I found a true sense of belonging... It gave me tools to meet life with compassion.
On-Land Training Program
Dharma Institute
Deepen your Practice. Embody the Dharma.
This immersive two-year training is for Insight Meditation practitioners ready to explore the Buddha’s path to liberation. Grounded in the Pāli Canon, the program weaves together residential retreats, personal study, and community engagement to cultivate wisdom, compassion, and ethical action in daily life. It offers an inclusive refuge where practitioners from all backgrounds can grow in embodied understanding of the Dharma.
What Our Past Participants Are Saying
What Makes This Program Special?
- A Field for Deep Practice
DPP offers a dedicated space to deepen your commitment to the Dharma–Not just to understand it, but to fully embody it. Through five immersive, weeklong residential retreats over two years, along with ongoing study and community reflection, practitioners are supported in letting the teachings take root in the heart. - Living the Teachings
This program is for those ready to bring the Buddha’s path (sīla, samādhi, and pañña) into daily life with honesty, courage, and care. Drawing from the Pāli Canon and core frameworks like the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, DPP invites transformational integration of wisdom, compassion, and ethical action. - A Community of Refuge
DPP is more than a study program. It’s a relational field where insight, accountability, and belonging can grow. The sangha holds space for diverse experiences and shared awakening, welcoming practitioners of all backgrounds into a supportive and liberating path.
Program Components:
- Five 7-Night Residential Retreats: Immersive retreats at Spirit Rock every six months, offering depth, silence, and community practice.
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Monthly Homework: Readings, reflections, and meditation practices rooted in the Pāli Canon and Dharma teachings.
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Monthly Small Groups: Teacher-led sessions to explore key teachings, ask questions, and reflect in trusted community.
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Buddy Groups: Peer-led gatherings to foster connection, support, and integration of Dharma into daily life.
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Mentorship: 1:1 practice meetings with experienced teachers to support your unique path of awakening.
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Optional Student Groups: Participant-organized spaces for shared inquiry, identity-based groups, and mutual support.
Retreat Schedule
Each residential retreat weaves together teachings, silent practice, relational exploration, and shared reflection.
Topics build progressively over the two-year journey.
| Retreat | Dates | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Retreat 1 | May 10–17, 2026 | Four Noble Truths & Introduction to the Eightfold Path |
| Retreat 2 | Nov 14–21, 2026 | Wise Mindfulness |
| Retreat 3 | May 16–23, 2027 | Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta |
| Retreat 4 | Nov 14–21, 2027 | Kamma, Dependent Co-Arising, The Aggregates |
| Retreat 5 | May 15–22, 2028 | Culminating Teachings on Liberation |
Retreat 1: May 10–17, 2026
Four Noble Truths & Introduction to the Eightfold Path
Retreat 2: Nov 14–21, 2026
Wise Mindfulness
Retreat 3: May 16–23, 2027
Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta
Retreat 4: Nov 14–21, 2027
Kamma, Dependent Co-Arising, The Aggregates
Retreat 5: May 15–22, 2028
Culminating Teachings on Liberation
Is DPP Right for You?
To ensure a strong container for the whole community, applicants should meet these prerequisites:
- Retreat Experience: At least 50 nights in residential vipassanā retreats
- Practice Consistency: A minimum of 5 years of Dharma practice
- Teacher Recommendation: From a recognized Insight Meditation teacher
- Personal & Interpersonal Maturity. Willingness to:
- Engage conflict with care
- Approach diverse perspectives with humility
- Participate in identity-aware practice conversations mindfully
- Take responsibility for emotional reactivity
Awakening in Relationship: The Power of Sangha
This path is not walked alone.
Meet the Teaching Team
Core Teachers
DPP8 is guided by two experienced Dharma teachers who hold the heart and container of the program across the full two years. Together, they offer continuity, deep practice, and compassionate presence throughout all five residential retreats.
Gullu Singh, JD
Co-coordinating Teacher
Gulwinder “Gullu” Singh is Dharma teacher and corporate attorney with extensive training in both the practice and instruction of meditation. Gullu is inspired to share the Buddhist teachings as a path to well-being and a way to meet the challenges of life with more ease, grace and resiliency.
