Pre-req: No prerequisite

Dates: August 27 – December 18, 2021; specific dates below.
Time: 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Sliding Scale: $5000 – $750. Code ML1T21.

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Description:
This certificate training program is open to and designed for leaders and aspiring leaders in both the non-profit and for-profit sectors. We will cultivate mindful and compassionate leadership skills and practices to embody our care for ourselves and others, with a mindset of service to community and the world.

A core, distinct pedagogical approach of this program is participating in and co-learning with a supportive community of like-minded peers both in the large group and small monthly pod meetings. Through lectures, group discussion, guided meditations, readings, reflections, experiential exercises, and personal meditation practice, we will cultivate skills and behaviors that can be applied directly to our personal and professional lives. By developing and incorporating these intentional practices, we will strengthen professional relationships and workplace environments, expanding impact beyond our own learning for the broader benefit of our work and organization(s).

This program includes training in three realms: personal, relational, and organizational. Some included themes are:

• Mindful, compassionate, values-aligned leadership
• Cultivating well-being: self-care, rest, and resilience
• Self-awareness and self-management: emotional intelligence and working with difficult emotions
• Transforming professional and personal relationships through embodied, skillful communication
• Courageous conversations
• Empowering and inspiring people and teams
• Coaching and mentoring: compassionate accountability
• Fostering and co-creating belonging

Program Includes:
Monthly large group sessions
Monthly pod sessions
Daily and monthly home practices and readings
Monthly written reflections
Optional monthly Tea and Q&A

Dates:
Program runs August 27 – December 18, 2021. Specific training dates below. All meeting times are: 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. US Pacific Time.

• Fri-Sat, Aug 27-28 (2 days); Opening Weekend
• Fri, Sept 17
• Fri, Oct 15
• Fri, Nov 12
• Fri-Sat, Dec 17-18 (2 days); Closing Weekend

Participation Commitment:

• Must attend at least 5 of 7 days
• Meditation: 20-30 min/day recommended
• Reading/Journaling: 4-8 hr/month
• Pod meetings: 1 hr/month
• Tea and Q&A: 1 hr/month (highly recommended but not required, and will be recorded)
• Attend ONE program orientation (highly recommended, especially if you have not used LearnDash before)
  • Wednesday, August 18; 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. US Pacific Time
  • Friday, August 20; 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
  • Wednesday, August 25; 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. US Pacific Time

Financial Information:
Sliding Scale: $5000 – $750. Please consider paying at the highest rate that you can afford: your generosity supports Spirit Rock, staff, and your fellow practitioners. These fees also support the teachers of this program. Any amount offered above the Base rate of $2500 is a tax deductible donation to Spirit Rock, and your generosity will enable and support the participation of others.

• Benefactor – $5000
• Sustainer – $3000
• Base – $2500

The following rates are available for those needing financial support.

• Supported – $2000
• Mudita/Karuna Scholarship – $1650*
• Black, Indigenous, and People of color (BIPOC) Scholarship – $750*

*Both the Mudita/Karuna Scholarship and BIPOC Scholarship rates are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Both are limited and reserved for those truly experiencing financial hardship.

Cancellation Policy for this Dharma Training Program:

• $100 cancellation fee** – On or before August 23, by 5:00 p.m. US Pacific Time (**fees reduced for scholarship participants)
• $500 cancellation fee** – August 24 until Sept 20
• No refunds – Sept 21 and beyond

APPLICATIONS DUE AUGUST 15, 2021
Dates: April 2022 – May 2024
Sliding Scale: $13,700 – $3,700. Code: DPPT22

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PROGRAM DATES: April 2022 – May 2024

All retreats held in-person at Spirit Rock Meditation Center:
Retreat 1: April 30, 2022 to May 6, 2022
Retreat 2: November 11, 2022 to November 17, 2022
Retreat 3: April 15, 2023 to April 21, 2023
Retreat 4: November 11, 2023 to November 17, 2023
Retreat 5: April 28, 2024 to May 4, 2024

PROGRAM PREREQUISITES

• A minimum total of 50 nights residential retreat practice in the Insight Meditation (Vipassana) tradition
• A minimum total of 5 years daily dharma practice
• A letter of recommendation from a sponsoring teacher (someone who currently teaches at the Insight Meditation Society, Spirit Rock, Gaia House or is a recognized vipassana teacher), knows you and your meditation practice, and is supportive of your application to DPP
• For those who identify as white, completion of a White Awake multi-week program, either through Spirit Rock or through other respected organizations
• Personal and interpersonal maturity regardless of age, including:
  • Maturity displaying emotional and relational intelligence, including the capacity to work with personal suffering
  • Interpersonal maturity, to navigate relational difficulties with peers and teachers
  • Interest and capacity to interact with people who will have different histories, stories and views than your own and a willingness to engage and discover with others

PROGRAM DETAILS:

Become a part of a community that will challenge, broaden, and vitalize your understanding and embodiment of the earliest Buddhist teachings. The Dedicated Practitioners Program (DPP), designed as an intensive lay practice period, offers a comprehensive curriculum on the Buddha’s early teachings over two years. In addition to attending five 6-night in-person residential retreats, participants commit to maintaining a formal daily meditative practice, monthly coursework, monthly group meetings, a monthly “dharma buddy” meeting and contact with a mentoring teacher over the full period of DPP.

While the retreats are a very powerful part of the program, most of DPP is the personal engagement with the eight-fold path in the six months between retreats. Students who participated in the past six cycles of DPP reported a profound impact on their own meditation practice, providing a focus and inspiration for deepening their understanding of Buddhism, and bringing the dharma alive in new and unexpected ways.

We use the Dharma, our meditation practice, and our Sangha to explore the ways suffering and freedom are created in our own hearts, including an exploration of the gross and subtle manifestations of social suffering, and its impact on personal and collective well-being. Our intention is to create a diverse and vibrant community of dedicated practitioners who support one another in waking up and in bringing more wise compassion into the world. We are committed to having a minimum combined 50% BIPOC and LGBTQI+ participation in DPP.

Please note: DPP is not a teacher training program. Spirit Rock does periodically offer programs such as the Community Dharma Leaders Program, which trains participants in leading community dharma communities, the Dharma & Yoga Training Program for aspiring yoga teachers, and the Mindful Leadership Program geared toward leadership in social and environmental justice.

PROGRAM COMPONENTS and REQUIREMENTS

• Attendance at all five 6-night residential retreats
• Completion of monthly readings, practices and reflections with personal engagement with the eight-fold path in the six months between retreats.
• Attending a monthly teacher-led group meeting. Traditionally DPP groups have formed in San Francisco, Marin County, the SF East Bay, Redwood City, Los Angeles, Seattle and Vancouver, BC and have met in person and now groups may be offered by zoom. The groups are asked to support the teachers with dana.
• Monthly meetings with “dharma buddies” in the program
• Maintain regular contact with mentoring teacher focusing on formal practice, DPP homework, and personal dharma development and integration. Mentoring meetings may be offered monthly or every other month, in person or by zoom at the teacher’s discretion, and will be offered held on a dana basis. We encourage you to reach out to teachers (including your sponsoring teacher) to see if they might be willing to mentor you in DPP. If needed we will support you in finding one.
• Interest and commitment to increase individual awareness of structural oppression internalized oppression and privilege (class, race, gender, sexual orientation, etc.)
• The practice of dana (generosity) to support program teachers, group leaders and mentoring teachers
• Meeting all financial obligations outlined in this application relating to program fees
• Access to email and the internet, either through your own computer, through a DPP buddy, or through a family member or friend who would be willing to pass along all the messages related to DPP.

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APPLICATION TIMELINE and PROCESS

June 1 – August 15, 2021 – Applications accepted between these dates.  Incomplete applications without an attached digital photo cannot be processed.
August 15, 2021 – Deadline to submit application. All applications sent after this date will be put in a waitlist reserve to only be reviewed if space opens up in the program.
October 1, 2021 – Notification of your status will be sent no later than this date via email.
November 1, 2021 – Commitment and payment deadline; 25% deposit required at time of acceptance; $100 non-refundable fee for all applicants, if cancel prior to Jan 1, 2022.

Applications will open June 1, 2021. Close August 15, 2021.

A few things to consider and gather before getting started:

• This is an online-only application. You will receive a copy of your submitted application upon its completion.
• Allow yourself at least 30 minutes or more to complete this entire application.
• Gather details on your previous retreat experience; you will have to list your retreat time; Example format: date (month/year), location of retreat (what center), teacher(s), style of retreat (metta or vipassana, etc.), # of nights.
• Digital photo of yourself (headshot/”selfie”); take or choose a digital photo of yourself to be attached at the end of the application.
• Get prior approval from your sponsoring teacher before listing them on the application. You will be asked to submit a letter of recommendation from the sponsoring teacher.
• The form is compatible with mobile, tablet and computer devices.

