Spirit Rock

spiritrock.org

news & schedule | may · aug 2018

wisdom & insight

for over 30 years

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 May you be happy.
May you be safe.
May you be healthy.
May you live with ease.

Drop by drop is the water pot filled.

Likewise, the wise one, gathering it
little by little, fills themself with good.
—The Buddha
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Bridging the Teachings
A Message from Michelle Latvala, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
In the wide and varied 2600 year
lineage of the Buddha’s teachings,
our impact as Spirit Rock is humbly
tiny! And yet in the last 40 years as
these teachings spread widely to
convert communities in the west,
our impact as an organization is
profound as hundreds of thousands
of people connect to the Dharma
through Spirit Rock. We take that
responsibility as stewards seriously;
we have been reflecting with you and each other on what it takes
to sustain such deep service to the sangha going forward, amongst
radically different conditions than our founding years.
A critical and beautiful piece of our Dharmic service is training
teachers, so they can offer the teachings here at Spirit Rock, in their
communities, and throughout the world. Our teachers remain an
essential heart of our mission, with the depth of practice they bring
to their teachings a remarkable offering in this contemporary lite-
fare world. We are deeply grateful to them, and continue to work
toward best supporting teachers offering their deepest Dharma.
On page 4, we bow deeply to those devoted teachers that literally
gave roots to Spirit Rock thirty years ago. James Baraz reflects on
walking the land with Jack Kornfield and some who were part of
the first Spirit Rock teacher training—Sylvia Boorstein, Howard
Cohn, Sharda Rogell, and Anna Douglas. They finished training
back in 1988!
Fast forward to 2018, and we celebrate the twenty trainees that
are now part of our eighth Spirit Rock Teacher Training! Read
more on page 6 and get to know them as they train on upcoming
retreats with you and offer their own beautifully rich programs:
Teresa Abdala-Romano, Noliwe Alexander, Pawan Bareja, Leslie
Booker, Carol Cano, Victoria Cary, Alisa Dennis, JD Doyle, Cara Lai
FitzGibbon, Jeff Haozous, Amana Brembry Johnson, Kate Johnson,
Solwazi Johnson, Louije Kim, Kaira Jewel Lingo, James Lowe,
Konda Mason, Dawn Mauricio, Gulwinder Singh, and Katy Wiss.
We are deeply excited to be building relationships with them
and you.
More good in 2018: on page 45 we celebrate the newest members
of our Spirit Rock Teachers Council—which is the group of
teachers who commit to making Spirit Rock a primary home for
their teachings. Some of our newest members have been deeply
SPIRIT ROCK NEWS | MAY – AUG 2018
connected to Spirit Rock for decades, and others are growing their
connection as we speak: Matthew Brensilver, Anne Cushman,
Bonnie Duran, JoAnna Hardy, Susie Harrington, Ruth King,
Kittisaro, Brian Lesage, John Martin, Nikki Mirghafori, Kate
Munding, Erin Selover, Gina Sharpe, Oren Jay Sofer, Heather
Sundberg, Thanissara, Erin Treat, Pamela Weiss, Lila Kate
Wheeler, and DaRa Williams. We are so glad they are with us.
They are joining our existing group of incredible Spirit Rock
Teachers Council members, listed on page 45: Ayya Anandabodhi,
Guy Armstrong, Sally Armstrong, James Baraz, Sylvia Boorstein,
Eugene Cash, Debra Chamberlin-Taylor, Howard Cohn, Mark
Coleman, Dana DePalma, Anna Douglas, Andrea Fella, Anushka
Fernandopulle, Gil Fronsdal, Will Kabat-Zinn, Jack Kornfield,
Phillip Moffitt, Wes Nisker, Sharda Rogell, Donald Rothberg,
Tempel Smith, Spring Washam, Diana Winston, and Larry Yang.
Five teachers who offered many years of service as Teacher Council
members are now recognized as Teacher Emeritus: Ajahn Amaro,
Robert Hall, Mary Grace Orr, John Travis, and Julie Wester. We are
deeply grateful.
Naming is a powerful tradition in many cultures, and having all
these names together on one page underscores that we are here,
for some rich period of time, together. And yet any time we name,
so many other deep contributors and supporters over these three
decades are not named, so we honor those broad shoulders on
which we stand. We also acknowledge the many teachers beyond
our formal Teachers Council that teach in our Retreat Center
and our Community Center ever year, contributing deeply to the
offerings to our sangha. We could not do all we do without them.
Our teachers are bridging from one generation to the next, and we
find ourselves blessed to be on this bridge together. It is a powerful
convergence to have our founding teachers and our future teachers
support the continuity of the teachings not through a handing-of-
the baton, but instead through a side-by-side immersion. And we
learn, and we practice, and we fumble, and we respond, and we
practice more, and we share the teachings. This is the truth of how
2600 years of teachings have survived!
May Spirit Rock contribute our part to the continued thriving of the
Dharma, and may all beings deeply benefit.
Michelle Latvala
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 THE DHARMA
PROVIDED...
James Baraz Reflects on the Birth
of Spirit Rock James Baraz, 2018

as spirit rock celebrates 30 years of service as a Dharma

center in the West, we had a dialogue with one of the founding
teachers to get a snapshot of the early days. James Baraz was don’t know,” and 2) “Don’t be afraid to be a moron.” Ram Dass said
one of those people who walked the land in 1973, before a single I should lead weekends to give people a taste of intensive practice.
building had been built. Nisha Shah (Director of Programs, In 1982, I taught my first retreat in Bodhgaya, India, where Joseph
Communications and Outreach) and Andy LeSavage (Marketing asked if I’d help him out.
Manager) sat down with James Baraz (a founding teacher of
Spirit Rock) for a light-hearted discussion about the birth of what How do you find serenity when you aren’t surrounded by the
many call their spiritual home, Spirit Rock. peace and solitude that Spirit Rock provides?
I just sit and go inside. One of the things that happens when you
Can you tell us about how the land was discovered? sit regularly is that you can access a place of home inside that you
We (Jack Kornfield, Sylvia Boorstein, Joseph Goldstein, Jane Baraz, touch on retreat.
Anna Douglas and a few others) looked at dozens and dozens of
pieces of land. Jack had wanted a location that was accessible from What is your favorite story about helping start Spirit Rock?
the city, but still in the country. We didn’t think that was going
From the very beginning when we were renting places for people
to happen. Then we found out that the Nature Conservancy was
to gather, we believed that if we found a home, the dharma would
selling 412 acres of land. The land was named Spirit Rock before
flourish. In 1998, the retreat center at Spirit Rock was built. I had
we purchased it because of the oak tree growing out of the big rock
the honor of welcoming everyone at the start of that day and
on the property that’s on our logo. It was grounded in the earth
said, “Welcome to my dream!” It was, of course, a lot of people’s
with spirit growing out of it. It was kind of mind blowing! There
were California rolling hills, creeks running through it and a valley
for situating buildings. It was gorgeous. Clearly the dharma had
provided!
Jack Kornfield with the original
Spirit Rock “For Sale” sign.
Tell us your story of getting to be a Dharma teacher...
In 1974, I went to Naropa because Ram Dass was there. I was a
schoolteacher at the time and carried around Be Here Now like a
bible. I asked him about meditation and he said to go check out this
guy Goldstein who had just come back to the States after practicing
in India for the previous seven years. Joseph said it was possible
not to be run by your neurotic thoughts and I believed him. I did
my first retreat a few months later. I did my first 3-month retreat in
1976 and then did everything I could to deepen my practice. When
I moved to San Francisco in 1977 I was encouraged to start a sitting
group. In 1978 I was asked to teach a class in San Francisco and
checked in with Ram Dass and Joseph, my two mentors, for advice.
Joseph’s was: 1) “Don’t be afraid to say you don’t know when you

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 2001—HH The Dalai Lama & Mahaghosananda
(revered Cambodian monk) at the International SPIRIT ROCK NEWS | MAY – AUG 2018
Buddhist Teachers Conference held at Spirit Rock.

1970—Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein,

James Baraz with Mahasi Sayadaw

dreams. I am so glad that I could be a part of it. Nothing has really

surprised me along the way. There was always a feeling that we were
here at the right time; the world was ready. It has been beautiful
and miraculous, but not surprising. I’ve always deeply felt that the
dharma holds the key to changing the world. We were able to just do
our part and watch the whole thing amazingly unfold.
How does Spirit Rock differ from other meditation centers
where you have taught?
The spaciousness and beauty of the land and nature is conducive
to spaciousness in the heart as well. We understand process of
awakening includes healing from our conditioned habits of mind as
well as opening beyond the personal to the ultimate level of reality.
And our teacher collective is committed to serving the dharma while
valuing helping each other grow and embodying what we teach.
What is your favorite food recipe from the kitchen?
The gado gado tofu with peanut sauce and noodles.
How do you imagine Spirit Rock in the next 30 years?
As cliché as it might sound, I think of Spirit Rock as a beacon of
consciousness. We’re a center of consciousness that helps people
wake up and a significant place that fosters awakening. We guide
people to go deep on retreats and bring practice into daily life,
on and off the cushion. It’s a crucial time in humanity and in our
planet’s evolution. Particularly in the next 30 years, in this world
of environmental, racial injustice and resource inequity we are in a
race between fear and consciousness.
I hope Spirit Rock fulfills its destiny and offers crucial support to
help people develop deep practice while making these precious
teachings available to as many people as possible so we can all,
as collective agents of consciousness, help heal the planet.

Sylvia Boorstein, Howard Cohn, James Baraz,

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

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 SPIRIT ROCK NEWS | MAY – AUG 2018

SHAPING THE FUTURE OF THE DHARMA—

SPIRIT ROCK’S 8TH TEACHER TRAINING

After four years of development and process, Spirit Rock initiated
its current teacher training program in July, 2017, coordinated by
lead faculty Gina Sharpe, Larry Yang, and Lila Kate Wheeler. The Teresa Abdala-Romano
group of 20 teachers-in-training consists of 90% participation
Noliwe Alexander
from communities of color and 55% participation from the
Pawan Bareja
LGBTQIA communities. Currently, with only 10 teachers of color
among approximately 350+ currently authorized Dharma teachers Leslie Booker
in Western Insight lineages, this Spirit Rock training will begin to Carol Cano
remedy a deeply felt need from all communities—the need for Victoria Cary
diverse voices, life experiences, and role models in the continuing Alisa Dennis
stream of the Dharma.
JD Doyle
The Spirit Rock teacher training has just finished its third of Cara Lai FitzGibbon
thirteen training sessions and we all feel the momentum of the Jeff Haozous
Dharma carrying our community energy and aspirations into a Amana Bremby Johnson
future that is beautifully expansive, creative, and profound. The Kate Johnson
deepening of pedagogical skills, community bonding, and collegial
Solwazi Johnson
mutual support, that the teachers-in-training are experiencing,
Louije Kim
personally and collectively, are high priorities and well into
development. Trainees will graduate in 2020. We hope that you Kaira Jewel Lingo
will join the board, staff and teachers at Spirit Rock in our complete James Lowe
support, encouragement, and unconditional joy in bringing the Konda Mason
values of inclusivity, equity and diversity into how these ancient Dawn Mauricio
teachings on Freedom of the Mind and Heart are expressed, Gulwinder Singh
practiced, and lived in our contemporary daily lives.
Katy Wiss
May the trajectory of this teacher training bring boundless blessings
to all communities, in all directions.

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AWAKENING TO YOUR
BUDDHA NATURE
“O Nobly Born” the Buddhist texts begin, remember Your Buddha
Nature. Remember your innate capacity for dignity, understanding
and vast compassion. These gifts were born into you. Discover how
the beautiful qualities of Buddha Nature can become alive for you,
in your heart and the way you live.
Spirit Rock is pleased to offer Jack Kornfield’s series of inspiring
and fresh talks that awaken the qualities of Buddha Nature,
traditionally described as inner perfections. Through these
teachings and practices, you are invited to bring alive and
embody the virtues of the heart, lovingkindness and steadiness,
compassion and wisdom. You are invited to awaken the best in
yourself.
Given in 2017, these teachings are some of Jack’s favorites.
They are delightful, poetic and inspired. And even more....
They can change your life.
Begins November 2019—
COMMUNITY DHARMA
LEADER PROGRAM
Training the Next Generation of Dharma Leaders
The sixth Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leader (CDL) Program
will begin in November 2019. Nomination by a past CDL graduate,
teacher trainee, or Insight teacher is required for participation.
Nominations will begin in October of 2018, and applications will
be accepted beginning February 2019. Applicants must receive
nomination before applying, and must have a minimum of five
years of practice and 40 nights of Insight and/or Metta retreat
experience.
CDL6 will develop the next generation of Dharma leaders with the
capacity, the resilience and the needed skills to carry the Dharma
forward. This training will cultivate the inner resources to meet
our collective ability to skillfully address the profound challenges
of our time—climate change, growing economic disparity, and
entrenched systems of racism, misogyny and oppression.
FREE ONLINE AUDIO
TEACHINGS BY
JACK KORNFIELD
visit:
spiritrock.org/
buddha-nature
“You are perfect just as you are...
and there is still room for improvement. “
—Shunryu Suzuki Roshi
The program includes five week-long retreats over two years
which will be held at Spirit Rock in Northern California and an
off-site center to be determined, possibly on the east coast.
The core program teachers are: Eugene Cash, Pamela Weiss,
DaRa Williams and Erin Treat. They will be supported by current
Spirit Rock and IMS teacher trainees: Noliwe Alexander, Devon
Hase and Solwazi Johnson.
CDL6 provides training for future Dharma leaders who reside
both nationally and internationally. There is an emphasis on
participants who live in areas or serve populations which are
not currently well served. Our aim is to support the dharma
in becoming fully inter-generational, culturally diverse and
regionally accessible, including the participation of young adults,
communities of color and other underrepresented groups.
For more information, visit:
spiritrock.org/community-dharma-leaders
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 SPIRIT ROCK NEWS | MAY – AUG 2018

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

I started out as a work retreatant, helping at residential retreats,

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

I am currently the dedicated volunteer for the volunteer office.

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

It has been wonderful to express my love for Spirit Rock and

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

Interesting in becoming a Spirit Rock Volunteer?

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

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 SPIRIT ROCK NEWS | MAY – AUG 2018

YOUR GENEROSITY IS LIFE-CHANGING

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

Your Support Is Vital to

Radiate Lovingkindness EVERYTHING

METTA MAY WE DO…
THIS MAY WE PLACE OUR PALMS TOGETHER Giving at Spirit Rock is a clear act of conviction—
WITH METTA, IN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF Supporting our spiritual refuge and the cultivation of
OUR DEEP INTERCONNECTEDNESS. compassion, kindness and clarity.

