WELCOME TO SHASTA ABBEY
Shasta Abbey is a Buddhist monastery in the Serene Reflection Meditation (Soto Zen) Tradition. A monastery of the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives, it 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 learn. 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
November 4, 2024 UPDATES
Dear Friends,
The Abbey continues to welcome both congregation and newcomers to join us on most Sundays, when we offer a brief tour, a Meditation Sunday or Festival Ceremony, and a Dharma talk. If you are visiting for the first time, please call the Guestmaster at 530-926-4208, ext 305 or email guestmaster@shastaabbey.org in advance, and we will meet you at Gate 4.
Please note: Currently, the Abbey is not able to offer drop-in tours.
Introductory weekend retreats are available by application. To apply to come to one of these, please fill out and submit an application. The dates for upcoming 2025 Introductory Retreats start with the February 28-March 2.
To apply for longer retreats or stays for extended lay resident training:
Those who have attended an Introductory Retreat at the Abbey or are familiar with Soto Zen practice are welcome to apply to additional retreats and/or resident lay training at the monastery. Lay residents train alongside the monastic community, with Dharma offerings especially designed for them. Periods of resident lay training can be a week or two, a month, or a training term (three months) at a time. Those interested may click this application form link to fill out and submit an application, or email guestmaster@shastaabbey.org with preliminary inquiries.
Please see the 2024 Retreats page for more information on the retreats this year, and our annual Calendar for dates of other retreats.
Other offerings for those new to our monastery and Soto Zen practice include a video series of online introductory classes: Introduction to Serene Reflection Buddhist Practice and Introduction to the Buddhist Precepts.
With very best wishes from the Shasta Abbey monastic community.
SHASTA ABBEY ETHICS REFUGE
Please click here for the Shasta Abbey Ethics Refuge brochure.