TUITION

Participation in DPP requires a financial commitment. Payment plans are available for all levels of the sliding scale. Scholarship support is available to help with payment of fees but it will be limited. A 25% deposit will be due upon acceptance.

Sliding Scale:
Supporter – $16,900 (guaranteed single room)
Benefactor – $13,700
Sustainer – $10,700
Base – $7,700

Scholarship Sliding Scale:
Scholarship Rate 1 – $5,700
Scholarship Rate 2 – $3,700

Tuition includes:

• Accommodations and meals at all five residential retreats
• All handouts and program materials
• Access to social media and online community building groups

Tuition does NOT include:

• Teacher support (dana)
• Transportation costs to/from your home to Spirit Rock
• Dana for mentor teacher support and monthly group teacher support

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IMPORTANCE OF SANGHA

With the spread of mindfulness outside of traditional Theravadin countries, often taught by teachers with little direct contact to the Pali teachings, every generation must take time to find the roots of their understanding in the recorded words of the Buddha and his earliest community. If we study alone, we often feel a limited understanding of these ancient texts, yet together they can come more alive. Also, many past students of DPP have forged life-long friendships from within the program.

During free time around non-silent meals on the retreats, and any time in the months between retreats, students are encouraged to organize self-led student groups on topics of shared interests. This is to further extend the Dharma presented formally by the program teachers and to raise topics not covered in the formal DPP curriculum.

All who meet the prerequisites are welcome to apply. Spirit Rock and the organizers of DPP7 are deeply committed to creating a community of practitioners from diverse backgrounds and cultures – a mix of races, genders, ethnicities, classes, sexual orientations, ages, and abilities – to support each other’s Dharma practice.

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Testimonials from Past DPP Participants

One of the things I’ve appreciated most about my practice on silent meditation retreats is the chance to just drop my habitual patterns of relating to people. Upon re-emerging into the world of social contact after a silent retreat, I have usually noticed subtle shifts in how I relate to people: over time, some of my habitual patterns have gotten weaker. With the interactive practices offered in the DPP, the shifts have been dramatic. Mindful interactive practices were for me a radical experience of authenticity in communication. Having experienced that level of authenticity and sharing in a safe environment, I find myself more willing to be authentic in daily life interactions. For me, the DPP has been as much about exploring community as about exploring the Dharma. The experience of trust and intimacy with such a large group of people has been extremely powerful. — Rachel

One of the greatest benefits of the DPP program was the “Dharma Buddy” element.  For years I sat silent retreats with total strangers who now, thanks to DPP, are my closest friends. It doesn’t matter who you choose to be your dharma buddy; each of us is a teacher and a student in our own unique way. I started out buddying up with an acquaintance who was in the program, and then a total stranger asked to be my buddy, so we became three. And then, during the course of the two years, I deeply connected with several other people who I adopted (or perhaps they adopted me) as dharma buddies. I speak on the phone or email those is distant cities, and we visit each other. Those who are local have formed a Kalyana Mitta (Dharma Friends) group that meets monthly. By the end of the program I had more than a half dozen close dharma buddies with whom I will undoubtedly continue sharing the dharma for years to come. — David

As a parent, the DPP gave me the focus and permission to deeply commit to my practice for two years. While I was uncertain initially about the impact on my family, the depth of practice has deeply served us and I have come much closer to the parent I always wanted to be! — Maureen

Participating in DPP has been one of the best experiences of my life. After two years of guided practice and study of the dharma, I feel confident and happy to go on with my life with a sense of meaning and connectedness. This is the greatest gift from life one can get. — Alicia

QUESTIONS? Please email us. 

Date: Friday to Sunday, July 30 – August 1, 2021
Time: Friday, 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Sliding Scale: $125-$1008. Code: PW1M21.

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Description:
Our world is rife with division, oppression, and injustice. The precepts offer guidelines for living together in this world with skill and kindness. In our weekend, we will investigate the precepts—not killing, not stealing, not lying, and not misusing sexuality or intoxicants—as an embodied, relational path.

Through guided meditation, Dharma talks, interactive inquiry, and discussion, we’ll use the precepts to discover what it means to stay awake and be compassionate, and explore the potential for engaging in our shared human life without doing harm to ourselves, each other, and the planet.

All are welcome.

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

Teacher(s): Pawan Bareja, PhD, SEP
Sliding Scale: $0 – $108 ($15 – $30 Suggested). Code 31BV21.

Our sliding scale options for this drop-in program include financial support for our teacher(s).

Online: We are offering this program online only via Zoom so you can join us remotely. We invite you to try this creative form of practice as we take care of one another and respond skillfully to COVID-19.

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Open to all self-identified BIPOC

Description:
The Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) Sangha is a weekly gathering of self-identified BIPOC practitioners that provides a safe place to meditate and explore the dharma. As a beloved community, this sangha supports exploration of the dharma in light of our experiences. Together we will cultivate an environment that welcomes diverse voices and builds community.

All levels of experience are welcome.

DATES: Registration opens August 1 – October 15, 2021. Materials available August 1 – December 1, 2021.
Sliding scale: $199 – $1,008. Code SB2N21.

Description:
With a focus on interactive discussion, community building and current events, Sylvia (via video recording) and Heidi (live via Zoom) will share practical, accessible tools to respond to, practice in, and live in these uncharted times with mindfulness, presence, and an open heart. (Re)connect and be nurtured by the support of like-minded sangha, shared stories, and meaningful moments. Join us as we explore how to bring our practice more fully into everyday life and out into the world!

This iteration will be interactive discussion-based, led by facilitating teacher Heidi Bourne, and will include Dharma talks, discussion and reflection, guided meditation, and Q&A.

Course material (included): 11 video-based teachings with Sylvia on how to make your day-to-day experience a basis for mindfulness practice. Filmed at her home, Sylvia offers reflections, teachings, and instructions for everyday experiences such as drinking coffee, driving, preparing food and even walking your dog. Videos recorded in 2014.

With easy, accessible instructions based on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness as well as Lovingkindness (Metta) practice, this class offers an opportunity to take your practice off of the cushion and into the world.

COURSE INCLUDES:
• 6 live Zoom sessions with Heidi Bourne (recorded and posted for later viewing)
• 11 recorded video teaching segments with Sylvia Boorstein
• A downloadable course manual

LIVE ZOOM SESSIONS:
6 weeks, Mondays, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
October 4 – November 8, 2021
Session dates: Oct 4, 11, 18, 25, Nov 1, 8

REGISTRATION AND ACCESSING COURSE MATERIAL:
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with the link to the course page. This course is useful for newer students as well as more experienced meditators who want to refresh their knowledge. The course materials will be available until December 1, 2021. Videos originally recorded in 2014.

Teacher(s): Jeff Haozous
Sliding Scale: $0 – 108. Code 31ML21.

Join us for “Spirit Rock Live: Monday Nights with Jack Kornfield and Friends”!

For over 35 years now, the Monday Night sitting group at Spirit Rock has been a welcoming refuge to gather, hear the teachings of the Buddha, and practice insight meditation together as a community. The program includes a 30-40 min guided meditation, a short break, and a dharma talk. Learn more here.

This program is broadcast via Zoom with Closed Captions available. If you are unable to join us on this day and would like a recording to view later, please register before the end of the day on the night of the program (US Pacific Time). You will have ~90 days from the original program date to watch.

Teacher(s): Donald Rothberg
Sliding Scale: $0 – $108 ($15 – $30 Suggested). Code 31WM21.

Description:
Program includes a 30-45-min sitting period, a talk, and a practice-oriented discussion. Suitable for beginners, as well as engaged practitioners.

Our sliding scale options for this drop-in program include financial support for our teacher(s).

Online: We are offering this program online only via Zoom so you can join us remotely. We invite you to try this creative form of practice as we take care of one another and respond skillfully to COVID-19.

Teacher(s): Grace Fisher and Friends.
Sliding Scale: $0 – $108 ($15 – $30 suggested). Code 31TM21.

Description:
A meditation group for women to honor the feminine using silent and guided meditation, movement, seasonal rituals on the land, and group exploration in a safe, nurturing environment.

Our sliding scale options for this drop-in program include financial support for our teachers.

Online: We are offering this program online only via Zoom so you can join us remotely. We invite you to try this creative form of practice as we take care of one another and respond skillfully to COVID-19.

Date & Time: Saturday, August 7, 2021; 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $45-$200. Code KG1D21.
Continuing Education Credits: This program offers 6 CE credits for $60 for psychologists, health & wellness coaches, and California licensed MFTs, LCSWs, LEPs, LPCCs, and nurses, licensed by the APA, NBHWC, California BBS, or BRN.

