Our goal in this practice is not to extinguish all thoughts, but to change our relationship to the thinking mind, maybe even befriend it. There's a lot we can learn about different kinds of thoughts and their impact—those that are skillful or unskillful, those that lead to happiness or to suffering. Imagine that your mind is a blank screen on which these thoughts are projected and just be interested in this process. Thoughts are not the enemy, they’re a naturally arising phenomenon in the mind. We're just trying to learn about them, how they work, and how this world gets created for us through them.
Anushka Fernandopulle
Residential Retreat Teacher
Anushka Fernandopulle is a Spirit Rock Core Teacher who has trained for over 35 years in the Theravada Buddhist tradition. Anushka studied Buddhism at Harvard College and then spent four years in full-time Dharma and meditation training in monasteries and retreat centers in the US, India and Sri Lanka. Anushka was invited to teach Dharma in 1998 and later graduated from a four year retreat teacher training program with Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg, Carol Wilson and other leading Western Buddhist meditation teachers from IMS and Spirit Rock.
Anushka teaches retreats and workshops around the world, including in South America, Scandinavia and the United Kingdom. Her teaching is informed by nature, creative arts, political engagement and modern urban life. Anushka has taught Spirit Rock's monthlong retreat, Metta retreat and in multiyear study programs like Dedicated Practitioner's Program and Advanced Practitioner's Program.
Anushka lives in San Francisco and also works as a leadership coach and management consultant, influenced by a BA from Harvard, an MBA from Yale and certification in professional Coaching. She has served on many nonprofit boards as well as serving as a mayoral appointee on a San Francisco City Commission. She has been engaged with movements for social justice and civil rights throughout her life. Her writing has been featured in publications like Tricycle, Lion’s Roar, Turning Wheel, Inquiring Mind, and the Huffington Post.
Anushka Fernandopulle's Upcoming Programs
Short Program | On-Land
Sunday, June 22 | 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Introduction to Insight Meditation: Mindfulness and Vipassanā Basics
Curious about Insight Meditation (vipassanā) and mindfulness? This daylong introduces the foundations of vipassanā, including its roots in Buddhism and its practical applications for daily life. Through meditation and guided exercises, we’ll explore mindfulness of the body, mind, emotions, eating, and listening. There will be time for discussion and questions. Ideal for beginners or those seeking a refresher, this daylong also serves as a great foundation for anyone considering a multi-day retreat at Spirit Rock or other vipassanā centers.
Anushka Fernandopulle
Retreat | On-Land
July 9 - July 18, 2025 | Wednesday - Friday | 9 nights
Summer Lovingkindness Retreat
Registration Open. The Buddha’s teachings on the four divine sanctuaries (brahmavihāras) include meditations on universal friendliness (mettā), compassion (karuṇā), altruistic joy (muditā), and equanimity (upekkhā). Aimed at purifying our hearts and developing concentration, these divine sanctuaries help us find inner peace and powerfully engage with the world. This retreat will deepen our understanding of selfless love and its role in ending suffering. Retreatants are encouraged to combine this retreat with the Insight Meditation retreat to further develop concentration and purify the heart.
Tempel Smith
Rebecca Bradshaw
Anushka Fernandopulle
Bonnie Duran
John Martin
Francisco Morillo Gable
Rasika Link
Retreat | On-Land
July 18 - July 27, 2025 | Friday - Sunday | 9 nights
Summer Insight Meditation Retreat
Registration Open. This retreat will emphasize continuity of awareness in all activities, stabilizing the mind, and cultivating insight. Combining relaxation with clarity, we will explore the liberating teachings of the Buddha, including the foundations of mindfulness, the radical nature of impermanence, and the cessation of craving. Practitioners are encouraged to combine the Summer Insight Retreat with the Summer Lovingkindness (mettā) Retreat, although this is not required. For those attending both retreats, the teachers will guide and integrate the retreats as one offering.
Tempel Smith
Rebecca Bradshaw
Anushka Fernandopulle
Bonnie Duran
John Martin
Francisco Morillo Gable
Rasika Link
Retreat | On-Land
August 11 - August 16, 2025 | Monday - Saturday | 5 nights
Nature is our Body: Dharma and Connection to the Earth
Registration Open. Our body can be a vehicle for liberation in this life, containing all that we need to wake up. Yet we may not know how to relate to the body to support this kind of freedom. Together we will practice connecting to our body with loving awareness while recognizing ourselves as part of nature, which includes developing awareness of our mortality. This retreat will be held in silence as we are supported by nature on the land at Spirit Rock.
Retreat | On-Land
November 2 - November 7, 2025 | Sunday - Friday | 5 nights
Cultivating Love, Clarity, and Resilience: An LGBTQIA+ and GNC Retreat
Open to all self-identified LGBTQIA+. Registration Open. This retreat offers a precious opportunity to come together in our LGBTQIA+ and GNC (Gender Non-Conforming) community. Together, we will embrace all of ourselves with love and a deep acceptance. On this retreat there will be an emphasis on cultivating a continuity of awareness in all activities, with a relaxed and gentle attention. We will also cultivate the Divine Abodes (beautiful qualities) of the heart: mettā (lovingkindness), compassion, joy, and the peace of equanimity.
Retreat | On-Land
February 3 - March 28, 2026 | Tuesday - Saturday | 53 nights
2026 Insight Meditation 2-Month Retreat - Application
Application Open. An extended period of retreat offers the rare opportunity for sustained, dedicated practice. This retreat emphasizes quieting the mind, opening the heart, and developing profound clarity and depth of Insight practice. Instruction will follow the traditional four foundations of mindfulness combined with training in lovingkindness and compassion, and practice will be structured around a daily schedule of silent sitting, walking, Dharma talks, and practice meetings with teachers.
Dawn Scott
Vance Pryor
Tuere Sala
JD Doyle
James Baraz
Brian Lesage
Tara Mulay
Tempel Smith
Kristina Baré
Anushka Fernandopulle
Greg Scharf
Rasika Link
Dharma Library
Can't join us live online or on the land? Study and practice at your convenience with Anushka Fernandopulle through our new library of recordings, articles, and self-paced online courses.