Daylong Retreats

Fridays, 9:30am to 3:30pm

Each of these Dharma Practice days will focus on one of the 7 factors of Awakening through teachings, meditation, and discussion. Everyone is welcome. Bring lunch.

The dates for this event are:

• October 2, 2009: Mindfulness
• November 6, 2009: Investigation
• December 4, 2009: Energy
• January 22, 2010: Rapture
• February 26, 2010: Tranquility
• April 23, 2010: Concentration
• May 21, 2010: Equanimity
• June 4, 2010: Develop & Incorporate

Saturday, March 13, 9:30am to 4:30pm

Taught in the style of U Tejaniya, an approach to mindfulness emphasizing relaxation and careful attention to the attitude one has toward one’s experience; mindfulness in the context of one’s daily life.

Saturday, March 20, 9am to 5pm

Based on an examination of early discourses found in the Buddhist Pali Canon, we will explore the question: “What did the Buddha teach that was distinctively and originally his own?” By differentiating the Buddha’s Dhamma from the ideas of Indian religion and metaphysics that prevailed at his time we will seek to uncover a clearer sense of the Buddha’s message and then consider what relevance it still has for people living in the modern world. The day will be divided between talks, sitting meditation and discussion.

Stephen Batchelor was a Buddhist monk in the Tibetan and Korean Zen traditions. Known for his secular and agnostic approach, he teaches Buddhist meditation and philosophy worldwide. Author of the bestselling Buddhism without Beliefs, his most recent publication is Confession of a Buddhist Atheist.

Saturday, April 3, 9am to 4:30pm

Forgiveness is something we do for ourselves; it is the act of not shutting someone out of our hearts. But how do we forgive the unforgiveable? Forgiveness is a way to let go of the pain, anger and fear we carry from harm that was done to us or by us. The day will be devoted to Buddhist practices on forgiveness through meditation, discussion and reflection.

Daniel Bowling is a mediator and teaches negotiation and mediation at Hastings and Osgoode Hall Law Schools. He has written numerous conflict resolution publications, including Bringing Peace into the Room: The Personal Qualities of the Mediator and their Impact on Conflict Resolution. He co-founded the first mediation organization in SC, where he practiced law. He was general counsel for Kripalu Yoga Center, founded the Kripalu Yoga Teachers Association, and taught a course in yoga philosophy and meditation, ‘Life is Transformation.’  A Harvard Law graduate, he has practiced yoga and meditation since 1976, and started teaching in 1983.

Maria Straatmann, a former scientist and businesswoman, has been a student of Vipassana meditation since 1996.  She is a graduate of the Sati Center Buddhist Chaplaincy Program and End of Life Counselor training with Metta Institute; volunteers with Zen Hospice Project, and facilitates Commonweal’s Heart Disease Support Group. Maria also serves as IMC Program Director and on its Chaplaincy Council. She is a Spirit Rock Buddhist Ritual Minister.

Saturday, April 17, 9am to 5pm

Right mindfulness and right concentration, together with right effort, form the concentration-aggregate of the noble eightfold path. Although these factors are often discussed separately, the Pali discourses show that the Buddha meant for them to form a unified practice. This course—through talks, readings, discussions, and meditation—will explore what these factors means and how they can be brought together in a mutually supportive and nourishing way.

Thanissaro Bhikkhu (Geoffrey DeGraff) is an American monk of the Thai forest tradition. After graduating from Oberlin College in 1971 with a degree in European Intellectual History, he studied meditation under Ajaan Fuang Jotiko in Thailand, himself a student of the late Ajaan Lee, and ordained in 1976.   In 1991 he traveled to the hills of San Diego County, USA, where he helped  establish Metta Forest Monastery, where he is the abbot. He is a prolific writer and translator.  Many of his works can be found online at www.accesstoinsight.org.

Saturday, April 24, 2010, 9am to 4:30pm

This day is for all who wish to nurture creative engagement in their lives, and in their writing and visual arts practices. We’ll explore movement and stillness to cultivate the development of mindfulness and the flow of creative expression. Please bring materials for writing and drawing, and a lunch.

Carolyn is a poet and writer who facilitates creativity retreats and workshops. She works with groups and individuals. She has been practicing Buddhist and other meditative forms for over 30 years and teaches dharma in the Vipassana Insight and Soto Zen traditions.

