Coming for Retreat

Land of Calm Abiding maintains a number of cabins devoted to the use of long-term retreat. When a practitioner has reached a stage of meditative cultivation where conducive solitude in pristine wilderness is essential, our cabins and staff are here to support.

The minimum time to abide in a long-term retreat cabin is one month. If a dedicated Dharma student would like to come for a shorter visit to begin the organic process of getting to know the land for future long-retreat, then that can be arranged pending availability.

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 allows for adequate lighting and occasional use a blender for smoothies and soups. Propane generates the heat for hot water, cooking, and some cabins have propane wall heaters for the cold months. There are other cabins that have wood stoves that operate for heating. Every cabin comes with filtered drinking water, and basic furnishings.

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 sometimes every three weeks during the winter and spring months. During the rainy season deliveries depend 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 in the Lama Zopa Main House is available for use at the beginning and end of a retreatant’s 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, or other authentic teachers. The teachers should know applicants well enough to assess their suitability for solitary retreat in an isolated setting.