Spirit Rock spiritrock.org
news & schedule | jun ¡ aug 2019
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NEWS & INSIGHTS
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SPIRIT ROCK | JUN – AUG 2019
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sila
REFLECTIONS ON THE FOUNDATION OF OUR PRACTICE: SĪLA (Part 1 of 2) Dana DePalma and Sally Armstrong WE UNDERTAKE THE TRAINING: · TO REFRAIN FROM KILLING. · TO REFRAIN FROM STEALING. · TO REFRAIN FROM SEXUAL MISCONDUCT. · TO REFRAIN FROM FALSE AND HARMFUL SPEECH. · TO REFRAIN FROM INTOXICANTS THAT CAUSE HEEDLESSNESS.
Dear Spirit Rock Friends— We’ve been reflecting as a community on a foundational aspect of the Buddha’s teaching: ethical conduct or, in Pali, sīla. While these trainings have always been central to our practice, our world environment, and our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, the recent caring and clear action taken by our Ethics and Reconciliation Council in withdrawing the authorization of a teacher trained at Spirit Rock, Noah Levine, has sparked deep dialog. Spirit Rock teachers recognize that the foundation of spiritual life rests upon our mindful and caring relationship to the life around us. The Buddha’s five lay training precepts listed above represent wise action in the world, an essential element of the Buddha’s Eightfold Path. In undertaking these precepts we acknowledge the interconnection of all beings and our respect for all life. In addition to the core values of non-harming and caring for life, we’re also committed to being a learning community, which means using whatever arises as an opportunity for growth, maturation, and refining the alignment of our actions with our values. We continue to explore how to embody the values of these precepts in our roles and in all aspects of our lives. We continue to increase our consciousness around power, the teacher-student relationship, and how best to care for the welfare of our communities. Over two special editions of the Spirit Rock News, we’ve asked Spirit Rock Teacher Council members to share their thoughts and favorite teachings about sīla. What does it mean to undertake the training to follow these five ethical precepts in this interconnected world? We hope you enjoy these reflections. May all beings benefit, Sally Armstrong & Dana DePalma, Spirit Rock Co-Guiding Teachers
SPIRIT ROCK | JUN – AUG 2019
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SPECIAL SECTION: REFLECTIONS ON SILA
Twelve members of Spirit Rock’s Teachers Council have contributed reflections on sīla. We’ve listed them here in alphabetical order. We will continue this two-part special section in the next newsletter with writings from Jack Kornfield, Donald Rothberg, Thanissara, Erin Treat, Lila Kate Wheeler, and Larry Yang.
James Baraz
Sylvia Boorstein
In Buddhist teachings, integrity or sīla is considered one of the most effective ways to create the conditions for joy to arise. The Buddha made a very clear connection between integrity and joy:
It has never been as clear to me as now that the crux of the Buddha’s teachings is the end of mental suffering through the transformation of the habits of the mind from contention to compassion. This transformation is cultivated and sustained by this fundamental insight: this life comes with pain and discomfort (as well as pleasure and delight and awe). Meeting each moment with gracious attention rather than impulsive reaction keeps the mind clear enough to respond wisely. Responding wisely means not making any situation worse, not creating extra discomfort.
For one who leads a virtuous life, it is a natural law that remorse will not arise… For one free of remorse, it is a natural law that gladness will arise… For one who is glad at heart, it is a natural law that joy will arise. The happiness that comes from leading a life of integrity is known as “the bliss of blamelessness.” When we’re not congruent with our values we can’t enjoy whatever good fortune we have because living with integrity is the foundation for peace of mind and true happiness of an open heart. There is a place in all of us that feels “off” when we’re not in alignment with our values. We all have a conscience which is hard-wired into us. We only need to listen honestly to our inner wisdom so we can discern between right and wrong. Mindfulness helps you become more aware of your conscience and so is a great ally in supporting your intention to be happy.
The Buddhist practice path is often referred to as Purification of the Heart. A practitioner hopes to develop generosity, ethics, restraint, energy, honesty, patience, open-heartedness, determination and equanimity. Each of these qualities is a reflection of wisdom, the clear understanding of the shared vulnerability of all beings that directs (and redirects) the mind to kindness.
Often we act in ways that cause harm to ourselves or others by falling into habits that don’t serve us. We can change repeating our unskillful habits by bringing more consciousness to what we do. When we see clearly that our unskillful actions are creating more suffering for ourselves, we begin to clean up our act, not because we are trying to be some kind of saint, but because we pragmatically realize that we want to develop more well-being.
Because I began my study of Buddhism with retreat practice, and because it was the 1970s and meditation was often described in terms of altered amazing states of consciousness, I imagined the most potent changes in me would come from organizing and learning to control my mind. I now think the most potent changes in me have come through looking around me, connecting with the world—with enough stability and alertness to see clearly, of course—and learning the truth that I am happiest when I am inspired to compassion, and impartial good-will, and appreciation.
Cultivating Integrity is the practice of mindfully listening clearly to your moral compass inside, realizing that the more you follow it the happier you’ll be. How do you know when you’re acting with integrity and when you’re acting outside of integrity? By becoming more aware of the feelings that accompany your actions—skillful or unskillful—you deepen this understanding.
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His Holiness the Dalai Lama is known for saying, “My religion is kindness.” Indeed, at the end of the recitation of precepts, the five daily reminders of Buddhist practitioners to abstain from actions that create suffering, the summation line is: “May these precepts be the cause of happiness.”
SPIRIT ROCK | JUN – AUG 2019
In these contemporary times, with information and experience arriving thick and fast to each of us in an unprecedented way, the path of kindness grounded in wisdom remains the timeless refuge it has always been.
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SPECIAL SECTION: REFLECTIONS ON SILA
Eugene Cash
Make of yourself a refuge for all beings. The Buddha enjoins us to cultivate this radical heart, a cultivation expressing not only sīla (ethics) but samadhi (unification of mind) and pañña (wisdom) too. To be safe for others entails a path of self-discovery, humility, sensitivity, and willingness to be softened by one’s suffering. Goodness ripens through a process of letting go, and letting go involves a measure of grief. We grieve the harm done to us and the harm done by us. We grieve the human condition—the indivisibility of life and suffering. This process is autobiographical, idiosyncratic and universal. To be mindful of goodness brings love; to be mindful of pain also brings love. That asymmetry is the miracle. The more attuned we are to our heart and its instant karmic reverberations, the clearer our ethical life will be. The more unified the mind becomes, the deeper the love will be. Boundless, nothing but warmth. The effortless care that is the face of emptiness. And we learn, unwaveringly, that hatred is never the last word. To see more is to love more. Sīla expresses the entire path.
As I come to understand the power and beauty of sīla I discover virtue. The Latin origin of the word virtue points to valor, merit and moral fulfillment. Virtue has the same root as vital and vibrant. Sīla/ virtue is alive! When we are aligned with our own virtuosity, we discover inherent integrity, dignity, and nobility. I love the simplicity of being in alignment with the essence of who and what I am. This is our fundamental nature which expresses itself in relationship with others and all of reality. Each of us is unique but not separate. My virtue and the sīla it expresses is inclusive of the dharma, the truth of our nature and the nature of all. Traditionally sīla is understood to have three levels: Varitta: Acting by refraining, abandoning and abstaining when appropriate. Caritta: Expressing what is positive, true and useful with reverence. Adi Sīla: Our awakened, innate virtue that expresses itself as sila. May we all discover adi sīla— the innate virtue of being a mature human being.
And then, we begin again. The story we tell about love is never final. New questions, complexities, and debts arise. Might I owe more than I suppose? The ego complicates everything. I want to think of myself as a really good person and I don’t really want to change my behavior. Ethical development stagnates when we rationalize our preferences. It is conceivable that goodness entails much more than even we good people are accustomed to giving. Just because the saint is extremely rare, doesn’t mean that anything less, strictly speaking, is justifiable. I can imagine in the not-distant future a major reconfiguration of our ethical obligations: to nonhuman animals, to the egregious suffering of the most vulnerable around the globe, and to future generations. This is a time for radical hearts. I don’t usually feel up to the task, but I am steadfast in keeping a relationship with my own sense of moral incoherence. From that relationship, I hope that I evolve and contribute more of what I owe to the welfare of others. The path unfolds. And then, at some point, it’s time to die. That final gesture of letting go which is both deeply poignant and also not such a big deal. Your life was made complete by what you gave away.
It is a joy to have an empty, peaceful, unconflicted mind, untroubled by the reverberations of past harmful words and actions. Suffering is the compulsion to replay past actions that have been harmful to ourselves or others. This inevitable harmful effect is a worthwhile inspiration to practice sīla or “harmlessness.” Sīla is the foundation for everything meaningful, joyful and liberating about the teachings and practice of the Buddha Dharma.
sila
Matthew Brensilver
Howard Cohn
Sīla or Purification of Action makes it possible to have the Purification of Mind of Samadhi. Samadhi makes it possible to realize the Purification of View of pañña. Without the ground of sīla it is nearly impossible for our hearts to settle deeply (samadhi) enough to know directly and intuitively the truth of non-separateness, non-clinging and the heart’s release that comes from wisdom (pañña). The Buddha said that trying to meditate without sīla is like trying to row a boat to the other shore without untying it from the dock. May we all realize the joy of non-harming. May we all reach the other shore, freedom, right where we are!
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SPECIAL SECTION: REFLECTIONS ON SILA
Gil Fronsdal
Kittisaro
The Buddha’s most frequent description of enlightenment was the ending of greed, hatred, and delusion. He also taught that greed, hatred, and delusion are the roots of all unethical actions. As progress along the path of liberation involves the steady diminishing of greed, hatred, and delusion, this is equally a path toward becoming increasingly ethical. And if someone focuses on becoming more ethical by not giving in to greed, hatred, and delusion, this moves along the path of liberation. In this way, we can see that the path of enlightenment is an ethical path and the ethical path is a path of enlightenment. In Buddhism ethics and enlightenment are inseparable.
After a meal offering in rural Northeast Thailand, I was sitting with Ajahn Chah and a group of young western monks from several different countries. He told us that one day we’d all be teachers bringing the Dharma back to our own countries. He warned us, “Don’t be the kind of teacher that is so puffed he can’t get through the door. Don’t go around thinking, ‘I’m a teacher.’ Always remember that you are a practitioner. If a situation arises that calls for teaching, let teaching happen. It comes and goes. In your heart, you are a practitioner, mindful and empty.”
JoAnna Hardy My relationship to sīla in respect to the Five Precepts has been a predominant and life-changing aspect of my life and practice. The Precepts are much like a good parent with strong boundaries and direction while giving space for us to grown and see for ourselves the natural consequences of our actions. When we are in our integrity we can see how much smoother life goes. When we aren’t we see the less favorable outcomes of our actions. It’s often pretty clear. And, we are all bound up in some form of system that often has greater momentum then individual good intentions. Besides the traditional list of five, we also need to look at the harm that can be caused when moving into broader ways of psychological as well as physical harm. Things such as abuse of power, misogyny, sexism, racism, and oppressive social structures are not specifically stated in the Five Precepts yet cause great harm when unseen and unmitigated. Because great harm can be caused by these deeply ingrained and often unseen structures, we need each other to help see clearly cumulative patterns, have wise checks and balances, and create equity in voice to maintain healthy, balanced and ethical sangha.
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He was warning us about the dangers of being inflated and intoxicated by the power and prestige of the leadership position. We can be seduced by the adulation and the thought, “I’m a great teacher.” In that moment we grasp and appropriate the energy and privilege of that temporary formation as self. We were regularly reminded that the blessings do not belong to us, that we are riding on the perfection and power of the Awakened One. As our practice of the Path deepens, we will naturally grow in personal power. Cultivating sīla, samadhi, pañña (precepts, composure, andliberating wisdom), plugging into the measureless merit of the triple gem, we potentize our actions, for good or for ill. It is vital to be interested in and sensitive to our impact on the world and those around us. We must regularly ask ourselves, “Are we doing harm?” Because we have blind spots, we must open ourselves to feedback, using the Sangha to help us see where we do unconscious harm to our community. The foundation and protection of the holy life is sīla, the practice of virtuous restraint. As monastics, we were regularly warned with a sobering simile about the dangers of getting intoxicated with power and righteousness and losing touch with the protection of our ethical code. If you fall off a donkey, it’s not such a big deal. You dust yourself off and get back on. But if you are riding on an elephant and fall, you can break your back. Being a Dharma teacher or a dedicated Buddhist practitioner—we are waving the banner of the Awakened One, representing that extraordinary heritage, partaking of that trustworthy power and prestige. When one has power, one’s wholesome actions are amplified, but so are the unwholesome ones. Everything we do has more impact. We have the potential to do great good, and also great harm.
