Both compassion and joy arise when we look closely at impermanence and the patterns of dukkha that keep us stuck in reactivity. Because when we see these patterns deeply, we know how often we are all caught in this way. So compassion naturally arises, along with joy in knowing that we can see clearly and know a way to freedom.
Donald Rothberg, PhD
Residential Retreat Teacher
Donald Rothberg, PhD, has practiced Insight Meditation since 1976, and has also received training in Tibetan Dzogchen, Mahamudra practice and the Hakomi approach to body-based psychotherapy. Formerly on the faculties of the University of Kentucky, Kenyon College, and Saybrook Graduate School, he currently writes and teaches classes, groups and retreats on meditation, daily life practice, spirituality and psychology, and socially engaged Buddhism. An organizer, teacher, and former board member for the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, Donald has helped to guide six-month to two-year training programs in socially engaged spirituality through Buddhist Peace Fellowship (the BASE Program), Saybrook (the Socially Engaged Spirituality Program), and Spirit Rock (the Path of Engagement Program). He is the author of The Engaged Spiritual Life: A Buddhist Approach to Transforming Ourselves and the World and the co-editor of Ken Wilber in Dialogue: Conversations with Leading Transpersonal Thinkers.
Donald Rothberg's Upcoming Programs
Short Program | On-Land | Hybrid
Sunday, July 13 | 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Transforming the Judgmental Mind
6 CE Credits. Judgments of a reactive and compulsive nature, both toward ourselves and toward others, figure very strongly in most of our lives. They can distort our perceptions and relationships. In this daylong, we will examine what judgments are and how to work with them using mindfulness, “heart” practices, and inquiry, helping us to preserve the discernment often found in judgments, while working through their destructive aspects. Attendees will have the option of regular follow-up sessions to continue and deepen the learning.
Donald Rothberg
Short Program | Online | Hybrid
Sunday, July 13 | 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Transforming the Judgmental Mind
6 CE Credits. Judgments of a reactive and compulsive nature, both toward ourselves and toward others, figure very strongly in most of our lives. They can distort our perceptions and relationships. In this daylong, we will examine what judgments are and how to work with them using mindfulness, “heart” practices, and inquiry, helping us to preserve the discernment often found in judgments, while working through their destructive aspects. Attendees will have the option of regular follow-up sessions to continue and deepen the learning.
Donald Rothberg
Retreat | On-Land
October 25 - November 1, 2025 | Saturday - Saturday | 7 nights
Settling, Seeing, and Spacious Awareness
Spaces Still Available! Together, we will train in three interrelated modes of practice. First, we’ll settle and stabilize our minds and bodies, becoming more concentrated. From here, we can see more clearly when there is reactivity, when we suffer, and when there is a thick sense of self, and we learn to be more in line with the impermanent flow of experience. We can also tune in to an increasingly luminous awareness beyond reactivity, which is a source of freedom, wisdom, and compassion.
Retreat | On-Land
January 11 - January 17, 2026 | Sunday - Saturday | 6 nights
Mettā Retreat: Teachings and Practices to Cultivate a Wise, Compassionate, and Resilient Heart
10 CE Credits.
Registration Opens - July 15, 2025. This retreat will focus on the cultivation of mettā, or lovingkindness. Mettā practice is a path to wisdom and awakening. Through this steady continuity of practice, we will cultivate benevolence, friendliness, and goodwill as the guiding orientation of the heart and mind, allowing these qualities to naturally extend into daily life. We will also explore the companion qualities of mettā—compassion, joy, and equanimity. Together, these four practices, known as the brahmavihāras or Divine Abodes, foster self-confidence, self-acceptance, and inner steadiness.
Upcoming Drop-Ins
Drop-in | On-Land
Monday, July 7 | 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Monday Night Meditation & Talk
For over 35 years, the Monday Night sitting group at Spirit Rock has been a welcoming refuge to gather, hear the teachings of the Buddha, and practice Insight Meditation together as a community. The program includes a 30-40 min guided meditation, a short break, and a Dharma talk.
Donald Rothberg
Drop-in | Online
Monday, July 7 | 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Monday Night Meditation & Talk
For over 35 years, the Monday Night sitting group at Spirit Rock has been a welcoming refuge to gather, hear the teachings of the Buddha, and practice Insight Meditation together as a community. The program includes a 30-40 min guided meditation, a short break, and a Dharma talk.
Donald Rothberg
Drop-in | Online
Wednesday, July 23 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Wednesday Morning Meditation & Talk
Our Wednesday Morning Meditation & Talk is led by Sylvia Boorstein, Donald Rothberg, Heidi Bourne, or other guest teachers. This group welcomes beginners and experienced practitioners to explore the Dharma.
Donald Rothberg
Drop-in | Online
Wednesday, July 30 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Wednesday Morning Meditation & Talk
Our Wednesday Morning Meditation & Talk is led by Sylvia Boorstein, Donald Rothberg, Heidi Bourne, or other guest teachers. This group welcomes beginners and experienced practitioners to explore the Dharma.
Donald Rothberg
Dharma Library
Can't join us live online or on the land? Study and practice at your convenience with Donald Rothberg through our new library of recordings, articles, and self-paced online courses.