patriarch Maha Gosananda, and a newly trained Spirit Rock teacher named devon hase. Ginger explores why sympathetic joy may be the hardest of the four heart practices — envy and the fear that there isn't enough happiness to go around are its natural obstacles — and why the antidote is simply remembering that joy and sorrow visit everyone, and that it's sometimes just someone else's turn. The talk includes a guided mudita practice directing phrases of appreciative joy toward a loved one and a benefactor, with Sylvia Boorstein's gentle reminder woven throughout: the whole of the Dharma can be summed up as paying attention and being kind. About Ginger Ginger Clarkson is a Community Dharma Leader certified by Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California, where she studied under the mentorship of Jack Kornfield and completed the Dedicated Dharma Practitioner program with Eugene Cash and other senior teachers.

    Mudita to purify the Heart

  2. Sep 30

    The Fruits of Practice

    People come to meditation for many different reasons, but the destination is often left unclear. What does this practice actually lead to? In this talk, Travis Hicks traces the arc of a deepening practice — from the small early benefits of slowing down and feeling a little more at ease, through the gradual clearing of the mind's clutter, to the flashes of insight that begin to change how we see reality. Using a few simple images — a dim light slowly brightening in a dark room, lightning flashes revealing a mountain on a dark trail — Travis describes how practice unfolds not in one great leap but drop by drop, with moments of tranquility, joy, and heart-opening becoming more frequent over time. He draws on the opening verses of the Dhammapada and a quote from Bhikkhu Analayo to close with the same point the practice keeps returning to: the measure of progress isn't peak experiences, but the gradual, quiet opening of the heart. About Travis Travis Hicks has been practicing Vipassana meditation since 1995 and teaching since 2005. He completed a two-year teacher training program at Spirit Rock Meditation Center under the guidance of senior teachers in the Theravada tradition. Travis brings a warm, accessible style to the dharma, drawing on both classical Buddhist teachings and contemporary psychology. He leads weekly sittings, daylong retreats, and occasional residential retreats for the IMH community.

    The Fruits of Practice

  3. Sep 22

    Guided Meditation - Metta

    A 30 minute guided meditation on Metta by Travis Hicks

    Guided Meditation - Metta

  4. Sep 22

    The Wings of Awakening: Wisdom and Compassion

    Wisdom and compassion are sometimes called the two wings of awakening — and a practice built on only one of them will eventually veer off course. In this talk, Travis Hicks introduces the four heart practices — loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity — and makes the case for weaving them into a meditation practice that might otherwise lean heavily toward insight and awareness. Travis walks through each of the four brahmaviharas, including both their far enemies (hatred, cruelty, envy, indifference) and their subtler near enemies (sentimental attachment, pity, forced cheerfulness, aloof detachment). He offers practical guidance on how to work with the phrases, when visualization helps, and why starting with someone easy — kindling the fire with small twigs before adding the wet log — matters more than people often realize. He closes with a reflection on how these practices off the cushion, noticing that genuine metta toward a difficult person isn't just an exercise — it's a retraining of the heart. About Travis Travis Hicks has been practicing Vipassana meditation since 1995 and teaching since 2005. He completed a two-year teacher training program at Spirit Rock Meditation Center under the guidance of senior teachers in the Theravada tradition. Travis brings a warm, accessible style to the dharma, drawing on both classical Buddhist teachings and contemporary psychology. He leads weekly sittings, daylong retreats, and occasional residential retreats for the IMH community.

    The Wings of Awakening: Wisdom and Compassion

  5. Sep 18

    The Essentials of Mindfulness

    Whether you're new to meditation or have been practicing for years, coming back to the basics is always worthwhile. In this introductory talk, Travis Hicks lays out the essential qualities of mindfulness — presence, non-judgment, awareness, acceptance, and returning — and explains simply what we're actually doing when we sit down to practice. The talk covers why the body is such a reliable anchor for presence, what it means to observe the mind without trying to change it, and how the classic simile of the two arrows points to where our real suffering comes from. Travis also touches on the relationship between mindfulness and skillful effort — how accepting what's here and working to change unskillful habits aren't contradictory, but actually depend on each other. Clear and accessible, this is a good talk for anyone wanting a grounded overview of what this practice is and why it matters. About Travis Travis Hicks has been practicing Vipassana meditation since 1995 and teaching since 2005. He completed a two-year teacher training program at Spirit Rock Meditation Center under the guidance of senior teachers in the Theravada tradition. Travis brings a warm, accessible style to the dharma, drawing on both classical Buddhist teachings and contemporary psychology. He leads weekly sittings, daylong retreats, and occasional residential retreats for the IMH community.

