Living Dharma Program

Exploring and Integrating the Eight-fold path in Daily Life

September 2023 – May 2024
with Mark Coleman, MA, and Dawn Mauricio

Thank you for your interest. 

The application period for this training is now closed.

DESCRIPTION

This program is online and designed for meditators and Buddhist practitioners wishing to engage wholeheartedly in a deep exploration and practice of the Dharma through the study and teaching of the Buddha’s “Noble Eightfold Path.” Using the classical Buddhist teachings of sīla, samādhi, and pañña (ethics, meditation, and wisdom), we will look at how we cultivate mindfulness, kindness, and balance given the inner stresses of modern life, and the outer challenges of social inequity and the pressure of climate change.

This will be a practical, experiential, and meditative program exploring the Buddha’s teachings on the eight limbs of the Dharma path: Wise Understanding, Wise Motivation, Wise Action, Wise Livelihood, Wise Communication, Wise Effort, Wise Mindfulness, and Wise Concentration. Through the support of these teachings, we will inquire how to live and respond to life with awareness, wisdom, and compassion.

In this journey, we will create a vibrant learning community to study, meditate, and inquire into these key areas of Buddhist teaching and how to make these teachings practical and relevant in our current social milieu. Our meditation practice and what is happening around us politically, socially, and globally are not separate. As we explore the Eightfold Path teachings, we will apply what was taught 2600 years ago to what we live and experience in our contemporary lives.

PROGRAM PREREQUISITES

Preferred pre-requisites (strongly encouraged, not required):

• At least 2 years of meditation practice
• A minimum of 10 days of any combination of: silent residential meditation retreats, daylongs, or mindfulness workshops
• For white-identified applicants, priority will be given to those who have done or are signed up to take a white awareness, antiracist, and/or racial equity training
• Priority is offered to those practicing Vipassanā (Insight Meditation)

PROGRAM INCLUDES

Monthly large group sessions (recorded)
Monthly small group breakout sessions (held during large group sessions)
One small group meeting with a teacher (held during the monthly large group sessions)
Q&A sessions
Daily and monthly home practices, reflections, and readings
Affinity small groups (optional)
Study group sessions (optional, self-facilitated - also meet in between large group sessions)

DATES

September 2023 – May 2024

All Large Group Sessions: Saturdays; 9:30 am – 4:00 pm US Pacific Time (UTC -8) - sessions recorded

• Program Opening: September 30 (Required); 9:30am – 11:30am PT
• Session 1: Saturday, October 14
• Session 2: Saturday, November 4
• Session 3: Saturday, December 2
• Session 4: Saturday, January 6
• Session 5: Saturday, February 3
• Session 6: Saturday, March 2
• Session 7: Saturday, April 6
• Session 8: Saturday, May 4

Q&A Sessions

• Wednesday, November 15 | 10:00 – 11:00am 
• Wednesday, January 10 | 6:00 –7:00pm
• Thursday, February 15 | 10:00 – 11:00am 
• Wednesday, March 20 | 6:00 – 7:00pm

PARTICIPATION COMMITMENT

• Must attend Program Opening on September 30, 2023 - required
• Must attend at least 6 of 8 large group sessions live (and access recordings of any missed sessions)
• Meditation: 20-30 min/day recommended
• Reading, journaling, and reflections: 4-8 hr/month
• One small group meeting with teachers (held during a large group session)
• Q&A Sessions: 1 hr/month (highly recommended but no required, and will be recorded)

TUITION

Sliding Scale: $2100 – $3500. Please consider paying at the highest rate that you can afford: your generosity supports the teachers of this program as well as Spirit Rock, staff, and your fellow practitioners. Any amount offered above the Base rate of $2100 is a tax deductible donation to Spirit Rock, and your generosity will enable and support the participation of others.

Standard Sliding Scale:
Benefactor – $3500
Sustainer – $2650
Base – $2100

Scholarship Sliding Scale: PLEASE NOTE - All scholarship funds for this program have been allotted.
All Scholarship rates are available on a first-come, first-served basis and are open to those needing financial support.
Scholarship Rate 1 – $1950
Scholarship Rate 2 - $1650
Scholarship Rate 3 – $790
Scholarship Rate 4 – $525*
*Scholarship Rates 4 is limited and reserved for BIPOC folks only who may experiencing financial hardship. If closer to the program start there are unallocated scholarships for this rate, these may become available for non-BIPOC folks.

Participation in LDP requires a financial commitment. ALL participants have the option of paying in full or a 30% deposit at the time of registration. Those paying a deposit can set up installments. Payment plans are available for all levels of the sliding scale.

If you choose to pay a deposit, you can set up two monthly installments for the remaining balance which will be due in October and November 2023. Installments can only be set up on credit cards. Please contact us if you have any questions.

CANCELLATION POLICY

Participating in LDP will require your commitment of both time and financial resources. If you need to withdraw from the program, the following fee structure will apply. Cancellation fees are deducted from the program fees paid; the fee is a percentage of the total amount agreed to pay. These fees apply to all participants.

• $50 non-refundable, flat fee for all applicants August 1 - September 15
• 10% fee: September 16 - September 29
• 25% fee: September 30 - October 14
• 50% fee: October 15 - November 4
• No refunds = On or after November 5

QUESTIONS?

Please email us.

FACULTY

Mark Coleman

Mark has trained extensively in the Buddhist tradition, both in the Insight meditation and in the Dzogchen tradition. He is a senior teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center and has taught insight meditation retreats since 1997.

Mark is a life-long nature lover and is passionate about guiding people into the beauty of meditation and nature. He has led wilderness nature retreats worldwide for over twenty years. Through his organization Awake in the Wild Mark leads year long nature meditation teacher trainings in the US and Europe.

Co-founder of the Mindfulness Training Institute Mark also leads year long professional mindfulness teacher trainings in Europe and the US. He is author of Awake in the Wild - Mindfulness in nature as a path to self-discovery, Make Peace With Your Mind, From Suffering to Peace and his recent book A Field Guide to Nature Meditation.

He lives in Sausalito, Marin and likes nothing more than hiking, biking and kayaking in the outdoors.

View Mark's upcoming programs.

Dawn Mauricio

Dawn Mauricio (she/her), a Filipina-Canadian, has been practicing and studying Insight Meditation since 2005. She has graduated from the first teacher development group of True North Insight, and Spirit Rock's Mindfulness Yoga and Meditation Training, Dedicated Practitioners' Program, and 4-year Retreat Teacher Training. She teaches with a playful, dynamic, and heartfelt approach People of Color and folks of all backgrounds. Dawn leads daylongs, retreats, multi-year programs, and workshops in Canada and the US for Spirit Rock, True North Insight, and Sacred Mountain Sangha. Dawn is a co-founder of the True North Insight BIPOC practice group, serves on the guiding teachers council of True North Insight, and the leadership council for Sacred Mountain Sangha. She is also the author of “Mindfulness Meditation for Beginners”. For more information, visit dawnmauricio.com.