Spirit Rock Meditation Center News and Schedule May - Sept 2018

Spirit Rock spiritrock.org

news & schedule | may ¡ aug 2018

wisdom & insight for over 30 years

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May you be happy.

May you be safe.

May you be healthy.

May you live with ease.

Drop by drop is the water pot filled.

Likewise, the wise one, gathering it little by little, fills themself with good. —The Buddha 2

SPIRIT ROCK NEWS | MAY – AUG 2018

Bridging the Teachings A Message from Michelle Latvala, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

In the wide and varied 2600 year lineage of the Buddha’s teachings, our impact as Spirit Rock is humbly tiny! And yet in the last 40 years as these teachings spread widely to convert communities in the west, our impact as an organization is profound as hundreds of thousands of people connect to the Dharma through Spirit Rock. We take that responsibility as stewards seriously; we have been reflecting with you and each other on what it takes to sustain such deep service to the sangha going forward, amongst radically different conditions than our founding years.

A critical and beautiful piece of our Dharmic service is training teachers, so they can offer the teachings here at Spirit Rock, in their communities, and throughout the world. Our teachers remain an essential heart of our mission, with the depth of practice they bring to their teachings a remarkable offering in this contemporary litefare world. We are deeply grateful to them, and continue to work toward best supporting teachers offering their deepest Dharma.

On page 4, we bow deeply to those devoted teachers that literally gave roots to Spirit Rock thirty years ago. James Baraz reflects on walking the land with Jack Kornfield and some who were part of the first Spirit Rock teacher training—Sylvia Boorstein, Howard Cohn, Sharda Rogell, and Anna Douglas. They finished training back in 1988!

Fast forward to 2018, and we celebrate the twenty trainees that are now part of our eighth Spirit Rock Teacher Training! Read more on page 6 and get to know them as they train on upcoming retreats with you and offer their own beautifully rich programs: Teresa Abdala-Romano, Noliwe Alexander, Pawan Bareja, Leslie Booker, Carol Cano, Victoria Cary, Alisa Dennis, JD Doyle, Cara Lai FitzGibbon, Jeff Haozous, Amana Brembry Johnson, Kate Johnson, Solwazi Johnson, Louije Kim, Kaira Jewel Lingo, James Lowe, Konda Mason, Dawn Mauricio, Gulwinder Singh, and Katy Wiss.

We are deeply excited to be building relationships with them and you.

More good in 2018: on page 45 we celebrate the newest members of our Spirit Rock Teachers Council—which is the group of teachers who commit to making Spirit Rock a primary home for their teachings. Some of our newest members have been deeply

connected to Spirit Rock for decades, and others are growing their connection as we speak: Matthew Brensilver, Anne Cushman, Bonnie Duran, JoAnna Hardy, Susie Harrington, Ruth King, Kittisaro, Brian Lesage, John Martin, Nikki Mirghafori, Kate Munding, Erin Selover, Gina Sharpe, Oren Jay Sofer, Heather Sundberg, Thanissara, Erin Treat, Pamela Weiss, Lila Kate Wheeler, and DaRa Williams. We are so glad they are with us.

They are joining our existing group of incredible Spirit Rock Teachers Council members, listed on page 45: Ayya Anandabodhi, Guy Armstrong, Sally Armstrong, James Baraz, Sylvia Boorstein, Eugene Cash, Debra Chamberlin-Taylor, Howard Cohn, Mark Coleman, Dana DePalma, Anna Douglas, Andrea Fella, Anushka Fernandopulle, Gil Fronsdal, Will Kabat-Zinn, Jack Kornfield, Phillip Moffitt, Wes Nisker, Sharda Rogell, Donald Rothberg, Tempel Smith, Spring Washam, Diana Winston, and Larry Yang.

Five teachers who offered many years of service as Teacher Council members are now recognized as Teacher Emeritus: Ajahn Amaro, Robert Hall, Mary Grace Orr, John Travis, and Julie Wester. We are deeply grateful.

Naming is a powerful tradition in many cultures, and having all these names together on one page underscores that we are here, for some rich period of time, together. And yet any time we name, so many other deep contributors and supporters over these three decades are not named, so we honor those broad shoulders on which we stand. We also acknowledge the many teachers beyond our formal Teachers Council that teach in our Retreat Center and our Community Center ever year, contributing deeply to the offerings to our sangha. We could not do all we do without them.

Our teachers are bridging from one generation to the next, and we find ourselves blessed to be on this bridge together. It is a powerful convergence to have our founding teachers and our future teachers support the continuity of the teachings not through a handing-ofthe baton, but instead through a side-by-side immersion. And we learn, and we practice, and we fumble, and we respond, and we practice more, and we share the teachings. This is the truth of how 2600 years of teachings have survived!

May Spirit Rock contribute our part to the continued thriving of the Dharma, and may all beings deeply benefit.

Michelle Latvala

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THE DHARMA PROVIDED...

James Baraz Reflects on the Birth of Spirit Rock as spirit rock celebrates 30 years of service as a Dharma center in the West, we had a dialogue with one of the founding teachers to get a snapshot of the early days. James Baraz was one of those people who walked the land in 1973, before a single building had been built. Nisha Shah (Director of Programs, Communications and Outreach) and Andy LeSavage (Marketing Manager) sat down with James Baraz (a founding teacher of Spirit Rock) for a light-hearted discussion about the birth of what many call their spiritual home, Spirit Rock.

Can you tell us about how the land was discovered?

We (Jack Kornfield, Sylvia Boorstein, Joseph Goldstein, Jane Baraz, Anna Douglas and a few others) looked at dozens and dozens of pieces of land. Jack had wanted a location that was accessible from the city, but still in the country. We didn’t think that was going to happen. Then we found out that the Nature Conservancy was selling 412 acres of land. The land was named Spirit Rock before we purchased it because of the oak tree growing out of the big rock on the property that’s on our logo. It was grounded in the earth with spirit growing out of it. It was kind of mind blowing! There were California rolling hills, creeks running through it and a valley for situating buildings. It was gorgeous. Clearly the dharma had provided!

Tell us your story of getting to be a Dharma teacher...

In 1974, I went to Naropa because Ram Dass was there. I was a schoolteacher at the time and carried around Be Here Now like a bible. I asked him about meditation and he said to go check out this guy Goldstein who had just come back to the States after practicing in India for the previous seven years. Joseph said it was possible not to be run by your neurotic thoughts and I believed him. I did my first retreat a few months later. I did my first 3-month retreat in 1976 and then did everything I could to deepen my practice. When I moved to San Francisco in 1977 I was encouraged to start a sitting group. In 1978 I was asked to teach a class in San Francisco and checked in with Ram Dass and Joseph, my two mentors, for advice.

Joseph’s was: 1) “Don’t be afraid to say you don’t know when you

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James Baraz, 2018

don’t know,” and 2) “Don’t be afraid to be a moron.” Ram Dass said I should lead weekends to give people a taste of intensive practice.

In 1982, I taught my first retreat in Bodhgaya, India, where Joseph asked if I’d help him out.

How do you find serenity when you aren’t surrounded by the peace and solitude that Spirit Rock provides?

I just sit and go inside. One of the things that happens when you sit regularly is that you can access a place of home inside that you touch on retreat.

What is your favorite story about helping start Spirit Rock?

From the very beginning when we were renting places for people to gather, we believed that if we found a home, the dharma would flourish. In 1998, the retreat center at Spirit Rock was built. I had the honor of welcoming everyone at the start of that day and said, “Welcome to my dream!” It was, of course, a lot of people’s

Jack Kornfield with the original Spirit Rock “For Sale” sign.

2001—HH The Dalai Lama & Mahaghosananda (revered Cambodian monk) at the International Buddhist Teachers Conference held at Spirit Rock.

SPIRIT ROCK NEWS | MAY – AUG 2018

1970—Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein, James Baraz with Mahasi Sayadaw

dreams. I am so glad that I could be a part of it. Nothing has really surprised me along the way. There was always a feeling that we were here at the right time; the world was ready. It has been beautiful and miraculous, but not surprising. I’ve always deeply felt that the dharma holds the key to changing the world. We were able to just do our part and watch the whole thing amazingly unfold.

How does Spirit Rock differ from other meditation centers where you have taught?

The spaciousness and beauty of the land and nature is conducive to spaciousness in the heart as well. We understand process of awakening includes healing from our conditioned habits of mind as well as opening beyond the personal to the ultimate level of reality.

And our teacher collective is committed to serving the dharma while valuing helping each other grow and embodying what we teach.

1998—Opening ceremony for the Upper Meditation Hall. Anna Douglas, James Baraz, Ajahn Amaro, Sylvia Boorstein, Robert Hall.

What is your favorite food recipe from the kitchen?

The gado gado tofu with peanut sauce and noodles.

How do you imagine Spirit Rock in the next 30 years?

As cliché as it might sound, I think of Spirit Rock as a beacon of consciousness. We’re a center of consciousness that helps people wake up and a significant place that fosters awakening. We guide people to go deep on retreats and bring practice into daily life, on and off the cushion. It’s a crucial time in humanity and in our planet’s evolution. Particularly in the next 30 years, in this world of environmental, racial injustice and resource inequity we are in a race between fear and consciousness.

I hope Spirit Rock fulfills its destiny and offers crucial support to help people develop deep practice while making these precious teachings available to as many people as possible so we can all, as collective agents of consciousness, help heal the planet.

Sylvia Boorstein, Howard Cohn, James Baraz, Sharda Rogell, Anna Douglas, Jack Kornfield.

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SPIRIT ROCK NEWS | MAY – AUG 2018

SHAPING THE FUTURE OF THE DHARMA—

SPIRIT ROCK’S 8TH TEACHER TRAINING After four years of development and process, Spirit Rock initiated its current teacher training program in July, 2017, coordinated by lead faculty Gina Sharpe, Larry Yang, and Lila Kate Wheeler. The group of 20 teachers-in-training consists of 90% participation from communities of color and 55% participation from the LGBTQIA communities. Currently, with only 10 teachers of color among approximately 350+ currently authorized Dharma teachers in Western Insight lineages, this Spirit Rock training will begin to remedy a deeply felt need from all communities—the need for diverse voices, life experiences, and role models in the continuing stream of the Dharma.

The Spirit Rock teacher training has just finished its third of thirteen training sessions and we all feel the momentum of the Dharma carrying our community energy and aspirations into a future that is beautifully expansive, creative, and profound. The deepening of pedagogical skills, community bonding, and collegial mutual support, that the teachers-in-training are experiencing, personally and collectively, are high priorities and well into development. Trainees will graduate in 2020. We hope that you will join the board, staff and teachers at Spirit Rock in our complete support, encouragement, and unconditional joy in bringing the values of inclusivity, equity and diversity into how these ancient teachings on Freedom of the Mind and Heart are expressed, practiced, and lived in our contemporary daily lives.

May the trajectory of this teacher training bring boundless blessings to all communities, in all directions.

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Teresa Abdala-Romano Noliwe Alexander Pawan Bareja Leslie Booker Carol Cano Victoria Cary Alisa Dennis JD Doyle Cara Lai FitzGibbon Jeff Haozous Amana Bremby Johnson Kate Johnson Solwazi Johnson Louije Kim Kaira Jewel Lingo James Lowe Konda Mason Dawn Mauricio Gulwinder Singh Katy Wiss

AWAKENING TO YOUR

BUDDHA NATURE “O Nobly Born” the Buddhist texts begin, remember Your Buddha Nature. Remember your innate capacity for dignity, understanding and vast compassion. These gifts were born into you. Discover how the beautiful qualities of Buddha Nature can become alive for you, in your heart and the way you live.

Spirit Rock is pleased to offer Jack Kornfield’s series of inspiring and fresh talks that awaken the qualities of Buddha Nature, traditionally described as inner perfections. Through these teachings and practices, you are invited to bring alive and embody the virtues of the heart, lovingkindness and steadiness, compassion and wisdom. You are invited to awaken the best in yourself.

Given in 2017, these teachings are some of Jack’s favorites.

They are delightful, poetic and inspired. And even more....

They can change your life.

FREE ONLINE AUDIO TEACHINGS BY JACK KORNFIELD visit:

spiritrock.org/ buddha-nature

“You are perfect just as you are... and there is still room for improvement. “ —Shunryu Suzuki Roshi

Begins November 2019—

COMMUNITY DHARMA LEADER PROGRAM Training the Next Generation of Dharma Leaders The sixth Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leader (CDL) Program will begin in November 2019. Nomination by a past CDL graduate, teacher trainee, or Insight teacher is required for participation.

Nominations will begin in October of 2018, and applications will be accepted beginning February 2019. Applicants must receive nomination before applying, and must have a minimum of five years of practice and 40 nights of Insight and/or Metta retreat experience.

CDL6 will develop the next generation of Dharma leaders with the capacity, the resilience and the needed skills to carry the Dharma forward. This training will cultivate the inner resources to meet our collective ability to skillfully address the profound challenges of our time—climate change, growing economic disparity, and entrenched systems of racism, misogyny and oppression.

