I wanted to take the Year to Live program for several years but had come up with several reasons why “I couldn’t”. I could not imagine 2020 without having been in this class. It’s one of the most profound things I have ever been involved with and am so thankful to everyone involved.
Buddhist Study & Practice
The Dharma Institute was created to bring Spirit Rock’s established Dharma training programs into a clear sequence of practice, and build on the foundation of these programs to offer a comprehensive path of Dharma study and training from the beginner through advanced levels of practice.
The Buddha taught using a model known as the “Gradual Training,” based on the Eightfold Path, beginning with generosity and ethics, and continuing into meditation and wisdom inquiry. Our core curriculum in Buddhist Study & Practice follows this sequence, with each level of study containing classes in sīla (ethics), samādhi (meditation), and pañña (wisdom).
The curriculum is divided into three stages: Setting Out on the Path, Foundations of Insight Meditation, and The Heartwood of the Holy Life. The sequence can be entered at any point, depending on your experience and interests, and you can repeat or omit classes as appropriate.
As you explore the curriculum, you’ll see listings for classes open currently, on-demand courses available anytime, core teachings you'll study, and resources to support your practice at every stage.
Setting Out on the Path
Setting Out on the Path walks newcomers to Spirit Rock or the Dharma through a series of foundational courses that help you establish a sustainable meditation practice, deepen your understanding of the Noble Eightfold Path, and connect with the Spirit Rock community.
Core Courses & Curriculum
Introduction to Insight Meditation (overview)
What is Insight Meditation?
Basics of Mindfulness
Establishing Your Meditation Practice
The Five Hindrances
Introduction to the Precepts (sīla)
The Five Precepts
The Three Jewels & Three Refuges
Introduction to Meditation & Mindfulness (samādhi)
The Four Foundations of Mindfulness
The Four Divine Abodes
The Noble Truths & the Path (pañña)
The Three Characteristics
The Four Noble Truths
The Noble Eightfold Path
Living Dharma Program (LDP) (8-month overview)
Foundations of Insight Meditation
Foundations of Insight Meditation brings you into a grounded, personal relationship with the Dharma and prepares you for sustained silent retreat, extended trainings, and deeper inquiry.
Core Courses & Curriculum
Belonging, Courage and Love: Living the Pāramīs (sīla)
The Ten Perfections
Service & Social Engagement
Faith & Refuge
Foundational Practices for Inner Peace: The Four Foundations of Mindfulness (samādhi)
The Four Foundations of Mindfulness
The Four Elements
The Five Hindrances
The Five Aggregates
The Six Sense Bases
The Seven Factors of Awakening
The Refuge of Dhamma: Exploring the Buddha’s Discourses (pañña)
The Life of the Buddha
The Discourses of the Buddha
The Heartwood of the Holy Life
The Heartwood of the Holy Life is a comprehensive training in embodied wisdom. In these programs you will deepen in meditation, mentorship, and the teachings of liberation. It is a time of ripening—not only of insight, but of service, community, and spiritual maturity.
Core Courses & Curriculum
Dedicated Practitioner Program (DPP) (Overview)
Buddhist History & Cultures
Dependent Origination
Interdependence
Mentorship & Engagement Program [In Development] (sīla)
Kaḷyāna Mitta, Spiritual Friendship
Individual Practice Guidance
Engaged Buddhisms
Service & Social Action
Samādhi in Daily Life (samādhi)
The Four Absorptions
Liberation, Emptiness, and Awareness Practices (pañña)
The Stages of Enlightenment
Emptiness
Awareness
What You'll Learn
The Buddhist Study & Practice sequence is built on the central structure of the Buddha's "gradual training," bringing you through the three divisions of the Noble Eightfold Path:
- sīla — ethics & action: wise speech, wise action, wise livelihood
- samādhi — meditation & mindfulness: wise effort, wise mindfulness, wise immersion
- pañña — insight & wisdom: wise view, wise intention
The sequence can be entered at any point, and you're invited to move through the stream of courses in a way that's right for your practice experience and interests.
Through every stage of the path, you'll weave in multi-day retreats, elective classes drawn from both the Buddhist Study & Practice and Practice in the World areas, and teacher-guided communities for ongoing connection. Monthly discussion sessions, online forums, and ritual gatherings mark the milestones of your path and remind you that none of us walk the path alone.
Explore the curriculum and see currently open classes below.
Setting Out on the Path
Courses For Beginners
The seeker who sets out upon the way
shines bright over the world.
(Dhammapada 25.23, Byrom)
Our Buddhist Study and Practice curriculum begins with a set of four classes that can be taken in any order, with the suggestion to take Introduction to Insight first. This set of classes is offered yearly, and can be taken entirely in a single calendar year, or spread out over multiple years. The series is organized around the Buddhist framework of sīla, samādhi, and pañña (or ethics, meditation, and wisdom)—giving a grounded introduction to the full range of Buddhist thought and practice.
As an alternative, the 8-month intensive Living Dharma Program (LDP) covers the same material in a different way, exploring the Eightfold Path in daily life. LDP can be taken after, or instead of, the four introductory classes. Alongside the core classes, electives and on-demand programs both from the Buddhist Study and Practice and Practice in the World program areas may be added anytime.
Core Classes
Class Series
• silaWise Action & Ethics
Tuere Sala | 5 Sundays, Nov 1-29, 2026 (Opening soon!)
