Talk
The Four Noble Truths - Gil Fronsdal
A close teaching on the Four Noble Truths, the foundation of Buddhist practice.
About the teacher
Gil Fronsdal
Gil Fronsdal trained and was ordained as a Sōtō Zen priest before also becoming a core teacher within the Insight Meditation movement, making him one of relatively few teachers holding formal standing in both. He founded the Insight Meditation Center in California, where he now teaches near-daily talks and guided meditations, most streamed live and archived through AudioDharma.
He leads residential retreats at Insight Retreat Center through 2026, including sessions in October and November, a 28-day hybrid online retreat, and an eight-month Deepening Meditation Program running into 2027.
“I touched a stillness and silence inside me at a depth I had never accessed in Zen, and I felt an almost biological urge to touch it again.”Gil Fronsdal
Upcoming events
Meet Gil Fronsdal in person.
Talks, day programmes and retreats currently listed in the Paths Are Many calendar.
Talks & videos
Watch before you attend.
Short introductions and longer conversations, to hear this teacher in their own words.
Talk
Zen & Vipassana — A Conversation with Gil Fronsdal & Paul Haller at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center
A conversation comparing Zen and Vipassana practice from a teacher trained in both.
Path
The wider context.
⬢
Lay practice, Burmese roots
Insight Meditation
The modern Insight movement that brought Theravada meditation practice to lay audiences in the West, largely independent of monastic robes and ritual forms.
Explore the path →