Spirit Rock Meditation Center News & Schedule August - December 2018

Spirit Rock spiritrock.org

news & schedule | sep ¡ dec 2018

wisdom & insight for over 30 years

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Responsive, Caring and Clear: SPIRIT ROCK 2025 A Message from Michelle Latvala, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Wow. Thank you for your input. Over the last several months it has been a beautiful process to see Spirit Rock directly reflected in your eyes—and utilize that as the basis for Spirit Rock 2025.

Last fall we asked you in our in-depth survey: “What’s most important to you in practicing at Spirit Rock?”

Collectively ~1500 of you reflected your shared values:

• quality: The quality of programs we offer (99%) • depth: The excellence of our teachers depth of understanding of the teachings (98%)

• land: The contribution this land makes in supporting meditation practice (96%)

• dharma: Our mission as a Dharma center rooted in the Buddha’s teachings (93%)

• in-person: The strength of in-person transmission of the teachings in sangha with others (93%)

• inclusion: Spirit Rock’s commitment to actions that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion for all who wish undertake the practice (91%) Given the radically different conditions surrounding Spirit Rock now as compared to our founding years three decades ago, and given the generational change within our teaching and practitioner sangha, we have used your input towards decisions caring for the long term sustainability of Spirit Rock for future generations.

Together we have reaffirmed three critical foundational pieces—

• deep alignment with the dharma • wisdom to serve ‘our part’ in the dharmic eco-system • clarity in fully utilizing our community meditation center

in the next seven years spirit rock will: 1. Maintain and deepen our commitment to Dharma in the modern and accessible forms characteristic of the Insight tradition—the Buddha’s path at the core of all the programs we offer 2. Create the possibility of residential retreats to be among the mix of offerings in our Community Meditation Center by building new residence halls 3. Further support seclusion in practice by eventually offering single rooms for all retreatants 4. Build new dining facilities to support everyone on the land, whether here for a short or long program 5. Serve our larger network of Dharma communities by training the next generation teachers and leaders stepping forward to teach in their communities 6. Offer shorter retreats and commuter retreats to ensure accessibility for those with limited evening-household flexibility—yet still committed to retreat practice 7. Create explicit community-building forms to support kinship even amidst silent practice, and further support the sense of active sangha that develops in our training programs 8. Support our teachers who have been asking for more opportunities to teach retreats and training programs within their beloved Spirit Rock, not having to go elsewhere These are directions: our North Star is the Dharma.

We remain grounded in our vision—supporting your realization of the Buddha’s path of liberation through direct experience.

Changes will be gradual, thoughtful, and with care. If you are interested in reading more, please go to www.spiritrock.org/strategy.

Thank you for your input, your care, and your practice through ‘this fantastic, unfolding experiment’ as founding teacher Jack Kornfield fondly calls it (see pg 4).

Much gratitude,

Michelle Latvala

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THIS FANTASTIC UNFOLDING EXPERIMENT Jack Kornfield reflects on Spirit Rock Over the Years “Our task is to preserve the practices of mindfulness, loving-kindness, compassion, ethics, and virtuous conduct. We want to offer the whole eightfold path and foster the deepest teachings and practices we can, to bring awakening to all who practice with us. That’s what will sustain a healthy center and a healthy dharma stream, and bring benefit to the world.”

—Jack Kornfield, This Fantastic Unfolding Experiment, Lions Roar (2007)

Twenty one years ago Jack shared his reflections on the founding of Spirit Rock in an article for Lion’s Roar magazine.

As we celebrate our 30th year of teaching on the land, it is a remarkable moment to consider how Spirit Rock has stayed true to the vision and values of our mission over the years.

The world is shifting around us, times are changing—yet Spirit Rock’s commitment to the teachings and practice continues to be a foundation and the strength of what we value and how we serve.

Forward to the summer of 2018, and we hear Jack’s words today as shared with staff on June 7, 2018...

“How we steward this land and how we offer the dharma has to be responsive to what best serves our community. We have seen how beautifully residential retreats foster a depth of practice, and how well we build community in the multiyear programs. They are marvelous at making community.

People get connected in some of the most profound ways.

Now we have a new creative time over the next five to seven years to explore how best to use the community meditation center, how best to use our resources and how to be responsive to what our community most needs and will benefit from.

The whole strategic plan is a process of trying to discern how to serve the Dharma at this time, as we unfold in this way. We are entering a creative time...”

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SPIRIT ROCK NEWS | SEP – DEC 2018

HONORING 20 YEARS OF PRACTICE IN COMMUNITY In July we celebrated the 20th anniversary of the annual People of Color retreat at Spirit Rock!

We rejoice in the collective path that has been cultivated in community and where together in silence, connection and intimacy has unfolded over the past two decades.

On Sunday July 1st, participants from the POC retreat joined together with participants from our POC day retreat for the afternoon. Almost 200 people gathered to practice together in sangha, forming one of the largest gatherings of POC practitioners within Western Buddhism.

Please join us in honoring this special and meaningful moment. Deep bows to all those involved and in particular, to Larry Yang and Gina Sharpe for their beautiful and creative vision.

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SPIRIT ROCK NEWS | SEP – DEC 2018

Messages from our Co−Guiding Teachers welcoming our new co-guiding teacher and director of faculty—dana depalma Spirit Rock has a new Co-Guiding Teacher. After eight years of service, Phillip Moffitt stepped down from Co-Guiding teacher on April 5th. He will continue teaching at Spirit Rock. After soliciting nominations at our Teachers Council meeting last September, and undergoing a thorough process this winter, Dana DePalma was unanimously nominated by the Governing Teachers Council and approved at the recent Board of Directors meeting to step into this important role, as a newly defined position of Co-Guiding Teacher/Director of Faculty. This position is experimental and will be re-evaluated in two years given our commitment to being a learning community and ensuring continued diversification of our leadership positions. Dana has been practicing at Spirit Rock for 25 years, completed Spirit Rock’s Teacher Training and joined our Teachers Council eight years ago as a pioneering ‘next gen’ teacher. In addition to teaching, Dana has played active roles in governance and teacher leadership on the Governing Teachers Council (since 2011), the Board of Directors (since 2012), and the Governance Committee (since 2014).

Dana will be co-holding the Guiding Teacher role with me (as Phillip did), and, in addition, joining the staff Director team and reporting to Spirit Rock’s Executive Director, Michelle Latvala. As Director of Faculty, Dana will focus on the development, support, retention of our Teachers Council members, visiting teachers, and support all teacher-related processes including working closely with the Programs team on the Retreat Calendar. This is a key time of generational succession for Spirit Rock, and Dana stepping into this integrated teacher leadership role with the multi-lensed perspective of teacher, staff, board member, and ‘next gen’ is especially valuable.

entering a new time— reflections on spirit rock’s strategic direction In these coming years, Spirit Rock is fortunate to be in a period of time where our senior teachers are still teaching while we also welcome and deepen our relationships with our next generation of teachers, like Dana. We look forward to the increased opportunities our new strategic direction brings for us all as practitioners to deeply practice and experience the three gems of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. By incorporating more

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Dharma training programs, multi-day non-residential retreats, and eventually more residential retreats, we will be fully utilizing our Community Meditation Center as well as strengthening our commitment to Insight practice amongst the larger explosion of mindfulness. This direction affirms Spirit Rock’s commitment to offering the Dharma in clear, modern and accessible forms characteristic of the Insight tradition and to serve as a spiritual refuge for all. On behalf of our Spirit Rock Teachers Council, thank you for your input as practitioners that helped us clarify these ways to support your practice.

Many blessings,

sally armstrong & dana depalma Co-Guiding Teachers

spirit rock dharma & yoga TEACHER TR AINING PROGR AM (200RY T)

SESSION TWO BEGINS JANUARY 2019 | REGISTRATION OPENS AUGUST 2018 A three-month, non-residential, Dharma and Yoga Training Program for experienced yoga students and aspiring yoga teachers to:

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Develop the skills to teach yoga from a mindfulness approach: the use of language and sequencing to focus the mind, how to address the nervous system, and deactivate the stress and competitive response.

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Study the latest teachings in neuroscience and interoceptive awareness and how they apply to asana and meditation practice.

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Learn and integrate the teachings of Buddhism and yoga.

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Fulfills requirements for the Yoga Alliance 200-Hour Registered Yoga Teacher certification.

This immersive training addresses body, mind and heart through the study of mindful asana, pranayama, anatomy, mindfulness principles, meditation, and the wisdom teachings of Yoga and Buddhism. Students will develop both their personal practice, as well as the ability to guide and lead others. The Brahma Viharas, with a focus on Metta, will be at the heart of our practices, providing refuge and support for kindness and compassion towards ourselves and others. Minimum of a two-year yoga and mindfulness practice required.

for the schedule of trainings or to register, visit:

spiritrock.org/dharmayoga

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Taking this training was a gift. —DYP participant Not only is the foundation of my practice so much more understood and stable but my mind is more relaxed and at ease. I’ve learned how to be here now and no longer live in my past. —DYP participant This program is a work of art. It allowed me to cultivate insights through both stillness and movement. My knowledge certainly deepened but most importantly it became embodied. —DYP participant The Spirit Rock Dharma & Yoga Program offered far more than expected and provided a program and atmosphere that touched the lives of our entire group.

Remarkable opportunity to combine Dharma teachings to deepen personal yoga practice. —DYP participant Congrats to those who completed our first Dharma & Yoga Teacher Training program in 2018!

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SPIRIT ROCK NEWS | SEP – DEC 2018

VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION

WAYNE & KARRIE MYERS-TAYLOR Husband-and-wife team Wayne and Karrie Myers-Taylor have been helping in various departments at Spirit Rock since last year.

Wayne is currently the Dedicated Volunteer for the Marketing and Communications team, and Karrie volunteers regularly for the Development team and has done contract work as a videographer.

Each of them share their stories, below.

WAYNE: I was looking for a new community to build my spiritual practice. After doing a lot of meditation on my own, I was looking to expand myself and go into a sangha. I attended a few day retreats and was hooked by the land and the warm sense of community. I’d just done my first residential retreat at Spirit

KARRIE: I found out about Spirit Rock through Wayne, who had attended a few daylong events and a retreat there. I was an avid meditator already, and really thought that was all I needed. Frankly, I was stunned by the profound change that occurred in him after his first residential retreat. I picked up a very different man

Rock — it was nine days of Metta — and saw a flyer about being

that day from the one I had dropped off!

a dedicated volunteer. It seemed like the perfect way to “pay it

I was intrigued about a space that could bring about such a

forward”, extending the blessings I received on retreat by helping

difference in him, and decided to attend a few workshops. Soon

further Spirit Rock’s mission. It’s been a great way to meet new

I wanted to attend everything I saw in the seasonal program, and

people, since I’m relatively new to Marin. Plus, my dedicated

since that wasn’t a possibility financially, I was grateful for the

volunteer work gives back in the form of future retreat nights.

opportunity to become a volunteer to accrue Work Exchange

Being a volunteer has really put Spirit Rock into perspective for

hours towards programs.

me. When I came here for retreats alone, I’d fantasize about

I come from a very hasty, corporate video and media work

what it would be like to stay here forever, just meditating and

background, so what I have learned most at Spirit Rock is how

hiking and doing self-exploration. Back then, Spirit Rock was like

employees at an organization can work together in a loving-

a great escape from all my daily concerns, a fantasy land full of

kindness model. The staff are very dedicated to the Dharma and

nature and wonder. And to be fair, it is those things, and more —

to treating each other well, even under the inevitable stresses

it’s a refuge. But now that I come here for work and retreat, I’ve

of co-working. It’s a joy to see a work model that values every

learned that Spirit Rock is just a place, like any other place, but

person in action.

it’s special because of all the love and work put in by staff and Volunteering brings me a sense of community and contribution.

volunteers.

It feels so good to do service in the first place, but even more Volunteering has given me a connection to community, and I feel

so in a space that enriches my life in so many ways. I’m calmer,

like my contributions can help other visitors feel more welcomed

more peaceful, more democratic, and more hopeful about the

and appreciated, as I feel welcomed and appreciated by Spirit

possibilities of humans and the world.

Rock staff!

INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING? 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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BECAUSE OF YOU, THIS ARISES! 2017 BY THE NUMBERS — SPIRITROCK.ORG/DONATE

485

residential and day retreats offered

1in4

practitioners received a scholarship

500

700

family members attended Spirit Rock programs

40,000 practitioners attended Spirit Rock programs

Spirit Rock volunteers supported the teachings

countless

411

serene acres of Spirit Rock’s oak woodlands maintained

lives transformed from the teachings of wisdom and compassion

SHARING GRATITUDE FOR LEGACY CIRCLE DONORS We send Metta and deep appreciation to those who have named Spirit Rock as a beneficiary in their will! Thank you for planting seeds of practice to nurture future generations. Your thoughtfulness recognizes the truth of aging, sickness, death and the possibility of freedom— and helps maintain access to teachings of wisdom and compassion.

“While we are not ardent meditators, we believe in the value of meditation, and the values embodied in Buddhism. Spirit Rock plays an important role in keeping the teachings alive in the U.S. I learned of Spirit Rock through the books of Jack Kornfield and Joseph Goldstein.

Thinking past my life, one of the things I find meaningful is Buddhism. Spirit Rock plays a vital role in the spiritual journey of my wife and I, and of the nation. Thank you to all the teachers and volunteers who keep the lamp lit.”