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Description:
Clinging can take many forms, from the extremes of addiction to the more daily attachments of opinions and views, from our stories and dramas to our relationships, from social media to Netflix. Recovery from these addictions is not only a way of abstinence and healing, but also a whole field of insight. In this way, our recovery becomes a powerful spiritual awakening in and of itself.

During this day, we will explore meditations and teachings that broaden our understanding of recovery to encompass the wisdom, serenity, and joy promised by the Dharma. Our time together will include guided mindfulness meditation, lecture, interactive exercises, personal reflection, discussion, and Q&A.

All welcome: newcomers, 12 Steppers, Recovery Dharma, Refuge Recovery or just the curious.

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

Teacher(s): Hakim Tafari
Sliding Scale: $0 – $108 ($15 – $30 Suggested). Code 32BV21.

Our sliding scale options for this drop-in program include financial support for our teacher(s).

Online: We are offering this program online only via Zoom so you can join us remotely. We invite you to try this creative form of practice as we take care of one another and respond skillfully to COVID-19.

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Open to all self-identified BIPOC

Description:
The Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) Sangha is a weekly gathering of self-identified BIPOC practitioners that provides a safe place to meditate and explore the dharma. As a beloved community, this sangha supports exploration of the dharma in light of our experiences. Together we will cultivate an environment that welcomes diverse voices and builds community.

All levels of experience are welcome.

Date & Time: Sunday, August 8, 2021; 9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $45-$200. Code PM1D21.

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.

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Description:
In this 20th offering of Poetry Day, our usual sitting and walking practices will be informed by periods of reading poetry to each other. Each poem is carefully selected by Phillip Moffitt with an eye toward selections that point us to Dharma insights.

Poems of this nature comfort us, and inspire us to take our meditation understandings into our daily life such that we see the world through Dharma eyes and respond from the Dharma heart. This is a day of fun and lightheartedness, and if you haven’t ever read a poem in front of others, don’t miss this opportunity to free your voice and find a new form of expression.

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

Teacher(s): TBD; Jack Kornfield and Friends
Sliding Scale: $0 – 108. Code 32ML21.

Join us for “Spirit Rock Live: Monday Nights with Jack Kornfield and Friends”!

For over 35 years now, the Monday Night sitting group at Spirit Rock has been a welcoming refuge to gather, hear the teachings of the Buddha, and practice insight meditation together as a community. The program includes a 30-40 min guided meditation, a short break, and a dharma talk. Learn more here.

This program is broadcast via Zoom with Closed Captions available. If you are unable to join us on this day and would like a recording to view later, please register before the end of the day on the night of the program (US Pacific Time). You will have ~90 days from the original program date to watch.

Teacher(s): Sylvia Boorstein
Sliding Scale: $0 – $108 ($15 – $30 Suggested). Code 32WM21.

Description:
Program includes a 30-45-min sitting period, a talk, and a practice-oriented discussion. Suitable for beginners, as well as engaged practitioners.

Our sliding scale options for this drop-in program include financial support for our teacher(s).

Online: We are offering this program online only via Zoom so you can join us remotely. We invite you to try this creative form of practice as we take care of one another and respond skillfully to COVID-19.

Teacher(s): Grace Fisher and Friends.
Sliding Scale: $0 – $108 ($15 – $30 suggested). Code 32TM21.

Description:
A meditation group for women to honor the feminine using silent and guided meditation, movement, seasonal rituals on the land, and group exploration in a safe, nurturing environment.

Our sliding scale options for this drop-in program include financial support for our teachers.

Online: We are offering this program online only via Zoom so you can join us remotely. We invite you to try this creative form of practice as we take care of one another and respond skillfully to COVID-19.

Teacher(s): Kevin Griffin and others.
Sliding scale: $0–$108 ($15–$30 suggested). Code 08DR21.

Description:
This drop-in group explores the intersection of recovery with Buddhist Teachings and practices. We welcome all people who identify with any of the full range of addictions, from substances, to behaviors, to habitual thought and emotional patterns.

This is not a 12 Step group, but we look to ways that members of that community can support each other on the path of recovery. Each gathering begins with a period of guided meditation and new meditators are welcome. There is time for discussion about meditation practice and each month a recovery/dharma theme will be discussed.

Our sliding scale options for this drop-in program include financial support for our teachers.

ONLINE: 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.

Date & Time: Saturday, August 14, 2021; 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $45-$200. Code TU1D21.

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.

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Description:
It hardly seems that any of us are able to make it through a day without being emotionally triggered. It could be a tragic or anger-inducing news story, a disagreement with family or friends (or even a stranger!), a comment or article on social media, a stressful situation at work…the list is endless. Often emotions turn our lives into a roller coaster ride of reactivity which can have the effect of turning our meditative practice into an escape clause rather than the source of our inner strength. It is possible, however, to engage our meditative practice in a more proactive way by cultivating several awakening emotions. They are considered awakening emotions because when present, they bring clarity and wisdom.

During our day together, we will explore these awakening emotions, how to distinguish them from non-awakening emotions, how to cultivate them and how to recognize their impact upon our practice.

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

LOTTERY REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED.
We had an overwhelming response with over 250 lottery applicants. We will be opening more on-land residential retreats soon for October – December 2021. Please stay connected with us via our calendar!

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Dates: Saturday to Tuesday, August 14-31, 2021 (17 nights). Code 286R21.
Arrival Time: 3:00-5:00 p.m.
Departure Time: 11:00 a.m.

RETREAT TO BE HELD ON THE LAND!

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A Retreat for Experienced Students
Prerequisite: Completion of at least two 7-night silent residential insight meditation retreats (in-person retreat experience; online retreats are not eligible). Retreats do not have to have been taken here at Spirit Rock.

Description:
The first half of this retreat will focus on the development of concentration (samadhi), the collectedness and unification of mind that gives it strength and stability. The development of concentration, which comes from cultivating a relaxed attention and ease of mind, can bring joy to your practice and lead to the skillful use of pleasure in the meditative process. Concentration is also a key ingredient in the deepening of meditative insight.

The second half of the retreat will build on the foundation of concentration to explore the nature of awareness, or consciousness, which is the heart of sentient life. Awareness is always with us, revealing the phenomena of our experience, yet we may not have learned how to use it as a focus in meditation. As we deepen our connection to and understanding of this mysterious capacity for knowing, it becomes a powerful pathway to inner freedom and liberation.

Financial Information:
Sliding Scale: $850 – $5,108; 17 nights including food and lodging.
Please consider paying at the highest rate that you can afford: your generosity supports Spirit Rock, staff, and your fellow practitioners. Any amount offered above the Base rate of $2550 is a tax deductible donation to Spirit Rock, and your generosity will enable and support the participation of others. These fees do not include dana for the teachers.

Benefactor – $5,108
Sustainer – $3,825
Base – $2,550
Mudita/Karuna Scholarship (for anyone who needs financial assistance, including fixed income folks) – $850*
BIPOC Scholarship (for Black, Indigenous, and/or Persons of color) – $850*
Young Adult Scholarship (for young adults age 18-26 years) – $850*

*Scholarship offerings: In returning to the land, we will also be returning to our pre-pandemic scholarship options and policies. All scholarship rates require a minimum fee ($50/night). 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.

Cancellation Policy for Residential Retreats (Aug-Dec 2021) and Online Multi-day Retreats (4+ days):
To offer participants greater flexibility as we make our way out of the pandemic, we’re offering a more generous cancellation policy.

• $100 fee** when you cancel two or more days before the retreat (**fees reduced to half for scholarship participants)
• No refunds when you cancel less than two days prior to the retreat (applies to all participants)

Teacher(s): Pawan Bareja, PhD, SEP
Sliding Scale: $0 – $108 ($15 – $30 Suggested). Code 33BV21.

Our sliding scale options for this drop-in program include financial support for our teacher(s).

Online: We are offering this program online only via Zoom so you can join us remotely. We invite you to try this creative form of practice as we take care of one another and respond skillfully to COVID-19.

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Open to all self-identified BIPOC

Description:
The Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) Sangha is a weekly gathering of self-identified BIPOC practitioners that provides a safe place to meditate and explore the dharma. As a beloved community, this sangha supports exploration of the dharma in light of our experiences. Together we will cultivate an environment that welcomes diverse voices and builds community.

All levels of experience are welcome.

Teacher(s): Susie Harrington
Sliding Scale: $0 – 108. Code 33ML21.

Join us for “Spirit Rock Live: Monday Nights with Jack Kornfield and Friends”!

For over 35 years now, the Monday Night sitting group at Spirit Rock has been a welcoming refuge to gather, hear the teachings of the Buddha, and practice insight meditation together as a community. The program includes a 30-40 min guided meditation, a short break, and a dharma talk. Learn more here.

This program is broadcast via Zoom with Closed Captions available. If you are unable to join us on this day and would like a recording to view later, please register before the end of the day on the night of the program (US Pacific Time). You will have ~90 days from the original program date to watch.