Class Series
• samadhiMindfulness & Meditation
Dawn Mauricio | 4 Wednesdays, June 2027
Class Series
• pannaThe Buddhist Path
Gullu Singh | 5 week series, August 2027
Training
• overview
Dawn Mauricio, Yong Oh | 8 Saturdays, Sep 2026 - Apr 2027
On-Demand Courses
Self-Paced Study & Practice
On-Demand Course
• overview
Mark Coleman | 20 hours
On-Demand Course
• sila
Joanna Macy, Jennifer Berezan | 5 hours
On-Demand Course
• samadhi
Dawn Mauricio | 10 hours
On-Demand Course
• panna
Crystal Johnson | 10 hours
Electives
Beginner-Friendly Practice in the World Classes
Class Series
Everyday Life as Mindfulness Practice
Sylvia Boorstein (prerecorded), Heidi Bourne | 5 Thursdays, Aug 6 - Sep 3, 2026
Class Series
Earth Listening: Reverence for the Web of Life
Ayya Santacittā | 4 Thursdays, July 9-30, 2026
Foundations of Insight Meditation
Deepening in Lineage & Practice
"The whole path of mindfulness is this:
whatever you are doing, be aware of it."
(Dīpa Mā)
Our modern lineage of Insight Meditation, or vipassanā, grew out of the Theravāda Buddhist traditions of Southeast Asia, primarily through Burmese and Thai forms of practice. “Theravāda” means “Way of the Elders,” and it is the Buddhist school most directly connected to the early teachings of the Buddha, preserved in texts known as the Pāli Canon. As you deepen on your path, Foundations of Insight Meditation opens the door to a vibrant, grounded spiritual life rooted in an ancient lineage of awakening and service.
Foundations of Insight Meditation centers on the most important guideline for Insight practice: the Four Foundations of Mindfulness. The sequence includes two intensives and a set of class series, all of which can be taken in any order, again loosely organized around sīla, samādhi, and pañña.
Core Classes
Class Series
• pannaThe Last Days of the Buddha: The Mahāparanibbāna Sutta
Sean Oakes | 5 Thu, Jun 11 - Jul 9, 2026 (Open for registration now!)
Training
• panna
Alex Haley, Ying Chen, Phillip Moffitt | 8 Thursdays, Oct 1, 2026 - May 6, 2027 (Open for registration now!)
On-Demand Courses
Self-Paced Study & Practice
On-Demand Course
• overview
Oren Sofer, Jaya Rudgard | 10 hours
On-Demand Course
• panna
James Baraz | 5 hours
On-Demand Course
• samadhi
Nikki Mirghafori | 5 hours
On-Demand Course
• panna
Sean Oakes | 12 hours
Electives
Training
Matthew Brensilver | 5 Saturdays, Aug 29 - Dec 12, 2026 (Open for registration now!)
The Heartwood of the Holy Life
Experienced
“This holy life, bhikkhus, does not have gain, honor, and renown for its benefit, or the attainment of virtue for its benefit, or the attainment of concentration for its benefit, or knowledge and vision for its benefit. But it is this unshakeable deliverance of mind that is the goal of this holy life, its heartwood, and its end.”
(MN 29, Bodhi)
The Buddha uses the simile of heartwood—the strong central column of wood in the trunk of a tree—to describe the ultimate fruit of practice, distinguishing it from the other, less useful parts of a tree like the soft wood, bark, branches, and leaves. We are encouraged to not be satisfied with the social status of being an experienced practitioner, or even with the real and beautiful results of ethical practice, deep concentration, or insight, but to set our sights clearly on awakening and the end of suffering.
In the Heartwood of the Holy Life sequence of classes and intensives, dedicated students and teachers are brought together for a series of sustained, community-building study and practice programs starting with the 2-year Dedicated Practitioner Program. The prerequisite for entering the sequence is completion of the Foundations of Insight Meditation sequence plus four years of practice, including 30 nights of silent retreat. Practitioners at this level are expected to maintain a regular practice of silent retreat, with longer retreats suggested whenever possible.
Core Classes
Training
• overviewDedicated Practitioner Program (DPP)
Teachers TBD | Next cohort 2029-30
Training
• silaMentorship & Engagement Program
In Development | 1 Year, Coming 2027
Training
• samadhiSamādhi in Daily Life
In Development | 1 Year, Coming 2027
Training
• pannaLiberation, Emptiness, and Awareness Practices (LEAP)
Teachers TBD | Next Cohort 2028-29
Electives
What Our Past Participants Are Saying
Retreat Deepens Every Part of the Path
Periods of stillness and intensive practice integrate your understanding of the teachings. Retreats are an essential part of the path, offering time away from daily life to cultivate concentration and insight. All Dharma Institute students are encouraged to attend regular silent retreat, integrating your study and daily life practice in the depth and peace of this profound practice.
Helpful Info & FAQs
What is the difference between retreats, class series, intensives, and trainings?
- Retreats emphasize immersive meditation practice over a shorter period of time
- Class series support ongoing learning and reflection across multiple sessions
- Trainings, intensives, and multi-year programs offer a more comprehensive path of study and practice with greater continuity and commitment
- Trainings give certificates and often Continuing Education Credits, while Intensives are primarily for personal practice and do not
Can I participate if I live outside the Bay Area?
Yes. Many Dharma Institute offerings are available online or in hybrid formats, making them accessible to participants around the world.
Are scholarships or financial assistance available?
Yes. Spirit Rock is committed to accessibility and offers financial support for many programs. Details about scholarships, sliding scale, or financial assistance are available on individual program pages.
Have questions about what course is right for you?
We're happy to guide you to finding the right program for you. Reach out using the form below.