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NEWS & INSIGHTS BOOK EXCERPT
LIVING WITH EMBODIED AWARENESS Mark Coleman
I still remember the first day I stepped foot into a meditation center in East London back in 1984. I walked in clumsily, with my white mohawk, my gaudy post-punk disheveled attire, feeling out of place and not knowing what to expect. There was I, a figure of agitation, not comfortable in my own skin, restless and impatient. What I saw stopped me in my tracks. It wasn’t as if anyone was doing anything special. People were simply going about their day: arranging books in a library, sweeping the meditation hall, and preparing flowers in the entrance way. However, what took my breath away was the quality of presence in which they moved. There was an air of grace or dignity in how they went about their activities. They exuded a sense of relaxed ease that was quite unfamiliar to me. I didn’t quite know what it was, but I knew they were on to something, and I wanted to experience it myself. The scene felt so ordinary I could have easily overlooked it. In retrospect, I realize that part of what I was witnessing was embodied presence. People who are at home in their own skin, who are connected to themselves and their physical experience, embody a sense of ease, groundedness, and connectedness. The appearance of my over-caffeinated, anxious, angry self in that meditation center was like a storm meeting a serene ocean. It has taken me many years to begin to grow my own way into that beautiful, embodied quality. One of my favorite pastimes is to watch modern dance. I relish how trained dancers move in their bodies, turning their bodies into living dynamic sculptures. Their movements are artful expressions of living with mindful embodiment. It’s as if their bodies are filled with presence, which of course they are. Even seeing a dancer simply walk across the stage can be spellbinding because of how present they are within their own skin. They are poetic reminders of how to move, live, and breathe with an embodied presence that is alive, graceful, and vibrantly here. Of course, we don’t have to be a trained dancer to discover this. Anyone can learn to inhabit the body with awareness. Right now, as you are reading, what do you sense in your body? Become awake to every physical sensation: of your skin against your clothing, of your body against your chair. Can you sense the warmth of your belly and feel moisture on your skin or the wetness of your eyes? With mindfulness, we can be present to our ever-changing inner landscape and its shifting tides. We can
sense the fluid energy of the body, which can be experienced as vibration, tingling, expansion, contraction, spaciousness, or pulsing electricity. One of the mysteries of embodied attention is that as soon as we call to mind a particular part of our body, it comes alive with sensory stimuli. Our bodies are a canvas upon which emotions, feelings, and moods are painted. Emotions are physiological phenomena; we feel them in the body. Right now, attune to the radio broadcast of your body’s mood. Can you name what you are feeling? Can you feel the impressions that emotions make in your body? Take a few moments to become intimate with your heart’s terrain and where you may feel particular emotions in your chest, belly, or other part of your body. As well as being host to a whole panorama of beautiful feelings like joy, love, and awe, our bodies also contain emotions that are not so easy to be with, like anxiety and sadness. As much as our bodies can be a source of delight and pleasurable sensory experience, our bodies also hold painful and difficult sensations, which is why we so often tune out from our somatic landscape. However, even if what we feel is unpleasant, with mindfulness we can bring attention to it and stay curious, exploring whatever may not be easy to be with. Unfortunately, in today’s world, our attention is often scattered, distracted, and anywhere but in our bodies. We are less like modern dancers and more like Mr. Duffy, the protagonist in James Joyce’s short story “A Painful Case,” who “lived a short distance from his body.” Smartphones, computers, and video games keep us lost in our heads. We focus on screens and digital devices that often seduce and mesmerize us, taking us away from the physical sensory present. This makes the practice of mindfulness even more necessary, as well as more challenging, because in its fullest sense it is an embodied awareness that requires us to inhabit our bodies. MARK COLEMAN has been teaching Insight Meditation retreats since 1997. He also leads wilderness meditation retreats, integrating mindfulness meditation with nature, and is the author of Awake in the Wild and Make Peace with Your Mind.
Excerpted from the book From Suffering to Peace. Copyright 2019 by Mark Coleman. Printed with permission from New World Library— www.newworldlibrary.com.
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NEWS & INSIGHTS
DHARMA TRAINING PROGRAMS SPIRIT ROCK DHARMA & YOGA TRAINING PROGRAM Begins January 2020 Registration Opens June 2019—RYT200 This immersive training addresses body, mind and heart through the study of mindful asana, pranayama, anatomy, mindfulness principles, meditation, and the wisdom teachings of Yoga and Buddhism. Students will develop both their personal practice, as well as the ability to guide and lead others. The heart of the practices will include the Brahma Viharas, with a focus on Metta, providing both refuge and support for kindness and compassion towards ourselves and others.
Teaching Team: Djuna Mascall, Leslie Booker, Anne Cushman, Mark Coleman, Tias Little, Sean Feit Oakes
DETAILS: • A three-month training program for meditation and mindfulness practitioners and aspiring yoga teacher. • Fulfills the requirements for the Yoga Alliance 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher certification • Emphasis on the integration of meditation and mindfulness with movement • Specially designed to support more easeful participation for non-local participants
SPIRITROCK.ORG/DHARMAYOGA
MINDFUL NON-PROFIT LEADERSHIP TRAINING PROGRAM Begins October 2019 | Registration Opens April 15, 2019 This training program cultivates the mindful leadership skills of focus, clarity, emotional regulation, compassion, self-awareness, and well-being for non-profit leaders in the social change sector. Through mindfulness curriculum, meditation instruction, group discussions, and practice opportunities, participants will develop skills and behaviors that can be applied directly to their personal and professional lives. By sharing their knowledge and experience with their staff, colleagues and communities, participants will strengthen relationships and workplace environments to expand impact beyond their own learning and for the broader benefit of their work and organization.
Core Teaching Team: Pamela Weiss, Jozen Gibson
DETAILS: • A 6-month certificate and training program for Directors, Executive Directors, or any C-level leaders of non-profit organizations within the Bay Area. Limited to two leaders per organization • Commitment: two 2-day commuter retreats, three 1-day retreats, monthly virtual meetings and self-study • Cohort community and peer support is a foundational component of the program to support ongoing mindfulness skill development and integration • Sliding scale and scholarship options are available • Participation is limited to 30 spots
SPIRITROCK.ORG/MINDFUL-LEADERSHIP
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SPIRITROCK.ORG
NEWS & INSIGHTS BOOK EXCERPT
SELF-COMPASSION IN DAILY LIFE INFORMAL PRACTICE by Kristin Neff
Self-compassion is much more than training the mind. Behavioral self-compassion is a safe and effective way of practicing self-compassion. It anchors self-compassion practice in ordinary activities of daily life. If you find that you are experiencing a lot of backdraft when practicing selfcompassion in explicit ways (such as giving yourself soothing touch), you can find more ordinary ways to practice self-compassion that feel safer. Fill out this list of ways you already care for yourself, thinking of some new possibilities you might add to your repertoire. Try doing any of these activities as a way of being kind to yourself in a moment of struggle.
Physically — Soften the Body
Mentally — Reduce Agitation
How do you care for yourself physically (e.g., exercise, warm bath, cup of tea)?
How do you care for your mind, especially when you’re under stress (e.g., meditate, watch a funny movie)?
Can you think of new ways to release the tension and stress that build up in your body?
Is there a new strategy you’d like to try to let your thoughts come and go more easily?
Emotionally — Soothe and Comfort Yourself
Spiritually — Commit to Your Values
How do you care for yourself emotionally (e.g., journal, cook)?
What do you do to care for yourself spiritually (e.g., pray, walk in the woods, help others)?
Is there something new you’d like to try?
Is there anything else you’d like to remember to do to help nurture your spiritual side?
Kristin Neff, PhD; Christopher Germer, PhD: The Mindful Self Compassion Workbook (New York: The Guilford Press, 2018), 60-63.
KRISTIN NEFF is an Associate Professor at the University of Texas at Austin. She is a pioneer in the field of self-compassion research, conducting the first studies on self-compassion fifteen years ago. She is author of Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself and the Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook.
Join us Saturday, June 22:
FIERCE SELF-COMPASSION KRISTIN NEFF | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
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NEWS & INSIGHTS
YOUR GENEROSITY
“FLOWS THROUGH ME LIKE A TIDE OF LOVE”
“By the miracle of this beautiful sangha, I am blessed by the opportunity to sit retreat for little to no cost. As a working class, queer, genderqueer young person who has experienced chronic illness and is now embarking on a journey to become a clinical social worker, the chance to engage in intensive practice has been deeply nourishing. This nourishment flows through me like a tide of love that washes over everything in the great tidal pool of my life. I feel so deeply grateful for having spent time on retreat and have very much enjoyed sharing the gifts of that time with all of the people I encounter. As my practice continues, my love and commitment to the path becomes stronger and stronger. Thank you for the chance to stay connected to the special sweetness that retreat brings to my life <3!” —Anonymous Scholarship Recipient, Labor Day Insight Retreat
WAYS TO MAKE AN OFFERING Explore ways to give on our website spiritrock.org/donate or write to sangha@spiritrock.org. Consider joining our Stewardship Circle, offering a monthly gift to be applied to scholarships or where it’s needed most. We offer members monthly dharma talks, livestreaming, articles and more. Contact Ann Hertelendy at annh@spiritrock.org or visit: spiritrock.org/stewardshipcircle-welcome. Give a gift of stock: Have your stocks increased in value? Giving a gift of stock is a smart way to receive excellent tax benefits while benefiting Spirit Rock. Offering an IRA distribution might be an excellent option to support Spirit Rock and lower your taxable income if you are over seventy years old.
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Plan for the future with Spirit Rock in mind. Leaving a gift in your estate is a powerful way to demonstrate your love. We invite you to consider naming Spirit Rock as a beneficiary in your will or retirement accounts. We love our volunteers! To join us, contact our volunteer coordinator Juliana Birnbaum at (415) 488-0164 x224 or volunteering@spiritrock.org. Become a member of our Sure Heart Sangha by offering an annual gift of $1,000 or more. This heartfelt community of benefactors provides Spirit Rock with the stability necessary to sustain our work, in service to all beings. In gratitude, James Baraz and Kate Munding offer teachings both in person and online. Contact Sharla Pidd at sharlap@spiritrock.org or visit: spiritrock.org/giving/sureheart.
SPIRITROCK.ORG
NEWS & INSIGHTS
Metta may
at Spirit Rock Meditation Center This May at Spirit Rock, we’re focusing on the practice of loving-kindness, placing our palms together and radiating metta within ourselves to further extend outward to our loved ones and beyond. Donations are a concrete manifestation of metta and have the intention of extending well wishes for others in the world.
This May, Radiate Metta! May you be happy. May you be peaceful. May you be healthy. May you be at ease. Gifts help Spirit Rock thrive by: • Supporting teachers and staff • Ensuring scholarships are available to practitioners who otherwise would not be able to come • Upholding our diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives • Creating opportunities for families and children to slow down, connect, and practice together • Maintaining this beautiful land • Sharing healthy, nourishing meals
Donate online at
spiritrock.org/mettamay
VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION MARC ROEGIERS Marc Roegiers has been a Dedicated Volunteer at Spirit Rock since the spring of 2018, and helps out with maintaining the volunteer office database, processing applications, and doing accounting in the volunteer work-credit bank. His background and skills in computer programming have resulted in him being of service to several departments at Spirit Rock. Staff say that his creative efforts have saved Spirit Rock countless labor hours related to data entry. Thank you, Marc! How did you first find out about Spirit Rock? I first heard of Spirit Rock long ago when my wife and daughter started attending meditation programs. At that time I was working hard and simply filed that information away. Later, as I started on my spiritual journey, I came to Spirit Rock seeking spiritual direction. Why did you decide to volunteer? As my practice deepened I experienced that my practice benefited not only me, but others as well. I reasoned this is true for everyone. Following on that idea I decided the more people I could help on their path the more benefit there would be to the world. Since Spirit Rock’s mission seems to be helping people along their spiritual path, I pursued becoming a volunteer. What have you learned as a volunteer? Being a volunteer in the volunteer office, part of my job is helping to keep track of when and where volunteers work. I have learned that it takes many volunteers to help SRMC deliver the lifechanging programs that it offers. It inspires me to see the vast numbers of people willing to give of themselves to help others along their path. What has volunteering added to your life? I have met so many wonderful people who work here at SRMC. I feel that I have become part of this amazing Sangha. When I’d contemplated the Three Jewels in the past, it was easy for me to take refuge in the Buddha and the Dharma, but not so much the Sangha. Now with my volunteer work, I truly feel the power of the Sangha, and when I recite the refuges with my morning meditation, I know that I mean it.
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DROP-INS, DAY RETREATS & COMMUTER RETREATS Spirit Rock offers a breadth of trainings including commuter retreats, drop-in and day retreats, special events, weekly and monthly class series and online courses that open gateways to the Dharma and deepen understanding of the Buddha's teachings. We structure these offerings so you can commute home in the evening for sleep, family, or further practice; or stay in nearby accommodations. We invite you to review our offerings on the following pages. Details are subject to change; visit spiritrock.org for up-to-date information.
WEEKLY & MONTHLY DROP-IN PROGRAMS AT SPIRIT ROCK Community Welcome | Mondays, 6:15 – 7:00 pm This FREE program is for everyone who is new to Spirit Rock or interested in learning more about Insight (Vipassana) Meditation. You can give meditation a try, experiment with different postures and techniques, and learn more about how Spirit Rock can support you. It’s a wonderful opportunity to ask questions in a relaxed, informal setting and connect with others who are new to the Spirit Rock community.
Monday Night Dharma Talk & Meditation Group 7:15 – 9:15 pm | LIVESTREAM AVAILABLE JACK KORNFIELD & FRIENDS Our Monday night drop-in program serves as an introduction to the practices of awareness and compassion that are the heart of our community and offers support and ongoing teachings to committed students. Fee: $15 - 30 sliding scale.
Wednesday Morning Meditation Group 10 am – 12 pm SYLVIA BOORSTEIN, DONALD ROTHBERG & OTHERS A sitting and practice-oriented discussion group, suitable for new and experienced practitioners. Fee: $15 - 30 sliding scale.
Thursday Women's Group | 10 am – 12 pm GRACE FISHER & OTHERS A place for women to come together, to share wisdom and to strengthen a sense of belonging in the world. Fee: $15 - 30 sliding scale.
Dharma & Recovery Group | 7:15 – 9:15 pm KEVIN GRIFFIN & OTHERS - 2nd Friday of every month This group explores the intersection of recovery with Buddhist teachings and practices. All who identify with any of the full range of addictions, including substances, behaviors, habitual thought and emotional patterns are welcome. Fee: $15 - 30 sliding scale.
DAY RETREATS & COMMUTER RETREATS
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MINDFULNESS MEDITATION JACK KORNFIELD | 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM
LIVESTREAM AVAILABLE In this traditional Insight Meditation (Vipassana) day retreat, the emphasis is on quieting the mind and opening the heart. By cultivating a calm mind and a kind heart towards ourselves and others, we learn to live with loving awareness. And we develop a more easeful relationship with life, regardless of our circumstances. Instructions will be given for both sitting and walking meditation. Lively discourse on the Dharma will be provided throughout the day, with time for questions and discussion. Code: JK1D19. JACK KORNFIELD trained as a Buddhist monk in Thailand, India and Burma and holds a PhD in clinical psychology. He has taught meditation since 1974 and is a founding teacher of IMS and Spirit Rock. His books include A Path with Heart, The Wise Heart and No Time Like the Present.
