"Peace is the highest happiness."
- Living with the Devil with Stephen Batchelor
- Thursday July 1, 7:15 - 9:30 PM
- Spirit Rock Community Hall
For those of us raised in
a non-Buddhist culture, our encounter with Buddhism is invariably mediated by Christian, Jewish and secular values. We often find ourselves in the anarchic gaps between different and sometimes conflicting mythologies and are reluctant to exclusively embrace any one tradition. Such gaps, however, offer the possibility of an open-ended, non-dogmatic and liberating approach to dharma practice. Stephen will discuss his latest book, Living with the Devil: A Meditation on Good and Evil.
Cost $50-$10, sliding scale.
Stephen Batchelor was born in Scotland and educated in Buddhist monasteries in India, Switzerland and Korea. He has translated and written several books on Buddhism, including A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life, Alone with Others, The Faith to Doubt, The Tibet Guide, The Awakening of the West, Buddhism Without Beliefs, Verses from the Center; and his most book Living with the Devil: A Meditation on Good and Evil. He lectures and conducts meditation retreats worldwide, is a contributing editor to Tricycle: the Buddhist Review, a guiding teacher at Gaia House Retreat Center, and co-founder of Sharpham College for Buddhist Studies and Contemporary Enquiry.
July 3
- The Anarchy of the Gaps with
Stephen Batchelor
- Saturday July 3, 9:30AM - 5PM
- Spirit Rock Community Hall
(See description for July 1 evening talk, above.)
Cost $45 (bring lunch). Code ST2D04. Register online now.
Online registration will close on Thursday, July 1 at 1PM. Please do not register online after this time.
July 9 - 16
- Spirit Rock Residential Retreat -- Metta Retreat with Sylvia Boorstein, Guy Armstrong, Sally Clough, and Sharda Rogell
- Friday, July 9 -Friday, July 16 (7 nights)
This retreat is full, there is a wait list and commuter spaces are available.
Metta is the practice of friendship of loving-kindness. It is cultivated as a meditation and a way of life along with compassion, joy, and equanimity. These practices strengthen self-confidence, self-acceptance, and a steadiness of mind and heart, revealing our fundamental connectedness to all life.
Cost $575-$435 (residential), $455-$315 (commuter) sliding scale. Fee is for room and board. Please pay at the highest level of the sliding scale that you can afford. This allows others who need to pay less the opportunity to attend. Teaching and staffing of the retreats is by donation made at the end of the retreat. Infoline 415-488-0164 x362 after March 9.
For more information about how to register, call 415-488-0164 x362. To be added to the waiting list or to register as a commuter, download the registration form and instructions here. Print these forms, fill them out and mail them along with your deposit to the Registrar, SRMC, PO Box 909, Woodacre, CA 94973. If you cannot download the forms, or if you would like further information, either send an email to retreats@spiritrock.org or call 415-488-0164 x362 and request that waiting list forms be sent to you.
July 10 -- 11
- Contemplative Experiences in Diversity with Larry Yang, Naomi Newman, Ty Powers, and Mushim Ikeda-Nash
- Saturday, July 10 - Sunday, July 11, 9:30AM - 5PM
- Spirit Rock Community Hall
We invite all members of the Spirit Rock community into a practice of contemplating how we live our lives, individually and collectively, in a multicultural and diverse world. Using mindfulness, compassion, and wisdom of our dharma practice, the intention is to explore our experience of diversity.
The word "diversity" may mean many different things to different people, evoking a variety of feelings and thoughts. The experience of difference can serve to further separation and suffering, or can serve to expand our awareness leading us towards skillful actions that bring a freedom from suffering. Without our concerted effort to explore our differences and diversity, we will tend to repeat our actions and reactions conditioned by personal and cultural history.
In preparing for this diversity experience, there needs to be an acknowledgment and respect that each person is already on their own path and journey in these issues.
The two-day experience in diversity will balance a reflective process with feedback. There will be time taken to build safety and create a cumulative deepening of our time together. There will be contemplative explorations, both self-directed and guided by the facilitators, experientially-based exercises with work in dyads and, groups and mindful body movement.
IMPORTANT REGISTRATION INFORMATION: We strongly encourage people to come to BOTH days of the weekend. If you are unable to come for both days, please register only for the Saturday daylong. Code NN1D04 (Saturday only), NN3D04 (both days).
