MARCH 25, 2020 UPDATES
NOW THROUGH APRIL 15, EVERY RETREAT AND PROGRAM ONLINE AND BY DONATION
Hello Dear Spirit Rock Community,
The need for Dharma is stronger than ever as we navigate these new global conditions. Together and individually, we take action to ensure the health and well-being of our interdependent communities, while we internally embrace these conditions as the context of our practice. We are so grateful for the teachings and for all of you during these complex times.
We have heard from our online practitioners how comforting, inspiring, and helpful it can be to connect virtually with Spirit Rock and, through us, with one another. Meditation and connection with a wider sangha are invaluable in navigating uncertainty. Even those with some resistance to being online have found it allows the practice to ground in new ways in your actual day-to-day environment.
In response to current conditions, Spirit Rock’s Dharma programs offered solely online right now, are available on a $0-$1008 sliding scale basis through April 15, 2020. This includes retreats, classes, day retreats, and more. Give it a try! See the calendar here.
Our weekly sitting groups and Drop-In Programs are listed here. Come join us Monday nights, Wednesday and Thursday mornings, for beloved connection even in the midst of increased work and family responsibilities for so many of us.
As we radically increase access to the Dharma through these by donation online teachings, we are asking our community to support Spirit Rock financially to the extent you are able. These are difficult times for non-profits, and Spirit Rock is no exception. When you join us online, we encourage you to pay at the highest level you are able to, in support of Spirit Rock, our incredible staff, and our dedicated sangha.
Join Us! We hope to see your face across the Dharma screen soon.
Much warmth,
Michelle Latvala
Executive Director
Spirit Rock Meditation Center
We've also made some of our recent Monday Night Dharma Talks available here.
MARCH 13, 2020 UPDATES
SHIFTING PROGRAMS AND RETREATS ONLINE THROUGH APRIL 15
We are deeply committed to offering the Dharma in alignment with our Sīla practice—our ethical practice of non-harming.
Given our commitment to non-harming and the truth of global interdependence, Spirit Rock is shifting our Dharma offerings entirely online now through April 15. Gratefully there have been no cases of COVID-19 in our Spirit Rock community, and very few in our local county; yet it is becoming increasingly clear all of us will be affected directly and indirectly given the seriousness of what’s unfolding, so we are responding now out of care. As conditions in the wider world rapidly accelerate, we can play an active role in slowing down the spread of this novel coronavirus by proactively gathering together online instead of in person.
With a deep dedication to providing access to the Dharma, we are making this transformative shift swiftly to come together online in new forms, amidst rapidly changing conditions, to support our open hearts to be of better service during these times.
What this means for you, our beloved sāngha:
THE LAND STILL HOLDS YOU
Although there will be no in-person classes, programs, or retreats on Spirit Rock’s campus between now and April 15, the poppies will bloom, the wild turkeys will roam, and the land will continue to carry you in its embrace. We look forward to having you back on site when we can.
SIGNED UP ALREADY?
If you are registered for a program or Residential Retreat between now and April 15, that program will be taking place with the same teachers and topic in an online format or, in limited cases for the Community Meditation Center, be rescheduled for a future date on site. You’ll receive specific email updates about your program next week; we are grateful for your patience!
A CHANCE TO COME TOGETHER
If you are not currently signed up for a Spirit Rock program these next few weeks, you now have the opportunity to join us online, as we will have more “virtual” space available! If a weekly meditation would support you navigating these current challenges, you can join our Monday Night or Wednesday morning meditation weekly via Livestream, or register to participate in one of our offerings from your phone, laptop, or home.
HESITANT? NEW TO ONLINE DHARMA?
Many are, and it’s worth a try. A practitioner at Howie Cohn’s “Calming the Restless Mind” day retreat on March 13 just sent us this email from home: “I was disappointed when I learned that today’s daylong would only be available through live stream because being at Spirit Rock is always something very special. I nearly did not go online. What a mistake that would have been. I paused, and once you started teaching, Howard, I realized I was right where I was supposed to be. Something quite lovely and valuable about being quiet and calm in your own home (I live alone) — not a common experience! Thank you for your teachings today. Especially saying early on this morning — ‘Love right where you are.’ ” – Nancy L.
AN OFFERING
Monday Night’s Dharma Talk was taught by Matthew Brensilver and focused on practicing with the realities of this COVID-19 situation, so we’d like to freely offer you these teachings to support your own grounding right here, right now: may it be of benefit. View here. >
We are grateful for your patience as we adapt our registration and other systems to serve the needs of our community. The Spirit Rock website is the best place to check for updates. We will be making more decisions about our program and retreat schedule April 15 onward as more information becomes available; for now, all retreats and programs remain as scheduled.
Please know that all of our devoted staff, cooks, and caretakers will continue to be supported financially and vocationally by Spirit Rock during this time so that we can continue to support you.
If you have questions, please do contact us, and know that we are doing our best to respond to all requests:
The opportunity for Kalyāṇa-mittatā —spiritual friendship—is so critical right now, and these online-from-anywhere programs will support a coming together that stretches from person to person across social isolation. These online forms allow us to practice in solidarity with those who are suffering, with those who may not have access to health care, with those with compromised immune systems, and with those who otherwise would not have access to the teachings of the Buddha. We practice for the awakening of all beings everywhere, without exception, now more than ever.
“There’s a way in which fear can be one of two things—the great divider or the great gatherer." ~ Sonia Renee Taylor
We are so grateful for you, our sāngha.
On behalf of all of us at Spirit Rock,
Michelle Latvala
Executive Director
Spirit Rock Meditation Center