Amana Brembry Johnson
Co-coordinating Teacher
Amana Brembry Johnson is a dedicated meditation teacher and community leader with more than four decades of contemplative practice across multiple spiritual traditions. She serves as a Core Teacher at the East Bay Meditation Center (EBMC) in Oakland, California, and is a coordinating teacher for residential retreats at Spirit Rock Meditation Center.
Guest Teachers
Throughout the program, you’ll learn from a rotating group of guest teachers who bring a range of voices, lived experiences, and deep Insight meditation practice to support your journey.
Note: Guest teacher line-up is subject to change.
Program Fees
Program fees support accommodations, meals, and program infrastructure for all five residential retreats. Spirit Rock offers a sliding scale and payment plans to help ensure that cost is not a barrier to practice.
Please consider paying at the highest rate you can afford: your generosity supports those with financial need by helping us offer lower rates and fulfill a large number of scholarship requests.
Standard Sliding Scale
Support our community at the highest rate you can afford.
- $24,260 — Supporter Rate (w/guaranteed single room)
- $19,500 — Benefactor Rate
- $15,230 — Sustainer Rate (covers cost of program)
- $11,030 — Basic Rate
Scholarship Sliding Scale
Scholarships are available for those with financial need
- $7,900 — Scholarship Rate 1
- $5,500 — Scholarship Rate 2
Financial Commitment:
Participation in DPP requires a financial commitment. Payment plans are available for all levels of the sliding scale. Scholarship support is available to those experiencing financial hardship.
- A 25% deposit is required upon acceptance to hold your place.
- Cancellations before Jan 5, 2026, will receive a full refund minus a $200 non-refundable fee.
- You may pay in full or choose an installment plan: 18 monthly payments starting the month after deposit. Installments are credit card only.
Included
- ✅ Five 7-Night Residential Retreats
- ✅ Accommodations and meals at all residential retreats
- ✅ Program materials, via our Online Learning Platform
- ✅ Access to online community building groups
Not Included
- ❌ Teacher support (dāna) at all retreats
- ❌ Books and supplemental readings
- ❌ Transportation to/from Spirit Rock
- ❌ Mentor and monthly group teacher dāna
For full program policies, including cancellation details, please scroll to the FAQs section below.
Application Timeline & Process
Applications Accepted
May 15 – August 15, 2025: Applications open and must be complete to be considered.
Application Deadline
August 15, 2025: Final deadline. Applications submitted after this date will go to the waitlist and will be considered after the initial round of acceptances.
Interviews
June 1 – September 30, 2025: Interviews conducted via Zoom. Details will follow after application review.
Final Notifications
October 30, 2025: All applicants will be notified via email regarding their application status.
Commitment & Deposit
December 1, 2025: Commitment deadline and 25% deposit required to secure your spot.
Take the Next Step on the Path
If this program resonates with your heart, we warmly invite you to apply. DPP is a rare opportunity to deepen in wisdom, compassion, and liberation—held in silence, study, and sangha.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the retreat dates and format?
May 2026 – May 2028
Five in-person, 7-night residential retreats held at Spirit Rock, focusing on study, practice and connection in Sangha.
- Retreat 1: May 10–17, 2026
- Retreat 2: Nov 14–21, 2026
- Retreat 3: May 16–23, 2027
- Retreat 4: Nov 14–21, 2027
- Retreat 5: May 15–22, 2028
Typical Retreat Day Schedule:
- 5:45 AM Wake-Up
- 6:15 AM Silent Practice
- 7:00 AM Breakfast
- 8:45 AM Morning Session (Instructions/Talk)
- 9:45 AM Silent Practice
- 11:45 AM Home Groups (and/or Silent Sit)
- 12:30 PM Lunch
- 2:30 PM Silent Practice
- 4:30 PM Dharma Talk or Listening Circle (select days)
- 5:30 PM Dinner
- 7:00 PM Evening Session
- 8:30 PM Silent Practice
- 9:00 PM Rest
What are the prerequisites to apply?
