The teachings of the Buddha (Dharma) and the practices of Insight Meditation (Vipassana) and loving-kindness meditation (metta) are at the heart of all the programs we offer at Spirit Rock. Practicing Insight Meditation develops mindfulness, the capacity to pay attention to each moment of life and to see clearly the truth of our experience. Studying the Dharma provides insights into the conditions that define and limit our experience of life. And cultivating an attitude of loving-kindness allows us to stay present to what's true and what's difficult in our lives with compassion for ourselves and others. Ultimately, our relationship to life is transformed as we learn to live more wisely and kindly.
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Begins with a 30m meditation and is immediately followed by a Dharma talk. (Group discussion has been omitted.)
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Includes meditation and dharma talk. (Group discussion has been omitted.)
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) A main way to understand generally our practice is by seeing it as combining (1) avoiding “unskillful” or “unwholesome” actions and states of mind (and knowing how to practice when they arise), and (2) developing skillful or wholesome qualities. We explore different aspects of this way of seeing our practice: Understanding its relationship to the teaching on wise effort; seeing the core unskillful quality as reactivity (dukkha) in its two forms as grasping after the pleasant and pushing away the unpleasant, each in myriad ways; and developing positive qualities like concentration, mindfulness, kindness and compassion, generosity and the other paramis, and the Seven Factors of Awakening. We examine some of the complexities of practicing with reactivity, with a main one being that reactivity is often enmeshed with discernment; I can be judgmental and caught in reactivity, for example, as an activist who sees injustice clearly, with discernment. This calls therefore for transforming the reactivity, so we can make use of the discernment skillfully. We also look into some examples of both forms of practice, both in meditation and in the flow of daily life. The talk is followed by discussion.
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) We begin with a brief introduction to the theme of this evening's talk on the foundations of our practice—avoiding “unskillful” or “unwholesome” actions and states of mind (and knowing how to practice when they arise), on the one hand, and developing skillful or wholesome qualities, on the other. There is then a guided practice, linked with the talk theme, focused on developing (1) concentration (samadhi), (2) mindfulness (sati), and (3) awareness of reactivity, developed in part by noticing how we relate to what is moderately pleasant or unpleasant.
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Begins with a 30m meditation and is immediately followed by a Dharma talk. (Group discussion has been omitted.)
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Begins with a 30m meditation and is immediately followed by a Dharma talk. (Group discussion has been omitted.)
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Further into the Brahma Viharas, talk about equanimity or Upekha, the two types of equanimity , how to cultivate the second one, given that the first one can only be achieved by cultivating all the Paramis. Then a short guided meditation based on the Tibetan Tonglem of bringing other's pain/suffering into our hearts to tranform them into light.
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Begins with a 30m meditation and is immediately followed by a Dharma talk. (Group discussion has been omitted.)
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Guided meditation starting with settling the body, then the breath as air element,then identifying the the rest of the four elements in our bodies,the solidity of air, the fluidity and cohesion of water and the temperature of fire. At last a guided with instructions sky gazing meditation to do outside.
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Includes a meditation, dharma talk & a few key areas of discussion.
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Guiding Meditation. Starting with settling the Body and then the breath. A subtle balance between relaxation adn allertness. Focusing on the breath sensations in relationship with the air element.
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) We are nothing but Earth inlcuding all its elements, not separete from her/them, Inviting to honor, revere it, seeing clearly the interdependence. Inviting to shift from seeing Earth as a resource to recognizing it as our creator, sustainer, healer, and home. By remembering that we are not separate from the living world—but an expression of it—we cultivate humility, gratitude, ethical responsibility, joy arises from a deeper sense of belonging, inspiring both inner transformation and compassionate care for all life.
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) This talk explores the core teaching of letting go and how it relates to profound states of well-being. We learn about Natural Awareness-- the luminous quality of the mind-- and try a few "Glimpse practices" to access it. Diana then shows us how Natural Awareness practice can help us navigate the complex, challenging, and heart-breaking times in the world today.
