Event Type: Multiday Retreats

Date & Time: 5 Sundays, January 22 – February 19, 2023; 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $80-$180. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code TE2C23.

Description:
Learn meditation, speak your truth, relax deeply, and develop your mind—all while hanging out with great people your age! In this five-week series, we will 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 series is offered to all tweens in middle school.

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

Date & Time: 3 Thursdays: Feb 2, Feb 9, and Feb 16, 2023; 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $75-$325. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code SB1B23.

Description:
Ānanda asked the Buddha, “Is it true, Lord, that noble friends are half of the holy life?” The Buddha responded, “No, Ānanda, noble friends are the whole of the holy life.” 

Sharon became Sylvia’s teacher in 1985 and in time they became teaching colleagues as well as good friends. In this three-part series, Sharon and Sylvia will talk about how Dharma teaching has changed in the West as it has evolved, how the culture of the West has been changed by the Dharma, and perhaps most importantly, how each of them feels they have been changed by it.

Each two hour session will include Sharon and Sylvia in spontaneous dialogue, periods of guided meditation, and Q&A. Participants will be invited to submit questions in advance of the sessions and online during the sessions to establish a sense of inclusivity for saṅgha near and far.

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

Date & Time: Saturday – Sunday, February 4-5, 2023; 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $50-$216. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code NM1M23.

Description:
The practice of calming and collecting the mind (Pāli: samādhi) is a necessary precursor to insight practice (vipassanā). Historically in the West, the primary concentration method taught to practitioners has been mindfulness of breathing. Yet there are many concentration objects in the Theravāda tradition that are actively practiced in monasteries in Asia and are espoused in the ancient practice manual The Path of Purification (Visuddhimagga). Among these practices are the ten kasiṇas, or visualization objects. 

The practice of the white kasiṇa is foremost among these ten, as it imbues the mind-heart with particular qualities of rest, peace, and delight. Furthermore, the white kasiṇa corresponds to lovingkindness (mettā), sharing the many expansive qualities of mettā without the relational aspect of other beings. Practitioners of all levels are welcome at this accessible introduction to a rarely-taught meditation method.

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

Date & Time: Saturday – Sunday, February 18 – 19, 2023; 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
Please Note: This program will be offered as a hybrid: on-land (“commuter” retreat; non-residential) and online.

On-Land (in-person) Sliding Scale: $140-$620. Our sliding scale options include financial support for our teachers. Code SW1M23.

Online Sliding Scale: $50-$600. Our sliding scale options include financial support for our teachers. Code SW1Z23.

Description:
All are welcome to join this weekend retreat celebrating Black History Month and honoring great bodhisattvas throughout time. We will explore the consciousness and heart of Harriet Tubman and her journey to freedom. Through her life and experiences, we will explore the path and archetype of the bodhisattva and the stages of awakening power and compassion. This weekend will include meditation practice, talks, interactive group sessions, and sacred music. This will be a magical weekend you don’t want to miss!

On-Land space is limited due to COVID protocols in place, please register for the In-person event only if you can join us on the land. If you can only join us remotely online, please register for the Online version and you can participate by Zoom or watch the program later.

Date & Time: Saturday – Sunday, March 4-5, 2023; 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $50-$600. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code PW1M23.

Description:
Darkness—in nature and in consciousness—is not the absence of light, but a vital source of restoration, clear seeing, and growth. All light comes from darkness, including insight, creativity and vision. As we navigate internal and external divisiveness and global uncertainty, there is a call for each of us to re-learn how to meet darkness and the unknown with reverence, respect, curiosity, and receptivity so we can respond to the cries of the world with embodied presence and fierce love.

During this restorative, experiential weekend, we will travel down into our bodies, beyond the realm of concepts and ideas, to discover darkness as a teacher of love and possibility, and deepen into practices that nourish the imagination, and nurture the heart. Together we will explore the fullness and mystery of darkness, our sacred source, and enrich our relationships—with ourselves, with each other, and with the earth.

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 and Sunday, March 25-26, 2023
Daily Schedule: 10:00am – 4:00pm p.m.
Sliding Scale: $140-$590. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for the teacher. Code MC1M23.

Description:
It is possible to live with a relaxed and natural awareness in everything you do. The Buddha stated that sati—mindfulness or awareness—is a complete path to liberation. Mindful awareness cultivates the ability to be present with all experience with clarity, insight, and freedom. It is the foundation for wisdom, compassion, and awakening.

In this silent meditation retreat we explore the innate quality of awareness: what it is, how to recognize it, and how to cultivate and abide within it. We investigate how continuity of mindfulness practice supports a depth and stability of awareness, and inquire into what interferes with fully stabilizing in awareness both in meditation and in ordinary activity. As mindfulness grows, we see how this capacity for awareness is available in every moment. The retreat includes periods of sitting and walking meditation, Dharma talks, inquiry, and discussion.