—Rob and Rose Welton

plan for the future with spirit rock in mind: Consider leaving a gift in your estate, a powerful way to demonstrate your kind intentions for future generations of insight practitioners. If you might be interested in this generosity practice please call Rachel Uris, Director of Development, at (415) 488-0164 x286.

WAYS TO GIVE explore giving or contact us: Visit SpiritRock.org/Donate, or write to Sangha@SpiritRock.org.

join our stewardship circle: Offer a monthly gift and receive monthly Dharma talks, live-streaming, articles, and invitations to special events in gratitude.

give a gift of stock: Giving a gift of stock is a smart way to receive excellent tax benefits while also benefiting Spirit Rock.

ira distributions: Are you over 70 and need to take IRA distributions?

Consider offering these as gifts to Spirit Rock and receive a tax deduction.

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NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | SEP – DEC 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.

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NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | SEP – DEC 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.

Monday 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.

Wednesday Morning Meditation Group 10 am – 12 pm SYLVIA BOORSTEIN, DONALD ROTHBERG & OTHERS A sitting and practice-oriented discussion group, suitable for new and experienced practitioners. Fee: $15 - 30 sliding scale.

Thursday Women's Group | 10 am – 12 pm GRACE FISHER & OTHERS A place for women to come together, to share wisdom and to strengthen a sense of belonging in the world.

Fee: $15 - 30 sliding scale.

Dharma & Recovery Group | 7:15 – 9:15 pm KEVIN GRIFFIN & OTHERS - 2nd Friday of every month This group explores the intersection of recovery with Buddhist teachings and practices. All who identify with any of the full range of addictions, including substances, behaviors, habitual thought and emotional patterns are welcome.

Fee: $15 - 30 sliding scale.

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NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS INFORMATION

september SEP

01

SAT

DIVORCE: A DOORWAY TO LIBERATION GRACE FISHER | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

For many of us, divorce is one of the most painful transitions of our lives. Yet, the teachings of equanimity, impermanence, and letting go can help us move through our suffering into a place of more ease, compassion, and open-heartedness. We’ll step out of our stories of “who did what to whom,” and allow ourselves to be with what’s actually true, and utilize various insight practices to help us re-orient towards the path of freedom. This day retreat is appropriate for anyone who has experienced divorce, whether recent or years ago, and wants to explore (re)awakening their heart. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: GF3D18.

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.

SEP

SEP

SAT

SUN

01 02

2-DAY NON-RESIDENTIAL RETREAT WORKING WITH ANGER: DEVELOPING SKILL WITH INTENSE FEELING MATTHEW BRENSILVER | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

6 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE The Buddha said anger has a honeyed tip and poisoned root.

Anger has important effects on our lives, our families, and our society. If we are to be deeply happy and nourish the happiness of others, we must include anger as part of our spiritual path, even though this may appear contradictory at first. Although anger sometimes contains a seed of wisdom, it invariably contains a seed of delusion; anger is never the last word. We’ll learn meditative strategies to untangle the complex experience of anger and explore how self-cherishing creates fertile ground for anger. Lastly, we’ll connect with the dimension of ourselves that urgently seeks a life of non-harming. Fee: $150 – 400 sliding scale. Code: MB1M18.

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

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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, 8:00 am - 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday.

NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | SEP – DEC 2018

SEP

02 SUN

MINDFULNESS FOR EMOTIONAL BALANCE: DEEPENING JOY IN DAILY LIFE CELESTE BROOKE YOUNG | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

In this day retreat, we will explore some of the traditional teachings around how to work mindfully with emotion, as well as modern approaches drawing on the latest research in positive psychology and neuroscience. We will learn how to skillfully work with difficult emotions and cultivate greater well-being through meditation practice, applied mindfulness techniques, and exercises designed to deepen emotional intelligence and balance, in order to increase ease, contentment, and joy in daily life.

Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: CY1D18.

CELESTE YOUNG has practiced meditation for over 16 years.

She offers mindfulness and Dharma classes, retreats and programs throughout the greater LA area for organizations and companies, and for InsightLA, where she’s a senior teacher. She has received teaching authorization in the Theravada lineage from Trudy Goodman and Jack Kornfield.

SEP

OCT

THU

THU

06 25

MINDFUL SELF-COMPASSION LINDA GRAHAM AND JANE BARAZ 8 THURSDAYS: SEP 6 – OCT 25, 7:00 PM – 9:30 PM, PLUS 1/2 DAY ON OCT 7, 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM

19 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE | 8-WEEK CLASS SERIES Mindful Self-Compassion, as developed by Kristin Neff and Christopher Germer, is a powerful 8-week training in empiricallysupported tools and techniques that enables participants to respond to difficult moments in their lives with kindness, care, understanding and wise action. This course helps participants deal effectively with life’s challenges and crises while creating community and deepening practice. Participants cultivate new, more wholesome coping strategies, leading to more clarity, response flexibility and resilience, and less greed, hatred, delusion and suffering. Fee: $250 – 470 sliding scale. Code: LG1C18.

LINDA GRAHAM - See bio under September 7 program, to the right.

JANE BARAZ has been a mindfulness practitioner since 1976 and was on Spirit Rock’s Board for its first eight years.

She teaches Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) at UCSF Medical Center, is a trained teacher in Mindful SelfCompassion (MSC) and teaches Awakening Joy retreats at Spirit Rock and internationally.

SEP

07 FRI

RESILIENCE, EQUANIMITY, AND WELL-BEING LINDA GRAHAM | 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM

6 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE Whether coping with small annoyances or full-blown disasters, this day retreat leads you through a step-by-step process to strengthen the response flexibility, innate in your brain and your being, that you need to find calm, clarity and courage in the midst of any adversity. You will learn to integrate practices from Western psychology and the Buddhist wisdom tradition to deepen mindful empathy and self-compassion, connect in relationships that are healthy and nourishing, reverse the impacts of any stress or trauma, and use conscious reflection to discern options and make the wise choices that lead to thriving and flourishing. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: LG3D18.

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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08 02 SUN SAT

THE MEDITATOR’S LIFE OF THE BUDDHA: A DAY RETREAT FOR EXPERIENCED PRACTITIONERS BHIKKHU ANALAYO | 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM

LIVESTREAM AVAILABLE | DANA DAY (BY DONATION) During this day retreat, Bhikkhu Analayo will read and comment on excerpts from his recent book on A Meditator’s Life of the Buddha, followed by guided meditation instructions. The instructions are aimed at experienced practitioners and presuppose meditative expertise as well as readiness to face our own mortality, as one of the teachings will be on recollection of death. Participants are encouraged to read the book “A Meditator’s Life of the Buddha” prior to the day retreat. Fee: $0 – 108 sliding scale. Code: AO1G18.

BHIKKHU ANALAYO ordained in Sri Lanka in 1995 and completed a PhD thesis on the Satipatthana-sutta at the University of Peradeniya. He is a member of the Centre for Buddhist Studies, a professor at the University of Hamburg, works as a researcher at Dharma Drum Buddhist College, Taiwan, and regularly teaches meditation in Sri Lanka.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, VISIT SPIRITROCK.ORG.

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NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | SEP – DEC 2018

CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDIT OFFERINGS:

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.

SEP

09 02

THE ESSENCE OF BUDDHIST PSYCHOLOGY JACK KORNFIELD | 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM

SUN

6 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE | A BENEFIT FOR SPIRIT ROCK Discover inner capacities for wakefulness, joy, dignity and compassion — your Buddhanature. Join us for this day of mindful meditations and teachings on love, consciousness, healing and the nature of mind. Our training will study the fundamental principles of Buddhist psychology, combining practical examples, teaching stories, visionary wisdom and case studies. We will explore applications of these revolutionary perspectives in our healing work, our meditation and our life. Fee: $110 – 275 sliding scale. Code: JK1B18.

The California Board of Behavioral Sciences accepts CE credits for license renewal from programs sponsored by American Psychological Association approved providers.

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.

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.

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CE PROGRAMS AT A GLANCE: Sep 1-2

Working with Anger: Developing Skill with Intense Feeling

Sep 6-Oct 25

Mindful Self-Compassion (class series)

Sep 7

Resilience, Equanimity, and Well-Being

Sep 9

The Essence of Buddhist Psychology

Sep 16

Mindfulness as Medicine: An Approach to Stress Reduction,

Chronic Pain, and Illness

Sep 16

Two Wings to Fly: Wisdom & Compassion as Embodied Practices

Sep 29

Life is the Teacher: Grief, Loss and Letting Go

Oct 12

Supporting Those in Pain: Mindfulness Tools for All Caregivers

Oct 13

Our Mindful Yes to What Is

Oct 13-14 Bringing Ease to Pain: Meditation for Pain Management Oct 19

Focused Attention: Meditation for Developing Concentration & Serenity

Oct 19-21 Healing Presence: Practicing with the Whole Heart Oct 20

Nourishing Our Relationships: Deepening Our Connections to Others

Nov 3

True Nourishment from Mind, Heart to Cell

Nov 4

Being Present in the Body: Using Mindfulness to Work with Trauma

Nov 10-11 Cultivating Compassion: the Art and Science of Kindness Nov 16

The House That Ego Built: Understanding Self, Not-Self, and Identity

Nov 17

Freeing Yourself from the Inner Critic

Nov 17

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction - Cultivating Lifelong Tools to

Reduce Stress, Pain, and Anxiety

Nov 18

Opening into Allness

Nov 23-25 Transforming the Judgmental Mind and The Work of Byron Katie®

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Dec 1

A Path for Couples: Joyful Connection, Mindful Communication

Dec 2

The Art and Practice of Forgiveness

Dec 7-9

Resilience and Post-Traumatic Growth

Dec 16

Say What You Mean: A Mindful Approach to Nonviolent Communication

Dec 22

Embodying Joy: Practices for Creating Well-Being Through

Qigong and Meditation

Dec 30

Keep Coming Back: Dharma, Recovery, and Renewal

14 FRI

YOGA + DHARMA: AWAKENING IN THE BODY ASHLEY SHARP | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

The path of awakening guides us to an integration of mind, body, and heart. Waking up includes waking up in the body; as the Buddha said, “Within this fathom-long body is found all of the teachings.” Yet, in modern times, we have largely lost our connection to this natural and instinctive realm of our experience. In this day retreat, we will explore how wisdom and clarity arise through the body. The yoga offered will be an all levels practice with an emphasis on mindfulness rather than athletic performance. The meditation will include guidance for those newer to the practice of meditation. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: SP4D18.

ASHLEY SHARP has studied yoga, meditation, and Buddha-dharma in the U.S., India, and Myanmar, having trained specifically in Insight Meditation, yoga asana, yoga therapy, and yoga nidra. She founded Insight Richmond, a community-based meditation group, and completed Spirit Rock’s Dedicated Practitioner Program and Community Dharma Leaders Program.

NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | SEP – DEC 2018

SEP

15

SAT

LOVING THE EARTH: HEALING THE PLANET through MINDFUL ENGAGEMENT

JAMES BARAZ & FRIENDS: JULIA BUTTERFLY HILL, JACK KORNFIELD, JOANNA MACY, ANAM THUBTEN, BELVIE ROOKS, NAOMI NEWMAN, ONE EARTH SANGHA AND OTHERS 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM LIVESTREAM AVAILABLE

SEP

02 16 SUN

Because we expect this to sell out, online preregistration will be required.

Livestream: Fee: $30 – 108 sliding scale. Code: JB1L18.

Fee: $60 – 200 sliding scale. Code: JB1B18.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT CALENDAR.SPIRITROCK.ORG.

CHRISTIANE WOLF | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

5.5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE Just like a great bird needs two wings to soar, we need both the clarity of wisdom and the kind embrace of compassion to free ourselves from old habits and limiting stories in order to thrive in our lives. During this day retreat, we will deepen our understanding of how wisdom and compassion are separate yet also interdependent. Together, we will explore them as both concepts as well as embodied practices. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: CW3D18.

In conjunction with the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco, September 12-14, Spirit Rock is honored to host the community for a special day of teachings. We hope to inspire and motivate all who come through presentations, poetry, and music.

Together, we will explore how our practice can lead to greater consciousness and heal our planet in the face of climate change.

All proceeds from this special event will be shared between One Earth Sangha and a Spirit Rock green project honoring the land.

TWO WINGS TO FLY: WISDOM AND COMPASSION AS EMBODIED PRACTICES

CHRISTIANE WOLF, MD, PHD, is a physician turned mindfulness and MBSR teacher and teacther’s trainer. She is a graduate of the Spirit Rock/IMS/IRC Teacher Training Program and is the co-author of A Clinician’s Guide to Teaching Mindfulness.

SEP

16

SUN

MINDFULNESS AS MEDICINE: AN APPROACH TO STRESS REDUCTION, CHRONIC PAIN AND ILLNESS BOB STAHL AND STEVE FLOWERS 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

6 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE This program is specifically designed for people living with stress, pain or illness, and supports individuals as well as the work of therapists and other caregivers. MBSR was developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, from the UMass Medical school and featured in Bill Moyer’s series “Healing and the Mind.” This day retreat will be a synergy of the principles of MBSR, mindfulness meditation practices, discussion, and inquiry in small and large groups.

Fee: $90 – 250 sliding scale. Code: BS1S18.

BOB STAHL, PHD, directs MBSR programs at Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz and El Camino Hospital in Mt. View and Los Gatos. He is the Guiding Teacher at Insight Santa Cruz.

