Long Term Retreat at CCR North America – Miyo Samten Ling Hermitage

The Center for Contemplative Research at Miyo Samten Ling in Crestone, Colorado, has been established to nurture the conducive circumstances necessary for those who wish to enter into long-term solitary meditation retreat, with the aspiration of attaining unwavering samadhi, realizing the nature of the mind and of all phenomena, and entering the path of the Great Perfection for the benefit of all sentient beings.

Retreat applications are welcomed from practitioners of all spiritual traditions who are deeply drawn to the full-time retreat practice of mental stabilization, deep spiritual inquiry and the path of realization; in Buddhist language this is known as Shamatha, Vipashyana and Dzogchen. It is also integral to the mission of the Center for Contemplative Research to work with scientists who wish to conduct novel and rigorous research in the field of consciousness, in collaboration with long-term meditators.

Currently, Miyo Samten Ling has 11 on-site individual cabins for long-term retreat in Crestone, Colorado. Retreats can range from 6 months to many years in duration. Please understand that there are many steps to the application process and acceptance is highly selective, due to the small number of cabins available. Also, keep in mind that once one is in retreat, it is a considered a strict retreat. For example, the Caretaker will order and deliver your groceries, there is no alcohol permitted, trips off the retreat grounds are rare and some cabins do not have strong cell reception. There is no wi-fi connection in the cabins. Each retreatant is encouraged to meet with a resident teacher at regular intervals throughout their retreat. All retreatants are encouraged to participate in one or more of the scientific research studies taking place at the CCR, though this is not a requirement for acceptance. For more information on the scientific research, please click here to learn about current research studies being conducted at Miyo Samten Ling.

All retreatants will have access to a resident teacher (who is also in long-term retreat) and will also have the opportunity to engage in occasional practice interviews with Lama Alan Wallace, whether in person, via email, or on monthly group Zoom calls with dedicated retreatants around the world.

The Environment for Solitary Retreat at Miyo Samten Ling

The Hermitage is in a remote location that is ideal for solitary meditation retreat, but also close enough to well-paved roads that supplies are not too difficult to obtain on a bi-weekly or monthly basis. The Hermitage sits at an elevation of nearly 8,000 feet (2,400 meters) above sea level. It spreads across 110 acres (44.5 hectares) of semi-arid shrubland just below the foothills of the soaring 14,000 foot (4,268 meter) peaks of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range known as The Crestones.

Wildlife at the Hermitage is peaceful, consisting mainly of deer, elk, birds, rabbits, squirrels, and coyotes. Black bears do occasionally come down from the mountains in summertime looking for food, so we are extremely careful with food receptacles. However, there is no significant danger of bears to humans. There are no poisonous snakes at this altitude, though scorpions do appear on occasion. The primary insects you will encounter are mosquitoes, flies, wasps, red ants, and small spiders, all of whom can become your friends and teachers in retreat! Desert mice are around outdoors at night, but with care and vigilance you can keep them from entering your cabin.

Crestone can have a harsh, dry climate, with winter temperatures regularly falling below 0° F (-18° C) at night and daytime winter temperatures often remaining below freezing for days or weeks at a time. However, with brilliant sunshine snow melts quickly and the cabins are well-designed to retain passive solar heat and remain quite comfortable through much of the day, even in the coldest months. Although electric space heaters are sometimes an option, we encourage retreatants to rely primarily on the more cost-effective heat from individual wood-burning stoves. Firewood is supplied for each cabin.

Summers are warm and dry, with outdoor temperatures regularly rising to 88° F (31° C) and the cabins do not have air conditioning. Breezes and brief afternoon thunderstorms do often relieve the hottest days.

The cabins are solidly built and are fully equipped with electricity, hot and cold running water, a bathroom with a shower and toilet (and in most cases, a bathroom sink); and a kitchenette with two electric burners, a sink, microwave, toaster oven, and a small refrigerator.

For the most part, there is no access to wi-fi from the cabins, and cell phone service varies greatly depending on carrier (Verizon and AT&T are best) and the exact location of each cabin. However, in the community buildings there is wi-fi access and cell reception is good.

We ask you to consider carefully whether you feel prepared to live for months or years at a time in a remote location at 8,000 feet, where it is an hour’s drive to the nearest hospital or shopping center, and where you will need to build and maintain wood fires safely on a daily basis from November through March.