Teacher(s): Heidi Bourne
Sliding Scale: $0 – $108 ($15 – $30 Suggested). Code 33WM21.

Description:
Program includes a 30-45-min sitting period, a talk, and a practice-oriented discussion. Suitable for beginners, as well as engaged practitioners.

Our sliding scale options for this drop-in program include financial support for our teacher(s).

Online: We are offering this program online only via Zoom so you can join us remotely. We invite you to try this creative form of practice as we take care of one another and respond skillfully to COVID-19.

Teacher(s): Grace Fisher and Friends.
Sliding Scale: $0 – $108 ($15 – $30 suggested). Code 33TM21.

Description:
A meditation group for women to honor the feminine using silent and guided meditation, movement, seasonal rituals on the land, and group exploration in a safe, nurturing environment.

Our sliding scale options for this drop-in program include financial support for our teachers.

Online: We are offering this program online only via Zoom so you can join us remotely. We invite you to try this creative form of practice as we take care of one another and respond skillfully to COVID-19.

Date & Time: Saturday, August 21, 2021; 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: Dana (By Donation) — $0-$108. Code AP1G21.

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.

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Description:
In meditation, people often expend large amounts of energy trying to stop their thinking so that they can be peaceful. This can result in a very tense and limited mind state. This afternoon’s teaching will focus on how to actually use thinking as a skillful tool, rather than trying to annihilate it.

Teacher(s): TBD
Sliding Scale: $0 – $108 ($15 – $30 Suggested). Code 34BV21.

Our sliding scale options for this drop-in program include financial support for our teacher(s).

Online: We are offering this program online only via Zoom so you can join us remotely. We invite you to try this creative form of practice as we take care of one another and respond skillfully to COVID-19.

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Open to all self-identified BIPOC

Description:
The Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) Sangha is a weekly gathering of self-identified BIPOC practitioners that provides a safe place to meditate and explore the dharma. As a beloved community, this sangha supports exploration of the dharma in light of our experiences. Together we will cultivate an environment that welcomes diverse voices and builds community.

All levels of experience are welcome.

Teacher(s): Jack Kornfield, PhD.
Sliding Scale: $0 – 108. Code 34ML21.

Join us for “Spirit Rock Live: Monday Nights with Jack Kornfield and Friends”!

For over 35 years now, the Monday Night sitting group at Spirit Rock has been a welcoming refuge to gather, hear the teachings of the Buddha, and practice insight meditation together as a community. The program includes a 30-40 min guided meditation, a short break, and a dharma talk. Learn more here.

This program is broadcast via Zoom with Closed Captions available. If you are unable to join us on this day and would like a recording to view later, please register before the end of the day on the night of the program (US Pacific Time). You will have ~90 days from the original program date to watch.

Teacher(s): Donald Rothberg
Sliding Scale: $0 – $108 ($15 – $30 Suggested). Code 34WM21.

Description:
Program includes a 30-45-min sitting period, a talk, and a practice-oriented discussion. Suitable for beginners, as well as engaged practitioners.

Our sliding scale options for this drop-in program include financial support for our teacher(s).

Online: We are offering this program online only via Zoom so you can join us remotely. We invite you to try this creative form of practice as we take care of one another and respond skillfully to COVID-19.

Teacher(s): Grace Fisher and Friends.
Sliding Scale: $0 – $108 ($15 – $30 suggested). Code 34TM21.

Description:
A meditation group for women to honor the feminine using silent and guided meditation, movement, seasonal rituals on the land, and group exploration in a safe, nurturing environment.

Our sliding scale options for this drop-in program include financial support for our teachers.

Online: We are offering this program online only via Zoom so you can join us remotely. We invite you to try this creative form of practice as we take care of one another and respond skillfully to COVID-19.

Date & Time: Saturday, August 28, 2021; 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $45-$200. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code HT1D21.

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.

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Description:
In this day, we will explore the timeless, beautiful art and practice of two mindful movement traditions: Qi Gong and Tai Chi Chuan.

Together, we will learn more about the benefits of these practices, and discover how to break down each step, work with the breath and body mechanics, and how to cultivate inner Qi (sometimes translated as spirit), to enable a sense of energy flow and ease.

Our time will include specific practices, such as the Eight Piece Brocade Qi Gong and Yang forms, as well as discussion, meditation, and Q&A.

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

Teacher(s): Nikki Mirghafori
Sliding Scale: $0 – $108 ($15 – $30 Suggested). Code 35BV21.

Our sliding scale options for this drop-in program include financial support for our teacher(s).

Online: We are offering this program online only via Zoom so you can join us remotely. We invite you to try this creative form of practice as we take care of one another and respond skillfully to COVID-19.

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Open to all self-identified BIPOC

Description:
The Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) Sangha is a weekly gathering of self-identified BIPOC practitioners that provides a safe place to meditate and explore the dharma. As a beloved community, this sangha supports exploration of the dharma in light of our experiences. Together we will cultivate an environment that welcomes diverse voices and builds community.

All levels of experience are welcome.

Date & Time: Sunday, August 29, 2021; 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $45-$200. Code WT1D21.

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.

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Description:
Most people practice mindfulness in a focused way—attending to their breathing, and returning to their breath when their attention has wandered. But there are actually many different ways to practice being aware.

In this daylong, we will learn about the Spectrum of Awareness Practices: from focused awareness to investigative and choiceless awareness, to natural awareness. Natural awareness is an effortless, radiant, and spacious state of being that includes awareness of awareness.

The day will include opportunity to practice with the full Spectrum of Awareness through sitting, walking, and dialogue.

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

Teacher(s): JD Doyle
Sliding Scale: $0 – 108. Code 35ML21.

Join us for “Spirit Rock Live: Monday Nights with Jack Kornfield and Friends”!

For over 35 years now, the Monday Night sitting group at Spirit Rock has been a welcoming refuge to gather, hear the teachings of the Buddha, and practice insight meditation together as a community. The program includes a 30-40 min guided meditation, a short break, and a dharma talk. Learn more here.

This program is broadcast via Zoom with Closed Captions available. If you are unable to join us on this day and would like a recording to view later, please register before the end of the day on the night of the program (US Pacific Time). You will have ~90 days from the original program date to watch.

APPLICATIONS DUE AUGUST 15, 2021
Dates: April 2022 – May 2024
Sliding Scale: $13,700 – $3,700. Code: DPPT22

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PROGRAM DATES: April 2022 – May 2024

All retreats held in-person at Spirit Rock Meditation Center:
Retreat 1: April 30, 2022 to May 6, 2022
Retreat 2: November 11, 2022 to November 17, 2022
Retreat 3: April 15, 2023 to April 21, 2023
Retreat 4: November 11, 2023 to November 17, 2023
Retreat 5: April 28, 2024 to May 4, 2024

PROGRAM PREREQUISITES

• A minimum total of 50 nights residential retreat practice in the Insight Meditation (Vipassana) tradition
• A minimum total of 5 years daily dharma practice
• A letter of recommendation from a sponsoring teacher (someone who currently teaches at the Insight Meditation Society, Spirit Rock, Gaia House or is a recognized vipassana teacher), knows you and your meditation practice, and is supportive of your application to DPP
• For those who identify as white, completion of a White Awake multi-week program, either through Spirit Rock or through other respected organizations
• Personal and interpersonal maturity regardless of age, including:
  • Maturity displaying emotional and relational intelligence, including the capacity to work with personal suffering
  • Interpersonal maturity, to navigate relational difficulties with peers and teachers
  • Interest and capacity to interact with people who will have different histories, stories and views than your own and a willingness to engage and discover with others

PROGRAM DETAILS:

Become a part of a community that will challenge, broaden, and vitalize your understanding and embodiment of the earliest Buddhist teachings. The Dedicated Practitioners Program (DPP), designed as an intensive lay practice period, offers a comprehensive curriculum on the Buddha’s early teachings over two years. In addition to attending five 6-night in-person residential retreats, participants commit to maintaining a formal daily meditative practice, monthly coursework, monthly group meetings, a monthly “dharma buddy” meeting and contact with a mentoring teacher over the full period of DPP.

While the retreats are a very powerful part of the program, most of DPP is the personal engagement with the eight-fold path in the six months between retreats. Students who participated in the past six cycles of DPP reported a profound impact on their own meditation practice, providing a focus and inspiration for deepening their understanding of Buddhism, and bringing the dharma alive in new and unexpected ways.

We use the Dharma, our meditation practice, and our Sangha to explore the ways suffering and freedom are created in our own hearts, including an exploration of the gross and subtle manifestations of social suffering, and its impact on personal and collective well-being. Our intention is to create a diverse and vibrant community of dedicated practitioners who support one another in waking up and in bringing more wise compassion into the world. We are committed to having a minimum combined 50% BIPOC and LGBTQI+ participation in DPP.