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07 FRI
NO SELF, NO PROBLEM: EXPLORING SELF AND IDENTITY MARK COLEMAN | 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM
6 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE Who are we? Who do we take ourselves to be? What is identity? These are profound and perplexing questions that mystics, philosophers, and now neuroscientists are attempting to answer about the human experience. In this practical, accessible, and experiential day retreat, we will explore the nature of self, not-self and identity as taught within the Buddhist tradition. Through meditations, inquiry, and reflection, we will explore the freedom and peace that is possible when we understand clearly the nature of self and cease to define ourselves by limiting self-views and constricting identities. Open to all. Code: MC4D19. MARK COLEMAN, MA, has been teaching Insight Meditation retreats since 1997. He also leads wilderness meditation retreats, integrating mindfulness meditation with nature, and is the author of Awake in the Wild and Make Peace with Your Mind.
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SPIRIT ROCK | JUN – AUG 2019
DAY RETREATS & COMMUTER RETREATS FEES Spirit Rock deeply welcomes anyone with an interest in studying the Dharma and practicing Insight Meditation. We offer reduced fees, scholarships, and work exchange opportunities, and regularly hold ‘Dana’ pay-as-you-can programs allowing you to offer any amount. Non-residential programs vary in fees, and always have a sliding scale. We encourage those who can pay at the top of the sliding scale to offer what they can, knowing they’re supporting a practitioner paying at the bottom of the scale. Teacher support is built into these fees, and a portion of them may be tax-deductible.
• Drop-ins: $15+ • Evenings: $30+ • Day/Commuter Retreats: $75+/day $45+ for Young Adults (18-26) and Seniors (65+ with limited income) • Special Events: $90+ • Benefits: $110+ VOLUNTEERING Volunteering is a meaningful way to participate in the Spirit Rock community. Volunteers help in every department and support every program. We hope you’ll consider offering us your time and energy helping with events, in housekeeping, on the land, in an office or in the kitchen. In gratitude for your service, volunteers receive free or reduced price attendance at programs. Contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Juliana Birnbaum, at volunteering@spiritrock.org or (415) 488-0164 x224. REGISTRATION Registration is available on our website. You can also mail a check to Spirit Rock, PO Box 169, Woodacre, CA, 94973. Please include your daytime phone number and email address and write the program code on the outside of the envelope and on your check. Pre-registration closes at noon Friday for weekend programs. For class series and other non-weekend programs, pre-registration closes at noon one business day before the program. In order to receive the pre-registration price, you must pay in full at the time you register. There is an additional $5 fee for registering at the door. To register by phone, call (415) 4880164 x219 or x266, 8:00 am - 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday. CANCELLATIONS We do not offer refunds, but you can request a credit up to 4:00 pm two business days before an event (or Thursday for weekend programs). We will credit your registration fee towards another non-residential program. Credits are not transferrable to residential retreats and must be used within one year of their date of issue. If you do not contact us prior to this deadline, no credit will be issued. Credits cannot be accessed online; to request or use a credit, contact EventsRegistrar@spiritrock.org or call (415) 488-0164 x219 or x266, 8:00 am - 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday. Please note, Commuter Retreat cancellation fees vary.
SPIRITROCK.ORG
DAY RETREATS & COMMUTER RETREATS
JUN
07 FRI
THE WORLD COULD BE OTHERWISE NORMAN FISCHER | 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
One of Spirit Rock’s summer evening programs, this evening will be centered around themes from Norman Fischer’s new book, The World Could Be Otherwise: Imagination and the Bodhisattva Path. In frightening times, we wish the world could be otherwise. With a touch of imagination, it can be. Imagination helps us see what’s hidden, and it shape-shifts reality’s roiling, twisting waves. The World Could Be Otherwise offers an imaginative approach to spiritual practice in difficult times, through the Buddhist teaching of the six paramitas or “perfections”—qualities that lead to kindness, wisdom, and an awakened life. Code: NF1E19.
JUN
14 FRI
5.5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE This day of Insight Meditation is an invitation to reawaken in ourselves in the noble qualities of mindfulness and friendliness. Cultivating a relaxed, kind and curious attention to our moment to moment experience, we can recover our natural peace, clarity, wisdom and compassion. This capacity to pay attention in the present moment enables us to connect with ourselves more intimately and directly, understand the causes of both suffering and happiness and discover our natural freedom and ease. All levels of experience are invited. Code: HC2D19. HOWARD COHN, MA, serves on the Spirit Rock Teachers Council, and has taught Vipassana retreats since 1985. He has studied with teachers of several traditions, including Theravada, Zen and Dzogchen, and has been strongly influenced by H.W.L. Poonja. Howard has led the Mission Dharma sangha for 30 years, and is the author of Invitation to Meditation.
NORMAN FISCHER is a Zen priest, poet, translator, and director of the Everyday Zen Foundation. His numerous books include What Is Zen? Plain Talk for a Beginner’s Mind, Training in Compassion: Zen Teachings on the Practice of Lojong and Opening to You: Zen-Inspired Translations of the Psalms.
JUN
08 SAT
A DANA (BY DONATION) DAY
MINDFULNESS OF THE BODY: GROUNDING IN BODILY AWARENESS AJAHN KARUNADHAMMO 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
The first of the Four Establishings of Mindfulness, Mindfulness of the Body, is taught extensively in the Pali Canon. We often forget that there is “life below the head,” spending so much of our time and energy lost in mental proliferation. With various contemplations, the Buddha taught us to use the physical body and breathing as a vehicle for samatha (tranquillity) and vipassana (insight), all the way to complete liberation. There will be periods of sitting and walking meditation, Dhamma reflections, and time for discussion and questions. Please bring lunch to share with the monks. Visit our website for information about monastic offerings. Code: AK1G19. VEN. AJAHN KARUNADHAMMO connected with the Theravada tradition in his 30s, and ordained as an anagarika in 1996 as part of the original Abhayagiri group. In 1998, he took full bhikkhu ordination, becoming the first Americanborn bhikkhu at the first American branch monastery of the Thai lineage of Ajahn Chah and Ajahn Sumedho.
INTRODUCTION TO INSIGHT MEDITATION HOWARD COHN | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
JUN
09 SUN
AWAKENING THROUGH OUR WOUNDS: MINDFULNESS AND TRAUMA PAWAN BAREJA | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
6 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE Rumi said, “The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” Through the unfortunate experience of pain, we can choose to heal and grow spiritually. Our trauma history not only affects our brain and nervous system, it also causes emotional pain, confusion and disorientation. The trauma-healing strategies offered in this day retreat will help release our stuck energy, and increase relaxation and happiness. Using movement exercises to work directly with the autonomic nervous system, we will learn how to increase our resilience and self-regulation when old traumatic wounds arise. With love and compassion, we will explore ways to release old thought patterns that no longer serve us. All are welcome. Code: PB1D19. PAWAN BAREJA, PHD, has a body-oriented counseling practice based on Peter Levine's Somatic Experiencing™ work for coping with trauma and life changes, and is also an assistant in SE Trainings. She is currently in the Spirit Rock Teacher Training program.
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SPIRITROCK.ORG/CONTINUING-EDUCATION-CREDIT DAY RETREATS & COMMUTER RETREATS
CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDIT OFFERINGS: is available for psychologists and California licensed MFTs,
RESIDENTIAL RETREATS OFFERING CE CREDIT:
LCSWs, LEPs, LPCCs, Nurses, Chiropractors, Acupuncturists
6/3-9
Awakening Joy
and now K-12 Educators.
6/24-30
Mindfulness for Everyone
9/16-22
Finding Freedom in the Body
by the American Psychological Association to sponsor
10/17-26
Fall Insight Meditation Retreat
continuing education for psychologists. The Spiritual
12/16-23
Insight Meditation Winter Solstice Retreat:
Competency Resource Center maintains responsibility for
Embracing the Dark, Inviting the Light
Continuing Education (CE) credit is co-sponsored by Spirit Rock and the Spiritual Competency Resource Center. CE credit
• The Spiritual Competency Resource Center is approved
these programs and their content. • Spirit Rock is a provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number CEP16905. • The California Acupuncture Board has approved Spirit Rock as a Continuing Education Credit Provider, Provider Number 1425. • The California Board of Behavioral Sciences accepts CE
6/7
No Self, No Problem: Exploring Self & Identity
credits for license renewal from programs sponsored by
6/9
Awakening Through our Wounds:
American Psychological Association approved providers.
Mindfulness and Trauma
6/14
Intro to Insight Meditation
CE credits for license renewal from programs sponsored by
6/16
Anxiety: It’s Not All in Your Mind
Board of Registered Nursing approved providers.
6/22
Fierce Self-Compassion
• The California Board of Chiropractic Examiners accepts
7/5
Resilience: Facing Life’s Challenges with Compassion,
Clarity, and Courage
Please check with your district or Local Education Agency
7/6
Cultivating Wise Speech: Becoming More Skillful
for applicable policies to ensure acceptance of academic
in Your Speech Practice
credits earned.
7/14
Relaxed and Awake: Feldenkrais Method‰ Movement
and Mindfulness Meditation
7/19
Stored Emotions: A Mindfulness and Somatic
and learning objectives. CE credit awarded for instruction
Exploration of Past Experiences
time only. For general information, including attendance
7/19-21 Buddhism & Recovery: The Twelve Steps
and cancellation policies, see: spiritrock.org/continuing-
8/16
Loving the House that Ego Built
education-credit.
8/17
The Neurodharma of Love
• California K-12 Teachers: Programs may be applicable for professional learning opportunities for K-12 educators.
Not all programs are applicable to every license; please check the web description for specific license applicability
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DAY RETREATS AND COMMUTER RETREATS OFFERING CE CREDIT:
SPIRIT ROCK | JUN – AUG 2019
SPIRITROCK.ORG
DAY RETREATS & COMMUTER RETREATS
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3-DAY COMMUTER RETREAT THINGS ARE NOT AS THEY APPEAR: FOUR WAYS OF TRAINING DONALD ROTHBERG | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Our practice is understood as awakening from being asleep. We don’t see clearly; things are in reality not as they appear to us. In this retreat, we explore four ways that we see inaccurately, and four sets of understandings and practices to help us see more clearly. We investigate how we typically see: (1) through the lens of a personal self; (2) through our social conditioning; (3) by imagining solid, enduring, and separate individual beings and objects; and (4) by seeing a separation between oneself and all else. The retreat will include sitting and walking meditation, talks, and discussion. Code: DR2M19.
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5.5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE The seeds of anxiety originate from a variety of sources: repeated trauma, illness, chronic pain, hormonal imbalance, and a mind caught in fear of the unknown future. How we skillfully work with ourselves when anxiety takes root, including before anxiety emerges, comes in many forms. Awareness of our internal landscape fosters the sensitivity to know when something is starting, rather than when it has already started. By developing mindfulness, we cultivate internal awareness to address the body before anxiety spreads, give kind attention to our bodies, and learn to recognize the progression of thoughts and emotions that arise prior to anxiety taking hold. Code: JS2D19.
DONALD ROTHBERG, PhD, has practiced Insight Meditation since 1976, and has also trained in Tibetan Dzogchen and Mahamudra practice. He regularly teaches Insight and lovingkindness meditation, and on transforming the judgmental mind, mindful communication, and socially engaged Buddhism. He is the author of The Engaged Spiritual Life.
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15
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EVEN THIS: THE DHARMA WISDOM OF POETRY FOR DIFFICULT TIMES PHILLIP MOFFITT | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Dharma practice inspired by poetry brings us deeper into insight. It can release us from the suffering of difficult times and soothe the heart. This day of meditation practice and poetry reading is about using mindfulness to find our ground and bring clarity to life issues. This 19th annual Poetry Day will consist of sitting and walking meditation practice interspersed with dharma discussions based on the collection of poems Phillip has selected for this day. In this participatory program, you will have the opportunity, if you choose, to read aloud one of the selected poems to those in attendance. Code: PM1D19. PHILLIP MOFFITT has practiced Vipassana since 1983. He is founder and president of the Life Balance Institute. He is the author of Dancing with Life, Emotional Chaos to Clarity and Awakening through the Nine Bodies.
ANXIETY: IT’S NOT ALL IN YOUR MIND JILL SATTERFIELD | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
JILL SATTERFIELD is an international mindfulness and meditation teacher, wellness program director, speaker and coach. Jill’s integration of mindfulness and embodiment practices include somatic therapy and contemplative psychology. She has been in the field of integrating mindfulness into healthcare and wellness for over 35 years.
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22
FIERCE SELF-COMPASSION KRISTIN NEFF | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
SAT
6 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE | LIVESTREAM AVAILABLE This unique workshop is focused on integrating yin and yang —tender and fierce—self-compassion. Yin self-compassion involves “being with” ourselves in a compassionate way, as we naturally do for our friends who struggle. Yang self-compassion involves taking action in the world to protect, provide and motivate ourselves—saying “no” to others who are hurting us, drawing our boundaries firmly; giving ourselves what we need to be fulfilled mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually; and motivating ourselves to reach our goals or make needed changes. It will teach theory, research, and concrete practices from the empirically-supported Mindful Self-Compassion program. Code: KN1S19. KRISTIN NEFF, PhD is an Associate Professor at the University of Texas at Austin. She is a pioneer in the field of self-compassion research, conducting the first studies on self-compassion fifteen years ago. She is author of “SelfCompassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself” and the “Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook.”