The Application Process

There are some firm prerequisites for entering long-term retreat at Miyo Samten Ling Hermitage:

In almost all cases, it is a required that you have attended (whether in person or by podcast) at least one 8-week retreat with Lama Alan Wallace prior to applying for a long-term retreat at Miyo Samten Ling.

It is also requested that you be practicing under the guidance of Lama Alan, either personally, or by consistently following his teachings from afar, with the aspiration of coming under his personal guidance while at Miyo Samten Ling.

You must have completed at least one solitary meditation retreat in the past, of three weeks or more in duration.

You must have a current daily practice of shamatha meditation.

The suggested donation for a retreat cabin is $800 per month, for retreats of six months or more. This does not include food, travel, or other personal expenses. The total expenses for most full-time contemplatives tends to be around $1,100 per month, including food and supplies, plus any additional expenses. While we do have a Retreatant Support Fund to assist in cabin contributions when needed, we encourage those who have been accepted into long-term retreat to make significant efforts in personal fundraising for their retreat, whether in their local spiritual communities, or through creating a personal website to receive online donations. Please know that CCR strives to ensure applicants will not be accepted or rejected based on their financial means. However, CCR does not have the ability to fully fund any retreats at this time.

It is likely you will have an interview with a resident teacher and an interview with a CCR clinical psychologist prior to retreat acceptance.

The Application

The Long-term Retreat application can be accessed at the bottom of this web-page. The application can easily take over an hour to complete. You can save it along the way and come back later to work on it as you go. So be careful not to press “Send” until you’ve carefully reviewed your application.

When filling out the application, be prepared to answer many personal questions and provide emergency contact information, references, a description of your past practice and information about your spiritual teachers, as well as to submit a statement of 300-600 words describing why you would like to be accepted into retreat at Miyo Samten Ling.

We ask for your honesty and full disclosure in providing answers to the application questions. Not doing so will be grounds for rejecting your application, or, if discovered after retreat entry, asking you to leave the retreat.

Please know your application information is kept confidential and will only be seen by Lama Alan Wallace, the Executive Director, and one or more Resident Teachers. Your personal information is not shared beyond these positions.

Once you’ve submitted your application, you will receive a copy of it at the email address you provide. Once your application is received, it could easily be several weeks before you hear from us. But you will hear from us! We wish you all the best in your application process, which can be an experience of discovery in itself.

APPLY NOW

There are 8 sections to the Application. We realize that English may not be your primary language. Please be assured that grammar and spelling are not criteria being evaluated. We are looking for your heartfelt honesty, the care and attention your put into your presentation (as in meditation), and the extent of your study, practice, experience, and dedication to the steady discipline of meditation in solitary retreat. Take your time and only submit the application when you feel ready.

At anytime you may use the "Save and Continue" functionality by scrolling to the bottom of the application form and clicking the "Save & Continue" link. This will create a link for continuing the form at a later date. Upon clicking the link, you will be presented with a custom link to the current state of your form submission, with the option of sending the link via email. Please note that links created will only last 30 days. After that period, the link will no longer be accessible.

Part 1: Contact Information

Name(Required)

First Name (legal) Last Name / Surname

Name by which you would like to be called:

Address(Required)

Street Address Address Line 2 City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code Country

Email Address(Required)

Primary Phone(Required)

Mobile Phone(Required)

Gender:(Required)

Occupation:(Required)

(include whether you are retired, on sabbatical, on retreat, or currently unemployed)

Date of Birth:(Required)

Are you a U.S. citizen?(Required)

YES

If not, how long are you permitted to legally remain in the U.S.?(Required)

Emergency Contact

Emergency Contact Name:(Required)

First Last

Relationship to you:

Emergency Contact Phone Number:(Required)

Emergency Contact Address:(Required)

Street Address Address Line 2 City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code Country

Part 2: Meditation and Study Experience

Please describe the arc of your Buddhist studies and your meditation practice over the course of your life. In particular, please include your background in the study and practice of the Four Immeasurables, the Four Applications of Mindfulness, Shamatha, Vipashyana, and Dzogchen in particular. Please include, if applicable, your experience with the outer and inner preliminary practices or their equivalent in any of the major schools of Tibetan Buddhism.(Required)

Who is your primary spiritual mentor, or who is the meditation teacher currently the most familiar with your practice?

Please describe your relationship with this teacher, including how long it has lasted and how well this teacher knows you?(Required)

If this teacher is someone other than Lama Alan Wallace, do you intend to engage your retreat under the direct guidance of this teacher?