Please note: DPP is not a teacher training program. Spirit Rock does periodically offer programs such as the Community Dharma Leaders Program, which trains participants in leading community dharma communities, the Dharma & Yoga Training Program for aspiring yoga teachers, and the Mindful Leadership Program geared toward leadership in social and environmental justice.

PROGRAM COMPONENTS and REQUIREMENTS

• Attendance at all five 6-night residential retreats
• Completion of monthly readings, practices and reflections with personal engagement with the eight-fold path in the six months between retreats.
• Attending a monthly teacher-led group meeting. Traditionally DPP groups have formed in San Francisco, Marin County, the SF East Bay, Redwood City, Los Angeles, Seattle and Vancouver, BC and have met in person and now groups may be offered by zoom. The groups are asked to support the teachers with dana.
• Monthly meetings with “dharma buddies” in the program
• Maintain regular contact with mentoring teacher focusing on formal practice, DPP homework, and personal dharma development and integration. Mentoring meetings may be offered monthly or every other month, in person or by zoom at the teacher’s discretion, and will be offered held on a dana basis. We encourage you to reach out to teachers (including your sponsoring teacher) to see if they might be willing to mentor you in DPP. If needed we will support you in finding one.
• Interest and commitment to increase individual awareness of structural oppression internalized oppression and privilege (class, race, gender, sexual orientation, etc.)
• The practice of dana (generosity) to support program teachers, group leaders and mentoring teachers
• Meeting all financial obligations outlined in this application relating to program fees
• Access to email and the internet, either through your own computer, through a DPP buddy, or through a family member or friend who would be willing to pass along all the messages related to DPP.

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APPLICATION TIMELINE and PROCESS

June 1 – August 15, 2021 – Applications accepted between these dates.  Incomplete applications without an attached digital photo cannot be processed.
August 15, 2021 – Deadline to submit application. All applications sent after this date will be put in a waitlist reserve to only be reviewed if space opens up in the program.
October 1, 2021 – Notification of your status will be sent no later than this date via email.
November 1, 2021 – Commitment and payment deadline; 25% deposit required at time of acceptance; $100 non-refundable fee for all applicants, if cancel prior to Jan 1, 2022.

Applications will open June 1, 2021. Close August 15, 2021.

A few things to consider and gather before getting started:

• This is an online-only application. You will receive a copy of your submitted application upon its completion.
• Allow yourself at least 30 minutes or more to complete this entire application.
• Gather details on your previous retreat experience; you will have to list your retreat time; Example format: date (month/year), location of retreat (what center), teacher(s), style of retreat (metta or vipassana, etc.), # of nights.
• Digital photo of yourself (headshot/”selfie”); take or choose a digital photo of yourself to be attached at the end of the application.
• Get prior approval from your sponsoring teacher before listing them on the application. You will be asked to submit a letter of recommendation from the sponsoring teacher.
• The form is compatible with mobile, tablet and computer devices.

TUITION

Participation in DPP requires a financial commitment. Payment plans are available for all levels of the sliding scale. Scholarship support is available to help with payment of fees but it will be limited. A 25% deposit will be due upon acceptance.

Sliding Scale:
Supporter – $16,900 (guaranteed single room)
Benefactor – $13,700
Sustainer – $10,700
Base – $7,700

Scholarship Sliding Scale:
Scholarship Rate 1 – $5,700
Scholarship Rate 2 – $3,700

Tuition includes:

• Accommodations and meals at all five residential retreats
• All handouts and program materials
• Access to social media and online community building groups

Tuition does NOT include:

• Teacher support (dana)
• Transportation costs to/from your home to Spirit Rock
• Dana for mentor teacher support and monthly group teacher support

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IMPORTANCE OF SANGHA

With the spread of mindfulness outside of traditional Theravadin countries, often taught by teachers with little direct contact to the Pali teachings, every generation must take time to find the roots of their understanding in the recorded words of the Buddha and his earliest community. If we study alone, we often feel a limited understanding of these ancient texts, yet together they can come more alive. Also, many past students of DPP have forged life-long friendships from within the program.

During free time around non-silent meals on the retreats, and any time in the months between retreats, students are encouraged to organize self-led student groups on topics of shared interests. This is to further extend the Dharma presented formally by the program teachers and to raise topics not covered in the formal DPP curriculum.

All who meet the prerequisites are welcome to apply. Spirit Rock and the organizers of DPP7 are deeply committed to creating a community of practitioners from diverse backgrounds and cultures – a mix of races, genders, ethnicities, classes, sexual orientations, ages, and abilities – to support each other’s Dharma practice.

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Testimonials from Past DPP Participants

One of the things I’ve appreciated most about my practice on silent meditation retreats is the chance to just drop my habitual patterns of relating to people. Upon re-emerging into the world of social contact after a silent retreat, I have usually noticed subtle shifts in how I relate to people: over time, some of my habitual patterns have gotten weaker. With the interactive practices offered in the DPP, the shifts have been dramatic. Mindful interactive practices were for me a radical experience of authenticity in communication. Having experienced that level of authenticity and sharing in a safe environment, I find myself more willing to be authentic in daily life interactions. For me, the DPP has been as much about exploring community as about exploring the Dharma. The experience of trust and intimacy with such a large group of people has been extremely powerful. — Rachel

One of the greatest benefits of the DPP program was the “Dharma Buddy” element.  For years I sat silent retreats with total strangers who now, thanks to DPP, are my closest friends. It doesn’t matter who you choose to be your dharma buddy; each of us is a teacher and a student in our own unique way. I started out buddying up with an acquaintance who was in the program, and then a total stranger asked to be my buddy, so we became three. And then, during the course of the two years, I deeply connected with several other people who I adopted (or perhaps they adopted me) as dharma buddies. I speak on the phone or email those is distant cities, and we visit each other. Those who are local have formed a Kalyana Mitta (Dharma Friends) group that meets monthly. By the end of the program I had more than a half dozen close dharma buddies with whom I will undoubtedly continue sharing the dharma for years to come. — David

As a parent, the DPP gave me the focus and permission to deeply commit to my practice for two years. While I was uncertain initially about the impact on my family, the depth of practice has deeply served us and I have come much closer to the parent I always wanted to be! — Maureen

Participating in DPP has been one of the best experiences of my life. After two years of guided practice and study of the dharma, I feel confident and happy to go on with my life with a sense of meaning and connectedness. This is the greatest gift from life one can get. — Alicia

QUESTIONS? Please email us. 

DATES: Registration opens August 1 – October 15, 2021. Materials available August 1 – December 1, 2021.
Sliding scale: $199 – $1,008. Code SB2N21.

Description:
With a focus on interactive discussion, community building and current events, Sylvia (via video recording) and Heidi (live via Zoom) will share practical, accessible tools to respond to, practice in, and live in these uncharted times with mindfulness, presence, and an open heart. (Re)connect and be nurtured by the support of like-minded sangha, shared stories, and meaningful moments. Join us as we explore how to bring our practice more fully into everyday life and out into the world!

This iteration will be interactive discussion-based, led by facilitating teacher Heidi Bourne, and will include Dharma talks, discussion and reflection, guided meditation, and Q&A.

Course material (included): 11 video-based teachings with Sylvia on how to make your day-to-day experience a basis for mindfulness practice. Filmed at her home, Sylvia offers reflections, teachings, and instructions for everyday experiences such as drinking coffee, driving, preparing food and even walking your dog. Videos recorded in 2014.

With easy, accessible instructions based on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness as well as Lovingkindness (Metta) practice, this class offers an opportunity to take your practice off of the cushion and into the world.

COURSE INCLUDES:
• 6 live Zoom sessions with Heidi Bourne (recorded and posted for later viewing)
• 11 recorded video teaching segments with Sylvia Boorstein
• A downloadable course manual

LIVE ZOOM SESSIONS:
6 weeks, Mondays, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
October 4 – November 8, 2021
Session dates: Oct 4, 11, 18, 25, Nov 1, 8

REGISTRATION AND ACCESSING COURSE MATERIAL:
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with the link to the course page. This course is useful for newer students as well as more experienced meditators who want to refresh their knowledge. The course materials will be available until December 1, 2021. Videos originally recorded in 2014.

Teacher(s): Donald Rothberg
Sliding Scale: $0 – $108 ($15 – $30 Suggested). Code 35WM21.

Description:
Program includes a 30-45-min sitting period, a talk, and a practice-oriented discussion. Suitable for beginners, as well as engaged practitioners.

Our sliding scale options for this drop-in program include financial support for our teacher(s).

Online: We are offering this program online only via Zoom so you can join us remotely. We invite you to try this creative form of practice as we take care of one another and respond skillfully to COVID-19.

Teacher(s): Grace Fisher and Friends.
Sliding Scale: $0 – $108 ($15 – $30 suggested). Code 35TM21.

