Courses & Retreats

Learn Meditation & Buddha’s Teachings

What we offer

Come for a weekend, a week, or even a month. Residential courses come in all sizes. Learn in community with a full schedule of teachings, meditation, and structured discussions. We welcome both beginners and long time practitioners.

Retreats and courses invite you to unplug. Take a break from cell phones and email. Settle into natural beauty and the Buddha’s wisdom. Most retreats hold “noble silence”—no talking except at designated times.

Courses and retreats are often led by Ven. Thubten Chodron, Abbey founder and abbess; Geshe Dadul Namgyal; or Ven. Sangye Khadro. We host outstanding guest teachers as well.

Ven. Chodron teaching.

Signature Programs

Young Adults Explore Buddhism

Young Adults Explore Buddhism is a retreat of discovery for young people aged 18 to 29. During this retreat, participants will explore the Buddha’s teachings within our American culture and discuss topics such as how to make sense of the world and how to make life meaningful. The course includes meditation instruction and practice, daily teachings and Dharma discussions with Ven. Thubten Chodron and Abbey monastics. No meditation experience is necessary—just a curious mind and open heart.

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Explore Monastic Life

Exploring Monastic Life (EML) is an intensive training program, held in August every year. It’s for people thinking about becoming a Buddhist monk or nun, and for newly ordained monastics. Participants will learn how and why the Buddha started the ordained sangha—the community of monks and nuns—and the ethical and behavioral guidelines for monastics.

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Winter Retreat

The annual Winter Retreat is a one-month group meditation retreat, and we focus on a different practice every year. In this Retreat, everyone meditates together, doing the same practice, for at least five sessions a day. Sravasti Abbey offers a beautiful retreat environment—peaceful setting, disciplined retreat structure, qualified spiritual guidance, and a supportive practice community. The retreat is held in noble silence.

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More Programs

Memorial Day Retreat

The three-day weekend offers a prime time for an annual retreat. The retreat consists of daily teachings, guided meditation, and discussions.

Week-long Deity Retreat

In this retreat, participants meditate on a particular Buddhist deity—Chenrezig (Buddha of compassion), Green Tara, or Medicine Buddha, for example. We offer instructions on the practice as well as teachings from a classic text.

Labor Day Retreat

The three-day Labor Day retreat focuses on how to use meditation to develop specific positive mental states, like generosity. There’s skilled instruction and lots of practice. Anyone can learn to meditate for your own peace and for the benefit of others.

New Years Retreat

The annual New Year’s retreat focuses on Vajrasattva’s purification practice. This is a wonderful opportunity to release mistakes of the past and step forward into the future with a good motivation and clear mind.

Looking for something more? The Abbey offers many courses & retreats throughout the year. To view the list of upcoming events, see the Event Calendar.

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Sravasti Abbey

692 Country Lane
Newport WA 99156 USA
[email protected]
509-447-5549