STEVE FLOWERS, MS, MFT, is director of the MindfulnessBased Stress Reduction (MBSR) Clinic at the Enloe Medical Center in Chico, CA. He is the author of The Mindful Path through Shyness and co-author of Living with Your Heart Wide Open.

15

SEP

CULTIVATING A BOUNDLESS MIND

SAT

AYYA ANANDABODHI, AYYA SANTACITTA & ISABELITA PAPA | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

22

The qualities of benevolence, compassion, appreciative joy, and equanimity are profound and beautiful aspects of the Buddha’s teaching, known as the Brahma Viharas or the Four Immeasurables. Through meditation practice and qi gong, we will develop these qualities, transforming our perceived limitations, and opening ourselves to states of freedom and generosity. Offered by donation (dana). Code: NU2G18.

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.

LUNCH:

Please bring lunch and, if you wish, food to offer the nuns. As in the time of the Buddha, the monastics do not grow or buy food and are completely dependent on donations of food. Offering food to the monastics during this day provides an opportunity to participate in the tradition. For more information, visit: alokavihara.org/support-2/dana-list.

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.

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.

SEP

21 FRI

MEDITATION AND SPONTANEOUS SELF-EXPRESSION: A FALL EQUINOX DAY RETREAT NINA WISE | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

As we approach the Fall Equinox, we are reminded of the possibility found in natural balance of opposites. Similarly, silent practices and expressive practices enhance one another: they quiet the mind, calm the heart, give rise to surprising insight, and release our wildness. Spontaneous self-expression in partnership with meditation can also lead to deepened equanimity, energized presence, and greater awareness. This day will include meditation, writing, and the uplifting embodied practices of movement, easy improv games, and storytelling. Develop presence and enhance your capacity for spontaneity, have fun, and leave with tools you can apply to your personal and professional lives. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: NW1D18.

NINA WISE is a performer who has devoted her career to investigating the relationship between art and spirit.

As Artistic Director of Motion, she has received multiple fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts.

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SEP

22 SAT

DHARMA OF OUR STORIES: EMBRACING OUR 10,000 JOYS AND SORROWS PAWAN BAREJA AND NOLIWE ALEXANDER 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

ALL WELCOME REGARDLESS OF YOUR RACE, GENDER, SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND ETHNICITY. Each of us has a unique life story.

Within our stories is the potential to bind us to suffering or to lead us to liberation. In this day retreat, we will explore how our personal stories, just like that of the Buddha, can help us deepen our understanding of the precious gems offered in the Four Noble Truths. Our intention is to find joy and freedom through our lived experience of embracing our stories. We’ll share periods of sitting and walking meditation, and small and large group discussions. Please bring a journal and a sacred object for our collective altar. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: PB3D18.

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.

NOLIWE ALEXANDER teachers throughout the Bay Area, facilitators community workshops, Buddhist meditation day longs and class series programs. She dedicates much of her teaching to POC, LGBTQI and Elder communities. A graduate of Spirit Rock’s CDL4, she is currently in the Spirit Rock Teacher Training program.

NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | SEP – DEC 2018

SEP

28 FRI

OPENING TO JOY AND PEACE IN NATURE: A NATURE MEDITATION DAY RETREAT MARK COLEMAN | 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM

Nowhere is the power of contemplative meditation more profound than the serenity of nature. In this tranquil, rejuvenating day, we will explore how meditation is supported by the stillness of nature as we sit and walk in meditation among the hills and meadows of Spirit Rock. Through various Buddhist and nature meditation practices, the quality of mindfulness meditation will support us being awake to our direct experience. We will explore the natural joy and wellbeing that arises in nature, the interconnection between our inner and outer landscape, and how nature evokes the beautiful qualities of peace, wonder, and love. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: M10D18.

SEP

29 SAT

The shift from “thinking” to “being” is one of the most essential aspects of the meditative journey. We will explore somatic practices to quiet the conceptual mind, unlocking the hidden power, warmth, and wisdom of the body. Drawing upon their father-son Dharma connection, James and Adam Baraz will offer Buddhist teachings from Tibetan yoga and Theravada mindfulness practice. Through experiential exercises and guided meditations, we will focus on the somatic path of spiritual transformation to support “bypassing the thinking mind” which will include techniques to release physical and emotional tension, awaken presence and relax the body into being. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: JB3D18.

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.

SEP

29 SAT

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 co-author of Awakening Joy and Awakening Joy for Kids.

ADAM BARAZ is the founder of Samadhi Bodywork, a somatic healing modality to heal the nervous system and restore the body into natural well-being. Adam also has training in Somatic-Experiencing Trauma Therapy.

Adam has sat numerous intensive silent retreats in the Theravada and Tibetan traditions.

LIFE IS THE TEACHER: GRIEF, LOSS AND LETTING GO CATHERINE FLAXMAN 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

6 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE Impermanence teaches that we are subject to loss, illness, aging and death. We may comprehend this intellectually, but when a loved one dies, a relationship ends, or life turns on a dime, we are left unprepared, with a stone in the heart and feelings that remain unexpressed. Through guided meditation, somatic and heart-based practices, we will mine what was left unsaid, turn toward our experience with compassion and loving awareness, and embrace the healing potential of resilience and generosity in moving forward with life.

Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: CF1D18.

CATHERINE FLAXMAN is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and co-founder of The Lomi School, one of the first teaching collectives to create a holistic approach to eastern spirituality and western psychology.

In private practice she creates customized audio recordings combining psychotherapy and spirituality.

EMBODYING PRESENCE: RELAXING THE BODY INTO BEING JAMES BARAZ AND ADAM BARAZ 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

SEP

30

INTEGRATING QIGONG AND MEDITATION TEJA BELL | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

SUN

This day retreat will bring together essential Dharma teachings and meditation with the integrating practice of Radiant Heart Qigong. Radiant Heart Qigong is a direct pathway to “calm abiding” and the state of quiescence, which becomes the foundation for successful practice. In this day together, we will explore how to strengthen the connection of attention and mindfulness with equanimity as skillful means to more fully embodied compassionate presence and well-being. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: TJ1D18.

TEJA BELL (FUDO MYOO ROSHI) is a Rinzai Zen master, the 85th Patriarch of the lineage of Lin-Chi I-Chuan. He teaches dharma and meditation as embodied mindfulness through integrating embodiment skills with healing dharma, and has taught over 100 retreats at Spirit Rock since 1999.

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NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | SEP – DEC 2018

SEP

30 SUN

AWAKENING OUR HEARTS: EXPLORING WHITE PRIVILEGE JD DOYLE AND BARUCH GOLDEN 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

OPEN TO ALL SELF-IDENTIFIED WHITE PEOPLE As white people, it can be challenging to recognize our biases, prejudices, and privilege. Engaging in this practice may push our comfort boundaries, as we awaken together in this way. We all long for connection, and live in a society that constructs and perpetuates systems that divide and separate us. In Buddhism, differences and identities are often minimized in the noble endeavor to lessen the focus on the self. We will explore how to both navigate and utilize our white privilege skillfully through guided meditation, discussion, and reflection, and experience a new freedom of expression unobstructed by constructions of identities around whiteness. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale.

Code: GD1D18.

JD DOYLE is in Spirit Rock’s Teacher Training Program and has practiced Buddhism for over 20 years in the U.S., Thailand, and Burma. JD is a core teacher at the East Bay Meditation Center. Their practice is committed to expanding concepts of gender and addressing the impact of racism in our world.

BARUCH GOLDEN is a long-time practitioner and hospice RN. He teaches in many Bay Area sanghas and at East Bay Meditation Center in a program that explores white racial conditioning and the Dharma. He’s a graduate of SRMC’s Community Dharma Leaders Program and the Sati Center’s Buddhist Chaplaincy Training Program.

My hut is roofed, comfortable,

free of drafts; my mind, well-centered, released.

I remain ardent.

So, rain-deva.

Go ahead & rain.

TherÃgÃthà 1:1 SubhÜti

18

Consciousness is colored by the states that visit it. —Buddha

NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | SEP – DEC 2018

october OCT

06

FREEDOM, HERE AND NOW EUGENE CASH | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

SAT

Freedom or liberation is often considered one of the ultimate goals of our spiritual practice. Yet at times, it can seem daunting, distant, or unattainable, obstructed by a host of obstacles.

In this day retreat, we’ll explore the Buddhist understanding of freedom and discover the innate freedom inherent within mindfulness and awareness. Using the meditative process and interactive investigation, we will examine our relationship to freedom, both conceptually and experientially. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: EC2D18.

OCT

12 FRI

5.5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE Pain can have physical, mental, emotional and spiritual components. While medications treat the physical aspects, how can we support patients and loved ones mentally, spiritually, and emotionally for greater relief, deeper healing and resilience? In this workshop, you will learn safe and effective tools for sharing mindfulness practices with others to ease pain. We will explore the importance of presence and how these tools can be used with people from different backgrounds in various settings.

This workshop is designed for healthcare practitioners and all caregivers working with those in acute or chronic pain. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: OS4D18.

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.

EUGENE CASH is a founding teacher of San Francisco Insight, and the co-founder and co-teacher of the Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leaders Program. In addition, he teaches the Diamond Approach® in San Francisco and Holland.

OCT

OCT

SAT

SUN

06 07

2-DAY NON-RESIDENTIAL RETREAT RESTING IN WHOLENESS: A WOMEN’S WEEKEND RETREAT HEATHER SUNDBERG 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

OPEN TO ALL SELF-IDENTIFIED WOMEN This intimate weekend retreat of women will drink in the rich silence and aliveness of Insight Meditation and loving-kindness practice. The weekend also includes teachings, ritual, singing plus optional practices of simple movement and check in groups with Heather. On Sunday afternoon we will come together in Council Practice to speak and listen from the heart together.

To support a sense of community, participants must attend the entire day on both Saturday and Sunday in order to participate.

Fee: $180 – 500 sliding scale. Code: HS1M18.

HEATHER SUNDBERG has taught Insight Meditation since 1999, completed Senior Teacher Training and is a member of the Spirit Rock Teachers 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.

SUPPORTING THOSE IN PAIN: MINDFULNESS TOOLS FOR ALL CAREGIVERS OREN JAY SOFER AND EVAN A. WONG 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

EVAN WONG works in palliative care medicine as a Board Certified Interfaith Chaplain. She completed chaplaincy training at UCSF Medical Center with a focus in palliative care, is endorsed as a faith leader in healthcare by the Insight Meditation Center, Redwood City, and graduated from the IMC Dharma Mentor Training Program.

OCT

13

OUR MINDFUL YES TO WHAT IS DAVID RICHO | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

SAT

5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE There are certain facts that we cannot change, unavoidable “givens” of human life and of relationships: Everything changes and ends. Things do not always go according to plan. Life is not always fair.

Pain is part of life. People are not loving and loyal all the time. We can cultivate an “unconditional yes” to these conditions of existence, and we learn to accept, even embrace our predicaments without trying to control the outcomes. We begin to trust what happens as opportunities for spiritual practice. Our relationships become more reality-based rather than expectation-based. Enlightenment is never far behind. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: RO1D18.

DAVID RICHO, PHD, MFT, teacher, workshop leader and writer, works as a psychotherapist in Santa Barbara and San Francisco, CA. He combines Jungian, transpersonal and mythic perspectives in his work.

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NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | SEP – DEC 2018

OCT

OCT

SAT

SUN

13 14

2-DAY NON-RESIDENTIAL RETREAT BRINGING EASE TO PAIN: MEDITATION FOR PAIN MANAGEMENT OREN JAY SOFER | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

11 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE Along with the gifts of a human body come inevitable experiences of pain. During this retreat, we will explore how practicing wisely with pain can strengthen the heart and be a doorway to release. The retreat will include silent meditation as well as guided movement, reflection, discussion, and practical tools for working with pain. We will learn how core Buddhist teachings and meditation practices can help us develop more compassion, insight, and freedom in relation to experiences of pain and illness. Appropriate for general meditators, those living with chronic pain, caregivers and those working with other in pain. Fee: $150 – 400 sliding scale. Code: OS2M18.

OCT

19 FRI

FOCUSED ATTENTION: MEDITATION FOR DEVELOPING CONCENTRATION AND SERENITY TINA RASMUSSEN AND STEPHEN SNYDER 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

5.5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE Focused attention returns awareness to one object of meditation, collecting the mindstream. This counteracts overstimulation from today’s world, where damaging neurological effects occur from social media, texting, and technology that bombard us with messages and alerts. The practice “builds the muscle” of concentration, enabling us to turn away from our devices, allowing us to settle into the serenity of our deeper nature. We also see our habitual patterns that cause us to suffer both on and off the cushion. As we build capacity to turn away from these patterns, laser-like awareness can develop, leading to profound stillness and deep joy. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: TR2D18.

TINA RASMUSSEN, PH.D., learned to meditate at age 13 and has been meditating 30+ years. She was ordained a Buddhist nun by Pa Auk Sayadaw of Burma, who authorized her to teach.

She is co-author of Practicing the Jhanas, and several books on human potential, and works with students worldwide.

OREN JAY SOFER - See bio on page 19.

