About Our Retreats

We are open for Seasonal Retreats now through Feb 9, 2025. Seasonal retreats are available for a weekend up to 2 weeks provided we are open and there is not another retreat taking place. The Seasonal Retreat registration link can be found at the bottom of this page.

You can do a weekend or one week stay on a Seasonal Retreat. You can also do a 4 night stay, 5, 6, up to 13 nights stay. As long as you arrive on a Friday and do not depart on a Monday, you can stay up to 13 nights (provided we are open). You can also extend your 2-week stay by writing a letter during the 2 weeks, requesting more time here
on a Seasonal Retreat. On your departure day, you decide when you would like to leave. It will not be disruptive to the community schedule.

Please note that we have two ways to register for the time Nov 8, 2024 through Feb 9, 2025.
1) If you want to commit to being here three months, you will apply to be here for the Winter Retreat using the link in the next paragraph.
2) If you want to be here for a weekend up to two weeks, you will register for a Seasonal Retreat using the black button below
for Seasonal Retreat registration. Seasonal Retreats are also available in October.

The 3-month Winter Retreat, closed for registration: Our 3-month Winter Retreat takes place Nov 8, 2024 through Feb 9, 2025. Registration for the Winter Retreat is for all 3 months (with an initial 2-week stay).

Our Holiday Retreat takes place Dec 28, 2024-Jan 1, 2025. The onsite registration is full for this retreat but you can join our Wait List by emailing office@bluecliffmonastery.org.

Early registration supports the community in housekeeping and planning for meals. We do not accept walk-ins.

We do not offer one night accommodations. If you wish to stay overnight for a day of mindfulness, we suggest
using a local motel in Pine Bush (Harvest Inn) or Wurtsboro (Day’s Inn) or other local towns or airBnb. Please consider coming for a weekend Seasonal Retreat with a Friday afternoon arrival if you wish to stay overnight for a day of mindfulness.

Please plan for your departure on a Sunday if you are coming for a weekend. We ask that you not plan departure on Mondays unless it is due to travel plans or other concerns. Please call if you want to request an exception.

Seasonal Retreat ARRIVAL DAYS for Nov-Dec

NOVEMBER
Retreats are full for November.
DECEMBER
Arrival days in December are Friday, Dec 6, 13, 20, 2024

We are not open for Seasonal Retreat guests Dec 28, 2024 through Jan 1, 2025.
January and February registration for Seasonal Retreats will be available at a later date and will appear here when it is open.

For THANKSGIVING WEEK,—THIS REGISTRATION IS FULL for overnight stays. We are not accepting additional overnight registrations. Please email us if you wish to be on a wait list for an overnight stay. Everyone is still welcome to join us on Thursday, November 28, Thanksgiving Day for the day. Please email us if you are coming for the day only. The day begins at 9:30 am.

These Thanksgiving week retreats below are full.

1. Special Thanksgiving Seasonal Retreat, Wed-Sun., link below.
2. Special Thanksgiving Seasonal Retreat, Wed-Fri, link below.
3. A regular Seasonal Retreat registration, Fri-Sun, Nov 29-Dec 1, use link below for Seasonal Retreat. The link is a black button that says Register now for a Seasonal Retreat.
If you wish to come for Thursday only, and need overnight accommodations, please consider overnight accommodations in a local motel or airBnb.
There are no one night stays during Thanksgiving Week.

Everyone is welcome to join us on Thursday, November 28, for Thanksgiving Day.
No registration is needed if you are coming for the day only.
If you are coming for the day only, please email office@bluecliffmonastery.org with the
number attending so we can plan for food.

For CHRISTMAS WEEK, we invite you to come Christmas Eve for the afternoon/evening program with the option of staying one night on a Seasonal Retreat. The registration link for those wishing to stay overnight is at the bottom of this page. There is no need to register if you are coming for the day only.
Arrival is on Tuesday, Dec 24, 2024, between 1 and 2 pm, departure is on Wednesday, Dec 25, 2024.