The program includes five week-long retreats over two years which will be held at Spirit Rock in Northern California and an off-site center to be determined, possibly on the east coast.

The core program teachers are: Eugene Cash, Pamela Weiss, DaRa Williams and Erin Treat. They will be supported by current Spirit Rock and IMS teacher trainees: Noliwe Alexander, Devon Hase and Solwazi Johnson.

CDL6 provides training for future Dharma leaders who reside both nationally and internationally. There is an emphasis on participants who live in areas or serve populations which are not currently well served. Our aim is to support the dharma in becoming fully inter-generational, culturally diverse and regionally accessible, including the participation of young adults, communities of color and other underrepresented groups.

For more information, visit:

spiritrock.org/community-dharma-leaders 7

SPIRIT ROCK NEWS | MAY – AUG 2018

Volunteer profile

CASSANDRA MILLSPAUGH I first found out about Spirit Rock from teachers at Against the Stream (ATS) in San Francisco, my home sangha. Spirit Rock has been a really important part of my practice.

I started out as a work retreatant, helping at residential retreats, and I am so grateful to Spirit Rock for providing the opportunity to attend retreat in this way, otherwise it would have been difficult, if not impossible, for me to join. I started volunteering for programs as a day-of work exchange right after the new Community Meditation Center opened, and again felt so thankful for this way of being able to attend day retreats. I decided to become a dedicated volunteer because I wanted to learn more about Spirit Rock and become closer to the community.

I am currently the dedicated volunteer for the volunteer office.

Working with Volunteer Coordinator Juliana Birnbaum has been an amazing experience. I love learning from her and spending time with her-- she has been a great teacher and has made me feel very included, supported and appreciated. I have learned how to do many things while volunteering here, from building trails to thoroughly cleaning a bathroom, chopping vegetables properly and using the Raiser’s Edge database.

It has been wonderful to express my love for Spirit Rock and learn how it runs. I have met so many kind staff, volunteers and participants. I adore being on the land; the smells, the colors and the quiet really help with my peace of mind. It is a much-needed escape from the city. I am so happy to be able to be of service to this community and be part of such a wonderful place.

Interesting in becoming a Spirit Rock Volunteer?

SPIRIT ROCK RELIES ON THE GENEROSITY of our many volunteers.

We offer a range of opportunities from one-time projects to ongoing service. Check our website to find out more about our volunteer program or contact our Volunteer & Community Coordinator at volunteering@ spiritrock.org or (415) 488-0164 x224.

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SPIRIT ROCK NEWS | MAY – AUG 2018

YOUR GENEROSITY IS LIFE-CHANGING “ I would not be able to attend a retreat without the support of a scholarship, so I extend my deep gratitude towards all who enable that fund to continue. As a person who does emotionally intense work, and is also incredibly over-scheduled, and also deals with anxiety, the opportunity to come on retreat once a year actually feels like it saves my life. I am not being hyperbolic. It is a reset button that does wonders for my mental and physical health, even though the inner experience itself while on retreat can often be quite tumultuous. It makes me a more effective, grounded and compassionate person in the social justice work that I do, as well as in life in general. I feel in my bones and lived experience the reality of that line, ‘the teachings are priceless.’” —Anonymous Scholarship Recipient

Your Support Is Vital to Radiate Lovingkindness

METTA MAY THIS MAY WE PLACE OUR PALMS TOGETHER WITH METTA, IN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF OUR DEEP INTERCONNECTEDNESS. Join us from the cushion, at a Spirit Rock event, or with an act of generosity. Scholarship donations are a concrete manifestation of Metta, having the intention to radiate well wishes for others into the world. The benefits are exponential!

Every gift made to our Scholarship Fund during Metta May will receive a gift back—an opportunity to join a livestream event on May 31st as Jack Kornfield and Sylvia Boorstein engage in conversation and guide us through a Metta meditation. Stay tuned throughout Metta May for more opportunities to cultivate kindness as we come together to provide scholarship funding for practitioners in need.

A wish for you amidst all, today and all days: May you feel safe

EVERYTHING WE DO… Giving at Spirit Rock is a clear act of conviction— Supporting our spiritual refuge and the cultivation of compassion, kindness and clarity.

Explore ways to give on our website:

spiritrock.org/donate 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 Lacey Segal at laceys@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.

We love our volunteers! To join us, contact our volunteer coordinator, Juliana Birnbaum at (415) 488-0164 x244 or volunteering@spiritrock.org.

May you feel happy May you live with ease Thank you for your heartfelt generosity, your practice, your inspiration—together we support one another as we walk this path of insight and compassion.

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. If you have any questions about this, or even the worldly Dharma of money in general, please call Rachel Uris, Director of Development, at (415) 488-0164 x286.

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NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | MAY – AUG 2018

NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS Spirit Rock offers a breadth of trainings, including multi-day, non-residential 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 invite you to review our offerings on the following pages. Details are subject to change; visit spiritrock.org for up-to-date information.

art: amanda giacomini

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NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | MAY – AUG 2018

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.

Mon. Night Dharma Talk & Meditation Group 7:15 – 9:15 pm | LIVESTREAM AVAILABLE JACK KORNFIELD, MARK COLEMAN & OTHERS 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.

Wed. 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.

Thursday Meditation & Yoga | 10 am – 12:15 pm ASHLEY SHARP & OTHERS Each class includes an hour of mindful yoga, guided meditation, a Dharma talk, inquiry and discussion.

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.

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NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS INFORMATION

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Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction LISA MORAN AND SUSAN DUBIN-MCNEIL 7:00 PM – 9:30 PM | THURSDAYS; PLUS SATURDAY, JUNE 9 (OPTIONAL) 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

15 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE | 8-WEEK CLASS SERIES The MBSR program is an intensive 8-week training program designed to empower participants to take an active role in the creation of their own health and wellness. The skills learned in mindfulness training are also useful tools for promoting well-being in clinicians in psychology, nursing, and medicine.

Program participants may expect to learn specific meditation and mindfulness practices and incorporate them into their daily lives as a routine means to respond to the challenges in living our stressfilled lives. Participants learn to better manage stress, anxiety, depression, and health-related problems. Mindfulness practices address communications styles that enhance relationships and improve quality of life. Fee: $275 – 525 sliding scale. Code: MD1C18.

LISA MORAN, MD, is a board certified general adult psychiatrist who provides emergency psychiatric services for Sonoma County. She was trained to teach MBSR by the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts.

SUSAN DUBIN-MCNEIL, EDD, is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, and was trained to teach MBSR by the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts. She provides clinical supervision and training for pre- and post-doctoral interns, as well as consultation to licensed clinicians working in community mental health settings.

“Embodied enlightenment is about living wisely in your particular body, as it is on this day, in this amazing life.”

—Jack Kornfield

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Day Retreats, Drop-Ins, Classes & Benefits: Stepping stones to sitting a longer residential retreat and sustaining an ongoing practice.

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 available so that money isn’t a barrier to practice. All Spirit Rock events offer sliding scale fees and volunteer opportunities. We regularly hold programs called “Dana Days” which do not have fees and we offer scholarships for many of our programs. Please join us!

REGISTRATION Registration is available on our website spiritrock.org. 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 nonweekend 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) 488-0164 x219 or x266, Monday to Friday.

VOLUNTEERING Volunteering is a meaningful way to participate in the Spirit Rock community and stay connected to the sangha. 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.

YOUNG ADULT/SENIOR RATES Young Adults (18-26) and Seniors (65+ with limited and fixed income) are invited to attend regular daylongs for $45-$55, class series for half price (with some exceptions) and nonresidential retreats for $45 per day.

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 am - 4 pm, Monday to Friday.

NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | MAY – AUG 2018

Shift Happens: Learning to Bounce Back from Disappointment, Difficulty, even Disaster

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LINDA GRAHAM | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM 5.5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE Dealing effectively with the challenges and crises of life is the core of our resilience and well-being. Developing flexible and adaptive strategies for coping with everyday disappointments and extraordinary disasters are the heart of any transformative process.

Modern neuroscience illuminates how the brain encodes its strategies for coping, and has shown mindfulness and compassion practices to be two of the most powerful agents of brain structure change, and thus behavior change. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale.

Code: LG2D18.

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2-DAY NON-RESIDENTIAL RETREAT

Building the Raft: Foundational Tools for Practice AYYA ANANDABODHI, AYYA SANTACITTA 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

DANA DAY (BY DONATION) The Buddha gave the analogy of building a raft and paddling with hands and feet to reach the safety of the faraway shore together.

He did not ask us to build an ocean-liner or a cruise-ship, but to make use of what we could find around us. In this weekend retreat, we will deepen our familiarity with the tools and resources that are around and available to us. With clear intention and dedication, even the humblest of vehicles can take us across the troubled waters of our time. Please bring lunch to share with the nuns.

Fee: $0 – 200 sliding scale. Code: NU1G18.

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.

PETER A. LEVINE | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

5.5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE Meditation is a deep ongoing process. Along this journey, we will most surely uncover our past traumas and emotional wounds.

These encounters can enhance and deepen our meditation practices if they are integrated. If not, they can cause confusion, chaos, disassociation, possible re-traumatization, or the infamous “bliss by-pass.” In this day retreat, we will learn how to visit, meet, and integrate these experiences. Together, we will explore how this process supports our inward journey of self-discovery and inner freedom. Fee: $110 – 275 sliding scale. Code: PL1B18.

PETER A LEVINE, PHD, is the developer of Somatic Experiencing®, a naturalistic and neurobiological approach to healing trauma, and the founder of the Somatic Experiencing® Trauma Institute. Dr. Levine is the author of several best-selling books on trauma; including Waking the Tiger, In an Unspoken Voice, and Trauma and Memory.

LINDA GRAHAM, MFT, is an experienced psychotherapist and meditation teacher who integrates modern neuroscience, mindfulness practices and relational psychology in her nationwide trainings. She is the author of Bouncing Back.

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Trauma and Meditation

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Yoga + Dharma: Refresh and Renew ASHLEY SHARP | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Take time out to refresh and renew as we explore wisdom and compassion through the practices of yoga and meditation.

We will be doing asana (poses) for embodiment, pranayama (breathing exercises) to calm and balance the heart/mind, mudra (hand shapes) for focus, and chanting to open the heart.

There will be periods of both silent and guided meditation woven throughout the day. The yoga asana (poses) will be basic, focused on the cultivation of mindfulness and presence, and accessible to all that can stand, sit, and walk. This program is open to both newcomers wanting to explore and experienced practitioners wanting to deepen. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: SP3D18.

ASHLEY SHARP has studied yoga with Swami Dayananda, Erich Schiffmann, Patricia Sullivan and Sat Santokh Sing and completed an 18-month Mindfulness Yoga and Meditation Training at Spirit Rock.

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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NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | MAY – AUG 2018

Continuing Education (CE) credit is co-sponsored by Spirit Rock and the Spiritual Competency Resource Center. CE credit is available for psychologists and California licensed MFTs, LCSWs, LEPs, LPCCs, Nurses, Chiropractors, and Acupuncturists. Not all programs are applicable to every license; please check the web description for specific license applicability, number of credits offered per event, and learning objectives.

The Spiritual Competency Resource Center is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Spiritual Competency Resource Center maintains responsibility for 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 credits for license renewal from programs sponsored by American Psychological Association approved providers.

CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDIT OFFERINGS

The California Board of Chiropractic Examiners accepts CE credits for license renewal from programs sponsored by Board of Registered Nursing approved providers.

CE credit awarded for instruction time only. For general information, including attendance and cancellation policies, please see: spiritrock.org/continuing-education-credit.

CE PROGRAMS AT A GLANCE: 5/3 5/4

TESTIMONIALS—

“It was a beautiful, boundary stretching experience. I look forward to continuing the practice and sharing what was taught with my clients.” —RN “I came for the CEC’s and left with these profound and simple teachings, by amazingly skilled teachers. I am humbled.” —SM 14

5/10 5/14 5/20 5/26 6/8 6/9 6/15 7/13 7/21 7/21 7/22 7/28 8/11 8/31

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Shift Happens: Learning to Bounce Back from Disappointment, Difficulty, even Disaster Trauma and Meditation Releasing Trauma’s Grip with Kindness (class series) Mindfulness and Ethics: The Weave of Awareness and Action Resilient: Cultivating an Unshakable Core of Calm, Strength, and Happiness Insight Meditation: The Path of Understanding, Wisdom, and Freedom Relaxed and Awake: Mindfulness Meditation and Feldenkrais Method Movement‰ How to Build Resilience Recharge & Reconnect: Self-Care for Providers Loving Awareness: Opening the Heart, Freeing the Mind Cultivating True Nourishment: Mindful Eating and Self-Care Return to Wholeness: Releasing Trauma Using Loving-kindness and Compassion Transforming Emotions with Qigong, Sound Healing, and Meditation The Neurodharma of Love Cultivating Wise Speech

NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | MAY – AUG 2018

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SAT

Invitation to Insight Meditation: How to Find Peace Wherever You Are HOWARD COHN | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Imagine feeling unrushed, content, and at home wherever you are – alone, in a crowded shopping mall, or even in rush hour traffic. Imagine feeling that your life is complete, right here, right now, that you do not wish to be anywhere else, even when your to-do list is overflowing. You are able to act intelligently, skillfully, and swiftly with clarity and ease. You feel inexhaustibly alive and aware: sights are more vivid, sounds clear, tastes and smells rich and alive. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: HC2D18.