OCT

14

SUN

FINDING OUR STILLPOINT IN THE STORM: EXPLORING EQUANIMITY & WISE ACTION GRACE FISHER | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

These days, it’s often hard to know what to do, or how to respond to all the sources of suffering: from the challenges in our own lives, to those of our beloveds, or to the ever-widening rings of destruction and despair. This day retreat will explore how to cultivate our inner place of refuge, our stillpoint, that can sustain and support us in meeting the world with an open, tender, and fierce heart. We’ll also look at how to embody the wisdom of the teachings through our actions and further allow our interactions with others to be a source of practice and liberation.Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: GF4D18.

GRACE FISHER - See page 12 for bio.

STEPHEN SNYDER began practicing Buddhist meditation in 1976 and has practiced for 20 years with several Western Zen masters.

OCT

OCT

FRI

SUN

19 21

3-DAY NON-RESIDENTIAL RETREAT HEALING PRESENCE: PRACTICING WITH THE WHOLE HEART RALPH DE LA ROSA | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

18 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE Joy is more than a feeling. It is a state of being that has room for things that we don’t consider so joyful: sadness, self-loathing, anxiety, anger, regret. Self-love is more than deeming ourselves “good enough,” worthy, and lovable; it is a condition of the heart that knows how to embrace our experience of ourselves unconditionally. Presence is more than merely paying attention, it is an experience drenched in empathy, warmth, and humor.Blending the insights of neuroscience, Tibetan Buddhism, psychoanalysis, and Internal Family Systems therapy; this will be a weekend of deep practice, lively discussion, and emotional resolution. Fee: $225 – 600 sliding scale. Code: RD1M18.

RALPH DE LA ROSA is the author of The Monkey is a Messenger: Meditation & What Your Busy Mind is Trying to Tell You (Shambhala Publications, 2018). He is a psychotherapist specializing in working with traumas (both large and small) and has taught meditation since 2008.

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NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | SEP – DEC 2018

OCT

20 SAT

NOURISHING OUR RELATIONSHIPS: DEEPENING OUR CONNECTIONS TO OTHERS JAMES BARAZ AND JANE BARAZ 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

5.5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE The Buddha emphasized the importance of wise relationship in the world including Right Speech and Right Action as two links of the Eightfold Path. Relationships can be complicated, especially with those closest to us. A rich expression of our practice is learning to authentically communicate what is both truthful and useful—the hard stuff as well as our loving connection. The day will include periods of experiential exercises, talks, discussions and guided meditations. We’ll explore various elements of wise relationship: forgiveness, appreciation, loving-kindness vs. attachment, and sympathetic joy, in order to deepen our connection with others in our lives. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: JB4D18.

JAMES BARAZ - See bio on page 17.

JANE BARAZ - See bio on page 13.

OCT

21

SUN

THE ALCHEMY OF PRESENCE VINNY FERRARO | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Just for this day, can we give ourselves a permission slip to be just as we are? In this day retreat, we will be exploring Insight practices and how they lead to wisdom and compassion, which in turn, when applied to our daily lives, lead to liberation. Join us as we sit and practice together, and learn from our own direct experience. As we rest in this kind awareness, we see that anything is possible when love is present. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: VF2D18.

VINNY FERRARO is on the Senior Faculty for Mindful Schools, and is also the Guiding Teacher for Against the Stream Meditation Society San Francisco. His experience includes teaching emotional intelligence and mindfulness workshops, to more than 100,000 youth, and the adults that work with them.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, VISIT SPIRITROCK.ORG.

21

PunnĂŁ, grow full with good qualities like the moon on the fifteenth day.

With discernment at total fullness, burst the mass of darkness. —Therigatha 1:3 22

NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | SEP – DEC 2018

OCT

26

BUILDING TRUST AND CREATIVITY AT WORK JOHN MARTIN | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

FRI

OCT

28

SUN

Drawing upon Buddhist principles, this day retreat will support building a high level of trust and creativity in the workplace. The cultivation of these qualities supports exceptional outcomes. Trust rests on a foundation of kindness, caring, and transparency, and supports both open communication, and opening to the creative wisdom of the entire work team. In this day together, there will be both opportunities to investigate challenges and opportunities to support the cultivation of these qualities. There will also be periods for silent meditation practice, with instructions.

Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: JN2D18.

LIVING KINDNESS: BUDDHIST TEACHINGS FOR A TROUBLED WORLD KEVIN GRIFFIN | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Loving-kindness 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.

In a time of great conflict and contention in our society, it can be extremely valuable to look at these nuances. The Buddha’s teachings on loving-kindness emphasize the importance of sila, or ethical behavior, the potential for opening into deeper meditative states of peace and equanimity, and the importance of developing non-discriminating, unconditional love on the path of awakening.

Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: KG2D18.

JOHN MARTIN teaches Vipassana, Metta and LGBTQI themed meditation retreats. He leads an on-going Monday evening meditation group in San Francisco. John has had a dedicated practice while being engaged in the working world and emphasizes practice for daily life. He serves on the Spirit Rock Teachers Council.

OCT

27 SAT

KEVIN GRIFFIN is known for his innovative work connecting dharma and recovery, especially through his 2004 book “One Breath at a Time: Buddhism and the Twelve Steps.”

He teaches at dharma centers, wellness centers, and secular mindfulness settings. His latest book is “Living Kindness: Buddhist Teachings for a Troubled World.”

THE WAY OF LIBERATION: FREEDOM AS A WAY OF LIVING ADYASHANTI | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

LIVESTREAM AVAILABLE The Way of Liberation is a spiritual teaching focused not only on attaining realization, but also on what it means to live a life of liberation. Living liberation is an ongoing way of manifesting true nature in word (communication), act (relating to each moment of life), and deed (life commitments). It starts with a deep examination of exactly what our deepest values and commitments to life are, for these are the avenues through which the timeless and transcendent state of liberation is translated into the relative world of time and space. Fee: $110 – 275 sliding scale. Code: AY1B18.

There is a great space in which this moment takes place.

There’s a great silence that is listening to the thoughts.

—Adyashanti

ADYASHANTI is the author of Falling into Grace, The End of Your World, True Meditation, Emptiness Dancing, and The Impact of Awakening.

His spontaneous, direct teachings have been compared to those of the early Zen masters but are free of any tradition or ideology.

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NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | SEP – DEC 2018

november NOV

03 SAT

TRUE NOURISHMENT FROM MIND, HEART TO CELL ANDREA LIEBERSTEIN, ELISSA EPEL, VENERABLE JAMPA SANGMO | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

5.5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE Ancient contemplative and mindful practices support us to live with wisdom, compassion, and ease. Science is showing us the many ways these can vitalize spiritual, emotional, metabolic, and cellular health ​​and how to make sustainable life changes.

In this day retreat, you will be introduced to and immersed in mindfulness, heart focused practices, as well as mindful eating and self care practices, all part of a fulfilling, mindful healthstyle.

When practiced regularly, these enhance well-being, fulfillment, and can slow the cellular aging process. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: AL2D18.

NOV

03 SAT

The Buddha called Spiritual Friendship the “whole of the holy life” and that one who associates with Noble Friends will expect to progress well on the Path of Awakening. Insight Dialogue is a fully engaged, relational co-meditation practice which develops the Factors of Awakening, including sati (mindfulness) and samadhi (concentration) in relationship with others. The practice grounds relationships in the mutual development of wisdom and compassion. In this day retreat, we will introduce the six guidelines of Insight Dialogue (Pause, Relax, Open, Trust Emergence, Listen Deeply, Speak the Truth) and explore the practice in dyads and small groups as a foundation of spiritual friendship in the whole of our lives. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: JY1D18.

BHANTE SUKHACITTO ordained 1990 in Thailand and lived with Ajahn Buddhadasa. Since 1993, he has lived mostly in Europe and spent years in Ajahn Chah monasteries. He has practiced Insight Dialogue since 2005, and taught worldwide since 2010. He founded Kalyana Mitta Vihara - House of Noble Friendship in Germany in 2016.

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.

ELISSA EPEL, PHD, a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, at UCSF, studies stress resilience and meditation, and associations with eating, metabolism and cell aging. She co-leads retreats integrating mind-body science with meditation. She is co-author of the 2017 NYT best-seller The Telomere Effect.

VENERABLE JAMPA SANGMO is a Tibetan Buddhist Nun. She was first introduced to the Buddha’s teachings through Vipassana Meditation. In 1993 she began her studies in Tibetan Buddhism with several Buddhist Masters, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama. She lives in San Francisco and teaches meditation.

CULTIVATING SPIRITUAL FRIENDSHIP: A DAY OF INSIGHT DIALOGUE BHANTE SUKHACITTO AND JANET SURREY 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

JANET SURREY, PHD, is a clinical psychologist and serves on the faculty of the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy in Boston. She teaches Insight Dialogue retreats worldwide, and is a graduate of the Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leaders Program.

NOV

04 SUN

BEING PRESENT IN THE BODY: USING MINDFULNESS TO WORK WITH TRAUMA PAWAN BAREJA | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

A DAY FOR SELF-IDENTIFIED PEOPLE OF COLOR 5.5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE When we feel stress or lack of safety in our daily lives, we lose our center and our sense of well-being. Traumatic responses arise in our bodies. Over time, our capacity to deal with daily stress and anxiety is inhibited. In this daylong, we will reclaim our innate capacity to self-regulate by working directly with our body based trauma responses using Somatic Experiencing and mindful mediation tools. Specifically, the mindfulness practices of loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity will be used to help you free up your energy so you feel more settled, grounded, and calm in your everyday life. Fee: $40 – 100 sliding scale. Code: PB4D18.

PAWAN BAREJA - See page 16 for bio.

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NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | SEP – DEC 2018

NOV

NOV

SAT

SUN

10 11

2-DAY NON-RESIDENTIAL RETREAT CULTIVATING COMPASSION: THE ART AND SCIENCE OF KINDNESS NIKKI MIRGHAFORI | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

12 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE A heart imbued with kindness is more peaceful, happy, and resilient in times of challenge. Although everyone has the innate capacity for compassion, through practice, it can be more easily recognized, accessed, and expressed. The retreat is inspired by the Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) course developed at Stanford University. The retreat includes lectures on the science and art of compassion, guided meditations, group exercises, and Q/A to help strengthen and cultivate the qualities of compassion and kindness. Fee: $150 – 400 sliding scale. Code: NM2M18.

NOV

16 FRI

5.5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE This day of Insight Meditation practice will explore the Buddha’s teachings on identity, self, and selflessness. Supporting our exploration with periods of sitting and walking meditation, dialogue and short discourses, we will learn to relate to this inevitable, misunderstood, and challenging aspect of our human experience with wisdom and love. We will not try to delete our ego nor will we try to enhance or expand our sense of self. Rather, we will focus on how identity functions and how we can learn to relate to ego mindfully and kindly. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale.

Code: HC3D18.

NIKKI MIRGHAFORI, PHD, studied jhanas & Vipassana with Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw who instructed her to teach. She is a Stanford-trained compassion cultivation instructor, a UCLAtrained mindfulness facilitator, and serves on the Spirit Rock Teachers Council and Board of Directors. She was previously incarnated as an artificial intelligence scientist.

NOV

NOV

SAT

SUN

10

11

2-DAY NON-RESIDENTIAL RETREAT STRATEGIES FOR OVERCOMING DISTRACTING THOUGHTS: PRACTICAL WISDOM FROM THE MIDDLE LENGTH DISCOURSES SHAILA CATHERINE | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Mental restlessness is an insidious and pervasive hindrance that we as practitioners struggle to overcome. We will refine our skills for working with modes of thinking that distract us from being mindful: critical or lustful thoughts, planning, worrying, judging, memories, and internal commentaries. The teachings will emphasize discerning wholesome and unwholesome thoughts, and present a progressive sequence of five strategies for dealing with obstructive mental patterns, found in the Middle Length Discourses, suttas 19 and 20. Fee: $150 – 400 sliding scale. Code: SC1M18.

SHAILA CATHERINE founded Bodhi Courses, an online Dhamma classroom, and Insight Meditation South Bay. She authored two books—Focused and Fearless: A Meditator’s Guide to States of Deep Joy, Calm, and Clarity, and Wisdom Wide and Deep: A Practical Handbook for Mastering Jhana and Vipassana.

THE HOUSE THAT EGO BUILT: UNDERSTANDING SELF, NOT-SELF, AND IDENTITY HOWARD COHN | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

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.

NOV

17

SAT

MINDFULNESS-BASED STRESS REDUCTION: CULTIVATING LIFELONG TOOLS TO REDUCE STRESS, PAIN, AND ANXIETY JUANITA DE SANZ | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

6 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE This day retreat is both an opportunity for new practitioners to explore, and those with more experience to deepen awareness of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) practices.

We will cultivate intentional and skillful ways to be present with thoughts, feelings, and body sensations as they arise. The day will include: guided instruction in mindfulness practices,mindful movements to cultivate body awareness, small and large group inquiry and discussion, an exploration of our ability to work mindfully with stress, pain, grief, and anxiety. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: JZ1D18.

JUANITA DE SANZ, MS, LMFT is a psychotherapist with over 20 years experience, an EMDR Consultant, and a certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction teacher. She currently has private practices in Marin and San Francisco, providing integrative psychotherapy to individuals and clinical supervision to therapists seeking EMDR certification.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, VISIT SPIRITROCK.ORG.

