Concentration and Awareness (264R23) - On Land
Guy Armstrong, Sally Armstrong, Susie Harrington, Tuere Sala, JD and Monica Antunes
July 5 - 23, 2023
PLEASE READ FIRST — Prerequisite (REQUIRED – No Exceptions!): Completion of at least three 7-night silent residential (in-person) Insight Meditation retreats. Online retreats are not eligible.
Registration open until 11:59pm (Pacific Time) on Tuesday, July 4, 2023. Spaces still available! Join the Waitlist if you’d like to join this retreat.
Description:
The first half of this retreat will focus on the development of concentration (samādhi), the collectedness of mind that gives mental strength and stability. Concentration comes from cultivating a relaxed attention and ease of mind. It can bring joy to our practice and lead to the skillful use of pleasure in the meditative process. For practitioners at all levels of experience, it is a key ingredient in the deepening of meditative insight.
The second half of the retreat will build on the foundation of concentration to explore the nature of awareness, or consciousness, which is the heart of sentient life. Awareness is always with us, revealing the phenomena of our experience, yet we may not have learned how to use it as a focus in meditation. As we deepen our connection to and understanding of this mysterious capacity for knowing, it becomes a powerful pathway to inner freedom and liberation.
This retreat is silent except for teacher-led Q&A, small groups, or other practice meetings.
Financial Details
Residential Retreat Sliding Scale: $990-$9360, PLUS a donation to the teacher(s).
Supporter Rate w/guaranteed single room – $9360
Benefactor Rate – $7380
Sustainer Rate – $5670
BASE – $3690
Reduced Rate – $2340
Scholarship Rate (BIPOC, Mudita/Karuna, or Young Adult) – $990
Scholarship offerings: All scholarship rates require a minimum fee ($55/night). Scholarships are limited to TWO per calendar year for on-land retreats. And, while we are not able to offer “pay what you can”-type of scholarships for in-person retreats, they are still available for online offerings as space allows.
Room Occupancy Update*: We have double and single occupancy rooms. Many of our rooms are single occupancy (only 16 of 80 rooms are double occupancy). We also offer a “guaranteed single room” rate and these will be limited (16). This rate guarantees a single room while helping to support scholarships and all we do here at Spirit Rock. The remaining single rooms are not exclusive to the top end of the sliding scale; however, they are initially prioritized for those with serious medical needs.
*Subject to change depending upon COVID-19 situation.
IMPORTANT – Details on our current COVID Safety Protocols for In-person Retreats.
Cancellation Policy for Residential Retreats:
Standard Cancellation Fee Schedule:
- $100 On or before 8 weeks
- $175 4-8 weeks before
- $300 2-4 weeks before
- No refunds as of 2 weeks before
Scholarship Rates (and Commuter) Cancellation Fees:
- $75 On or before 8 weeks
- $100 4-8 weeks before
- $200 2-4 weeks before
- No refunds as of 2 weeks before
*Fees reduced for serious illness or death in family
Retreat Commuter Option:
The retreat commuter option will only become available once the retreat is full with a waitlist.
What is a retreat commuter?
A retreat commuter is a practitioner who attends a full residential retreat, including all meals, but they are not provided with overnight accommodations. Instead practitioners stay in their own home or find local accommodations. A communal resting area is provided during the day while on campus for the retreat. The retreat commuter is expected to attend the entire retreat just like residential retreatants. Special reduced rates are listed below for retreat commuters
If you have questions about being a retreat commuter, please email Registration@spiritrock.org
Commuter Sliding Scale:
Benefactor – $3690
Sustainer – $2770
Base- $1845
About the Teachers

Guy Armstrong
Guy Armstrong has been practicing Insight Meditation for over 30 years. His training included a year as a Buddhist monk in Thailand, primarily with Ajahn Buddhadasa. He began teaching in 1984 and has led retreats in the U.S., Europe, and Australia. Guy is a member of the Spirit Rock Teachers Council and a Guiding Teacher […]
Learn more about Guy Armstrong
Sally Armstrong
Sally Armstrong began practicing vipassana meditation in India in 1981 and started teaching in 1996. She is a Stewarding Teacher at Spirit Rock and has served as a co-guiding teacher at Spirit Rock. She developed and led Spirit Rock’s Dedicated Practitioners Program and Advanced Practitioner Program. She has a keen interest in supporting students who […]
Learn more about Sally Armstrong
Susie Harrington
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, Utah. She has trained in the Insight tradition since 1989, practicing primarily with Guy Armstrong, Jack Kornfield, and Joseph Goldstein. Susie has also received teachings from many others, including Tory […]
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Tuere Sala, JD
Tuere Sala is a Guiding Teacher at Spirit Rock Retreat Center and Seattle Insight. She is a retired prosecuting attorney who has practiced Vipassana meditation for over 30 years. Tuere is committed to lay practice and inspired by bringing the Dharma to nontraditional places. She is a strong advocate for practitioners living with high stress, […]
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Monica Antunes
Monica Antunes has been practicing Buddhist meditation in Burma and the West since 2008. She was invited to teach in 2017 under the guidance of Guy Armstrong and teaches in the US, in Europe and in Africa. She is training in NeuroSystemics, a bio-psychosocial approach to individual, group and community resilience. Monica was born and […]
Learn more about Monica AntunesCategories : Experienced Practitioners, Multi-day, On-land, Prerequisite, Residential, Retreat