Jukai 2022
Stupa Vesak 2022 1
Poppin
Buddhisattva
Morning service
Amitaba
Golden Buddha
Vesak 2022
Mt shasta
Jukai 2022 1
Great Bell
Guest house
WELCOME TO SHASTA ABBEY

Shasta Abbey is a Buddhist monastery in the Serene Reflection Meditation (Soto Zen) Tradition. It is a monastery of the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives, and was founded by Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett in the name of her Teacher, the Venerable Keido Chisan Koho Zenji in 1970. Shasta Abbey is a training place for female and male Buddhist monks and is a place of practice for lay people. We offer the Dharma – the Buddha’s Teaching – to all who wish to come. Please see our Visiting page.

The monastery, located near the town of Mount Shasta in Northern California, offers retreats, ceremonies, teaching and spiritual counseling, as well as the opportunity to train within a monastic schedule. This website offers Dharma Talks; scriptures and religious writings and information on the life of the community of Buddhist practitioners (the Sangha) throughout these pages.  We welcome your interest, comments, and feedback.

 

NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

February 17, 2024 UPDATES

Dear Friends,

The Abbey is accepting applications for Introductory weekend retreats. The next one is April 12-14, 2024.  Please see our 2024 Calendar for dates of other retreats. We have scheduled three Continuing Practice Retreats this year. Our February 29-March 3 retreat on the Sandokai is still open for applications. We are also offering three week-long retreats this year: please see the next paragraph for details on the upcoming Precepts retreat and the 2024 Retreats page for descriptions of the summer retreats.

This year’s Jukai – Keeping of the Ten Precepts Retreat is scheduled from March 24 to 31 at the Abbey, and will be for in-person attendance only. This most solemn and joyous retreat of the year offers the opportunity for those wishing to deepen their Buddhist practice to formally receive the Precepts of our Serene Reflection Meditation (Soto Zen) tradition and embark on their training to follow them as guides in their daily lives. We are inviting applications from those who who wish to take the Precepts for the first time, as well as from our friends who have taken the Precepts in the past. Anyone who has participated in at least an introductory retreat at the Abbey or at one of the OBC Priories, or has otherwise been engaged with Soto Zen practice is welcome to apply.

We are continuing to invite applications for Resident Lay Training  for a minimum of a week in our monastery. Those who have attended an Introductory Retreat at the Abbey or are familiar with Soto Zen practice are welcome to apply. Lay residents train alongside the monastic community, with Dharma offerings especially designed for them. Periods of resident lay training can be a week, a month, or a training term (three months) at a time. Those interested may contact guestmaster@shastaabbey.org or fill out and send an application form.

We continue to invite our congregation to join us on Sundays for either a ceremony or Meditation Sunday and Dharma talk. Newcomers to the monastery are also welcome to join us for our Sunday morning events. If you are coming for the first time, please call the Guestmaster at 530-926-4208, ext 305 or email guestmaster@shastaabbey.org in advance. The Abbey is currently not open for drop-in tours.

Those new to our monastery and Soto Zen practice may be interested in viewing a video series of online introductory classes:  Introduction to Serene Reflection Buddhist Practice and Introduction to the Buddhist Precepts. You can also find videos of Serene Reflection Meditation instruction if you go to this link, as well as audio introductory talks.

With very best wishes from the Shasta Abbey monastic community.

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