The Heart of Freedom: Walking the Buddha's Path In Modern Life

This five-night silent meditation retreat at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California, offers a grounding in the Buddha's teachings for people who want to establish or renew an insight meditation practice. Anushka Fernandopulle, Vance Pryor and Shelly Graf lead the retreat in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, with an emphasis on mindfulness, kindness, and understanding the roots of stress and suffering in daily life.

What to Expect

The retreat begins on a Friday afternoon with check-in, room assignment, an orientation to the retreat space and guidelines, and a first sitting meditation. Check-in runs from 2:30 to 4:30 PM.

Saturday through Tuesday form the core of the retreat. Days are made up of sitting and walking meditation, meals taken mindfully in silence, dharma talks, and time for personal practice and rest. Teachings and stories from the early Buddhist tradition inspire the practice. Small group meetings with the teachers and Q&A sessions help participants clarify their practice along the way.

The community is organized around simplicity, kindness and attention. Participants practice meeting each moment of sitting, walking, eating and ordinary activity with clarity and compassion. The trees and animals around the center are considered part of the community too. The retreat is silent except for teacher-led Q&A, small groups and other practice meetings.

On Wednesday there are final meditation sessions, a closing ceremony and a Q&A period, and participants depart by 11:00 AM.

About Anushka Fernandopulle

Anushka Fernandopulle has trained for over 35 years in the Theravada Buddhist tradition. Her teaching is informed by nature, the arts, political engagement and modern urban life. She also works as a leadership coach and organizational consultant, bringing mindfulness to the workplace, and her background includes a BA in anthropology and religion from Harvard and an MBA from Yale.

About Vance Pryor

Vance Pryor, PsyD, has practiced insight meditation since 1999 in both the United States and Myanmar. He has been influenced by the teachings of Sayadaw U Pandita and Sayadaw U Tejaniya, and he is a graduate of the Insight Meditation Society's 2017 to 2021 Teacher Training Program.

About Shelly Graf

Shelly Graf has practiced in the Insight Meditation tradition since 2003. They are a graduate of the Insight Meditation Society's four-year teacher training program and serve as one of the Guiding Teachers at Common Ground Meditation Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The Setting

The retreat takes place at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, in a purpose-built meditation hall on the upper campus. Of the center's 80 rooms, 16 are double occupancy and the rest are single. Single rooms are limited and are first prioritized for people with serious medical needs, and a small number of guaranteed single rooms are offered at the top of the sliding scale. All breakfasts, lunches and dinners are provided and eaten mindfully in silence. Group size is up to 80.

A retreat commuter option is available for those who do not stay overnight. It includes all meals and a shared daytime resting area, and requires prior attendance at a weeklong silent residential insight retreat. Online retreat experience does not count.

Before You Go

The retreat is open to both new and experienced meditators. Spirit Rock recommends that anyone with no meditation experience attend two or three daylong programs first, and prior retreat experience is strongly advised. The retreat is held in English.

Registration includes accommodation, all meals, guided sitting and walking meditation, dharma talks, small group meetings, Q&A with the teachers, and access to the facilities and grounds. Teacher dana, which is a voluntary offering to the teachers and to Spirit Rock at the close of the retreat, is not included, and neither is transportation to Spirit Rock. Bring your own personal items and any medications.

Because participants live closely together, anyone who is sick is asked to stay home. Masks are welcome but not required.