Description:
A meditation group for women to honor the feminine using silent and guided meditation, movement, seasonal rituals on the land, and group exploration in a safe, nurturing environment.

Our sliding scale options for this drop-in program include financial support for our teachers.

Online: We are offering this program online only via Zoom so you can join us remotely. We invite you to try this creative form of practice as we take care of one another and respond skillfully to COVID-19.

Dates: Friday to Monday, September 3-6, 2021 (3 nights).
Sliding Scale: $150-$1050, PLUS a donation to the teacher(s). Code 288R21.
Arrival Time: 3:00-5:00 p.m.
Departure Time: 11:00 a.m.

RETREAT TO BE HELD ON THE LAND!

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Description:
This retreat emphasizes quieting the mind, opening the heart, and developing clarity and depth of practice. Traditional instructions will be combined with a spirit of lovingkindness, silent sitting and walking meditation, Dharma talks, and meetings with the teachers.

This retreat is for experienced as well as new students.

The retreat includes a schedule of silent sitting and walking periods with instructions, and guided yoga/movement sessions, as well as practice meetings with teachers and daily Dharma talks.

Financial Information:
Sliding Scale: $150 – $1,050; 3 nights including meals and lodging.
Please consider paying at the highest rate that you can afford: your generosity supports Spirit Rock, staff, and your fellow practitioners. Any amount offered above the Base rate is a tax deductible donation to Spirit Rock, and your generosity will enable and support the participation of others. These fees do not include dana for the teachers.

Benefactor – $1,050
Sustainer – $750
Base – $525
Mudita/Karuna Scholarship (for anyone who needs financial assistance, including fixed income folks) – $150*
BIPOC Scholarship (for Black, Indigenous, and/or Persons of color) – $150*
Young Adult Scholarship (for young adults age 18-26 years) – $150*

*Scholarship offerings: In returning to the land, we will also be returning to our pre-pandemic scholarship options and policies. All scholarship rates require a minimum fee ($50/night). 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.

Cancellation Policy for Residential Retreats (Aug-Dec 2021) and Online Multi-day Retreats (4+ days):
To offer participants greater flexibility as we make our way out of the pandemic, we’re offering a more generous cancellation policy.

• $100 fee** when you cancel two or more days before the retreat (**fees reduced to half for scholarship participants)
• No refunds when you cancel less than two days prior to the retreat (applies to all participants)

Teacher(s): Mushim Ikeda
Sliding Scale: $0 – $108 ($15 – $30 Suggested). Code 36BV21.

Our sliding scale options for this drop-in program include financial support for our teacher(s).

Online: We are offering this program online only via Zoom so you can join us remotely. We invite you to try this creative form of practice as we take care of one another and respond skillfully to COVID-19.

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Open to all self-identified BIPOC

Description:
The Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) Sangha is a weekly gathering of self-identified BIPOC practitioners that provides a safe place to meditate and explore the dharma. As a beloved community, this sangha supports exploration of the dharma in light of our experiences. Together we will cultivate an environment that welcomes diverse voices and builds community.

All levels of experience are welcome.

Teacher(s): Pamela Weiss
Sliding Scale: $0 – 108. Code 36ML21.

Join us for “Spirit Rock Live: Monday Nights with Jack Kornfield and Friends”!

For over 35 years now, the Monday Night sitting group at Spirit Rock has been a welcoming refuge to gather, hear the teachings of the Buddha, and practice insight meditation together as a community. The program includes a 30-40 min guided meditation, a short break, and a dharma talk. Learn more here.

This program is broadcast via Zoom with Closed Captions available. If you are unable to join us on this day and would like a recording to view later, please register before the end of the day on the night of the program (US Pacific Time). You will have ~90 days from the original program date to watch.

Teacher(s): Donald Rothberg
Sliding Scale: $0 – $108 ($15 – $30 Suggested). Code 36WM21.

Description:
Program includes a 30-45-min sitting period, a talk, and a practice-oriented discussion. Suitable for beginners, as well as engaged practitioners.

Our sliding scale options for this drop-in program include financial support for our teacher(s).

Online: We are offering this program online only via Zoom so you can join us remotely. We invite you to try this creative form of practice as we take care of one another and respond skillfully to COVID-19.

Teacher(s): Grace Fisher and Friends.
Sliding Scale: $0 – $108 ($15 – $30 suggested). Code 36TM21.

Description:
A meditation group for women to honor the feminine using silent and guided meditation, movement, seasonal rituals on the land, and group exploration in a safe, nurturing environment.

Our sliding scale options for this drop-in program include financial support for our teachers.

Online: We are offering this program online only via Zoom so you can join us remotely. We invite you to try this creative form of practice as we take care of one another and respond skillfully to COVID-19.

Dates: Thursday to Sunday, September 9-12, 2021 (3 nights). Code 290R21.
Arrival Time: 3:00-5:00 p.m.
Departure Time: 11:00 a.m.

RETREAT TO BE HELD ON THE LAND!
OPEN TO ALL: Indigenous people from around the world and allies.

Description:
This residential retreat will provide a conceptual framework and practice guidelines for Mindful “Indigenous Presence” meditation—a way of coming into harmony with the present moment and our world—and provides space for acceptance, and the cultivation of clarity, confidence, resilience and strength. This practice maps the fundamental wellness-optimizing characteristics of Indigenous Ceremony onto the methods and outcomes of another ancient traditional expression of sacred presence, that of mindfulness and lovingkindness meditation.

This retreat will be instructional, experiential, and interactive. Together we will explore the techniques of mindfulness/insight meditation and come to understand the strength-based and resilience optimizing characteristics of retreat as Ceremony.

Scholarship offerings: In returning to the land, we will also be returning to our pre-pandemic scholarship options and policies. All scholarship rates require a minimum fee ($50/night). 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.

Cancellation Policy
To offer participants greater flexibility as we make our way out of the pandemic, we’re offering a more generous cancellation policy for Residential Retreats (Aug-Dec 2021) and Online Multi-day Retreats (4+ days):

• $100 fee* when you cancel two or more days before the retreat (*fees reduced to half for scholarship participants)
• No refunds when you cancel less than two days prior to the retreat (applies to all participants)

Teacher(s): Kevin Griffin and others.
Sliding scale: $0–$108 ($15–$30 suggested). Code 09DR21.

Description:
This drop-in group explores the intersection of recovery with Buddhist Teachings and practices. We welcome all people who identify with any of the full range of addictions, from substances, to behaviors, to habitual thought and emotional patterns.

This is not a 12 Step group, but we look to ways that members of that community can support each other on the path of recovery. Each gathering begins with a period of guided meditation and new meditators are welcome. There is time for discussion about meditation practice and each month a recovery/dharma theme will be discussed.

Our sliding scale options for this drop-in program include financial support for our teachers.

ONLINE: 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.

Date & Time: Saturday, September 11, 2021; 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $45-$200. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code SF1D21.

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.

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Open to Everyone!

Description:
The ancient Buddhist map of existence known as the Six Realms is both a vision of the cosmos and all its inhabitants and an elegant psychological model we can use in everyday life. Working with the realms as psychological archetypes (demon, ghost, animal, human, titan, angel) reveals patterns in how we process both harm and help in our personal and collective past, which play out as trauma and privilege in the present.

Through meditations and relational exercises, we’ll bring mindfulness, compassion, and appreciation to our present situation, and explore how we can see beings in various states of existence, from hellish to heavenly, all around us. This kind of reflective practice reveals how central emotions and mind states are to our experience of life’s challenges and pleasures, and suggests pathways for healing and liberation from all conditioned ways of being.

Tentative General Schedule:
10:00 a.m. -12:30 p.m. morning session
12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. lunch
1:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. afternoon session
Sessions will include meditations, talk, and small groups

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

Teacher(s): Vimalasara, MA
Sliding Scale: $0 – $108 ($15 – $30 Suggested). Code 37BV21.

Our sliding scale options for this drop-in program include financial support for our teacher(s).

Online: We are offering this program online only via Zoom so you can join us remotely. We invite you to try this creative form of practice as we take care of one another and respond skillfully to COVID-19.

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Open to all self-identified BIPOC

Description:
The Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) Sangha is a weekly gathering of self-identified BIPOC practitioners that provides a safe place to meditate and explore the dharma. As a beloved community, this sangha supports exploration of the dharma in light of our experiences. Together we will cultivate an environment that welcomes diverse voices and builds community.

All levels of experience are welcome.

Dates: Monday to Monday, September 13-20, 2021 (6 nights). Code 292R21.
Sliding Scale: $350-$2450, PLUS a donation to the teacher(s).
Arrival Time: 3:00-5:00 p.m.
Departure Time: 11:00 a.m.

RETREAT TO BE HELD ON THE LAND!

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Description:
We will celebrate our humanity by learning to stay present and relaxed in each moment. This present centeredness reveals the depth, beauty, and goodness of our innate humanity, which the Buddha discovered is available to all human beings. We’ll practice together for ourselves and the benefit of all.

