Date & Time: 5 Thursdays; March 9 – April 6, 2023; 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: Dana (By Donation) $0-$108. Code SF1G23.

Description:
Seemingly unlike the other identities that shape our life—gender, race, culture, caste, sexual orientation—being human usually feels like an intrinsic part of who we are. But in the Buddhist conception of the world, humanity is just one form of life we are born into. At other times we have been animals, ghosts, gods, and spirit beings of many kinds, moving through the “six realms” of Saṁsāra since beginningless time.

Though it can feel like one of the most foreign of the Buddhist concepts, rebirth and the many realms—and what causes us to be born in them—are as central to the Dharma as mindfulness, meditation, and ethics. In this round of our sutta study series The Refuge of Dhamma: Exploring the Discourses of the Buddha, we’ll explore teachings on rebirth, karma, and how a more animist vision of consciousness changes how we think about identity and liberation.

While beginners are welcome, this class may be most engaging for practitioners with some experience in meditation. With extensive supplementary material, this class aims to make the discourses of the Buddha an accessible, inspiring support for practice. Please Note: Though the classes in the series will build on each other, attendance at all classes is not required.

Date & Time: 5 Thursdays; March 9 – April 6, 2023; 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: Dana (By Donation) $0-$108. Code SF1G23.

Description:
Seemingly unlike the other identities that shape our life—gender, race, culture, caste, sexual orientation—being human usually feels like an intrinsic part of who we are. But in the Buddhist conception of the world, humanity is just one form of life we are born into. At other times we have been animals, ghosts, gods, and spirit beings of many kinds, moving through the “six realms” of Saṁsāra since beginningless time.

Though it can feel like one of the most foreign of the Buddhist concepts, rebirth and the many realms—and what causes us to be born in them—are as central to the Dharma as mindfulness, meditation, and ethics. In this round of our sutta study series The Refuge of Dhamma: Exploring the Discourses of the Buddha, we’ll explore teachings on rebirth, karma, and how a more animist vision of consciousness changes how we think about identity and liberation.

While beginners are welcome, this class may be most engaging for practitioners with some experience in meditation. With extensive supplementary material, this class aims to make the discourses of the Buddha an accessible, inspiring support for practice. Please Note: Though the classes in the series will build on each other, attendance at all classes is not required.

Dates: Saturday to Saturday, April 22-29, 2023 (7 nights). Code 246R23.
Hybrid Retreat: To create greater accessibility and inclusivity, we’re offering this retreat in two formats over the same dates. See details below.

Registration opens for BOTH formats approximately 9:00am US Pacific Time on December 14, 2022.

The Two Formats are:
1. On-land Residential Retreat (Admission by lottery-style application)
2. Online Retreat – limited to 48 participants

Lottery applications are open: December 14, 2022 – January 10, 2023.

Admission for the on-land retreat is by application and a lottery-style selection – see Application Selection Details below for more information. Registering for a lottery does not ensure a space in the program. Applications are accepted through the end of the day on January 10, 2023. First round notifications will be sent out approximately 2 weeks after the lottery closes. You will be asked to complete your registration details and pay your fees within 48 hours of the offer.

Retreat Description:
This is a silent retreat designed especially for those relatively new to the practices of Insight Meditation (vipassanā). The retreat includes systematic instructions on vipassanā meditation—both sitting and walking—as well as lovingkindness practices, meetings with teachers, and evening talks highlighting the central teachings of the Buddha and their practical application in our lives.

This retreat is silent except for teacher-led Q&A, small groups, or other practice meetings.

On-land Residential Retreat Details:
Arrival Time: 2:30-4:30pm
Departure Time: 11:00am

Sliding Scale: $385-$3640*
*PLUS a donation to the teacher(s)

Online Retreat Details:
The online retreat is broadcasted live via Zoom from Spirit Rock’s Upper Meditation Hall, including meditation instructions, Dharma talks, and silent meditation practices throughout each day. Practice meetings are also offered via Zoom with a Spirit Rock teacher specifically dedicated to our online practitioners. Please note: the on-land teachers will not be available for online practice meetings. Affinity group practice sessions will also be available.

Our dedicated online teacher for this retreat is Shelly Graf.

Opening Day Start Time: TBD ~4:00-5:00pm; includes a technology open house/orientation
Closing Day End Time: TBD ~11:00am

Online retreat includes:
-Zoom hall for all teaching sessions
-Practice meetings with the online teacher

Sliding Scale: $175-$2100*
*PLUS a donation to the teacher(s)

Questions about at-home/online retreats? Please visit Home Retreat Guidelines.