Retreat cost 
We request a financial contribution to support our retreats and the monastery. Contributions are made on a sliding scale basis. Accommodations are in 4-8 person rooms (bunk beds). A full contribution helps us meet our operating cost. Additional contributions or donations can help support others to attend. The per person per night base scale is as follows: (lodging and all meals are included)

• Adults: $120-$70

• Camping (bring your own tent and equipment): $100-$50

• Students (18-27), Unemployed: $100-$50

• Seniors (65 and up): $100-$60

• Teen's Dorm or Tent (ages 13-17): $50-$45

• Children's Dorm/Tent (ages 6-12), $45-$35

US Tour at Blue Cliff
Every two years we have this special retreat including a delegation of monks and nuns visiting from our many worldwide practice centers. This year, 2023, we had a mini Tour with monastics from three monasteries.

Themed Retreats
Themed Retreats focus on a holiday or a particular community. Themed retreats are specific events on the monastery's calendar such as our Wake Up and Vietnamese Retreats. Themed Retreats may include from 50 to 200 participants. We ask all participants to attend the entire retreat. This helps to support the energy and continuity of the retreat, as well as the stability of the practice center. After you finish reading this page, Please visit our Schedule of Events page for links to specific Themed Retreats.

Seasonal Retreats (formerly called Personal Retreats)
The monastery offers individuals, families, and small groups a unique opportunity to practice with the community when there is no themed retreat taking place and when we are open. Seasonal retreats offer participants the opportunity to enjoy the daily schedule of the monastery and the basic practices such as sitting meditation, walking meditation, working meditation, community work days and mindful eating. 

We do not offer single rooms. Our guests are roomed by gender. We have a few couples rooms and ask $120 per person per night or the highest cost in the category you pick.

Seasonal Retreats are not available during, immediately before and after a themed retreat.

Online Registration
If you are are registering multiple people, each person in your party must be registered individually; however, information from your first registration is carried over into additional registrations, and you may check-out for everyone at the same time. Registration requires making a financial contribution via online credit card payment.

When to Arrive/Departure
Please plan to arrive on a Friday. On your day of arrival, please plan to arrive between 2 and 5 so that you may settle in for dinner at 6 pm.  On arrival, please come to the registration office upstairs in the main blue building and let us know you are here.

For people coming for the weekend, please note that our scheduled day on Sunday ends after lunch. You are welcome to stay as long as you wish after lunch. Please plan to leave on Sunday for a weekend visit.  

Transportation
Please see our Getting Here page for more information on transportation to the monastery.

Accommodations
Most people who visit Blue Cliff stay in a simple dorm-style room with bunk beds. Sharing a living space with others is part of our practice of community and togetherness. Spaces for families are available.  If you have questions or other accommodation needs, please contact our registration office. 

Camping
If you would like to camp during the warmer months (April through October), please bring your own tent and equipment. We have tents available here if needed. It can be cool at night even during these months, so please pack accordingly. You will have access to shared bathrooms with shower facilities.

Commuting
Although we encourage our guests to stay at the monastery whenever possible, you may opt to commute to Blue Cliff for each day of a retreat if you live nearby or if you have arranged your own nearby housing. This is an especially helpful option in the rare case that all rooms at the monastery are already reserved.

Meals
Three meals per day are included with your registration fee. We are 95% vegan.  If you have food allergies, we ask that you take care of your own needs. There is generally a variety of options available at mealtime, including steamed veggies, brown rice and white rice, oatmeal, fresh fruit, nut, soy and rice milks, but you may bring non-perishable supplementary food for yourself if you have a particular dietary need. There may be limited access to a community refrigerator for your food (labelled with your name and date) but there is no kitchen access. Due to safety regulations, we ask that you do not cook in your room.

Financial Support
To meet our operating costs, Blue Cliff depends primarily on the financial support of our guests. Through donations, monthly contributions, bookshop purchases, and retreat fees, you help Blue Cliff to continue. For retreats, we have established a suggested sliding scale, allowing you to choose the specific amount of your contribution. The top of the scale covers most of our operating costs. Please consider an additional donation to help us offer scholarships to those in need and to help us renovate and improve our facilities. You may earmark donations for a specific project or purpose in the registration.

Cancellation Policy
Refunds are only available for cancellations made two or more days before the start date of a retreat. In the case of a refund, there will be a $25 processing fee for stays of four or more days and a $15 processing fee for stays of three or fewer days. To cancel your reservation, please email our registration office.  Please do not phone in your cancellation.

