Settling, Seeing, and Luminous Awareness

Settling, Seeing, and Luminous Awareness is a silent meditation retreat in the Insight Meditation tradition, led by Donald Rothberg, PhD, at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California. It is designed for experienced practitioners who have already completed a silent residential retreat of five nights or longer and want to deepen concentration, investigation, and awareness within a Theravada Buddhist framework.

What to Expect

The retreat is built around four interrelated modes of practice. The first is settling: stabilizing mind and body and becoming more concentrated through both sitting and moving meditation, including Qigong. From that steadiness, the second mode opens up. You look closely at the body, thoughts, emotions, and the broader patterns of experience, noticing where reactivity arises, where a strong sense of self takes hold, and how to be with the impermanent flow of experience.

The third mode is turning toward an increasingly unconfined, luminous awareness beyond reactivity, described as a source of freedom, wisdom, and compassion. Regular lovingkindness practice supports all of it.

The retreat runs six nights. Arrival is on the first afternoon between 2:30 and 4:30 PM, followed by an opening orientation. The middle days follow a daily rhythm of multiple sitting periods, moving meditation and Qigong, lovingkindness practice, and meals taken in silence. Teacher-led Q&A and small group meetings are scheduled through the week. The retreat closes on the final morning with a meditation, a closing session, and departure at 11:00 AM.

Silence is held throughout, except for the Q&A sessions, small groups, and other practice meetings.

About Donald Rothberg

Donald Rothberg, PhD, has practiced Insight Meditation since 1976 and has also trained in Dzogchen, Mahāmudrā, and Hakomi psychotherapy. A former professor, he now teaches meditation, psychology, and socially engaged Buddhism. He has led long-term training programs through the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, Saybrook, and Spirit Rock, and served on the Buddhist Peace Fellowship's board. He is the author of The Engaged Spiritual Life and co-editor of Ken Wilber in Dialogue.

The Setting

The retreat takes place on the land at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California. Participants stay on site, and the facilities include the Great Hall, classrooms, and a tea room. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are provided.

Most of the rooms are single occupancy; only 16 of the 80 rooms are doubles. Single rooms are limited and are first prioritized for people with serious medical needs, though a small number of guaranteed single rooms are offered at the higher tiers of the sliding scale. Shared double rooms are available at every tier. Transportation to and from the center is not included.

Before You Go

This is an advanced retreat. Registration requires completion of at least one silent, residential, insight meditation retreat of five nights or longer. Newer meditators are encouraged to begin with daylong programs and shorter retreats before attempting this one. The retreat is taught in English.

Registration covers six nights of accommodation, all meals, sitting and moving meditation instruction, teacher-led Q&A, and small group meetings. It does not include dana, the voluntary offering made to the teachers and to Spirit Rock at the end of the retreat.

Fees are set on a sliding scale, and needs-based scholarships and payment plans are available. A commuter option, with no overnight accommodation, may open once the retreat is full. It requires prior experience of a weeklong in-person silent insight retreat.

Because participants live closely together, anyone who is sick is asked to stay home.