Explore ways to give on our website:

Join us from the cushion, at a Spirit Rock event, or with an
spiritrock.org/donate
act of generosity. Scholarship donations are a concrete
manifestation of Metta, having the intention to radiate Consider joining our Stewardship Circle, offering a
well wishes for others into the world. The benefits are
monthly gift to be applied to scholarships or where
exponential!
it’s needed most. We offer members monthly Dharma
talks, livestreaming, articles and more. Contact Lacey
Every gift made to our Scholarship Fund during Metta May
Segal at laceys@spiritrock.org or visit: spiritrock.org/
will receive a gift back—an opportunity to join a livestream
event on May 31st as Jack Kornfield and Sylvia Boorstein
stewardshipcircle-welcome.
engage in conversation and guide us through a Metta
Give a gift of stock: Have your stocks increased in
meditation. Stay tuned throughout Metta May for more
value? Giving a gift of stock is a smart way to receive
opportunities to cultivate kindness as we come together to
provide scholarship funding for practitioners in need.
excellent tax benefits while benefiting Spirit Rock.

We love our volunteers! To join us, contact our

A wish for you amidst all, today and all days:
May you feel safe
May you feel happy
May you live with ease
Thank you for your heartfelt generosity, your practice,
your inspiration—together we support one another as we
walk this path of insight and compassion.
volunteer coordinator, Juliana Birnbaum at
(415) 488-0164 x244 or volunteering@spiritrock.org.
Plan for the Future with Spirit Rock in Mind: Leaving
a gift in your estate is a powerful way to demonstrate
your love. We invite you to consider naming Spirit
Rock as a beneficiary in your will. If you have any
questions about this, or even the worldly Dharma of
money in general, please call Rachel Uris, Director of
Development, at (415) 488-0164 x286.
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 NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | MAY – AUG 2018

NON-RESIDENTIAL
PROGRAMS
Spirit Rock offers a breadth of trainings, including multi-day,
non-residential retreats, drop-in and day retreats, special events,
weekly and monthly class series and online courses that open
gateways to the Dharma and deepen understanding of the Bud-
dha's teachings. We invite you to review our offerings on the
following pages. Details are subject to change; visit spiritrock.org
for up-to-date information.

art: amanda giacomini

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NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | MAY – AUG 2018

WEEKLY & MONTHLY

DROP-IN PROGRAMS
AT SPIRIT ROCK

Community Welcome | Mondays, 6:15 – 7:00 pm

This FREE program is for everyone who is new to Spirit Rock
or interested in learning more about insight (Vipassana)
meditation. You can give meditation a try, experiment with
different postures and techniques, and learn more about how
Spirit Rock can support you. It’s a wonderful opportunity to
ask questions in a relaxed, informal setting and connect with
others who are new to the Spirit Rock community.

Mon. Night Dharma Talk & Meditation Group

7:15 – 9:15 pm | LIVESTREAM AVAILABLE
JACK KORNFIELD, MARK COLEMAN & OTHERS
Our Monday night drop-in program serves as an introduction
to the practices of awareness and compassion that are the
heart of our community and offers support and ongoing
teachings to committed students. Fee: $15 - 30 sliding scale.

Wed. Morning Meditation Group | 10 am – 12 pm

SYLVIA BOORSTEIN, DONALD ROTHBERG & OTHERS
A sitting and practice-oriented discussion group, suitable for
new and experienced practitioners. Fee: $15 - 30 sliding scale.

Thursday Women's Group | 10 am – 12 pm

GRACE FISHER & OTHERS
A place for women to come together, to share wisdom
and to strengthen a sense of belonging in the world.
Fee: $15 - 30 sliding scale.

Thursday Meditation & Yoga | 10 am – 12:15 pm

ASHLEY SHARP & OTHERS
Each class includes an hour of mindful yoga, guided
meditation, a Dharma talk, inquiry and discussion.
Fee: $15 - 30 sliding scale.

Dharma & Recovery Group | 7:15 – 9:15 pm

KEVIN GRIFFIN & OTHERS - 2nd Friday of every month
This group explores the intersection of recovery with Buddhist
teachings and practices. All who identify with any of the full
range of addictions, including substances, behaviors, habitual
thought and emotional patterns are welcome.
Fee: $15 - 30 sliding scale.
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MAY
MAY Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
03 LISA MORAN AND SUSAN DUBIN-MCNEIL
THU
7:00 PM – 9:30 PM | THURSDAYS;
PLUS SATURDAY, JUNE 9 (OPTIONAL)
10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
15 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE | 8-WEEK CLASS SERIES
The MBSR program is an intensive 8-week training program
designed to empower participants to take an active role in the
creation of their own health and wellness. The skills learned
in mindfulness training are also useful tools for promoting
well-being in clinicians in psychology, nursing, and medicine.
Program participants may expect to learn specific meditation and
mindfulness practices and incorporate them into their daily lives as
a routine means to respond to the challenges in living our stress-
filled lives. Participants learn to better manage stress, anxiety,
depression, and health-related problems. Mindfulness practices
address communications styles that enhance relationships and
improve quality of life. Fee: $275 – 525 sliding scale. Code: MD1C18.
LISA MORAN, MD, is a board certified general adult
psychiatrist who provides emergency psychiatric services for
Sonoma County. She was trained to teach MBSR by the Center
for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts.
SUSAN DUBIN-MCNEIL, EDD, is a Licensed Clinical
Psychologist, and was trained to teach MBSR by the Center for
Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts. She provides
clinical supervision and training for pre- and post-doctoral
interns, as well as consultation to licensed clinicians working in
community mental health settings.
“Embodied enlightenment is
about living wisely in your
particular body, as it is on this
day, in this amazing life.”
—Jack Kornfield
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NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS INFORMATION
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 non-
weekend programs, pre-registration closes at noon one business
day before the program. In order to receive the pre-registration
price, you must pay in full at the time you register. There is an
additional $5 fee for registering at the door. To register by phone,
call (415) 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 non-
residential retreats for $45 per day.
CANCELLATIONS
We do not offer refunds, but you can request a credit up to
4:00 pm two business days before an event, or Thursday for
weekend programs. We will credit your registration fee towards
another non-residential program. Credits are not transferrable
to residential retreats and must be used within one year of their
date of issue. If you do not contact us prior to this deadline,
no credit will be issued. Credits cannot be accessed online; to
request or use a credit, contact EventsRegistrar@spiritrock.org
or call (415) 488-0164 x219 or x266, 8 am - 4 pm, Monday
to Friday.

MAY Shift Happens: Learning to Bounce
04 Back from Disappointment, Difficulty,
FRI
even Disaster
LINDA GRAHAM | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
5.5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE
Dealing effectively with the challenges and crises of life is the
core of our resilience and well-being. Developing flexible and
adaptive strategies for coping with everyday disappointments and
extraordinary disasters are the heart of any transformative process.
Modern neuroscience illuminates how the brain encodes its
strategies for coping, and has shown mindfulness and compassion
practices to be two of the most powerful agents of brain structure
change, and thus behavior change. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale.
Code: LG2D18.
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.
2-DAY NON-RESIDENTIAL RETREAT
MAY MAY
05 06 – Building the Raft: Foundational
SAT SUN Tools for Practice
AYYA ANANDABODHI, AYYA SANTACITTA
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
DANA DAY (BY DONATION)
The Buddha gave the analogy of building a raft and paddling with
hands and feet to reach the safety of the faraway shore together.
He did not ask us to build an ocean-liner or a cruise-ship, but to
make use of what we could find around us. In this weekend retreat,
we will deepen our familiarity with the tools and resources that are
around and available to us. With clear intention and dedication,
even the humblest of vehicles can take us across the troubled
waters of our time. Please bring lunch to share with the nuns.
Fee: $0 – 200 sliding scale. Code: NU1G18.
AYYA ANANDABODHI has practiced meditation since 1989
and lived in Amaravati and Chithurst monasteries in the UK
for 18 years. In 2009, she moved to the US to help establish
Aloka Vihara, a training monastery for women, where she
now resides.
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.
NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | MAY – AUG 2018
MAY Trauma and Meditation
10 PETER A. LEVINE | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
THU
5.5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE
Meditation is a deep ongoing process. Along this journey, we will
most surely uncover our past traumas and emotional wounds.
These encounters can enhance and deepen our meditation
practices if they are integrated. If not, they can cause confusion,
chaos, disassociation, possible re-traumatization, or the infamous
“bliss by-pass.” In this day retreat, we will learn how to visit, meet,
and integrate these experiences. Together, we will explore how
this process supports our inward journey of self-discovery and
inner freedom. Fee: $110 – 275 sliding scale. Code: PL1B18.
PETER A LEVINE, PHD, is the developer of Somatic
Experiencing®, a naturalistic and neurobiological approach
to healing trauma, and the founder of the Somatic
Experiencing® Trauma Institute. Dr. Levine is the author of
several best-selling books on trauma; including Waking the
Tiger, In an Unspoken Voice, and Trauma and Memory.
MAY Yoga + Dharma: Refresh and Renew
11 ASHLEY SHARP | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
FRI
Take time out to refresh and renew as we explore wisdom and
compassion through the practices of yoga and meditation.
We will be doing asana (poses) for embodiment, pranayama
(breathing exercises) to calm and balance the heart/mind,
mudra (hand shapes) for focus, and chanting to open the heart.
There will be periods of both silent and guided meditation woven
throughout the day. The yoga asana (poses) will be basic, focused
on the cultivation of mindfulness and presence, and accessible
to all that can stand, sit, and walk. This program is open to both
newcomers wanting to explore and experienced practitioners
wanting to deepen. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: SP3D18.
ASHLEY SHARP has studied yoga with Swami Dayananda,
Erich Schiffmann, Patricia Sullivan and Sat Santokh Sing and
completed an 18-month Mindfulness Yoga and Meditation
Training at Spirit Rock.
13
 NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | MAY – AUG 2018
CONTINUING
EDUCATION
CREDIT
OFFERINGS
TESTIMONIALS—
“It was a beautiful, boundary
stretching experience. I look
forward to continuing the practice
and sharing what was taught
with my clients.” —RN
“I came for the CEC’s and left
with these profound and simple
teachings, by amazingly skilled
teachers. I am humbled.” —SM
14
Continuing Education (CE) credit is co-sponsored by Spirit Rock and
the Spiritual Competency Resource Center. CE credit is available for
psychologists and California licensed MFTs, LCSWs, LEPs, LPCCs,
Nurses, Chiropractors, and Acupuncturists. Not all programs are
applicable to every license; please check the web description for
specific license applicability, number of credits offered per event, and
learning objectives.
The Spiritual Competency Resource Center is approved by the
American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education
for psychologists. The Spiritual Competency Resource Center
maintains responsibility for these programs and their content.
Spirit Rock is a provider approved by the California Board of
Registered Nursing, Provider Number CEP16905.
The California Acupuncture Board has approved Spirit Rock as a
Continuing Education Credit Provider, Provider Number 1425.
The California Board of Behavioral Sciences accepts CE credits for
license renewal from programs sponsored by American Psychological
Association approved providers.
The California Board of Chiropractic Examiners accepts CE credits
for license renewal from programs sponsored by Board of Registered
Nursing approved providers.
CE credit awarded for instruction time only. For general information,
including attendance and cancellation policies, please see:
spiritrock.org/continuing-education-credit.
CE PROGRAMS AT A GLANCE:
5/3 Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
5/4 Shift Happens: Learning to Bounce Back from
Disappointment, Difficulty, even Disaster
5/10 Trauma and Meditation
5/14 Releasing Trauma’s Grip with Kindness (class series)
5/20 Mindfulness and Ethics: The Weave of Awareness
and Action
5/26 Resilient: Cultivating an Unshakable Core of Calm,
Strength, and Happiness
6/8 Insight Meditation: The Path of Understanding,
Wisdom, and Freedom
6/9 Relaxed and Awake: Mindfulness Meditation and
Feldenkrais Method Movement‰
6/15 How to Build Resilience
7/13 Recharge & Reconnect: Self-Care for Providers
7/21 Loving Awareness: Opening the Heart, Freeing the Mind
7/21 Cultivating True Nourishment: Mindful Eating
and Self-Care
7/22 Return to Wholeness: Releasing Trauma Using
Loving-kindness and Compassion
7/28 Transforming Emotions with Qigong, Sound Healing,
and Meditation
8/11 The Neurodharma of Love
8/31 Cultivating Wise Speech