Larry Yang, LCSW, is a psychotherapist and consultant/trainer in cultural competency-giving workshops, presentations, and trainings in diversity and multicultural issues. He was Program Coordinator for Diversity and Multicultural Services in the Department of Psychiatry of UCSF and San Francisco General Hospital. A Community Dharma Leader, he leads daylong and weekend meditation retreats and co-leads a meditation group for the LGBT community in San Francisco.
Mushim Ikeda-Nash combines extensive grounding in contemplative and mindfulness practices in both monastic and lay settings with diversity facilitation and training. Mushim has served as a diversity facilitator, mentor, and trainer for groups of all ages, in Bay Area Buddhist groups, the Oakland Unified School District, the city of Berkeley, and Naropa University.
Naomi Newman, MFCC, co-founder of A Traveling Jewish Theatre, has been a Vipassana practitioner for 24 years. For many years she has entered into communities, facilitating dialogues, story circles, meetings and workshops focused on diversity issues.
Ty Powers has been a yoga practitioner for the past 17 years, and has been practicing Buddhism for many years, the last 6 under the guidance of Tibetan teacher Tsoknyi Rinpoche. He recently completed Spirit Rock's Community Dharma Leader training program. As an African American with a multi-racial family background growing up in East LA, and being one of few black executives in the entertainment industry 25 years ago, Ty has had much life experience in addressing the issues and concerns of cultural diversity.
Our purpose is to awaken and sustain an engaged exploration into the many levels of seen and unseen separation among the Spirit Rock community using the fundamental grounding of our Dharma practice --- Diversity Initiative of Spirit Rock Meditation Center.
Cost: $45/per day (bring lunch). Code NN1D04 (7/10 only). Register online now. Code NN3D04 (both days) Register online now. Online registration will close on Thursday, July 8 at 1PM; please do not register online after this time.
Continuing Education Units (CEUs) This daylong meets the qualifications for continuing education for MFT's and LCSW's as required by the CA Board of Behavioral Sciences, provider #PCE1851. To receive 6 CEU credits, please add $25 (per day) to the registration fee and mark the memo line of your check CEU. In order to qualify for CEU's, you must arrive and sign in within 15 minutes of the start of the daylong, and stay until the end of the event.
Sorry, nursing credits are not available. For more information, call 415-488-0164 x404.
July 16 - 18
- Benefit for Chokling Tersar Foundation and Spirit Rock.
- The Dharma that Belongs in Everyone's Heart: A Pragmatic Approach to Cultivating Spiritual Qualities - Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche
- Friday, July 16, 7:15pm at the Unitarian Church
- 1187 Franklin at Geary in San Francisco.
- Saturday, July 17 (10am-5pm) through Sunday, July 18 (10am-5pm)
- Spirit Rock Community Hall
- Spirit Rock Residential Retreat -- Vipassana Retreat (Lottery) - for more information about lottery retreats with Joseph Goldstein, Kamala Masters, Michele MacDonald & Steven Smith.
- Friday, July 16 - Sunday, July 25 (9 nights);
- FULL -- with a waiting list; to be added to the waiting list see below. There are commuter spots available for this retreat. See below for more informa- tion on commuters.
- Spirit Rock Singles Sangha with Diana Winston
- Friday July 30 , 7:30 -10PM
- Spirit Rock Community Hall
- Vipassana 101 with Howard Cohn
- Saturday, July 24, 9:30 AM - 5PM
- Spirit Rock Community Hall
- Working with Judgements with Donald Rothberg
- Sunday July 25, 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
- Spirit Rock Community Hall
The Tibetan abbot and meditation master, Chokyi Nyima will speak on how to enrich the lives of ourselves and others by cultivating five noble qualities that are within realistic reach of everyone: forgiveness, contentment, rejoicing, the good heart, and mindfulness.
Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche is a revered abbot and Tibetan meditation master. A gifted teacher he conveys the indispensable principles for arriving at the heart of Buddhist practice in his characteristic style, filled with humor, candor and wit. He has brought up by his father Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, considered one of the greatest Dzogchen masters of our time. His primary teachers were the Sixteenth Karmapa, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, and his father. He teaches throughout Europe, Southeast Asia and the U.S. His books include Union of Mahamudra and Dzogchen; Bardo Guide Book; Indisputable Truth; and Present Fresh Wakefulness.
Forgiveness heals the resentment, buried anger and old grudges that, when allowed to fester, are barriers for getting along with family members, friends, and colleagues. Contentment gives life the richness and wealth we all need, lessening frustration and softening the rigidness and negativity.
