When you start to get glimpses of the selfless nature of reality and of this mind-body process, you start to have a different relationship with it, and with everybody around you. This is anatta, selflessness. Seeing through the sense of separation, you start understanding: “I’m not separate from all of us.” The natural result is a sense of connection and caring, and you start to see that this practice is not just for your own reduction of stress. This practice is not just for ourselves—it’s for all beings.
James Baraz
Residential Retreat Teacher
James Baraz is a founding teacher of Spirit Rock Meditation Center. James started the Community Dharma Leader program, the Kalyana Mitta Network, the Spirit Rock Family Program and helped create the Heavenly Messengers Training Program. James has been leading the online course "Awakening Joy" since 2003. He serves as a guiding teacher to One Earth Sangha, a Virtual EcoDharma Center devoted to Buddhist responses to Climate Change. He co-authored Awakening Joy and Awakening Joy for Kids.
James Baraz's Upcoming Programs
Short Program | Online
May 24 - May 25, 2025 | Saturday - Sunday | 9:30 AM - 3:00 PM
Awakening Joy: Cultivating Well-Being in Intense Times
9 CE Credits. Everywhere we look, we are bombarded with messages that heighten our fear and sadness about the world. Joy, both a Factor of Enlightenment and one of the four Divine Abodes, is vital to mindfulness practice and it helps us stay connected to the inner place that makes life worth living. In this weekend workshop, based on James Baraz's 5-month Awakening Joy course, you will learn key principles and supportive practices to cultivate your natural capacity for well-being and happiness.
James Baraz
Short Program | On-Land
May 24 - May 25, 2025 | Saturday - Sunday | 9:30 AM - 3:00 PM
Awakening Joy: Cultivating Well-Being in Intense Times
9 CE Credits. Everywhere we look, we are bombarded with messages that heighten our fear and sadness about the world. Joy, both a Factor of Enlightenment and one of the four Divine Abodes, is vital to mindfulness practice and it helps us stay connected to the inner place that makes life worth living. In this weekend workshop, based on James Baraz's 5-month Awakening Joy course, you will learn key principles and supportive practices to cultivate your natural capacity for well-being and happiness.
James Baraz
Retreat | On-Land
August 27 - September 1, 2025 | Wednesday - Monday | 5 nights
Labor Day Insight Meditation Retreat
Registration Open. This retreat emphasizes quieting the mind, opening the heart, and developing clarity and depth of practice. Traditional instructions will be combined with a spirit of lovingkindness, and our time together will include a schedule of silent sitting and walking periods, guided Yoga/movement sessions, as well as practice meetings with teachers and daily Dharma talks. This retreat is for experienced as well as new students.
Retreat | On-Land
September 26 - September 30, 2025 | Friday - Tuesday | 4 nights
Devotion to the Sacred
Registration Open. The Buddha advised us not only to overcome unhealthy states but to cultivate states of true well-being such as gratitude, kindness, and compassion. What’s more, he encouraged us to continue to work towards deepening these states when possible. Designed for practitioners who wish to enhance their heartfelt connection to their goodness, well-being, and joy, this retreat focuses on the cultivation of these states by accessing the inner source from which they arise.
Retreat | On-Land
December 12 - December 17, 2025 | Friday - Wednesday | 5 nights
Equanimity: Finding Balance in Uncertain Times
Registration Open. Equanimity (upekkhā) is a highly-valued quality in Buddhist teachings. But what is it, and how do we cultivate it in our meditation practice? How can we access equanimity in daily life, especially in the midst of uncertainty, fear, and sadness over the suffering in the world? This retreat will offer instructions, talks, sitting and walking meditations, and practice discussions to support the development of equanimity in our formal practice. We can then apply equanimity to our life off the cushion.
Retreat | On-Land
February 3 - March 28, 2026 | Tuesday - Saturday | 53 nights
2026 Insight Meditation 2-Month Retreat - Application
Application Open. An extended period of retreat offers the rare opportunity for sustained, dedicated practice. This retreat emphasizes quieting the mind, opening the heart, and developing profound clarity and depth of Insight practice. Instruction will follow the traditional four foundations of mindfulness combined with training in lovingkindness and compassion, and practice will be structured around a daily schedule of silent sitting, walking, Dharma talks, and practice meetings with teachers.
Dawn Scott
Vance Pryor
Tuere Sala
JD Doyle
James Baraz
Brian Lesage
Tara Mulay
Tempel Smith
Kristina Baré
Anushka Fernandopulle
Greg Scharf
Rasika Link
Dharma Library
Can't join us live online or on the land? Study and practice at your convenience with James Baraz through our new library of recordings, articles, and self-paced online courses.
