Pre-req: Prerequisite

Extended–APPLICATION DEADLINE: November 15, 2022
Dates: May 2023 – May 2024
Sliding Scale: $12,000 – $2,500. Code: LP1T22

PROGRAM DATES: May 2023 – May 2024

All retreats are 8 nights and are held in-person at Spirit Rock Meditation Center:
Retreat 1: May 15-23, 2023
Retreat 2: November 2-10, 2023
Retreat 3: May 17-25, 2024

Learn more LEAP retreat details here.

PROGRAM PREREQUISITES

A minimum of 50 nights of silent vipassanā, and/or mettā residential retreats. (Daylongs or non-residential retreats do not count towards the prerequisites.)

PROGRAM DETAILS

“This is peaceful, this is excellent, namely the stilling of all formations, the relinquishing of all attachments, the destruction of craving, dispassion, cessation, Nibbāna.” (MN 64.9)

LEAP is intended for experienced students of the Dhamma who want to explore the liberation teachings of the Buddha through practice, study, inquiry, and interactive exercises. It is a year-long program consisting of three retreats and is intended for those who have completed programs like Spirit Rock’s Dedicated Practitioners Program (DPP), Community Dharma Leader Program (CDL), Heavenly Messengers (HM), or an equivalent. Alternatively, long time practitioners or people who have participated in an equivalent program offered by another Vipassana teacher or organization are also eligible to apply.

The purpose of this program is to bring to life the liberating teachings of the Buddha both on retreat and in our daily practice. The three LEAP retreats will focus more on silent, intensive practice than DPP or CDL, but each retreat will include regular interactive and study sessions.

Spirit Rock is excited to offer this program again. Our previous iterations found it to be a great support to the experienced students in our community. We hope that those of you who have done DPP or CDL or have other significant study and practice experience will join us!

PROGRAM COMPONENTS and REQUIREMENTS

• Attendance at all three 8-night retreats
• Attendance at monthly small regional group meetings (in-person and Zoom options)
• Ongoing meetings with study/practice partners
• Regular Zoom meetings with LEAP teachers
• Completion of monthly homework including readings, reflections, and meditation instructions
• Commit to maintaining both meditative and daily life practice
• 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

APPLICATION TIMELINE and PROCESS

April 12 – November 15, 2022 – Period applications are being accepted.
November 15, 2022 – Deadline to submit application. All applications sent after this date will be considered for the waitlist.
November 15, 2022 – Notification status will be sent no later than this date via email.
Within 3 days of Receiving Acceptance Notification – Commitment and payment deadline; 25% deposit required at time of acceptance; $100 non-refundable, flat fee for all applicants, if cancel on or before to January 1, 2023.

Applications will be formally accepted on a rolling basis throughout the application period until the program fills, or until August 12, 2022, whichever comes first. Applications received AFTER the program is full or after August 12 (again, whichever comes first) will automatically be considered for the waitlist. You are encouraged to apply early.

TUITION

Participation in LEAP 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.*

Upon acceptance to the program, you will be asked to pay a minimum 25% deposit or pay in full. The remainder of any unpaid balance may be divided into 12 monthly installments** that will start Jan. 1, 2023. Installments can only be set up on credit cards. We no longer set up installments on checking accounts. All program fees are to be paid in full by Jan. 1, 2024.

*All scholarship funds have been awarded for this program.
**If you join the program after Jan. 1, 2023 you may be required to pay in fewer monthly installments.

Please consider the amount you would be able to afford in order to participate in LEAP. We ask you to select the highest possible level of program fees that meet your needs, as your generosity allows for those with lesser means to attend.

Sliding Scale:
$15,000 – Supporter with guaranteed single room

$12,000 – Benefactor
$9,000 – Sustainer
$6,000 – Base Rate

Scholarship Rates:
Scholarship Rate 1 – $5,500
Scholarship Rate 2 – $4,000
Scholarship Rate 3 – $2,500

Tuition includes:

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

Tuition does NOT include:

• Financial offering (dana) for Teachers
• Transportation costs to/from your home to Spirit Rock.
• Mentor teacher support (dana) for individual meetings with your mentor teacher in your area

CANCELLATION FEES
Participating in the LEAP program will require your commitment of both time and financial resources. Because this program is a progressive sequence of three retreats and other activities over a two-year period, you are committing to attend all three retreats and paying for the entire program. If you need to withdraw from the program, the following fee* structure will apply:

$100 non-refundable, flat fee for all applicants on or before Jan 1, 2023
10% fee = Jan 2 – Mar 15, 2023
20% fee = Mar 16 – May 13, 2023
40% fee = May 14 – Oct. 31, 2023
85% fee = Nov. 1, 2023 – May 13, 2024
No refunds = On or after May 14, 2024

*Fee deducted from refund; fee is a percentage of the total amount agreed to pay. These fees apply to all participants.

QUESTIONS? Please email us. 