To ensure a strong foundation for all participants, applicants should meet the following prerequisites:
- Retreat Experience: At least 50 nights in residential retreat practice within the Insight Meditation (Vipassanā) tradition. This does not include daylong or non-residential retreats or online retreats
- Daily Practice: At least five years of consistent Dharma practice.
- Sponsoring Teacher Recommendation: A letter of support from a recognized Vipassanā teacher who knows you and your practice.
- Personal and Interpersonal Maturity: Participants should be able to:
- Demonstrate resilience and self-responsibility: While DPP is a supportive community, it is not a therapeutic space for processing personal sensitivities or for avoiding conflict or discomfort. The Dharma invites us to meet challenges with curiosity, courage, and self-inquiry. DPP is more than a mere study program, it offers an opportunity to embody the liberatory practices in our daily lives, within community, that we will be studying. Participants should be willing to engage with discomfort as part of the practice and take personal responsibility for their emotional reactivity by applying the principles of non-harming and the use of kind and wise speech as outlined by the Five Precepts.
- Navigate relational challenges with care: Engage with teachers and peers in a way that is respectful, grounded, and compassionate, even when conflicts arise.
- Approach a wide range of perspectives with openness: Show a genuine willingness to learn from those with different backgrounds, histories, and viewpoints, approaching differences with genuine curiosity and humility.
- Engage mindfully: Demonstrate a willingness to explore structural and internalized conditioning. Approach conversations with awareness—acknowledging the impact of words and actions while allowing space for human mistakes, learning, and repair.
Who are the teachers and what topics are covered?
Program Topics:
- The Four Noble Truths
- The Eightfold Path
- The Brahmavihāras
- The Three Characteristics of Existenc
- Ethical Living
- The Pāramīs
- Samādhi
- The Foundations of Mindfulness
- Dependent Co-arising (Paṭicca-samuppāda)
- Kamma and Interdependence
- Kalyāṇa-mitta
- Liberation (Vimutti)
Teaching Teams:
Core teachers throughout DPP: Gullu Singh and Amana Brembry Johnson
Guest teachers by retreat: (anticipated; subject to change)
Retreat #1
Bhante Buddharakkhita
Noliwe Alexander
Andy Olendzki (for one session)
Sylvia Boorstein (for one session)
Retreat #2
Sally Armstrong
Diana Winston
Margarita Loinaz
Kazu Haga (for one session)
Dean Hogland (for one session)
Retreat #3
Kaira Jewel
John Martin
Retreat #4
Anushka Fernandopulle
Andrea Fella
Retreat #5
Tempel Smith
What is the application timeline and process?
Applications will open May 16, 2025 and close August 15, 2025. Interviews follow. Deposit due by December.
- May 15 – August 15, 2025: Applications accepted between these dates. Incomplete applications cannot be processed.
- August 15, 2025 – Application deadline. All applications sent after this date will automatically be put on a waitlist.
- June 1 – September 30, 2025: Applicant interviews (via Zoom, details to follow later).
- October 30, 2025: Final notifications sent out to all applicants via email.
- December 1, 2025: Final commitment and payment deadline; 25% deposit required at time of acceptance.
Note: Applications received after August 15th will be considered after the initial round of acceptances.
What are the program components and expectations?
- Attendance at all five 7-night residential retreats at Spirit Rock
- Monthly small group meetings (up to 15 people). Facilitated by teachers to explore the key teachings.
- Buddy Groups (up to 5 people): peer facilitated for more intimate group reflections.
- Completion of monthly homework including readings, reflections, and practices (readings will draw heavily from suttas (teachings) in the Pali Canon)
- Sponsoring Teacher Recommendation: A sponsoring teacher is the person who will recommend your participation in DPP. They should be someone who currently teaches at Insight Meditation Society, Spirit Rock, East Bay Meditation Center, Gaia House, or other Insight meditation centers or sanghas. They should know you and your meditation practice, and be supportive of your application to DPP8. If arranged, they may also serve as your mentor during the program. We will send them a brief recommendation form to fill out in support of your application.