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JUN
29 SAT
BUILDING STRENGTH, HEALING AND CELEBRATION: LGBTQI AND SUBLIME STATES FRESH “LEV” WHITE, AMMA THANASANTI, RENÉ RIVERA, AND PATRICK BROWN 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Love, compassion and sympathetic joy are gateways to peace and freedom. On this day, we are coming together as Trans, Gender Expansive, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Questioning, and Intersex folks to discover and practice tools that will support us in navigating the everyday ways we experience suffering individually and globally. There will be guided meditation, mindful movement, discussion and a community-building potluck lunch. Please bring food to share. Code: FR1D19. FRESH “LEV” WHITE discovered meditation in the 80s and has been practicing, training and teaching at the East Bay Meditation Center since 2012. Founder of the Bay Area’s first Trans, GQ Mindfulness sangha, he is also a contributor to Real World Mindfulness for Beginners, and an upcoming Trans Buddhist Anthology.
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RELATIONSHIP AS SPIRITUAL PRACTICE: FOR THOSE WITH AND WITHOUT PARTNERS DEBRA CHAMBERLIN-TAYLOR 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Relationships can be a source of great joy and awakening in which the most difficult challenges are used for growth and for opening the heart. This may sound like a fantasy, yet experience shows us that conscious, loving relations are possible. These relationships are a profound opportunity to take the genuine spiritual journey of letting go of the conditioned self and of opening to the vast heart of compassion. A few essential principles and skills can transform relationships into spiritual practice. In this workshop, we’ll share these essential tools through group discussion, experiential exercises and guided meditations. Code: DC1D19.
AMMA THANASANTI, former Buddhist nun of 26 years in the Ajahn Chah tradition, teaches multiplicity—how our individual experience, relationships, social structures and physical world are all part of our experience of wholeness. She continually returns to the profound but simple practices in early Buddhist teachings and the ever-present awakened mind. RENÉ RIVERA is a bridge-builder, working and learning in all spaces in between race, gender, and other perceived binaries, as a queer, mixed-race, transman. René is a teacher at the East Bay Meditation Center and has held leadership roles there and at Spirit Rock, working to make the Dharma accessible for LGBTQI, Disabled and POC communities. PATRICK BROWN is an activist and advocate who first entered EBMC in 2010. He is a leader of their People of Color and Alphabet Sanghas. As an advocate and facilitator, his professional career is focused on racial equity and leadership development, supported by his practice and the Dharma.
DEBRA CHAMBERLIN-TAYLOR has been leading retreats since 1978. In addition to practicing Vipassana, she has been influenced by Dzogchen and Diamond Heart®. She also leads workshops on embodiment of awareness and conscious relationships.
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SPIRITROCK.ORG
DAY RETREATS & COMMUTER RETREATS
JUL
05 FRI
RESILIENCE: FACING LIFE’S CHALLENGES WITH COMPASSION, CLARITY, AND COURAGE LINDA GRAHAM | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
6 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE Whether coping with small annoyances or full-blown catastrophes, this day retreat leads us through a step-bystep process to strengthen the response flexibility innate in our brains and our beings. We will explore how to find calm, clarity and courage in the midst of any adversity. We will learn to integrate practices from Western psychology, the Buddhist wisdom tradition and modern neuroscience to manage powerful emotions, deepen mindful empathy and self-compassion, connect in healthy and nourishing relationships, reverse the impacts of stress or trauma, and use conscious reflection to make the wise choices that lead to thriving and flourishing. Code: LG1D19.
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Concentration or serenity meditation (samatha) is one of three major practices of the Buddhist path, along with sīla and Vipassana. In concentration practice, we return awareness to one object of meditation, unifying the mind stream. This retreat offers an overview of samatha as taught in the lineage of Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw of Burma, considered to be the leading living teacher of Samatha/jhanas. There will be meditation periods and instruction, silence, and teaching including Q&As. We will explore the practice path, the relationship of Samatha and Vipassana, purification of mind, and working with striving. Code: TR2M19. TINA RASMUSSEN, PhD, learned to meditate at the age of 13 and has been meditating for over 30 years. She was ordained as a Theravada Buddhist nun by Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw of Burma, who also authorized her to teach. Tina is the co-author of Practicing the Jhanas, as well as several books on human potential.
LINDA GRAHAM, MFT is an experienced psychotherapist and a teacher of Mindful Self-Compassion in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is the author of Resilience: Powerful Practices for Bouncing Back from Disappointment, Difficulty, and Even Disaster.
JUL
06 SAT
CULTIVATING WISE SPEECH: BECOMING MORE SKILLFUL IN YOUR SPEECH PRACTICE DONALD ROTHBERG | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
6 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE Connecting our meditation practice with our speech and communication is one of the main ways to bring spiritual values further into our everyday lives. In this day retreat, we will support this intention by integrating periods of sitting and walking meditation with talks, communication exercises, and discussion. We will focus on (1) the basic teachings of the Buddha on wise speech, (2) cultivating mindfulness during speaking and listening, and (3) learning how to practice wise and compassionate speech in difficult conditions—such as when there are difficult emotions, when there is conflict, or when there are challenging interpersonal or group dynamics. Code: DR3D19. DONALD ROTHBERG — See page 15 for bio.
2-DAY COMMUTER RETREAT CONCENTRATION MEDITATION: PURIFICATION OF MIND TINA RASMUSSEN | 10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
JUL
07
SUN
EXPLORING DIFFERENT MODES OF MINDFULNESS NIKKI MIRGHAFORI | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Mindfulness (sati) is the first of the seven factors of awakening, and part of the Noble Eightfold Path. What is mindfulness exactly? What are the different modes of being mindful? What supports its arising? How does mindfulness function as a balancing factor in practice and daily life? What is the relationship between mindfulness and wisdom? Join us for an experiential day of exploring different modes and aspects of mindfulness through similes from the suttas. There will be guided practice, silence, and many opportunities for Q&A. Appropriate for both beginners and experienced practitioners who wish to deepen their mindfulness practice. Code: NM2D19. NIKKI MIRGHAFORI, PhD, studied jhanas & vipassana with Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw who instructed her to teach. She is a Stanford-trained compassion cultivation instructor, a UCLA-trained mindfulness facilitator, and serves on the Spirit Rock Teachers Council and Board of Directors. She was previously incarnated as an artificial intelligence scientist.
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SUMMER EVENING PROGRAMS This summer we’re offering two special summer evening programs, a beautiful opportunity to sit together while the days are long and warm. We hope to see you here.
Friday, June 7, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
THE WORLD COULD BE OTHERWISE NORMAN FISCHER Renowned Zen Buddhist teacher, Norman Fischer, will offer teachings from his newly published book, The World Could Be Otherwise: Imagination and the Bodhisattva Path. It is an imaginative approach to spiritual practice in difficult times. He will share Buddhist teachings of the six paramitas or “perfections”—qualities that lead to kindness, wisdom and an awakened life. The evening will include discussions and a relaxed and unique opportunity to engage with Norman and the local Buddhist community.
Friday, July 26, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm A Benefit for the Spirit Rock Scholarship Fund
A NEW DHARMA WAVE: JOSEPH GOLDSTEIN IN CONVERSATION WITH DAWN SCOTT Join us in a dialog between one of the foremost Vipassana teachers in the Insight tradition, Joseph Goldstein, and his mentee Dawn Scott. Joseph will share how Dharma communities can be more inclusive and welcoming to all and what practice looks like in the face of these uncertain times for our world. The evening will include a meditation and time for Q & A from the audience.
Every breath is vivid and alive as it is. Every breath is forever. —Norman Fischer
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SPIRITROCK.ORG
DAY RETREATS & COMMUTER RETREATS
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2-DAY COMMUTER RETREAT OPEN HEART, STEADY MIND: PRACTICES FOR WHEN LIFE GETS HARD
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14
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KATE MUNDING | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM How do we keep practicing when we feel like we are sinking into the muck? Loneliness, anxiety, grief, overwhelm, and anger can really knock us off our cushion, making us feel as if our practice isn’t working or isn’t strong enough to stay present when difficulty arises. In this weekend retreat, we will explore ways of working with the difficult through guided instruction, silent and walking meditation, journaling, Q&A, and discussion. We’ll explore how to stay steady with what pains or causes us stress, and how to recapture a sense of our inner strength and wisdom, both to endure and to heal. Code: MG1M19. KATE MUNDING serves on the Spirit Rock Teachers Council, and is a guiding teacher for the Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley. She has practiced meditation since 2004, and is the founder of HeartMind Education, providing mindfulness-based education programs and trainings.
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THE WORLD ON OUR PLATE: CULTIVATING A MINDFUL RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD GENEEN ROTH | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
What would our lives look like if we stopped channeling the best of our energy into food and our weight? During this day together, we will explore key touchstones that can help us release the energy of obsession, achieve our natural weight and make longlasting changes in our lives, including our relationship with food and our bodies. Let this be the moment that we finally make peace with food, end the quest to fix ourselves, and learn to live our lives from the open vast magnificent place that has never been broken. Code: GR1S19. GENEEN ROTH: Author of ten books, including This Messy Magnificent Life and NY Times bestseller Women Food and God, Geneen pioneered the intuitive eating movement, using food and eating as a doorway to spirituality. She has appeared on The Oprah Show, The View, The Today Show, and in national publications O: The Oprah Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Time and The New York Times.
RELAXED AND AWAKE: FELDENKRAIS‰ METHOD MOVEMENT AND MINDFULNESS MEDITATION DAN CLURMAN | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
6 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE By changing our habits of movement and thinking, we can relax and awaken the body-mind. We can then join in the dance of existence with more freedom and ease. This day retreat combines mindfulness meditation with Feldenkrais Movement lessons. Feldenkrais is the brilliant sensory-motor approach to re-educating the nervous system and developing awareness. Periods of meditation will alternate with guided Feldenkrais movement lessons, allowing the practices to promote mind-body connections, vitality and well-being. Ample time will be provided for discussion. This workshop is appropriate for experienced and beginning students of either mindfulness meditation or The Feldenkrais Method®. Code: DA1D19. DAN CLURMAN, MA, is a certified Feldenkrais® Practitioner and personal coach. He integrates somatic awareness into his work as a coach and organizational trainer in communication skills.
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3-DAY COMMUTER RETREAT RESTORATIVE QIGONG AND MEDITATION: MEDITATION IN STILLNESS AND IN MOTION TEJA BELL | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
We will explore the intersection of qigong and Dharma, as two ancient paths up the same mountain. Through the continuity of meditation in stillness and in motion, we will reconnect with our innate goodness, nourish our sacred intuition, and remember to trust and listen to the wisdom of our Buddhanature. We will learn how the integration of these practices can support empowerment and our capacity for wellbeing, in ourselves and in community. Together, we will develop skills that can lead to mental clarity, vibrant health, and a peaceful heart and spirit. Practices will include standing, sitting, and supine qigong postures, as well as energy alignment. Code: TJ1M19. TEJA BELL (Fudo Myoo Roshi) is a Rinzai Zen master, the 85th ancestor of the lineage of Lin-Chi I-Chuan. He teaches Dharma, qigong and meditation as embodied mindfulness through the integrating embodiment skills with healing dharma, and has taught over 100 retreats at Spirit Rock since 1999.
SPIRIT ROCK | JUN – AUG 2019
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19 FRI
STORED EMOTIONS: A MINDFULNESS AND SOMATIC EXPLORATION OF PAST EXPERIENCES JILL SATTERFIELD | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
6 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE Our body reflects our mind like a mirror. It is shaped by thought and emotion, which are often displayed as body language. However pleasant or painful our experiences are, they can become part of our tissue if not recognized and released. If we cling to or push them away, whatever we are experiencing becomes not only a story, but part of a conversation in the body, literally shaping it. By developing kind awareness, we can hone the ability to notice and let go of these experiences in the moment. This day retreat will include mindfulness, meditation, visualization, and breath practices while seated, walking and lying down. Code: JS3D19. JILL SATTERFIELD — See bio on page 17.
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3-DAY COMMUTER RETREAT BUDDHISM & RECOVERY: THE TWELVE STEPS KEVIN GRIFFIN | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
12 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE On this retreat, we will work with the Twelve Steps using Buddhist teachings and practices through meditation, lecture, discussion, as well as interactive and written exercises. We will explore mindfulness, self-compassion, and loving-kindness meditation practices that support recovery, as well as Buddhist teachings on craving and letting go. Each session will include periods of meditation and time for questions. We will have the opportunity to write and share on recovery topics, as well as developing community in an intimate setting. We will use the Buddhism & The Twelve Steps Workbook as a framework for the retreat. This retreat benefits those in the addiction and recovery process, and care providers who support them. Code: KG1M19. KEVIN GRIFFIN is known for his innovative work connecting dharma and recovery, especially through his 2004 book “One Breath at a Time: Buddhism and the Twelve Steps.” He teaches at dharma centers, wellness centers, and secular mindfulness settings. His latest book is “Living Kindness: Buddhist Teachings for a Troubled World.”
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2-DAY COMMUTER RETREAT A LOVE SUPREME VINNY FERRARO | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Our time together will be spent exploring the sure heart’s release. We’ll look at cultivating different flavors of love, and working with what gets in the way. This path of awakening leads us towards the wisdom of how to more fully inhabit our lives. As our understanding deepens, we learn how to care for our whole selves and how to live life with a wiser and undefended heart. The weekend will include practicing mindfulness in many ways, whether it’s sitting, walking, Q&A, or sharing together. Code: VF1M19. VINNY FERRARO has been a practitioner of insight meditation since the mid 90s. He is a co-founder of the Dharma Punx, a Senior Trainer for Mindful Schools, and is a board member for the Mind Body Awareness Project. His focus is on delivering direct services to folks that have limited access. He has been trained and empowered by Spirit Rock and Insight Meditation Society.
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26 FRI
A NEW DHARMA WAVE: JOSEPH GOLDSTEIN IN CONVERSATION WITH DAWN SCOTT 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
A Benefit for the Spirit Rock Scholarship Fund Join us in experiencing the teachings of Buddhism from Joseph Goldstein, one of the foremost Vipassana teachers in the Insight tradition. Joseph offers insights about the future of Buddhism, how Dharma communities can be more inclusive and welcoming to all, and what practice looks like in the face of these uncertain times for our world. This evening of dialogue includes a time for guided meditation, mentee/mentor conversation between Joseph and Dawn, and audience Q&A. Code: JG1B19. JOSEPH GOLDSTEIN is a co-founder and guiding teacher of Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA. He’s been teaching retreats since 1974. He is the author of Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening, A Heart Full of Peace, One Dharma, Insight Meditation, The Experience of Insight, and co-author of Seeking the Heart of Wisdom. DAWN SCOTT has been practicing insight meditation since 2008, is a Diamond Heart practitioner, and currently serves as the Family Program Coordinator at Spirit Rock. She teaches teen retreats at Inward Bound Mindfulness Education and is in the 2017-2021 IMS Teacher Training Program.