Dates: Saturday to Saturday, February 25 – March 25, 2023 (28 nights). Code 238R23.
Sliding Scale: $1540-$11,200, PLUS a donation to the teacher(s).
Arrival Time: 2:30-4:30 p.m.
Departure Time: 11:00 a.m.

Supporter Rate w/guaranteed single room – $11,200
Benefactor – $8260
Sustainer – $6025
BASE – $3925
Scholarship Rate (YA, BIPOC, MK) – $1540

Applications will be available Wednesday, July 13, 2022.

RETREAT TO BE HELD ON THE LAND!

Visit the link below for:
February 1-Month Insight Meditation Retreat (28 Nights)
Two-Month (Feb/Mar) Insight Meditation Retreat (56 Nights)

PREREQUISITE:
Prerequisites for One-Month Retreats (28-night retreat): BEFORE applying, you must have completed at least 14 nights of silent residential retreat time. This retreat time must include a minimum of two (2) silent residential retreats with each of these six (6) nights or longer.

Prerequisites for Two-Month Retreat (56-night retreat): BEFORE applying, you must have completed at least 21 nights of silent residential retreat time. This retreat time must include a minimum of three (3) silent residential retreats with each of these six (6) nights or longer.

Other Important Notes About Prerequisites: These retreats must have been led by Spirit Rock, IMS, or IRC teachers, or other recognized Insight Meditation teachers. Previous retreats must be silent residential retreats and have a similar format to this retreat, with instructions, practices and talks focused on Insight Meditation. Online retreats do not qualify for these retreat prerequisites. When applying, you will need to provide the teachers’ names, dates, location, length (# of nights), and style of the retreats.

RETREAT DESCRIPTION:
An extended period of retreat offers the rare opportunity for sustained and dedicated practice. This retreat emphasizes quieting the mind, opening the heart, and developing profound clarity and depth of Insight practice. Instruction will follow the traditional four foundations of mindfulness, combined with training in lovingkindness and compassion, through a daily schedule of silent sitting, walking, Dharma talks, and practice meetings with teachers.

Special Note for March Retreat: This coming year (2023) will be Phillip Moffitt’s last year teaching the monthlong at Spirit Rock, and the March retreat will include a special emphasis on his teachings of Buddha Dharma.

Room Occupancy Status*:
As of March 27, 2022, we returned to both double and single occupancy rooms. Most of our rooms are single occupancy (only 16 are double occupancy). We have also returned to offering a “guaranteed single room” rate and these will be limited for these monthlong retreats. 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.

PLEASE READ – Details on our current COVID Safety Protocols for In-person Retreats. These protocols may change a few times between now and the start of the retreats in 2023.

APPLICATION PROCESS and DETAILS:
Applications available Wednesday, July 13, 2022; closes end of the day on Wednesday, August 31.

Participants will be selected from the pool of applicants including priority towards: BIPOC and Young Adults (whether scholarships are requested or not).

First round notifications will be sent via email by October 21; please refrain from calling before this deadline. We will need this time to process all the applications, make selections, coordinate with teachers, and allocate scholarship funding. If you are selected, you will be sent an email with a special link to register and pay your retreat fees online. If you end up on a waiting list, you will be notified of your relative position on the waitlist.

FOR ALL APPLICANTS: To be included in the first round of notifications, your application must be complete including prerequisites already met and submitted by the deadline. No exceptions.

Scholarships:
We receive many more requests for scholarships than we have funding so we cannot guarantee you will receive scholarship funding. Scholarship funding is offered to anyone needing financial assistance to attend. Additional scholarship funding has been offered to support practitioners who self-identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or a Person of color (BIPOC). We have scholarship rates at $55 per night. For the month-long retreats only: Spirit Rock extends the upper age limit of the Young Adult scholarship rate to individuals 18-32 years of age. This special rate is also $55 per night. A limited number of these special YA rates will be available.

If you need scholarship funds to attend, once the application is available, please complete the Scholarship Section; funding may likely not be available later. Scholarship requests do not influence your acceptance.

If you submit an application after the deadline:
We will continue to accept applications on a rolling basis after the initial deadline of August 31; applications received after this date will be put on a waiting list.

Dates: Sunday to Monday, April 30 – May 7, 2023 (7 nights). Code 248R23.
Arrival Time: 2:30-4:30 pm
Departure Time: 11:00 am
Sliding Scale: $385-$3640, PLUS a donation to the teacher(s).
Supporter Rate w/guaranteed single room – $3640
Benefactor – $2870
Sustainer – $2205
BASE – $1435
Reduced Rate – $910
Scholarship Rate (BIPOC, M/K, or YA) – $385

Registration opens approximately 9:00 am Pacific Time on December 28 2022.

RETREAT TO BE HELD ON THE LAND!

