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March Insight Meditation 1-Month Retreat Application - 2024

March 2 - March 30, 2024
Silent meditation retreat On-Land

March Insight Meditation 1-Month Retreat Application - 2024

Awareness, or consciousness, is the very heart of sentient life, the faculty that reveals all the events of our experience. Yet in our Dharma practice we may not have learned how to meditate directly on this fundamental aspect of our minds. In this retreat we will explore the nature of awareness in three stages. We'll begin by developing greater stability of mind through mindfulness of breathing. Next we'll introduce a regular practice of lovingkindness, allowing the beautiful and responsive qualities of heart to unfold. Then, with these foundations, we'll start to explore the nature of awareness, this mysterious capacity of knowing. These practices open the door to emptiness, profound understanding, and great freedom.

Teacher Dāna

Please note that 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.

Meet the Teaching Team

Guy Armstrong

Guy Armstrong

Teacher

Guy Armstrong has been practicing Insight Meditation for over 30 years. His training included a year as a Buddhist monk in Thailand, primarily with Ajahn Buddhadasa. He began teaching in 1984 and has led retreats in the U.S., Europe, and Australia. Guy is a Stewarding Teacher at Spirit Rock and a Guiding Teacher of Insight Meditation Society.

Sally Armstrong

Sally Armstrong

Teacher

Sally Armstrong began practicing meditation in India in 1981 and started teaching in 1996. She is a Stewarding Teacher at Spirit Rock. She has led Spirit Rock’s Dedicated Practitioners Program and Advanced Practitioner Program. She regularly teaches on concentration, metta and the long retreats at Spirit Rock and IMS.

Dawn Scott

Dawn Scott

Teacher

Dawn Scott has been practicing Insight Meditation since 2008. She is a graduate of the Insight Meditation Society’s teacher training program and is a core teacher of Spirit Rock’s Liberation, Emptiness, and Awareness Practices (LEAP) Program. Dawn has a deep love of long retreat practice and the Buddha's liberative teachings.

Susie Harrington

Susie Harrington

Teacher

Susie Harrington is the guiding teacher of Desert Dharma, serving communities in the Southwest near her home in Moab, Utah. Practicing in the Insight tradition since 1989, she trained with Guy Armstrong, Jack Kornfield, and Joseph Goldstein, and completed the SRMC/IMS/IRC Teacher Training in 2016. Susie often teaches outdoors, drawing on nature as a gateway to true nature, and emphasizes mindfulness in speech, daily life, and the body.

Tuere Sala

Tuere Sala

Teacher

Tuere Sala is a Guiding Teacher at Seattle Insight Meditation Society and Spirit Rock Retreat Center and has practiced Vipassana meditation for over 30 years. Tuere has been teaching since 2010, assisting others in establishing and maintaining a daily practice.

Kodo Conlin

Kodo Conlin

Teacher

Kodo Conlin is an Insight teacher and Zen priest. Currently the co-managing director at Insight Retreat Center, Kodo has lived for many years in temples, monasteries, and Dharma centers, cultivating a heart of practice.

Mia Monos

Mia Monos

Teacher

Since falling in love with the path Mia has spent more than two years in intensive silent retreat. In 2023 she completed over a year of continuous retreat and was invited into a four-year teacher training by her primary teachers Guy Armstrong and Kamala Masters.

Rasika Link

Teacher

Rasika has been teaching mindful movement on long retreats at Spirit Rock since 2001. Her classes integrate simple asana shapes and movements with a concentration in feeling, sensing, noticing and knowing what the body reveals moment to moment. She lives in Portland, OR and teaches three mindful movement classes a week.

Jaya Rudgard

Jaya Rudgard

Teacher

Jaya Rudgard began meditating in 1984 and was ordained from 1996 to 2005 as a nun in the Thai Forest Tradition at Amaravati Monastery in England. She trained as an Insight Meditation teacher with Spirit Rock and IMS. Jaya teaches retreats internationally and has extensive experience with MBSR, MBCT, and Mindful Self-Compassion. She also enjoys practicing and teaching Qigong, including for mindfulness teachers in training.

Helpful Info & FAQs

Cancellation Policy

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 less than 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 less than 2 weeks before

*Fees reduced for serious illness or death in family

**Monthlong retreats and Dharma Training programs have specific and very different cancellation policies. Refer back to your confirmation email for this information.**

Payment Plan Option

Payment plans are available to everyone! Installments can only be set up on a credit cards, and some debit cards (we only accept VISA, Mastercard, or Discover).