MAY Invitation to Insight Meditation: How to
12 Find Peace Wherever You Are
SAT
HOWARD COHN | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Imagine feeling unrushed, content, and at home wherever you
are – alone, in a crowded shopping mall, or even in rush hour
traffic. Imagine feeling that your life is complete, right here,
right now, that you do not wish to be anywhere else, even when
your to-do list is overflowing. You are able to act intelligently,
skillfully, and swiftly with clarity and ease. You feel inexhaustibly
alive and aware: sights are more vivid, sounds clear, tastes and
smells rich and alive. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: HC2D18.
HOWARD COHN has led Vipassana retreats since 1985
and leads a weekly sitting group in San Francisco. He
has studied with teachers of several traditions, including
Theravada, Zen and Dzogchen, and has been strongly
influenced by H.W.L. Poonja. He is the author of Invitation
to Meditation.
MAY Cultivating Space in Body and Mind:
13 Meditation and Self-Care
SUN
DAWN MAURICIO | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
In this day retreat, we will create space in the body with the
self-care technique of therapy ball massage. The accessible
sequences are designed to open our awareness to see that
sensations, however intense they may be, are not as dense,
opaque, or heavy as they may feel. Our guided meditations will
explore how in much the same way our thoughts and identities
are not as dense, opaque or heavy as they may seem. You will
leave with lightness in body and heart-mind, your own set of
therapy massage balls, and a routine you can do on your own
to support your meditation practice. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale.
Code: DU1D18.
DAWN MAURICIO is a mindfulness yoga and meditation
teacher with a playful, dynamic, and embodied approach.
She has been practicing and studying Insight Meditation
since 2005 and teaching mindfulness yoga since 2006.
Currently, she enjoys teaching both yoga and meditation to
adults and teenagers in Canada and the United States.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, VISIT SPIRITROCK.ORG.
NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | MAY – AUG 2018
MAY Releasing Trauma’s Grip with Kindness
14 SAKTI ROSE | 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
MON
8 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE | 5-WEEK CLASS SERIES
This series is designed for meditators who have found barriers in
their meditative experience that inhibit their progress on the path.
This series will deepen and build upon the body of skills learned
in Trauma and Mindfulness One. We will practice lovingkindness
to help heal wounds experienced by trauma that impact our
meditative practice. Traumatic events leave physiological and
emotional scars that alter neurological structures. By developing
somatic skills, coupled with kindness practices, we can help
regulate the painful effects of trauma and thereby free up energy
for meditation and life. Fee: $125 – 200 sliding scale. Code: SR2C18.
SAKTI ROSE is a senior Somatic Experiencing™ Practitioner
and teaches mindfulness meditation in hospitals and
meditation centers.
MAY Through the Looking Glass: Exploring
18 Creativity and Mindfulness
FRI
SANDY BOUCHER AND MARTHA BOESING
10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
What ignites our creativity? What holds us back from being
our most creative selves? How can we harness our creativity
to deepen our relationship to mindfulness? Join this writer and
theater artist as they invite us to slow down, breathe and relax,
and cultivate our creativity. We will explore how to fully allow
our imaginations to open us to a wider experience of reality,
helping us to become fully responsive to all life’s unfolding. The
day will include periods of guided and silent meditation, as well
as reflection, writing, and creative exercises. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding
scale. Code: SY2D18.
SANDY BOUCHER, MA, has practiced, written about and
taught both Vipassana and writing for 30 years. She leads
retreats on Dharma and writing and has published nine
books.
MARTHA BOESING, a long-time Buddhist practitioner,
theatre director and dharma teacher, uses interactive games
and exercises to illuminate the challenges of aging.
15
 NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | MAY – AUG 2018
MAY Art and Dharma: Cultivating Awareness
19 through Creative Expression
SAT
PAWAN BAREJA | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
We will experientially explore our inherent potential for
spacious awareness by weaving together music, visual art,
textile, and other mediums. There will be periods of sitting,
walking in nature, and time for our creative expression.
Through mindfulness practices and play, we hope to deepen
our awareness of the moment-to-moment ebb and flow
of life as it awakens our senses. We welcome artists, and
those who don’t consider themselves artists! Bring your
interest, curiosity, love of the Dharma to this day. Participants
are encouraged to bring their own artwork as part of this
experiential day. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: PB1D18.
PAWAN BAREJA, PHD, has a body-oriented counseling
practice based on Peter Levine’s Somatic Experiencing™
(SE) work for coping with trauma and life changes, and
is also an assistant in SE Trainings. She is currently in the
Spirit Rock Teacher Training program.
MAY Dharma & Yoga: Joyful Presence
19 DJUNA MASCALL | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
SAT
Joy is always available to us, but is often obscured by a
distracted mind and contracted body. When we align the mind
with the slower rhythms of the body and infuse the body with
mindful awareness, joyful ease can arise — even in the midst of
difficulty or grief. This day retreat will weave Dharma teachings,
meditation, somatic movement, asana, and breath work. We
will practice mindfulness of the breath and body for present
moment awareness. The yoga practice will be both dynamic and
nourishing, cultivating focus and ease through attention to inner
alignment and awakening to sensation.All levels welcome.
Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: DM1D18.
DJUNA MASCALL teaches Prajna Yoga nationally and
internationally. She currently leads the Dharma and Yoga
Teacher Training Program at Spirit Rock. She is also a certified
yoga therapist in private practice. Her offerings combine
meditation and Dharma study with asana training designed to
cultivate sensory awareness and embodied wisdom.
16
MAY Mindfulness and Ethics:
20 The Weave of Awareness and Action
SUN
SEAN FEIT OAKES | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
5.5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE
Throughout the Theravâda tradition, mindfulness and ethics
are considered inseparable parts of the path. In this day of
practice and study, we’ll look at aspects of both mindfulness
and wise action, exploring how these two pillars of the Dhamma
work together to support insight and healing. Our focus will
be on bringing mindfulness to our relationships, work, and
engagement with the world, as well as understanding the
awareness practices themselves as fundamentally ethical in
nature. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: SF3D18.
SEAN FEIT OAKES completed the Spirit Rock Dedicated
Practitioners Program, Mindfulness Yoga and Meditation
Training, and Community Dharma Leaders Program. He
is core Teacher Training faculty for Piedmont Yoga in
Oakland, CA, and Yoga Garden San Francisco.
MAY Making the Most of Letting Go
25 ANNA DOUGLAS | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
FRI
Give it up! Let it go! Get rid of it!
Do these exhortations invoke trepidation or exhilaration? As we
age, some of us shiver at the sight of bulging closets, stuffed
cabinets, or a garage full of unused sports equipment - all
remnants of the past. The past looms large in our memory as
well - people, projects, dreams unrealized. Not to mention old
opinions and beliefs. How can we unburden ourselves? Letting
go is the heart of meditation. It shows us that letting go is not
deprivation but the key to liberating and enlivening our being.
Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: AD5D18.
ANNA DOUGLAS has a background in psychology and art,
in addition to more than 25 years of Vipassana practice.
She has also studied with teachers in the Zen, Advaita and
Dzogchen traditions.
“When the heart truly understands,
it lets go of everything. ”
—Ajahn Chah
 NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | MAY – AUG 2018

MAY MAY
3-DAY NON-RESIDENTIAL RETREAT
26 28
– Buddhist Goddesses:
SAT MON Embodying the Divine Feminine
ERIN SELOVER | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
We all embody a unique configuration of enlightened qualities
that are waiting to emerge with the right conditions. However,
without support, these qualities can lie dormant and manifest in
self-doubt, mood issues, addiction, and disease. It is essential
for the health of ourselves, our communities, and the Earth that
we express these qualities fully and courageously. This retreat
is an opportunity to somatically identify, explore, and empower
our unique awakened energy through the exploration of Buddhist
goddesses. Our weekend together will include sitting meditation,
movement meditation, and dharma talks; including the study of
Buddhist goddess of non-dual wisdom, Prajnaparamita. Fee: $225 -
600 sliding scale. Code: ES2M18.
ERIN SELOVER teaches mindfulness-based classes
throughout the San Francisco Bay Area in schools,
mental health settings and the private sector. She is a
psychotherapist and a graduate of the SRMC/IMS/IRC
Teacher Training Program.
MAY Resilient: Cultivating an Unshakable
26 Core of Calm, Strength, and Happiness
SAT
RICK HANSON | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
5.5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE
The world is volatile and unreliable. So it’s vital to develop durable
psychological resources such as grit, gratitude, and compassion:
the inner core that remains unshaken no matter what life brings.
This is true resilience, the foundation of lasting well-being
in a changing world and at the heart of the Buddhist idea of
equanimity. We’ll explore: 1. Why suffering arises due to craving,
and why craving arises due to a sense of deficit and disturbance in
the meeting of our needs; and how to use positive neuroplasticity
to grow inner resources like calm and confidence to soothe, ease,
and replace old pain. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: RH2D18.
RICK HANSON, PHD, is a psychologist, Senior Fellow of the
Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley and New York
Times best-selling author. His books include Hardwiring
Happiness and Buddha’s Brain.

MAY 100th Birthday Anniversary Celebration:

27 Recollections of Ajahn Chah
SUN
AJAHN PASANNO | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
DANA DAY (BY DONATION) | LIVESTREAM AVAILABLE
Venerable Ajahn Chah is remembered as one of the most
highly revered Buddhist meditation masters in Thailand,
founding thriving communities globally, including Abhayagiri
Monastery. Ajahn Pasanno, abbot of Abhayagiri, was a
monastic disciple of Ajahn Chah at Wat Pah Pong Monastery,
before being appointed abbot of Wat Pah Nanachat by Ajahn
Chah. This day will commemorate the 100th anniversary
of Ajahn Chah’s birthday, and will include readings from
his newly released biography, Stillness Flowing. On this day
retreat, we will practice in the Thai Forest tradition, and
hear direct stories, teachings and recollections from Ajahn
Pasanno’s days in Thailand with his beloved teacher. There
will be sitting and walking meditation, and dharma talks
throughout the day. Please bring lunch to share with the
monks. Fee: $0 – 108 sliding scale. Code: AP1G18.

VEN. AJAHN PASANNO took ordination in Thailand

in 1974 with Ven. Phra Khru Nanasirivatana and later
trained under Ajahn Chah at Wat Pah Nanashat,
becoming its abbot in his ninth year. Currently, he
is the abbot of Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery in Ajahn Chah
Redwood Valley, CA.
 JUNE
JUN Love Letters to Ourselves
01 SHAHARA GODFREY | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
FRI
“You, the richest person in the world, have been laboring and
struggling endlessly, not understanding that you already possess all
that you seek.” Lotus Sutra
Through writing, music, and sharing, we will explore self-care
and compassion. This day retreat will also include contemplative
practices of walking and sitting meditation. Beginners and all self-
identified women are welcome.
“...love is really more of an interactive process. It’s about what we do
not just what we feel. It’s a verb, not a noun”
— Bell Hooks
Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: SG4D18.
SHAHARA GODFREY, PHD, has completed Spirit Rock’s
Community Dharma Leaders and Dedicated Practitioners
Programs and is a core teacher at the East Bay Meditation
Center in Oakland, CA. Her primary practices are
compassion and social activism.
JUN The Four Ennobling Truths
02 EUGENE CASH | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
SAT
LIVESTREAM AVAILABLE
The Four Noble Truths are at heart of all Buddhist teachings. In
our day together, we will explore the interactive aliveness of these
Four Truths and how they can be practiced and lived 24/7:
1. There is suffering/stress; this is to be understood.
2. There is an origin to suffering; which is to be released.
3. There is freedom or cessation of suffering; this is to be realized.
4. There is a path to freedom; this is to be cultivated.
We will investigate how, when, and what’s needed to be free
from suffering and awaken more fully in our ordinary and magical
human lives. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: EC1D18.
EUGENE CASH is a founding teacher of San Francisco
Insight. He is also the co-founder and co-teacher of the
Dedicated Practitioners Program. In addition, he teaches the
Diamond Approach® in San Francisco and Holland.
18
JUN Spinal Qigong: An Ancient Tibetan and
03 Zen Practice for Well-Being
SUN
FRANZ MOECKL | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Spinal Qigong, also known as Chan Mi Gong, is an ancient
Buddhist Qigong style originating in Tibet 1,500 years ago during
the Tang Dynasty. “Chan” means Zen in Japanese, while “Mi”
comes from the Tibetan tradition and refers to the more secretive
element of the practice. This Qigong style combines these two
different aspects, and focuses on slow, gentle, wavelike spinal
motions. The inner and outer movements and techniques lead
to a flexible, healthy spine, the release of tension and energy or
“Qi” blockages in whole body. Together, we will explore how this
practice continues to be relevant today, bringing us increased
energy, focus, calm, memory, and well-being. Fee: $75 – 200
sliding scale. Code: FM1D18.
FRANZ MOECKL has practiced taiji and qigong for more
than 30 years and has taught at Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Stress
Reduction Clinic in Worcester, MA.
JUN Insight Meditation: The Path of
08 Understanding, Wisdom, and Freedom
FRI
MARK COLEMAN | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
5.5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE
Insight Meditation or Vipassana is a profoundly liberating
practice and path to genuine well-being, happiness, and freedom.
Grounded in the foundational practice of mindfulness, Insight
Meditation enables you to see clearly the truth of your inner
and outer experience, providing insight into the ways you create
your own suffering and how you can be free of pain and stress.
When you cultivate the kind, curious presence of mindfulness to
your moment-to-moment experience, clarity, joy, wisdom, and
compassion can arise in the heart. This in turn enables you to
deeply know yourself, others and the nature of reality.
Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: MC8D18.
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.

JUN Relaxed and Awake: Mindfulness
09 Meditation and Feldenkrais
SAT
Method Movement®
DAN CLURMAN | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
5.5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE
By changing our habits of movement, we awaken the body; by
changing our habits of thinking, we awaken the mind. We can
then join in the dance of existence with more freedom and ease.
This day retreat combines mindfulness meditation with sessions
of Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement® lessons, the
brilliant sensory-motor approach to re-educating the neuro-
muscular system. Alternating meditation, Feldenkrais practices,
and discussion will allow the techniques to support each other
and enhance mind-body connection and well-being. Fee: $75 – 200
sliding scale. Code: DA1D18.
DAN CLURMAN, MA, is a certified Feldenkrais®
Practitioner and personal coach. He integrates
somatic awareness into his work as a coach and
organizational trainer in communication skills.
NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | MAY – AUG 2018
JUN JUN 3-DAY NON-RESIDENTIAL RETREAT
15 – 17 Seven Treasures of Practice
FRI SUN
ANNA DOUGLAS | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
At the beginning of our practice of mindfulness, we don’t
know what to expect. Over time we discover, sometimes
unexpectedly, qualities of heart and mind that are hidden
from us that mindfulness calls forth. These hidden qualities
are precious treasures; once we discover them, they bring
confidence and stability to our meditation practice. This 3-day
immersion in exploring these seven treasures (often called
the “factors of awakening”) is a wonderful opportunity to
recognize the seeds of liberation, which are present in our own
mind. We will explore each of the qualities and practice with
them in a schedule of silent sitting and walking meditation.
Fee: $225 – 600 sliding scale.Code: AD2M18.
ANNA DOUGLAS has a background in psychology and
art, in addition to more than 25 years of vipassana
practice. She has also studied with teachers in the Zen,
Advaita and Dzogchen traditions.
19
 NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | MAY – AUG 2018

JUN How to Build Resilience

15 OREN JAY SOFER | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
FRI

5.5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE

Resilience is a skill that can be learned and strengthened.
This experiential retreat provides practical tools to protect
against burn-out, handle stress, and increase inner stability.
We will explore a range of methods for building resilience:
meditative, somatic, cognitive, emotional, and relational.
The day will include guided meditations, silent reflection,
inquiry, movement, and writing. Participants will gain a greater
understanding of their own strengths and challenges with
resilience, as well as develop a personalized resilience toolkit.
Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: OS3D18.

OREN JAY SOFER holds a degree in Comparative

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

JUN Exploring the Dharma through Poetry

16 PHILLIP MOFFITT | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
SAT

Each moment of life — ordinary and extraordinary — is imbued

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

PHILLIP MOFFITT has practiced Vipassana since 1983.