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NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | SEP – DEC 2018

NOV

17

SAT

FREEING YOURSELF FROM THE INNER CRITIC MARK COLEMAN | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

5.5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE Do you experience the painful effects of self-judgment, from telling yourself you are never good enough? If you wish to be free from the torment of the inner critic, then this day is for you. We will explore how to mindfully and skillfully work with self-judgment, and develop greater self- acceptance, self-compassion and forgiveness as antidotes to criticism. The day will be a combination of talks, and interactive exercises, mindfulness and kindness techniques. This will be a practical and experiential day taught with lightness, compassion, and humor as a reminder not to take ourselves too seriously! Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: M11D18.

NOV

18

SUN

OPENING TO ALLNESS RICK HANSON | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

5.5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE Neuroscience is shedding light on the neuropsychological basis of present moment awareness, integrated wholeness of mind, and interdependent connection with nature and physical reality. We can use these new findings in very practical ways to relax the contracted sense of self, and to rest increasingly in resilient well-being. In this experiential day retreat, we will explore: neural factors of steadying attention, how to strengthen neural networks underlying presentmoment awareness and integrated wholeness, our egocentric and “allocentric” (oneness) neural networks, and how to shift in a more allocentric direction. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: RH4D18.

MARK COLEMAN - See bio on page 17.

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: 9/8 — Meditator’s Life of the Buddha | Bhikkhu Analayo 9/15 — Loving the Earth | James Baraz and friends 10/27 —The Way of Liberation | Adyashanti 12/8 —Wise Reflection: A Year in Review | Nikki Mirghafori 12/15 —Mindfulness Meditation | Jack Kornfield

26

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.

NOV

NOV

FRI

SUN

23 25

3-DAY NON-RESIDENTIAL RETREAT TRANSFORMING THE JUDGMENTAL MIND AND THE WORK OF BYRON KATIE® DONALD ROTHBERG AND MARISA HANDLER 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

18 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE Judgments of a reactive and compulsive nature are very strong in most of our lives. They can distort our perceptions, make relationships with others difficult, and undermine our work and self-esteem. When they are transformed, we open naturally to our underlying clarity of mind and generosity of heart. In this three-day non-residential retreat, we will examine what judgments are and how to work with them, using mindfulness, “heart” practices, and inquiry, especially as developed in The Work of Byron Katie®. These methods help us to preserve discernment, while working through the destructive aspects of judgments. Fee: $225 – 600 sliding scale. Code: DR1M18.

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 bodybased psychotherapy. He is the author of The Engaged Spiritual Life: A Buddhist Approach to Transforming Ourselves and the World.

MARISA HANDLER has practiced Insight Meditation in retreats and in her daily life for 15 years. As a writer, singer-songwriter, teacher, and coach she has the necessary tools for healing chronic physical and mental illness, and for deepening our experience of awakening. She is the author of the memoir, Loyal to the Sky.

NOV

24 SAT

TRANSGENDER & ALLY DAY LONG: CULTIVATING COMPASSION FOR THE HOLIDAYS & BEYOND FRESH “LEV” WHITE AND RENÉ RIVERA 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

**This program is for the Transgender community who may invite close ones to attend. We ask *allies only attend as a guest of a trans or gender expansive identified person*.

During this month of Transgender Remembrance, we are also drawing closer to the holiday season. How do we hold ourselves compassionately during these times? Led by Trans-identified teachers, and experienced practitioners, we are bringing together All-Gendered folks for an opportunity to explore and practice in support of implementing, complementing and/or expanding our practices with compassion, self-love and selfcare. Fee: $40 – 100 sliding scale. Code: FR1D18.

FRESH “LEV” WHITE - A lover of all beings, Lev reflects love and self-acceptance to his global community through his writing, Dharma teachings, professional coaching, Spiritual Counseling, and Transgender Ally Trainings. A Spirit Rock CDL5 graduate, Lev offers mindfulness, to all interested in choosing to live their lives fully in the present.

december DEC

01

SAT

5.5 CE CREDIT AVAILABLE Most couples envision sharing a life of love, joy, and inner discovery. Then somewhere along the way, we feel as though we are bushwhacking through a thicket of life’s issues. We ask, “Is there a map or trail that will guide us on our journey?” This day retreat offers a path for couples that leads partners towards the treasures hidden in our hearts. We discover that a joyful, awakened connection is possible. Guided partner meditations and practices will give couples tools to reignite the spark of an alive and growing love, which can be done in an ongoing way at home.

Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: DG2D18.

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.

RENÉ RIVERA is on the boards of Spirit Rock and East Bay Meditation Center and is the former Executive Director of Bike East Bay.

NOV SEP

02 25 SUN

GEORGE TAYLOR, MFT, has been a licensed couple’s counselor for 25 years, and married to Debra ChamberlinTaylor for 35. He is the author of a Path for Couples. His great joy is in seeing couples find the deep well of love and laughter that a committed relationship offers to them.

LOSING FEAR OF FORMATIONS AYYA ANANDABODHI, AYYA SANTACITTA, ISABELITA PAPA | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

PLEASE BRING LUNCH TO SHARE WITH THE AYYAS In these times, we can get caught in positions of fear and hopelessness as we watch the world we once knew changing before our eyes. A radical turn towards the truth of impermanence can open us to an inner strength that is rooted in Dhamma. Implementing the Five Indriya (faculties) of Faith, Energy, Mindfulness, Collectedness and Wisdom equips us to meet these challenges, while furthering our capacity to use all experiences for awakening. Offered by donation (dana). Code: NU3G18.

AYYA ANANDABODHI - See bio on page 16.

AYYA SANTACITTA - See bio on page 16.

ISABELITA PAPA - See bio on page 16.

A PATH FOR COUPLES: JOYFUL CONNECTION, MINDFUL COMMUNICATION DEBRA CHAMBERLIN-TAYLOR & GEORGE TAYLOR 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

DEC

01

SAT

WISE INTENTION: LIVING OUR HEART’S ASPIRATION CELESTE BROOKE YOUNG | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

The Buddha offered us three ways to practice wise intention: the cultivation of non-harming, loving-kindness, and letting go. In this day retreat, we will look at how we can apply wise intention moment-to-moment in the service of our goals in life. We will deepen our commitment to Dharma practice through exploring creative ways to cultivate these three aspects of wise intention as skillful means of moving towards freedom from suffering, for ourselves and others, and living an intentional life that is an expression of our deeper values. The day will include periods of guided and walking meditation, written reflection, and Q&A. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: CY2D18.

CELESTE YOUNG - See bio on page 13.

27

NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | SEP – DEC 2018

DEC

02 SUN

THE DHARMA OF MONEY: CREATING YOUR FINANCIAL KARMA SPENCER SHERMAN | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

What if you let go of aversion and clinging in order to experience a full day of having “enough”? During this day retreat, you will create a vision for an achievable financial life that brings equanimity and purpose. We will dive into the intentions, practices, and actions that cultivate a wise relationship with money. Through guided meditations, writing, movement, and group exercises, you will release stressful patterns and develop successful strategies to create healthy money karma.

Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: PS1D18.

SPENCER SHERMAN has a Finance MBA from Wharton, teaches MBSR, and authored The Cure for Money Madness and Money & Spirit Workshop. He believes everyone can feel ease with money regardless of how much we have. His 25-year meditation practice supports him in helping others create a conscious relationship with money.

DEC

DEC

FRI

SUN

07 09

16 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE We do learn and grow from meeting the challenges and adversities of the human condition when we have enough support, resources and skills to do so. This retreat explores how we can learn to cope resiliently with the trials, and even tragedies, of our lives. We will apply practices of mindfulness, self-compassion, mindful empathy and conscious reflection to five factors that predict genuine posttraumatic growth and find a deeper sense of meaning, purpose, and fulfillment through our process of recovery. Fee: $225 – 600 sliding scale. Code: LG2M18.

LINDA GRAHAM, MFT - See bio on page 13.

DEC

07 DEC

02

THE ART AND PRACTICE OF FORGIVENESS PHILLIP MOFFITT | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

SUN

5.5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE The art of forgiveness begins with connecting to the nuances of the heart. As a practice, it involves learning skills such as Metta, mindful acknowledgement, and compassion. This is a day to bring your remorse or grief about past actions and move beyond feelings of guilt and shame so that you arrive at genuine forgiveness. Likewise, if you are caught in anger toward someone who has wronged you, you will be guided toward holding them in accountability and responsibility. And, for the ways you have let yourself down, applying this forgiveness practice will move you toward acceptance, clarity, and resolution. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: PM2D18.

PHILLIP MOFFITT has practiced Vipassana since 1983. He is founder and president of the Life Balance Institute. He is author of Dancing with Life, Emotional Chaos to Clarity and Awakening through the Nine Bodies.

3-DAY NON-RESIDENTIAL RETREAT RESILIENCE AND POST-TRAUMATIC GROWTH LINDA GRAHAM | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

FRI

SENSE OF JUSTICE OVER SENSE OF SELF: A DAY RETREAT FOR WOMEN LEADERS ERIN SELOVER AND LEYLA D. SEKA 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

OPEN TO ALL SELF-IDENTIFIED WOMEN Patriarchal forces pervade society and the workplace. In turn, we as women are left doubting ourselves, suppressing our wisdom, sacrificing our values, and diminishing our vitality.

There is another way. This day retreat will explore how we can succeed professionally and feel good about it, from the combined perspectives of a Buddhist teacher and a SalesForce executive. We have found that by applying Buddhist wisdom and committing to practice, it’s possible to transform these forces and live an empowered life full of meaning and well-being, both professionally and personally. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale.

Code: ES3D18.

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 and member of the Spirit Rock Teachers Council.

LEYLA D. SEKA is the EVP of AppExchange at SalesForce.

She is active in women in technology and equal-pay issues, and was named a “Next-Gen Innovator” by Forbes, among other honors. She self-identifies as a closet Buddhist Meditation practitioner.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, VISIT SPIRITROCK.ORG.

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NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | SEP – DEC 2018

DEC

08 SAT

WISE REFLECTION: A YEAR IN REVIEW NIKKI MIRGHAFORI | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

LIVESTREAM AVAILABLE Have you ever wanted to take time to reflect upon a year gone by and life’s busyness got in the way? This day will provide a supportive container in sangha on the beautiful Spirit Rock land for such a timely reflection. We will gain insights on the previous year, practice letting go, and engage in forgiveness for ourselves and others. We will identify our deepest values and set our hearts’ compass to our highest aspirations in living this precious and fleeting human life.

The day will include guided meditations, silence, interactive inquiry, and writing. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: NM3D18.

DEC

NIKKI MIRGHAFORI - See bio on page 25.

FRI

DEC

08 SAT

MEDITATION, CHANTING AND WINTER SOLSTICE RITUAL JAI UTTAL AND DEBRA CHAMBERLIN-TAYLOR 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM

The great Love and Sacred Light that this season celebrates are found within our own hearts. We will use the powerful and sublime blend of chanting and meditation to carry us from the frenzy of “holiday mind” to the ocean of the awakened heart. This evening will include chanting (call-and-response) and meditation. We will conclude with a beautiful candlelight ritual to honor the Winter Solstice. Fee: $30 – 100 sliding scale. Code: JA3E18.

14

FROM ANXIETY TO CALM PRESENCE: DHARMA AND YOGA DJUNA MASCALL | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Anxiety and fatigue can be constant companions, which can derail our well-being. When we align the mind with the slower rhythms of the body and unwind, we can reconnect with a calm embodied presence. This day retreat will offer Dharma teachings on releasing fear and cultivating self compassion.

We will connect to the body through somatic movement, yoga postures, and breath work. Our practice will offer techniques to ground the nervous system and create a container of safety and support to promote relaxation. The yoga sessions will be both dynamic and nourishing for ease and resilience. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: DM3D18.

DJUNA MASCALL teaches Prajna Yoga nationally and internationally. She leads the Spirit Rock Dharma & Yoga Teacher Training Program and is 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.

JAI UTTAL - In 30 years of commitment to the spiritual practice of kirtan, Jai Uttal has cultivated a voice and musical style that carries the listener into the heart of devotion, prayer, and healing, and to an ecstatic remembrance of the divine.

DEBRA CHAMBERLIN-TAYLOR - See bio on page 27.

DEC DEC

09 SUN

HEART PRACTICES OF THE BUDDHA: SEEING THROUGH THE EYES OF LOVE VINNY FERRARO | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

15

SAT

MINDFULNESS MEDITATION JACK KORNFIELD | 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM

LIVESTREAM AVAILABLE In this traditional Insight Meditation (Vipassana) day retreat, In this day retreat, we’ll focus on the heart practices of the Buddha, the emphasis is on quieting the mind and opening the heart. By and explore how, through the lens of mindfulness, we can shift our cultivating a calm mind and a kind heart towards ourselves and perspective and see through the eyes of love. We’re often challenged others, we learn to live with loving awareness. And we develop a to live with a fully open heart, rather than from disconnection. more easeful relationship with life, regardless of our circumstances.

Through the Insight Meditation practices of observing our bodies and Instructions will be given for both sitting and walking meditation. minds, we’ll see clearly the reality of our experiences, just as they are.

Lively discourse on the Dharma will be provided throughout the As our understanding deepens, we’ll develop a greater sense of day, with time for questions and discussion. Fee: $90 – 250 sliding how to care for ourselves, and live life with a wiser and more loving scale. Code: JK3D18. heart. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: VF3D18.

VINNY FERRARO - See bio on page 21.

JACK KORNFIELD - See bio on page 14.

