Schedule
| "Imagination" by Ruth Gendler www.ruthgendler.com |
September 12,19 (Sunday): Marin Sunday Sangha, San Rafael, 6 to 8 p.m.: Meditation, talk, discussion, meditation. Usually led by Phillip Moffitt and held at St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church,
September 15, 22 (Wednesday morning class), Spirit Rock. 9 to 11 a.m. (class description at end of listings).
September 25 (Saturday), Spirit Rock: Mindfulness 101/Lovingkindness 101. Two half-day retreats, 9 a.m. to 12.30 p.m., 1.30 to 5 p.m. One can come for either the whole day or for one of the half-day sessions.
Mindfulness 101: A half-day retreat with alternating periods of sitting and walking meditation and sequential instructions in mindfulness practice. There will be direction in mindfulness of the breath, body, emotions, thoughts, and broader patterns of experience, both more personal and more universal. This half-day will be held mostly in silence with some short talks, and will generally focus on the integration of mindfulness and daily life.
Lovingkindness 101: In lovingkindness (metta) practice, we cultivate a warm, open heart towards ourselves and others. We grow in self-acceptance and compassion, work through our judgments of self and others, and become better able to speak and act from our hearts in daily life. This half-day of lovingkindness practice will include instructions, alternating periods of silent sitting and walking meditation, short talks, discussion, and a focus on supporting lovingkindness in the midst of our lives. Information about Spirit Rock daylongs at end of listings.
September 26-30, Lake Tahoe, California: Insight Meditation at Lake Tahoe (4-day retreat). In this retreat we will emphasize deepening our practice through cultivating concentration and a stabilized attention; mindfulness of our bodies, emotions, and thoughts; a kind, open, and non-judgmental heart; and the clear seeing of wisdom. There will be complete meditation instructions, sitting and walking meditation, evening talks, and personal interviews, all in the context of a small, supportive practice community and great natural beauty. The retreat is open to new as well as experienced practitioners. Optional meditative kayaking! The retreat will take place at Camp Galillee, Lake Tahoe, NV. For further information, contact Renate Massing at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 775-233-5878.
October 2-3 (Saturday, Sunday),
Saturday, October 2: 9.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.: Working with Distressing States of Mind, Heart, and Body: For Ourselves and Our World. There are time-honored ways of healing and transforming ourselves and our world. One approach is to enter skillfully into our pain, confusion, and woundedness, whether individual or collective, with presence, kindness, wisdom, and, when possible, the support of community. As we do this, we find balance as well as direction through simultaneously following a second approach—cultivating our awakened qualities—our mindfulness, compassion, clarity, love, moral vision, and discernment. In this daylong, we will explore the radical interdependence of these two approaches to transformation. The main focus will be on individual work with difficult states of mind, emotions, and body, grounded in core Buddhist teachings and practices and contemporary psychology, There will be a focus in the latter part of the day on the relationship of individual and collective transformation—how we might, grounded in our commitment to individual transformation, contribute to the movement toward a life-affirming culture and planet. The day will include silent meditation practice, talks, interactive exercises, and poetry. There will be a Community Dinner Saturday evening, details to be announced.
Sunday, October 3: 9.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.: Cultivating the Field of Bright Spirit: Relationships as Spiritual Practice. What helps us to take our relationships—with friends, at work, in our communities, with our partners-as spiritual practice? How do we cultivate the qualities of mindfulness, wisdom, compassion, and skillful action in the midst of interaction and communication? When our relationships become continuous with our formal practice, whether there are difficulties or glories, relationships can lead to great creativity and transformation. One key is to be able to ground interaction in a simultaneous awareness of oneself, the other, and the “field of bright spirit” of the relationship (to use the words of 12th century Zen master Honghzi). In this daylong, we will explore how relationships can nourish and express our awakening. Along with periods of silent practice, we will explore, in dyads and small groups, a number of foundational relational practices and perspectives that participants can take home, involving mindfulness of self, other, and the field of relationship; developing skillful speech; and working with some of the challenges of interpersonal relationships.
For Further Information: Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 530-889-0248. Registration Fee: $20 for each day.
October 9-10 (Saturday, Sunday), Palo Alto, Institute of Transpersonal Psychology: Keeping Cool in the Fire: Becoming More Skillful with Inner or Outer Conflict (with Lawrence Ellis). 9.30 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. A two-day training in working with conflict drawing from the perspectives of spiritual practice, peacemaking, mediation, and organizational consulting. For many of us, conflicts are challenging! Should I stay in this job or relationship? How can I bring my spiritual practice to this major organizational conflict or to a situation of hostility? In this two-day training, we will offer perspectives and tools to take home, brought together from spiritual teachings and the work of mediators and peacemakers, that will help us to understand the nature of conflict; to see conflicts as opportunities for reconciliation, learning, and deepening relationships; to be more skillful when there are difficult emotions and polarizing thoughts; and to cultivate mindfulness and skillful speech in the midst of conflict. We will explore all of this through meditation, talks, discussion, exercises, and practicing conflict scenarios drawn from our own experiences and from simulations. (Open to members of the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology community.)
October 12-19 (Tuesday to Tuesday), Spirit Rock: Cultivating Clear Seeing, Opening the Heart (limited to about 20 persons), 7-day retreat, with yoga and chanting with Sean Feit. In this retreat we will emphasize the development of wisdom and compassion through practices that help us to quiet our minds, strengthen mindfulness and lead to insight, as well open our hearts and ground us in our bodies. There will be a special emphasis on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness and the Divine Abodes--lovingkindness, compassion, joy and equanimity. There will be complete meditation instructions, sitting and walking meditation, evening talks and personal interviews, all in the context of a small, supportive practice community. General information about Spirit Rock retreats at end of listings.