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

20

JUN Relationship As Spiritual Practice
17 DEBRA CHAMBERLIN-TAYLOR
SUN
10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Relationships can be a source of great joy and awakening in
which the most difficult challenges are used for growth and for
opening the heart. This may sound like a fantasy, yet decades
of experience has shown that conscious, loving relationships
are possible. A few essential principles and skills can transform
relationships into spiritual practice. In this day retreat, we’ll share
these essential tools through group discussion, experiential
exercises, and guided meditations. These tools are valuable for
partnerships, family relationships and friendships. Appropriate
for those with or without partners. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale.
Code: DC1D18.
DEBRA CHAMBERLIN-TAYLOR has been leading retreats
since 1978. In addition to practicing Vipassana, she has
been influenced by Dzogchen and Diamond Heart®. She
also leads workshops on embodiment of awareness and
conscious relationships.
JUN Qigong and Crystal Singing Bowl Healing
22 ISABELITA PAPA | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
FRI
Qigong consists of gentle, beautiful, flowing movements that
are both joyful and deeply relaxing. The overall effect of this
ancient movement practice is to reduce mental stress and
physical tension, increasing health and well-being. In this day
retreat together, we will learn gentle healing Qigong movements,
stretching exercises, and tapping, massaging, and breathing
techniques that help to boost the immune system, increase
energy, manage stress, improve focus, and build stamina while
feeling peaceful and balanced at the same time. We will then use
Alchemy Crystal Singing Bowls to harmonize healing energy flow
in the dis-ease areas and clear the mind for meditation.
Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: IP2D18.
ISABELITA PAPA is certified to teach Dayan Qigong,
Mindful Pilates and Restorative Yoga and is a
Compassionate Communication facilitator. She offers
classes in the San Francisco Bay Area, Mexico and Hawaii.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, VISIT SPIRITROCK.ORG.
NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | MAY – AUG 2018
JUN #MeToo: Collective Liberation through
23 Wise Response
SAT
ERIN SELOVER AND NIRALI SHAH
10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
As the #metoo movement continues, do you feel a power and
clarity rising in you? Are you longing for community and space
to share your story and your vision? Violence against women
is pervasive. Misogyny permeates, shapes, and suffocates the
life-force of our society. These injustices have lain buried in the
depths of our individual and collective psyches, but no longer.
We hear you. We believe you. We are you.
This day will focus on wise effort and deepening sangha
through listening to each other’s stories, tools to counter
compassion burnout and strengthen wise speech and wise
actions, and gathering wise responses based on a vision of
collective liberation for all beings. All Spirit Rock proceeds will
benefit the Spirit Rock Scholarship Fund. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding
scale. Code: ES2D18.
ERIN SELOVER - See page 16 for bio.
NIRALI SHAH is a certified mindfulness facilitator
from UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center. She
currently teaches meditation at technology companies
and Insight Meditation Center, Redwood City, CA, as well
as facilitates retreats with Spirit Rock and Inward Bound
Mindfulness Education.
JUN Making Peace with Your Ego:
23 Finding Freedom Through Letting Go
SAT
LISA ERNST | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
During this retreat, we will explore the nature of our identity
and sense of self we use to live in the world, as well as the wise
space of heart and mind that lets go. As we practice meeting
all of the activity of self with mindfulness, steadiness, and
kindness, our insight and compassion grow. The more we make
peace with our ego, the more we dwell in our own boundless,
empty nature. This retreat will include periods of sitting and
walking meditation, instructions, dharma talk, and time for Q&A
and group interaction. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: LE1D18.
LISA ERNST is a meditation teacher, artist and founder of
One Dharma Nashville. She has practiced meditation since
the late 80’s in the Zen and Vipassana traditions. She
received Dharma transmission in the Thai Forest lineage
of Ajahn Chah. Lisa teaches meditation internationally
and also leads Buddhist pilgrimages to India.
21
 NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | MAY – AUG 2018

“Develop the mind of equilibrium. You will always be

getting praise and blame, but do not let either affect the
poise of the mind: follow the calmness, the absence of pride.”
—the buddha, Sutta Nipata 702

22
 NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | MAY – AUG 2018

JUN Equanimity: Cultivating a Balanced JUN The Human Journey:

24 Heart and Mind 30 Walking the Spiritual Path
SUN SAT
SALLY ARMSTRONG | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM PAMELA WEISS | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

LIVESTREAM AVAILABLE
In this day retreat, we will explore and cultivate Upekkha, or
equanimity, which is one of the four beautiful expressions of the
heart known as the Brahma Viharas. True equanimity comes from
a deep and profound acceptance of things the way they are, and it
is not a cold or apathetic detachment from experience. We begin
to understand and accept ourselves and the world. From this
place of acceptance, we can be truly engaged and authentic. The
day together will include guided meditations, Dharma talks, and
reflections focused on the practice of equanimity. Fee: $75 – 200
sliding scale. Code: SA1D18.
We live in increasingly fraught and divisive times. What is needed
to meet the challenges of climate change, economic disparity, and
entrenched systems of racism, misogyny and oppression with
clarity, integrity, and kindness? This day retreat will use stories
from the life of the Buddha, Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey, and
the myth of Inanna as context to discover the shape and direction
of our own spiritual path. We will weave together Dharma talks,
guided meditation, reflection, interactive exercises and ritual. You
will leave with a map of your own spiritual path and aspirations,
and new insights and practices for going forward. Fee: $75 – 200
sliding scale. Code: PW3D18.

PAMELA WEISS has practiced in the Zen and Theravada

SALLY ARMSTRONG began practicing Insight Meditation
traditions since 1987. She is an executive coach and the
in 1981 and teaching in 1996. She has served at Spirit Rock
Founder of Appropriate Response bringing Buddhist principles
in a number of roles and is co-founder and co-teacher of
and practices to leadership and organizations. Pamela leads
the Dedicated Practitioners Program. She is a Co-Guiding
a weekly meditation group at San Francisco Insight and co-
Teacher at Spirit Rock.
leads the Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leader program.

JUN LGBTQI Loving-Kindness Day Retreat

30 JOHN MARTIN | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
SAT

This LGBTQI Community retreat will be spent cultivating love

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

JOHN MARTIN teaches Vipassana, Metta, and LGBTQI

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

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, VISIT SPIRITROCK.ORG.

23
 NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | MAY – AUG 2018
JULY
JUL Arousing Joy, the Great Gateway
01 to Tranquility: A Day Retreat for
SUN People of Color
AMANA BREMBRY JOHNSON
10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Joy is the portal to tranquility. Tranquility is the foundation of
stillness. When we align with joy, we open to the great, expansive
web of infinite goodness, and it becomes possible to transition
into undisturbed silence. Through exploring the Seven Factors of
Awakening, we will identify our unique barriers to joy, and learn
to use them as portals to stillness. Our day together will include
silent meditation, embodied movement, and group sharing. Offered
concurrently with the 20th Annual People of Color residential
retreat, the afternoon will bring a merger of our practices in
celebration of the heightened diversity reflective of the future of
the Dharma. Fee: $40 – 100 sliding scale. Code: AJ1D18.
AMANA JOHNSON is a visual artist who also teaches
contemplative yoga practices and mentors Theravada
practitioners wishing to deepen their understanding of
the Dharma and find continuity of practice within daily
life. She is currently in the Community Dharma Leaders
Program at Spirit Rock and is a graduate of Commit-
2Dharma, a one-year course offered through EBMC.
JUL JUL
3-DAY NON-RESIDENTIAL RETREAT
06 – 08 Dependent Origination:
FRI SUN The Full Teachings of the Buddha
TEMPEL SMITH | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Dependent Origination is considered the Buddha’s complete,
unabridged teaching. It can be used to understand the root of
both our daily stresses and joys. This all-encompassing teaching
sheds light on why we stumble blindly through so many days,
years, and even lifetimes looking for real happiness, but cannot
find it. Dependent Origination is our north star, in both this life and
future lives, illuminating how and when we get stuck in patterns
of suffering, and guiding us as we navigate this path towards true
freedom. This retreat will focus on silent, formal meditation, and
also include teachings, guided and walking meditation, and Q&A
dialog. Fee: $225 – 600 sliding scale. Code: TS1M18.
TEMPEL SMITH has been practicing Metta and Insight
Meditation since 1989, including a year as a fully
ordained monk in Burma. He graduated from the Teacher
Training program led by Jack Kornfield at Spirit Rock, is
a core teacher in the Dedicated Practitioners Program,
and has been leading retreats for more than 10 years.
24
JUL
07
SAT
Longing for Home
SHAHARA GODFREY | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
What does home mean to you? Does it mean belonging, safety,
reassurance, and impermanence? “Where are you from?” may
refer to your place of birth, ancestral origin, ethnicity, or something
entirely different. As James Baldwin said, “Perhaps home is not a
place but simply an irrevocable condition.” Simply put, “At the end
of the day, it isn’t where I came from. Maybe home is somewhere
I’m going...” –Warsan Shire. The focus of this day retreat is to
explore the meaning of home in relation to impermanence. It
will also include contemplative practices of walking and sitting
meditation. Everyone is welcome. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale.
Code: SG5D18.
SHAHARA GODFREY – See page 18 for bio.
JUL Dharma & Yoga: The Practice
08 of Non-Harming
SUN
DJUNA MASCALL | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
The foundation of Dharma and Yoga is ahimsa or non-harming.
Ahimsa can be realized through a kind and nurturing approach to the
body. In this day retreat, we will cultivate ahimsa through mindfulness
of the nuance of sensation in the body and the subtle pathway of the
breath. This will foster calm abiding from which we can see into and
transform our underlying habits of aversive thinking and forcing the
body. Our practice will combine mindful asana, somatic movement,
pranayama, and meditation on kindness. By realizing ahimsa in our
personal practice, we find connection with all beings. Fee: $75 – 200
sliding scale. Code: DM2D18.
DJUNA MASCALL - See page 15 for bio.
JUL Three Essential Qualities for Surviving
13 Difficult Times: Compassion,
FRI Equanimity, and Dispassion
ANNA DOUGLAS | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
These three states of mind are cultivated in insight meditation.
We will look deeply at each of these universal qualities as well as
explore how they function in our personal experience. Instructions
will be given for cultivating each quality, as well as discovering how
they synergistically work together. We will look at how to enact
these qualities in our lives, as well as how to strengthen them in our
practice. Some experience with insight meditation recommended.
Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: AD6D18.
ANNA DOUGLAS – See page 16 for bio.
 NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | MAY – AUG 2018

3-DAY NON-RESIDENTIAL RETREAT

JUL JUL
13 – 15 Recharge & Reconnect:
FRI SUN Inner Awareness, Resilience,
and Self-Care for Providers
JILL SATTERFIELD | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

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

JILL SATTERFIELD is an international mindfulness and

meditation teacher, wellness program director, speaker and
coach. Jill’s integration of mindfulness and embodiment
practices include somatic therapy, and contemplative
psychology. She has been in the field of integrating
mindfulness into healthcare and wellness for over 35 years.

JUL Wisdom Rising: Journey into the Mandala JUL Demons in Love: The 5-Step Feeding
14 of the Empowered Feminine 15 your Demons FYD® Approach
SAT SUN
LAMA TSULTRIM ALLIONE | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM LAMA TSULTRIM ALLIONE | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

ALL GENDERS WELCOME
In this day retreat, we’ll explore the energies of the “five dakinis,”
the dancing embodiments of feminine wisdom in the Tibetan
Buddhist tradition. These dakinis manifest the sacred feminine
energy that has been stripped from many religions and cultures
— energy that is so desperately needed in the world today. We
will look at how the Mandala of the Five Dakinis, can help us to
transform the five constricting emotional patterns into power and
strength. This day retreat is based on Lama Tsultrim Allione’s new
book: Wisdom Rising: Journey into the Mandala of the Empowered
Feminine. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: TA1D18.
Perhaps there is no place in our lives where our demons show
up more intensely than in our relationships: jealousy, fear of
abandonment, grasping, anger, control, and grief. Inspired
by an ancient practice from Tibetan Buddhism, best-selling
author of Feeding your Demons, Lama Tsultrim Allione, will
share the practice of FYD® a 5-step process of nurturing our
demons rather than fighting them. During this day retreat
together, we will work with the demons that surface in all kinds
of relationships, and explore how to shift the paradigm from
fighting to feeding. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: TA2D18.

LAMA TSULTRIM ALLIONE is an internationally renowned Buddhist teacher,

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

25
 NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | MAY – AUG 2018
JUL Cultivating True Nourishment:
21 Mindful Eating, Mindful Life
SAT
ANDREA LIEBERSTEIN | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
5.5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE
This day retreat is designed to guide you back home to the
wellsprings of nourishment inside of you. Through mindfulness,
inquiry, loving-kindness, self-compassion, and mindful eating
practices, you’ll learn skills to navigate cravings and habits,
however subtle, that lead us to seek nourishment outside of
ourselves through food or other means that do not truly fulfill.
We will explore what true nourishment is and be introduced to
the “Eight Bodies’ model of nourishment to cultivate a life that is
fulfilling on all levels. You will learn practices to experience food
as pleasure and nourishment, and to abide in true nourishment
regardless of the circumstance. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale.
Code: AL1D18.
ANDREA LIEBERSTEIN, MPH, RD, RYT, is a mindful eating
expert, mindfulness-based stress reduction instructor,
registered dietitian, nutritionist, mindfulness-based coach,
and registered yoga instructor. She has been teaching
mindfulness meditation since 1993.
JUL Loving Awareness: Opening the Heart,
21 Freeing the Mind
SAT
MARK COLEMAN | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
5.5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE
Mindful awareness and love are beautiful qualities of an
awakened life. Awareness leads to clarity, insight and freedom.
A loving heart responds with care to our own struggles and to
the pain in the world, intimately connecting us with life. We
will cultivate heart qualities and learn how to free ourselves
from the restless, reactive mind so we can live with greater
kindness and peace. We will explore the integration of love and
awareness so our mindfulness practice is fused with a kind,
receptive presence. We will also inquire into what obstructs
and hinders us from experiencing this loving awareness. Fee:
$75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: MC9D18.
MARK COLEMAN has been teaching Insight
Meditation retreats since 1997. He also leads
wilderness meditation retreats, integrating mindfulness
meditation with nature, and is the author of Awake
in the Wild and Make Peace with Your Mind.
26
JUL Return to Wholeness: Releasing Trauma
22 Using Loving-Kindness & Compassion
SUN
PAWAN BAREJA | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
5.5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE
The traumatic responses in our body can inhibit our daily life
through stress and anxiety. Is it possible to begin to heal the
trauma by discharging the unresolved responses in our nervous
system, such as as body constriction and emotional reactivity?
In this daylong, we will explore holding our trauma responses
using somatic skills and mindfulness tools. These tools will
help your nervous system to access its innate capacity to self-
regulate. We will examine how practices of loving-kindness and
compassion will help you feel more settled, grounded and calm in
your everyday life. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: PB2D18.
PAWAN BAREJA, PHD, has a body-oriented
counseling practice based on Peter Levine’s Somatic
Experiencing™ (SE) work for coping with trauma and
life changes, and is also an assistant in SE Trainings.
She is currently in the Spirit Rock Teacher Training.
JUL Concentration Meditation:
22 Purification of Mind
SUN
TINA RASMUSSEN AND STEPHEN SNYDER
10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Concentration or serenity meditation (samatha) is one of three
major practices of the Buddhist path, which also includes sila and
vipassana. In concentration practice, we return awareness to one
object of meditation to the exclusion of everything else, unifying
the mind stream. This day retreat offers an overview of samatha
as taught in the lineage of Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw of Burma,
considered to be the leading living teacher of samatha/jhanas.
Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: TR1D18.
TINA RASMUSSEN, PHD, has meditated for over 40 years
and was ordained as a Theravada Buddhist nun by Ven. Pa
Auk Sayadaw of Burma, who authorized her to teach. She is
the co-author with Stephen Snyder of Practicing the Jhanas.
STEPHEN SNYDER began practicing Buddhist meditation in
1976 and has studied with several Western Zen masters.
 NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | MAY – AUG 2018

JUL Money as a Spiritual Practice:

27 A Day Retreat for Women
FRI
GRACE FISHER | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Our relationship to money is often excluded from our spiritual

life. For many women, talking openly about money may be
uncomfortable, nerve-wracking or simply unfamiliar. But what if
we welcomed our fears and anxieties, our dreams and aspirations
around this powerful force into our practice? We’ll explore the
Buddha’s teachings on cultivating a wise relationship to money.
Utilizing different mindfulness and heart-based practices, we’ll
identify the stories we tell ourselves about money, examine our
conditioning, and create space to find more freedom and ease.
Our day together will include Dharma talks, guided practices, and
discussions to share the collective wisdom of our Dharma sisters.
Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: GF2D18.

