James Baraz -Teaching Schedule
DATE/TIME
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LOCATION AND EVENT |
| San Francisco Standard Time is UTC-8. (California practices Daylight Savings Time, during which San Francisco is UTC-7) | |
| James' Weekly Meditation Group - Online | |
Every Thursday 7:30 - 9:00 PM
19:30 - 21:00
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Weekly Meditation Session with Dharma talk and discussion, sponsored by Insight Berkeley, Berkeley, California |
| Annual Awakening Joy Course - Online starting Each Year in January | |
Starting Every Other Tuesday 6:00 - 8:00 PM |
2026 Awakening Joy Course runs for 5 months, January 27 - June 2 |
Registration for the 2026 Awakening Joy Course
Ten themes are presented and practiced. Recordings of online sessions + practice letters are available through the end of 2026. Join a s small practice group- they form all over the world. New enrollees may join after the course has started. If interested in the accompanying Teacher Training, you can find more information and the application here. |
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| SEPTEMBER 2025 | |
Sept. 26 - 30 Fri. Arrive |
4-night silent retreat, sponsored by Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Woodacre, CA "Devotion to the Sacred" with James, Trudy Goodman, Anam Thubten, Alexa Redner |
This retreat will focus on cultivating states states of true well-being such as gratitude, kindness, and compassion. Rather than taking ownership of them, we will keep connecting to the source within us from which they arise. Information and Registration: |
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| OCTOBER 2025 | |
October 19 Sunday
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Onland and onine evening at Spirit Rock Meditation Center " Echoes of Ram Dass: A Meditative and Musical Journey with East Forest" |
Honoring Ram Dass and in the spirit of Ram Dass’ teachings, this special evening will feature a guided meditation from James Baraz, followed by a transformative live music experience with East Forest. This unique evening incorporates soul-stirring music, mindfulness, and community—an invitation to journey inward and reconnect with what matters most. Come experience a night inspired by Ram Dass’ timeless wisdom, guided by meditation, and brought to life through the soulful music of East Forest. |
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| NOVEMBER 2025 | |
Nov. 4 - 25 Four Tuesday Evenings (details to follow)
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4-Week Course, offered live via Zoom, sponsored by Spirit Rock Meditation Center "The Four Buddhist Heart Practices" |
Discover the Four Brahm Vihāras—timeless heart practices of lovingkindness, compassion, appreciative joy, and equanimity—that can transform how you meet life. In this immersive course, you’ll gain practical tools to steady your mind, open your heart, and bring more resilience, joy, and balance into everyday moments. If you’re ready to live with greater ease and connection, this training offers a clear path forward. Information and Registration at Spirit Rock. |
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Nov. 16, Sunday 9:30 - 4:00 PM |
Daylong onsite, sponsored by Insight Meditation Center Berkeley at Berkeley Buddhist Monastery “The Buddha’s Instructions for Anapanasati Practice” |
| DECEMBER 2025 | |
Dec. 12 - 17 Fri. Arrive |
5-night silent retreat, sponsored by Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Woodacre, CA "Equanimity: Finding Balance in Uncertain Times" with James, Mei Elliott, Gullu Singh and and Teresa Todoroff |
Equanimity (upekkhā) is a highly-valued quality in Buddhist teachings. But what is it, and how do we cultivate it in our meditation practice? How can we access equanimity in daily life, especially in the midst of uncertainty, fear, and sadness over the suffering in the world? This retreat will offer instructions, talks, sitting and walking meditations, and practice discussions to support the development of equanimity in our formal practice. We can then apply equanimity to our life off the cushion. |
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| JANUARY 2026 | |
January 11 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM |
LIve, 90 minute online session, sponsored by Sangha Live |
| Once posted, this link will take you to Information and Registration at Sangha Live. | |
January 23 - 25 See Daily Schedule here |
In-person, long weekend with James, sponsored by Esalen Institute “Being Present for Your Life” |
In this workshop, you’ll be introduced to this meditation practice and the principles on which it is based. There will be periods of silent sitting and walking meditation as well as discussions to help provide a foundation for your own mindfulness practice in your everyday life Register at the Esalen Instistute: |
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January 27 6:00 - 8:00 PM |
First Live Zoom session for the Awakening Joy Course |
Registration for the 2026 Awakening Joy Course Registrations are accepted after the course begins. It's easy to catch up. |
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| FEBRUARY 2026 | |
Feb. 3 - Mar. 2
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February monthlong silent retreat
, sponsored by Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Woodacre CA Prerequisites for February One-Month Retreat (27 nights): BEFORE applying you must have already completed at least 14 nights of silent residential retreat time. This retreat time must include a minimum of two (2) silent residential retreats with each of these six (6) nights or longer. |
| MARCH 2026 | |
March 15 |
Daylong onland and online, sponsored by Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Woodacre, CA with James Baraz |
Once posted, this link will take you to Information and Registration at Spirit Rock.
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| APRIL 2026 | |
| April 18 | Daylong onland, sponsored by Spiriti Rock Meditation Center, Woodacre, CA Earth Day Celebration |
| Once posted, this link will take you to Information and Registration at Spirit Rock. | |
| MAY 2026 | |
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| JUNE 2026 | |
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| JULY 2026 | |
June 12 - 19 Starts with dinner Fri. 6:00 PM Ends with Lunch Fri.
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Weeklong silent retreat at Arbor Seminaire, Rahden, Germany |
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July 31 - Aug. 6 Fri. Arrive Thur. Depart |
Weeklong silent retreat, sponsored by Nirodha at Kreivila Center, Finland |
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| AUGUST 2026 | |
Aug. 1 - 6 |
See retreat, above, starting July 31 |
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| SEPTEMBER 2026 | |
Sept 2 - 7 Wed. Arrive |
5-night silent retreat, sponsored by Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Woodacre, California Traditional Labor Day Retreat with James Baraz |
This retreat emphasizes quieting the mind, opening the heart, and developing clarity and depth of practice. Traditional instructions will be combined with a spirit of lovingkindness, and our time together will include a schedule of silent sitting and walking periods, guided Yoga/movement sessions, as well as practice meetings with teachers and daily Dharma talks. Information and registration are available, once posted, on the Spirit Rock calendar. |
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Sept. 15 - Oct. 27
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6-week silent retreat at Insight Meditation Society (IMS) , Barre, MA with James Baraz |
Information and registration are available, once posted, at IMS. |
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| OCTOBER 2026 | |
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| NOVEMBER 2026 | |
Nov. 22 - 30 |
8-Day retreat, sponsored by Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Woodacre, California with James Baraz, Anam Thubten and Trudy Goodman “The Magic of Awareness” |
Information and registration are available, once posted, on the Spirit Rock calendar. |
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| DECEMBER 2026 | |
Dec. 13
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Daylong onland and online, sponsored by Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Woodacre, CA with James Baraz |
Information and registration can be found, once posted, on the Spirit Rock calendar. |
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