Sense the energy of the heart, the energy of mettā—kindness, warmth, friendliness—and let it radiate out. In front, in back, left and right, above and below, the energy of kindness touching every being where you are with the wish that each might be well, might be happy—the energy of mettā radiating out in all six directions, filling the space around you. Let this radiating from the heart continue and expand, out to the entirety of the land. The forest, the hills, all the other beings here: the human beings, the birds, all the different beings. Wishing well for all the beings in the space we’re radiating into, meeting all beings with this radiating kindness.
Donald Rothberg, PhD
Residential Retreat Teacher
Donald Rothberg, PhD, has practiced Insight Meditation since 1976, and has also received training in Tibetan Dzogchen, Mahamudra practice and the Hakomi approach to body-based psychotherapy. Formerly on the faculties of the University of Kentucky, Kenyon College, and Saybrook Graduate School, he currently writes and teaches classes, groups and retreats on meditation, daily life practice, spirituality and psychology, and socially engaged Buddhism. An organizer, teacher, and former board member for the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, Donald has helped to guide six-month to two-year training programs in socially engaged spirituality through Buddhist Peace Fellowship (the BASE Program), Saybrook (the Socially Engaged Spirituality Program), and Spirit Rock (the Path of Engagement Program). He is the author of The Engaged Spiritual Life: A Buddhist Approach to Transforming Ourselves and the World and the co-editor of Ken Wilber in Dialogue: Conversations with Leading Transpersonal Thinkers.
Donald Rothberg's Upcoming Programs
Short Program | On-Land | Hybrid
Sunday, July 13 | 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Transforming the Judgmental Mind
6 CE Credits. Judgments of a reactive and compulsive nature, both toward ourselves and toward others, figure very strongly in most of our lives. They can distort our perceptions and relationships. In this daylong, we will examine what judgments are and how to work with them using mindfulness, “heart” practices, and inquiry, helping us to preserve the discernment often found in judgments, while working through their destructive aspects. Attendees will have the option of regular follow-up sessions to continue and deepen the learning.
Donald Rothberg
Short Program | Online | Hybrid
Sunday, July 13 | 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Transforming the Judgmental Mind
6 CE Credits. Judgments of a reactive and compulsive nature, both toward ourselves and toward others, figure very strongly in most of our lives. They can distort our perceptions and relationships. In this daylong, we will examine what judgments are and how to work with them using mindfulness, “heart” practices, and inquiry, helping us to preserve the discernment often found in judgments, while working through their destructive aspects. Attendees will have the option of regular follow-up sessions to continue and deepen the learning.
Donald Rothberg
Retreat | On-Land
October 25 - November 1, 2025 | Saturday - Saturday | 7 nights
Settling, Seeing, and Spacious Awareness
Registration Open. Together, we will train in three interrelated modes of practice. First, we’ll settle and stabilize our minds and bodies, becoming more concentrated. From here, we can see more clearly when there is reactivity, when we suffer, and when there is a thick sense of self, and we learn to be more in line with the impermanent flow of experience. We can also tune in to an increasingly luminous awareness beyond reactivity, which is a source of freedom, wisdom, and compassion.
Upcoming Drop-Ins
Drop-in | Online
Wednesday, June 18 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Wednesday Morning Meditation & Talk
Our Wednesday Morning Meditation & Talk is led by Sylvia Boorstein, Donald Rothberg, Heidi Bourne, or other guest teachers. This group welcomes beginners and experienced practitioners to explore the Dharma.
Donald Rothberg
Drop-in | Online
Wednesday, June 25 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Wednesday Morning Meditation & Talk
Our Wednesday Morning Meditation & Talk is led by Sylvia Boorstein, Donald Rothberg, Heidi Bourne, or other guest teachers. This group welcomes beginners and experienced practitioners to explore the Dharma.
Donald Rothberg
Dharma Library
Can't join us live online or on the land? Study and practice at your convenience with Donald Rothberg through our new library of recordings, articles, and self-paced online courses.