You can either pay in full or pay a 30% deposit when you register. If you choose the deposit option, the remaining balance will be automatically charged monthly in equal installments using the same card you used to pay your deposit. The payment will debit on the 'same date' of the month that you paid your deposit. Full payment is due 2 weeks prior to the retreat start.

Let us know if you need to adjust a debit date or if you need to update your credit card. Any adjustments need to be done well in advance of a scheduled debit date. We are not able to 'reverse' a charge once it has been processed.

COVID and Other Illnesses

  • While on retreat, participants live closely together and are in shared spaces; so it is very important that everyone takes steps to minimize the transmission of colds, flu, or other infectious diseases. We ask individuals who are sick to please stay home! Notify the registration department as soon as possible; cancellation fees will apply. 
  • Spirit Rock does not require proof of vaccination or compulsory testing for COVID, if you feel uncertain about this policy participants are encouraged to wear a mask for your own personal comfort, but it is not required. In advance of your retreat, please consider wearing a mask while en route to Spirit Rock via public transportation of any kind. Be mindful of attending large public gatherings where the risk of exposure is increased. If you have cold or flu-like symptoms, take a COVID test, and please reconsider coming on retreat.
  • We suggest everyone practice diligent hand hygiene (20 seconds of handwashing as often as practical).
  • If a practitioner (or teacher) becomes sick while on retreat, they will be asked to mask, and if serious, leave the retreat. We will also ask that they take a COVID antigen self-test onsite, and if they test positive for COVID-19, they must exit the retreat. We will not be able to offer a refund for mid-retreat exits.

Room Occupancy

We have double and single occupancy rooms. Many of our rooms are single occupancy (only 16 of 80 rooms are double occupancy). We offer a limited number of "guaranteed single room" rates which guarantees a single room while generously helping to support scholarships and all we do here at Spirit Rock. The remaining single rooms are not exclusive to the top end of the sliding scale; however, they are initially prioritized for those with serious medical needs.

Participation and Attendance Guidelines

Explore the practice of being on retreat - Learn more here.

  • This retreat is silent except for teacher-led Q&A, small groups, or other practice meetings. Explore "How Retreat Works"
  • Preparing for Your Retreat
  • We strongly encourage you to read the sub-section "Retreat Guidelines and Agreements" so you understand what is required of you as a participant on this silent retreat.
  • Review a general outline of a Retreat Schedule.
  • If you have "never meditated" before, we recommend attending two to three daylong programs first! Then "graduate" to longer retreats like a 4- or 5-night retreat.
  • We would be happy to help guide you and set you up for success, please contact the Registration Department so we may have a conversation. We want you to be prepared.

Scholarship Offerings and Types

Spirit Rock Meditation Center offers several categories of scholarship types for residential retreats. Scholarship rates are limited to those with significant financial need. A scholarship application is required to be considered for any scholarship rate below. We have many requests for scholarships and cannot honor all requests.

Muditā/Karuṇa Scholarship Rate: 

  • Muditā: supports any individual who has significant financial need; this includes our low income folks and elders (65+) on fixed incomes; or young adults who have 'aged out' of the Young Adult rate.
  • Karuṇa: supports individuals who have significant financial need and have a serious medical condition(s), or life-threatening illness.

Dr. Marlene Jones People of Color Scholarship Rate: supports individuals who have significant financial need and who self-identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or a Person of color.

Toni Ko Scholarship Rate: supports individuals who have a significant financial need, are 27-55 years old, AND are attending their FIRST silent residential retreat (limited to a 6-night retreat only) at Spirit Rock. This scholarship is a one-time award.

Young Adult Scholarship Rate: supports individuals who have significant financial need and who are between the age of 18-26 years old. If all the Young Adult rates are sold out, you may select one of the above options that applies to you.

Renunciate Monastics: Monastics in the Buddhist traditions are invited to attend Spirit Rock retreats without cost. Monastic discounts can be extended only to one having taken vows and abiding as a renunciate, living exclusively on donations and having no form of income through work or other sources. You will need to provide the monastery you are affiliated with upon registering. To learn more, contact the Registration Dept at: [email protected].

*Maximum annual scholarship limit is two per calendar year; and this limit is not a guarantee.