HOWARD COHN has led Vipassana retreats since 1985 and leads a weekly sitting group in San Francisco. He has studied with teachers of several traditions, including Theravada, Zen and Dzogchen, and has been strongly influenced by H.W.L. Poonja. He is the author of Invitation to Meditation.

MAY

13

SUN

Cultivating Space in Body and Mind: Meditation and Self-Care DAWN MAURICIO | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

In this day retreat, we will create space in the body with the self-care technique of therapy ball massage. The accessible sequences are designed to open our awareness to see that sensations, however intense they may be, are not as dense, opaque, or heavy as they may feel. Our guided meditations will explore how in much the same way our thoughts and identities are not as dense, opaque or heavy as they may seem. You will leave with lightness in body and heart-mind, your own set of therapy massage balls, and a routine you can do on your own to support your meditation practice. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale.

Code: DU1D18.

DAWN MAURICIO is a mindfulness yoga and meditation teacher with a playful, dynamic, and embodied approach.

She has been practicing and studying Insight Meditation since 2005 and teaching mindfulness yoga since 2006.

Currently, she enjoys teaching both yoga and meditation to adults and teenagers in Canada and the United States.

MAY

14

MON

Releasing Trauma’s Grip with Kindness SAKTI ROSE | 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

8 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE | 5-WEEK CLASS SERIES This series is designed for meditators who have found barriers in their meditative experience that inhibit their progress on the path.

This series will deepen and build upon the body of skills learned in Trauma and Mindfulness One. We will practice lovingkindness to help heal wounds experienced by trauma that impact our meditative practice. Traumatic events leave physiological and emotional scars that alter neurological structures. By developing somatic skills, coupled with kindness practices, we can help regulate the painful effects of trauma and thereby free up energy for meditation and life. Fee: $125 – 200 sliding scale. Code: SR2C18.

SAKTI ROSE is a senior Somatic Experiencing™ Practitioner and teaches mindfulness meditation in hospitals and meditation centers.

MAY

18 FRI

Through the Looking Glass: Exploring Creativity and Mindfulness SANDY BOUCHER AND MARTHA BOESING 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

What ignites our creativity? What holds us back from being our most creative selves? How can we harness our creativity to deepen our relationship to mindfulness? Join this writer and theater artist as they invite us to slow down, breathe and relax, and cultivate our creativity. We will explore how to fully allow our imaginations to open us to a wider experience of reality, helping us to become fully responsive to all life’s unfolding. The day will include periods of guided and silent meditation, as well as reflection, writing, and creative exercises. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: SY2D18.

SANDY BOUCHER, MA, has practiced, written about and taught both Vipassana and writing for 30 years. She leads retreats on Dharma and writing and has published nine books.

MARTHA BOESING, a long-time Buddhist practitioner, theatre director and dharma teacher, uses interactive games and exercises to illuminate the challenges of aging.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, VISIT SPIRITROCK.ORG.

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NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | MAY – AUG 2018

MAY

19

SAT

Art and Dharma: Cultivating Awareness through Creative Expression PAWAN BAREJA | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

We will experientially explore our inherent potential for spacious awareness by weaving together music, visual art, textile, and other mediums. There will be periods of sitting, walking in nature, and time for our creative expression.

Through mindfulness practices and play, we hope to deepen our awareness of the moment-to-moment ebb and flow of life as it awakens our senses. We welcome artists, and those who don’t consider themselves artists! Bring your interest, curiosity, love of the Dharma to this day. Participants are encouraged to bring their own artwork as part of this experiential day. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: PB1D18.

MAY

20 SUN

19

SAT

Dharma & Yoga: Joyful Presence DJUNA MASCALL | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Joy is always available to us, but is often obscured by a distracted mind and contracted body. When we align the mind with the slower rhythms of the body and infuse the body with mindful awareness, joyful ease can arise — even in the midst of difficulty or grief. This day retreat will weave Dharma teachings, meditation, somatic movement, asana, and breath work. We will practice mindfulness of the breath and body for present moment awareness. The yoga practice will be both dynamic and nourishing, cultivating focus and ease through attention to inner alignment and awakening to sensation.All levels welcome.

Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: DM1D18.

DJUNA MASCALL teaches Prajna Yoga nationally and internationally. She currently leads the Dharma and Yoga Teacher Training Program at Spirit Rock. She is also a certified yoga therapist in private practice. Her offerings combine meditation and Dharma study with asana training designed to cultivate sensory awareness and embodied wisdom.

SEAN FEIT OAKES | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

5.5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE Throughout the Theravâda tradition, mindfulness and ethics are considered inseparable parts of the path. In this day of practice and study, we’ll look at aspects of both mindfulness and wise action, exploring how these two pillars of the Dhamma work together to support insight and healing. Our focus will be on bringing mindfulness to our relationships, work, and engagement with the world, as well as understanding the awareness practices themselves as fundamentally ethical in nature. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: SF3D18.

SEAN FEIT OAKES completed the Spirit Rock Dedicated Practitioners Program, Mindfulness Yoga and Meditation Training, and Community Dharma Leaders Program. He is core Teacher Training faculty for Piedmont Yoga in Oakland, CA, and Yoga Garden San Francisco.

PAWAN BAREJA, PHD, has a body-oriented counseling practice based on Peter Levine’s Somatic Experiencing™ (SE) 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.

MAY

Mindfulness and Ethics: The Weave of Awareness and Action

MAY

25 FRI

Making the Most of Letting Go ANNA DOUGLAS | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Give it up! Let it go! Get rid of it!

Do these exhortations invoke trepidation or exhilaration? As we age, some of us shiver at the sight of bulging closets, stuffed cabinets, or a garage full of unused sports equipment - all remnants of the past. The past looms large in our memory as well - people, projects, dreams unrealized. Not to mention old opinions and beliefs. How can we unburden ourselves? Letting go is the heart of meditation. It shows us that letting go is not deprivation but the key to liberating and enlivening our being.

Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: AD5D18.

ANNA DOUGLAS has a background in psychology and art, in addition to more than 25 years of Vipassana practice.

She has also studied with teachers in the Zen, Advaita and Dzogchen traditions.

“When the heart truly understands, it lets go of everything. ” 16

—Ajahn Chah

NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | MAY – AUG 2018

MAY MAY – SAT MON

26 28

3-DAY NON-RESIDENTIAL RETREAT

Buddhist Goddesses: Embodying the Divine Feminine ERIN SELOVER | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

We all embody a unique configuration of enlightened qualities that are waiting to emerge with the right conditions. However, without support, these qualities can lie dormant and manifest in self-doubt, mood issues, addiction, and disease. It is essential for the health of ourselves, our communities, and the Earth that we express these qualities fully and courageously. This retreat is an opportunity to somatically identify, explore, and empower our unique awakened energy through the exploration of Buddhist goddesses. Our weekend together will include sitting meditation, movement meditation, and dharma talks; including the study of Buddhist goddess of non-dual wisdom, Prajnaparamita. Fee: $225 600 sliding scale. Code: ES2M18.

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.

MAY

27

SUN

MAY

26 SAT

Resilient: Cultivating an Unshakable Core of Calm, Strength, and Happiness RICK HANSON | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

5.5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE The world is volatile and unreliable. So it’s vital to develop durable psychological resources such as grit, gratitude, and compassion: the inner core that remains unshaken no matter what life brings.

This is true resilience, the foundation of lasting well-being in a changing world and at the heart of the Buddhist idea of equanimity. We’ll explore: 1. Why suffering arises due to craving, and why craving arises due to a sense of deficit and disturbance in the meeting of our needs; and how to use positive neuroplasticity to grow inner resources like calm and confidence to soothe, ease, and replace old pain. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: RH2D18.

RICK HANSON, PHD, is a psychologist, Senior Fellow of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley and New York Times best-selling author. His books include Hardwiring Happiness and Buddha’s Brain.

100th Birthday Anniversary Celebration: Recollections of Ajahn Chah AJAHN PASANNO | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

DANA DAY (BY DONATION) | LIVESTREAM AVAILABLE Venerable Ajahn Chah is remembered as one of the most highly revered Buddhist meditation masters in Thailand, founding thriving communities globally, including Abhayagiri Monastery. Ajahn Pasanno, abbot of Abhayagiri, was a monastic disciple of Ajahn Chah at Wat Pah Pong Monastery, before being appointed abbot of Wat Pah Nanachat by Ajahn Chah. This day will commemorate the 100th anniversary of Ajahn Chah’s birthday, and will include readings from his newly released biography, Stillness Flowing. On this day retreat, we will practice in the Thai Forest tradition, and hear direct stories, teachings and recollections from Ajahn Pasanno’s days in Thailand with his beloved teacher. There will be sitting and walking meditation, and dharma talks throughout the day. Please bring lunch to share with the monks. Fee: $0 – 108 sliding scale. Code: AP1G18.

VEN. AJAHN PASANNO took ordination in Thailand in 1974 with Ven. Phra Khru Nanasirivatana and later trained under Ajahn Chah at Wat Pah Nanashat, becoming its abbot in his ninth year. Currently, he is the abbot of Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery in Redwood Valley, CA.

Ajahn Chah

JUNE JUN

01 FRI

Love Letters to Ourselves SHAHARA GODFREY | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

“You, the richest person in the world, have been laboring and struggling endlessly, not understanding that you already possess all that you seek.” Lotus Sutra Through writing, music, and sharing, we will explore self-care and compassion. This day retreat will also include contemplative practices of walking and sitting meditation. Beginners and all selfidentified women are welcome. “...love is really more of an interactive process. It’s about what we do not just what we feel. It’s a verb, not a noun” — Bell Hooks Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: SG4D18.

JUN

SUN

JUN SAT

The Four Ennobling Truths EUGENE CASH | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

FRANZ MOECKL has practiced taiji and qigong for more than 30 years and has taught at Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Stress Reduction Clinic in Worcester, MA.

JUN

08 FRI

Insight Meditation: The Path of Understanding, Wisdom, and Freedom MARK COLEMAN | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

LIVESTREAM AVAILABLE

5.5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE

The Four Noble Truths are at heart of all Buddhist teachings. In our day together, we will explore the interactive aliveness of these Four Truths and how they can be practiced and lived 24/7: 1. There is suffering/stress; this is to be understood.

2. There is an origin to suffering; which is to be released.

3. There is freedom or cessation of suffering; this is to be realized.

4. There is a path to freedom; this is to be cultivated.

We will investigate how, when, and what’s needed to be free from suffering and awaken more fully in our ordinary and magical human lives. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: EC1D18.

Insight Meditation or Vipassana is a profoundly liberating practice and path to genuine well-being, happiness, and freedom.

Grounded in the foundational practice of mindfulness, Insight Meditation enables you to see clearly the truth of your inner and outer experience, providing insight into the ways you create your own suffering and how you can be free of pain and stress.

When you cultivate the kind, curious presence of mindfulness to your moment-to-moment experience, clarity, joy, wisdom, and compassion can arise in the heart. This in turn enables you to deeply know yourself, others and the nature of reality.

Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: MC8D18.

EUGENE CASH is a founding teacher of San Francisco Insight. 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.

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FRANZ MOECKL | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Spinal Qigong, also known as Chan Mi Gong, is an ancient Buddhist Qigong style originating in Tibet 1,500 years ago during the Tang Dynasty. “Chan” means Zen in Japanese, while “Mi” comes from the Tibetan tradition and refers to the more secretive element of the practice. This Qigong style combines these two different aspects, and focuses on slow, gentle, wavelike spinal motions. The inner and outer movements and techniques lead to a flexible, healthy spine, the release of tension and energy or “Qi” blockages in whole body. Together, we will explore how this practice continues to be relevant today, bringing us increased energy, focus, calm, memory, and well-being. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: FM1D18.

SHAHARA GODFREY, PHD, has completed Spirit Rock’s Community Dharma Leaders and Dedicated Practitioners Programs and is a core teacher at the East Bay Meditation Center in Oakland, CA. Her primary practices are compassion and social activism.

02

Spinal Qigong: An Ancient Tibetan and

03 Zen Practice for Well-Being

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.

NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | MAY – AUG 2018

JUN

09 SAT

Relaxed and Awake: Mindfulness Meditation and Feldenkrais Method Movement® DAN CLURMAN | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

5.5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE By changing our habits of movement, we awaken the body; by changing our habits of thinking, we awaken the mind. We can then join in the dance of existence with more freedom and ease.

This day retreat combines mindfulness meditation with sessions of Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement® lessons, the brilliant sensory-motor approach to re-educating the neuromuscular system. Alternating meditation, Feldenkrais practices, and discussion will allow the techniques to support each other and enhance mind-body connection and well-being. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: DA1D18.