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26 FRI
THE HAPPINESS OF THE BUDDHA OREN JAY SOFER | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
LIVESTREAM AVAILABLE The Buddha was sometimes known as “The Happy One.” What is happiness from the perspective of Buddhist teachings? Are there different kinds of happiness? How does the path of practice taught by the Buddha open the door to experiencing this in our life? This intimate day of teaching, exploration and meditation practice will include discussion, silent reflection, periods of sitting and walking meditation, as well as time for Q&A. It is appropriate for both beginners and more experienced meditators. Code: OS3D19. OREN JAY SOFER holds a degree in Comparative Religion from Columbia University, is trained in Somatic Experiencing™, Nonviolent Communication, and is a member of the Spirit Rock Teachers Council. Oren is the founder of Next Step Dharma, and author of Say What You Mean: A Mindful Approach to Nonviolent Communication.
JUL
27 SAT
CHANTING AND MEDITATION: CELEBRATING THE BOUNDLESS HEART JAI UTTAL AND DEBRA CHAMBERLIN-TAYLOR 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM
As we sing and meditate with our entire body, heart and spirit, the “noise” of life can stop, allowing us to reconnect with the sheer joy, depth, and beauty of being. The heart is an honored gateway to our most profound and boundless nature. Using the ancient and sublime blend of kirtan (chanting) combined with periods of guided and silent meditation, we can open the heart of infinite love. Kirtan in the Bhakti tradition taps the nectar of spiritual longing and devotion, and invites us to surrender everything into the sacred. Code: JA2E19. DEBRA CHAMBERLIN-TAYLOR — See page 18 for bio. JAI UTTAL — In 30 years of commitment to the spiritual practice of kirtan, Jai Uttal has cultivated a voice and musical style that carries the listener into the heart of devotion, prayer, and healing, and to an ecstatic remembrance of the divine.
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DAY RETREATS & COMMUTER RETREATS
JUL
JUL
27 28
SAT SUN
2-DAY COMMUTER RETREAT CONNECTING WITH COURAGE: BUDDHIST PRACTICES FOR FACING RACISM AND WHITE PRIVILEGE JD DOYLE | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
OPEN TO ALL SELF-IDENTIFIED WHITE PEOPLE This weekend retreat explores how mindfulness and heart practices can wake us up to the tangled histories of white privilege and racism. We will focus on connecting with the unconscious and implicit biases that we, as white people, embody at both the individual and collective levels. The Buddha’s teachings offer practices that support us in attending to the discomfort that arises when we recognize the impact of white privilege and racism. Together, we will face these legacies and develop skills for transforming our hearts and minds to create healing communities that are accessible and open to all. Code: JD1M19.
AUG AUG
09 11 FRI
SUN
3-DAY COMMUTER RETREAT FOUR PRACTICES FOR INNATE STRENGTH AND WHOLENESS OREN JAY SOFER | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Rest, strength and wholeness are essential parts of any spiritual path. The Brahma Viharas are a set of practices for strengthening four positive mind states: kindness, compassion, joy and balance. These states can be cultivated as a source of resilience, a vehicle for concentration and a support for insight. In this commuter retreat, we will explore meditative techniques for developing the four Brahma Viharas, and for releasing the obstacles to well-being. Our time together will include instructions, sitting and walking meditation, Dharma talks and question and answer sessions with the teacher. Code: OS1M19. OREN JAY SOFER — See page 24 for bio.
JD DOYLE is in Spirit Rock’s Teacher Training and has practiced Buddhism for over 20 years in the U.S., Thailand, and Burma. JD is a core teacher at the East Bay Meditation Center. Their practice is committed to expanding concepts of gender and addressing the impact of racism in our world.
JUL
JUL
SAT
SUN
27 28
2-DAY COMMUTER RETREAT TRUSTING YOUR LIFE: A WRITING WEEKEND RETREAT ROGER HOUSDEN | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Trust can be one of the most difficult qualities to sustain in the face of life’s challenges. It requires waking up to the deeper current of your life’s intelligence, beyond all disappointments, betrayals, and events that come and go. That intelligence reveals itself now, in whatever appears in this moment and the opportunity it gives us to allow life to have its way. Using writing prompts and the wisdom of the group, this weekend retreat will help you to deepen your trust in your own life and life in its larger picture. Code: RR2M19. ROGER HOUSDEN is the author of twenty three books on poetry, art, and travel as pilgrimage. His work includes the best-selling Ten Poems to Change Your Life series, and his latest book, Dropping the Struggle: Seven Ways To Love the Life You Have.
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DAY RETREATS & COMMUTER RETREATS
When you release your suffering, it can become your gateway to freedom. You are bigger than your wounds. —Jack Kornfield
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SPIRITROCK.ORG
DAY RETREATS & COMMUTER RETREATS
AUG AUG
10 11
SAT
SUN
2-DAY COMMUTER RETREAT THE SATIPATTHÃNA SUTTA: THE FOUR FOUNDATIONS OF MINDFULNESS NIKKI MIRGHAFORI | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
The teachings on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness are considered to be core practices in the Theravada tradition. This foundational text, the Satipatthãna Sutta, comprises the contemplation of the body, feeling tones, mind states, and mental phenomena. The aim of our exploration is to gain both a conceptual understanding of the teachings, and more importantly, a practical understanding of these practices as powerful means on our journey towards awakening. This weekend retreat draws upon Ven. Bhikkhu Analayo’s scholarly work on this sutta, presented in two books: “Satipatthãna: The Direct Path to Realization” and “Perspectives on Satipatthãna.” Code: NM2M19. NIKKI MIRGHAFORI — See page 19 for bio.
AUG AUG
13 15
TUE THU
3-DAY COMMUTER RETREAT FACETS OF AWAKENING AMMA THANASANTI | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Like a multi-faceted jewel, awakening has many different expressions: joy, compassion, energy, and clear seeing. Through mindfulness, cultivating sublime states and resting in the natural perfection of awareness, we will cultivate practical and useful tools for spiritual liberation. This retreat will be oriented toward the task of realizing the freedom of our own direct experience, bringing forward our awakened condition in everyday life. Our time together will include periods of guided and walking meditation, discussion, embodied movement, journaling, and Q&A. Recommended for practitioners with previous Buddhist meditation experience. Code: AT2M19. AMMA THANASANTI — See page 18 for bio.
To listen entails a fundamental letting go of self-centeredness. We have to be willing to put down our own thoughts, views, and feelings temporarily to truly listen. —Oren Jay Sofer
SPIRIT ROCK | JUN – AUG 2019
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DAY RETREATS & COMMUTER RETREATS
AUG
16 FRI
LOVING THE HOUSE THAT EGO BUILT HOWARD COHN | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
5.5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE This day retreat we will explore the nature of ego and the enormous stress that comes with trying to be “someone.” With Insight Meditation, we can make peace with our various self-views. Through sitting and walking meditation, supported by instructions and dharma talks, we will settle our minds and bodies. We will use the healing tools of mindfulness and loving-kindness to meet the activity of self with balance and openness, perhaps even “loving the house that ego built.” Code: HC3D19. HOWARD COHN — See page 17 for bio.
AUG
17
SAT
THE NEURODHARMA OF LOVE RICK HANSON | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
6 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE In our relationships, we experience most of our greatest joys and our greatest sorrows. The intersection of modern neuroscience and ancient contemplative wisdom offers skillful means for cultivating an open and caring heart, emotional balance during conflicts with others, and more fulfilling relationships. We will cover: • A summary of the Buddha’s teachings on relationships • The embodied basis in your brain of empathy, compassion, loving-kindness, and love—and how to strengthen those • Practical ways to combine strength and heart • E xpanding the circle of “us” to include all of “them” Code: RH3D19. RICK HANSON, PhD, is a psychologist, Senior Fellow of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley and New York Times best-selling author. He is the author of several books, including Resilient, Hardwiring Happiness, and Buddha’s Brain.
We can develop a deeply happy, loving and wise brain by cultivating wholesome qualities and uprooting unwholesome ones. In a sense, we plant flowers and pull weeds in the garden of the mind— which means that we can gradually change the brain for the better. —Rick Hanson 28
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SPIRITROCK.ORG
DAY RETREATS & COMMUTER RETREATS
AUG
17
SAT
REST AND RECALIBRATE: A MINDFULNESS DAY RETREAT FOR LEGAL PROFESSIONALS GULWINDER SINGH | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
In a profession where deadlines are constant and demands from clients and colleagues seem ceaseless, opportunities to be quiet are much needed, but rare. They can even seem self-indulgent, yet are essential for sustainability and balance. Give yourself permission to be still for a day and allow your body, mind, heart, and nervous system to settle and recalibrate. We’ll have time for a few teachings as well as an opportunity to share and get to know one another. This day retreat is open to lawyers, law students and other legal professionals. Both beginning and experienced meditators welcome. Code: GU1D19. GULWINDER SINGH practices corporate law and teaches dharma/meditation at Insight LA, SRMC and in legal/ corporate settings. He is currently a Spirit Rock teacher in training. Gullu is inspired to share the practice to help cope with the challenges of work and life and inject more sanity, compassion and wisdom into the world.
AUG
18
SUN
INTRODUCTION TO INSIGHT MEDITATION KATE MUNDING | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
In our day together, we will explore the foundations of mindfulness practice in the tradition of the Buddha. These timeless practices bring us into gentle presence with our patterns of stress and dissatisfaction and provide a path to let go of such suffering in our lives. They also allow us to become more fully present to all the beauty and joy in our lives, cultivating happiness and contentment. Our day retreat will include guided sitting and walking meditations, instructional talks, and Q&A. Designed for those new to meditation or those wanting a refresher. Our time together will be relaxing and nourishing as well as informative. Code: KM2D19.
AUG
24 SAT
RADICAL WISDOM: THE WORK WITH BYRON KATIE® BYRON KATIE | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
LIVESTREAM AVAILABLE A Benefit for the Spirit Rock Scholarship Fund and The Work Foundation Scholarship Fund Byron Katie has one job — to teach people how to end their own suffering. As she guides people through her simple yet powerful process of inquiry, called The Work, they find again and again that their stressful beliefs about the world, other people, or themselves can no longer run their lives. Eckhart Tolle, author of The Power of Now, says, “The Work is like a razor-sharp sword that cuts through illusion and enables you to know for yourself the timeless essence of your being.” Join Katie in a workshop designed to take you on a journey of self-discovery. With her humor and lovingly incisive clarity, Katie will show you how to identify and question the stressful thoughts that cause all the suffering and violence in the world. Anyone with an open mind can do The Work®. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions and to do The Work with Katie®. This program has sold out for several years running. Register early to ensure your space. Carpooling reccomended. In-Person Code: BK1B19. Livestream code: BK1L19. BYRON KATIE is the author of Loving What Is and A Thousand Names for Joy and is the creator of a method of inquiry called The Work.
KATE MUNDING — See page 21 for bio.
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DAY RETREATS & COMMUTER RETREATS
AUG
25
SUN
TAKING THE SACRED JOURNEY THROUGH GRIEF TO HEAL THE HEART
AUG AUG
27 29
TUE THU
CAROL CANO & AMANA BREMBRY JOHNSON 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
OPEN TO ALL SELF-IDENTIFIED PEOPLE OF COLOR “By our willingness to mourn, we slowly acknowledge, integrate, and accept the truth of our losses. Sometimes the best way to let go is to grieve.” —Jack Kornfield Through the practices of collective gathering, inner reflection, the Dharma and alignment with indigenous Earth practices, we will create a sacred space to touch into the places where grief resides and tenderly invite the heart to open and learn from the gifts of sorrow. This day will unfold with an opening ritual, dharma talks, guide meditation for healing, time with Nature and some time for noble silence. Code: CC2D19.
ANNA DOUGLAS | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
OPEN TO THOSE 55 AND OVER What is the experience of living in an aging body? Most of the time we would prefer not to notice, but the Buddha recommended that we see our experience as our teacher. At the heart of the Buddha’s teaching lie the profound truths of impermanence, emptiness, and suffering. As we age, we experience these truths directly and personally. It can feel like wrenching loss, but it also reminds us of what matters most. What do we now wish to give our lives to? In this retreat, we will join in practices which calm the mind and sweeten the heart. Code: AD2M19. ANNA DOUGLAS, PhD, is one of the founding teachers of Spirit Rock and serves on the Spirit Rock Teachers Council. She has taught classes and retreats in the Insight Meditation tradition nationwide for 30 years, and has also studied with teachers in the Zen, Advaita, and Dzogchen traditions.
CAROL CANO, MA, began her practice over 30 years ago at Wat Kow Tahm in Thailand. She is currently participating in the Spirit Rock Teacher Training program. Carol is a core teacher and a former board member of East Bay Meditation Center. She co-founded Philippine Insight Meditation Community in Philippines. AMANA BREMBY JOHNSON is a visual artist, teaches contemplative yoga practices and mentors Theravada practitioners wishing to deepen their understanding of the Dharma and find continuity of practice within daily life. She is in the Community Dharma Leaders program at Spirit Rock and is a graduate of Commit To Dharma, a course offered through EBMC.
