Concentration and Awareness (286R21)

Lottery is now closed as of June 15, 2021. We have sent out all notifications, week of June 15, 2021.

A Retreat for Experienced Students
Prerequisite: Completion of at least two 7-night, or longer, silent residential insight meditation retreats (in-person retreat experience; online retreats are not eligible). Retreats do not have to have been taken here at Spirit Rock.

Description:
The first half of this retreat will focus on the development of concentration (samadhi), the collectedness and unification of mind that gives it strength and stability. The development of concentration, which comes from cultivating a relaxed attention and ease of mind, can bring joy to your practice and lead to the skillful use of pleasure in the meditative process. Concentration is also 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.

Financial Information:
Sliding Scale: $850 – $5,108; 17 nights including food and lodging.
Please consider paying at the highest rate that you can afford: your generosity supports Spirit Rock, staff, and your fellow practitioners. Any amount offered above the Base rate of $2550 is a tax deductible donation to Spirit Rock, and your generosity will enable and support the participation of others. These fees do not include dana for the teachers.

Benefactor – $5,108
Sustainer – $3,825
Base – $2,550
BIPOC Scholarship (for Black, Indigenous, and/or Persons of color) – $850*
Young Adult Scholarship (for young adults age 18-26 years) – $850*
Mudita/Karuna Scholarship (for anyone who needs financial assistance, including fixed income folks) – $850*

*Scholarship offerings: In returning to the land, we will also be returning to our pre-pandemic scholarship options and policies. All scholarship rates require a minimum fee ($50/night). While we are not able to offer “no one turned away”-type of scholarships for in-person retreats, they are still available for online offerings.

Cancellation Policy for Residential Retreats (Aug-Dec 2021) and Online Multi-day Retreats (4+ days):
To offer participants greater flexibility as we make our way out of the pandemic, we’re offering a more generous cancellation policy.

• $100 fee** when you cancel two or more days before the retreat (**fees reduced to half for scholarship participants)
• No refunds when you cancel less than two days prior to the retreat (applies to all participants)