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.

JUN

JUN

FRI

SUN

15 – 17

3-DAY NON-RESIDENTIAL RETREAT

Seven Treasures of Practice ANNA DOUGLAS | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

At the beginning of our practice of mindfulness, we don’t know what to expect. Over time we discover, sometimes unexpectedly, qualities of heart and mind that are hidden from us that mindfulness calls forth. These hidden qualities are precious treasures; once we discover them, they bring confidence and stability to our meditation practice. This 3-day immersion in exploring these seven treasures (often called the “factors of awakening”) is a wonderful opportunity to recognize the seeds of liberation, which are present in our own mind. We will explore each of the qualities and practice with them in a schedule of silent sitting and walking meditation.

Fee: $225 – 600 sliding scale.Code: AD2M18.

ANNA DOUGLAS has a background in psychology and art, in addition to more than 25 years of vipassana practice. She has also studied with teachers in the Zen, Advaita and Dzogchen traditions.

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NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | MAY – AUG 2018

JUN

15 FRI

How to Build Resilience OREN JAY SOFER | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

5.5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE Resilience is a skill that can be learned and strengthened.

This experiential retreat provides practical tools to protect against burn-out, handle stress, and increase inner stability.

We will explore a range of methods for building resilience: meditative, somatic, cognitive, emotional, and relational.

The day will include guided meditations, silent reflection, inquiry, movement, and writing. Participants will gain a greater understanding of their own strengths and challenges with resilience, as well as develop a personalized resilience toolkit.

Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: OS3D18.

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.

JUN

16

SAT

Exploring the Dharma through Poetry PHILLIP MOFFITT | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Each moment of life — ordinary and extraordinary — is imbued with presence. Being awake to this presence gives us an immediate sense of life’s meaning. This feeling is what poets try to capture in verse. Using poetry as our inspiration and our guide, we will explore how it can deepen our understanding of the dharma and help us meet each moment of life with awareness, intention, and surrender. This day will consist of sitting and walking meditation practice interspersed with dharma discussions based on a selection of poems. Suitable for both beginning and experienced meditation students. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: PM1D18.

PHILLIP MOFFITT has practiced Vipassana since 1983.

He is founder and president of the Life Balance Institute.

He is a co-Guiding Teacher at Spirit Rock and the author of Dancing with Life, Emotional Chaos to Clarity and Awakening through the Nine Bodies.

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NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | MAY – AUG 2018

JUN

17

SUN

Relationship As Spiritual Practice 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 decades of experience has shown that conscious, loving relationships are possible. A few essential principles and skills can transform relationships into spiritual practice. In this day retreat, we’ll share these essential tools through group discussion, experiential exercises, and guided meditations. These tools are valuable for partnerships, family relationships and friendships. Appropriate for those with or without partners. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale.

Code: DC1D18.

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.

JUN

23 SAT

#MeToo: Collective Liberation through Wise Response ERIN SELOVER AND NIRALI SHAH 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

As the #metoo movement continues, do you feel a power and clarity rising in you? Are you longing for community and space to share your story and your vision? Violence against women is pervasive. Misogyny permeates, shapes, and suffocates the life-force of our society. These injustices have lain buried in the depths of our individual and collective psyches, but no longer.

We hear you. We believe you. We are you.

This day will focus on wise effort and deepening sangha through listening to each other’s stories, tools to counter compassion burnout and strengthen wise speech and wise actions, and gathering wise responses based on a vision of collective liberation for all beings. All Spirit Rock proceeds will benefit the Spirit Rock Scholarship Fund. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: ES2D18.

ERIN SELOVER - See page 16 for bio.

JUN

22 FRI

NIRALI SHAH is a certified mindfulness facilitator from UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center. She currently teaches meditation at technology companies and Insight Meditation Center, Redwood City, CA, as well as facilitates retreats with Spirit Rock and Inward Bound Mindfulness Education.

Qigong and Crystal Singing Bowl Healing ISABELITA PAPA | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Qigong consists of gentle, beautiful, flowing movements that are both joyful and deeply relaxing. The overall effect of this ancient movement practice is to reduce mental stress and physical tension, increasing health and well-being. In this day retreat together, we will learn gentle healing Qigong movements, stretching exercises, and tapping, massaging, and breathing techniques that help to boost the immune system, increase energy, manage stress, improve focus, and build stamina while feeling peaceful and balanced at the same time. We will then use Alchemy Crystal Singing Bowls to harmonize healing energy flow in the dis-ease areas and clear the mind for meditation.

Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: IP2D18.

ISABELITA PAPA is certified to teach Dayan Qigong, Mindful Pilates and Restorative Yoga and is a Compassionate Communication facilitator. She offers classes in the San Francisco Bay Area, Mexico and Hawaii.

JUN

23 SAT

Making Peace with Your Ego: Finding Freedom Through Letting Go LISA ERNST | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

During this retreat, we will explore the nature of our identity and sense of self we use to live in the world, as well as the wise space of heart and mind that lets go. As we practice meeting all of the activity of self with mindfulness, steadiness, and kindness, our insight and compassion grow. The more we make peace with our ego, the more we dwell in our own boundless, empty nature. This retreat will include periods of sitting and walking meditation, instructions, dharma talk, and time for Q&A and group interaction. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: LE1D18.

LISA ERNST is a meditation teacher, artist and founder of One Dharma Nashville. She has practiced meditation since the late 80’s in the Zen and Vipassana traditions. She received Dharma transmission in the Thai Forest lineage of Ajahn Chah. Lisa teaches meditation internationally and also leads Buddhist pilgrimages to India.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, VISIT SPIRITROCK.ORG.

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NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | MAY – AUG 2018

“Develop the mind of equilibrium. You will always be getting praise and blame, but do not let either affect the poise of the mind: follow the calmness, the absence of pride.”

—the buddha, Sutta Nipata 702

22

NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | MAY – AUG 2018

JUN

24

SUN

Equanimity: Cultivating a Balanced Heart and Mind SALLY ARMSTRONG | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

LIVESTREAM AVAILABLE In this day retreat, we will explore and cultivate Upekkha, or equanimity, which is one of the four beautiful expressions of the heart known as the Brahma Viharas. True equanimity comes from a deep and profound acceptance of things the way they are, and it is not a cold or apathetic detachment from experience. We begin to understand and accept ourselves and the world. From this place of acceptance, we can be truly engaged and authentic. The day together will include guided meditations, Dharma talks, and reflections focused on the practice of equanimity. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: SA1D18.

SALLY ARMSTRONG began practicing Insight Meditation in 1981 and teaching in 1996. She has served at Spirit Rock in a number of roles and is co-founder and co-teacher of the Dedicated Practitioners Program. She is a Co-Guiding Teacher at Spirit Rock.

JUN

30 SAT

JUN

30 SAT

The Human Journey: Walking the Spiritual Path PAMELA WEISS | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

We live in increasingly fraught and divisive times. What is needed to meet the challenges of climate change, economic disparity, and entrenched systems of racism, misogyny and oppression with clarity, integrity, and kindness? This day retreat will use stories from the life of the Buddha, Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey, and the myth of Inanna as context to discover the shape and direction of our own spiritual path. We will weave together Dharma talks, guided meditation, reflection, interactive exercises and ritual. You will leave with a map of your own spiritual path and aspirations, and new insights and practices for going forward. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: PW3D18.

PAMELA WEISS has practiced in the Zen and Theravada 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 coleads the Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leader program.

LGBTQI Loving-Kindness Day Retreat JOHN MARTIN | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

This LGBTQI Community retreat will be spent cultivating love and loving-kindness (Metta). The practice of loving-kindness was taught by the Buddha to cultivate the natural beautiful qualities of an open and loving heart. The practice begins with ourselves and expands outward for all beings. The cultivation of loving-kindness supports a caring and balanced heart that is able to open to all the joys and difficulties of life. In this day together, there will be instructions and teachings to develop this practice and to work with the challenges that may block the full expression of the heart. Fee: $40 – 100 sliding scale. Code: JN1D18.

JOHN MARTIN teaches Vipassana, Metta, and LGBTQI tmemed meditation retreats. John has had a dedicated practice while being engaged in the working world, and emphasizes practice for daily life. He completed the SRMC/ IMS/IRC Teacher Training Program.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, VISIT SPIRITROCK.ORG.

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NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | MAY – AUG 2018

JULY JUL

01

SUN

Arousing Joy, the Great Gateway to Tranquility: A Day Retreat for People of Color AMANA BREMBRY JOHNSON 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Joy is the portal to tranquility. Tranquility is the foundation of stillness. When we align with joy, we open to the great, expansive web of infinite goodness, and it becomes possible to transition into undisturbed silence. Through exploring the Seven Factors of Awakening, we will identify our unique barriers to joy, and learn to use them as portals to stillness. Our day together will include silent meditation, embodied movement, and group sharing. Offered concurrently with the 20th Annual People of Color residential retreat, the afternoon will bring a merger of our practices in celebration of the heightened diversity reflective of the future of the Dharma. Fee: $40 – 100 sliding scale. Code: AJ1D18.

AMANA JOHNSON is a visual artist who also 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 currently in the Community Dharma Leaders Program at Spirit Rock and is a graduate of Commit2Dharma, a one-year course offered through EBMC.

JUL

JUL

FRI

SUN

06 – 08

3-DAY NON-RESIDENTIAL RETREAT

Dependent Origination: The Full Teachings of the Buddha

JUL

07 SAT

Longing for Home SHAHARA GODFREY | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

What does home mean to you? Does it mean belonging, safety, reassurance, and impermanence? “Where are you from?” may refer to your place of birth, ancestral origin, ethnicity, or something entirely different. As James Baldwin said, “Perhaps home is not a place but simply an irrevocable condition.” Simply put, “At the end of the day, it isn’t where I came from. Maybe home is somewhere I’m going...” –Warsan Shire. The focus of this day retreat is to explore the meaning of home in relation to impermanence. It will also include contemplative practices of walking and sitting meditation. Everyone is welcome. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale.

Code: SG5D18.

SHAHARA GODFREY – See page 18 for bio.

JUL

08 SUN

Dharma & Yoga: The Practice of Non-Harming DJUNA MASCALL | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

The foundation of Dharma and Yoga is ahimsa or non-harming.

Ahimsa can be realized through a kind and nurturing approach to the body. In this day retreat, we will cultivate ahimsa through mindfulness of the nuance of sensation in the body and the subtle pathway of the breath. This will foster calm abiding from which we can see into and transform our underlying habits of aversive thinking and forcing the body. Our practice will combine mindful asana, somatic movement, pranayama, and meditation on kindness. By realizing ahimsa in our personal practice, we find connection with all beings. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: DM2D18.

TEMPEL SMITH | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM Dependent Origination is considered the Buddha’s complete, unabridged teaching. It can be used to understand the root of both our daily stresses and joys. This all-encompassing teaching sheds light on why we stumble blindly through so many days, years, and even lifetimes looking for real happiness, but cannot find it. Dependent Origination is our north star, in both this life and future lives, illuminating how and when we get stuck in patterns of suffering, and guiding us as we navigate this path towards true freedom. This retreat will focus on silent, formal meditation, and also include teachings, guided and walking meditation, and Q&A dialog. Fee: $225 – 600 sliding scale. Code: TS1M18.

TEMPEL SMITH has been practicing Metta and Insight 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.

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DJUNA MASCALL - See page 15 for bio.

JUL

13 FRI

Three Essential Qualities for Surviving Difficult Times: Compassion, Equanimity, and Dispassion ANNA DOUGLAS | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

These three states of mind are cultivated in insight meditation.

We will look deeply at each of these universal qualities as well as explore how they function in our personal experience. Instructions will be given for cultivating each quality, as well as discovering how they synergistically work together. We will look at how to enact these qualities in our lives, as well as how to strengthen them in our practice. Some experience with insight meditation recommended.

Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: AD6D18.

ANNA DOUGLAS – See page 16 for bio.

NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | MAY – AUG 2018

JUL

JUL

FRI

SUN

13 – 15

3-DAY NON-RESIDENTIAL RETREAT

Recharge & Reconnect: Inner Awareness, Resilience, and Self-Care for Providers JILL SATTERFIELD | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

CE CREDITS AVAILABLE Much of a working day is spent disconnecting from our own needs to serve the needs of others. Taking time later doesn’t always pan out, the stress gets buried and builds towards the insidious growth of compassion fatigue and burn out. Fortunately just as we can disconnect, we can also reconnect. Re-connect with your kind intentions and enjoy a spacious container to cultivate skills that move towards what is supportive and away from what is not. Taking time for yourself can provide you with fuel to do what you love, and maintain the important care that you offer. Fee: $225 – 600 sliding scale. Code: JS1M18.

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.