YES

If so, may we contact him or her?(Required)

YES

Please provide contact information. *(Required)

Please list the 8-week retreat(s) with Lama Alan Wallace that you’ve attended in person or listened to in their entirety by podcast. Be sure to include the year, location, topic and whether in-person or via podcast.(Required)

Please list any 5-10 day retreats you have participated in with Lama Alan Wallace in the past. Please include the approximate date, location, topic, and format as well as whether your attendance was in person, via podcast and/or through any Wisdom online courses).(Required)

Please list the style of practice, duration, and location of any additional intensive meditation practice you have done in a group retreat setting.(Required)

Have you participated in solitary retreat before? If so, please describe your solitary retreat practice, duration, and location as well as who guided the retreat.(Required)

As you consider the prospect of solitary long-term retreat in a remote and rustic setting, do you feel that your past experience in retreat has prepared you for weeks and months of total silence and solitude?(Required)

Please describe your current daily practice. For example, how many hours do you devote to preliminary practices, shamatha, Dzogchen, and, if you have commitments to Vajrayana practices, please list those as well.(Required)

Part 3: Plans for Practice

What is the duration of retreat for which you would like to apply?(Required)

When do you anticipate being ready to start your retreat, if accepted?(Required)

What is your initial retreat plan? Please describe the practices on which you would most like to focus, and how you would like to structure the initial days, weeks, and months of your solitary retreat. Please be as specific and realistic as possible, based on your knowledge and experience. Of course, this will remain flexible, in consultation with your teacher, but it is important to think about this question carefully in advance of retreat.(Required)

Have you taken Refuge in the Buddhist tradition?(Required)

YES

If so, when? Please mention the teacher and lineage.

Have you taken Bodhisattva Vows in the Buddhist tradition?(Required)

YES

If so, when? Please mention the teacher and lineage.

Are you a member of an ordained sangha (i.e., are you a monk or nun)?(Required)

YES

* If so, please mention the ordination lineage or order.

Are you a Vajrayana practitioner?(Required)

YES

If so, please describe the lineage and nature of your daily and monthly Vajrayana practice and commitments.

Please describe any other types of daily spiritual practices you may be committed to, apart from those mentioned above.

Personal Statement: Please write a detailed statement describing your intentions and aspirations for long-term retreat at Miyo Samten Ling Hermitage. Please do not exceed 600 words.

Part 4: Environment

We recommend re-reading the website pages on Long-term Retreat and on CCR North America in particular, including the Hermitage environment in Crestone. Please be realistic with yourself as you consider these questions.

Do you feel comfortable entering solitary long-term retreat in such a semi-wilderness environment?(Required)

YES

Please describe any concerns or anxieties you may have with regard to living in the high desert, in a remote and rustic setting.(Required)

Are you at ease with the idea of waking up to a cabin in which the indoor temperature has fallen below 55° F (12° C) overnight and you then need to build a fire in the woodstove? This may be a normal occurrence between December and February.(Required)

YES

Does this pose any special difficulty for you?(Required)

YES

Have you spent long periods of time without use of a cellphone or with only limited phone and data service?(Required)

YES

Every resident contemplative will be asked to help maintain the Hermitage. Are you physically able and ready to participate in solitary or communal work practice for about 2 hours per week, plus special community “work days”?(Required)

(This said, please be assured that your periods of strict solitary retreat will not be disturbed for community service, and you may propose periods of strict retreat in which no physical work is expected, apart from your private care and cleaning of your cabin, clothes, and wood supply.)

YES

Can you plan your needs for groceries and supplies so that you can rely on a Caretaker who only orders groceries for you once a week (you will be able to provide a grocery list)?(Required)

YES

Do you have any specific skills, interests, and/or abilities in one or more of the following service areas: cooking for a large group, keeping a temple altar, organic gardening, landscaping (e.g., selecting and planting trees and shrubs suitable to the local climate), property maintenance (e.g., operating a snow plow, routine repairs), carpentry, bookkeeping, etc.?

YES

Part 5: Psychological Health

Are you currently seeing a therapist?(Required)

YES

If yes, please describe.

Are you currently in treatment with a psychiatrist?(Required)

YES

If yes, please describe.

Have you ever been diagnosed with a psychological condition or mental illness?(Required)

YES

If yes, please describe.

