Summer Insight Meditation Retreat (240R25) - On Land
Tempel Smith, Anushka Fernandopulle, John Martin, Bonnie Duran, MPH, DrPH, Rebecca Bradshaw and Rasika Link
July 18 - 27, 2025
Registration opens at 9:00am (Pacific Time) on February 19, 2025, and closes at 11:59pm (Pacific Time) on July 17, 2025. A waiting list will be created if the retreat fills early. Looking for a scholarship? Scholarship Interest Form – Click Here
Interested in Commuting to the retreat? – learn more below.
Retreat to be held on the land
Description
This retreat will emphasize continuity of awareness in all activities, stabilizing the mind, and cultivating insight. Combining relaxation with clarity, we will explore the liberating teachings of the Buddha, including the foundations of mindfulness, the radical nature of impermanence, and the cessation of craving.
Practitioners are encouraged to combine the Summer Insight Retreat with the Summer Lovingkindness (mettā) Retreat, although this is not required. For those attending both retreats, the teachers will guide and integrate the retreats as one offering. Those who attend the Mettā Retreat will have the option to continue with formal mettā as their primary practice through the second retreat. This retreat is silent except for teacher-led Q&A, small groups, and other practice meetings.
Unique Opportunity for a 18-night Retreat – merging lovingkindness and insight meditation practices:
Prerequisite for 18-night Retreat: Completion of one (or more) 9-night (or longer) silent, residential, insight meditation retreat(s). You will be required to list retreat experience during the registration process: the teachers’ names, dates, location/center, length (# of nights), and style of the retreat(s). Online retreats do not meet this prerequisite.
If you would like a longer retreat period (18 nights), you could attend BOTH Summer Lovingkindness (July 9-18) and the Summer Insight (July 18-27) retreats back-to-back. We will reserve 15 spaces for this extended retreat opportunity. These spaces sell out quickly, so register as early as possible.
Financial Details
Sliding Scale fees are for 9 nights including food and lodging. Please consider paying at the highest rate that you can afford: your generosity supports Spirit Rock’s efforts in offering lower sliding scale rates and supporting the large number of scholarship requests.*
Supporter Rate w/guaranteed single room – $5400
Benefactor Rate – $4320
Sustainer Rate – $3240
Basic Rate – $2160
Scholarship Rate (BIPOC, Mudita/Karuna, or Young Adult [ages 18-26 yrs]) – $855
*Registration fees DO NOT include teacher dana. At the end of the retreat, there will be an invitation to offer dana to the teachers and to Spirit Rock.
Pay in full or Payment plan: You can either pay in full or pay a deposit when you register. Payment plans are available to everyone! If you choose the deposit option, the remaining balance will be automatically charged to your payment card in equal installments on a monthly basis. Full payment is due 2 weeks prior to the retreat start.
Scholarship offerings: Our scholarship process has changed for 2025. Scholarships are limited to those with significant financial need. If you fall into that category, please complete the Scholarship Interest Form – Click Here. To be scholarship eligible, you cannot already be registered in the same retreat.
EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1, 2024 – Covid-19 Safety Protocols for residential retreats have been updated..
Cancellation Policy (Residential Retreats):**
Standard Cancellation Fees:
- $50: On or before 12 weeks
- $100: 8-12 weeks before
- $175: 4-8 weeks before
- $300: 2-4 weeks before
- No refunds as of 2 weeks before
Scholarship and Commuter Rate Cancellation Fees:
- Full refund: On or before 12 weeks
- $75: 8-12 weeks before
- $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.
Prerequisite to Attend as a Commuter:
You must have attended at least one 7-night or two 5-night silent, Insight (vipassanā) meditation residential retreats PRIOR to attending this retreat.
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:
Sustainer-Commuter – $1620
Basic-Commuter – $1080
About the Teachers
Tempel Smith
Tempel Smith teaches Mindfulness, Insight and Metta meditation with an emphasis on Buddhist psychology and mind-body awareness. He spent a year as a monk in Burma with Sayadaw U Pandita and Pa Auk Sayadaw. Tempel serves on the Spirit Rock Teachers Council, organizes the Dedicated Practitioners Program (DPP) and Living Dharma retreats for Spirit Rock […]
Learn more about Tempel SmithAnushka Fernandopulle
Anushka Fernandopulle is a Spirit Rock Retreat Teacher who has trained for over 35 years in the Theravada Buddhist tradition. Anushka studied Buddhism at Harvard College and then spent four years in full-time Dharma and meditation training in monasteries and retreat centers in the US, India and Sri Lanka. Anushka was invited to teach Dharma […]
Learn more about Anushka FernandopulleJohn Martin
John Martin has been devoted to dharma practice since 2001, and has been teaching since 2014. He serves as the Co-Chair of the Spirit Rock Guiding Teachers Council. John teaches Vipassana, Metta and LGBTQI-themed meditation retreats. He also teaches in dedicated practitioner programs and supports practitioners in bringing practice to daily life. John's spiritual path […]
Learn more about John MartinBonnie Duran, MPH, DrPH
Bonnie Duran embarked on her journey with the Dharma in 1982. She has since taken teachings from a diverse array of Western teachers, such as Joseph Goldstein, Jack Kornfield, and Kamala Masters, as well as Thai, Burmese, and Tibetan Monastic teachers. Bonnie's credentials include graduating from the Insight Meditation Society (IMS)/Spirit Rock Meditation Center (SRMC) […]
Learn more about Bonnie Duran, MPH, DrPHRebecca Bradshaw
Rebecca Bradshaw, Guiding Teacher Emeritus of the Insight Meditation Society, has been practicing Vipassana meditation since 1983 in the United States and Myanmar and teaching since 1993. She completed her dharma teacher training at Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, where she is part of the three-month retreat teacher team and leads retreats for young […]
Learn more about Rebecca BradshawRasika Link
Rasika has been practicing and teaching hatha yoga since 1984. She has been influenced by many teachers in both the Iyengar and Kripalu traditions. In 1999 she began vipassana practices at Spirit Rock, and her yoga classes gradually shifted to a more concentrated, mindful style of teaching. She invites curiosity to awaken in the asanas […]
Learn more about Rasika LinkCategories : Multi-day, On-land, Residential, Retreat