Application Selection Details for the On-Land Residential Retreat:
Applications are accepted between December 14, 2022 – January 10, 2023 (end of the day). Retreat fees are not collected at the time you submit your application. All applications are assigned a random number for the lottery selection process. The lottery-style selection process helps us balance many factors to create equity, diversity, inclusion, and access across our community of practitioners. The factors include: age, gender, scholarship needs & availability, affinity group participation, and stage of practice (new to experienced).

Applications received after the close date are automatically placed on the wait list (and will not be included in the first round of selections). Notification rounds can move quickly in the first few weeks following the first acceptances, so we recommend staying ready. You may be accepted sooner than you realize!

You will be notified about the selection results within two weeks of the application close date. If you are offered a space, you will have two days to pay a deposit to accept/hold the space. If you don’t accept the space within this deadline, we will offer it to the next person in line.

IMPORTANT NOTES for On-land Retreats:
Scholarship offerings for on land retreats: In returning to the land, we returned to our pre-pandemic scholarship options and policies. All scholarship rates require a minimum fee ($55/night). Scholarships are limited to TWO per calendar year for on-land retreats. And, while we are not able to offer “no one turned away”-type of scholarships for in-person retreats, they are still available for online offerings.

Room Occupancy Update**: We have returned to double and single occupancy rooms. Many of our rooms are single occupancy (only 16 of 80 rooms are double occupancy). We have also returned to offering a “guaranteed single room” rate; these rates are limited (16). This rate guarantees a single room while helping to support scholarships and all we do here at Spirit Rock. The remaining single rooms are not exclusive to the top end of the sliding scale; however, they are initially prioritized for those with serious medical needs.

**Subject to change depending upon COVID-19 situation.

IMPORTANT – Details on our current COVID Safety Protocols for In-person Retreats.

Dates: 5 Thursdays, June 1 – June 29, 2023
Times: 1:00pm – 3:00pm US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: Dana Program, $0-$108. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code SF2G23.

Please Note: This retreat is offered online only. We invite you to try this creative form of practice as we take care of one another and respond skillfully to COVID-19.

Description:
People under the grip of greed, hatred, and delusion do “evil” things. The Buddha himself had to contend with deeply wounded people causing terrible harm, including a famous serial killer, a patricidal king, and his own cousin trying to murder him. Their stories reveal a powerful and nuanced Buddhist approach to crime and justice that reinforces the core teaching that harmful action is born of ignorance, and can always be met with compassion and forgiveness.

We will read about Aṇgulimālā the serial killer, Ajatasattu the patricide, Devadatta the traitor, and a group of monks lost in factionalism and toxic politics. Evil in the Buddhist world is personified by Māra the deceiver, who the Buddha meets on the eve of his liberation. In these stories we see the workings of karma (kamma), and a vision of restorative justice where even the worst evil-doer can eventually be fully liberated.

While beginners are welcome, this class may be most engaging for practitioners with some experience in meditation and Buddhist teachings. With extensive supplementary material, this class aims to make the discourses of the Buddha an accessible, inspiring support for practice.

Please Note: Though the classes in the series will build on each other, attendance at all classes is not required.

All are welcome! No one will be turned away for lack of funds as space allows. For more information, please email Registration@spiritrock.org.

Date & Time: Saturday, June 3, 2023; 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $0-$108. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code KF1G23.

Description:
The Buddhist holiday of Vesak (Pāli: Visākha Pūjā) celebrates the birth, liberation, and death of the Buddha. Siddhattha Gotama of the Sakyan clan attained liberation at the age of 35, taught for 45 years, and died at the age of 80. The full moon of June is dedicated to the celebration of this extraordinary human being. Traditional rituals include offering flowers, incense, and candlelight, and the devotional practices of chanting and bowing.

Come together to celebrate the Buddha and express our gratitude for the gifts this tradition has brought to our lives and the world. We will share simple chants in Pāli and English, stories of the Buddha’s life, and meditations to help us connect with our love for this path and the teacher who brought it into the world. We will also explore how to practice the Buddhist holidays in the context of Insight Meditation and global Dharma culture.

All are welcome! No one will be turned away for lack of funds as space allows. For more information, please email Registration@spiritrock.org.