Entering the stream of the Dharma, we return to our river nature, discovering in our direct experience what it is to be a human being. Through our habits and through the boxes we clump our life into we lose contact with vitality and lightness—the impermanent, flowing life that we are. When we have the opportunity to genuinely rediscover that in ourselves, we rediscover our river-like nature. And we discover that river nature is also the nature of everything: loving awareness, alive, fluid, bright, kind, spacious. It is what connects. It’s the web that connects me to you and us to everything else.
Pamela Weiss
Residential Retreat Teacher
Pamela Weiss is a dual lineage Buddhist teacher in Theravada and Soto Zen, and the author of, "A Bigger Sky: Awakening a Fierce Feminine Buddhism." She has been practicing since 1987, including several years of Zen monastic training and retreat teacher training through Spirit Rock. Pamela was the first lay person to receive full Dharma transmission in the Suzuki Roshi lineage. She lives in San Francisco and is on the Teacher Council at San Francisco Insight and the Board of the Brooklyn Zen Center. She is passionate about weaving women's voices and experience into the fabric of practice.
Pamela Weiss' Upcoming Programs
Retreat | On-Land
September 5 - September 8, 2024 | Thursday - Sunday | 3 nights
The Doorway to Freedom and Peace: The Three Characteristics
The radical premise of the Buddha’s teaching is that realizing the truth—what Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki called "things-as-it-is"—is the doorway to freedom and peace. During this retreat, we will engage mindfulness and compassion to turn toward the living truth that arises each moment, with an emphasis on the Three Characteristics of Reality: all things are impermanent (aniccā), ultimately unreliable (dukkha), and ownerless (anattā). Our time will include silent meditation and movement along with instructions, Dharma talks, and meetings with teachers.
Training | Online | Dharma Institute
September 2024 - April 2025 | Times variable - see details.
Deep Dive Dharma: Liberation and the Sure Heart's Release
Deep Dive Dharma is an online program for experienced practitioners on essential Buddhist teachings of liberation. Through meditation and interactive inquiry we will explore the Three Characteristics, Emptiness, Suchness, Dependent Origination, the Two Truths, Nature of Mind, Awareness, and Awakening. The heart of the program is bringing these complex teachings alive in our daily lives through embodied relational inquiry. One of the unique features of this program is the exploration of both Theravāda and Mahāyāna teachings. This is intended for experienced practitioners already familiar with fundamental Buddhist teachings.
Upcoming Drop-Ins
Drop-in | Online
Monday, August 5 | 7:15 PM - 9:15 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.
Pamela Weiss
Dharma Library
Can't join us live online or on the land? Study and practice at your convenience with Pamela Weiss through our new library of recordings, articles, and self-paced online courses.