JUL

14

SAT

Wisdom Rising: Journey into the Mandala of the Empowered Feminine LAMA TSULTRIM ALLIONE | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

ALL GENDERS WELCOME In this day retreat, we’ll explore the energies of the “five dakinis,” the dancing embodiments of feminine wisdom in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. These dakinis manifest the sacred feminine energy that has been stripped from many religions and cultures — energy that is so desperately needed in the world today. We will look at how the Mandala of the Five Dakinis, can help us to transform the five constricting emotional patterns into power and strength. This day retreat is based on Lama Tsultrim Allione’s new book: Wisdom Rising: Journey into the Mandala of the Empowered Feminine. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: TA1D18.

JUL

15

SUN

Demons in Love: The 5-Step Feeding your Demons FYD® Approach LAMA TSULTRIM ALLIONE | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Perhaps there is no place in our lives where our demons show up more intensely than in our relationships: jealousy, fear of abandonment, grasping, anger, control, and grief. Inspired by an ancient practice from Tibetan Buddhism, best-selling author of Feeding your Demons, Lama Tsultrim Allione, will share the practice of FYD® a 5-step process of nurturing our demons rather than fighting them. During this day retreat together, we will work with the demons that surface in all kinds of relationships, and explore how to shift the paradigm from fighting to feeding. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: TA2D18.

LAMA TSULTRIM ALLIONE is an internationally renowned Buddhist teacher, founder and resident lama of Tara Mandala. She is author of Women of Wisdom, Feeding Your Demons and Wisdom Rising: Journey into the Mandala of the Empowered Feminine. In 2009 she received the “Outstanding Woman in Buddhism” award in Bangkok, Thailand.

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NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | MAY – AUG 2018

JUL

21

SAT

Cultivating True Nourishment: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life ANDREA LIEBERSTEIN | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

5.5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE This day retreat is designed to guide you back home to the wellsprings of nourishment inside of you. Through mindfulness, inquiry, loving-kindness, self-compassion, and mindful eating practices, you’ll learn skills to navigate cravings and habits, however subtle, that lead us to seek nourishment outside of ourselves through food or other means that do not truly fulfill.

We will explore what true nourishment is and be introduced to the “Eight Bodies’ model of nourishment to cultivate a life that is fulfilling on all levels. You will learn practices to experience food as pleasure and nourishment, and to abide in true nourishment regardless of the circumstance. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale.

Code: AL1D18.

JUL

22

SUN

21

SAT

Loving Awareness: Opening the Heart, Freeing the Mind MARK COLEMAN | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

5.5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE Mindful awareness and love are beautiful qualities of an awakened life. Awareness leads to clarity, insight and freedom.

A loving heart responds with care to our own struggles and to the pain in the world, intimately connecting us with life. We will cultivate heart qualities and learn how to free ourselves from the restless, reactive mind so we can live with greater kindness and peace. We will explore the integration of love and awareness so our mindfulness practice is fused with a kind, receptive presence. We will also inquire into what obstructs and hinders us from experiencing this loving awareness. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: MC9D18.

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.

26

PAWAN BAREJA | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

5.5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE The traumatic responses in our body can inhibit our daily life through stress and anxiety. Is it possible to begin to heal the trauma by discharging the unresolved responses in our nervous system, such as as body constriction and emotional reactivity?

In this daylong, we will explore holding our trauma responses using somatic skills and mindfulness tools. These tools will help your nervous system to access its innate capacity to selfregulate. We will examine how practices of loving-kindness and compassion will help you feel more settled, grounded and calm in your everyday life. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: PB2D18.

PAWAN BAREJA, PHD, has a body-oriented counseling practice based on Peter Levine’s Somatic Experiencing™ (SE) 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.

ANDREA LIEBERSTEIN, MPH, RD, RYT, is a mindful eating expert, mindfulness-based stress reduction instructor, registered dietitian, nutritionist, mindfulness-based coach, and registered yoga instructor. She has been teaching mindfulness meditation since 1993.

JUL

Return to Wholeness: Releasing Trauma Using Loving-Kindness & Compassion

JUL

22

SUN

Concentration Meditation: Purification of Mind TINA RASMUSSEN AND STEPHEN SNYDER 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Concentration or serenity meditation (samatha) is one of three major practices of the Buddhist path, which also includes sila and vipassana. In concentration practice, we return awareness to one object of meditation to the exclusion of everything else, unifying the mind stream. This day 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.

Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: TR1D18.

TINA RASMUSSEN, PHD, has meditated for over 40 years and was ordained as a Theravada Buddhist nun by Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw of Burma, who authorized her to teach. She is the co-author with Stephen Snyder of Practicing the Jhanas.

STEPHEN SNYDER began practicing Buddhist meditation in 1976 and has studied with several Western Zen masters.

NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | MAY – AUG 2018

JUL

27 FRI

Money as a Spiritual Practice: A Day Retreat for Women GRACE FISHER | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Our relationship to money is often excluded from our spiritual life. For many women, talking openly about money may be uncomfortable, nerve-wracking or simply unfamiliar. But what if we welcomed our fears and anxieties, our dreams and aspirations around this powerful force into our practice? We’ll explore the Buddha’s teachings on cultivating a wise relationship to money.

Utilizing different mindfulness and heart-based practices, we’ll identify the stories we tell ourselves about money, examine our conditioning, and create space to find more freedom and ease.

Our day together will include Dharma talks, guided practices, and discussions to share the collective wisdom of our Dharma sisters.

Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: GF2D18.

GRACE FISHER is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a private practice in San Anselmo, CA. She is a former lawyer who holds Masters degrees in Education and Counseling Psychology.

JUL

27 FRI

A Special Dharma Evening with Joseph Goldstein 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Joseph Goldstein in Conversation with Michelle Latvala, Spirit Rock Executive Director Join us in experiencing the teachings of Buddhism from Joseph Goldstein, one of the foremost Vipassana teachers in the West. This evening of dialogue includes a guided meditation, a conversation between Joseph and Michelle, and questions and comments from the Spirit Rock community. Joseph offers insights about philosophical debates within 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. All proceeds from this program support the Spirit Rock Scholarship Fund. Fee: $30 – 108 sliding scale.

Code: JG1B18.

JOSEPH GOLDSTEIN is a co-founder and guiding teacher of Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts. He is the author of A Heart Full of Peace, One Dharma, Insight Meditation, The Experience of Insight, and co-author (with Jack Kornfield) of Seeking the Heart of Wisdom.

JUL

JUL

FRI

SUN

27 – 29

3-DAY NON-RESIDENTIAL RETREAT

Buddhism & Recovery: The Twelve Steps KEVIN GRIFFIN | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

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.

Fee: $225 – 600 sliding scale. Code: KG1M18.

KEVIN GRIFFIN is the author of the seminal book, One Breath at a Time: Buddhism and the Twelve Steps, and A Burning Desire: Dharma, God and the Path of Recovery.

He has been practicing Buddhist meditation for three decades and been in recovery since 1985.

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NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | MAY – AUG 2018

AUGUST JUL

28 SAT

Transforming Emotions with Qigong, Sound Healing, and Meditation DEBRA CHAMBERLIN-TAYLOR & MINGTONG GU 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

5.5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE Qigong, sound healing, movement, and meditation can help us awaken and bring healing to emotional and physical challenges.

In this day retreat, Master Mingtong Gu will guide us in the ancient practice of sound healing to fully awaken our energy centers and emotional body. We will learn how to transform the unprocessed energy of previous emotional pain into more vibrant healing resources. This energy practice transforms consciousness, supports healing, and help us access the abundant energy of life.

Qigong and meditation enhance whole body energy flow, which help us return to a deep sense of joy and wholeness. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: MT2D18.

AUG AUG – FRI SUN

10 12

Change is a fact of life and yet we can find ourselves ill-equipped to manage it skillfully. The normal concerns that change brings up can lead to confusion, apathy, or poor decisions. During this retreat, you will learn skills to effectively respond to the challenges of change; gain insights about your strengths and challenges in dealing with change, recognize habits of mind that undermine you and learn practices to disengage from their influence and identify your values in order to make wise decisions.

Fee: $395 – 795 sliding scale. Code: PM2M18.

PHILLIP MOFFITT has practiced Vipassana since 1983.

He is founder and president of the Life Balance Institute.

He is a co-Guiding Teacher at Spirit Rock and the author of Dancing with Life, Emotional Chaos to Clarity and Awakening through the Nine Bodies.

MINGTONG GU is an internationally recognized teacher and healer who received his training from grandmasters of China and Tibet and at the world’s largest qigong hospital. He is the founder of the Chi Healing Center in Petaluma, California.

29

SUN

Open Heart, Steady Mind: How to Practice When Life Gets Hard 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. This day retreat will focus on working with the difficult, through guided instruction, silent and walking meditation, Q&A, and discussion. We’ll explore how to stay steady with what pains us or creates stress and how to recapture a sense of our inner strength and wisdom, both to endure and to heal. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: MG1D18.

KATE MUNDING has practiced meditation in the Theravada tradition since 2004. She is a graduate of the SMRC/IMS/ IRC Teacher Training Program, and is a guiding teacher for the Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley (IMCB). She is founder of Heart-Mind Education, providing mindfulnessbased education programs, trainings, and resources to students and adults.

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Changes and Transitions in Your 60s and 70s PHILLIP MOFFITT | FRIDAY, 1:30 - 5:30 PM, SATURDAY, 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM, SUNDAY, 9:30 AM - 1:00 PM

DEBRA CHAMBERLIN-TAYLOR – See page 20 for bio.

JUL

3-DAY NON-RESIDENTIAL RETREAT

AUG

11

SAT

The Neurodharma of Love RICK HANSON | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

5.5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE We experience most of our greatest joys and greatest sorrows in our relationships. 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 them • Practical ways to combine strength and heart • Expanding the circle of “us” to include all of “them” Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: RH3D18.

RICK HANSON - See page 16 for bio..

AUG

12

SUN

Fully Understanding Dukkha: Exploring the First Noble Truth AJAHN KARUNADHAMMO 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

DANA DAY (BY DONATION) The first step toward liberation is acknowledging and fully understanding the noble truth of dukkha (suffering, unsatisfactoriness). We will explore different kinds of dukkha, which kinds we are able to impact, and ways to frame and express skillful responses that lead to the ending of dukkha. We can use the experience of dukkha to develop the strength and skill to end dukkha rather than repetitively reinforcing it. There will be periods of sitting and walking meditation, Dhamma reflections, and time for discussion and questions. Please bring lunch to share with the

AUG

18

SAT

Finding Refuge, Finding Home: A Day in Nature SUSIE HARRINGTON | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

In the storms of our lives, we need the nourishment and support of refuge: a place to replenish our tired bodies and troubled hearts. When the Buddha taught meditation, his first instruction was to go sit under a tree. We will practice together in the age-old tradition of being outside in the company of the natural world. We will explore tapping into the natural stillness and dynamism that surrounds, reconnects, and inspires us. As we integrate stillness and movement, we will explore how to be engaged as active participants in the outside world, while maintaining inner balance and ease in our hearts and minds.

Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: HN1D18.

monks. Fee: $0 – 108 sliding scale. Code: AK1D18.

SUSIE HARRINGTON teaches meditation nationwide and 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.

VEN. AJAHN KARUNADHAMMO connected with the Theravada tradition in his early 20s, and ordained as a monk 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.

AUG

17 FRI

Precious Life, Sacred Death ANNA DOUGLAS | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

The question of what gives life beauty and meaning is a universal one. The Buddha advised we look to the fact of death for guidance. To know life, we need to know death.

To know death, we need to know life. Living and dying are not separate, but a continuum of consciousness in which the opportunities for awakening are ever present. We will contemplate the mystery of birth-death in our human form, and discover a deeper knowing of living and dying that can pervade our daily routines, awakening us to the sacred. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: AD7D18.

ANNA DOUGLAS has a background in psychology and art, in addition to more than 25 years of Vipassana practice.

She has also studied with teachers in the Zen, Advaita and Dzogchen traditions.

AUG

AUG

SAT

SUN

18 – 19

2-DAY NON-RESIDENTIAL RETREAT

Engaging the Deep Heart: A Writing Weekend ROGER HOUSDEN | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

This is a unique opportunity to explore our deep nature and to dive below the stories that so often entrance us. How have your losses touched and affected the way you move in the world? How do your personal relationships serve as mirrors for your connection with the dimension of spacious awareness in which we are an intrinsic part of a universe of love? We will investigate in writing our passions, our loves, our losses, and our deepest longings. Our writing, interspersed with meditation, will aim to take us beneath all our stories to the silence of the knowing heart. Fee: $150 – 400 sliding scale. Code: RR1M18.

ROGER HOUSDEN is the author of 20 books on poetry, art and pilgrimage, including the best-selling Ten Poems to Change Your Life series.