GRACE FISHER is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

with a private practice in San Anselmo, CA. She is a former
lawyer who holds Masters degrees in Education and
Counseling Psychology.

3-DAY NON-RESIDENTIAL RETREAT

JUL A Special Dharma Evening with JUL JUL
27 – 29 Buddhism & Recovery:
27 Joseph Goldstein
FRI FRI SUN The Twelve Steps
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
KEVIN GRIFFIN | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Joseph Goldstein in Conversation with Michelle Latvala, Spirit Rock
On this retreat, we will work with the Twelve Steps using Buddhist
Executive Director
teachings and practices through meditation, lecture, discussion,
Join us in experiencing the teachings of Buddhism from Joseph
as well as interactive and written exercises. We will explore
Goldstein, one of the foremost Vipassana teachers in the
mindfulness, self-compassion, and loving-kindness meditation
West. This evening of dialogue includes a guided meditation,
practices that support recovery, as well as Buddhist teachings
a conversation between Joseph and Michelle, and questions
on craving and letting go. Each session will include periods of
and comments from the Spirit Rock community. Joseph offers
meditation and time for questions. We will have the opportunity
insights about philosophical debates within Buddhism, how
to write and share on recovery topics, as well as developing
Dharma communities can be more inclusive and welcoming to
community in an intimate setting. We will use the Buddhism &
all, and what practice looks like in the face of these uncertain
The Twelve Steps Workbook as a framework for the retreat. This
times for our world. All proceeds from this program support
retreat benefits those in the addiction and recovery process.
the Spirit Rock Scholarship Fund. Fee: $30 – 108 sliding scale.
Fee: $225 – 600 sliding scale. Code: KG1M18.
Code: JG1B18.

KEVIN GRIFFIN is the author of the seminal book, One

JOSEPH GOLDSTEIN is a co-founder and guiding
Breath at a Time: Buddhism and the Twelve Steps, and
teacher of Insight Meditation Society in Barre,
A Burning Desire: Dharma, God and the Path of Recovery.
Massachusetts. He is the author of A Heart Full
He has been practicing Buddhist meditation for three decades
of Peace, One Dharma, Insight Meditation, The
and been in recovery since 1985.
Experience of Insight, and co-author (with Jack
Kornfield) of Seeking the Heart of Wisdom.

27
 NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | MAY – AUG 2018
JUL Transforming Emotions with Qigong,
28 Sound Healing, and Meditation
SAT
DEBRA CHAMBERLIN-TAYLOR & MINGTONG GU
10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
5.5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE
Qigong, sound healing, movement, and meditation can help us
awaken and bring healing to emotional and physical challenges.
In this day retreat, Master Mingtong Gu will guide us in the
ancient practice of sound healing to fully awaken our energy
centers and emotional body. We will learn how to transform the
unprocessed energy of previous emotional pain into more vibrant
healing resources. This energy practice transforms consciousness,
supports healing, and help us access the abundant energy of life.
Qigong and meditation enhance whole body energy flow, which
help us return to a deep sense of joy and wholeness. Fee: $75 – 200
sliding scale. Code: MT2D18.
DEBRA CHAMBERLIN-TAYLOR – See page 20 for bio.
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.
JUL Open Heart, Steady Mind: How to Practice
29 When Life Gets Hard
SUN
KATE MUNDING | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
How do we keep practicing when we feel like we are sinking into
the muck? Loneliness, anxiety, grief, overwhelm, and anger can
really knock us off our cushion, making us feel as if our practice
isn’t working or isn’t strong enough to stay present when difficulty
arises. This day retreat will focus on working with the difficult,
through guided instruction, silent and walking meditation, Q&A,
and discussion. We’ll explore how to stay steady with what pains
us or creates stress and how to recapture a sense of our inner
strength and wisdom, both to endure and to heal. Fee: $75 – 200
sliding scale. Code: MG1D18.
KATE MUNDING has practiced meditation in the Theravada
tradition since 2004. She is a graduate of the SMRC/IMS/
IRC Teacher Training Program, and is a guiding teacher for
the Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley (IMCB). She
is founder of Heart-Mind Education, providing mindfulness-
based education programs, trainings, and resources to
students and adults.
28
AUGUST
3-DAY NON-RESIDENTIAL RETREAT
AUG AUG
10 12
– Changes and Transitions in Your
FRI SUN 60s and 70s
PHILLIP MOFFITT | FRIDAY, 1:30 - 5:30 PM,
SATURDAY, 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM,
SUNDAY, 9:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Change is a fact of life and yet we can find ourselves ill-equipped
to manage it skillfully. The normal concerns that change brings
up can lead to confusion, apathy, or poor decisions. During
this retreat, you will learn skills to effectively respond to the
challenges of change; gain insights about your strengths and
challenges in dealing with change, recognize habits of mind
that undermine you and learn practices to disengage from their
influence and identify your values in order to make wise decisions.
Fee: $395 – 795 sliding scale. Code: PM2M18.
PHILLIP MOFFITT has practiced Vipassana since 1983.
He is founder and president of the Life Balance Institute.
He is a co-Guiding Teacher at Spirit Rock and the author
of Dancing with Life, Emotional Chaos to Clarity and
Awakening through the Nine Bodies.
AUG The Neurodharma of Love
11 RICK HANSON | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
SAT
5.5 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE
We experience most of our greatest joys and greatest sorrows
in our relationships. The intersection of modern neuroscience
and ancient contemplative wisdom offers skillful means for
cultivating an open and caring heart, emotional balance during
conflicts with others, and more fulfilling relationships.
We will cover:
• A summary of the Buddha’s teachings on relationships
• The embodied basis in your brain of empathy, compassion,
loving-kindness, and love… and how to strengthen them
• Practical ways to combine strength and heart
• Expanding the circle of “us” to include all of “them”
Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: RH3D18.
RICK HANSON - See page 16 for bio..
 AUG Fully Understanding Dukkha:
12 Exploring the First Noble Truth
SUN
AJAHN KARUNADHAMMO
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
DANA DAY (BY DONATION)
The first step toward liberation is acknowledging and
fully understanding the noble truth of dukkha (suffering,
unsatisfactoriness). We will explore different kinds of dukkha,
which kinds we are able to impact, and ways to frame and express
skillful responses that lead to the ending of dukkha. We can use
the experience of dukkha to develop the strength and skill to end
dukkha rather than repetitively reinforcing it. There will be periods
of sitting and walking meditation, Dhamma reflections, and time
for discussion and questions. Please bring lunch to share with the
monks. Fee: $0 – 108 sliding scale. Code: AK1D18.
VEN. AJAHN KARUNADHAMMO connected with the
Theravada tradition in his early 20s, and ordained as a monk
in 1996 as part of the original Abhayagiri group. In 1998, he
took full bhikkhu ordination, becoming the first American-
born bhikkhu at the first American branch monastery of the
Thai lineage of Ajahn Chah and Ajahn Sumedho.
Precious Life, Sacred Death
AUG
17 ANNA DOUGLAS | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
FRI
The question of what gives life beauty and meaning is a
universal one. The Buddha advised we look to the fact of
death for guidance. To know life, we need to know death.
To know death, we need to know life. Living and dying are
not separate, but a continuum of consciousness in which
the opportunities for awakening are ever present. We will
contemplate the mystery of birth-death in our human form, and
discover a deeper knowing of living and dying that can pervade
our daily routines, awakening us to the sacred. Fee: $75 – 200
sliding scale. Code: AD7D18.
ANNA DOUGLAS has a background in psychology and art,
in addition to more than 25 years of Vipassana practice.
She has also studied with teachers in the Zen, Advaita and
Dzogchen traditions.
AUG Finding Refuge, Finding Home:
18 A Day in Nature
SAT
SUSIE HARRINGTON | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
In the storms of our lives, we need the nourishment and
support of refuge: a place to replenish our tired bodies and
troubled hearts. When the Buddha taught meditation, his first
instruction was to go sit under a tree. We will practice together
in the age-old tradition of being outside in the company of the
natural world. We will explore tapping into the natural stillness
and dynamism that surrounds, reconnects, and inspires us. As
we integrate stillness and movement, we will explore how to
be engaged as active participants in the outside world, while
maintaining inner balance and ease in our hearts and minds.
Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: HN1D18.
SUSIE HARRINGTON teaches meditation nationwide and
is the guiding teacher for Desert Dharma, which serves
many communities in the Southwest near her home in
Moab, UT. She is a graduate of the Spirit Rock/IMS/IRC
Teacher Training Program.
2-DAY NON-RESIDENTIAL RETREAT
AUG AUG
18 – 19 Engaging the Deep Heart:
SAT SUN A Writing Weekend
ROGER HOUSDEN | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
This is a unique opportunity to explore our deep nature and to dive
below the stories that so often entrance us. How have your losses
touched and affected the way you move in the world? How do
your personal relationships serve as mirrors for your connection
with the dimension of spacious awareness in which we are an
intrinsic part of a universe of love? We will investigate in writing
our passions, our loves, our losses, and our deepest longings. Our
writing, interspersed with meditation, will aim to take us beneath
all our stories to the silence of the knowing heart. Fee: $150 – 400
sliding scale. Code: RR1M18.
ROGER HOUSDEN is the author of 20 books on poetry, art
and pilgrimage, including the best-selling Ten Poems to
Change Your Life series.
29
 NON-RESIDENTIAL
NON-RESIDENTIAL | MAY |– MAY
PROGRAMS
PROGRAMS AUG –2018
AUG 2018
Online Offerings
join our online community and
connect wherever you are.
monday night livestream
Join our Monday Night meditation community, which
has been ongoing for 33 years. This is a wonderful way
to experience a variety of teachers and teachings, from
the comfort of home. Offered by donation.
spiritrock.org/monday-night
livestreamed day retreats:
5/27 — Recollections of Ajahn Chah | Ajahn Pasanno
6/2 — The Four Ennobling Truths | Eugene Cash
6/24 —Equanimity: Cultivating A Balanced Heart & Mind
Sally Armstrong
8/26 —Mindfulness Meditation | Jack Kornfield
everyday life as
mindfulness practice
sylvia boorstein
Learn to reconnect and respond to these
rollercoaster times with mindfulness, presence, and an open
heart from anywhere in the world. Connect with Sylvia in
this updated course version with a focus on current events
and video conferences. Join us for heartfelt connection and
meaningful moments of insight, supported by a like-minded
community across the country. Code: SB1N18.
spiritrock.org/everyday-mindfulness
make peace with
your mind
mark coleman
Based on techniques from his latest book,
Mark Coleman delivers a powerfully practical and experiential
online course filled with lightness, compassion, and humor…
a reminder to not take yourself too seriously! Have you ever
noticed how cluttered or critical your mind can be? Join Mark
as he shows you how to recognize the way your thoughts
impact your experience. Code: MC3N18.
spiritrock.org/make-peace
30
AUG
19
Liberation Dharma: Collective
Awakening to Heal the World
SUN
WES NISKER AND JOANNA MACY
10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
As the drumbeat of tragedy fills the mind of the world, many of
us are feeling grief, or fear, and often a sense of helplessness. In
this day retreat, we will turn to face these difficult emotions, while
simultaneously invigorating our love for the world and our desire
to engage in collective healing. Through the inspirational teachings
of Joanna Macy along with sessions of meditation, we will explore
the ways that we are connected to each other and the life of the
planet. Our exploration as a community will help us on the path of
our personal and collective liberation and give us strength to heal
the wounds of our world together. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale.
Code: WN3D18.
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!
JOANNA MACY, PHD, is a scholar of Buddhism, systems
theory and deep ecology. As the root teacher of the Work That
Reconnects, she has created a ground-breaking theoretical
framework for personal and social change. Her books include
World as Lover, World as Self and Coming Back to Life:
Practices to Reconnect Our Lives, Our World.
AUG Liberate the Body, Stretch the Mind
24 WES NISKER AND KATCHIE ANANDA
FRI
10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
This day retreat combines traditional practices of Buddhist
mindfulness meditation and yoga to help us embody the
amazement of being alive and human. During our time together,
periods of meditation will alternate with yoga, allowing the
techniques to support each other and create a sense of mind-
body connection, vitality, and well-being. The day will include an
exploration of Buddhist and Yogic philosophy, and is appropriate
for both experienced and beginning students of either mindfulness
meditation or yoga. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: WN4D18.
WES NISKER - See bio above.
KATCHIE ANANDA is a yoga teacher and trainer certified in
Anusara, Jivamukti, Integral and Ashtanga yoga. Yoga Journal
named her one of the top five yoga teachers making change in
the world.

