History v2 | Common Ground Meditation Center

History

Common Ground Meditation Center was founded in 1993 by Mark Nunberg and Wynn Fricke, who set out to build on the Insight Meditation tradition and provide a sustained spiritual community for mindfulness practitioners. In the years since its inception, the center has grown into a large, vibrant community with diverse programs and a residential retreat center. The 30-plus year history of Common Ground is a beautiful example of generosity. We’ve never charged for our programs, choosing instead to operate the way Buddhist monasteries have since the time of the Buddha: on donations and countless volunteer hours from the community! To read more about the practice of generosity and how you can support Common Ground to flourish for another 30 years, click here.

Common Ground's start

Founded in 1993 by Mark Nunberg and his partner Wynn Fricke, Common Ground Meditation Center builds upon the history of the Insight Meditation tradition and recognizes the value in sustained spiritual community. From the beginning, Mark and Wynn shared a deeply felt desire to create a local, dedicated center that would serve as a support for mindfulness practice and a reminder of the importance of cultivating compassion and wisdom in daily life. In the years since its inception, the center has grown into a large, vibrant community of mindfulness practitioners.

Common Ground opened in 1993 in a small storefront building, which also served as Mark and Wynn’s home. In collaboration with the Twin Cities Vipassana Collective (TCVC), the center offered daily open meditation sessions and yoga classes. In the first year, Mark began teaching a Wednesday night Weekly Practice Group, which continues to this day. He also began teaching an Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation class with Paul Norr. The Year End Retreat also began that first year between Christmas and New Year’s Day.

In response to the growing needs of the community, Mark left his part-time teaching job in 1999 to work full-time at the center. A few years later, in 2002, Wynn and Mark invited four longtime practitioners to join together and form a Board of Directors. Later that year, Common Ground received its official nonprofit status as a Theravada Buddhist Meditation Center. By that time, the Common Ground community had grown significantly and leaders were stepping forward to take on responsibilities for the running of the center.

Mark and Wynn teaching a retreat at Holy Spirit (now Metta Retreat Center) in ####

The site of what is now Common Ground's City Center

A new city center

In 2006, the Board of Directors, with tremendous input and support from the community, decided to purchase an old diner just a few blocks away from the center. The new building required a two-year renovation project managed by longtime community member David Asselstine and architect Rick Okada that also involved countless hours of volunteer labor. After raising over $900,000 for the purchase and renovation of the new building, in February 2009, Common Ground began operating at its new location at 2700 East 26th Street.

Common Ground grows

Around this time, leaders began dreaming about the possibility of a retreat space for the community. In 2013, after many years of searching, and after one major gift and countless smaller ones, a 46-acre property was purchased without a mortgage outside the town of Prairie Farm, Wisconsin, about an hour and fifteen minutes from Minneapolis. The land came with a 5000 square-foot farmhouse and a barn. For the first several years, the property was used to host small groups of community members. Despite having only five bedrooms and a living room as a makeshift meditation hall, over 300 people benefited from retreats during this initial period.

Transforming the barn into a meditation hall

In 2016, the Board of Directors approved initial renovation plans that would significantly increase the capacity of the retreat center and transform the pole barn into a beautiful, spacious meditation hall. The renovation was led by Cory Clemetson, a dedicated community member and leader who spent most of two years living and working at the retreat center.

Cory and Mark prep and lay ceiling boards at the Retreat Center

A new generation of leaders

Throughout Common Ground’s history, leadership development has been an essential and intricate part of our flourishing and expansion. While our paid administrative staff has always been small, countless volunteers and leaders have been integral to center operations, and teachers have been mentored both formally and informally to expand the number and background of voices sharing the Dharma.

In 2019, Common Ground held its first ever Dharma Leadership Training (DLT), which engaged ## community leaders in a yearlong training to help deepen their practice and develop their skill as facilitators. This training placed special emphasis on elevating emerging dharma leaders representing marginalized identities. DLT graduates now lead many of Common Ground's weekly programs and community groups.

In 2021, Shelly Graf was hired to join Mark Nunberg as a Guiding Teacher, finalizing a long leadership development process Shelly had been in since first coming to Common Ground in 2003. Watch a recording of Shelly's celebration event here!