Dates: Monday, September 16, 3:00pm – Sunday, September 22, 11:30am; 6 nights
Sliding Scale: $1600 – $700, PLUS a donation to the teacher(s) and retreat staff. Code 287R19.

This retreat is now in progress.

Please Note: Parts of this retreat will be held outdoors surrounded by nature, depending upon weather conditions. If held indoors, this retreat will be held in the Upper Walking Hall and has limited access; please read the details related to this below.*

Retreat Description:
During this silent retreat, we will practice the art and discipline of mindfulness meditation, with our collective intention being to train our minds and open our hearts. A significant feature of this retreat is that we will be doing some of our practice outside under ancient oak trees, letting the wisdom of nature help support us along on our path.

Throughout the retreat, we will make creative use of classic Buddhist meditation practices to explore the evolutionary origin of our body and emotions; engage in traditional Buddhist reflections on death and dying; examine our nature “as” nature; and all the while explore the tricky delusions of mind and the mystery of consciousness itself. In the process, we expect to find relief from our personal drama and a new sense of delight and meaning in our lives.
The retreat will include poetry and a little “crazy wisdom” as well.
The retreat is suitable for both beginning and experienced meditation students.

Recommended reading for this retreat is Wes Nisker’s book Buddha’s Nature.

Financial assistance is available for all Spirit Rock residential retreats. Our scholarship rate is $40/night and available for all those with financial hardship with special funds allocated to People of Color (POC), folks with serious medical conditions, and young adults (age 18-26). Scholarship funding is offered on a first-come, first-serve basis. Scholarships are budgeted per retreat and because they are in high demand, can run out quickly. We encourage you to register for a retreat as close as possible to the registration opening date (lotteries are an exception).

Location: Outdoors, or if bad weather, Upper Walking Hall. This retreat is designed as a smaller and more intimate retreat. It will mostly be held outdoors but should bad weather visit us, we will have an indoor location – the upper Walking Hall. We want you to know that this upper walking hall is located at the top of a flight of stairs adjacent to the main meditation hall. It is not accessible by wheelchair or scooter. The outdoor meditation area is located up a quarter-mile path with some short steep sections. If you have mobility limitations such that you cannot climb a flight of stairs or hike up/down a dirt path, this retreat is not appropriate for you. Please call the registration department for more details BEFORE you register for this retreat if you have concerns related to accessibility to the upper Walking Hall or the short hike to the daily outdoor meditation location.