Scholarship offerings: In returning to the land, we will also be returning to our pre-pandemic scholarship options and policies. All scholarship rates require a minimum fee ($50/night). 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.

Hemera Fellowships – are you eligible? Learn more…

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

Teacher(s): Kate Johnson
Sliding Scale: $0 – 108. Code 37ML21.

Join us for “Spirit Rock Live: Monday Nights with Jack Kornfield and Friends”!

For over 35 years now, the Monday Night sitting group at Spirit Rock has been a welcoming refuge to gather, hear the teachings of the Buddha, and practice insight meditation together as a community. The program includes a 30-40 min guided meditation, a short break, and a dharma talk. Learn more here.

This program is broadcast via Zoom with Closed Captions available. If you are unable to join us on this day and would like a recording to view later, please register before the end of the day on the night of the program (US Pacific Time). You will have ~90 days from the original program date to watch.

Teacher(s): Sylvia Boorstein
Sliding Scale: $0 – $108 ($15 – $30 Suggested). Code 37WM21.

Description:
Program includes a 30-45-min sitting period, a talk, and a practice-oriented discussion. Suitable for beginners, as well as engaged practitioners.

Our sliding scale options for this drop-in program include financial support for our teacher(s).

Online: We are offering this program online only via Zoom so you can join us remotely. We invite you to try this creative form of practice as we take care of one another and respond skillfully to COVID-19.

Teacher(s): Grace Fisher and Friends.
Sliding Scale: $0 – $108 ($15 – $30 suggested). Code 37TM21.

Description:
A meditation group for women to honor the feminine using silent and guided meditation, movement, seasonal rituals on the land, and group exploration in a safe, nurturing environment.

Our sliding scale options for this drop-in program include financial support for our teachers.

Online: We are offering this program online only via Zoom so you can join us remotely. We invite you to try this creative form of practice as we take care of one another and respond skillfully to COVID-19.

Date & Time: Friday, September 17, 2021; 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $45-$200. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code MC2D21.
Continuing Education (CE) credit available:
This program offers 5.5 CE credits for $55 for psychologists, health & wellness coaches, and California licensed MFTs, LCSWs, LEPs, LPCCs, nurses, and chiropractors, licensed by the APA, NBHWC, California BBS, BRN, or BCE.*

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.

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Description:
In response to the ongoing challenging conditions of the pandemic, on this Vipassana/Insight meditation retreat we will cultivate the beautiful quality of mindfulness.

Mindful awareness nurtures a clarity, wisdom and well-being, qualities so essential at this time. Through “at-home” mindfulness practices we’ll explore understanding the root causes of stress and suffering and develop the causes for a genuine happiness. These foundational Buddhist practices help you live with a profound ease and freedom wherever you are – the innate peace we all seek.

As well as sitting and walking insight meditation practice, heart based teachings will be integrated into the day so that we learn to live with a loving awareness. There will be periods of meditation, talks, questions and discussion. It’s a wonderful retreat to truly integrate these teachings more fully into our lives and practice. We will do so with the supportive community of like-minded meditators.

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

Dates: Saturday to Sunday, September 18-19, 2021
Times: 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $75-$600. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code ES2M21.

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Open to Everyone!

Description:
Equanimity is one the four heart qualities described in classical Buddhist texts. It is said to bring balance and wisdom to the three other heart qualities of joy, love, and compassion. Equanimity can be experienced as stillness and composure that helps maintain steadiness, even amidst difficulties.

The equinox is a time of year when day and night are of equal length all over the world. Connecting with the earth’s relationship to the sun at equinox, offers an opportunity to reflect on how to bring steadiness and wisdom to individual, relational, and societal imbalances.

Join us in silent meditation, ritual, and reflection to celebrate, align with, and attune to this sacred time of year. We will draw on the foundational teachings of the Satipattana Sutta’s and practice meditation with earth, water, fire, air, and space. There will also be dharma talks, inquiry practice, ritual and journaling.

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

Teacher(s): Ramona Lisa Ortiz-Smith
Sliding Scale: $0 – $108 ($15 – $30 Suggested). Code 38BV21.

Our sliding scale options for this drop-in program include financial support for our teacher(s).

Online: We are offering this program online only via Zoom so you can join us remotely. We invite you to try this creative form of practice as we take care of one another and respond skillfully to COVID-19.

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Open to all self-identified BIPOC

Description:
The Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) Sangha is a weekly gathering of self-identified BIPOC practitioners that provides a safe place to meditate and explore the dharma. As a beloved community, this sangha supports exploration of the dharma in light of our experiences. Together we will cultivate an environment that welcomes diverse voices and builds community.

All levels of experience are welcome.

Dates: 5 Sundays; September 19 –  October 17, 2021. Time: 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
Class Dates: September 19, 26, October 3, 10, 17; class time is the same for all 5 Sundays.
Sliding Scale: $80-$180. Code: TE6C21.
Important Note: All participants must attend the first class meeting. Students are expected to attend at least 4 sessions.

Registration limit: 23 students. Series fills quickly so register early! No late additions unless by teacher approval.

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ALL TWEENS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL ARE WELCOME (11-14 year olds)

Description:
In this five-week series, learn meditation, speak your truth, relax deeply, and develop your mind – all while hanging out with other great people your age. We will take the time to reconnect with ourselves in order to experience more peace, wisdom, and compassion through the practices of mindfulness and Insight meditation.

Classes will include movement, community-building games, meditation instruction, and council – a practice of witnessing and contributing to the group’s collective wisdom. This Fall series is offered to all tweens in Middle School.

Dates: 6 Sundays; September 19 – October 24, 2021; 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
Class dates: September 19, 26; October 3, 10, 17, 24; class time is the same for all 6 Sundays.
Sliding Scale: $108 – $240. Code: TE5C21.
Important Note: All participants must attend the first class meeting. Students are expected to attend at least 4 sessions.

Registration limit: 23 students. Series fills quickly so register early! No late additions unless by teacher approval.

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ALL TEENS IN HIGH SCHOOL AND BEYOND ARE WELCOME

Description:
What would it be like to love yourself, trust yourself, and accept yourself… completely?

To be able to show up fully, in your own unique way?

Come join us! Let’s co-create a safe space to discover and nurture our authentic selves. A community where we can bring forth our joys and sorrows…and have honest conversations about what really matters.

In this six-week teen series, we’ll explore deep practices of mindfulness and lovingkindness…play with art and creativity…and connect through games, discussions, and one-on-one time.

Teacher(s):  Jack Kornfield
Sliding Scale: $0 – 108. Code 38ML21.

Join us for “Spirit Rock Live: Monday Nights with Jack Kornfield and Friends”!

For over 35 years now, the Monday Night sitting group at Spirit Rock has been a welcoming refuge to gather, hear the teachings of the Buddha, and practice insight meditation together as a community. The program includes a 30-40 min guided meditation, a short break, and a dharma talk. Learn more here.

If you are unable to join us on this day and would like a recording to view later, please register before the end of the day on the night of the program (US Pacific Time). You will have ~90 days from the original program date to watch.

REOPENING SOON! Shifting to On-Land registration Friday, May 28, 2021.

Dates: Tuesday to Saturday, September 21-25, 2021 (4 nights).
Sliding Scale: $200-$1200, PLUS a donation to the teacher(s). Code 294R21.
Arrival Time: 3:00-5:00 p.m.
Departure Time: 11:00 a.m.

RETREAT TO BE HELD ON THE LAND!

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Open to self-identified LGBT*QI2 and GNC Community

Description:
The beauty of the Buddhist practice comes alive when practicing together as LGBTQI and GNC (gender non-conforming) people. We take refuge together in the diversity of our community and in embracing ourselves fully, no part left out. With our practice we cultivate mindfulness, lovingkindness and compassion to support healing our hearts and the potential to realize a peace that is not dependent on the external conditions of the world. This retreat is open to those with all levels of experience.

Instructions for Insight Meditation practice including guided meditations, Dharma talks, and practice meetings will be offered. Each day will include alternating periods of sitting and walking meditation, and will emphasize the continuity of practice in all activities throughout the day.

Financial Information:
Sliding Scale: $200 – $1,200; 4 nights including food and lodging.
Please consider paying at the highest rate that you can afford: your generosity supports Spirit Rock, staff, and your fellow practitioners. Any amount offered above the Base rate is a tax deductible donation to Spirit Rock, and your generosity will enable and support the participation of others. These fees do not include dana for the teachers.

Benefactor – $1,200
Sustainer – $900
Base – $600
Mudita/Karuna Scholarship (for anyone who needs financial assistance, including fixed income folks) – $200*
BIPOC Scholarship (for Black, Indigenous, and/or Persons of color) – $200*
Young Adult Scholarship (for young adults age 18-26 years) – $200*

*Scholarship offerings: In returning to the land, we will also be returning to our pre-pandemic scholarship options and policies. All scholarship rates require a minimum fee ($50/night). 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.