October 22-24 (Friday to Sunday), Durango Dharma Center, Durango, Colorado: Walking the Talk: Wisdom and Compassion in Action: A Nonresidential Weekend Retreat. For further information, go to http://www.durangodharmacenter.org/index.html.
October 28-31 (Thursday to Sunday), Chicago, Illinois: Cultivating Clear Seeing, Opening the Heart (4-day retreat). For further information, go to http://insightchicago.org/. Waiting list only.
November 1-3 (Monday to Wednesday),
November 10, 17, 24 (Wednesday morning class), Spirit Rock. 9 to 11 a.m. (see class description at end).
November 14 (Sunday morning): San Francisco, Gay Buddhist Fellowship 10.30 to 12 noon, held at San Francisco Buddhist Center, 37 Bartlett Street (near 21st St. between Mission and Valencia). PLEASE NOTE CHANGE.
December 8, 15, 22 (Wednesday morning class), Spirit Rock. 9 to 11 a.m. (see class description at end).
December 10 (Friday evening): Oakland, Piedmont Yoga Studio. Film and discussion on Buddhist approaches to consciousness. 3966 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland. For further information: http://piedmontyoga.com/.
December 12 (Sunday), Spirit Rock: Embodied Awakening through Meditation and Sacred Dance (with Heather Munro Pierce). Daylong retreat. 9.30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Awakening in and through the body is foundational in the teachings of the Buddha, expressed through the discourse on the four foundations of mindfulness and other teachings, and developed further in many ways in later Buddhist traditions. Embodied awakening is also crucial for contemporary Western practitioners, living in a culture that is often disembodied, virtual, and disconnected from the earth body. In this daylong, we will combine several types of body-oriented meditative practices in sitting and walking meditation that help to awaken and stabilize body awareness in daily life, with spaciously guided free-form sacred dance (with a musical background) led by Heather Munro Pierce, an acclaimed teacher of sacred dance. Both beginning and experienced movers are welcome, including those with limited movement capacities. Information about Spirit Rock daylongs at end of listings.
December 19-23 (Sunday to Thursday), Spirit Rock: Insight Meditation at the Solstice: Embracing the Dark, Inviting the Light (with John Travis and Heather Sundberg), 4-day retreat. In this retreat, we will emphasize centering ourselves at the time of the holidays and the New Year, quieting our minds, grounding in our bodies, opening up our hearts, and using inquiry to help give energy to our practice. There will be a special emphasis on opening to the darkness, including to our difficulties and challenges, as well as to the coming light--such as beauty, joy and love. We will have a winter solstice ceremony. The retreat will include complete meditation instructions, sitting and walking meditation, daily lovingkindness practice, evening talks, and interviews. General information about Spirit Rock retreats at end of listings.
January 10-17 (Monday to Monday), Spirit Rock: Metta Retreat (with Sylvia Boorstein, Heather Martin, Heather Sundberg, and Larry Yang), 7-day retreat. Metta, or lovingkindness, is the practice of cultivating the intention of benevolence as the orientation of heart and mind. It is also a path to wisdom. We cultivate metta as a meditation (practiced steadfastly on retreat) in order for it to manifest in an ongoing way in our daily lives. In this retreat, we will learn the formal practice of metta along with its companion practices of compassion, joy and equanimity. All four of these practices--known as the Brahma Viharas or Divine Abidings--strengthen self-confidence, self-acceptance, and steadiness of mind and heart, revealing our fundamental kindness. General information about Spirit Rock retreats at end of listings.
January 22 (Saturday afternoon), Oakland, Piedmont Yoga Studio: Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation, 1.30 to 5.30 p.m. A half-day retreat with alternating periods of sitting and walking meditation and sequential instructions in mindfulness practice. There will be direction in mindfulness of the breath, body, emotions, thoughts, and broader patterns of experience, both more personal and more universal. This half-day will be held mostly in silence with some short talks, and will generally focus on giving foundational instructions and on integration of mindfulness and daily life. 3966 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland. For further information: http://piedmontyoga.com/.
January 23 (Sunday), Spirit Rock: The Noble Path and the Red Road, with Fred Wahpepah. Daylong retreat, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The way in which Native American sacred ceremonies, such as the sweat lodge, are used to purify and empower consciousness will be discussed from the perspective of Buddhist practices of purification. Intensive sitting and guided meditations in the morning help develop concentration for the traditional sweat lodge ceremony in the afternoon, which Fred will conduct. The fee charged goes to cover Spirit Rock operating expenses; there is no charge for the sweat lodge ceremony. Teaching fee is by donation. Pre-registration required. The sweat lodge ceremony is optional. Please bring a lunch and food to share at the potluck after the sweat. Please bring a towel and a bathing suit or t-shirt/shorts to change into for the sweat lodge ceremony. Code FW1D11. Information about Spirit Rock daylongs at end of listings.
January 29 (Sunday), Spirit Rock Daylong (topic to be announced).
--Ongoing Wednesdays Class, Spirit Rock, Woodacre, CA: 9 to 11 a.m. morning class: Co-teach with Sylvia Boorstein (most Wednesdays, either Sylvia or I will teach): 45 minute meditation, talk and discussion. Class cost $10, teaching is by donation (dana). I will be teaching September 15, 22; November 10, 17, 24; December 8, 15, 22.
--Information for Spirit Rock Retreats and Daylongs: Registration: For more information, call 415-488-0164 or go to www.spiritrock.org/. Daylongs cost $50-80 sliding scale, plus a donation (dana) for the teacher (September 25 extended daylong is $60-90 for the day [young adults, $25], $35-55 for a half-day).
--Donald’s Talks Are Available at Dharma Seed (www.dharmaseed.org /), Audio Dharma (www.audiodharma.org/),
Benicia Sangha (www.bsangha.net/), and at this web site.