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

Date & Time: Saturday – Sunday, April 8-9, 2023; 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
Please Note: This program will be offered as a hybrid: on-land (“commuter” retreat; non-residential) and online.

On-land (in-person) Sliding Scale: Dana (By Donation) $0-$320. Fees include a donation to the teacher(s). Please consider paying at the highest rate that you can afford. Code NU1G23.

Online Sliding Scale: Dana (By Donation) $0-$216. Fees include a donation to the teacher(s). Please consider paying at the highest rate that you can afford. Code NU1Z23.

Description:
In these times of great change, we are called to address old patterns of limitation, and learn to open to as-yet unknown possibilities. Impermanence is one of the three supreme Dharma gates that lead to freedom. When we align with the truth of the way things are, we experience clarity, even in the midst of the most challenging conditions. Learning to live from a place of openness to change, we ourselves are changed, and we deepen in peace and equanimity.

On-Land space is limited due to COVID protocols in place, please register here only if you can join us on the land. If you can only join us remotely online, please register for the Online version and you can participate by Zoom or watch the program later.

Date & Time: Friday – Sunday, April 14-16, 2023;
Friday: 1:30-5:30pm
Saturday: 9:00am-5:30pm (meal break 12:30-2:00pm)
Sunday: 9:00am-1:00pm
Sliding Scale: $395-$795. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code TU1M23.

Description:
Change is normal and necessary, but often we are unprepared to manage it skillfully. Research shows that meeting change with mindfulness and having specific tools to navigate uncertainty allows us to experience well-being even when life is challenging. Change naturally brings up concerns, fears, and questions that can lead to confusion, lack of motivation, or poor decisions. To help you effectively respond to these challenges, during this workshop you will have the opportunity to:
• Use our “Journey Through Change Map” to orient yourself in your change
• Recognize mind habits that undermine you and learn practices to disengage from them
• Identify your values and intentions so you have a basis for making wise decisions
• Create a plan for navigating your change

Expect a weekend full of dynamic inquiry and the opportunity to learn essential life skills for meeting your changes and transitions with authenticity, confidence, and clarity.

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

Date & Time: Thursday – Sunday, May 18-21, 2023; 9:00am-6:00pm US Pacific Time
Please Note: This program will be offered as a hybrid: on-land (“commuter” retreat; non-residential) and online.

On-Land (in-person) Sliding Scale: $280-$1180. Our sliding scale options include financial support for our teachers. Code DD1M23.

Online Sliding Scale: $108-$1200. Our sliding scale options include financial support for our teachers. Code DD1Z23.

Description:
The Four Noble Truths are the Buddha’s first teaching, which is said to contain the sum of all of his teachings. Based on one of the oldest Theravāda texts, there is a rarely-taught practice of utilizing the Four Noble Truths to attain twelve insights that bring freedom and well-being. These insights prescribe a radically different way for us, with all of our vulnerability and fear, to engage with life just as it is and to find joy even in the midst of suffering.

In this four-day silent retreat, we will explore each of the Four Noble Truths in depth and learn how to apply the insights of this teaching to our daily lives. The goal of this retreat is to discover how the Four Noble Truths become the Four “Ennobling” Truths. Each day will have periods of sitting and walking meditation along with Dharma talks, discussion, and Q&A.

On-Land space is limited due to COVID protocols in place, please register for the In-person event only if you can join us on the land. If you can only join us remotely online, please register for the Online version and you can participate by Zoom or watch the program later.

Date & Time: Saturday – Monday, May 27 – 29, 2023; 10:00am-4:00pm US Pacific Time
Please Note: This program will be offered as a hybrid: on-land (“commuter” retreat; non-residential) and online.

On-Land (in-person) Sliding Scale: $210-$885. Our sliding scale options include financial support for our teachers. Code JB2M23.

Online Sliding Scale: $75-$1008. Our sliding scale options include financial support for our teachers. Code JB2Z23.

Description:
The Buddha advised us to overcome unhealthy states and develop states of true well-being such as gratitude, kindness, and compassion, and he encouraged us to deepen these beautiful states whenever possible. A profound support in doing this is to connect with the Divine within us that is the source of all states. In this non-residential practice retreat we will focus on cultivating states of well-being, and rather than taking ownership of them, connecting to the source within us from which they arise. As they shine through, they become a gift to everyone in our lives.

This retreat is for practitioners who want to deepen their meditation practice through heartfelt connection to our natural goodness, well-being, and joy. It includes periods of sitting and walking meditation with instructions, practice-oriented talks, and practice discussions with the teachers.

On-Land space is limited due to COVID protocols in place, please register for the In-person event only if you can join us on the land. If you can only join us remotely online, please register for the Online version and you can participate by Zoom or watch the program later.