Refuge is an attitude, not a place. Many of us carry an idea of refuge as an "island where it all works out"—an imaginary place where we get everything we want and none of what we don’t. But that is a fantasy! What if we could find refuge here on earth?
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
October 1 - October 5, 2025 | Wednesday - Sunday | 4 nights
Wild Wise Words: A Mindfulness Meditation and Writing Retreat
Registration Open. This retreat will weave together periods of silence and writing as a path to deepening our spiritual and creative lives. Our time together will include Dharma talks, guided meditation, embodied movement, and periods of writing to nurture our inner depths and outer expression. Within a wild, wise field of silence we’ll settle deeply into what is, peel back layers of the judging and restrictive mind, and discover words that express the mystery and majesty alive in each of us.
Retreat | On-Land
November 8 - November 14, 2025 | Saturday - Friday | 6 nights
Grief as a Change Agent of Transformation and Resiliency
Registration Open. Grief is not sequestered to the life loss of loved ones. It traverses beyond physical death and seeps into disappointments in relationships, the loss of dreams, ancestral anguish, and unnamed disappearances. Understanding the personal nature of grief and the tenderness of being with a broken heart, we will create a container that honors all individuals moving through their sorrow. We will practice silent meditation indoors and in nature and there will be Dharma talks, meetings with teachers, and embodiment practices.
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.