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NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS AUG 2018 | MAY |– MAY NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS AUG –2018

Online Offerings join our online community and connect wherever you are.

monday night livestream Join our Monday Night meditation community, which has been ongoing for 33 years. This is a wonderful way to experience a variety of teachers and teachings, from the comfort of home. Offered by donation.

spiritrock.org/monday-night

livestreamed day retreats: 5/27 — Recollections of Ajahn Chah | Ajahn Pasanno

AUG

19

SUN

Liberation Dharma: Collective Awakening to Heal the World WES NISKER AND JOANNA MACY 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

As the drumbeat of tragedy fills the mind of the world, many of us are feeling grief, or fear, and often a sense of helplessness. In this day retreat, we will turn to face these difficult emotions, while simultaneously invigorating our love for the world and our desire to engage in collective healing. Through the inspirational teachings of Joanna Macy along with sessions of meditation, we will explore the ways that we are connected to each other and the life of the planet. Our exploration as a community will help us on the path of our personal and collective liberation and give us strength to heal the wounds of our world together. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale.

Code: WN3D18.

6/2 — The Four Ennobling Truths | Eugene Cash WES “SCOOP” NISKER is a meditation teacher, author, radio commentator and performer. His books include Essential Crazy Wisdom and Crazy Wisdom Saves the World Again!

6/24 —Equanimity: Cultivating A Balanced Heart & Mind Sally Armstrong 8/26 —Mindfulness Meditation | Jack Kornfield

JOANNA MACY, PHD, is a scholar of Buddhism, systems theory and deep ecology. As the root teacher of the Work That Reconnects, she has created a ground-breaking theoretical framework for personal and social change. Her books include World as Lover, World as Self and Coming Back to Life: Practices to Reconnect Our Lives, Our World.

everyday life as mindfulness practice sylvia boorstein

Learn to reconnect and respond to these rollercoaster times with mindfulness, presence, and an open heart from anywhere in the world. Connect with Sylvia in this updated course version with a focus on current events and video conferences. Join us for heartfelt connection and meaningful moments of insight, supported by a like-minded community across the country. Code: SB1N18.

spiritrock.org/everyday-mindfulness

make peace with your mind mark coleman Based on techniques from his latest book, Mark Coleman delivers a powerfully practical and experiential online course filled with lightness, compassion, and humor… a reminder to not take yourself too seriously! Have you ever noticed how cluttered or critical your mind can be? Join Mark as he shows you how to recognize the way your thoughts impact your experience. Code: MC3N18.

spiritrock.org/make-peace 30

AUG

24 FRI

Liberate the Body, Stretch the Mind WES NISKER AND KATCHIE ANANDA 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

This day retreat combines traditional practices of Buddhist mindfulness meditation and yoga to help us embody the amazement of being alive and human. During our time together, periods of meditation will alternate with yoga, allowing the techniques to support each other and create a sense of mindbody connection, vitality, and well-being. The day will include an exploration of Buddhist and Yogic philosophy, and is appropriate for both experienced and beginning students of either mindfulness meditation or yoga. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: WN4D18.

WES NISKER - See bio above.

KATCHIE ANANDA is a yoga teacher and trainer certified in Anusara, Jivamukti, Integral and Ashtanga yoga. Yoga Journal named her one of the top five yoga teachers making change in the world.

NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | MAY – AUG 2018

AUG

25 SAT

Responding to a Turbulent Political World ARINNA WEISMAN AND PHIL HUTCHINGS 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

When we hear the news from media or our friends, we sometimes find ourselves turning away and/or shutting down because it feels so overwhelming. How can we access our strengths and turn to face reality? How do we move forward into activism, both as individuals and as communities? This day is dedicated to building our capacities, through silent meditation, personal and group inquiry, sharing, and framing. As a group, we will co-create the wisdom, courage, and inner strength to (re)engage with our world, and move forward together with full, resourced hearts and minds. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale.

Code: AW2D18.

AUG

26

SUN

AUG

25 SAT

Living-Kindness: Buddhist Teachings for a Troubled World KEVIN GRIFFIN | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Loving-kindness, or metta, is sometimes depicted as a simple “open your heart and love everybody” practice, but a closer look at the Buddha’s teachings reveals a more complex and nuanced picture. Several early Buddhist suttas illuminate this topic: • Practicing non-ill-will toward difficult people • Acting with integrity, morality, and ethics • Living a harmonious homelife • Letting go of grief • Developing mindfulness and concentration through metta practice. The day will include meditation, lecture, small group discussion, and Q&A, and is open to all those recovering from addiction. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: KG1D18.

JACK KORNFIELD | 9:00 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. Fee: $90 – 250 sliding scale. Code: JK2D18.

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.

ARINNA WEISMAN has studied Vipassana Meditation since 1979 and has been teaching since 1988. She is the founding teacher of Insight Meditation Center of the Pioneer Valley in Easthampton, MA.

PHIL HUTCHINGS has been a social justice advocate since 1960, working with the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee and the Oakland Black Alliance for Just Immigration, Causa Justa. He was a co-founder of the Institute for Multiracial Justice. His Buddhist practice at East Bay Meditation Center complements his political work.

Mindfulness Meditation

AUG

31 FRI

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 when difficult emotions or conflict is present, or when there are challenging interpersonal or group dynamics. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: DR3D18.

DONALD ROTHBERG Ph.D., has practiced Insight Meditation since 1976, and has also received training in Tibetan Dzogchen and Mahamudra practice and the Hakomi approach to body-based psychotherapy. He is the author of The Engaged Spiritual Life: A Buddhist Approach to Transforming Ourselves and the World.

KEVIN GRIFFIN - See page 27 for bio.

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FAMILY PROGRAMS | JAN – APR 2018

family & youth programs

JUN

10

SUN

Summer Family Day KATE MUNDING AND 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. Fee: $65 - 200 sliding scale, add $5 at the door.

Code: FA3D18.

VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED to assist with the Family Days and attend free of charge; children are welcome to volunteer alongside an adult. Please contact the Volunteer Coordinator for more information at: volunteering@spiritrock.org or call (415) 488-0164, x224.

KATE MUNDING — See opposite page for bio.

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, Aurora School in Oakland and elsewhere.

Coming Up...

Fall Family Day SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 10:30 am – 3:00 pm | For children ages 4 and older

Fall Path of Parenting Series SEPTEMBER 26 – OCTOBER 24 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm | 5-Week Class Series

Fall Middle School Meditation Series SEPTEMBER 26 – OCTOBER 24 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Fall Teen Meditation Series SEPTEMBER 30 – NOVEMBER 4 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

New Year’s Teen Retreat DECEMBER 27, 2018 – JANUARY 1, 2019 32

FAMILY PROGRAMS | MAY – AUG 2018

AUG

AUG

01 05 –

WED SUN

Family Retreat (Lottery) GIL FRONSDAL, OFOSU JONES-QUARTEY KATE MUNDING, BETSY ROSE 4 nights, Wednesday – Sunday

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. At least one parent/caregiver in each family needs to have sat one or more silent retreats or the equivalent. We also include admission of Spirit Rock Family Program Council members to the family retreat in honor of their service and to enhance the retreat experience for others. Fee: Adults $1340-610 sliding scale; Children $880- 400 sliding scale, plus dana to teachers and staff ; Code: 378R18. Registration closes April 5, 2018.

GIL FRONSDAL has practiced Zen and Vipassana since 1975 and holds a PhD in Buddhist Studies from Stanford. He is founding teacher of the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, CA, and author of a translation of The Dhammapada.

OFOSU JONES-QUARTEY has been teaching the Insight Meditation Community of Washington’s Family Meditation Class since 2008. He also works with Minds, Inc., bringing mindfulness practice to schools since 2014.

KATE MUNDING has practiced meditation in the Theravada tradition since 2004. She is a graduate of the SMRC/IMS/ IRC Teacher Training Program, and is a guiding teacher for the Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley (IMCB). She is founder of Heart-Mind Education, providing mindfulnessbased education programs, trainings, and resources to students and adults.

BETSY ROSE is a singer, writer, recording artist and mother.

She is a renowned children’s artist, teaching them the power of their own voices and creativity through singing and songmaking workshops.

The Spirit Rock Family Program supports families in planting the seeds of the Dharma in their daily lives. Through classes, day reatreats and retreats, families, youth and parents learn to slow down, savor the present moment and re-connect with the wholesome qualities of heart and mind.

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RESIDENTIAL RETREATS | MAY – AUG 2018

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 x296.

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RESIDENTIAL RETREATS | MAY – AUG 2018

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RESIDENTIAL RETREATS | MAY – AUG 2018

APR

MAY

FRI

FRI

27 04

Living Awareness through Insight Meditation GIL FRONSDAL, MARY GRACE ORR, JOHN TRAVIS, HEATHER SUNDBERG, REBECCA KRONLAGE (YOGA)

7 nights, Friday – Friday Join us for a 7-night retreat exploring awareness through the vehicle of the body and in the spirit of a heart of friendliness, compassion, and nonreactive balance. In this silent retreat, we will practice sitting and walking meditation. Instructions will be offered, there will be a Dharma talk every day, and there will be individual and group interviews with the retreat teachers.

There will be optional times for guided mindful yoga practice.

This retreat is suitable for both beginning and experienced practitioners. Fee: $1760 - 800 sliding scale. Code: 350R18.

GENERAL INFORMATION about

RESIDENTIAL RETREATS Registration 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 application forms to submit via fax or mail. In addition to the registration fees, which only cover a portion of the retreat costs, you are invited to support the teachings and the retreat through the spiritual practice of generous giving or "dana." Participants will be invited to offer dana (donations) for the teachers,

“Dharma practice calls on us to see what is really true, and to step out of delusion.”

—Anushka Fernandopulle

managers and cooks through which they are compensated for their work.

Financial Assistance, Work Exchange and Young Adult Rates Financial assistance is available for all residential retreats

MAY

MAY

SAT

SAT

05 12

Contemplating Death / Awakening to Life EUGENE CASH, NIKKI MIRGHAFORI, BHIKKHU ANALAYO (VIA VIDEOCAST), JANICE CLARFIELD (YOGA)

7 nights, Saturday – Saturday 21 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE Prerequisite: Completion of one 5-night Buddhist silent meditation retreat or permission of the teacher.

The Buddha encouraged Maranasati practice to live an awakened life. This practice supports our appreciation of the preciousness of human birth and the development of equanimity with the difficulties of human existence. It helps us gain freedom from rigidity and clinging through a more expansive perspective of the inevitable and natural letting go. Maranasati matures our insight into impermanence and change, nourishing a skillful orientation to both life and death. In the retreat we will utilize the skills of loving awareness, compassion and investigation in our sitting practice, with some guided visualization and a period of contemplative inquiry each day. Bhikkhu Analayo will make a live, guest teaching via videocast at the retreat. Fee: $1760 - 800 sliding scale. Code: 352R18.

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through our scholarship fund; there are limited funds available for each retreat, so apply early. For all residential retreats, we offer a limited number of young adult special rate accommodations 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 spiritrock.org.

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; $225 for cancellation 1-4 weeks before a retreat; $300 for cancellation 1 week before a retreat. No refunds as of 3:00 pm on the last business day prior to the retreat start day.

To cancel a retreat reservation, contact Retreats@spiritrock. org or (415) 488-0164, x296.

at a glance — 2018

RESIDENTIAL RETREATS

JULY Jun 28 – Jul 4

Larry Yang, Jan Willis, Gina Sharpe, Bhante Buddharakkhita Konda Mason, Rolf Gates (movement) —registration open Jul 5–10

MAY Contemplating Death / Awakening to Life Eugene Cash, Nikki Mirghafori, Bhikkhu Analayo (via videocast), Janice Clarfield (yoga) —registration open

May 13–20

Equanimity and Awareness (Parallel)

May 13–20

Settling, Seeing, and Spacious Awareness: A Retreat for Experienced Students (Parallel) *UWH

May 21–28

May 29 –Jun 3

Jul 20–29

Awakening Joy James Baraz, Debra Chamberlin-Taylor, Howard Cohn, Jane Baraz, Evelyn Larsen (movement) registration open

Meditating on the Nine Bodies: A Practical Map for Insight Practitioners (Parallel) Connecting Mind and Heart (Parallel) *UWH James Baraz, Kate Munding —registration open

Jun 4–10

Natural Liberation: A Buddhist Insight Meditation Retreat (Parallel) *UWH Wes Nisker, Vinny Ferraro —registration open

Jun 11–17 Jun 11–17 Jun 20–24

Essential Teachings on the Path of Awakening (Parallel) Matthew Brensilver, Brian Lesage registration open

The Heart of Awareness (Parallel) *UWH Sharda Rogell —registration open

Therigatha ‘Verses of the Elders’ Monastic Retreat Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, Ayya Anandabodhi, Ayya Santacitta, Marci Moberg (movement) registration open

Jun 25–27

Awakening in Every Moment: A Short, Intensive Retreat in Mindfulness, Metta, and Morality Sylvia Boorstein, Konda Mason —registration open

*UWH = Upper Walking Hall

Joseph Goldstein, Kamala Masters, Greg Scharf, DaRa Williams —lottery open

Aug 6–12

Insight Meditation for Young Adults

Aug 13–18

Gil Fronsdal, Betsy Rose, Kate Munding, Ofosu Jones-Quartey —lottery open Tempel Smith, La Sarmiento, JoAnna Hardy, Dori Langevin, Marcy Reynolds (qigoing) —registration open

