Absolute Brahmavihārā & Jhāna – NEW!

Self-Paced Home Meditation Retreat

During the first days of this retreat, we will explore the Divine Abodes, or Brahmavihāras, which are ancient Buddhist heart meditations and related practices that reveal and awaken our deepest nature’s heart qualities. The heart meditations or brahmavihārās, also known as the divine abodes, are traditional Theravada Samatha practices. They fall under the umbrella called “purification of mind”, or concentration meditation (like breath awareness), and are one of the main practices of Awakening Dharma. The benefits are both transformational and transcendent. In concentration meditation we prioritize one object to the exclusion of everything else in our awareness. We will also discuss the common resistances to the heart qualities.

During the final days, we will deepen our meditation practice with the Jhānas (absorption). This practice leads us to the highest level of meditative concentration possible.  In jhāna our awareness and consciousness completely and seamlessly merge into, and with, the meditative object as a function of the source, the Absolute. Steeping our consciousness and awareness in a quality of the Absolute purifies the mind while attuning us to deeper intimacy with the Absolute.

“The greater your willingness to be impacted and changed, the deeper your transformation will be. The more tender your heart becomes, the more resilient, flexible, and responsive you will be. Ironically, the more authentically vulnerable we become, the safer and more protected we are.”

― Stephen Mugen Snyder, Buddha’s Heart

What’s Included

• Enough material for a thirteen to fourteen-day home retreat.
• 26 retreat videos including guided meditations, dharma talks, and questions & answers.
• Complete recording of the retreat. Over 36 hours of content.
• Reference material for preparation.
• Two handouts.
• 720p HD Video – Zoom-quality recordings.

The recordings are from Mugen’s 2026 “Deepening Your Practice: A Brahmavihārā & Jhānas” retreat, which was hosted online. The original retreat was 14 days long. Most days included two group meetings per day. One Sunday was a “dark day” so there is one day of the retreat with no recordings.

“I have meditated for over 30 years and have attended numerous retreats. I think that I made more progress on my two recent (2026) jhana and formless realm retreats than any other previous retreat. Separating the signal from the noise in meditation is always challenging, yet the clear guidance and one-on-one interviews I received allowed me to correct errors and progress with confidence. I highly recommend Stephen for meditators with a well established meditative practice.”

— Robert Lencki

“Awakening Dharma retreats are a rare gift. Stephen Snyder is a compassionate, clear, and deeply experienced teacher of the jhānas and the path of awakening. The retreats are well-structured, deeply supportive, and profoundly transformative. Highly recommended!”

— Willie Ames

“Stephen and Julie create a welcoming, comfortable environment in a beautiful location with plenty of space, easy access to nature and quiet. Stephen’s teaching is wise, clear and kind. He meets with you one-on-one every day making sure you’re getting the support and guidance you need. I’ve done dozens of retreat and Awakening Dharma retreats are simply the best.”

— Mark Johnson

Stephen Mugen Snyder, Roshi began practicing daily meditation in 1976. Since then, he has studied Buddhism extensively—investigating and engaging in Zen, Tibetan, Theravada, and Western non-dual traditions. He was authorized to teach in the Theravada Buddhist tradition in 2007 and the Zen Buddhist schools of Soto and Rinzai in 2022. Mugen is a senior student of Roshi Mark Sando Mininberg. Mugen encourages students to turn toward their true nature and embody their true identity. He is the author of five books, including Buddha’s Heart and Demystifying Awakening.

Course Outline

Prerequisites

This retreat is suitable for intermediate and advanced meditators and practitioners. For beginners, we recommend only signing up if you are capable of sitting at least 45 minutes two times per day.

Investment

Sliding scale:

• $398 – Subsidized
• $498 – Sustaining
• $598 – Supporting

Students who are part of a mentoring program receive a $100 discount from above prices (coupon code is found within your mentoring course on a page called “Discounts”).

Scholarships are available to support your participation.

Please review our Cancellation Policy.