3-DAY COMMUTER RETREAT AWAKENING AS WE AGE
AUG
SEP
SAT
SUN
2-DAY COMMUTER RETREAT
31 01 CULTIVATING THE RADIANT HEART AYYA ANANDABODHI AND AYYA SANTACITTA | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
A DANA (BY DONATION) DAY Throughout the early Buddhist teachings, we find encouragement to cultivate the four immeasurable states of heart and mind, for our own well-being and for the well-being of others. When used with clarity and understanding, these states are healing and peaceful. They can lead to a deepening of wisdom as we touch into the experience of anatta, not-self, and the sense of non-duality. Please bring lunch to share with the nuns. Visit spiritrock.org for more information about monastic offerings. Code: NU1G19. AYYA ANANDABODHI has practiced meditation since 1989 and lived in Amaravati and Chithurst monasteries in the UK for 18 years. In 2009, she moved to the US to help establish Aloka Vihara, a training monastery for women, where she now resides. She is a Spirit Rock Teacher’s Council member. AYYA SANTACITTA is co-founder of Aloka Vihara, a training monastery for women in Placerville, CA. She has trained as a nun in both the East and West since 1993, primarily in the lineage of Ajahn Chah, and she also integrates Dzogchen teachings into her practice and teachings. In 2011 she received full Bhikkhuni ordination.
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SPIRITROCK.ORG
DAY RETREATS & COMMUTER RETREATS
Join from anywhere—
LIVESTREAMED PROGRAMS When you can’t come to Spirit Rock, we come to you! Livestreamed programs provide excellent teachings and support for your practice. They are filmed and broadcast in real time. They are also available for viewing for a period of time after the live event, so it gives anyone anywhere the ability to view the program at their own discretion.
6/1
Mindfulness Meditation with Jack Kornfield
6/22
Fierce Self-Compassion with Kristin Neff
7/26
The Happiness of the Buddha with Oren Jay Sofer
8/24
Radical Wisdom with Byron Katie
Join Jack Kornfield & Friends from home—
MONDAY NIGHT LIVE Start your week off with a clear mind and peaceful heart. Tune into Spirit Rock Live: Monday Nights with Jack Kornfield and Friends, a livestream of our Monday Night sitting group. Now in its 34th year, the Monday Night sitting group at Spirit Rock has been a welcoming refuge for the community to gather, hear the teachings of the Buddha and practice mindfulness meditation. Sign up before Monday night and you can watch the livestream until the following Sunday. 7:15 PM - 9:15 PM EVERY MONDAY NIGHT
SPIRITROCK.ORG/MONDAYNIGHTLIVE
SPIRIT ROCK | JUN – AUG 2019
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FAMILY PROGRAMS
FAMILY AND YOUTH PROGRAMS The Spirit Rock Family Program supports families in planting the seeds of the Dharma in their daily lives. Through classes, day retreats and residential retreats, families, youth and parents learn to slow down, savor the present moment and re-connect with the wholesome qualities of heart and mind.
JUN
02 SUN
SUMMER FAMILY DAY KATE MUNDING & EVE DECKER 10:30 AM - 3:00 PM
Family Days are a wonderful opportunity to connect with your children, yourself and a community of supportive peers. Come play, share, learn and open your heart! We start our morning with a program for everyone, weaving the theme of the day into songs, skits and family activities. During the second half of the day, youth ages 4-14 will attend age-appropriate groups with our experienced Spirit Rock mindfulness leaders. They will play, make art, sing songs, and practice mindfulness together. Parents of children ages 4 and older will have an opportunity to meditate, hear a talk related to parenting as practice, and connect with one another through group discussions. Code: FA3D19. VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED to assist with Family Days and attend free of charge; children are welcome to volunteer alongside an adult. For more info: volunteering@spiritrock.org or call (415) 488-0164, x224.
KATE MUNDING serves on the Spirit Rock Teachers Council, and is a guiding teacher for the Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley. She has praticed meditation since 2004, and is the founder of Heart-Mind Education, providing mindfulness-based education programs and trainings to students and the adults in their lives. EVE DECKER is a graduate of Spirit Rock’s Community Dharma Leader Program. An accomplished musician, she teaches music and mindfulness to children and adults at East Bay Meditation Center, Spirit Rock and Aurora School in Oakland.
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JUL
SEP
WED
SUN
31 04
FAMILY RETREAT KATE MUNDING, AYYA ANANDABODHI ALEX HALEY, OFOSU JONES-QUARTEY
4 nights, Wednesday – Sunday APPLICATIONS ACCEPTED STARTING FEBRUARY 2019 This popular retreat will include family activities, young people’s groups, a parent program and free time. Dharma activities include songs, stories, skits, games, art, time on the land, a campfire, council practice, parent discussions, meditation for all and dharma talks. The Family Retreat is a true retreat experience that brings us face-to-face with our own experience and may bring up deep emotions. In support of our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Plan, Spirit Rock prioritizes families of color and diverse family groups in creating the Family Retreat experience. Code: 272R19.
SPIRITROCK.ORG
FAMILY PROGRAMS
AUG
SEP
30 01 –
FRI
SUN
ABHAYAGIRI TEEN RETREAT AJAHN KARUNADHAMMO, AJAHN NYANIKO, AND FOREST FEIN 2 nights, Friday - Sunday
A DANA (BY DONATION) RETREAT A group of 14-19 year olds and Spirit Rock Family Program teachers will travel from Spirit Rock to Abhayagiri Monastery in Redwood Valley, Mendocino County, for a weekend of camping and practice with the Abhayagiri Monastic Community. Teens participate in the monastic schedule, which includes periods of meditation and chanting, working and hiking on the land, and teachings from the monastics. To maintain a lifestyle of simplicity while at the monastery, participants will take the Eight Precepts, which include not overindulging in sleep and not eating a full meal after 12 noon. This retreat is offered by donation. Code: TE1R19.
FOR TEACHER BIOS — Please see spiritrock.org/family-programs.
COMING THIS FALL Learn meditation, relax deeply, speak your truth and develop your mind — all while hanging out with other great people your age. Through the practices of mindfulness and Insight Meditation, we take the time to reconnect to ourselves in order to experience more peace, wisdom and compassion. Classes will include movement, community building games, meditation instruction and council — a practice of witnessing the group’s collective wisdom. The final class will include a potluck celebration and a half-day of practice among the trees on Spirit Rock land. During the class, parents are welcome to read, meditate and connect with each other in the Spirit Rock bookstore and foyer.
06 03 SUN
SUN
FALL MIDDLE SCHOOL MEDITATION SERIES 5 SUNDAYS | 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
OCT
NOV
SUN
SUN
FALL TEEN MEDITATION SERIES 6 SUNDAYS | 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM
OCT
NOV
06 10
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RESIDENTIAL RETREATS
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SPIRIT ROCK | JUN â&#x20AC;&#x201C; AUG 2019
SPIRITROCK.ORG
RESIDENTIAL RETREATS
RESIDENTIAL RETREATS For 2,600 years, silent meditation retreats have been a central part of the Buddhist Path of Awakening. Time in retreat allows us to step out of the complexity of our lives to listen deeply to our bodies, hearts and minds. Spirit Rock retreats combine the fertile atmosphere of silence with time for meditation and walks in nature, supported by systematic Buddhist teachings. Careful guidance and training is offered in meditation. Most retreats are suitable for both new and more experienced students of meditation. Residential retreats last from a few days to a full two-month retreat and all retreats are silent with some exceptions. Find inspiration for planning your next retreat on the following pages. For complete details of specific retreats, visit spiritrock.org/calendar/retreats. If you are able to attend a retreat on short notice, please join a waitlist as spaces regularly open up. For more information, contact Retreats@spiritrock.org or (415) 488-0164 x247 or x252. SPIRIT ROCK | JUN â&#x20AC;&#x201C; AUG 2019
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RESIDENTIAL RETREATS
GENERAL INFORMATION
RESIDENTIAL RETREATS JUN
JUN
03 09
MON SUN
AWAKENING JOY JAMES BARAZ, DEBRA CHAMBERLIN-TAYLOR, HOWARD COHN, JANE BARAZ, EVELYN LARSEN (MOVEMENT)
6 nights, Monday – Sunday 11 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE The Buddha was known as “The Happy One.” However, the teachings often seem to emphasize working with suffering. Joy and happiness can seem frivolous or unspiritual even though joy is one of the Seven Factors of Awakening. In this retreat we will practice with an emphasis on cultivating wholesome states to develop our natural capacity for wellbeing and happiness. Our own development of well-being and joy then becomes our gift to a troubled world. Code: 258R19.
JUN
JUN
10 16
MON SUN
AGING, DYING AND AWAKENING ANNA DOUGLAS, EUGENE CASH, KONDA MASON
FEES Spirit Rock deeply welcomes anyone with an interest in studying the Dharma and practicing Insight Meditation. We offer scholarships and work exchange opportunities. Residential retreats vary in fees, and always have a sliding scale. We encourage those who can pay at the top of the sliding scale to offer what they can, knowing they’re supporting a practitioner paying at the bottom of the scale.
Residential retreat fees: $99+/night to $150+/night. Single room guarantee rates are available, as well as commuter rates. All rates include three meals a day unless noted. In addition to the registration fees, which cover only a portion of the true retreat fees, all residential retreat practitioners are invited to support retreat teachers and retreat staff (retreats managers and cooks) by offering restricted donations. Teacher and Staff “Dana” is a form of practice and a way to support teachers and retreat staff at Spirit Rock who offer their teachings to retreatants.
6 nights, Monday – Sunday Join a group of your peers who are interested in life after 55 as a new stage, one which offers opportunities for deepening in wisdom and compassion and loosening our fears around dying. Even as our memory slides, our cognitive speed slows down, and our bodies become more fragile, qualities of the heart reveal themselves. We discover that the potential for wisdom and compassion does not depend on the state of the body or on our age, but rather on the training of the mind to abide in timeless awareness. It is best to begin this training before you are ill or dying. Then, like a treasured friend, your own mind can accompany you through the challenges of aging, loss, illness, and dying. Code: 260R19.
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE, WORK EXCHANGE AND YOUNG ADULT RATES Financial assistance is available for all residential retreats through our scholarship fund; although Spirit Rock offers almost $500,000 in scholarships each year, we still find there are limited funds available for each retreat, so apply early. For all residential retreats, we offer a limited number of young adult rates which are available on a first-come, first-served basis. We do not have a senior rate for residential retreats. We strongly encourage you to apply for a scholarship if you require financial assistance. For most retreats, we have two work retreatant roles — one in the kitchen and one in housekeeping. To apply as a work retreatant, you must meet the criteria outlined on our website. Spirit Rock deeply welcomes anyone with an interest in studying the Dharma and practicing Insight Meditation. We are committed to ensuring that these teachings are widely accessible so that money isn’t a barrier to your practice.
REGISTRATION Heart pain and mind pain are great teachers, showing us the path to compassionate action. This is the life of the spiritual warrior. —Tias Little
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Retreats open for registration four months before the start date (longer if a lottery retreat). Check our website for specific open dates. We encourage you to register online; however, you may also download an application to submit via postal mail.
CANCELLATION FEES In general, the cancellation fee schedule is as follows: $100 for cancellation 8 weeks or more before a retreat; $175 for cancellation 4-8 weeks before a retreat; $300 for cancellation 2-4 weeks before a retreat. No refunds less than 2 weeks prior to the retreat. To cancel a retreat reservation, contact Retreats@spiritrock.org so we have your cancellation in writing.