A Path of Happiness: A Retreat for the LGBT*QI Gender–Fluid Community Arinna Weisman, Lama Rod Owens, Noliwe Alexander registration open

Aug 19–28

Concentration Retreat Phillip Moffitt, Sally Armstrong, Donald Rothberg, Susie Harrington —registration opens 4/19/18

SEPTEMBER

Aging, Dying and Awakening (ages 55+) (Parallel) Anna Douglas, Eugene Cash, Donald Rothberg registration open

July Insight Meditation Retreat (Lottery)

Family Retreat (Lottery)

JUNE Jun 4–10

Sally Armstrong, Tempel Smith, Bonnie Duran, John Martin, Sylvia Boorstein, Marcy Reynolds (qigoing) registration open

Aug 1–5

Phillip Moffitt, Dana DePalma —registration open May 29 –Jun 3

July Metta Retreat: Cultivating a Loving Heart

AUGUST

Kamala Masters, Sally Armstrong —registration open

Donald Rothberg, Susie Harrington —registration open

Mindfulness for Everyone: The Basics and Beyond without the Hype Diana Winston, Bonnie Duran, Alex Haley registration open

Jul 11–20

May 5–12

Our History, Our Present, Our Future: An Insight Meditation Retreat for People of Color

Aug 29 –Sep 3

Labor Day Insight Meditation Retreat

Aug 31 –Sept 2

Abhayagiri Teen Meditation Retreat

James Baraz, Sharda Rogell, Howard Cohn, Terry Vandiver (yoga) ­—registration opens 4/25/18 Ajahn Pasanno and Abhayagiri Monastics registration opens 6/6/18

Sep 10–16

Meditation and the Spirit of Creativity

Sep 17–23

Finding Freedom in the Body (Parallel)

Sep 17–23

Transforming the Judgmental Mind (Parallel) *UWH

Sep 24–30

Anna Douglas, Nina Wise, Stewart Cubley, Anne Cushman, Claudia Erzinger —registration opens 5/9/18 Mary Grace Orr, Bob Stahl, Christiane Wolf, Marcy Reynolds (qigong) —registration opens 5/16/18 Donald Rothberg —registration opens 5/16/18

Wisdom Rising: A Women’s Meditation Retreat Spring Washam, Anna Douglas, JoAnna Hardy, Erin Selover —registration opens 5/23/18

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OCTOBER Oct 1–7

Evolving Together: Mindfulness Meditation and Modern Science Wes Nisker, Rick Hanson, Nikki Mirghafori, Terry Vandiver (yoga) —registration opens 6/5/18

Oct 9–14

Mindfulness and Heartfulness for Insight and Liberation Anushka Fernandopulle, Chas DiCapua registration opens 6/6/18

Oct 20–24

The Convergence of Wisdom and Love

Oct 25–29

Loving Awareness: A Retreat for Experienced Meditators (Lottery)

Dana DePalma, Diana Winston, Matthew Brensilver, Ashley Sharp (yoga) —registration opens 6/20/18

Jack Kornfield, Trudy Goodman, Teja Bell (qigong) lottery opens 5/23/18

NOVEMBER Oct 31 –Nov 7

Reclamation of the Sacred: A Journey of Healing and Reconnection Through Insight Meditation Thanissara, Kittisaro, Erin Treat —registration opens 6/27/18

Nov 8–15 Nov 16–25

Dedicated Practitioners Programs Retreat 4 Sally Armstrong, Ruth King, Bonnie Duran,Tempel Smith program participants only

Thanksgiving Insight Meditation Retreat Wes Nisker, Erin Treat, Matthew Brensilver, Terry Vandiver (yoga) —registration opens 7/17/18

Nov 26 –Dec 2

Seven Factors of Awakening (Parallel)

Nov 26 –Dec 2

Mindfulness as a Path of Awakening (Parallel) *UWH

Eugene Cash, Gina Sharpe, Pamela Weiss registration opens 7/25/18 Mark Coleman —registration opens 7/25/18

DECEMBER Dec 3–9

Awakening in the Body: Yoga and Meditation Anne Cushman, Kate Johnson, Brent Morton, Rolf Gates (yoga) —registration opens 8/1/18

Dec 10–16

In the Presence of Love: A Metta and Qigong Retreat

Dec 17–23

Solstice Insight Meditation Retreat

Dec 27 –Jan 6

Spring Washam, Vinny Ferraro, Erin Selover, Teja Bell (qigong) —registration opens 8/8/18 Donald Rothberg, Heather Sundberg, Oren Jay Sofer registration opens 8/15/18

New Year’s Insight Meditation Retreat Eugene Cash, Spring Washam, Pamela Weiss, DaRa Williams, Alexis Santos, Janice Clarfield (yoga) registration opens 8/22/18

Dec 27 – Jan 1

Teen New Year’s Retreat (Walden West) Teachers TBD —registration opens 8/29/18

*Retreats listed in red are offsite, not at Spirit Rock

“As the tides of our life swirl in the past and rush towards the future, the craft of mindfulness occurs in the here and now.”

—oren=jay sofer

RESIDENTIAL RETREATS | MAY – AUG 2018

MAY

MAY

13 20

SUN

SUN

Equanimity and Awareness KAMALA MASTERS, SALLY ARMSTRONG

7 nights, Sunday – Sunday

Prerequisite: Completion of one 5- to 7-night Insight Meditation retreat or permission of the teacher.

Often, we are drawn to meditation practice because of our heartfelt wish to calm our minds and open our hearts. But in our lives, and when we sit down to meditate, we often find ourselves reacting to thoughts of the past with regret, shame or anger, and to the future with anxiety and fear, often feeling overwhelmed. In this retreat, we will develop the practice of equanimity, which allows us to be with challenging situations in our lives with balance, acceptance and more clarity. As this capacity deepens, we are able to be more fully present for both the joys and the sorrows of life, meeting each situation with kindness and compassion. Equanimity is one of the four Brahma Viharas/Divine Abidings, or beautiful qualities of heart, we can develop through practice and meditation. The other Brahma Viharas of loving-kindness, compassion and joy will be introduced as a complement to the equanimity practice. Fee: $1760 - 800 sliding scale. Code: 354R18.

MAY

MAY

21 28

MON MON

Awakening Joy JAMES BARAZ, DEBRA CHAMBERLIN TAYLOR, HOWARD COHN, JANE BARAZ, EVELYN LARSEN (MOVEMENT)

7 nights, Monday - Monday 13 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 well-being and happiness.

Our own development of well-being and joy then becomes our gift to a troubled world. The retreat includes silent sitting and walking periods with instructions and practice meetings with teachers, as well as some experiential exercises during the five days. Fee: $1760 800 sliding scale. Code: 358R18.

MAY

JUN

TUE

SUN

29 03

Meditating on the Nine Bodies: A Practical Map for Insight Practitioners PHILLIP MOFFITT, DANA DEPALMA

5 nights, Tuesday - Sunday MAY

MAY

SUN

SUN

13 20

Settling, Seeing, and Spacious Awareness: A Retreat for Experienced Students DONALD ROTHBERG, SUSIE HARRINGTON

7 nights, Sunday - Sunday Prerequisite: Completion of at least two 5-night or longer silent Insight Meditation retreats or permission of the teachers.

In the context of a small retreat, we will train in three inter-related modes of practice. First, we will settle and stabilize our minds and bodies, becoming more concentrated, through both sitting and moving forms of meditation, including regular Qigong. As we settle, we then become better able to examine closely both our experiences of our bodies, thoughts, and emotions, and the general patterns of experience, both more personal and more universal. We see more clearly when we are reactive, when we suffer, when there is a thick sense of self, and we learn to be more with the impermanent flow of experience. We can also tune in more, as we settle and see, to an increasingly unconfined and luminous awareness beyond reactivity, that is a source of freedom, wisdom, and compassion, both in retreat practice and daily life. Fee: $1760 - 800 sliding scale. Code: 355R18.

Prerequisite: Completion of one 5- to 7-night silent Vipassana retreat and an active meditation practice for at least three years.

Required Advance Reading: Chapter 1-6 in Awakening in the Nine Bodies: Explorations in Consciousness for Yoga and Mindfulness 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 almost twenty years ago. They are the basis for Phillip Moffitt’s new book: Awakening through the Nine Bodies. 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 meditation are not presented as an alternative or a substitute for your current lineage practice but rather, to help you be more empowered in your lineage practice. Fee $1255 - 570 sliding scale. Code: 360R18.

MAY

JUN

TUE

SUN

29 – 03

Connecting Mind and Heart JAMES BARAZ, KATE MUNDING

5 nights, Tuesday - Sunday

The Mind and the Heart are not separate. We’ll take these days of silence to explore and put into practice various skillful means to access naturally relaxed, open hearts and clear quiet minds. It is from these lovely states that insights into how we’ve become unnecessarily distressed will naturally arise. These are the insights that heal us, uplift us and ultimately free us. Fee: $1255 - 570 sliding scale. Code: 361R18.

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RESIDENTIAL RETREATS | MAY – AUG 2018 DEEPEN YOUR ONGOING PRACTICE—

JUN

JUN

MON

SUN

04 10

Aging, Dying, and Awakening

Advanced Practitioners Program

ANNA DOUGLAS, EUGENE CASH, DONALD ROTHBERG,

BEGINS SPRING 2019 — REGISTER EARLY!

6 nights, Monday - Sunday FOR AGES 55 & ABOVE Living life fully includes aging and dying — a natural process ripe with spiritual possibilities. Aging brings loss, revealing the pervasive truth of impermanence. But even as our memory slides, our cognitive speed slows down, and our bodies become more fragile, qualities of the heart reveal themselves. We see 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. Through engaging in a variety of contemplations on death in the communal space of retreat, our confidence in our capacity to meet death peacefully increases.

Fee: $1505 - 685 sliding scale. Code: 362R18.

Spirit Rock is excited to offer the second Advanced Practitioners Program (APP2) beginning in April 2019.

Designed to support the ongoing practice of the senior students in our community, we hope that those of you who have done DPP or CDL or have other significant study and practice experience will join us.

The program will be led by Susie Harrington, JoAnna Hardy, and Brian Lesage assisted by Dawn Scott, and the faculty includes: Bhikkhu Analayo, Guy Armstrong, Gil Fronsdal, and Phillip Moffitt.

APPLICATIONS ACCEPTED: MAY 1 – AUGUST 1, 2018 FOR MORE INFO, VISIT: spiritrock.org/advanced-practitioners-program

JUN

JUN

MON

SUN

04 10

Natural Liberation: A Buddhist Insight Meditation Retreat WES NISKER, VINNY FERRARO

6 nights, Monday - Sunday During this silent retreat we will practice together the art and discipline of mindfulness meditation, our intention being to train our minds and open our hearts. A significant feature of this retreat is that we will be doing some of our practice outside in the shade of ancient oaks, letting nature help us along on our path. Throughout the retreat we will make creative use of classic Buddhist meditation practices to explore the evolutionary origin of our body and emotions; engage in traditional Buddhist reflections on death and dying; examine our nature “as” nature; and all the while explore the tricky delusions of mind and the mystery of consciousness itself. In the process, we expect to find relief from our personal drama and a new sense of delight and meaning in our lives. The retreat will include poetry and a little “crazy wisdom” as well.

Fee: $1505 - 685 sliding scale. Code: 363R18.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, VISIT SPIRITROCK.ORG.

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RESIDENTIAL RETREATS | MAY – AUG 2018

JUN

JUN

MON

SUN

11

17

Essential Teachings on the Path of Awakening MATTHEW BRENSILVER, BRIAN LESAGE

JUN

JUN

WED

SUN

20 24

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 2,600year 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. Fee: $1505 - 685 sliding scale. Code: 364R18.

JUN

JUN

MON

SUN

11

17

The Heart of Awareness SHARDA ROGELL, DAWN MAURICIO

6 nights, Monday - Sunday

This retreat is an opportunity to practice a way of being that embraces the fullness and aliveness of the present moment.

Supported by mindfulness and the depth of silence, inwardly and outwardly, we will explore together a spontaneous, wise and open-hearted relationship with the moment-to-moment changing flow of life’s experience. Awareness practice can also reveal layers of physical and emotional tension and pain.

As we open to the truth of our experience, we can cultivate a capacity for meeting and transforming suffering into a sense of deep well-being. By paying attention in this way, we come to understand how to free ourselves from deeply held patterns and awaken to our essential goodness as well as other beautiful qualities of our heart and mind. Fee: $1505 - 685 sliding scale. Code: 365R18.

Therigatha ‘Verses of the Elder Nuns’ Retreat JETSUNMA TENZIN PALMO, AYYA ANANDABODHI, AYYA SANTACITTA, MARCI MOBERG (MOVEMENT)

4 nights, Wednesday - Sunday Prerequisite: Participants must have attended at least one 5-night residential retreat in Vipassana prior to this retreat.