AUG Responding to a Turbulent Political World
25 ARINNA WEISMAN AND PHIL HUTCHINGS
SAT
10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
When we hear the news from media or our friends, we
sometimes find ourselves turning away and/or shutting down
because it feels so overwhelming. How can we access our
strengths and turn to face reality? How do we move forward into
activism, both as individuals and as communities? This day is
dedicated to building our capacities, through silent meditation,
personal and group inquiry, sharing, and framing. As a group,
we will co-create the wisdom, courage, and inner strength to
(re)engage with our world, and move forward together with full,
resourced hearts and minds. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale.
Code: AW2D18.
ARINNA WEISMAN has studied Vipassana Meditation
since 1979 and has been teaching since 1988. She is the
founding teacher of Insight Meditation Center of the Pioneer
Valley in Easthampton, MA.
PHIL HUTCHINGS has been a social justice advocate since
1960, working with the Student Non-Violent Coordinating
Committee and the Oakland Black Alliance for Just
Immigration, Causa Justa. He was a co-founder of the
Institute for Multiracial Justice. His Buddhist practice at
East Bay Meditation Center complements his political work.
AUG Living-Kindness: Buddhist Teachings
25 for a Troubled World
SAT
KEVIN GRIFFIN | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Loving-kindness, or metta, is sometimes depicted as a simple
“open your heart and love everybody” practice, but a closer look
at the Buddha’s teachings reveals a more complex and nuanced
picture. Several early Buddhist suttas illuminate this topic:
• Practicing non-ill-will toward difficult people
• Acting with integrity, morality, and ethics
• Living a harmonious homelife
• Letting go of grief
• Developing mindfulness and concentration through metta
practice. The day will include meditation, lecture, small group
discussion, and Q&A, and is open to all those recovering from
addiction. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding scale. Code: KG1D18.
KEVIN GRIFFIN - See page 27 for bio.
NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS | MAY – AUG 2018
AUG Mindfulness Meditation
26 JACK KORNFIELD | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
SUN
LIVESTREAM AVAILABLE
In this traditional Insight Meditation (Vipassana) day retreat,
the emphasis is on quieting the mind and opening the heart.
By cultivating a calm mind and a kind heart towards ourselves
and others, we learn to live with loving awareness. And we
develop a more easeful relationship with life, regardless of
our circumstances. Instructions will be given for both sitting
and walking meditation. Lively discourse on the Dharma will
be provided throughout the day, with time for questions and
discussion. Fee: $90 – 250 sliding scale. Code: JK2D18.
JACK KORNFIELD trained as a Buddhist monk in Thailand,
India and Burma and holds a PhD in clinical psychology. He
has taught meditation since 1974 and is a founding teacher
of IMS and Spirit Rock. His books include A Path with Heart,
The Wise Heart and No Time Like the Present.
AUG Cultivating Wise Speech: Becoming
31 More Skillful in Your Speech Practice
FRI
DONALD ROTHBERG | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
6 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE
Connecting our meditation practice with our speech and
communication is one of the main ways to bring spiritual values
further into our everyday lives. In this day retreat, we will support
this intention by integrating periods of sitting and walking
meditation with talks, communication exercises, and discussion.
We will focus on (1) the basic teachings of the Buddha on wise
speech, (2) cultivating mindfulness during speaking and listening,
and (3) learning how to practice wise and compassionate speech
when difficult emotions or conflict is present, or when there are
challenging interpersonal or group dynamics. Fee: $75 – 200 sliding
scale. Code: DR3D18.
DONALD ROTHBERG Ph.D., has practiced Insight Meditation
since 1976, and has also received training in Tibetan
Dzogchen and Mahamudra practice and the Hakomi
approach to body-based psychotherapy. He is the author
of The Engaged Spiritual Life: A Buddhist Approach to
Transforming Ourselves and the World.
31
 FAMILY PROGRAMS | JAN – APR 2018

family & JUN

10
Summer Family Day
KATE MUNDING AND EVE DECKER

youth
SUN
10:30 AM - 3:00 PM

Family Days are a wonderful opportunity to connect with your

children, yourself and a community of supportive peers. Come

programs
play, share, learn and open your heart! We start our morning with
a program for everyone, weaving the theme of the day into songs,
skits and family activities. During the second half of the day, youth
ages 4-14 will attend age-appropriate groups with our experienced
Spirit Rock mindfulness leaders. They will play, make art, sing songs,
and practice mindfulness together. Parents of children ages 4 and
older will have an opportunity to meditate, hear a talk related to
parenting as practice, and connect with one another through group
discussions. Fee: $65 - 200 sliding scale, add $5 at the door.
Code: FA3D18.
VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED to assist with the Family Days and
attend free of charge; children are welcome to volunteer alongside an
adult. Please contact the Volunteer Coordinator for more information at:
volunteering@spiritrock.org or call (415) 488-0164, x224.

KATE MUNDING — See opposite page for bio.

EVE DECKER is a graduate of Spirit Rock’s Community Dharma

Leader Program. An accomplished musician, she teaches music
and mindfulness to children and adults at East Bay Meditation
Center, Spirit Rock, Aurora School in Oakland and elsewhere.

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

Fall Path of Parenting Series

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

Fall Middle School Meditation Series

SEPTEMBER 26 – OCTOBER 24
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Fall Teen Meditation Series

SEPTEMBER 30 – NOVEMBER 4
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

New Year’s Teen Retreat

DECEMBER 27, 2018 – JANUARY 1, 2019
32
 FAMILY PROGRAMS | MAY – AUG 2018

AUG AUG Family Retreat (Lottery)

01 05– GIL FRONSDAL, OFOSU JONES-QUARTEY
WED SUN
KATE MUNDING, BETSY ROSE
4 nights, Wednesday – Sunday

This popular retreat will include family activities, young people’s

groups, a parent program and free time. Dharma activities include
songs, stories, skits, games, art, time on the land, a campfire,
council practice, parent discussions, meditation for all and Dharma
talks. The Family Retreat is a true retreat experience that brings
us face-to-face with our own experience and may bring up deep
emotions. At least one parent/caregiver in each family needs to
have sat one or more silent retreats or the equivalent. We also
include admission of Spirit Rock Family Program Council members
to the family retreat in honor of their service and to enhance the
retreat experience for others. Fee: Adults $1340-610 sliding scale;
Children $880- 400 sliding scale, plus dana to teachers and staff ;
Code: 378R18. Registration closes April 5, 2018.

GIL FRONSDAL has practiced Zen and Vipassana since 1975

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

OFOSU JONES-QUARTEY has been teaching the Insight

Meditation Community of Washington’s Family Meditation
Class since 2008. He also works with Minds, Inc., bringing
mindfulness practice to schools since 2014.

KATE MUNDING has practiced meditation in the Theravada

tradition since 2004. She is a graduate of the SMRC/IMS/
IRC Teacher Training Program, and is a guiding teacher for
the Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley (IMCB). She
is founder of Heart-Mind Education, providing mindfulness-
based education programs, trainings, and resources to
students and adults.
BETSY ROSE is a singer, writer, recording artist and mother.
She is a renowned children’s artist, teaching them the power
of their own voices and creativity through singing and song-
making workshops.

The Spirit Rock Family Program supports families

in planting the seeds of the Dharma in their daily
lives. Through classes, day reatreats and retreats,
families, youth and parents learn to slow down,
savor the present moment and re-connect with the
wholesome qualities of heart and mind.
33
 RESIDENTIAL RETREATS | MAY – AUG 2018

RESIDENTIAL
RETREATS
For 2,600 years, silent meditation retreats have been a central
part of the Buddhist Path of Awakening. Time in retreat allows
us to step out of the complexity of our lives to listen deeply
to our bodies, hearts and minds. Spirit Rock retreats combine
the fertile atmosphere of silence with time for meditation and
walks in nature, supported by systematic Buddhist teachings.
Careful guidance and training is offered in meditation. Most
retreats are suitable for both new and more experienced
students of meditation. Residential retreats last from a few
days to a full two-month retreat and all retreats are silent
with some exceptions. Find inspiration for planning your next
retreat on the following pages. For complete details of specific
retreats, visit spiritrock.org/calendar/retreats. If you are able
to attend a retreat on short notice, please join a waitlist as
spaces regularly open up. For more information, contact
Retreats@spiritrock.org or (415) 488-0164 x296.

34
RESIDENTIAL RETREATS | MAY – AUG 2018

35
 RESIDENTIAL RETREATS | MAY – AUG 2018
APR MAY Living Awareness through
27 04
FRI FRI
Insight Meditation
GIL FRONSDAL, MARY GRACE ORR,
JOHN TRAVIS, HEATHER SUNDBERG,
REBECCA KRONLAGE (YOGA)
7 nights, Friday – Friday
Join us for a 7-night retreat exploring awareness through the
vehicle of the body and in the spirit of a heart of friendliness,
compassion, and nonreactive balance. In this silent retreat, we
will practice sitting and walking meditation. Instructions will
be offered, there will be a Dharma talk every day, and there will
be individual and group interviews with the retreat teachers.
There will be optional times for guided mindful yoga practice.
This retreat is suitable for both beginning and experienced
practitioners. Fee: $1760 - 800 sliding scale. Code: 350R18.
“Dharma practice calls on us to see what is
really true, and to step out of delusion.”
—Anushka Fernandopulle
Contemplating Death /
MAY MAY
05 12 Awakening to Life
SAT SAT
EUGENE CASH, NIKKI MIRGHAFORI,
BHIKKHU ANALAYO (VIA VIDEOCAST),
JANICE CLARFIELD (YOGA)
7 nights, Saturday – Saturday
21 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE
Prerequisite: Completion of one 5-night Buddhist silent meditation
retreat or permission of the teacher.
The Buddha encouraged Maranasati practice to live an
awakened life. This practice supports our appreciation of the
preciousness of human birth and the development of equanimity
with the difficulties of human existence. It helps us gain freedom
from rigidity and clinging through a more expansive perspective
of the inevitable and natural letting go. Maranasati matures
our insight into impermanence and change, nourishing a skillful
orientation to both life and death. In the retreat we will utilize
the skills of loving awareness, compassion and investigation in
our sitting practice, with some guided visualization and a period
of contemplative inquiry each day. Bhikkhu Analayo will make a
live, guest teaching via videocast at the retreat. Fee: $1760 - 800
sliding scale. Code: 352R18.
GENERAL
INFORMATION
about
RESIDENTIAL
RETREATS
Registration
Retreats open for registration four months before the start
date (longer if a lottery retreat). Check our website for
specific open dates. We encourage you to register online;
however, you may also download application forms to
submit via fax or mail. In addition to the registration fees,
which only cover a portion of the retreat costs, you are
invited to support the teachings and the retreat through the
spiritual practice of generous giving or "dana." Participants
will be invited to offer dana (donations) for the teachers,
managers and cooks through which they are compensated
for their work.
Financial Assistance, Work Exchange
and Young Adult Rates
Financial assistance is available for all residential retreats
through our scholarship fund; there are limited funds
available for each retreat, so apply early. For all residential
retreats, we offer a limited number of young adult special
rate accommodations available on a first-come, first-served
basis. We do not have a senior rate for residential retreats.
We strongly encourage you to apply for a scholarship, if
you require financial assistance. For most retreats, we have
two work retreatant roles — one in the kitchen and one in
housekeeping. To apply as a work retreatant, you must meet
the criteria outlined on our website spiritrock.org.
Cancellation Fees
In general, the cancellation fee schedule is as follows:
$100 for cancellation 8 weeks or more before a retreat;
$175 for cancellation 4-8 weeks before a retreat; $225
for cancellation 1-4 weeks before a retreat; $300 for
cancellation 1 week before a retreat. No refunds as of 3:00
pm on the last business day prior to the retreat start day.
To cancel a retreat reservation, contact Retreats@spiritrock.
org or (415) 488-0164, x296.

36
 at a glance — 2018 JULY
Jun 28 Our History, Our Present, Our Future: An Insight

RESIDENTIAL
– Jul 4 Meditation Retreat for People of Color
Larry Yang, Jan Willis, Gina Sharpe, Bhante Buddharakkhita
Konda Mason, Rolf Gates (movement) —registration open

RETREATS Jul
5–10
Mindfulness for Everyone: The Basics and Beyond
without the Hype
Diana Winston, Bonnie Duran, Alex Haley
registration open

Jul July Metta Retreat: Cultivating a Loving Heart

11–20 Sally Armstrong, Tempel Smith, Bonnie Duran,
John Martin, Sylvia Boorstein, Marcy Reynolds (qigoing)
MAY registration open

May Contemplating Death / Awakening to Life Jul July Insight Meditation Retreat (Lottery)
5–12 Eugene Cash, Nikki Mirghafori, Bhikkhu Analayo (via vid- 20–29 Joseph Goldstein, Kamala Masters, Greg Scharf,
eocast), Janice Clarfield (yoga) —registration open DaRa Williams —lottery open

May Equanimity and Awareness (Parallel)

13–20 Kamala Masters, Sally Armstrong —registration open
AUGUST
May Settling, Seeing, and Spacious Awareness:
13–20 Aug Family Retreat (Lottery)
A Retreat for Experienced Students (Parallel) *UWH
1–5 Gil Fronsdal, Betsy Rose, Kate Munding,
Donald Rothberg, Susie Harrington —registration open
Ofosu Jones-Quartey —lottery open
May Awakening Joy
21–28 Aug Insight Meditation for Young Adults
James Baraz, Debra Chamberlin-Taylor, Howard Cohn,
6–12 Tempel Smith, La Sarmiento, JoAnna Hardy, Dori Langevin,
Jane Baraz, Evelyn Larsen (movement)
Marcy Reynolds (qigoing) —registration open
registration open
May 29 Aug A Path of Happiness: A Retreat for the LGBT*QI
Meditating on the Nine Bodies: A Practical Map for
–Jun 3 13–18 Gender–Fluid Community
Insight Practitioners (Parallel)
Phillip Moffitt, Dana DePalma —registration open Arinna Weisman, Lama Rod Owens, Noliwe Alexander
registration open
May 29 Connecting Mind and Heart (Parallel) *UWH
–Jun 3 James Baraz, Kate Munding —registration open Aug Concentration Retreat
19–28 Phillip Moffitt, Sally Armstrong, Donald Rothberg,
Susie Harrington —registration opens 4/19/18

JUNE
Jun
4–10
Aging, Dying and Awakening (ages 55+) (Parallel)
Anna Douglas, Eugene Cash, Donald Rothberg
SEPTEMBER
registration open Aug 29 Labor Day Insight Meditation Retreat
–Sep 3 James Baraz, Sharda Rogell, Howard Cohn,
Jun Natural Liberation: A Buddhist Insight Terry Vandiver (yoga) ­—registration opens 4/25/18
4–10 Meditation Retreat (Parallel) *UWH
Wes Nisker, Vinny Ferraro —registration open Aug 31 Abhayagiri Teen Meditation Retreat
–Sept 2 Ajahn Pasanno and Abhayagiri Monastics
Jun Essential Teachings on the Path of Awakening (Parallel) registration opens 6/6/18
11–17 Matthew Brensilver, Brian Lesage
registration open Sep Meditation and the Spirit of Creativity
10–16 Anna Douglas, Nina Wise, Stewart Cubley,
Jun The Heart of Awareness (Parallel) *UWH Anne Cushman, Claudia Erzinger —registration opens 5/9/18
11–17 Sharda Rogell —registration open
Sep Finding Freedom in the Body (Parallel)
Jun Therigatha ‘Verses of the Elders’ Monastic Retreat 17–23 Mary Grace Orr, Bob Stahl, Christiane Wolf,
20–24 Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, Ayya Anandabodhi,
Marcy Reynolds (qigong) —registration opens 5/16/18
Ayya Santacitta, Marci Moberg (movement)
registration open Sep Transforming the Judgmental Mind (Parallel) *UWH
17–23 Donald Rothberg —registration opens 5/16/18
Jun Awakening in Every Moment: A Short, Intensive
25–27 Sep Wisdom Rising: A Women’s Meditation Retreat
Retreat in Mindfulness, Metta, and Morality
24–30 Spring Washam, Anna Douglas, JoAnna Hardy,
Sylvia Boorstein, Konda Mason —registration open
Erin Selover —registration opens 5/23/18

37
*UWH = Upper Walking Hall
 OCTOBER
Oct Evolving Together: Mindfulness Meditation
“As the tides of our life swirl in the past
1–7 and Modern Science and rush towards the future, the craft of
Wes Nisker, Rick Hanson, Nikki Mirghafori,
Terry Vandiver (yoga) —registration opens 6/5/18 mindfulness occurs in the here and now.”
Oct Mindfulness and Heartfulness for Insight —oren=jay sofer
9–14 and Liberation
Anushka Fernandopulle, Chas DiCapua
registration opens 6/6/18
Oct The Convergence of Wisdom and Love
20–24 Dana DePalma, Diana Winston, Matthew Brensilver,
Ashley Sharp (yoga) —registration opens 6/20/18

Oct Loving Awareness:

