Upcoming Retreats
NOTE ON SARANALOKA-SPONSORED RETREATS: In keeping with the spirit of generosity, all retreats sponsored by Saranaloka Foundation are
dana-based (i.e., donations rather than set fees) with a refundable registration deposit. We are committed to going forward in faith and making the Dhamma openly available to everyone.
Click for general information about retreats that adhere to the Eight Precepts.
Retreats in 2013
June 1, 9:00am - 5:00pm
Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Woodacre, CA
Led by Ayya Anandabodhi and Susie Harrington
'Nature as Teacher - A Daylong in Nature'
To retreat in nature allows us to...
- Awaken our sensitivity to the preciousness of the natural world.
- Open our appreciation to the teaching which nature offers in and around us all the time.
- Deepen our understanding of our interconnectedness with the earth and all life.
- Encourage us to embrace wakefulness in all moments of our lives.
We will participate in an age-old tradition of going into nature as a support for spiritual practice. Again and again the Buddha recommended practice out of doors, encouraging us to enter the world where tranquility and silence are so readily available. As our society feels increasingly speedy and noisy, separating us further from our true, wild nature, this recommendation could not be more appropriate. This is an opportunity to "return home," to deepen our practice, and to hear the Dharma in the outdoors where the Buddha originally offered it.
Immersed for the day in the rolling hills and meadows of Spirit Rock, and in the quiet of our meditation practice, we will investigate our interconnectedness with all of nature. Softening into the sky, the breezes, the rustle of plants, we may feel the invitation to drop the isolating illusion of self identification, notice impermanence and learn from the ever changing nature of things. We will spend our day together orienting toward the flow of experience, our interdependence, and the the possibility of ease and freedom inherent in seeing things as they truly are.
In this day there will be talks, discussion, guided meditations and group exercises. The day will be held in spacious silence. No previous meditation experience necessary. All levels of practitioners are welcome.
Visit the Spirit Rock web page for more information and to register.
June 9 - 22, 2013
King Range National Conservation Area, CA
Led by Ayya Anandabodhi and Susie Harrington
A wilderness meditation retreat sponsored by Sky Mind Retreats, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting retreats and programs in the Buddhist Insight Meditation tradition.
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July 27, 8:30am - 4:00pm
Sacramento Insight Meditation, Sacramento, CA
Led by Ayya Anandabodhi and Ayya Santacitta
'Monastic Daylong'
July 31 - August 4
Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Woodacre, CA
Led by Gil Fronsdal, Ayya Anandabodhi, Rebekkah LaDyne, Betsy Rose and Sister Jayati
This five-day, four-night retreat is for families with children ages 6-15 and will include periods of family activities, young people’s groups, parent program and free time. Dharma activities include songs, stories, skits, games, art, time on the land, a campfire, council practice, parent discussions, meditation for parents and children, and dharma talks.
The family retreat selection is not a traditional lottery. For the family retreat to be successful and serve the needs of the retreat community, it is necessary that the selection process balance many variables. Specifically, we seek to create balanced children's age groups, and within those age groups to balance the groups (more or less) with regard to gender, diversity, and family retreat history (new families, and old families, including families who have applied and have not been selected in recent years).
NOTE: APPLICATION DEADLINE IS FRIDAY, APRIL 5. More info and application here.
August 11, 9:30am - 5:00pm
Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Woodacre, CA
Led by Ayya Anandabodhi and Ayya Santacitta
'This Precious Moment: Monastic Day'
In this technological age, it is so easy to spend our time hurrying through life, multitasking and spreading our attention so thinly that we are not fully present with anything we do. During this daylong together we will focus on bringing our attention back to the present experience of this body and breath - rediscovering the brightness and simplicity that is always available in this moment, when we remember to look.
There will be guided sitting and walking meditation, Dhamma reflections, a shared meal and opportunities for Q&A.
Visit the Spirit Rock web page for more information and to register.
August 31, 9:30am - 5:00pm
Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Woodacre, CA
Led by Kittisaro and Thannisara
A Benefit for the Nuns of the Saranaloka Foundation:
'Awakening For Our Times'
"Enlightenment is intimacy with all things" … Dogen
Drawing from essential Buddhist teachings, including the Heart Sutra, we will explore Awakening in our times of extreme environmental crisis. Included in this inquiry are the implications of living within the reality of an increasingly intimate world of inter-dependence. Besides classical Mindfulness practices, we will also draw from practices connected with Kuan Yin Bodhisattva who is known as the one who "listens to the cries of the world at ease" and who is ultimately a metaphor for our own deepest heart.
This day is a benefit for the Saranaloka nuns as they source a monastery site within the orbit of the Bay area.
Visit the Spirit Rock web page for more information and to register.
September 8, 9:30am - 5:00pm
Mindfulness Care Center, San Francisco, CA
Led by Ayya Santacitta and Ayya Anandabodhi
'Monastic Daylong'
October 13, 9:30am - 5:00pm
Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Woodacre, CA
Led by Ayya Anandabodhiand Ayya Santacitta
'Stillness in this Turning World: Monastic Day'
The Buddha saw how we get thrown around by what he called 'the eight worldly conditions' — gain & loss, fame & disrepute, praise & blame, pleasure & pain. He offered a teaching to help us find a place of peace in the midst of these ever blowing winds. During this daylong we will strengthen that place of presence and knowing, bringing freedom in the midst of the many challenges that life inevitably brings.
There will be guided sitting and walking meditation, Dhamma reflections, a shared meal and opportunities for Q&A.
Visit the Spirit Rock web page for more information and to register.
November 9, 10am - 5pm
Daylong at Aloka Vihara
Ayya Anandabodhi and Ayya Santacitta
Further information is forthcoming. Please check back.
December 7, 9:30am - 5:00pm
Mindfulness Care Center, San Francisco, CA
Led by Ayya Anandabodhi and Ayya Santacitta
'Monastic Daylong'
Annual New Year's Retreat, December 26 - January 5
Dates, venue and further information will be posted here later. Please check back.
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