Have you ever made a serious attempt at taking your own life?(Required)

YES

If yes, please provide the context and what unfolded.

Have you ever witnessed yourself (or had someone witness you), being emotionally unstable for periods of time during intensive meditation retreats?(Required)

YES

If yes, please describe.

At times in any long retreat, many people experience deep emotions, ranging from grief or sadness to exhilaration and ecstasy. Do you feel that you can handle such swings of emotion and the kinds of nyam, or meditative experiences, described in the teachings of The Vajra Essence?(Required)

YES

Are there any traumatic experiences from your childhood or other periods of your life that you feel may potentially create problems in your meditation or interfere with your retreat in any way?(Required)

YES

If yes, please describe

(knowing that this does not have to become an obstacle to entering long-term retreat, if you are well-prepared).

Do you feel you have sufficient preparation for entering a long-term solitary retreat by way of your past practice and experience in the Dharma?(Required)

YES

If yes, and if this was an 8-week retreat with Alan Wallace, may we contact the psychologist with whom you consulted at the time?(Required)

YES

Did you receive any psychological support in previous retreats that you have attended?(Required)

YES

If yes, please provide the name of that psychologist.

Do you give permission for a psychologist associated with the CCR to assist you if required?(Required)

YES

Describe any present circumstances that are creating additional stress for you that may make meditation more difficult if you withdraw into retreat in the near future (e.g., recent loss of a loved one or a job, illness, etc.).(Required)

Part 6: Physical Health

Do you have any history of physical illness that may become dangerous at altitude? (Please consult with your physician.)(Required)

YES

Do you have any history of physical illness or limitations that might be aggravated by, or interfere with, intensive and extended periods of meditation?(Required)

YES

If yes, please describe.(Required)

Are you currently taking any prescription medications for physical or psychological conditions?(Required)

YES

If yes, please describe.(Required)

If so, from the remote location of Crestone, it may be difficult to fill medication prescriptions at a pharmacy in a timely manner. At the beginning of your retreat, it is necessary to bring all essential medications with you. Will you be able to bring prescribed medication with you or else have it delivered by mail while in retreat?(Required)

YES

Do you have any medical needs that would require you to leave the Hermitage on a regular basis during your extended retreat?(Required)

YES

Do you have any known allergies to medication, food, or environmental factors such as pollen?(Required)

YES

If yes, please describe.

Are you aware of your current daily health and are you good at maintaining a balanced and healthy diet, especially with sometimes limited resources?(Required)

(You can order food supplements and easily-shipped supplies through the mail and you will be preparing meals for yourself in your retreat cabin).

YES

Do you conduct regular physical exercise of any kind (including yoga, t’ai chi, walking, hiking, etc.)?(Required)

YES

Please describe.

(There is space in the cabins for solitary yoga, as a well as a community yoga room, and there are miles of dirt roads and trails for solitary walking, if it is appropriate for you to have broad retreat boundaries.)

Do you have physical limitations that might make walking on short, sandy footpaths difficult?(Required)

(These pathways extending from the dirt road are relatively short, but some are steep and uneven underfoot.)

YES

Can you navigate a four-step interior stairway between the two levels within a cabin (between the bedroom/bathroom area and the living/kitchen area)?(Required)

(At present, there are 2 cabins without steps, so it is important to let us know your exact needs in this respect. We hope to build a few more cabins with easier, flat walking access in the future.)

YES

Smoking will be prohibited throughout the Miyo Samten Ling property, both indoors and outdoors. Are you prepared for this?(Required)

YES

Do you currently smoke cigarettes or medical marijuana (includes e-cigarettes)?(Required)

YES

Do you currently drink alcohol on a regular basis?(Required)

YES

Will it be a problem for you to remain in retreat without drinking alcohol?(Required)

YES

Do you currently use any recreational drugs (e.g. marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy)?(Required)

All recreational drug and alcohol use will be strictly prohibited at all times on the MSL Hermitage property and anywhere else a retreatant may be during the retreat.

YES

Do you have any other specific physical or cognitive issues we should know about? If so, please describe briefly.

Part 7: Practical Considerations

Do you anticipate being able to donate $800 per month to the CCR as your contribution for the services and housing provided by Miyo Samten Ling Hermitage (including all utilities and the services of the Caretaker, but not including food and personal items)?(Required)

YES

Please indicate whether you would like to request monthly assistance from the Retreatant Support Fund. Please be as specific as possible as to what you think you can afford on a monthly basis, and for how long. Alternatively, please indicate whether you would like to contribute regularly to the Retreatant Support Fund to help others.