What to Bring
Please bring loose-fitting comfortable clothing -- shirts covering shoulders, back, and midriff, and shorts, skirts, or loose pants that cover at least to the knee. Tights and leggings are discouraged. Coin-operated laundry facilities are available to guests in the Moon Lake building.  Please bring weather-appropriate clothing and shoes suitable for walking on nature trails (with snow in the winter) so you can fully enjoy the outdoor walking meditation with the community.

We provide a bottom fitted sheet, pillow and pillow cover. Please bring blankets, top sheet, sleeping bag (whichever will work best for you) and towels. We have blanket and towel sets here and ask a $10 donation.

Please bring your own unscented toiletries. It may also be helpful to bring these items: a flashlight, an alarm clock, an umbrella, and shoes that are easy to slip on and off. We encourage our guests to spend their whole stay at the monastery, so please bring everything you might need. Please do not bring non-vegetarian foods, alcohol, or other intoxicants. Please do not bring pets or service animals. After much consideration, we are unable to accommodate animals at this time.

Sample Daily Schedule
Below is a typical schedule of events at the monastery. Note, however, that our schedule varies from day to day and from season to season. Some Saturdays may include 2 work periods, one at 9:30 am and one at 3:00 pm. Work can be a joyful time, a wonderful way to be with the community. Work can involve cutting fruit and preparing yummy snacks for all our workers among other tasks.

05:00 am - wake up
06:00  am - sitting meditation
07:00  am - exercise
08:00  am - breakfast
09:30  am - Dharma talk or working meditation
11:30    am - walking meditation
12:30  pm - lunch
03:00  pm - working meditation
06:00  pm - dinner
07:30  pm - activity or personal practice time
09:30  pm - noble silence

For descriptions of the practices above, see our Be Mindful in Daily Life page.

Mindful Living
Mindfulness is woven into all of our daily activities -- speaking, eating, working, walking, sitting, or enjoying a cup of tea. Although Blue Cliff is not a silent retreat center, stillness and quiet are at the heart of our practice. Everyone is encouraged to generate this peaceful and healing energy by taking time to stop, slow down, be present for ourselves and others, and to be aware of each of our actions throughout the day. You may read more about the many ways we practice mindfulness at the monastery on our Be Mindful in Daily Life page.

Practicing Together
We emphasize community practice so that we can support each other and benefit from each other’s presence. We ask all who join us to help create the energy of community and togetherness by participating in all scheduled activities and by sharing their living space with othe

Internet, Phones, and Electronics
To maximize the benefit of your mindfulness practice with us, we suggest that you use electronic devices only when absolutely necessary and always in a mindful and discreet way, especially respecting the calm and quiet of our living spaces, meditation halls, and dining halls. This practice will help all of us to release our busyness and to really rest. Please let your loved ones know that you will be on retreat. In an emergency, they can reach you by contacting our registration office. Internet access, including wifi service, is not available to guests. Cell phone service is not always reliable in our area. Please make all travel arrangements in advance.

Working Meditation
To support the monastery, everyone is encouraged to participate in short community service periods that we call "working meditation." Work is always done in a light and mindful way, with the support of others. Tasks may include arranging the meditation halls, cleaning bathrooms, chopping vegetables, washing pots, and other simple responsibilities. Each person's ability and inclinations are respected when it comes to delegating work for a given work period.

Individual Needs
Blue Cliff is deeply committed to inclusiveness. If you have any particular need for assistance or special accommodation please contact us so we can offer you as much support as possible.

Children and Teens
Children and teens are welcome to attend our retreats. 

Ticks
In the spring, summer, and fall, Blue Cliff is home to deer ticks which do carry Lyme Disease. It is easy to protect yourself if you take a few simple precautions -- most importantly, thoroughly checking yourself and your children for ticks each day. Please follow the link to learn more.

Staying Longer
If you would like to stay longer than two weeks, you may write a letter of request during your stay with us. After some time of becoming familiar with the Blue Cliff community, you may also be interested in one of our residential programs. 

The following links are for Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve registration. Thanksgiving retreats are full.