Practicing the Jhānas Retreat

Two-week Retreat: Residential and Online

The Practicing the Jhānas retreat will be a concentration meditation retreat using breath awareness meditation to access and enter the deeper states of concentration with the potential of absorption/ jhāna.

Jhāna (absorption) concentration is 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.

“WHEN THE BODHISATTVA Siddhārtha could no longer resist the inner call of liberation, he left behind his family and the luxury of palace life. Shaving off his hair and beard, he donned the robes of a samana—a wandering religious seeker. He went to study with the few select teachers of his day who were accomplished in the concentration practices of jhāna, which led to purification of mind. First, Siddhārtha went to Alara Kalama, from whom he learned the first material jhāna through the seventh immaterial jhāna (the base of nothingness). Despite these attainments, Siddhārtha continued his pursuit and sought out Uddaka Ramaputta to learn and practice the highest attainment of the day—the eighth immaterial jhāna (the base of neither perception nor nonperception). Completing these attainments was the foundation for the bodhisattva’s path to eventual Buddhahood.”

— Stephen Snyder & Tina Rasmussen, Practicing the jhĀnas

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 six books and is co-author of Practicing the Jhānas.

Student Feedback

“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 is truly a rare combination of deep realization, mastery of both early Buddhism and its later expressions in Zen, pristine clarity of expression, and warm ego-less good humor.”

— Rick Hanson, Ph.D., author of Buddha’s Brain, Hardwiring Happiness, Resilient, and Neurodharma

Incredible experience. Material was masterfully presented. Concise detailed instructions with no fluff. Teacher is warm and compassionate while encouraging rigorous, disciplined practice. I’ve been practicing for a couple decades and was shocked at how potent and impactful a remote(via Zoom) retreat could be. Support from the field of practitioners was palpable and very appreciated. Mugen Roshi is surrounded by lovely, humble students commited to practice. 10/10 would recommend to anyone who sincerely wants authentic Buddha Dharma. 

Deep gratitude to Mugen Roshi and the Awakening Dharma Sangha

— Nolan O’Malley

“Anapanasati meditation is usually a very demanding practice in a long retreat for me. I therefore had great resistance to this seemingly dry technique beforehand. Now I understand why. I thought I wasn’t talented enough at it. Afterwards I can only recommend to every serious Dharma practitioner to participate in a Jhana Retreat, either online or in person, with Mugen Roshi, regardless of achieving a specific result (Jhana) or not. Thanks to his precise instructions and guided Jhana meditations, I finally have a clear understanding of how this practice works and what is really meant by “purification of mind.” I was able to see for myself that this technique always develops exactly as it must, based on the obstacles of one’s own personality structure. The development of concentration and its fruits are entirely not my doing and work in this mind just as well as for any other practitioner. Discovering this deep trust in the natural process of purifying one’s own mind and the effortless unfolding of the absolute qualities feels very satisfying. I feel that this trust is now transferable to other forms of meditation and to the Dharma path itself. It took the authentic, precise teaching of realized Mugen Roshi in the Anapanasati practice to make this insight clearer for me. Mugen knows what is needed to support the field of the Sangha. One always has the feeling that his precise instructions address one’s own doubts directly, exactly as needed. He always skillfully picks up on the atmosphere of the field and the one-on-ones. His guided meditations always give the group precisely the heart support it needs. His step-by-step unveiling of the complexity and simplicity of Jhana practice testifies to his complete mastery of Jhana practice and his twenty years of experience authentically teaching this ancient, valuable technique.”

— Chōtan, Matthias Wyss

“I attended an in-person 2-week silent meditation retreat with Stephen Mugen Snyder, Roshi, in March 2026. I felt at home the entire time and was deeply touched by the level of care that Mugen Roshi and his wife Julie put into making the experience as comfortable, nourishing, and conducive to practice as possible for all of us. I have found Mugen Roshi’s open-hearted and direct teaching style to be really motivating, inspiring, and trustworthy. The first couple of days of the retreat were structured, but the remaining time in retreat was mostly open sitting to allow students to adjust their schedule in line with their personal rhythms. As an early morning meditator, I appreciated that a lot.

I feel transformed in ways that are hard to put into words and am deeply grateful to everyone who makes these retreats possible. I would encourage anyone considering joining Mugen Roshi’s retreat to go for it. It may change your life.”

— Polina Borisova

Recording

• This retreat will be recorded. One-on-one interviews will not be recorded.
• Recordings will be made available during the retreat once automatic processing has completed (usually within an hour).
• By signing up and participating you are agreeing to release your rights of privacy and agree that any audio or video recording can be used by Awakening Dharma or Stephen Mugen Snyder, Roshi
• After this retreat is over, Awakening Dharma may sell the recordings as a self-paced retreat. If, so participants will be given free access to the self-paced retreat.

Experience Prerequisites

• Attended at least two online daylongs with Mugen Roshi in the past year.
• Attended at least two silent, residential, Buddhist meditation retreats for a minimum of six days.

For in-person attendance, the prerequisites are required. Please include specifics of your retreat experience to verify that you meet these requirements in your application. Mugen may consider exceptions to these requirements under some circumstances. To request an exception, please email us at [E-Address: events | awakeningdharma].

For online attendance, the prerequisites are recommendations only. 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.

Online Attendance

Approximate schedule for online participation (Times for some talks and guided meditations may shift slightly earlier or later with advanced notice):

First day:

7:00pm ET: Retreat Begins with opening talk

Monday-Saturday:

9:45am ET Sitting & Guided meditation

1:45pm ET Dharma talk & Guided meditation

Sundays:

Sundays are dark. This gives Mugen a rest day and for yogis they are a great day for deeper practice.

Last day:

The last day of the retreat is mainly a travel day for in-person participants so there won’t be an online component.

What’s Included for Online Attendance

• Access to live guided meditations and dharma talks via Zoom.
• Access to recordings (available after automatic processing completes, usually within an hour).
• Opportunity to ask questions during group Q&A on Zoom.

Investment for Online Attendance

• $785 to attend without interviews.
• $885 to attend with interviews (limited slots available).

Interviews are highly recommended for anyone new to retreat practice and for anyone planning deep practice under strict retreat conditions (e.g., maintaining noble silence and fully withdrawing from worldly activities). Interviews for online attendees will be one per week.

Interviews are not recommended for anyone who won’t be following retreat conditions (e.g., people who plan to still be engaged in worldly activities such as work, socializing, or consuming media).

Scholarships are available to support your participation. Please apply at least 7 days in advance.

Please review our Cancellation Policy and Participation Waiver.

In-Person Attendance

All-inclusive cost for 14 days (room, meals, teaching fees and staff dana):

• Private room for one person: $2750 – FULL
• Shared room (2-3 people per room) for one person: $2400
• Dorm bed for one person: $2100

Please review our In-Person Retreat FAQ, Cancellation Policy and Participation Waiver.