Friday, April 30, 9:30am to 1pm

During this class we will study the Brahmajala Sutta, the first discourse from the Digha Nikaya. In this profound discourse, the Buddha describes sixty-two speculative views about the nature of the self and the world. All these speculative views are shown to lead away from freedom; the Buddha points to the craving and agitation that underlie them. Finally, the Buddha teaches the way out of the net of speculative views through the development of wisdom. A translation of this sutta can be found online at: http://www.knowbuddhism.info/2009/01/what-teaching-is-not-brahmajala-sutta.html

Saturday, May 15, 2010, 9am to 4:30pm

This is a daylong retreat with alternating periods of sitting and walking meditation, instruction in mindfulness practice, particularly in mindfulness of the body and a dharma talk. It is recommended for both beginners and experienced practitioners. No interviews. Bring lunch.

Saturday, June 12, 2010, 6am – 9pm

This is a great opportunity for a full day of immersion in silent Dharma Practice. Practicing mindfulness on retreat is one of the foundations for maturing insight meditation. The simplicity, silence and support of retreats contribute to letting go of many of the distractions that get in the way of clear seeing. Retreats also are a wonderful environment for developing a continuity of awareness for an extended period. Interviews with Gil will be available. The sign up sheet will be placed on the table next to the Dana box next to the entrance. You are welcome to come for the entire day or drop in for any part of the retreat. If you come for only part of the retreat, please enter the meditation hall only at the beginning of a scheduled sitting. If you come while a sit is in progress, sit in one of the chairs in the outer hall. Bring breakfast and lunch. Light supper provided.

Saturday, June 26, 2010, 9:00am – 4:30pm

During this daylong, we will explore mindfulness of breathing by connecting with the experience of breathing through the whole body. This style of practice encourages a relaxed focus on the experience of the breath.

Saturday, July 17, 2010, 9:30am – 3:30pm

Saturday, July 24, 2010, 9:30am – 4:30pm

Introducing the basic practice of mindfulness, with direction in mindfulness of the breath, body, emotions, thoughts, walking and eating. There will sitting and walking meditation and discussion. Suitable for both beginners and those wanting to review the basics of practice. Bring lunch.

Ines Freedman first became interested in meditation through her yoga practice in 1970. She has been practicing Buddhist meditation since 1985, with Gil Fronsdal being her primary teacher since 1995. She is a graduate of the Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leader Program and a past Managing Director of Insight Meditation Center. She directs and teaches the Audiodharma Online Meditation Course, and serves on the IMC Chaplaincy council. She is a retired chiropractor.

Saturday, August 7, 2010, 9:00am – 4:30pm

Taking in the Good – Weaving Positive Emotions, Optimism, and Resilience into the Brain and Self Rick Hanson shows how to use the brain’s machinery of memory to get at the essence of beneficial change in the process of personal growth: the internalization of positive experiences. Drawing on recent discoveries about neuroplasticity, he will present a simple, four step process that weaves positive experiences into the structure of the brain and the fabric of the self.

Rick Hanson, Ph.D. is a psychologist, author, and teacher. He began Buddhist practice in 1974, with an emphasis on using householder life for steadiness of mind, insight, and opening the heart. Rick sat on the Board of Spirit Rock Meditation Center for nine years and is a graduate of the Community Dharma Leaders program. He teaches workshops at Sati Center, Spirit Rock, CIIS, Kripalu, and New York Insight. He co-founded the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom. See: www.rickhanson.net. He and his wife have a young adult daughter and son.

Saturday, September 11, 2010, 9:00am – 4:30pm

This is a daylong retreat with alternating periods of sitting and walking meditation, instruction in mindfulness practice, particularly in mindfulness of the body and a dharma talk. It is recommended for both beginners and experienced practitioners. No interviews. Bring lunch.

Gil is the primary teacher for the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, CA; he has been teaching since 1990. He has practiced Zen and Vipassana in the U.S. and Asia since 1975, was a Theravada monk in Burma in 1985, and in 1989 began training with Jack Kornfield to be a Vipassana teacher. He ordained as a Soto Zen priest at the San Francisco Zen Center in 1982, and in 1995 received Dharma Transmission from Mel Weitsman, the abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center. In 1998 he received a PhD in Religious Studies from Stanford University. Gil teaches at Spirit Rock Meditation Center where he is part of its Teachers Collective. He is a husband and a father of two boys.