25–29 A Retreat for Experienced Meditators (Lottery)
Jack Kornfield, Trudy Goodman, Teja Bell (qigong)
lottery opens 5/23/18

NOVEMBER
Oct 31 Reclamation of the Sacred: A Journey of Healing and
–Nov 7 Reconnection Through Insight Meditation
Thanissara, Kittisaro, Erin Treat —registration opens 6/27/18
Nov Dedicated Practitioners Programs Retreat 4
8–15 Sally Armstrong, Ruth King, Bonnie Duran,Tempel Smith
program participants only
Nov Thanksgiving Insight Meditation Retreat
16–25 Wes Nisker, Erin Treat, Matthew Brensilver,
Terry Vandiver (yoga) —registration opens 7/17/18
Nov 26 Seven Factors of Awakening (Parallel)
–Dec 2 Eugene Cash, Gina Sharpe, Pamela Weiss
registration opens 7/25/18
Nov 26 Mindfulness as a Path of Awakening (Parallel) *UWH
–Dec 2 Mark Coleman —registration opens 7/25/18

DECEMBER
Dec Awakening in the Body: Yoga and Meditation
3–9 Anne Cushman, Kate Johnson, Brent Morton,
Rolf Gates (yoga) —registration opens 8/1/18
Dec In the Presence of Love: A Metta and Qigong Retreat
10–16 Spring Washam, Vinny Ferraro, Erin Selover,
Teja Bell (qigong) —registration opens 8/8/18
Dec Solstice Insight Meditation Retreat
17–23 Donald Rothberg, Heather Sundberg, Oren Jay Sofer
registration opens 8/15/18
Dec 27 New Year’s Insight Meditation Retreat
–Jan 6 Eugene Cash, Spring Washam, Pamela Weiss,
DaRa Williams, Alexis Santos, Janice Clarfield (yoga)
registration opens 8/22/18
Dec 27 Teen New Year’s Retreat (Walden West)
– Jan 1 Teachers TBD —registration opens 8/29/18

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


MAY MAY Equanimity and Awareness
13 20 KAMALA MASTERS, SALLY ARMSTRONG
SUN SUN 7 nights, Sunday – Sunday
Prerequisite: Completion of one 5- to 7-night Insight Meditation
retreat or permission of the teacher.
Often, we are drawn to meditation practice because of our
heartfelt wish to calm our minds and open our hearts. But in
our lives, and when we sit down to meditate, we often find
ourselves reacting to thoughts of the past with regret, shame
or anger, and to the future with anxiety and fear, often feeling
overwhelmed. In this retreat, we will develop the practice of
equanimity, which allows us to be with challenging situations
in our lives with balance, acceptance and more clarity. As this
capacity deepens, we are able to be more fully present for
both the joys and the sorrows of life, meeting each situation
with kindness and compassion. Equanimity is one of the four
Brahma Viharas/Divine Abidings, or beautiful qualities of heart,
we can develop through practice and meditation. The other
Brahma Viharas of loving-kindness, compassion and joy will be
introduced as a complement to the equanimity practice. Fee:
$1760 - 800 sliding scale. Code: 354R18.
MAY MAY Settling, Seeing, and Spacious
13 20 Awareness: A Retreat for
SUN SUN
Experienced Students
DONALD ROTHBERG, SUSIE HARRINGTON
7 nights, Sunday - Sunday
Prerequisite: Completion of at least two 5-night or longer silent
Insight Meditation retreats or permission of the teachers.
In the context of a small retreat, we will train in three inter-related
modes of practice. First, we will settle and stabilize our minds
and bodies, becoming more concentrated, through both sitting
and moving forms of meditation, including regular Qigong. As
we settle, we then become better able to examine closely both
our experiences of our bodies, thoughts, and emotions, and the
general patterns of experience, both more personal and more
universal. We see more clearly when we are reactive, when we
suffer, when there is a thick sense of self, and we learn to be
more with the impermanent flow of experience. We can also
tune in more, as we settle and see, to an increasingly unconfined
and luminous awareness beyond reactivity, that is a source of
freedom, wisdom, and compassion, both in retreat practice and
daily life. Fee: $1760 - 800 sliding scale. Code: 355R18.
RESIDENTIAL RETREATS | MAY – AUG 2018
MAY MAY Awakening Joy
21 28 JAMES BARAZ, DEBRA CHAMBERLIN TAYLOR,
MON MON
HOWARD COHN, JANE BARAZ,
EVELYN LARSEN (MOVEMENT)
7 nights, Monday - Monday
13 CE CREDITS AVAILABLE
The Buddha was known as “The Happy One.” However, the
teachings often seem to emphasize working with suffering.
Joy and happiness can seem frivolous or unspiritual even though
joy is one of the Seven Factors of Awakening. In this retreat we will
practice with an emphasis on cultivating wholesome states
to develop our natural capacity for well-being and happiness.
Our own development of well-being and joy then becomes our gift
to a troubled world. The retreat includes silent sitting and walking
periods with instructions and practice meetings with teachers, as
well as some experiential exercises during the five days. Fee: $1760 -
800 sliding scale. Code: 358R18.
MAY JUN Meditating on the Nine Bodies: A
29 03 Practical Map for Insight Practitioners
TUE SUN
PHILLIP MOFFITT, DANA DEPALMA
5 nights, Tuesday - Sunday
Prerequisite: Completion of one 5- to 7-night silent Vipassana retreat
and an active meditation practice for at least three years.
Required Advance Reading: Chapter 1-6 in Awakening in the Nine
Bodies: Explorations in Consciousness for Yoga and Mindfulness
This retreat systematically explores a set of teachings about the
nature of consciousness that were first transmitted to Phillip Moffitt
by the Himalayan yoga master Sri Swami Premvarni Balyogi almost
twenty years ago. They are the basis for Phillip Moffitt’s new book:
Awakening through the Nine Bodies. The retreat will start by focusing
on the consciousness that arises in the physical body and then
presents a series of meditations for exploring ever more subtle
levels of consciousness. These teachings and meditation are not
presented as an alternative or a substitute for your current lineage
practice but rather, to help you be more empowered in your lineage
practice. Fee $1255 - 570 sliding scale. Code: 360R18.
MAY JUN Connecting Mind and Heart
29 – 03 JAMES BARAZ, KATE MUNDING
TUE SUN 5 nights, Tuesday - Sunday
The Mind and the Heart are not separate. We’ll take these days
of silence to explore and put into practice various skillful means
to access naturally relaxed, open hearts and clear quiet minds. It
is from these lovely states that insights into how we’ve become
unnecessarily distressed will naturally arise. These are the insights
that heal us, uplift us and ultimately free us. Fee: $1255 - 570 sliding
scale. Code: 361R18.
39
 RESIDENTIAL RETREATS | MAY – AUG 2018
DEEPEN YOUR ONGOING PRACTICE—

JUN JUN Aging, Dying, and Awakening Advanced Practitioners Program

04 10 ANNA DOUGLAS, EUGENE CASH,
MON SUN
DONALD ROTHBERG, BEGINS SPRING 2019 — REGISTER EARLY!
6 nights, Monday - Sunday
Spirit Rock is excited to offer the second Advanced
FOR AGES 55 & ABOVE Practitioners Program (APP2) beginning in April 2019.
Living life fully includes aging and dying — a natural process Designed to support the ongoing practice of the senior
ripe with spiritual possibilities. Aging brings loss, revealing the students in our community, we hope that those of you who
pervasive truth of impermanence. But even as our memory slides, have done DPP or CDL or have other significant study and
our cognitive speed slows down, and our bodies become more practice experience will join us.
fragile, qualities of the heart reveal themselves. We see that
the potential for wisdom and compassion does not depend on The program will be led by Susie Harrington, JoAnna Hardy,
the state of the body or on our age, but rather on the training of and Brian Lesage assisted by Dawn Scott, and the faculty
the mind to abide in timeless awareness. It is best to begin this includes: Bhikkhu Analayo, Guy Armstrong, Gil Fronsdal,
training before you are ill or dying. Then, like a treasured friend, and Phillip Moffitt.
your own mind can accompany you through the challenges of
aging, loss, illness and dying. Through engaging in a variety of
contemplations on death in the communal space of retreat, our
APPLICATIONS ACCEPTED:
confidence in our capacity to meet death peacefully increases. MAY 1 – AUGUST 1, 2018
Fee: $1505 - 685 sliding scale. Code: 362R18.
FOR MORE INFO, VISIT:
spiritrock.org/advanced-practitioners-program
JUN JUN Natural Liberation: A Buddhist
04 10 Insight Meditation Retreat
MON SUN
WES NISKER, VINNY FERRARO
6 nights, Monday - Sunday

During this silent retreat we will practice together the art and
discipline of mindfulness meditation, our intention being to
train our minds and open our hearts. A significant feature
of this retreat is that we will be doing some of our practice
outside in the shade of ancient oaks, letting nature help
us along on our path. Throughout the retreat we will make
creative use of classic Buddhist meditation practices to explore
the evolutionary origin of our body and emotions; engage in
traditional Buddhist reflections on death and dying; examine
our nature “as” nature; and all the while explore the tricky
delusions of mind and the mystery of consciousness itself. In
the process, we expect to find relief from our personal drama
and a new sense of delight and meaning in our lives. The
retreat will include poetry and a little “crazy wisdom” as well.
Fee: $1505 - 685 sliding scale. Code: 363R18.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, VISIT SPIRITROCK.ORG.

40

JUN JUN Essential Teachings on the Path
11 17 of Awakening
MON SUN
MATTHEW BRENSILVER, BRIAN LESAGE
6 nights, Monday - Sunday
Nobody tells us this when we’re growing up, but being human
is kind of a big deal. It feels great, it hurts, it’s intense. We
know it won’t go on forever. Given this, what kind of happiness
is possible for us? The Buddha suggested that we have
underestimated the capacity of our heart. Retreat helps us to
remember. In mindfulness meditation, we practice resting,
looking deeply, knowing moment-by-moment what it’s like to
be human. Initially, some of us are hesitant to look because
we’re concerned about what we’ll find. But our practice shows
us that the more deeply we look, the more reason we have
to love. Together, we’ll sit in the refuge provided by a 2,600-
year legacy of wisdom and kindness. In the silence, we come
to know the preciousness of our life and the poignancy of the
human condition. From this openness, so much goodness
unfolds. Fee: $1505 - 685 sliding scale. Code: 364R18.
JUN JUN The Heart of Awareness
11 17 SHARDA ROGELL, DAWN MAURICIO
MON SUN
6 nights, Monday - Sunday
This retreat is an opportunity to practice a way of being that
embraces the fullness and aliveness of the present moment.
Supported by mindfulness and the depth of silence, inwardly
and outwardly, we will explore together a spontaneous, wise
and open-hearted relationship with the moment-to-moment
changing flow of life’s experience. Awareness practice can
also reveal layers of physical and emotional tension and pain.
As we open to the truth of our experience, we can cultivate
a capacity for meeting and transforming suffering into a
sense of deep well-being. By paying attention in this way, we
come to understand how to free ourselves from deeply held
patterns and awaken to our essential goodness as well as
other beautiful qualities of our heart and mind. Fee: $1505 - 685
sliding scale. Code: 365R18.
RESIDENTIAL RETREATS | MAY – AUG 2018
JUN JUN Therigatha ‘Verses of the Elder
20 24 Nuns’ Retreat
WED SUN
JETSUNMA TENZIN PALMO,
AYYA ANANDABODHI, AYYA SANTACITTA,
MARCI MOBERG (MOVEMENT)
4 nights, Wednesday - Sunday
Prerequisite: Participants must have attended at least one 5-night
residential retreat in Vipassana prior to this retreat.
The Therigatha - Verses of the Elder Nuns - are inspired verses
of liberation composed by nuns at the time of the Buddha and
preserved in the Pali Canon. Together with the background
stories of their former lives, these poems present a fascinating
account of what motivated these women to leave their homes for
a life of homelessness and dedicate their lives wholeheartedly to
the Dharma. Women’s voices are a rarity in Buddhist texts and
these sound loud and clear through the ages to remind us of our
spiritual commitment and that the path is still there to be walked.
Deposit: $150, plus a donation to the teachers and retreat staff.
Code: 368R18.
JUN JUN Awakening in Every Moment:
25 27 A Short, Intensive Retreat in
MON WED
Mindfulness, Metta, and Morality
SYLVIA BOORSTEIN, KONDA MASON
2 nights, Monday - Wednesday
This retreat is suitable for beginners as well as experienced
practitioners. We will cover the Eightfold Path and the Metta
Sutta (Instructions on Impartial Kindness). Periods of didactic
(interactive) instruction in a variety of concentration and
mindfulness strategies will alternate with periods of silence to
allow for contemplative practice. The relationship of ‘techniques
of practice’ to the ‘goal of practice’ will be highlighted so that
commitment to practice is strengthened. This short retreat will
be presented as ongoing practice in order to emphasize that
all of life is practice. Mindful movement, suitable for all, will
be integrated into the group practice. This three-day “mini”
residential retreat will start in the morning on the first day
(9:30am) and end mid-afternoon (3:00pm) on the third day.
Fee: $660 - 300 sliding scale. Code: 369R18.
41
 RESIDENTIAL RETREATS | MAY – AUG 2018

JUN JUL Our History, Our Present, Our Future: JUL JUL July Metta Retreat:
28 04 An Insight Meditation Retreat for 11 20 Cultivating a Loving Heart
THU WED WED FRI
People of Color SALLY ARMSTRONG, TEMPEL SMITH,
LARRY YANG, JAN WILLIS, GINA SHARPE, BONNIE DURAN, JOHN MARTIN,
BHANTE BUDDHARAKKHITA, KONDA MASON, SYLVIA BOORSTEIN, MARCY REYNOLDS (QIGONG)
ROLF GATES (YOGA) 9 nights, Wednesday - Friday
6 nights, Thursday - Wednesday Metta is the Pali term for friendship, goodwill or loving-kindness.
In this special retreat, we both celebrate the 20th anniversary of In this retreat we will develop metta as a meditation practice,
the People of Color retreat at Spirit Rock, and re-affirm that the which cultivates our natural capacity for an open and loving heart
diversity within these retreats over the past 20 years embodies towards ourselves and all other beings. We will also develop the
the Future of the Dharma. This retreat is open to all self-identified practices of compassion, joy and equanimity. Metta practice
people of color at all levels of meditation experience. In this silent, leads to greater acceptance of ourselves and others, revealing our
intensive meditation retreat, we will practice sitting and walking fundamental connectedness to all life. The schedule will include
meditation, have dharma talks, movement practice, and meetings regular periods of mindful movement, as we find this is a helpful
with teachers. All participants observe Noble Silence throughout complement to the loving-kindness meditation. Fee: $2550 - 1160
the entire retreat. Fee: $330 - 150 sliding scale. Code: 370R18. sliding scale. Code: 374R18.