Rejoicing opens the way for harmony with our companions in live, overcoming enmity and jealousy. The good heart is the most essential virtue, the cure against selfishness and is a true companion which is wise and insightful. Mindfulness lets us move forward on the path to liberation and discover the awakened state that is the nature of our minds.
"One of the special qualities that characterizes a spiritual teacher is an ability to tune in to the audience rather than giving a "canned speech" from a pre-packaged repertoire. In the tradition of his father, Chškyi Nyima Rinpoche is very much in tune with the recipients, and - having interpreted for both of them for several decades I can honestly say - I just never knew what would be coming next, in the lecture, or as the reply to a question. It has therefore always been, and continues to be, a source of constant inspiration and delight to be present, even for an old, stone-hearted, heard-it-all practitioner as myself." --Eric Pema Kunsang, Rinpoche's translator.
A limited number of work exchange scholarships are available; call 415-488-0164 x224.
Friday evening (7:15-10pm): Cost $20 at the Unitarian Church in San Francisco, 1187 Franklin at Geary. Code: CN1B04. Register online for Friday.
Saturday (10am-5pm): Cost $80 before 7/5; $90 thereafter. Code CN2B04. Register online for Saturday.
Sunday only (10am-5pm): Cost $80 before 7/5; $90 thereafter. Code CN3B04. Register online for Sunday.
All three events: Cost $150 before 7/5; $180 thereafter. Code: CN4B04. Anything over $100 is tax deductible. Register online for the entire weekend.
Online registration will close on Thursday, July 15 at 1PM. Please do not register online after this time.
For further information call info-line 415-488-0164 x396.
July 16-25
This retreat emphasizes the continuity of mindfulness, along with some daily practice of metta. The teaching is in the style of Mahasi Sayadaw, refining the quality of precise open awareness as a way of deepening wisdom and compassion within us.
Cost $720-$540 sliding scale. Fee is for room and board. Please pay at the highest level of the sliding scale that you can afford. This allows others who need to pay less the opportunity to attend. Teaching and staffing of the retreats is by donation made at the end of the retreat. Info-line 415-488-0164 x361.
The lottery for this retreat was drawn on March 16th. Notification letters were sent out on the same day. The retreat is full; however, we do have a waiting list. If you would like to be added to the waiting list, please send an email to retreats@spiritrock.org or call the info line listed above.
Commuters attend the full retreat, including all meals for $585-$405 sliding scale, plus teacher and staff dana at the end of the retreat. Overnight accommodations are not provided for commuters. IMPORTANT COMMUTER PRE-REQUISITE: You must have sat at least one 7-day silent Vipassana retreat before in order to attend as a commuter.Ê To register as a commuter, please download the commuter registration forms.
Buy Joseph Goldstein's books online.
July 23
An evening of meditation, conscious communication and connection. Bring a snack or beverage to share, if you wish. Requested donation $15 at the door. For more information call 415-488-0164 x402.
July 24
A traditional vipassana daylong with systematic instruction, silent sitting and walking meditation and dharma talk. The emphasis will be on cultivating the qualities of equanimity and openness in our hearts and lives; especially good for new meditators and those wanting a refresher on traditional practice instructions.
Cost $45 (bring lunch), Code HC4D04. Register online now. Online registration will close on Thursday, July 22 at 1PM, please do not register online after this time.
July 25
Judgments of a reactive and compulsive nature are very strong in most of our lives, and in the dominant culture. They can distort our perceptions, make relationships with others difficult, and undermine our work in the world. In this daylong, we will examine what judgments are and how to work with them, using mindfulness and loving-kindness practices, inquiry, dyad work, and role play. These will help us to transform the energy of judgments--preserving the intelligence often found in judgments, while working through judgments' destructive and compulsive aspects. The day will include periods of sitting and walking meditation, talks, discussion, and exercises.
Donald Rothberg has practiced Insight Meditation since 1976 and has been mentored as a teacher by John Travis, Sylvia Boorstein, and Gil Fronsdal. He writes and teaches classes and retreats on meditation, socially engaged Buddhism, and transpersonal studies, and directs a two-year interfaith program in "Socially Engaged Spirituality" for Saybrook Graduate School. He is currently writing a book on connecting individual and social transformation.
Cost $45 (bring lunch), Code DR2D04. Register online now. Online registration will close on Thursday, July 22 at 1PM, please do not register online after this time.
"In this world hatred never ceases by hatred. Hatred only ends by love. This is the eternal law."