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NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | SEP – DEC 2018

DEC

16

SUN

SAY WHAT YOU MEAN: A MINDFUL APPROACH TO NONVIOLENT COMMUNICATION OREN JAY SOFER | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

5.5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE | FREE COPY OF BOOK INCLUDED Training ourselves to speak with clarity and kindness is one of the factors of the Noble Eightfold Path. In this workshop, we will explore the how to bring more mindfulness and care to our communication — our listening, speaking, and thinking. Based on Oren’s new book, we will explore practices integrating mindfulness, relational awareness, and Nonviolent Communication. Participants will learn the three steps to effective conversations, concrete tools to bring more ease to difficult conversations and to enhance relationships in meaningful, healthy ways. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale.

Code: OS5D18. Book signing for his book, Say What You Mean: A Mindful Approach to Nonviolent Communication available after the program.

DEC

22 SAT

The Winter Solstice invites reflection. As the longest night of the year approaches, the call for us is to go inward and reflect on the past year. What is there to celebrate? What changes need witnessing and attention? What are we ready to let go of?

What are we calling forth in the coming year? This day retreat will offer a meditative space for inquiry on the beautiful land at Spirit Rock, weaving together silent meditation, dharma reflections, relational mindfulness, and song. We will close with a fire ceremony to call forth the light. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale.

Code: ES4D18.

ERIN SELOVER - See bio on page 28.

LAUREN BROWN is an apprentice to the natural world and tender of all things wild. She is musician, somatic therapist and fire keeper. To find out more about Lauren go to laurenashleybrown.com

OREN JAY SOFER - See bio on page 19.

DEC

22 SAT

EMBODYING JOY: PRACTICES FOR CREATING WELL-BEING THROUGH QIGONG AND MEDITATION MINGTONG GU | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

5.5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE Our inherent joy is like sunlight that is always shining within.

This natural radiance is often obscured by passing clouds of emotion and thought. In this workshop, we will share practices and teachings from Buddhist and qigong traditions on how to uncover and reclaim our natural inner joy. Practices will include movement, meditations and sound. You will learn various qigong movements that awaken joy through strengthening the endocrine and immune systems, thereby reducing stress, anxiety and depression by activating and balancing the energy body. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: MT3D18.

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.

CALLING FORTH THE LIGHT: A WINTER SOLSTICE DAY RETREAT ERIN SELOVER AND LAUREN BROWN 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

DEC

28 FRI

THE LIBERATING FORCE OF THE THREE CHARACTERISTICS: AN INTENSIVE FOR EXPERIENCED PRACTITIONERS JOHN MARTIN | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

The direct understanding of the universal characteristics of impermanence (Annica), suffering (Dukkha), and not-self (Anatta) have a liberating power. Inviting awareness of the immediacy of these characteristics serves to uproot the underlying forces of the defilements that cloud the natural clarity of the heart. This day of dedicated practice will follow the simplicity of a residential retreat format with scheduled sitting and walking periods. Instructions will emphasize the cultivation of the continuity of loving awareness, while bringing attention to the Three Universal Characteristics. Insights into these have the potential to free the heart from all confusion and to open to an unshakable peace. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale.

Code: JN3D18.

JOHN MARTIN - See bio on page 23.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, VISIT SPIRITROCK.ORG.

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NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | SEP – DEC 2018

DEC

DEC

SAT

SUN

29 30

2-DAY NON-RESIDENTIAL RETREAT FINDING YOUR LIFE’S DEEP CURRENT: A WRITING RETREAT ROGER HOUSDEN | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

We are here to unfold the mysteries of our true identity and the unique story of our life. Our truest story lies in the deep heart.

This writing retreat encourages you to explore what you may never have fully given voice to; the faint whispers that may arrive in the night, in a moment of silence at the dinner table, alone under the stars or on some hilltop. We shall explore your deeper heart’s desires, the truths you may know but have been afraid to act on, and the courage required to claim them. Fee: $150 – 400 sliding scale. Code: RR2M18.

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

DEC

31

MON

LET GO, START OVER, LET GO: A NEW YEAR’S MEDITATION, EMANCIPATION & CELEBRATION WES NISKER, NINA WISE, AND JENNIFER BEREZAN 8:00 PM – 1:00 AM

The perfect way to start the new year! Let go of the past and embrace the present. Replenish your deepest wisdom and reconnect with the great mystery. Set intentions for yourself and for the world in the coming year. Laugh, sing, dance, and awaken! This celebratory evening will feature periods of silent meditation, movement, chanting, song, performances, wisdom teachings, and an end-of-the-year guided ritual. Join us in community as we begin another spin on this old rock of ages.

All ages are welcome.

Fee: $90 – 250 sliding scale. Code: WN1S18.

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!

The nervous system itself changes with deep meditation practice and is no longer so easily disturbed by thoughts and feelings, by fears or regrets.

—Kevin Griffin

DEC

30 SUN

KEEP COMING BACK: DHARMA, RECOVERY AND RENEWAL KEVIN GRIFFIN | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

NINA WISE is a performer who has devoted her career to investigating the relationship between art and spirit.

As Artistic Director of Motion, she has received multiple fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts.

JENNIFER BEREZAN is a unique blend of singer/ songwriter, teacher, ritualist and activist. She weaves the sacred into original contemporary musical styles.

Her work is deeply imbued with Buddhist and Earthbased themes.

5.5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE Our Dharma practice and recovery program both rest on the foundation of intention and commitment. One day at a time, one breath at a time, we keep coming back to the present moment and our wish to be free. This day retreat will focus on preparing for the new year with a clear vision of our path, whether we are just establishing our recovery, renewing our commitment, or maintaining our program and practice. Through mindfulness meditations, lecture, interactive exercises, and personal reflection, we seek fresh inspiration for a year of growth and happiness. All welcome: newcomers, 12 Steppers, Refuge Recovery or just the curious. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: KG3D18.

KEVIN GRIFFIN - See bio on page 23.

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family & youth programs

The Spirit Rock Family Program supports families in planting the seeds of the Dharma in their daily lives.

Through classes, day retreats and residential retreats, families, youth and parents learn to slow down, savor the present moment and re-connect with the wholesome qualities of heart and mind.

SEP

23

SUN

FAMILY PROGRAMS | SEP – DEC 2018

FALL FAMILY DAY KATE MUNDING AND EVE DECKER 10:30 AM - 3:00 PM

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: FA4D18. VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED to assist with Family Days and attend free of charge; children are welcome to volunteer alongside an adult. For more info: volunteering@spiritrock.org or call (415) 488-0164, x224.

KATE MUNDING 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). Kate is the founder of Heart-Mind Education, providing mindfulness-based education programs to students and the adults in their lives.

SEP

NOV

SUN

SUN

30 04

FALL TEEN MEDITATION SERIES SARA OAKES AND SEAN FEIT OAKES 1ST FIVE SUNDAYS, 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM 6TH SUNDAY, 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM

6-WEEK CLASS SERIES Learn meditation, relax deeply, speak your truth and develop your mind — all while hanging out with other great people your age. Through the practices of mindfulness and Insight Meditation, we take the time to reconnect to ourselves in order to experience more peace, wisdom and compassion.

Classes will include movement, community building games, meditation instruction and council, a practice of witnessing the group’s collective wisdom. The series will culminate with a half-day of practice and a potluck celebration. During the class, parents are welcome to read, meditate and connect with each other in the Spirit Rock bookstore and foyer. Fee: $120 – 240 sliding scale. Code: TE5C18.

SARA OAKES has practiced Insight Meditation since 2004. She is a graduate of both the Dedicated Practitioners and the Community Dharma Leader Programs at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. She has a private practice in Craniosacral therapy, Organic Intelligence, and Somatic Experiencing trauma resolution.

EVE DECKER is a graduate of Spirit Rock’s Community Dharma Leader Program. An accomplished musician, she teaches music and mindfulness to children and adults at East Bay Meditation Center, Spirit Rock and Aurora School in Oakland.

SEAN FEIT OAKES – See bio on page 16.

DEC

JAN

THU

TUE

27 01

NEW YEAR’S TEEN RETREAT MATTHEW BRENSILVER, MARVIN BELZER AND OTHERS 5 nights, Thursday – Tuesday

TEENS AGES 15 – 19 YEARS OLD WELCOME Get your head straight, chill out, learn to focus and appreciate life to its fullest! Explore your heart and mind. Connect with other teens in a positive, meaningful way. Reflect on the mystery and truth of your life. This retreat will be an opportunity for teens to explore mindfulness practice through guided periods of silent sitting and walking meditation, small group discussions, creative activities and unstructured free time. Besides learning meditation practices, there will also be time for walks, playing music, telling stories and enjoying each others’ company. Since meditation practice may be new to some teens, each period of sitting and walking meditation will be limited to 30 minutes. Fee: $1230 - 560 sliding scale. Code: 226R18.

MATTHEW BRENSILVER – See bio on page 12.

MARVIN BELZER, PHD, has taught mindfulness meditation for 20 years. He is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences.

SEP

OCT

SUN

SUN

30 28

FALL MIDDLE SCHOOL MEDITATION SERIES ANDREW CHAIKIN & MICHELE ANDROPOULOS 5 SUNDAYS: SEP 30 – OCT 28 , 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

5-WEEK CLASS SERIES—ALL TWEENS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL WELCOME!

See description for Fall Teen Meditation Series, above.

Fee: $100 – 200 sliding scale. Code: TE6C18.

ANDREW CHAIKIN is a graduate of the Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leaders program and Dedicated Practitioners Program and is a certified teacher of Search Inside Yourself. He leads a weekly sitting group in San Francisco and is the Coordinating Teacher of the meditation and yoga program at the San Francisco County Jail.

MICHELE ANDROPOULOS has been working as a Physical Education specialist within the Mount Diablo Unified School District for 18 years. Michele teaches 8-13 year olds combining physical activity with a mindful approach. She has been an active volunteer at SRMC and participating teacher at SRMC family days.

33

RESIDENTIAL RETREATS | SEP – DEC 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 x247 or x252.

34

RESIDENTIAL RETREATS | SEP – DEC 2018

35

RESIDENTIAL RETREATS | SEP – DEC 2018

SEP

SEP

MON

SUN

10 16

MEDITATION AND THE SPIRIT OF CREATIVITY ANNA DOUGLAS, NINA WISE, ANNE CUSHMAN, STEWART CUBLEY, CLAUDIA ERZINGER

6 nights, Monday – Sunday This is a silent retreat for painters, performers, writers; or anyone wanting to deepen their contact with the creative spirit. You do not have to have previous experience in these disciplines – just the passion to explore! You will need to choose one of the mediums: mindful movement/storytelling, writing, or painting. The focus of the retreat is on the dynamic principles of spiritual and creative unfolding: how meditation supports the creative process and how the creative process enlivens spiritual awakening. The focus is very much on process rather than the pressure to produce a result, artistic or spiritual. Alternating between stillness and creative activity provides fertile ground for the flowering of one’s unique expression. Fee: $1835 - 835 sliding scale. Code: 390R18.

GENERAL INFORMATION 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, managers and cooks

SEP

SEP

FINDING FREEDOM IN THE BODY

SUN

MARY GRACE ORR, BOB STAHL, CHRISTIANE WOLF, MARCY REYNOLDS (QIGONG)

17 23

MON

6 nights, Monday – Sunday 10 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE We will work primarily with the first of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness – mindfulness of the body. The “32 Parts of the Body” meditation has rarely been taught in the West; you will be introduced to it from an Insight perspective of the true nature and wonders of the body. This practice has also been used for healing illness and most importantly to help eradicate the erroneous view of self. Various methods will be taught to strengthen mindfulness of the body and to explore the mind/body connection. This retreat is suitable for both beginning and experienced meditators.

Fee: $1505 - 685 sliding scale. Code: 392R18.

through which they are compensated for their work.

Financial Assistance, Work Exchange and Young Adult Rates Financial assistance is available for all residential retreats 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, so we have your cancellation in writing.

