Our History

We began slowly about 1997 growing from a loose association of interested and experienced meditators under the guidance and leadership of Sandra Hammond, first in her home and then in a Chicago hotel. Sandra would hold 45 minute sits and then discuss the Dharma with whomever attended.

As part of her work she commuted from Urbana, where she also founded a larger Buddhist group called Prairie Sahgha. As Sandra began to travel to Chicago less frequently, Insight Chicago members began meeting alternate weeks in homes. Sandra began to offer regular day-long meditation retreats once a month. She has now moved to Crestone Colorado and is living near her Tibetan teacher Tsoknyi Rinpoche III, yet she continues to work with Vipassana students in the midwest by way of email and phone.

More recently the sangha has established a close relationship with Santikaro, a 16-year Thai monk, Chicago native and founder of Liberation Park, now in Norwalk Wisconsin. We also have established on on-going connection with Andrew Getz of California. "Day-longs," and weekend retreats incorporate a variety of teachers, and several longer retreats have been offered as well.

We continue to be associated with Prairie Sangha in Urbana, and look forward to continued connections with Santikaro's new site on a large tract of land in Wisconsin, with which he intends to create a longer-term residential sanctuary, with small cabins, in the Thai Forest tradition.