SPIRITROCK.ORG
RESIDENTIAL RETREATS
RESIDENTIAL RETREATS AT A GLANCE—2019 AUGUST
JUNE Jun 3–9
Awakening Joy James Baraz, Debra Chamberlin-Taylor, Howard Cohn, Jane Baraz, Evelyn Larsen (movement) registration opened 2/6/19 11 CE Credits Available
Jun 10–16
Aging, Dying, and Awakening (ages 55+) (Parallel)
Jun 10–16
Awake in the Wild: Meditation in Nature Retreat
Jul 31 –Aug 4 Aug 5–11
Anna Douglas, Eugene Cash, Konda Mason registration opened 2/13/19 (Parallel) UWH*
The Nine Bodies of Consciousness: A Practical Map for Insight Practitioners (Parallel)
Kate Munding, Ayya Anandabodhi, Ofosu Jones-Quartey, Alex Haley —lottery opened 2/25/19
Insight Meditation for Young Adults (ages 18-32) Tempel Smith, Erin Selover, Vinny Ferraro, Pam Dunn, La Sarmiento, Marcy Reynolds (qigong) registration opened 4/3/19
Aug 12–17
Insight and Loving-kindness
Aug 18–27
Concentration Retreat
Mark Coleman —registration opened 2/13/19 Jun 17–23
Family Retreat (Lottery)
Phillip Moffitt, Dana DePalma
Matthew Brensilver, JoAnna Hardy, Vinny Ferraro registration opened 4/10/19 Phillip Moffitt, Tempel Smith, Nikki Mirghafori, Beth Sternlieb —registration opened 4/17/19
registration opened 2/20/19 Jun 17–23 Jun 24–30
Spring Insight Meditation Retreat (Parallel) UWH*
Mindfulness for Everyone: The Basics and Beyond Without the Hype Diana Winston, Alex Haley, Jill Satterfield (yoga) registration opened 2/27/19 12 CE Credits Available ASL Interpretation Available
JULY Jul 1–7
SEPTEMBER
Matthew Brensilver, Brian Lesage registration opened 2/20/19
Carrying the Lamp of our Ancestors’ Wisdom & Heart: A Time of Healing and Creating Legacies—A Retreat for Self-Identified People of Color (Lottery)
Aug 28 –Sep 2
Labor Day Insight Meditation Retreat
Aug 30 –Sep 1
Abhayagiri Teen Meditation Retreat
Sep 10–15
July Metta Retreat
Jul 19–28
July Insight Meditation Retreat (Lottery)
Tempel Smith, John Martin, Bonnie Duran, Anushka Fernandopulle, Marcy Reynolds (qigong) registration opened 2/12/19 Joseph Goldstein, Kamala Masters, Ruth King, Mark Nunberg —lottery opened 2/14/19
Ajahn Karunadhammo, Ajahn Nyaniko, Forest Fein registration opens 5/27/19
Mindfulness and Heartfulness for Insight and Liberation Anushka Fernandopulle, Bonnie Duran, Jesse Maceo Vega-Frey, —registration opens 5/8/19
Sep 16–22
Noliwe Alexander, Konda Mason, Lama Rod Owens, Dawn Mauricio (yoga) —lottery opened 2/4/19 Jul 10–19
James Baraz, Sharda Rogell, Howard Cohn, Terry Vandiver (yoga) —registration opens 4/23/19
Finding Freedom in the Body (Parallel) Mary Grace Orr, Bob Stahl, Christiane Wolf, Marcy Reynolds (qigong) registration opens 5/15/19
15 CE Credits Available
Sep 16–22
Natural Liberation (Parallel) UWH*
Sep 23–29
Women’s Meditation Retreat
Wes Nisker, Vinny Ferraro registration opens 5/15/19 Erin Selover, Anna Douglas, Erin Treat, Konda Mason, Kate Johnson (yoga) —registration opens 5/21/19
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RESIDENTIAL RETREATS
OCTOBER Sep 30 –Oct 6
Moving Into Meditation: Mindful Yoga and Embodied Dharma Anne Cushman, Leslie Booker, Dawn Mauricio, Sean Feit Oakes —registration opens 5/29/19
Oct 8–14
The Fierce Urgency of Now: A Gathering of Buddhist Teachers & Community of Black African Descent Konda Mason, Noliwe Alexander & others By invitation only
Oct 17–26
Fall Insight Meditation Retreat
Oct 27–31
Loving Awareness: A Retreat for Experienced Meditators (Lottery)
Phillip Moffitt, Erin Treat, Matthew Brensilver registration opens 6/19/19 9 CE Credits Available
Jack Kornfield, Trudy Goodman, Teja Bell (qigong) lottery opens 5/22/19
NOVEMBER Nov 3–10 Nov 12–20 Nov 22 –Dec 1
Community Dharma Leader (CDL6) Retreat 1 Eugene Cash, Pamela Weiss, DaRa Williams, Erin Treat program participants only
Advanced Practitioners Program (APP2) Retreat 2 Gil Fronsdal, Susie Harington, Brian Lesage program participants only
November Gratitude & Remembrance Meditation Retreat Thanissara, Kittisaro —registration opens 7/23/19
DECEMBER Dec 2–8
Finding True Refuge: LGBTQI Community Meditation Retreat Anushka Fernandopulle, John Martin registration opens 7/31/19
Dec 9–15
In the Presence of Love: A Metta and Qigong Retreat JoAnna Hardy, Erin Treat, Vinny Ferraro, Teja Bell (qigong) —registration opens 8/7/19
Dec 16–23
Insight Meditation Winter Solstice Retreat: Embracing the Dark, Inviting the Light Donald Rothberg, Heather Sundberg, Oren Jay Sofer registration opens 8/14/19 14 CE Credits Available
Dec 27 –Jan 5
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New Year’s Insight Meditation Retreat (Lottery) Eugene Cash, Pamela Weiss, DaRa Williams lottery opens 7/24/19
SPIRIT ROCK | JUN – AUG 2019
SPIRITROCK.ORG
RESIDENTIAL RETREATS
THE RETREAT EXPERIENCE Spirit Rock retreats combine the fertile atmosphere of silence with extensive time for meditation and walks in nature, supported by systematic Buddhist teachings. Careful guidance and training is offered in meditation. People come to Spirit Rock for many reasons, but they all amount to essentially the same thing — wanting a more easeful relationship with life. A retreat provides an opportunity and a caring container for undertaking intensive meditation, like an immersion course in a language. Retreats are led by a team of experienced teachers from the Spirit Rock teachers collective, or by other well-known and beloved visiting teachers from our broader Buddhist community. The teachers offer instructions, dharma talks and regularly scheduled practice meetings to provide guidance throughout the retreat. We receive an abundance of feedback from our retreatants that their experience was inspirational and deeply meaningful.
This retreat offers me the necessary time I need to learn and to further “evolve” more wisely. —Anonymous
each day the teachers present a different set of teachings from the central practices of buddhism, offering ways to apply them to our own experience.
I’m so grateful to have gotten to know myself in the way that I did while on retreat. This knowledge will help me be a better therapist and I think the positive benefits of this retreat have yet to be fully realized—I just know what happened was and is really special. The new perspective I’ve gained has already relieved much suffering for me. —Anonymous
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RESIDENTIAL RETREATS
THE RETREAT EXPERIENCE (CONT’D)
set among 411 acres of serene oak woodlands in the secluded hills of west marin county, california, spirit rock meditation center is a refuge from everyday life where it’s truly possible to quiet the mind, soften the heart and see life in a new way.
My time at Spirit Rock was deeply transformational and, at the risk of sounding cliché, life altering. The Metta retreat happened to work best with my schedule and availability but accidentally introduced me to a most potent and necessary practice to encounter at this moment in my life. Metta has rigorously focused my practice, deepening it beyond anything I could have imagined. —Alexx S
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SPIRIT ROCK | JUN – AUG 2019
SPIRITROCK.ORG
RESIDENTIAL RETREATS
JUN
JUN
10 16
MON SUN
AWAKE IN THE WILD: MEDITATION IN NATURE RETREAT MARK COLEMAN
JUN
JUN
17 23
MON SUN
PHILLIP MOFFITT, DANA DEPALMA
6 nights, Monday – Sunday Following a long Buddhist tradition of meditating in the forest, the majority of the retreat will be spent outside, practicing in the beauty of nature. We will learn traditional Buddhist meditation practices, and complimentary techniques that help deepen our relationship to ourselves, the earth, and awaken our receptivity to nature as our teacher. We will explore how mindfulness practice is profoundly supported by the teachings of nature as we sit and walk outdoors. This deepening awareness opens us to profound experiences of interconnectedness, insight, and love. It also allows us to experience ourselves as part of the broader web of life and attune to a sense of mystery and wonder. Code: 261R19.
Curiosity has no agenda, only to know the next moment. This is very conducive to growth.
THE NINE BODIES OF CONSCIOUSNESS: A PRACTICAL MAP FOR INSIGHT PRACTITIONERS 6 nights, Monday – Sunday
As a support for Insight meditation, the Nine Bodies teachings offer you a new means for tracking and classifying meditative experiences, which can help you stay present with whatever arises. These explorations may also increase the clarity and specificity of your mindfulness and enable the arising of insight. The retreat will start by focusing on the consciousness that arises in the physical body and then presents a series of meditations for exploring ever more subtle levels of consciousness. These teachings and meditations are not presented as an alternative or a substitute for your current lineage practice but rather, to help you be more empowered in your Insight meditation practice; the retreat will include how to utilize the Nine Bodies teachings while practicing Vipassana. This retreat systematically explores a set of teachings about the nature of consciousness that were first transmitted to Phillip Moffitt by the Himalayan yoga master Sri Swami Premvarni Balyogi twenty years ago. They are the basis for Phillip Moffitt’s book: Awakening through the Nine Bodies. Code: 263R19.
—Matthew Brensilver JUN
JUN
24 30
MON SUN
MINDFULNESS FOR EVERYONE DIANA WINSTON, ALEX HALEY, JILL SATTERFIELD (YOGA)
6 nights, Monday – Sunday JUN
JUN
17 23
MON SUN
SPRING INSIGHT MEDITATION RETREAT MATTHEW BRENSILVER, BRIAN LESAGE
6 nights, Monday – Sunday Nobody tells us this when we’re growing up, but being human is kind of a big deal. It feels great, it hurts, it’s intense. We know it won’t go on forever. Given this, what kind of happiness is possible for us? The Buddha suggested that we have underestimated the capacity of our heart. Retreat helps us to remember. In mindfulness meditation, we practice resting, looking deeply, knowing moment-by-moment what it’s like to be human. Initially, some of us are hesitant to look because we’re concerned about what we’ll find. But our practice shows us that the more deeply we look, the more reason we have to love. Together, we’ll sit in the refuge provided by a 2,600-year legacy of wisdom and kindness. In the silence, we come to know the preciousness of our life and the poignancy of the human condition. From this openness, so much goodness unfolds. Code: 262R19.
ASL INTERPRETATION IS AVAILABLE 12 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE Mindfulness can be defined as paying attention to our present moment experiences with openness, curiosity, and a willingness to be with what is. Through the practice of mindfulness, we learn tools to regulate emotions, develop attention, and cultivate states of compassion, even-mindedness, and greater well-being. When we attend to the present moment over a sustained period of time, practitioners report deeper connection to themselves, more self-compassion, and greater insights into their lives. In this 6-night retreat, we will practice mindfulness meditation through sitting and walking meditation as well as lectures and opportunity to meet with teachers who will guide our practice. While rooted in Buddhist practice of mindfulness, this retreat will focus on the practical applications of mindfulness, and is open to people of all backgrounds and experience, especially those interested in secular mindfulness. An excellent retreat for beginners, but open to all levels. Code: 264R19.
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RESIDENTIAL RETREATS
JUL
JUL
01 07
MON SUN
CARRYING THE LAMP OF OUR ANCESTORS’ WISDOM AND HEART: A TIME OF HEALING AND CREATING LEGACIES (LOTTERY) KONDA MASON, NOLIWE ALEXANDER, JOANNA HARDY, LAMA ROD OWEN, DAWN MAURICIO (YOGA)
6 nights, Monday – Sunday OPEN TO SELF-IDENTIFIED PEOPLE OF COLOR AT ALL LEVELS OF MEDITATION EXPERIENCE The richness of our histories, with equal parts of brilliance and suffering, joys and sorrows, sheds a light on our abilities to plant and sow the seeds of resilience. The qualities of loving awareness, compassion, and equanimity develop within us the capacity to embody the truth of our inheritance and reframe our future, steeped in the wisdom of the Buddhadharma. Practices of noble silence, as well as stationary, walking and movement meditation will allow us to ripen the possibility of living into the words, “We Are Our Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams.” Code: 266R19.
JUL
JUL
WED
FRI
10 19
JULY METTA RETREAT (LOTTERY) TEMPEL SMITH, JOHN MARTIN, BONNIE DURAN, ANUSHKA FERNANDOPULLE, MARCY REYNOLDS (QIGONG)
9 nights, Wednesday – Friday Metta is the Pali term for friendship, goodwill or loving-kindness. In this retreat, we will develop metta as a meditation practice, which cultivates our natural capacity for an open and loving heart towards ourselves and all other beings. We will also develop the practices of compassion, joy, and equanimity. Metta practice leads to greater acceptance of ourselves and others, revealing our fundamental connectedness to all life. Code: 268R19.
JUL
JUL
FRI
SUN
19 28
JULY INSIGHT MEDITATION RETREAT (LOTTERY) JOSEPH GOLDSTEIN, KAMALA MASTERS, RUTH KING, MARK NUNBERG
9 nights, Friday – Sunday The emphasis during this retreat will be on the continuity of awareness in all activities, which stabilizes and balances the mind. Relaxed acceptance of our moment-to-moment experience becomes the platform for investigation and wisdom. Particular attention will be paid to the attitudes in the mind that condition our understanding. This retreat is suitable for both beginners and experienced meditators. We welcome people from all life experiences, backgrounds and diverse communities. Code: 270R19.
AUG
AUG
THU
SUN
05 11
INSIGHT MEDITATION RETREAT FOR YOUNG ADULTS (AGES 18-32) TEMPEL SMITH, VINNY FERRARO, LA SARMIENTO, ERIN SELOVER, PAM DUNN, MARCY REYNOLDS (QIGONG)
6 nights, Thursday – Sunday Come practice silent mindfulness and insight meditation for a week within a group of your peers. Give yourself a break from constant over-stimulation and external demands to create a time for greater inner calm, spaciousness, and presence. We will explore radical self awareness and deeper embodiment through the ancient practices of guided and silent sitting, walking, and heart meditations, qigong, practice meetings with teachers, and dharma talks. Over the course of the week, we will extend these practices until the entire day is one of steady, continuous awareness. On the last day of the retreat we practice coming in and out of silence to learn conscious connection with the community around us. This is a fully silent retreat, and we will ask you to turn off and put away all electronic devices. Code: 274R19.
AUG
AUG
THU
SUN
12 17
INSIGHT AND LOVING-KINDNESS RETREAT MATTHEW BRENSILVER, JOANNA HARDY, VINNY FERRARO
5 nights, Thursday – Sunday Life is intense: pleasure and pain, joy and sorrow, change everywhere, all the time. To open to this with mindfulness for even a moment is a big deal. We underestimate the courage, tenderness, and love called forth by life. In our retreat, we will practice opening the heart to our experience—to make peace with the human condition. As our hearts are transformed, the motivation to alleviate suffering in the world crystallizes and the circle of empathy widens. Code: 276R19.
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SPIRIT ROCK | JUN – AUG 2019
SPIRITROCK.ORG
RESIDENTIAL RETREATS
AUG
AUG
SUN
TUE
18 27
CONCENTRATION RETREAT
AUG
PHILLIP MOFFITT, TEMPEL SMITH NIKKI MIRGHAFORI, BETH STERNLIEB
WED MON
9 nights, Sunday – Tuesday Concentration (samadhi), the collection and unification of the mind, was emphasized by the Buddha as one of the aspects of the Eightfold Path. It can bring joy to your practice and lead to the skillful use of pleasure in the meditative process. Whatever your level of practice, you can improve your Insight Meditation (Vipassana) by strengthening your concentration skills. Your ability to concentrate will develop in response to the attention you give it. This retreat offers a series of techniques for staying on the meditation object for extended periods of time. We will explore the factors of concentration that lead to the deep absorption states known as jhana. Teachers will also give instruction for utilizing concentration during insight practice. Code: 278R19.
SEP
28 02
LABOR DAY INSIGHT MEDITATION RETREAT JAMES BARAZ, SHARDA ROGELL HOWARD COHN, TERRY VANDIVER (YOGA)
5 nights, Wednesday – Monday 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 loving-kindness and silent sitting and walking meditation, dharma talks, and meetings with the teachers. Code: 280R19.