JUL JUL Mindfulness for Everyone: The Basics

05 10 and Beyond without the Hype
THU TUE
DIANA WINSTON, BONNIE DURAN, ALEX HALEY
5 nights, Thursday – Tuesday

Mindfulness can be defined as paying attention to our present

moment experiences with openness, curiosity, and a willingness
to be with what is. Through the practice of mindfulness, we learn
tools to regulate emotions, develop attention, and cultivate states
of compassion, even-mindedness, and greater well-being. When
we attend to the present moment over a sustained period of time,
practitioners report deeper connection to themselves, more self-
compassion, and greater insights into their lives. Fee: $1255 - 570
sliding scale. Code: 372R18.

Integrate the fruits of retreat into daily life

NEXT STEP DHARMA

Meditation retreats can be powerful and transformative
experiences. But how can we keep the practice alive in
our fast-paced, modern society? How can we bring the values
and intentions of contemplative practice into the complexity
of our lives? In this six-week, online course, Spirit Rock-trained
meditation teachers Oren Jay Sofer and Jaya Rudgard offer
in-depth training to nourish the insights and learnings from
a retreat.
Enrollment in Next Step Dharma includes:
• 21 short dharma talks and 16 guided meditations
• 18 recorded interviews & 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 online affiliate program of
Spirit Rock. Learn more at Spiritrock.org/nextstep.

42

JUL JUL July Insight Meditation Retreat (Lottery)
20 29 JOSEPH GOLDSTEIN, KAMALA MASTERS,
FRI SUN
GREG SCHARF, DARA WILLIAMS
9 nights, Friday - Sunday
The emphasis during this retreat will be on the continuity
of awareness in all activities, which stabilizes and balances
the mind. Relaxed acceptance of our moment-to-moment
experience becomes the platform for investigation and
wisdom. Particular attention will be paid to the attitudes in the
mind that condition our understanding. This retreat is suitable
for both beginners and experienced meditators. We welcome
people from all life experiences, backgrounds and diverse
communities. Fee: $2750 - 1250 sliding scale. Code: 376R18.
AUG AUG Family Retreat (Lottery)
01 05 GIL FRONSDAL, BETSY ROSE, KATE MUNDING,
WED SUN
OFOSU JONES-QUARTEY
See page 32 for details.
AUG AUG Insight Meditation for Young Adults
06 12 TEMPEL SMITH, LA SARMIENTO,
MON SUN
JOANNA HARDY, DORI LANGEVIN,
MARCY REYNOLDS (QIGONG)
6 nights, Monday – Sunday
PREREQUISITE: YOUNG ADULTS AGE 18-32 YEARS.
Come practice silent mindfulness and insight meditation for a
week within a group of your peers. Give yourself a break from
constant over-stimulation and external demands to create a
time for greater inner calm, spaciousness and presence. We
will explore radical self awareness and deeper embodiment
through the ancient practices of silent sitting and walking
meditations with periods of Qi Gong. Over the course of the
week we will extend these practices until the entire day is
one of steady awareness. On the last day of the retreat we
practice coming in and out of silence to learn about conscious
connection with the community around us. This is a fully
silent retreat and we will ask you to turn off and put away all
electronic devices. Fee: $1505 - 685 sliding scale. Code: 380R18.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, VISIT SPIRITROCK.ORG.
RESIDENTIAL RETREATS | MAY – AUG 2018
AUG AUG A Path of Happiness: A Retreat for the
13 18 LGBTQI Gender-Fluid Community
MON SAT
ARINNA WEISMAN, LAMA ROD OWENS,
NOLIWE ALEXANDER
5 nights, Monday – Saturday
How do we open to the challenges and uncertainties of our lives
and the worlds we live in without being imprisoned in hatred,
passivity or grief. The Buddha’s teaching of liberation offers us a
practice to build the capacities of faith, kindness and wisdom and
to orient towards building peace. In the blessings of our queer
community, we will explore ourselves through guided meditations,
dharma talks, and group and individual inquiry. Alisa L. Dennis and
Joan “JD” Doyle, who are both in the current Spirit Rock Teacher
Training program, will be with the teaching team on this retreat.
Fee: $1255 - 570 sliding scale. Code: 382R18.
AUG AUG Concentration Retreat
19 28 PHILLIP MOFFITT, SALLY ARMSTRONG,
SUN TUE DONALD ROTHBERG, SUSIE HARRINGTON
9 nights, Sunday – Tuesday
Prerequisite: Completion of at least two 7-night or three 5-night
silent Insight meditation retreats.
Concentration (samadhi), the collection and unification of the
mind, was emphasized by the Buddha as one of the aspects of
the Eightfold Path. It can bring joy to your practice and lead to
the skillful use of pleasure in the meditative process. Whatever
your level of practice, you can improve your Insight Meditation
(Vipassana) by strengthening your concentration skills. Your
ability to concentrate will develop in response to the attention you
give it. This retreat offers a series of techniques for staying on the
meditation object for extended periods of time. We will explore
the factors of concentration that lead to the deep absorption
states known as jhana. Teachers will also give instruction for
utilizing concentration during insight practice. Fee: $2550 - 1160
sliding scale. Code: 384R18.
AUG SEP Labor Day Insight Meditation Retreat
29 03 JAMES BARAZ, SHARDA ROGELL,
WED MON
HOWARD COHN, TERRY VANDIVER (YOGA),
5 nights, Wednesday – Monday
This retreat emphasizes quieting the mind, opening the heart,
and developing clarity and depth of practice. Traditional
instructions will be combined with a spirit of loving-kindness
and silent sitting, walking, dharma talks and meetings with
the teachers. This is a good retreat for both beginning and
experienced students. Fee: $1255 - 570 sliding scale. Code: 386R18.
43
 Deep Bows
spirit rock celebrates our newest teachers council members
Twenty new members have recently joined the Spirit Rock
Teachers Council, our valued teaching body that support
our mission and serve as ambassadors for Spirit Rock. This
group of teachers have demonstrated their commitment
through supporting and teaching in many of our multi-year,
teacher training, long retreats and programming at Spirit
Rock over the years. It is an exciting time for our history
Teachers highlighted in gold are our newest members.
AYYA ANANDABODHI has practiced meditation since 1989
and lived in Amaravati and Chithurst monasteries in the UK for
18 years. In 2009, she moved to the US to help establish Aloka
Vihara, a training monastery for women, where she now resides.
GUY ARMSTRONG has been practicing Insight Meditation
for more than 30 years and began teaching in 1984. He spent a
year as a Buddhist monk in Thailand. Guy is a Guiding Teacher
of Insight Meditation Society (IMS). He is author of Emptiness: A
Practical Guide for Meditators.
SALLY ARMSTRONG began practicing Insight Meditation
in 1981 and teaching in 1996. She has served at Spirit Rock in a
number of roles and is co-founder and co-teacher of the Dedicated
Practitioners Program. She is a co-Guiding Teacher at Spirit Rock.
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.
SYLVIA BOORSTEIN has been teaching since 1985 and teaches
both Vipassana and Metta Meditation. Her many books
include That’s Funny, You Don’t Look Buddhist and Happiness
Is an Inside Job.
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.
EUGENE CASH is a founding teacher of San Francisco Insight.
He is also the co-founder and co-teacher of the Dedicated
Practitioners Program. In addition, he teaches the Diamond
Approach® in San Francisco and Holland.
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.
44
to have such a wonderful group of teachers teaching the
dharma here at Spirit Rock.
Also, a special recognition to three members of our Spirit
Rock Teacher’s Council that have transitioned to Emeritus
Members: Mary Grace Orr, John Travis and Julie Wester.
Deep appreciation and gratitude for your many years of
teaching, guidance, and support!
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.
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.
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.
DANA DEPALMA has practiced Insight Meditation since 1993.
She holds a Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology and is a
licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She teaches daylongs,
classes and retreats at Spirit Rock and is the Spirit Rock Staff
Dharma Teacher.
ANNA DOUGLAS has a background in psychology and art,
in addition to more than 25 years of vipassana practice.
She has also studied with teachers in the Zen, Advaita and
Dzogchen traditions.
BONNIE DURAN met the Dharma in 1982. She teaches long
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.
ANDREA FELLA has practiced Insight Meditation since 1996
and began teaching in 2003. She teaches at the Insight Meditation
Center in Redwood City, CA, and around the US.
ANUSHKA FERNANDOPULLE has trained for over 25 years
in Buddhist meditation in the U.S., India and Sri Lanka, and is a
member of the Spirit Rock Teachers Council. Anushka also works
as a leadership coach and management consultant, and lives in
San Francisco where she leads Monday Night Dharma.
GIL FRONSDAL has practiced Zen and Vipassana since 1975
and holds a PhD in Buddhist Studies from Stanford. He is founding
teacher of the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, CA, and
author of a translation of The Dhammapada.
JOANNA HARDY has been exploring and practicing multiple
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.
SUSIE HARRINGTON teaches meditation nationwide and
is the guiding teacher for Desert Dharma, which serves many
communities in the Southwest near her home in Moab, UT. She is
a graduate of the Spirit Rock/IMS/IRC Teacher Training Program.
WILL KABAT-ZINN has practiced Insight Meditation for more
than 15 years and has been teaching since 2007. He lives in the
East Bay with his wife and two children and leads a weekly sitting
group on Sunday evenings in Berkeley.
RUTH KING is a guiding teacher at Insight Meditation
Community of Washington, a core teacher of Spirit Rock’s
Dedicated Practitioner Program, and founder of Mindful Members
Insight Meditation Community in Charlotte, NC. A life coach and
consultant, Ruth is the author of several publications, including
Healing Rage and Mindful of Race.
KITTISARO, a Rhodes Scholar, trained in the Forest School
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
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.
BRIAN LESAGE has taught meditation since 2000. He has
studied in the Zen, Theravada and Tibetan schools of Buddhism.
He was ordained in the Rinzai Zen tradition in 1996.
JOHN MARTIN teaches Vipassana, Metta, and LGBTQI tmemed
meditation retreats. John has had a dedicated practice while being
engaged in the working world, and emphasizes practice for daily
life. He completed the SRMC/IMS/IRC Teacher Training Program.
NIKKI MIRGHAFORI, PHD, is a Stanford-trained compassion
cultivation instructor, a UCLA trained mindfulness facilitator, a
graduate of the SRMC/IMS/IRC Teacher Training Program, and
Spirit Rock Board Member. Nikki also teaches and serves on the
Board of Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, and is an
Artificial Intelligence scientist and researcher.
PHILLIP MOFFITT has practiced Vipassana since 1983. He is
founder and president of the Life Balance Institute. He is a
co-Guiding Teacher at Spirit Rock and the author of Dancing with
Life, Emotional Chaos to Clarity and Awakening through the Nine
Bodies.
KATE MUNDING has practiced meditation in the Theravada
tradition since 2004. She is a graduate of the SMRC/IMS/IRC
Teacher Training Program, and is a guiding teacher for the Insight
Meditation Community of Berkeley (IMCB). She is founder of
Heart-Mind Education, providing 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.
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.
TEMPEL SMITH has been practicing Metta and Insight
Meditation since 1989, including a year as a fully ordained monk
in Burma. He graduated from the Teacher Training program led
by Jack Kornfield at Spirit Rock, is a core teacher in the Dedicated
Practitioners Program, and has been leading retreats for more
than 10 years.
HEATHER SUNDBERG has taught Insight Meditation since
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.
THANISSARA, MA, trained as a Buddhist monastic in the
Forest School of Ajahn Chah for 12 years. She is co-fouder, with
Kittisaro, of Dharmagiri Retreat in South Africa, Chattanooga
Insight TN, and Sacred Mountain Sangha CA. Her latest book is
Time to Stand Up, A Buddhist Manifesto for Our Earth.
ERIN TREAT has practiced Buddhist meditation for 20 years
and completed the SRMC/IMS/IRC Teacher Training Program.
She is the Guiding Teacher of Vallecitos Mountain Retreat Center,
and teaches at the Durango Dharma Center. Erin is influenced
by her love of wild nature, Diamond Approach® training, and
decades of somatics and bodyworker experience.
45
SPIRIT ROCK TE ACHER S COUNCIL (CONT’D)

SPRING WASHAM has practiced meditation since 1997.

She is a founding teacher of the East Bay Meditation Center
in Oakland, CA and author of A Fierce Heart: Finding Strength,
Courage and Wisdom in any Moment. Spring is a pioneer in bringing
mindfulness based healing practices into diverse communities.

PAMELA WEISS has practiced in the Zen and Theravada

traditions since 1987. She is an executive coach and the Founder of
Appropriate Response bringing Buddhist principles and practices
to leadership and organizations. Pamela leads a weekly meditation
group at San Francisco Insight and co-leads the Spirit Rock
Community Dharma Leader program.

LILA KATE WHEELER is a writer and teaches and practices in

the Vipassana and TIbetan Nyingma Buddhist lineages. She is a 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 maintains a private psychotherapy practice in NY.

DIANA WINSTON is the Director of Mindfulness Education at

UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center. She has practiced
Vipassana since 1989, including a year as a Buddhist nun in Burma,
and is the author of Fully Present and Wide Awake: A Buddhist Guide
for Teens.

LARRY YANG is a longtime meditator trained as a

psychotherapist. He is interested in creating access to the Dharma
for communities who have felt the experience of exclusion or
difference. Larry is a teacher at the East Bay Meditation Center.
He is the author of Awakening Together.

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

ROBERT HALL, MD, is a physician of the body/mind, a

psychiatrist, poet and meditation teacher. He is a pioneer of the
integration of bodywork, psychotherapy and spiritual practice. He
lives and teaches at El Dharma in Todos Santos, Mexico.

MARY GRACE ORR is a Vipassana teacher and former

Guiding Teacher of Santa Cruz Insight. She has practiced
many spiritual disciplines for the past 25 years and has trained
in the Diamond Approach®.

JOHN TRAVIS founded Mountain Stream Meditation in 1993

and opened a center in Nevada City, CA, in 2013. He has
practiced meditation for almost 50 years and spent a decade
living in Asia.
Spirit Rock News
© 2018 Spirit Rock Meditation Center | May - Aug 2018
JULIE WESTER has been a teacher of Insight Meditation
since 1985 and is a senior meditation teacher at Spirit Rock. Published three times a year by Spirit Rock Meditation Center
A student of sacred feminine wisdom traditions, her primary P.O. Box 169, Woodacre, CA 94973 | (415) 488-0164
teachers have included Ruth Denison, Joanna Macy, Lama Design & Photography | Stacy Evett-Miller
Tsultrim Allione and the women of her own family lineage.
Photography | TwoIrises.com
47
Spirit Rock
An Insight Meditation Center

5000 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard

P.O. Box 169, Woodacre, CA 94973

spiritrock.org

WELCOMING ALL TO OUR UPCOMING

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

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

building the raft:
foundational tools
for practice
AYYA ANANDABODHI AND AYYA SANTACITTA

MAY 27
100 birthday anniversary
th

celebration: recollections
of ajahn chah
AJAHN PASANNO

AUGUST 12
fully understanding
dukkha: exploring the
first noble truth
AJAHN KARUNADHAMMO