Coming for Retreat

Land of Calm Abiding maintains a number of cabins devoted to the use of long-term retreatants; shorter stays can also be arranged for depending upon availability. Please contact us for information.

 

The cabins each offer a deck and two inside rooms, one for sleeping and meditating and the other for cooking and other activities. Each cabin has a shower. Some have indoor toilets, and others have outhouses.. Solar power generates hot water, filtered drinking water, and basic furnishings. Some cabins have propane heaters, others have wood stoves.  

Retreatants order their own supplies and prepare their own food and our kind caretaker delivers groceries to the cabins every two weeks for most of the year, and every three weeks during the winter. During the winter rainy season, deliveries may be made twice monthly depending on road conditions. Communication between meditators and staff, including passing on the shopping lists, is managed via a note system that is checked twice a week. Of course, more direct communication will handle any emergency situation.

The retreat cabins have no cell phone or internet service. Satellite-linked internet and phone service at the office is available for use at the beginning and end of retreatants' stay to help with logistics and also to deal with any urgent situations that might arise. The Land of Calm Abiding email account is checked every day by staff to ensure that any emergency messages sent by family, friends, and/or teachers will reach residents.

The environment of LCA, a wildlife sanctuary, offers unparalleled silence, spaciousness, and beauty. Available to lay persons as well as ordained, Land of Calm Abiding welcomes serious Dharma students who follow practice guidelines in accordance with the teachings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Applicants should have established relationships with accomplished masters such as the most kind Lama Zopa Rinpoche, recognized lineage holders, and other authentic teachers.  The teachers should know applicants well enough to assess their suitability for solitary retreat in an isolated setting. 

Those who wish to apply for a cabin on the Land complete a questionnaire.  The Director will then contact them to schedule an interview via Skype or telephone. Applicants also provide reference(s) from a fully qualified Buddhist teacher who can attest to their suitability for intense daily practice in a secluded environment. 

Those considering a long-term retreat are welcome to stay initially for a month, especially if they are approaching their first solitary retreat. Another option for those considering retreat is serving as a volunteer for a few months to get acclimatized to the remote environment. If a meditator finds the retreat more challenging than anticipated, help is available and arrangements can be made to support them, either in continuing their retreat or in moving on from the Land. 

The basic fee for residence is $500 per cabin per month, which includes fuel to heat the cabins in the winter. Food expenses are met by retreatants themselves. Meditators are welcome to find sponsors to help defray expenses and we maybe able to help find sponsors as well. Applications will be evaluated on the basis of availability of funds as well as the level of need of the applicants. 

For further information, you are welcome to email the Director of Land of Calm Abiding directly and begin a conversation about residence at Land of Calm Abiding.