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NOVEMBER

AT A GLANCE — 2018

RESIDENTIAL RETREATS SEPTEMBER Aug 29 –Sep 3

Labor Day Insight Meditation Retreat

Aug 31 –Sep 2

Abhayagiri Teen Meditation Retreat

Sep 10–16 Sep 17–23 Sep 17–23 Sep 24–30

James Baraz, Sharda Rogell, Howard Cohn, Terry Vandiver (yoga)

Oct 31 –Nov 7

Thanissara, Kittisaro, Erin Treat —registration open Nov 8–15 Nov 16–25

Spring Washam, Anna Douglas, JoAnna Hardy, Erin Selover, Kate Johnson (yoga)

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

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

Insight Meditation Winter Solstice Retreat

Transforming the Judgemental Mind (Parallel) *UWH Wisdom Rising: A Women’s Meditation Retreat

Thanksgiving Insight Meditation Retreat

Nov 26 –Dec 2

Finding Freedom in the Body (Parallel)

Donald Rothberg

Sally Armstrong, Ruth King, Bonnie Duran, Tempel Smith program participants only

Seven Factors of Awakening (Parallel)

Meditation and the Spirit of Creativity

Mary Grace Orr, Bob Stahl, Christiane Wolf, Marcy Reynolds (qigong)

Dedicated Practitioners Programs Retreat 4

Nov 26 –Dec 2

Abhayagiri Monastics Anna Douglas, Nina Wise, Anne Cushman, Stewart Cubley, Claudia Erzinger

Reclamation of the Sacred: A Journey of Healing and Reconnection Through Insight Meditation

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 (Lottery) Eugene Cash, Pamela Weiss, DaRa Williams, Alexis Santos, JoAnna Hardy, Susa Talan (yoga) lottery opens 7/25/18

OCTOBER Oct 1–7

Dec 27 – Jan 1

Evolving Together: Mindfulness Meditation and Modern Science Wes Nisker, Rick Hanson, Nikki Mirghafori, Terry Vandiver (yoga)

Oct 9–14

Insight Meditation: The Convergence of Wisdom and Love

Feb 2 – Mar 2

Dana DePalma, Diana Winston, Matthew Brensilver, Ashley Sharp (yoga) Oct 25–29

Loving Awareness: A Retreat for Experienced Meditators (Lottery)

Mar 2 – 30

Jack Kornfield, Trudy Goodman, Teja Bell (qigong)

*UWH = Upper Walking Hall *Retreats listed in red are offsite, not at Spirit Rock

Matthew Brensilver and others registration opens 8/29/18

2019 ONE AND TWO MONTH RETREATS

Mindfulness and Heartfulness for Insight and Liberation Anushka Fernandopulle, Chas DiCapua

Oct 20–24

Teen New Year’s Retreat (location TBD)

Feb 2 – Mar 30

February Insight Meditation One-Month Retreat Sally Armstrong, James Baraz, Kamala Masters, Andrea Fella, Tempel Smith, Alexis Santos, Martha Link (yoga) —(Lottery)

March Insight Meditation One-Month Retreat Donald Rothberg, Sharda Rogell, Oren Jay Sofer, Heather Sundberg, DaRa Williams (March 2-16) Arinna Weisman (March 16 - 30), Amana Bremby Johnson (yoga) —(Lottery)

Insight Meditation Two-Month Retreat (Lottery)

37

RESIDENTIAL RETREATS | SEP – DEC 2018

SEP

SEP

TRANSFORMING THE JUDGEMENTAL MIND

OCT

OCT

MON

SUN

DONALD ROTHBERG

MON

SUN

17 23

01 07

6 nights, Monday – Sunday 16 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE Prerequisite: Completion of at least one residential or nonresidential retreat in mindfulness practice.

Judgments of a reactive nature are very strong in most of our lives, and in the dominant culture. They can distort our perceptions, make relationships difficult, and undermine our work in the world. In this retreat, we will explore such judgments (and their difference from non-reactive discernment) and how to transform them. We will cultivate mindfulness of judgments; inquiry into the deep roots of judgments; and heart practices such as lovingkindness, forgiveness, joy, and compassion. We will also explore the somatic and social dimensions of judgments and how to cultivate skill in speech and interaction in the midst of judgments. These tools will help us to preserve the intelligence and energy often found in judgments, using them for discernment and compassionate action, while working through judgments’ destructive, compulsive aspects. Fee: $1505 - 685 sliding scale. Code: 393R18.

SEP

SEP

MON

SUN

24 30

WISDOM RISING: A WOMEN’S MEDITATION RETREAT SPRING WASHAM, ANNA DOUGLAS, JOANNA HARDY, ERIN SELOVER, KATE JOHNSON (YOGA)

6 nights, Monday - Sunday

EVOLVING TOGETHER: MINDFULNESS MEDITATION AND MODERN SCIENCE WES NISKER, RICK HANSON, NIKKI MIRGHAFORI, TERRY VANDIVER (YOGA)

6 nights, Monday - Sunday 12 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE Many of us are amazed when we read of the latest scientific discoveries about the complexity of the brain or the number of galaxies in the cosmos or the workings of biological evolution. In this meditation retreat we will learn how to make the new science come alive inside of us, helping us to transform our understanding of ourselves. Making use of classical Buddhist meditation techniques, we will employ the latest science information to help us train our hearts and minds for a more harmonious and happier life.

Fee: $1505 - 685 sliding scale. Code: 200R18.

OCT

OCT

TUE

SUN

09 14

MINDFULNESS AND HEARTFULNESS FOR INSIGHT AND LIBERATION ANUSHKA FERNANDOPULLE, CHAS DICAPUA

5 nights, Tuesday - Sunday Prerequisite: Completion of at least one insight meditation daylong/ non-residential retreat. It is OK if this is your first residential retreat.

Join us to practice insight meditation in sitting, walking, eating and daily activities to explore the deep well-being available from investigating Dharma through your own experience. Learn to recognize yourself as part of nature. We will enter into a contemplative Buddhist retreat, simplifying our lives by letting

OPEN TO ALL SELF-IDENTIFIED WOMEN

go of reading, writing, cellphones, computers, sexual activity and

Within each woman there is an ever-flowing fountain of creative

recreational drugs/alcohol to help settle our minds and hearts. You

energy and innate wisdom. Within the safe and nourishing

will be expected to enter the retreat on the opening day and stay for

container of this silent retreat, we’ll cultivate an approach to

the duration. Fee: $1505 - 685 sliding scale. Code: 202R18.

meditative practice that honors the feminine, intuitive and embodied dimensions of a woman’s spiritual journey. Join a diverse circle of women on the path of embodied presence in this meditation retreat designed to awaken and empower ourselves.

Whatever your age, ethnicity, body type, or sexual orientation, as women we share a common longing to heal our hearts, honor our interconnectedness and take empowered action in the world.

Fee: $1505 - 685 sliding scale. Code: 394R18.

We slow down in order to bear our own sufferring more responsibly so we don’t cause more harm in the world.

—Erin Selover

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, VISIT SPIRITROCK.ORG.

39

RESIDENTIAL RETREATS | SEP – DEC 2018

OCT

OCT

SAT

WED

20 24

INSIGHT MEDITATION: THE CONVERGENCE OF WISDOM & LOVE DANA DEPALMA, DIANA WINSTON, MATTHEW BRENSILVER, ASHLEY SHARP (YOGA)

OCT

NOV

31 07

WED WED

THANISSARA, KITTISARO, ERIN TREAT

7 nights, Wednesday – Wednesday

4 nights, Saturday – Wednesday Wisdom and love, cultivated on the spiritual path, are often referred to as the two wings of a bird. Both are needed. Both can be developed over time and with practice. In this silent retreat we will explore complementary practices that cultivate both “wings” of wisdom and love. We’ll spend each day practicing mindfulness, developing sustained awareness of our moment-to-moment experience. Once our minds settle, we can start to see more clearly into ourselves which helps us access our own inner wisdom. Simultaneously, throughout this retreat we will learn specific practices that deliberately cultivate the warmth of kindness and compassion for ourselves and the world. As these two “wings” mature, we see more clearly, love more fully, and so much goodness unfolds. Fee: $1220 - 555 sliding scale.

Code: 206R18.

RECLAMATION OF THE SACRED: A JOURNEY OF HEALING AND RECONNECTION THROUGH INSIGHT MEDITATION

Through training attention, wise discernment and investigation, the Amata Dharma – undying Dharma – is intuitively known as the core matrix of pure consciousness within all that emerges and dissolves. Such knowing begins to transform our world, personally and collectively, enabling and strengthening an inner sense of freedom and confidence. The retreat includes devotional practice and qigong. Fee: $1760 - 800 sliding scale. Code: 210R18.

NOV

NOV

FRI

SUN

16 25

THANKSGIVING INSIGHT MEDITATION RETREAT WES NISKER, ERIN TREAT, MATTHEW BRENSILVER, TERRY VANDIVER (YOGA)

9 nights, Friday - Sunday OCT

OCT

THU

MON

25 29

LOVING AWARENESS: A RETREAT FOR EXPERIENCED MEDITATORS (Lottery) JACK KORNFIELD, TRUDY GOODMAN KORNFIELD, TEJA BELL (QIGONG)

4 nights, Thursday – Monday Prerequisite: Completion of at least two silent Vipassana residential retreats of five or more nights, AND five years of Vipassana meditation practice. You must have completed the prerequisite before applying for this retreat. Workshop-style retreats do not count toward this prerequisite. This retreat is for experienced students.

Loving Awareness: practiced as mindfulness and metta is the gateway to liberation. During this meditation retreat, as experienced practitioners, we will join together to quiet the mind, open the heart, and see our human life with the eyes of wisdom. This is a newer retreat format in which we will continue our traditional alternating periods of sitting, walking, guided meditations; and add in daily periods of dialogue where we are engaged in Q & A sessions with the teachers and the group of practitioners attending the retreat. Fee: $1430 - 650 sliding scale.

Code: 208R18.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, VISIT SPIRITROCK.ORG.

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The Thanksgiving retreat at Spirit Rock is a special opportunity to spend the holiday in the company of a like-minded community, surrounded by the peace and silence of the land.

We will spend our days in noble silence with the sitting and walking practices of Insight Meditation (Vipassana). Supported in this beautiful container, we will explore how the teachings of the Buddha point us to directly touch and understand our experience, opening us to compassion and wisdom. There will be instructions for sitting and walking meditation, periods of movement (yoga), dharma talks and practice meetings with the teachers. Fee: $2650 - 1205 sliding scale. Code: 214R18.

Your sorrow will teach you compassion, your vulnerability will bring tenderness, and the renewal of each day will bring you joy. Appreciation of your wonderful, messy failures will bring you peace.

—Jack Kornfield

RESIDENTIAL RETREATS | SEP – DEC 2018

Carry the Dharma forward...

COMMUNITY DHARMA LEADERS PROGRAM SPIRITROCK.ORG/CDL6

The sixth Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leader (CDL) Program begins in November 2019. CDL6 is a two-year program that will develop the next generation of Dharma leaders with the capacity, the resilience and the skills to carry the Dharma forward. This training will cultivate the inner resources to meet our ability to skillfully address the challenges of our time—climate change, growing economic disparity, racism, misogyny and oppression.

Nomination by a past CDL graduate, teachers-in-training, 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.

Meditation retreats can be powerful and transformative experiences, but how can we keep the practice alive in our fast-paced, modern society? How can we bring the values and intentions of contemplative practice into the complexity

Integrate the fruits of retreat into daily life

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

NEXT STEP DHARMA

in-depth training to nourish the insights from a retreat.

SPIRITROCK.ORG/NEXTSTEP

meditation teachers Oren Jay Sofer and Jaya Rudgard offer

Enrollment in Next Step Dharma includes: • 21 short dharma talks and 16 guided meditations • 18 recorded interviews and 4 live Q & A sessions • 6 weeks of mentoring for your practice • lifetime membership in the Next Step Dharma community Next Step Dharma is an affiliate program of Spirit Rock.

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RESIDENTIAL RETREATS | SEP – DEC 2018

NOV

DEC

MON

SUN

26 02

SEVEN FACTORS OF AWAKENING EUGENE CASH, GINA SHARPE, PAMELA WEISS

6 nights, Monday – Sunday

Prerequisite: Completion of one silent 7-night residential retreat.

Buddha taught the Seven Factors of Awakening to reveal and encourage the ground that nourishes Freedom. Meditating and contemplating with these factors opens us to the potential of our unrecognized capacities and allows us to discover the extraordinary potential we have to Awaken. Fee: $1505 - 685 sliding scale.

Code: 216R18.

NOV

DEC

MINDFULNESS AS A PATH OF AWAKENING

MON

SUN

MARK COLEMAN

26 02

6 nights, Monday – Sunday 15 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE Mindful awareness is the foundation for living with wisdom and compassion and is the seed from which springs much joy and peace. Through this retreat you will learn skillful methods to establish and refine mindful presence that develops self-awareness, clarity and insight. We will draw on the Buddha’s discourse on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness as understood in Early Buddhist Teachings. Fee: $1505 - 685 sliding scale. Code: 217R18.

DEC

DEC

MON

SUN

03 09

AWAKENING IN THE BODY: YOGA AND MEDITATION ANNE CUSHMAN, KATE JOHNSON, BRENT MORTON, ROLF GATES (YOGA)

6 nights, Monday – Sunday Cultivate an embodied awakening of mind and heart in this silent retreat that blends the traditions of yoga and Insight Meditation (Vipassana). Through an integrated flow of meditation in movement and in stillness, we discover that what we call “body” and what we call “mind” are different aspects of the same living presence. And we explore how to use this integration of body and mind to express our practice through an engaged life that addresses both the suffering in the world and the suffering stored in our bodies. Each day includes two sessions of mindful yoga practice suitable to all levels of yoga experience and physical ability with an emphasis on sensing, nourishing and fully inhabiting the body. Fee: $1505 - 685 sliding scale. Code: 218R18.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, VISIT SPIRITROCK.ORG.

42

RESIDENTIAL RETREATS | SEP – DEC 2018

2019 DEC

DEC

MON

SUN

10 16

IN THE PRESENCE OF LOVE: A METTA AND QIGOING RETREAT

ONE AND TWO MONTH RETREATS

SPRING WASHAM, VINNY FERRARO, ERIN SELOVER, TEJA BELL (QIGONG)

Prerequisite: Completion of three previous silent 7-night Vipassana retreats led by Spirit Rock, IMS, or IRC teachers, or other recognized Insight Meditation teachers. To qualify, these retreats must have a similar format to this retreat and you must have completed the prerequisite before applying for this retreat.

6 nights, Monday – Sunday 16 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE This silent retreat will focus on cultivating the quality of lovingkindness (metta in Pali), infusing our hearts, minds and bodies with a strong caring wisdom. Mindful presence and loving-kindness are essential to living a spiritual life. Awareness as developed through mindfulness practice leads to clarity, insight and understanding.

