Scholarships for Residential Retreats

Dana (the Pali word for generosity) has played an essential role in the 2,500 year-old Buddhist tradition. Spirit Rock Meditation Center teachers freely offer the teachings, and are supported in turn by donations from participants who value what the teachings have brought to their lives. In the spirit of this tradition, Spirit Rock Meditation Center is committed to offering scholarship assistance to those who are genuinely unable to afford the low-end sliding scale price of a meditation retreat.

Each scholarship request is carefully assessed in terms of financial need, previous history, and funds availability. Due to limited resources, we cannot guarantee that every application will result in a scholarship award. Your first choice of retreat may not always be possible, as there are a limited number of beds available for scholarship applicants on some retreats. If you can afford to pay the full amount of the retreat, please do so; this allows Spirit Rock to offer scholarship or special rates to those truly in financial need.

Deposit
Most retreats require a deposit to register, even if you are applying for a scholarship. Please refer to the registration application form of the retreat you wish to attend for specific deposit amounts.

How to apply: 
Send in your registration forms, including deposit, and ask for a scholarship form. A scholarship form will be included with your confirmation for the retreat. Fill out the form and return to the address on the form. If you do not receive the funds that you need, your deposit will be refunded.

Scholarship Funds
Spirit Rock Meditation Center has established various scholarships to support the practice needs of our diverse community. Please apply for a scholarship only if you have a financial need that would otherwise prevent you from attending a retreat. Please read the information below and, if submitting a scholarship application, please select the fund that best suits your situation.

Mudita Scholarships
The Mudita Scholarship provides a means for those who find themselves in financial need and who would not otherwise be able to attend a retreat. A deposit is required. See the registration form for the amount.

Applicants may be granted up to 9 nights of retreat time per year, including scholarships for multi-year retreat programs (i.e. DPP, CDL, POE and MYMT). A deposit of $10 per night is required. 

Please note that applications for the one- and two-month retreats are considered separately.

Karuna Scholarships
This Scholarship is available for those with serious medical conditions who find themselves in financial need and who would not otherwise be able to attend a retreat. See the registration form for the retreat you would like to attend for the deposit amount.

Applicants may be granted up to 20 nights of retreat time per year maximum, including scholarships for multi-year retreat programs (i.e. DPP, CDL, POE and MYMT). A deposit of $10 per night is required.

Please note that applications for the one- and two-month retreats are considered separately.

People of Color (POC) Scholarship
Spirit Rock Meditation Center is committed to diversity. The POC Scholarship is specifically for People of Color. To apply, call (415) 488-0164 x 224 or e-mail diversitycoordinator@spiritrock.org.

Awards may be granted up to a maximum of 20 nights of retreat time per year. This includes scholarships for multi-year retreat programs (i.e. DPP, CDL, POE and MYMT.) A deposit of $10 per night is required.

Please note that applications for the one- and two-month retreats are considered separately.

Young Adult Special Rate:
It is our wish to support the practice needs of meditators in early adulthood. To this end, Spirit Rock occasionally extends a special invitation to young adults (ages 18-26) who wish to attend Spirit Rock retreats. Selected retreats will have a limited number of Young Adult special rate beds available for $10 per night, on a first come, first-served basis.

The following retreats will offer a Young Adult Special rate in 2009:
May 2 - 9: Women in Meditation with Christina Feldman, Narayan Liebenson Grady, Maddy Klyne & Mary Paffard (yoga)
June 7 - 14: Essential Dharma Meditation Retreat with Anna Douglas, Howard Cohn & Mark Coleman 
August 25 - September 1: Living Dharma Retreat withith Sally Clough Armstrong, Mary Grace Orr & Donald Rothberg
November 9 - 15: Awakening the Heart of Love and Wisdom: A Retreat for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, Queer Communities (LGBTQ) with Arinna Weisman & Larry Yang
December 20 - 23: Insight Meditation at the Solstice: Embracing the Dark, Inviting the Light with John Travis, Donald Rothberg & Heather Sundberg

Young adults (ages 18-26) are eligible for a maximum of 9 retreat days from the Young Adult Scholarship Fund annually for the retreats listed above, plus 9 days of retreat time from the Mudita Scholarship Fund for any Spirit Rock retreat. 

Renunciate Monastics:
Renunciate Monastics are invited to attend Spirit Rock Meditation Center retreats. No deposit is required; there is no deposit and no limit on the number of nights. (Please consider these words an invitation to attend our retreats. We do ask that you register in advance as some retreats do fill and space may not always be available.)

Cancellations
If you need to cancel from a retreat, please do so early. This gives us time to open the space up for another applicant. Late Cancellations make it difficult to give someone else the opportunity to attend. Once you have been accepted into the retreat, cancellation fees will apply.

Cancellation Fees:
Date of Cancellation - Non-Refundable Cancellation Fee
6 or more weeks before start of retreat - $25 or 25% of the required deposit, whichever is greater.
4-6 weeks before start of retreat - $25 or 50% of the required deposit, whichever is greater.
4 or less weeks before the start of the retreat - 100% of the required deposit.

Other Financial Assistance for Residential Retreats

Work Retreat Positions
Work retreat positions are available to candidates who have sat a 5-day minimum Vipassana retreat, in exchange for retreat tuition. A work retreat consists of  5 hours of daily work, either in the kitchen or with the housekeepers. We ask that candidates be able-bodied adults of average physical stamina. Work retreatants are still invited to offer Dana to the retreat teachers and retreat staff at the end of the retreat.

While on a work retreat you will miss some periods of walking and sitting meditation. It is also possible but unlikely that you would miss the morning instruction period or a period of movement practice. While on a work retreat you will be able to attend all Dharma talks.

Applications for work retreat positions are available on our website or you can email workretreatant[at]spiritrock.org after the registration opening date, or call (415) 488-0164 x 216. Once you have confirmed a spot with the kitchen or housekeeping, the registrar for the retreat will contact you with the necessary forms.

If you are interested in applying for a work retreatant position, click here. 

Deferred Payments
You can arrange to pay for your retreat over time via monthly deductions from your bank account. Send in your registration forms and deposit to the Retreat Registrar and ask for a Deferred Payment Form. Fill out the form, attach a voided blank check, bring it with you to the retreat, and give it to the retreat manager when you check in. Deferred payment is also available for Teacher and Staff Dana at the end of a retreat. Please bring an extra voided check if you'd like to defer your teacher and staff dana.