When you work directly with your capacity for being with pain, you are also working directly with your capacity for being with joy. —Phillip Moffitt
Integrate the fruits of retreat into daily life
NEXT STEP DHARMA SPIRITROCK.ORG/NEXTSTEP Meditation retreats can be powerful and transformative experiences, but how can we keep the practice alive in our fast-paced, modern society? How can we bring the values and intentions of contemplative practice into the complexity of our lives? In this six-week, online course, Spirit Rock-trained meditation teachers Oren Jay Sofer and Jaya Rudgard offer in-depth training to nourish the insights from a retreat. Enrollment in Next Step Dharma includes: • 21 short dharma talks and 16 guided meditations • 18 recorded interviews and 4 live Q & A sessions • 6 weeks of mentoring for your practice • lifetime membership in the Next Step Dharma community Next Step Dharma is an affiliate program of Spirit Rock.
SPIRIT ROCK | JUN – AUG 2019
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the spirit rock teachers council AYYA ANANDABODHI has practiced meditation since 1989
DANA DEPALMA has practiced Insight Meditation since 1993.
and lived in Amaravati and Chithurst monasteries in the UK for 18 years. In 2009, she moved to the US to help establish Aloka Vihara, a training monastery for women, where she now resides.
She holds a Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology and is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She is a Co-Guiding Teacher and Director of Faculty at Spirit Rock.
GUY ARMSTRONG has been practicing Insight Meditation
ANNA DOUGLAS has a background in psychology and art,
for more than 30 years and began teaching in 1984. He spent a year as a Buddhist monk in Thailand. Guy is a Guiding Teacher of Insight Meditation Society (IMS). He is author of Emptiness: A Practical Guide for Meditators.
SALLY ARMSTRONG is a Spirit Rock Co-Guiding Teacher. She
in addition to more than 25 years of vipassana practice. She has also studied with teachers in the Zen, Advaita and Dzogchen traditions.
BONNIE DURAN met the Dharma in 1982. She teaches long
has served Spirit Rock in a number of roles, including on the Spirit Rock Teachers Council and Board of Directors, and as co-founder and co-teacher of the Dedicated Practitioners Program. She began practicing Insight Meditation in India in 1981, and has taught since 1996.
and short retreats and is a core teacher for advanced programs at IMS & SRMC. Dr. Duran is a Professor of Social Work & Public Health at the Indigenous Wellness Research Institute at the University of Washington.
JAMES BARAZ is a founding teacher of Spirit Rock, and serves
ANDREA FELLA has practiced Insight Meditation since 1996
on the Spirit Rock Teachers Council. He started the Community Dharma Leaders program and the Kalyana Mitta Network. James has taught the Awakening Joy online course since 2003, and serves an advisor to One Earth Sangha, which focuses on Buddhist responses to Climate Change.
and began teaching in 2003. She teaches at the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, CA, and around the US.
SYLVIA BOORSTEIN has been teaching since 1985 and teaches
ANUSHKA FERNANDOPULLE has trained for over 25 years
both Vipassana and Metta Meditation. Her many books include That’s Funny, You Don’t Look Buddhist and Happiness Is an Inside Job.
in Buddhist meditation in the U.S., India and Sri Lanka, and is a member of the Spirit Rock Teachers Council. Anushka also works as a leadership coach and management consultant, and lives in San Francisco where she leads Monday Night Dharma.
MATTHEW BRENSILVER, PhD, began in the Tibetan tradition
GIL FRONSDAL has practiced Zen and Vipassana since 1975
and has studied with Shinzen Young since 2003. A SRMC/IMS/IRC Teacher Training Program graduate, he serves on the Spirit Rock Teachers Council. He teaches about the intersection of mindfulness and mental health at UCLA’s MARC and with Mindful Schools.
and holds a PhD in Buddhist Studies from Stanford. He is the founding teacher of the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, CA, and author of a translation of The Dhammapada.
EUGENE CASH is a founding teacher of San Francisco Insight.
JOANNA HARDY has been exploring and practicing multiple
He is also the co-founder and co-teacher of the Dedicated Practitioners Program. In addition, he teaches the Diamond Approach® in San Francisco and Holland.
traditions since 1999. In 2005, her focus landed on Vipassana. Teaching in communities that don’t typically have access to the traditional dharma settings and building inclusive community are top on her list of priorities.
DEBRA CHAMBERLIN-TAYLOR has been leading retreats
SUSIE HARRINGTON teaches meditation nationwide and
since 1978. In addition to practicing Vipassana, she has been influenced by Dzogchen and Diamond Heart®. She also leads workshops on embodiment of awareness and conscious relationships.
is the guiding teacher for Desert Dharma, which serves many communities in the Southwest near her home in Moab, UT. She is a graduate of the Spirit Rock/IMS/IRC Teacher Training Program.
HOWARD COHN, MA, serves on the Spirit Rock Teachers
WILL KABAT-ZINN has practiced Insight Meditation for more
Council, and has taught vipassana retreats since 1985. He has studied with teachers of several traditions, including Theravada, Zen and Dzogchen, and has been strongly influenced by H.W.L. Poonja. Howard has led the Mission Dharma sangha for 30 years, and is the author of Invitation to Meditation.
MARK COLEMAN, MA, has been teaching Insight Meditation retreats since 1997. He also leads wilderness meditation retreats, integrating mindfulness meditation with nature, and is the author of Awake in the Wild and Make Peace with Your Mind.
ANNE CUSHMAN is a graduate of the SRMC/IMS/IRC Teacher Training Program. She’s the author of Moving into Meditation and the novel Enlightenment for Idiots.
than 15 years and has been teaching since 2007. He lives in the East Bay with his wife and two children and leads a weekly sitting group on Sunday evenings in Berkeley.
RUTH KING serves on the Spirit Rock Teachers Council, and teaches nationwide. She is an emotional wisdom author and life coach, and is the author of several publications, including Healing Rage: Women Making Inner Peace Possible and Mindful of Race: Transforming Racism from the Inside Out.
KITTISARO, a Rhodes Scholar, trained in the Forest School
of Ajahn Chah and Ajahn Sumedho, and has practiced Chan and Kuan Yin Dharmas for 35 years. He helped found Buddhist monasteries and meditation centers in the UK, South Africa, and CA. He co-authored Listening to the Heart, A Contemplative Journey to Engaged Buddhism.
JACK KORNFIELD trained as a Buddhist monk in Thailand, India
OREN JAY SOFER holds a degree in Comparative Religion
and Burma and holds a PhD in clinical psychology. He has taught meditation since 1974 and is a founding teacher of IMS and Spirit Rock. His books include A Path with Heart, The Wise Heart and No Time Like the Present.
from Columbia University, is trained in Somatic Experiencing™, Nonviolent Communication, and is a member of the Spirit Rock Teachers Council. Oren is the founder of Next Step Dharma, and author of Say What You Mean: A Mindful Approach to Nonviolent Communication.
BRIAN LESAGE has taught meditation since 2000. He has
TEMPEL SMITH has been practicing Metta and Insight
studied in the Zen, Theravada and Tibetan schools of Buddhism. He was ordained in the Rinzai Zen tradition in 1996.
Meditation since 1989, including a year as a fully ordained monk in Burma. He graduated from the Teacher Training program led by Jack Kornfield at Spirit Rock, is a core teacher in the Dedicated Practitioners Program, and has been leading retreats for more than 10 years.
JOHN MARTIN teaches Vipassana, Metta and LGBTQI
HEATHER SUNDBERG has taught Insight Meditation since
themed meditation retreats. He leads an on-going Monday evening meditation group in San Francisco. John has had a dedicated practice while being engaged in the working world and emphasizes practice for daily life. He serves on the Spirit Rock Teachers Council.
1999, completed Senior Teacher Training and is a member of the SRMC Teacher’s Council. She is a teacher for Mountain Stream Meditation Center in Nevada City, CA. Her teaching emphasizes Embodiment, Heart Practices, and Awareness Practices inspired by the Thai forest tradition.
NIKKI MIRGHAFORI, PhD, studied jhanas & Vipassana
THANISSARA, MA, trained as a Buddhist monastic in the
with Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw who instructed her to teach. She is a Stanford-trained compassion cultivation instructor, a UCLAtrained mindfulness facilitator, and serves on the Spirit Rock Teachers Council and Board of Directors. She was previously incarnated as an artificial intelligence scientist.
PHILLIP MOFFITT has practiced Vipassana since 1983. He
Forest School of Ajahn Chah for 12 years. She is co-founder, with Kittisaro, of Dharmagiri Retreat in South Africa, Chattanooga Insight TN, and Sacred Mountain Sangha CA. Her latest book is Time to Stand Up, A Buddhist Manifesto for Our Earth.
ERIN TREAT has practiced Buddhist meditation for 20 years
is founder and president of the Life Balance Institute. He is the author of Dancing with Life, Emotional Chaos to Clarity and Awakening through the Nine Bodies.
and completed the SRMC/IMS/IRC Teacher Training Program. She is the Guiding Teacher of Vallecitos Mountain Retreat Center, and teaches at the Durango Dharma Center. Erin is influenced by her love of wild nature, Diamond Approach® training, and decades of somatics and bodyworker experience.
KATE MUNDING serves on the Spirit Rock Teachers Council,
SPRING WASHAM has practiced meditation since 1997.
and is a guiding teacher for the Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley. She has praticed meditation since 2004, and is the founder of Heart-Mind Education, providing mindfulness-based education programs and trainings to students and the adults in their lives.
She is a founding teacher of the East Bay Meditation Center in Oakland, CA and author of A Fierce Heart: Finding Strength, Courage and Wisdom in any Moment. Spring is a pioneer in bringing mindfulness-based healing practices into diverse communities.
WES “SCOOP” NISKER serves on the Spirit Rock Teachers
PAMELA WEISS has practiced in the Zen and Theravada
Council, and is a meditation teacher, author, radio commentator and performer. His books include Essential Crazy Wisdom and Crazy Wisdom Saves the World Again!
SHARDA ROGELL began teaching Insight Meditation in 1985. She brings a strong emphasis to awakening heartfulness and has been influenced by non-dual teachings, Dzogchen and the Diamond Approach®.
DONALD ROTHBERG, PhD has practiced meditation since 1976, and is the guiding teacher for the Path of Engagement program. Donald co-teaches the Wednesday morning class at Spirit Rock, and is the author of The Engaged Spiritual Life.
ERIN SELOVER teaches mindfulness-based classes throughout the San Francisco Bay Area in schools, mental health settings and the private sector. She is a psychotherapist and a graduate of the SRMC/IMS/IRC Teacher Training Program.
GINA SHARPE is co-founder and Guiding Teacher of New York Insight Meditation Center. She has been teaching the Dharma since 1995 and is particularly inspired by the potential and application of Dharma to transform and illuminate interpersonal and multicultural relations.
traditions since 1987. She is an executive coach and the founder of Appropriate Response bringing Buddhist principles and practices to leadership and organizations. Pamela leads a weekly meditation group at San Francisco Insight and co-leads the Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leader program.
LILA KATE WHEELER is a writer and teaches and practices in the Vipassana and Tibetan Nyingma Buddhist lineages. She is a co-leader of the Spirit Rock Teacher Training Program.
DARA WILLIAMS has practiced Vipassana meditation for 25 years. She serves as an IMS Guiding Teacher and is a core teacher in the 2017/2021 IMS Teacher Training Program. She is a coordinating trainer for Indigenous Focusing Oriented Trauma Therapy (IFOT) and has a private psychotherapy practice in NY.
DIANA WINSTON is the Director of Mindfulness Education at UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center, and serves on the Spirit Rock Teachers Council. She has practiced Vipassana since 1989, including a year as a Buddhist nun in Burma, and is the author of Fully Present and Wide Awake: A Buddhist Guide for Teens.
LARRY YANG is a longtime meditator trained as a psychotherapist. He is interested in creating access to the Dharma for communities who have felt the experience of exclusion or difference. Larry is a teacher at the East Bay Meditation Center. He is the author of Awakening Together.
SPIRIT ROCK TE ACHER S COUNCIL (CONT’D)
Teachers Emeritus AJAHN AMARO trained in Thailand with Ajahn Chah and Ajahn Sumedho. He is the former co-abbot of Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery near Ukiah, CA. He is now abbot of Amaravati Monastery in the UK.
ROBERT HALL, MD, is a physician of the body/mind, a psychiatrist, poet and meditation teacher. He is a pioneer of the integration of bodywork, psychotherapy and spiritual practice. He lives and teaches at El Dharma in Todos Santos, Mexico.
MARY GRACE ORR is a Vipassana teacher and former Guiding Teacher of Santa Cruz Insight. She has practiced many spiritual disciplines for the past 25 years and has trained in the Diamond Approach®.
JOHN TRAVIS founded Mountain Stream Meditation in 1993 and opened a center in Nevada City, CA in 2013. He has practiced meditation for almost 50 years and spent a decade living in Asia.
JULIE WESTER has been a teacher of Insight Meditation since 1985 and is a senior meditation teacher at Spirit Rock. A student of sacred feminine wisdom traditions, her primary teachers have included Ruth Denison, Joanna Macy, Lama Tsultrim Allione and the women of her own family lineage.
Spirit Rock News © 2019 Spirit Rock Meditation Center | Jun - Aug 2019 Published three times a year by Spirit Rock Meditation Center P.O. Box 169, Woodacre, CA 94973 | (415) 488-0164 Design & Photography | Stacy Evett-Miller Photography | TwoIrises.com, TroyZiel.com, SuzanneChristine.com
Spirit Rock
An Insight Meditation Center
5000 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard P.O. Box 169, Woodacre, CA 94973
spiritrock.org
Looking Ahead...
2020 NEW—Four Noble Truths Study Program NEW—Committed Practitioner Program NEW—Principles of Buddhist Psychology Training Program NEW—A Year to Live Practice Program
2021 NEW—Dharma Yoga Mindfulness Training Program (500RYT) (7th SERIES) —Dedicated Practitioner Program