Hemera Fellowships – are you eligible? Learn more…

Cancellation Policy for Residential Retreats (Aug-Dec 2021) and Online Multi-day Retreats (4+ days):
To offer participants greater flexibility as we make our way out of the pandemic, we’re offering a more generous cancellation policy.

• $100 fee** when you cancel two or more days before the retreat (**fees reduced to half for scholarship participants)
• No refunds when you cancel less than two days prior to the retreat (applies to all participants)

Teacher(s): Heidi Bourne
Sliding Scale: $0 – $108 ($15 – $30 Suggested). Code 38WM21.

Description:
Program includes a 30-45-min sitting period, a talk, and a practice-oriented discussion. Suitable for beginners, as well as engaged practitioners.

Our sliding scale options for this drop-in program include financial support for our teacher(s).

Online: We are offering this program online only via Zoom so you can join us remotely. We invite you to try this creative form of practice as we take care of one another and respond skillfully to COVID-19.

Teacher(s): Grace Fisher and Friends.
Sliding Scale: $0 – $108 ($15 – $30 suggested). Code 38TM21.

Description:
A meditation group for women to honor the feminine using silent and guided meditation, movement, seasonal rituals on the land, and group exploration in a safe, nurturing environment.

Our sliding scale options for this drop-in program include financial support for our teachers.

Online: We are offering this program online only via Zoom so you can join us remotely. We invite you to try this creative form of practice as we take care of one another and respond skillfully to COVID-19.

Date & Time: Saturday, September 25, 2021; 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $55-$275. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code JK1B21.
Continuing Education (CE) credit available:
This program offers 5.5 CE credits for $55 for psychologists, health & wellness coaches, and California licensed MFTs, LCSWs, LEPs, LPCCs, nurses, and chiropractors, licensed by the APA, NBHWC, California BBS, BRN, or BCE.*

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.

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A BENEFIT FOR SPIRIT ROCK

Description:
Discover inner capacities for wakefulness, joy, dignity, and compassion – your Buddhanature. Join us for this day of mindful meditations and teachings on love, consciousness, healing, and the nature of mind. Our training will study the fundamental principles of Buddhist psychology, combining practical examples, teaching stories, visionary wisdom, and case studies. We will explore applications of these revolutionary perspectives in our healing work, our meditation, and our life.

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

Teacher(s): Leslie Booker
Sliding Scale: $0 – $108 ($15 – $30 Suggested). Code 39BV21.

Our sliding scale options for this drop-in program include financial support for our teacher(s).

Online: We are offering this program online only via Zoom so you can join us remotely. We invite you to try this creative form of practice as we take care of one another and respond skillfully to COVID-19.

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Open to all self-identified BIPOC

Description:
The Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) Sangha is a weekly gathering of self-identified BIPOC practitioners that provides a safe place to meditate and explore the dharma. As a beloved community, this sangha supports exploration of the dharma in light of our experiences. Together we will cultivate an environment that welcomes diverse voices and builds community.

All levels of experience are welcome.

Date & Time: Sunday, September 26, 2021; 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: Dana (By Donation) $0-$108. Code NU1G21.

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.

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Open to Everyone!

Description:
At the heart of the Buddha’s teaching are the qualities of clear seeing and compassion for all beings. Each quality supporting the development of the other. This day of practice will be dedicated to rediscovering and nurturing this natural wisdom and love so that we can bring it to all aspects of our lives.

Tentative General Schedule:
9:00 a.m. Welcome, intro & precepts
9:15 a.m. Guided still meditation
10:00 a.m. Guided movement meditation
10:30 a.m. Dhamma reflection
11:00 a.m. Still meditation
11:30 a.m. Movement meditation
12:00 p.m. Meal reflection & break
1:30 p.m. Qi Gong/Movement
2:30 p.m. Dhamma reflection & Q&A
3:30 p.m. Guided still meditation
4:15 p.m. Movement meditation
4:45 p.m. Last words and blessing
5:00 p.m. Close

LOTTERY REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED.
We had an overwhelming response with over 850 lottery applicants. We will be opening more on-land residential retreats soon for October – December 2021. Please stay connected with us via our calendar!

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Dates: Sunday to Saturday, September 26-October 2, 2021 (6 nights). Code 295R21.
Sliding Scale: $300-$2100, PLUS a donation to the teacher(s).
Arrival Time: 3:00-5:00 p.m.
Departure Time: 11:00 a.m.

RETREAT TO BE HELD ON THE LAND!

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Description:
Beneath the fragmentation and pain of this time, something is rumbling deep in our minds. It is as if the tectonic plates are moving inside us, but we don’t know exactly where everything will land. How can we stabilize ourselves and leverage the moment to understand the Dharma more deeply and soften our hearts more fully?

This Insight retreat will explore the power of goodness amidst the intensity of our human condition. The pāramīs serve to guide our hearts: generosity, morality, renunciation, wisdom, energy, patience, truthfulness, resolution, lovingkindness, and equanimity. These forces of goodness do not erase suffering, but guide us towards wisdom and compassion.

Practicing within our own homes offers an unusual opportunity. Our home can offer a sense of comfort but our habit energies are often strongest there. Home retreat can be transformative in ways we do not experience in residential retreats. It allows us to deeply integrate this spiritual path into our living space, creating the visual and temporal reminders of path and practice in our own home.

Traditional meditation instruction will be combined with a spirit of lovingkindness and silent sitting and walking meditation, Dharma talks, and small group practice meetings with teachers. This retreat is open to new and experienced meditators.

Financial Information:
Sliding Scale: $300 – $2,100; 6 nights including food and lodging.
Please consider paying at the highest rate that you can afford: your generosity supports Spirit Rock, staff, and your fellow practitioners. Any amount offered above the Base rate is a tax deductible donation to Spirit Rock, and your generosity will enable and support the participation of others. These fees do not include dana for the teachers.

Benefactor – $2,100
Sustainer – $1,500
Base – $1,050
Mudita/Karuna Scholarship (for anyone who needs financial assistance, including fixed income folks) – $300*
BIPOC Scholarship (for Black, Indigenous, and/or Persons of color) – $300*
Young Adult Scholarship (for young adults age 18-26 years) – $300*

*Scholarship offerings: In returning to the land, we will also be returning to our pre-pandemic scholarship options and policies. All scholarship rates require a minimum fee ($50/night). 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.

Cancellation Policy for Residential Retreats (Aug-Dec 2021):
To offer participants greater flexibility as we make our way out of the pandemic, we’re offering a more generous cancellation policy.

• $100 fee** when you cancel two or more days before the retreat (**fees reduced to half for scholarship participants)
• No refunds when you cancel less than two days prior to the retreat (applies to all participants)

Dates: Monday to Friday, September 27-October 1, 2021 (5 days). A daily schedule will be posted closer to the retreat.*
Sliding Scale: $225-$1500, PLUS a donation to the teacher(s). Code 296R21.

*Last year this retreat was 5 full days, from 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.; we have not received a confirmation of timing for this year (2021). Sorry for the inconvenience.

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.

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All who self-identify as womxn are welcome!

Description:
This silent meditation retreat will offer myths, stories, and archetypes of Buddhist womxn, past and present, as inspiration to illuminate and embrace all aspects of our wisdom, compassion, and desire for freedom. We will weave diverse expressions of feminine energies and the innate ways womxn know and understand into the fabric of the retreat, community, and practice.

Our time together will include silent sitting and walking, meditation instruction, daily embodied movement, Dharma talks, meetings with teachers, and creative expression.

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

Teacher(s): Mark Coleman
Sliding Scale: $0 – 108. Code 39ML21.

Join us for “Spirit Rock Live: Monday Nights with Jack Kornfield and Friends”!

For over 35 years now, the Monday Night sitting group at Spirit Rock has been a welcoming refuge to gather, hear the teachings of the Buddha, and practice insight meditation together as a community. The program includes a 30-40 min guided meditation, a short break, and a dharma talk. Learn more here.

This program is broadcast via Zoom with Closed Captions available. If you are unable to join us on this day and would like a recording to view later, please register before the end of the day on the night of the program (US Pacific Time). You will have ~90 days from the original program date to watch.

Teacher(s): Sylvia Boorstein
Sliding Scale: $0 – $108 ($15 – $30 Suggested). Code 39WM21.

Description:
Program includes a 30-45-min sitting period, a talk, and a practice-oriented discussion. Suitable for beginners, as well as engaged practitioners.

Our sliding scale options for this drop-in program include financial support for our teacher(s).

Online: We are offering this program online only via Zoom so you can join us remotely. We invite you to try this creative form of practice as we take care of one another and respond skillfully to COVID-19.