About Our Retreats

GENERAL INFORMATION
We do not accept walk-ins. Please do not make travel arrangements to the monastery until you receive full registration confirmation from us.

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 places in 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 Sunday’s 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.

UPCOMING SCHEDULED SEASONAL RETREATS

MARCH
Registration for Spring Seasonal Retreats opens March 18

APRIL
April 18-20, 2025

MAY
Seasonal Retreat arrival days are:
May 2, 16, 23, 30, 2025

We are closed for Seasonal Retreats until April 18th. The above dates are tentative. Please check back around March 18th for the confirmed dates.

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 top of this page.

You can do a weekend stay on a Seasonal Retreat. You can also do a 4 night stay, 5, 6, up to 14 nights stay. As long as you arrive on a Friday and do not depart on a Monday, you can stay up to 14 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.

THEMED RETREATS 2025
Apr 23-27, OI Retreat 2025, for OI members and formal aspirants only (Registration is open)
May 9-11, Vesak Weekend 2025, Registration opens Mar 5
Jun 25-29, Wake-up 2025, Registration opens Mar 26
Jul 16-20, Summer Family Retreat 2025, Registration opens Apr 16
Aug 6-10, Vietnamese Retreat, 2025, Registration opens May 14
Sep 19-21, BIPOC Weekend, 2025, Registration opens Jun 18

Retreat cost 
We request a financial contribution to support our retreats and the monastery. 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. In addition, we offer a sliding scale to make it more affordable for everybody.

Consider paying at the highest end of our scale (which is what covers our costs) if you: travel recreationally, work part time by choice, regularly eat out, buy new clothes, attend leisure events, own your home and car, have investments, retirement accounts, or inherited money.

Consider paying less on the scale if you: are not always able to meet basic needs, rarely buy new items because you are unable to afford them, receive any form of public assistance.

The per person per night base scale is as follows: (lodging and all meals are included)

• Adult Dorm: $120-$80

• Adult Camping (bring your own tent and equipment): $100-$60

• Adult Commuting: $90-$50

• Adult BCM Canvas Tent: $110-$70

• Adult BCM-RV: $140-$100
  

  SPECIAL RATES

• Students, Unemployed Dorm: $100-$60

• Students, Unemployed BCM-RV: $120-$80

• Seniors (65+) Dorm: $100-$70

• Seniors (65+) BCM-RV: $120-$90

  Teens, and children have the same rates per night regardless of accommodation type.

• Teen Dorm/Tent/Commuter (13-17): $50-$45

• Child Dorm/Tent/Commuter (6-12): $45-$35

• Young Child Dorm/Tent/Commuter (0-5): Free

For information about our accommodation types, please see the Accommodations section below.

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 2-person Canvas Tents, and ask $120 or $110 per person per night, in other words, the highest rate 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 make every effort to arrive between 2 and 5 pm 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

1. Dorms
   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 sometimes available. 

2. 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.

3. BCM Canvas Tents
   We have a few canvas tents already set up on platforms with electricity, and lighting and sleeping mats. Each tent has space for two adults.

4. BCM-RVs
   We have a few RVs suitable for families or up to three adults. There is no running water and there are no toilet facilities in the RVs. It is a short walk to our bathroom block where there are showers and toilets.

   If you have questions or other accommodation needs, please contact our registration office.

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 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 three or more days before the start date of a retreat, unless otherwise specified. In the case of a refund, there will be a $25 processing fee. 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 towel, top sheets, blankets, duvet, sleeping bag (whichever will work best for you). We also have blanket and towel sets available for you to borrow when you check-in.

Please bring your own toiletries (unscented if possible). It may also be helpful to bring these items: earplugs, 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 others.

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.