Loving-kindness practices open the heart, allow a kind embrace of ourselves, and connects us intimately with all of life. The fusion of these qualities helps us to respond more compassionately to the challenges that we encounter in ourselves and in the world.

Fee: $1505 - 685 sliding scale. Code: 220R18.

DEC

DEC

MON

SUN

17 23

INSIGHT MEDITATION WINTER SOLSTICE RETREAT: EMBRACING THE DARK, INVITING THE LIGHT DONALD ROTHBERG, HEATHER SUNDBERG, OREN JAY SOFER

6 nights, Monday – Sunday In this retreat, we will emphasize centering ourselves at the time of the holidays and the New Year, quieting our minds, grounding in our bodies, opening up our hearts, and using inquiry to help give energy to our practice. There will be a special emphasis on opening to the darkness, including to our difficulties and challenges, as well as to the coming light — to our beauty, joy, wisdom, and love. The retreat will include complete meditation instructions, sitting and walking meditation, daily loving-kindness practice, daily Qigong practice, evening talks, practice discussions, and a Winter Solstice ceremony. Fee: $1705 - 775 sliding scale. Code: 222R18.

DEC

JAN

THU

SUN

27 06

NEW YEAR’S INSIGHT MEDITATION RETREAT EUGENE CASH, PAMELA WEISS, DARA WILLIAMS, ALEXIS SANTOS, JOANNA HARDY, SUSA TALAN (YOGA)

10 nights, Thursday – Sunday This is a traditional Insight Meditation (Vipassana) retreat with sitting and walking in silence, and regular meetings with teachers.

Each day there will be systematic meditation instructions, dharma talks and gentle yoga. We will mark the turning of the year with a late evening sitting and simple ceremony on New Year’s Eve. In celebration of the New Year, our focus will be on cultivating loving awareness and embracing each moment as fresh and new.

Fee: $3065 - 1395 sliding scale. Code: 224R18.

LOTTERY OPENS JULY 18, 2018

An extended period of retreat offers the rare opportunity for sustained and dedicated practice.

Our one and two-month retreats emphasize quieting the mind, opening the heart, and developing profound clarity and depth of insight practice. Instruction will follow the traditional four foundations of mindfulness, combined with training in loving-kindness and compassion, through a daily schedule of silent sitting, walking, dharma talks and practice meetings with teachers.

For the month-long retreats only: Spirit Rock is extending the upper age limit of the young adult scholarship rate to individuals 18-32 years of age.

This special rate is $35 per night. A limited number of special rates will be available. Additional scholarship funding will be offered for our POC communities.

FEBRUARY INSIGHT MEDITATION ONE-MONTH RETREAT (Lottery) February 2 – March 2, 28 nights SALLY ARMSTRONG, JAMES BARAZ, KAMALA MASTERS, ANDREA FELLA, TEMPEL SMITH, ALEXIS SANTOS, MARTHA LINK (YOGA) Fee: $6095 – 2770 sliding scale. Code: 236R19.

MARCH INSIGHT MEDITATION ONE-MONTH RETREAT (Lottery) March 2 – March 30, 28 nights DONALD ROTHBERG, SHARDA ROGELL, OREN JAY SOFER, HEATHER SUNDBERG, DARA WILLIAMS (MARCH 2 - 16) ARINNA WEISMAN (MAR 16 - 30), AMANA BREMBY JOHNSON (YOGA) Fee: $6095 – 2770 sliding scale. Code: 237R19.

INSIGHT MEDITATION TWO-MONTH RETREAT (Lottery) February 2 – March 30, 56 nights Fee: $12200 - 5545 sliding scale. Code: 238R19.

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the spirit rock teachers council AYYA ANANDABODHI has practiced meditation since 1989

DANA DEPALMA has practiced Insight Meditation since 1993.

and lived in Amaravati and Chithurst monasteries in the UK for 18 years. In 2009, she moved to the US to help establish Aloka Vihara, a training monastery for women, where she now resides.

She holds a Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology and is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She is a co-guiding teacher and Director of Faculty at Spirit Rock.

GUY ARMSTRONG has been practicing Insight Meditation

ANNA DOUGLAS has a background in psychology and art,

for more than 30 years and began teaching in 1984. He spent a year as a Buddhist monk in Thailand. Guy is a Guiding Teacher of Insight Meditation Society (IMS). He is author of Emptiness: A Practical Guide for Meditators.

SALLY ARMSTRONG began practicing Insight Meditation

BONNIE DURAN met the Dharma in 1982. She teaches long

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.

and short retreats and is a core teacher for advanced programs at IMS & SRMC. Dr. Duran is a Professor of Social Work & Public Health at the Indigenous Wellness Research Institute at the University of Washington.

JAMES BARAZ has practiced Insight Meditation since 1974 and

ANDREA FELLA has practiced Insight Meditation since 1996

has been teaching since 1980. James leads ongoing meditation and Awakening Joy classes in Berkeley. He is the co-author of Awakening Joy and Awakening Joy for Kids.

and began teaching in 2003. She teaches at the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, CA, and around the US.

SYLVIA BOORSTEIN has been teaching since 1985 and teaches

ANUSHKA FERNANDOPULLE has trained for over 25 years

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

in Buddhist meditation in the U.S., India and Sri Lanka, and is a member of the Spirit Rock Teachers Council. Anushka also works as a leadership coach and management consultant, and lives in San Francisco where she leads Monday Night Dharma.

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

GIL FRONSDAL has practiced Zen and Vipassana since 1975

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 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.

EUGENE CASH is a founding teacher of San Francisco Insight.

JOANNA HARDY has been exploring and practicing multiple

He is also the co-founder and co-teacher of the Dedicated Practitioners Program. In addition, he teaches the Diamond Approach® in San Francisco and Holland.

traditions since 1999. In 2005, her focus landed on Vipassana.

Teaching in communities that don’t typically have access to the traditional dharma settings and building inclusive community are top on her list of priorities.

DEBRA CHAMBERLIN-TAYLOR has been leading retreats

SUSIE HARRINGTON teaches meditation nationwide and

since 1978. In addition to practicing Vipassana, she has been influenced by Dzogchen and Diamond Heart®. She also leads workshops on embodiment of awareness and conscious relationships.

is the guiding teacher for Desert Dharma, which serves many communities in the Southwest near her home in Moab, UT. She is a graduate of the Spirit Rock/IMS/IRC Teacher Training Program.

HOWARD COHN has led Vipassana retreats since 1985 and

WILL KABAT-ZINN has practiced Insight Meditation for more

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.

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.

MARK COLEMAN has been teaching Insight Meditation

RUTH KING is a guiding teacher at Insight Meditation

retreats since 1997. He also leads wilderness meditation retreats, integrating mindfulness meditation with nature, and is the author of Awake in the Wild and Make Peace with Your Mind.

ANNE CUSHMAN is a graduate of the SRMC/IMS/IRC Teacher Training Program. She’s the author of Moving into Meditation and the novel, Enlightenment for Idiots.

44

in addition to more than 25 years of vipassana practice.

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

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

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.

JACK KORNFIELD trained as a Buddhist monk in Thailand, India

OREN JAY SOFER holds a degree in Comparative Religion

and Burma and holds a PhD in clinical psychology. He has taught meditation since 1974 and is a founding teacher of IMS and Spirit Rock. His books include A Path with Heart, The Wise Heart and No Time Like the Present.

from Columbia University, is trained in Somatic Experiencing, Nonviolent Communication, and is a member of the Spirit Rock Teachers Council. Oren is the Founder of Next Step Dharma, and author of Say What You Mean: A Mindful Approach to Nonviolent Communication.

BRIAN LESAGE has taught meditation since 2000. He has

TEMPEL SMITH has been practicing Metta and Insight

studied in the Zen, Theravada and Tibetan schools of Buddhism.

He was ordained in the Rinzai Zen tradition in 1996.

Meditation since 1989, including a year as a fully ordained monk in Burma. He graduated from the Teacher Training program led

by Jack Kornfield at Spirit Rock, is a core teacher in the Dedicated Practitioners Program, and has been leading retreats for more than 10 years.

JOHN MARTIN teaches Vipassana, Metta and LGBTQI

HEATHER SUNDBERG has taught Insight Meditation since

themed meditation retreats. He leads an on-going Monday evening meditation group in San Francisco. John has had a dedicated practice while being engaged in the working world and emphasizes practice for daily life. He serves on the Spirit Rock Teachers Council.

1999, completed Senior Teacher Training and is a member of the SRMC Teacher’s Council. She is a teacher for Mountain Stream Meditation Center in Nevada City, CA. Her teaching emphasizes Embodiment, Heart Practices, and Awareness Practices inspired by the Thai forest tradition.

NIKKI MIRGHAFORI, PHD, studied jhanas & vipassana

THANISSARA, MA, trained as a Buddhist monastic in the

with Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw who instructed her to teach. She is a Stanford-trained compassion cultivation instructor, a UCLAtrained mindfulness facilitator, and serves on the Spirit Rock Teachers Council and Board of Directors. She was previously incarnated as an artificial intelligence scientist.

PHILLIP MOFFITT has practiced Vipassana since 1983. He

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

is founder and president of the Life Balance Institute. He is the author of Dancing with Life, Emotional Chaos to Clarity and Awakening through the Nine Bodies.

and completed the SRMC/IMS/IRC Teacher Training Program.

She is the Guiding Teacher of Vallecitos Mountain Retreat Center, and teaches at the Durango Dharma Center. Erin is influenced by her love of wild nature, Diamond Approach® training, and decades of somatics and bodyworker experience.

KATE MUNDING has practiced meditation in the Theravada

SPRING WASHAM has practiced meditation since 1997.

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.

WES “SCOOP” NISKER is a meditation teacher, author, radio commentator and performer. His books include Essential Crazy Wisdom and You Are Not Your Fault.

SHARDA ROGELL began teaching Insight Meditation in 1985.

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

DONALD ROTHBERG, PHD has practiced meditation since 1976, and is the guiding teacher for the Path of Engagement program. Donald co-teaches the Wednesday morning class at Spirit Rock, and is the author of The Engaged Spiritual Life.

ERIN SELOVER teaches mindfulness-based classes throughout the San Francisco Bay Area in schools, mental health settings and the private sector. She is a psychotherapist and a graduate of the SRMC/IMS/IRC Teacher Training Program.

GINA SHARPE is co-founder and Guiding Teacher of New York Insight Meditation Center. She has been teaching the Dharma since 1995 and is particularly inspired by the potential and application of Dharma to transform and illuminate interpersonal and multicultural relations.

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 co-leader of the Spirit Rock Teacher Training Program.

DARA WILLIAMS has practiced Vipassana meditation for 25 years. She serves as an IMS Guiding Teacher and is a core teacher in the 2017/2021 IMS Teacher Training Program. She is coordinating trainer for Indigenous Focusing Oriented Trauma Therapy (IFOT) and has a private psychotherapy practice in NY. DIANA WINSTON is the Director of Mindfulness Education at UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center. 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.

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SPIRIT ROCK TE ACHER S COUNCIL (CONT’D)

Teachers Emeritus AJAHN AMARO trained in Thailand with Ajahn Chah and Ajahn Sumedho. He is the former co-abbot of Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery near Ukiah, CA. He is now abbot of Amaravati Monastery in the UK.

ROBERT HALL, MD, is a physician of the body/mind, a psychiatrist, poet and meditation teacher. He is a pioneer of the integration of bodywork, psychotherapy and spiritual practice. He lives and teaches at El Dharma in Todos Santos, Mexico.

MARY GRACE ORR is a Vipassana teacher and former Guiding Teacher of Santa Cruz Insight. She has practiced many spiritual disciplines for the past 25 years and has trained in the Diamond Approach®.

JOHN TRAVIS founded Mountain Stream Meditation in 1993 and opened a center in Nevada City, CA, in 2013. He has practiced meditation for almost 50 years and spent a decade living in Asia.

JULIE WESTER has been a teacher of Insight Meditation since 1985 and is a senior meditation teacher at Spirit Rock.

A student of sacred feminine wisdom traditions, her primary teachers have included Ruth Denison, Joanna Macy, Lama Tsultrim Allione and the women of her own family lineage.

Spirit Rock News © 2018 Spirit Rock Meditation Center | Sep - Dec 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

SPIRIT ROCK NEWS | SEP – DEC 2018

Gratitude Practice Gratitude helps cultivate an attitude of loving-kindness and allows us to stay present to what’s true in our lives. Inspired by our Gratitude Hut, where we place notes of gratitude into the prayer wheel, we invite you to share what you’re grateful for in your life. List a few things you are grateful for below. It can be whatever you want—broad or specific. Drawings, pictures, and collages are also welcome!

Mail this page to Spirit Rock, PO Box 169, Woodacre, CA 94973 or take a photo and tag us @spirit_rock on Instagram or email to communications@spiritrock.org.

We hope to share your showing of gratitude with our online community and will then place it into our prayer wheel. Deep bows!

spiritrock.org/gratitude 47

Spirit Rock

An Insight Meditation Center

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

spiritrock.org

You may be familiar with our Gratitude Hut at Spirit Rock (pictured on the cover) that is a precious place for our sangha to visit at any time. It is a living expression of gratitude and a visual honoring of the meditation masters from various traditions whose wisdom and compassion nourish so many of Spirit Rock’s teachers and practitioners.

We welcome you to come visit and share in our gratitude to all those who have come before us.