Description:
The paradox of awareness is profound and yet very simple. It can’t be described because it has no objective qualities and no limitations. Sometimes it comes naturally to the surface when we are fully in the present moment and no longer lost in thoughts or mental projections. Pure consciousness is neither pleasant nor unpleasant, neither good nor bad.
Join us for this retreat where we will learn how to pay attention to this quality of awareness through formal and informal meditation. Once we know how to pay attention, it can be experienced in an instant, in all circumstances. When we learn to reside in that liberated mind, we find the very thing we have been seeking all along.
The retreat includes silent sitting and walking periods with instructions and practice meetings with teachers, as well as daily Dharma talks.

IMPORTANT NOTES:
Scholarship offerings: 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.

Hemera Fellowships – are you eligible? Learn more…

Room Occupancy Update*: Starting on March 27, 2022, we 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: Sunday to Monday, April 30 – May 7, 2023 (7 nights). Code 248R23.
Arrival Time: 2:30-4:30 pm
Departure Time: 11:00 am
Sliding Scale: $385-$3640, PLUS a donation to the teacher(s).
Supporter Rate w/guaranteed single room – $3640
Benefactor – $2870
Sustainer – $2205
BASE – $1435
Reduced Rate – $910
Scholarship Rate (BIPOC, M/K, or YA) – $385

Registration opens approximately 9:00 am Pacific Time on December 28 2022.

RETREAT TO BE HELD ON THE LAND!

Description:
The paradox of awareness is profound and yet very simple. It can’t be described because it has no objective qualities and no limitations. Sometimes it comes naturally to the surface when we are fully in the present moment and no longer lost in thoughts or mental projections. Pure consciousness is neither pleasant nor unpleasant, neither good nor bad.
Join us for this retreat where we will learn how to pay attention to this quality of awareness through formal and informal meditation. Once we know how to pay attention, it can be experienced in an instant, in all circumstances. When we learn to reside in that liberated mind, we find the very thing we have been seeking all along.
The retreat includes silent sitting and walking periods with instructions and practice meetings with teachers, as well as daily Dharma talks.

IMPORTANT NOTES:
Scholarship offerings: 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.

Hemera Fellowships – are you eligible? Learn more…

Room Occupancy Update*: Starting on March 27, 2022, we 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: Sunday to Sunday, June 11-18, 2023 (7 nights). Code 258R23.
Arrival Time: 2:30-4:30 pm
Departure Time: 11:00 am
Sliding Scale $385-$3640
Supporter Rate w/guaranteed single room – $3640
Benefactor – $2870
Sustainer – $2205
BASE – $1435
Reduced Rate – $910
Scholarship Rate (BIPOC, MK, or YA) – $385

Registration opens approximately 9:00 am Pacific Time on February 8, 2023.

RETREAT TO BE HELD ON THE LAND!

PREREQUISITE: Completion of one (or more) 6-night or longer silent, residential or online Insight meditation retreat. If you are new to Nine Bodies, you are also encouraged (but not required) to complete a Nine Bodies introductory program before coming on the retreat.

Description:
The Nine Bodies teaching presents a unified map of the various capacities of consciousness, which are often only partially recognized (or completely unrecognized) even among long-term practitioners. This retreat offers a new method of practicing Insight Meditation in which consciousness itself becomes the object of meditation. 

The retreat follows a distinct teaching style that will be unfamiliar to first-time Nine Bodies Insight practitioners. The primary teaching method is two daily detailed guided meditations, each of which are 45-60 minutes long. Potential participants are strongly encouraged to listen to guided meditations ahead of time to experience this style of practice. Guided meditations by all three teachers, from last year’s retreat, can be found here: https://www.dharmaground.org/teaching-recordings

This retreat will be held in noble silence except for the guided meditations, talks, and teacher-led practice support meetings. This retreat is not recommended for those experiencing acute grief or other strong mental or emotional challenges.

IMPORTANT NOTES:
Scholarship offerings: 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: Wednesday to Sunday, July 5-23, 2023 (18 nights). Code 264R23.
Arrival Time: 2:30-4:30 pm
Departure Time: 11:00 am
Sliding Scale: $990-$9360, PLUS a donation to the teacher(s).
Supporter Rate w/guaranteed single room – $9360
Benefactor – $7380
Sustainer – $5670
BASE – $3690
Reduced Rate – $2340
Scholarship Rate (BIPOC, M/K, or YA) – $990

Registration opens approximately 9:00 am Pacific Time on February 13, 2023.

RETREAT TO BE HELD ON THE LAND!

Prerequisite: Completion of at least three 7-night silent residential (in-person) Insight Meditation retreats (online retreats are not eligible).

Description:
The first half of this retreat will focus on the development of concentration (samādhi), the collectedness of mind that gives mental strength and stability. Concentration comes from cultivating a relaxed attention and ease of mind. It can bring joy to our practice and lead to the skillful use of pleasure in the meditative process. For practitioners at all levels of experience, it is 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.

IMPORTANT NOTES:
Scholarship offerings: 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.

Hemera Fellowships – are you eligible? Learn more…

Room Occupancy Update*: Starting March 27, 2022, we 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.