The Therigatha - Verses of the Elder Nuns - are inspired verses of liberation composed by nuns at the time of the Buddha and preserved in the Pali Canon. Together with the background stories of their former lives, these poems present a fascinating account of what motivated these women to leave their homes for a life of homelessness and dedicate their lives wholeheartedly to the Dharma. Women’s voices are a rarity in Buddhist texts and these sound loud and clear through the ages to remind us of our spiritual commitment and that the path is still there to be walked.

Deposit: $150, plus a donation to the teachers and retreat staff.

Code: 368R18.

JUN

JUN

25 27

MON WED

Awakening in Every Moment: A Short, Intensive Retreat in Mindfulness, Metta, and Morality SYLVIA BOORSTEIN, KONDA MASON

2 nights, Monday - Wednesday This retreat is suitable for beginners as well as experienced practitioners. We will cover the Eightfold Path and the Metta Sutta (Instructions on Impartial Kindness). Periods of didactic (interactive) instruction in a variety of concentration and mindfulness strategies will alternate with periods of silence to allow for contemplative practice. The relationship of ‘techniques of practice’ to the ‘goal of practice’ will be highlighted so that commitment to practice is strengthened. This short retreat will be presented as ongoing practice in order to emphasize that all of life is practice. Mindful movement, suitable for all, will be integrated into the group practice. This three-day “mini” residential retreat will start in the morning on the first day (9:30am) and end mid-afternoon (3:00pm) on the third day.

Fee: $660 - 300 sliding scale. Code: 369R18.

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RESIDENTIAL RETREATS | MAY – AUG 2018

JUN

JUL

THU

WED

28 04

Our History, Our Present, Our Future: An Insight Meditation Retreat for People of Color

JUL

THU

TUE

WED

FRI

11 20

July Metta Retreat: Cultivating a Loving Heart SALLY ARMSTRONG, TEMPEL SMITH, BONNIE DURAN, JOHN MARTIN,

BHANTE BUDDHARAKKHITA, KONDA MASON,

SYLVIA BOORSTEIN, MARCY REYNOLDS (QIGONG)

ROLF GATES (YOGA)

9 nights, Wednesday - Friday

In this special retreat, we both celebrate the 20th anniversary of the People of Color retreat at Spirit Rock, and re-affirm that the diversity within these retreats over the past 20 years embodies the Future of the Dharma. This retreat is open to all self-identified people of color at all levels of meditation experience. In this silent, intensive meditation retreat, we will practice sitting and walking meditation, have dharma talks, movement practice, and meetings with teachers. All participants observe Noble Silence throughout the entire retreat. Fee: $330 - 150 sliding scale. Code: 370R18.

JUL

JUL

LARRY YANG, JAN WILLIS, GINA SHARPE,

6 nights, Thursday - Wednesday

05 10

JUL

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. The schedule will include regular periods of mindful movement, as we find this is a helpful complement to the loving-kindness meditation. Fee: $2550 - 1160 sliding scale. Code: 374R18.

Mindfulness for Everyone: The Basics and Beyond without the Hype DIANA WINSTON, BONNIE DURAN, ALEX HALEY

5 nights, Thursday – Tuesday 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 selfcompassion, and greater insights into their lives. Fee: $1255 - 570 sliding scale. Code: 372R18.

Integrate the fruits of retreat into daily life

NEXT STEP DHARMA Meditation retreats can be powerful and transformative

Enrollment in Next Step Dharma includes:

experiences. But how can we keep the practice alive in

• 21 short dharma talks and 16 guided meditations

our fast-paced, modern society? How can we bring the values

• 18 recorded interviews & 4 live Q & A sessions

and intentions of contemplative practice into the complexity

• 6 weeks of mentoring for your practice

of our lives? In this six-week, online course, Spirit Rock-trained

• lifetime membership in the Next Step Dharma community

meditation teachers Oren Jay Sofer and Jaya Rudgard offer in-depth training to nourish the insights and learnings from a retreat.

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Next Step Dharma is an online affiliate program of Spirit Rock. Learn more at Spiritrock.org/nextstep.

RESIDENTIAL RETREATS | MAY – AUG 2018

JUL

JUL

FRI

SUN

20 29

July Insight Meditation Retreat (Lottery) JOSEPH GOLDSTEIN, KAMALA MASTERS, GREG SCHARF, DARA WILLIAMS

AUG

AUG

MON

SAT

13 18

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. Fee: $2750 - 1250 sliding scale. Code: 376R18.

AUG

AUG

WED

SUN

01 05

A Path of Happiness: A Retreat for the LGBTQI Gender-Fluid Community ARINNA WEISMAN, LAMA ROD OWENS, NOLIWE ALEXANDER

5 nights, Monday – Saturday How do we open to the challenges and uncertainties of our lives and the worlds we live in without being imprisoned in hatred, passivity or grief. The Buddha’s teaching of liberation offers us a practice to build the capacities of faith, kindness and wisdom and to orient towards building peace. In the blessings of our queer community, we will explore ourselves through guided meditations, dharma talks, and group and individual inquiry. Alisa L. Dennis and Joan “JD” Doyle, who are both in the current Spirit Rock Teacher Training program, will be with the teaching team on this retreat.

Fee: $1255 - 570 sliding scale. Code: 382R18.

Family Retreat (Lottery) GIL FRONSDAL, BETSY ROSE, KATE MUNDING, OFOSU JONES-QUARTEY

See page 32 for details.

AUG

AUG

Concentration Retreat

SUN

TUE

PHILLIP MOFFITT, SALLY ARMSTRONG, DONALD ROTHBERG, SUSIE HARRINGTON

19 28

9 nights, Sunday – Tuesday AUG

AUG

MON

SUN

06 12

Insight Meditation for Young Adults TEMPEL SMITH, LA SARMIENTO, JOANNA HARDY, DORI LANGEVIN, MARCY REYNOLDS (QIGONG)

6 nights, Monday – Sunday PREREQUISITE: YOUNG ADULTS AGE 18-32 YEARS. 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 silent sitting and walking meditations with periods of Qi Gong. Over the course of the week we will extend these practices until the entire day is one of steady awareness. On the last day of the retreat we practice coming in and out of silence to learn about 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. Fee: $1505 - 685 sliding scale. Code: 380R18.

Prerequisite: Completion of at least two 7-night or three 5-night silent Insight meditation retreats.

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. Fee: $2550 - 1160 sliding scale. Code: 384R18.

AUG

SEP

29 03

WED MON

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, walking, dharma talks and meetings with the teachers. This is a good retreat for both beginning and experienced students. Fee: $1255 - 570 sliding scale. Code: 386R18.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, VISIT SPIRITROCK.ORG.

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Deep Bows

spirit rock celebrates our newest teachers council members Twenty new members have recently joined the Spirit Rock Teachers Council, our valued teaching body that support our mission and serve as ambassadors for Spirit Rock. This group of teachers have demonstrated their commitment through supporting and teaching in many of our multi-year, teacher training, long retreats and programming at Spirit Rock over the years. It is an exciting time for our history

to have such a wonderful group of teachers teaching the dharma here at Spirit Rock.

Also, a special recognition to three members of our Spirit Rock Teacher’s Council that have transitioned to Emeritus Members: Mary Grace Orr, John Travis and Julie Wester.

Deep appreciation and gratitude for your many years of teaching, guidance, and support!

Teachers highlighted in gold are our newest members.

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.

HOWARD COHN has led Vipassana retreats since 1985 and leads a weekly sitting group in San Francisco. He has studied with teachers of several traditions, including Theravada, Zen and Dzogchen, and has been strongly influenced by H.W.L. Poonja.

He is the author of Invitation to Meditation.

GUY ARMSTRONG has been practicing Insight Meditation 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.

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.

SALLY ARMSTRONG began practicing Insight Meditation

ANNE CUSHMAN is a graduate of the SRMC/IMS/IRC Teacher

in 1981 and teaching in 1996. She has served at Spirit Rock in a number of roles and is co-founder and co-teacher of the Dedicated Practitioners Program. She is a co-Guiding Teacher at Spirit Rock.

JAMES BARAZ has practiced Insight Meditation since 1974 and has been teaching since 1980. James leads ongoing meditation and Awakening Joy classes in Berkeley. He is the coauthor of Awakening Joy and Awakening Joy for Kids.

DANA DEPALMA has practiced Insight Meditation since 1993.

She holds a Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology and is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She teaches daylongs, classes and retreats at Spirit Rock and is the Spirit Rock Staff Dharma Teacher.

SYLVIA BOORSTEIN has been teaching since 1985 and teaches

ANNA DOUGLAS has a background in psychology and art,

both Vipassana and Metta Meditation. Her many books include That’s Funny, You Don’t Look Buddhist and Happiness Is an Inside Job.

in addition to more than 25 years of vipassana practice.

She has also studied with teachers in the Zen, Advaita and Dzogchen traditions.

MATTHEW BRENSILVER, PHD, is a graduate of the SRMC/

BONNIE DURAN met the Dharma in 1982. She teaches long

IMS/IRC Teacher Training Program. He began in the Tibetan tradition and has studied with Shinzen Young since 2003. He teaches at UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center and at Against the Stream, San Francisco.

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.

EUGENE CASH is a founding teacher of San Francisco Insight.

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.

ANDREA FELLA has practiced Insight Meditation since 1996 and began teaching in 2003. She teaches at the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, CA, and around the US.

DEBRA CHAMBERLIN-TAYLOR has been leading retreats

ANUSHKA FERNANDOPULLE has trained for over 25 years 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.

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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Training Program. She’s the author of Moving into Meditation and the novel, Enlightenment for Idiots.

GIL FRONSDAL has practiced Zen and Vipassana since 1975

KATE MUNDING has practiced meditation in the Theravada

and holds a PhD in Buddhist Studies from Stanford. He is founding teacher of the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, CA, and author of a translation of The Dhammapada.

tradition since 2004. She is a graduate of the SMRC/IMS/IRC Teacher Training Program, and is a guiding teacher for the Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley (IMCB). She is founder of Heart-Mind Education, providing mindfulness-based education programs, trainings, and resources to students and adults.

JOANNA HARDY has been exploring and practicing multiple

WES “SCOOP” NISKER is a meditation teacher, author, radio

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.

commentator and performer. His books include Essential Crazy Wisdom and You Are Not Your Fault.

SUSIE HARRINGTON teaches meditation nationwide and

SHARDA ROGELL began teaching Insight Meditation in 1985.

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.

She brings a strong emphasis to awakening heartfulness and has been influenced by non-dual teachings, Dzogchen and the Diamond Approach®.

WILL KABAT-ZINN has practiced Insight Meditation for more

DONALD ROTHBERG, PHD has practiced meditation since

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 is a guiding teacher at Insight Meditation

Community of Washington, a core teacher of Spirit Rock’s Dedicated Practitioner Program, and founder of Mindful Members Insight Meditation Community in Charlotte, NC. A life coach and consultant, Ruth is the author of several publications, including Healing Rage and Mindful of Race.

KITTISARO, a Rhodes Scholar, trained in the Forest School

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

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. Kittisaro co-authored Listening to the Heart, A Contemplative Journey to Engaged Buddhism.

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.

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 tmemed

HEATHER SUNDBERG has taught Insight Meditation since

meditation retreats. John has had a dedicated practice while being engaged in the working world, and emphasizes practice for daily life. He completed the SRMC/IMS/IRC Teacher Training Program.

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, is a Stanford-trained compassion

THANISSARA, MA, trained as a Buddhist monastic in the

cultivation instructor, a UCLA trained mindfulness facilitator, a graduate of the SRMC/IMS/IRC Teacher Training Program, and Spirit Rock Board Member. Nikki also teaches and serves on the Board of Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, and is an Artificial Intelligence scientist and researcher.

PHILLIP MOFFITT has practiced Vipassana since 1983. He is founder and president of the Life Balance Institute. He is a co-Guiding Teacher at Spirit Rock and the author of Dancing with Life, Emotional Chaos to Clarity and Awakening through the Nine Bodies.

Forest School of Ajahn Chah for 12 years. She is co-fouder, 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

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.

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SPIRIT ROCK TE ACHER S COUNCIL (CONT’D)

SPRING WASHAM has practiced meditation since 1997.

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.

PAMELA WEISS has practiced in the Zen and Theravada

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 coleader 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 coordinating trainer for Indigenous Focusing Oriented Trauma Therapy (IFOT) and maintains a private psychotherapy practice in NY.

DIANA WINSTON is the Director of Mindfulness Education at UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center. 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.

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 © 2018 Spirit Rock Meditation Center | May - Aug 2018 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

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Spirit Rock

An Insight Meditation Center

5000 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard P.O. Box 169, Woodacre, CA 94973

spiritrock.org

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monastic programs These special events are offerred by “dana” or donation. Experience the Buddha’s teachings guided by our monastic community.

MAY 5 - 6 | 2-Day Non-Residential Retreat

building the raft: foundational tools for practice

AYYA ANANDABODHI AND AYYA SANTACITTA

MAY 27 th

100 birthday anniversary celebration: recollections of ajahn chah AJAHN PASANNO

AUGUST 12

fully understanding dukkha: exploring the first noble truth AJAHN KARUNADHAMMO