I have visited this beuiful, serene, retreat and meditation center. It prompted me to consider starting a comparable center in Oregon , maybe arond Ashland. I would appreciate any help or feedback in furthering this cause, My notion is to set up a monastery and alternative school. The premise is to engender the bettterment of all sentient beings. The name is Humana. Please help. We need land, maybe a barn to start with and a small amount of seed money. The wonderful Spirit of Spirit Rock has been inspirational for me. A brief mission statement, email me wth any suggestions about getting this ball rolling, eproteau48@gmail.com
Humana
Our association invites every human on the planet, to view, treat and regard every other human being as important and worthy of treatment ascribed by the “ golden rule”.
Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you.
My sharing of this idea has brought up many questions. What about people who seem to be evil or lost or dangerous to the well being of others. What about child molesters, serial killers, dictators, for example. How could we possibly screen membership in this type of association to exclude individuals who do not really adhere to the values set forth in seeing all of us as significant and worthy of our kind and generous treatment. It is a difficult proposition.
The best we can hope for is to state our intent and have faith that those who wish to participate, will indeed act accordingly. The buddhist premise that our life’s purpose centers around the betterment of all sentient beings which could easily act as a guiding premise, whether you are a buddhist, a christian, a Muslim an atheist or a scientist. It could hold value for all of us.
Where do we start? We simplify.our principle, “all humans are significant, valuable contributors worth the respect, kindness and generosity we want to experience.”
We can engender faith as an umbrella to embrace or belief as a sword and shield to protect us.
How can we bring this to our daily life, what game plan can we use?
Very versatile and insightful center for personal and professional development and growth. Develops understanding of mindfulness and realised application of emotional intelligence and neuroscience. Open to new insights as developed and implemented by practitioners and professional behavioral authors. Very open and inviting. Inclusion is a very high value.
Spirit Rock is one of the most beautiful meditation centers in the U.S. and provides a serene and comfortable space for retreats. The Center has a core group of excellent teachers and hosts many guest teachers from multiple traditions around the world. The Center is located in Marin County, one of the wealthiest counties in the U.S. and can feel a bit elitist, drawing primarily middle and upper-class white folks, but there have been concerted efforts to include and respect people from all socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. The Center is LGBTQ-friendly, and strives to honor women (does pretty well) and transgender people (working on it). Staff, teachers and board members tend to be caring and generous people. The weekly classes and extended retreats are great ways to find serenity in a hectic world. All-in-all, the Center is a gem.
Spirit Rock is a wonderful place for people of any religious backround or of none. It has a wide array of teachings available, from the fundamentals of meditation (insight) to classes that incorporate other aspects of buddhist psychology, as well as yoga, qi gong, and many topics. There is no dogma in the teachings and practices of Spirit Rock. They are simply offering opportunities to enhance a persons life through centuries old practices that greatly improve a sense of well-being.
I enthusiastically recommend Spirit Rock to anyone interested in contentment or well-being. You will not be disappointed.
A beautiful setting in one of the most prosperous counties in the nation. A number of programs for introducing Buddhism and meditation. The programs that feature neuroscience studies on the effects of meditation, may be of special interest to the scientifically inclined. Almost all programs are offered on a sliding fee scale. In 2010 the range for 1 day programs is about $50-$110. The range for multiday retreats is $90-$140 a day. Most are payable by check or credit card and there are scholarship and volunteer work opportunities. Potential participants should be aware that for most, if not all, programs in addition to fees they will be asked to make a contribution(called "dana" ) to the teachers and in some cases the staff. Those planning to go on a multi-day retreat should know that they will be asked to complete a questionnaire containing medical, psychological and other personal information. There is no information on the form or website as to how its contents will be kept secure and confidential. Financial contributors may wish to reflect on the fact that Spirit Rock has non-profit 501(c)(3) status and therefore is not required to pay taxes. In classifying itself as a religious organization it is also not required to file annual financial statements as do non-religious non-profits. It could do so if it chose to make its finances more transparent.
Review from Guidestar