- Mentoring Teacher: Everyone will need a mentoring teacher, who will provide 6-12 one-to-one practice meetings during the course of the program. We encourage you to reach out to teachers you have practiced with, who you have worked with and who know your practice to request if they’d be willing to mentor you in DPP. Your sponsoring and mentoring teachers may either be the same person, or different. If needed, we will support you in finding a mentoring teacher. Click here for more detail on mentorship.
- Commit to maintaining both meditative and daily life practice
- The practice of dana (generosity) to support program teachers, group leaders and mentoring teachers
- Meeting all financial obligations outlined in this application relating to program fees
What should I not expect from this program?
Not A Social Justice Training
Though Dharma encourages awareness of systemic suffering, this is not an activism or social justice training. Our aim is to deepen practice, which will naturally inform engagement in the world and provide the resilience to support us in whatever activism we are called to.
Not A Trauma-Healing Program
While Dharma practice can be deeply healing, this program does not provide therapeutic support for processing significant trauma. Our focus is on deepening Dharma practice, not clinical or therapeutic care.
Not A Teacher Training Program
This program is designed to deepen personal practice, not to prepare participants to teach. If you’re interested in teaching or leadership, Spirit Rock periodically offers other programs.
How much does the program cost?
Participation in DPP requires a financial commitment. Payment plans are available for all levels of the sliding scale. Scholarship support is available to anyone experiencing financial hardship; however, scholarships are limited.
Upon acceptance into DPP and to secure your spot, ALL participants will be asked to pay a minimum deposit of 25% (based on the rate you select). Should you need to cancel after you have paid your deposit, but prior to Jan 5, 2026, all fees will be refunded minus a $200 non-refundable fee.
You may pay the entire program fee in full or set up an installment plan for the remainder of the balance (after the initial 25% deposit). The payment plan will start the month following your deposit; and debit over 18 monthly installments during the first year and a half of the program. Installments can only be set up on credit cards. Please contact us if you have any questions.
Standard Sliding Scale:
- Supporter Rate – $24,260 (w/guaranteed single room)
- Benefactor Rate – $19,500
- Sustainer Rate – $15,230 (covers cost of program)
- Basic Rate – $11,030
Scholarship Sliding Scale:
- Scholarship Rate 1 – $7,900
- Scholarship Rate 2 – $5,500
Program fees include:
- Accommodations and meals at all five residential retreats
- Program materials, via our Online Learning Platform
- Access to online community building groups
Program fees do NOT include:
- Teacher support (dana) at all retreats; which is typically offered after each retreat
- Texts and some supplemental books required by the teaching team
- Transportation costs to/from your home to Spirit Rock
- Mentor and monthly group teacher support (dana) for meetings with a mentoring teacher
What is the cancellation and refund policy?
Participating in DPP8 will require your commitment of both time and financial resources. We will not be able to fill your space once the program starts. If you need to withdraw from the program, the following fee structure will apply.
$200 non-refundable, flat fee = on or before Jan 5, 2026 (applies to ALL participants) (deducted from your 25% minimum deposit)
10% fee* = Jan 6 – Mar 7, 2026
15% fee* = Mar 8 – May 8, 2026
25% fee* = May 9 – Nov 12, 2026
45% fee* = Nov 13, 2026 – May 14, 2027
65% fee* = May 15, 2027 – Nov 12, 2027
85% fee* = Nov 13, 2027 – May 13, 2028
No refunds = On or after May 14, 2028
*Fee deducted from refund; fee is a percentage of the total amount agreed to pay.
Why is Sangha important in DPP?
The path of awakening doesn’t happen in isolation.
With the spread of mindfulness outside of traditional Theravada countries, often taught by teachers with little direct contact to the Pali teachings, every generation must take time to find the roots of their understanding in the recorded words of the Buddha and his earliest community. If we study alone, we often feel a limited understanding of these ancient texts, yet together they can come more alive. Also, many past students of DPP have forged life-long friendships from within the program.
During free time around non-silent meals on the retreats, and any time in the months between retreats, students are encouraged to organize self-led student groups on topics of shared interests. This is to further extend the Dharma presented formally by the program teachers and to raise topics not covered in the formal DPP curriculum.