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) This session explores equanimity-- what it is, how to cultivate it, and how to work with the "mosquitoes" we encounter.
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) This talk explores the different ways we might meet difficult emotions on retreat and in life. And in case you're not experiencing only difficult emotions, there is also some guidance on how to hold pleasant states, too!
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) In this talk, on day 3 of the retreat, Gullu discusses expanding the frame of awareness from just the anchor to include more and more experience, especially thoughts and emotions.
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Begins with a 30m meditation and is immediately followed by a Dharma talk. (Group discussion has been omitted.)
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) We explore how to be aware of body sensations from a "Somatic Mindfulness" or body-based perspective, as well as get guidance on how to mindfully work with physical pain
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) In the talk Gullu introduces a simple accesible loving kindness practice to cultivate an attidude of friendliness, benevolence and good will for a beloved being, self and all beings.
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) This foundational talk on mindfulness offers insight into why and how to practice mindfulness, the science behind it, what makes meditation difficult, the qualities of a mindful mind, and the fruits of the practice.
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Includes a meditation, dharma talk & 1 key area for discussion.
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) In our first morning, you are guided to slow down, settle, and turn toward your breath as your faithful anchor for the meditation.
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) In this talk, you are invited into a relaxed, fireside chat exploring awareness as the mind-heart's capacity to know without grasping, fixing, or becoming entangled in what is known. Through reflections on aspects of the Naturally Arising Practice Method (dharmaground.org/teachings) including: inward-staying (from Upasika Kee Nanayon's pointer), knowing experience from within experience, and letting go of the mind's habitual leaning toward objects, the talk points toward the fruits of stillness, coming home, wellbeing, equanimity, and joy. This exploration of awareness supports a more spacious and wise relatedness to daily life, where even difficulty can be met with greater presence, choice, and a quiet freedom.
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) This guided meditation establishes mindfulness through the Arriving Sequence (a part of the Naturally Arising Practice Method - dharmaground.org/teachings) before turning toward objects of experience. The practice then cultivates embodied knowing, sensing the space within and without, and eventually opens to the vastness of consciousness knowing space. This spacious knowing supports a freedom from grasping, allowing experience to pass through while remaining grounded in well-being.
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) We begin by reviewing briefly last week's session, including how contemporary practice can expand the traditional focus on ignorance to include contemporary psychological and social perspectives on further dimensions of ignorance, including our initially unconscious social conditioning. We look again briefly at how the Buddha related both to caste and to women's roles in the sangha, and the basic of social conditioning, including how this is related to "in-groups," "out-groups," and "implicit bias." Most of the talk is devoted to suggesting the basic ways that we can explore and transform social conditioning. We focus on the main supports for such practice, including working with groups and guidelines, knowing the history of a particular form of conditoning (we give the examples of gender and race), using different forms of inquiry, mindfulness in meditation and daily life (including being mindful of the judgmental mind, anger, sadness, shame, etc.), the heart practices (including the importance of self-love, compassion, forgiveness, and joy), and other practices, such as involving ritual. The talk is followed by discussion.
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) This talk explores the Naturally Arising Practice Method (see dharmaground.org/teachings), which emphasizes softening into direct experience rather than forcing the mind. By establishing supportive conditions and maintaining curiosity, participants can learn to ground themselves in their own capacity for knowing, allowing insight and clarity to unfold more effortlessly.
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) We begin by focusing on a fundamental perspective for our practice: How our practice moves from underlying ignorance to wisdom. We look at both the traditional understanding of such ignorance and how contemporary psychological and social perspectives help us to identify further dimensions of ignorance, including our initially unconscious social conditioning. We start by considering how the Buddha related both to caste and to women's roles in the sangha. We then look at the nature of social conditioning, including how this is related to "in-groups" and "out-groups," along with "implicit bias," and ways that our practice can help us see more clearly and ultimately transform our social conditioning.
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