    The Essentials of Mindfulness

  6. Sep 18

    Dependent Origination

    Dependent origination is one of the deepest teachings in Buddhism — and also one of the most misunderstood. In this talk, Travis Hicks works through the Buddha's teaching on dependent co-arising, the framework that answers a question the Four Noble Truths point to but don't fully explain: how exactly does suffering arise, and where can we actually intervene? Moving through the chain — from aging and death back through birth, becoming, clinging, craving, feeling, contact, and consciousness — Travis shows how each link conditions the next, and why most of them aren't places where we have much practical leverage. The one place we do? The gap between feeling tones and craving. That's where meditation practice does its quiet work, moment by moment. He also walks through three common ways of understanding the teaching: as a map of moment-to-moment mind states, as a framework for a single lifetime, and as the traditional three-life view that connects karma and rebirth. No definitive answer is given on which is right — just a clear, honest look at what the teaching says and what it asks of us. About Travis Travis Hicks has been practicing Vipassana meditation since 1995 and teaching since 2005. He completed a two-year teacher training program at Spirit Rock Meditation Center under the guidance of senior teachers in the Theravada tradition. Travis brings a warm, accessible style to the dharma, drawing on both classical Buddhist teachings and contemporary psychology. He leads weekly sittings, daylong retreats, and occasional residential retreats for the IMH community.

    Dependent Origination

  7. Sep 17

    Walking Meditation on the Four Elements

    The four elements practice — earth, water, fire, and air — is one of the less commonly taught objects of mindfulness, but for some practitioners it opens something that sitting practice alone doesn't. In this talk, Travis Hicks shares why he finds the elements practice particularly valuable, especially when taken outside, and walks through what it actually feels like when it's working well. Rather than experiencing the body as a contained self with arms and legs, the practice gradually dissolves that boundary — sensations inside and outside the body begin to feel continuous, and the usual sense of separation from the world softens. Travis draws on two vivid personal examples: walking barefoot through dewy grass in a labyrinth at a Houston retreat center in January, and sitting on a rock in a power line clearing in British Columbia with the wind moving through. Both point to the same thing — that this practice is less about analysis and more about direct, unmediated contact with experience as it actually is. About Travis Travis Hicks has been practicing Vipassana meditation since 1995 and teaching since 2005. He completed a two-year teacher training program at Spirit Rock Meditation Center under the guidance of senior teachers in the Theravada tradition. Travis brings a warm, accessible style to the dharma, drawing on both classical Buddhist teachings and contemporary psychology. He leads weekly sittings, daylong retreats, and occasional residential retreats for the IMH community.

    Walking Meditation on the Four Elements

  8. Jul 30

    Spiritual Renewal

    Even a dedicated meditation practice can quietly become a routine — and that's exactly when renewal matters most. In this talk, Rafi Rahman reflects on what it means to bring freshness back to practice, not by starting over, but by loosening the grip of what we think we already know. About Rafi Rahman Rafi was born and raised in Bangladesh and has been practicing Insight meditation since 2015. He has been part of the Insight Meditation Houston (IMH) community since 2018 and currently serves as Chair of the IMH Board. He is passionate about helping build a warm and welcoming practice community. His path has been shaped by silent retreats, the loss of close family members, and a lifelong curiosity about what it means to live with wisdom and compassion. Alongside Buddhist practice, he enjoys studying Jungian psychology and exploring the meeting place between Eastern and Western approaches to awakening and healing. By profession, he is an engineer, and outside of work he enjoys listening to bamboo flute music, taking walks at Memorial Park, and sharing meaningful conversations with friends.

    Spiritual Renewal
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About

What does it mean to truly wake up — not someday, but in this very life? Insight Meditation Houston ("IMH") invites you to find out. Rooted in 2,500 years of Vipassana tradition and planted in Houston's spiritual community since 1980, this podcast brings you the liberating teachings of the Buddha — accessible, grounded, and alive for modern practitioners. Each episode can offer guided meditations, Dharma talks, and teachings drawn from the ancient path of insight meditation: the careful, compassionate observation of breath, thought, and emotion that slowly — and then suddenly — changes everything. Whether you're sitting for the first time or deepening a lifelong practice, you'll find here a genuine refuge. Not a performance, not a philosophy debate — just sincere companions on the path, committed to mindfulness, ethical living, and the wisdom that sets the heart free. Join a community that has been quietly, persistently waking up together for over four decades — and discover what it means to meet your own life with presence, clarity, and compassion. All backgrounds welcome. No experience necessary. Just bring yourself. Visit us at our website: insighthouston.org

Information

  • Creator
    Insight Meditation Houston
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    23
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Insight Meditation Houston
  • Show Website
    Dharma Talks and Sangha Shares

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