How do you plan to fund your personal needs during retreat (i.e., food, clothing, and personal supplies)?(Required)

Please think carefully about your current financial resources and ways in which you might raise funds for your personal retreat expenses and mention those methods here.

Do you have the support of your family and loved ones in your wish to enter long-term retreat?(Required)

YES

Are there other life circumstances that we should know about, which may affect your ability to enter or remain in retreat?

What is your biggest potential obstacle to entering long-term retreat?(Required)

If you are not a US citizen, have you successfully been able to acquire short-term visas to enter the U.S. for three months or more in the past?

YES

Do you anticipate being able to acquire such visas again?

YES

If accepted, would you like advice on how to apply for a B-2 visa for an initial period of retreat?

YES

Would you be interested in embarking upon the rigorous process required to obtain a long-term R-1 (religious visa) to stay in retreat at Miyo Samten Ling for a period of five years?

YES

COVID-19 Provision: We are taking every precaution to keep Miyo Samten Ling Hermitage free of any trace of the coronavirus for as long as the pandemic lasts, and we need everyone’s understanding and active participation to make this possible. Anyone who enters the Hermitage property from any town other than Crestone, and who has not yet been fully vaccinated, will be asked to spend two weeks in quarantine at your cabin, during which time any supplies you need will be delivered by the Caretaker and left at your door. (Of course you may take long walks outside.)

Are you able to be fully vaccinated (i.e., leaving two weeks after receiving your second vaccination shot) before arriving at the Hermitage?(Required)

YES

If not, are you willing to undertake this quarantine as a necessary beginning to your solitary retreat?(Required)

YES

And are you willing to abide by precise sanitary guidelines, both before your departure from home and once you arrive here, to help keep yourself and everyone else at the Hermitage free of the coronavirus?(Required)

YES

In order to maintain the silence necessary for meditation retreat, no pets are allowed in long-term retreatants’ cabins. Do you agree not to bring any pets?(Required)

YES

Part 8: Our Community Commitments to Courtesy and Respect

While staying at Hermitage all residents will be expected to follow the five basic Buddhist lay precepts of:

Not intentionally harming life in any form, from a fellow human being down to the smallest insect.
Not stealing. Although we may frequently make use of objects and property that is held in common to the Hermitage community, this means taking even greater care with these objects and dwelling places than we would with our own, and it means leaving behind, in good condition, all objects that you did not bring with you when you arrived or purchased personally once arrived. Any community objects accidentally broken or damaged will be replaced through an appropriate monetary or in-kind offering to be worked out in consultation with the Hermitage Manager.
No sexual misconduct. In strict retreat it is often appropriate for the contemplative to withdraw from sexual activity altogether. But most importantly, we will each observe extreme respect for every other person’s desire for solitude in retreat and the relationships in which they hold dear (especially when the other members of those relationships are not physically present at the Hermitage). Sexual harassment of any kind may serve as grounds for immediate dismissal.
No false speech. While our “default mode in retreat is silence,” we will watch our speech in all forms (verbal, written, etc.) with utmost care, so that all representations we make of our experience or knowledge are as close to our own understanding of our inner and outer situations as possible.
No intoxicants. Possession and/or use of any recreational drugs or alcohol is strictly prohibited and may serve as grounds for immediate dismissal.

Are you willing to abide by these precepts, whether or not you have formally taken them as a Buddhist lifetime vow?(Required)

YES

References: Please ask two (2) people who know you well to provide confidential reference letters. These can be employers, spiritual friends, teachers, mentors, students—anyone you think knows you in different facets of your life. Please consider that such reference letters will help to paint a picture of you outside of your direct relationship with Lama Alan Wallace, and are essential for a highly selective application process such as this. Please contact the two people you would like to write your letters, explain what it is you are applying for, and give them the following email address (info@centerforcontemplativeresearch.org), to which they can submit their letters confidentially. In the subject line of the email, please ask them to put: “(Your Name)—Retreat Reference Letter”

Please be sure your Reference Letters are submitted within 3 weeks after the date you submit your online application.

Is there anything else you would like us to know about you?

I acknowledge that all the information I have provided in this application is true and complete. Please type your full name.(Required)

This is a legal digital signature. Please enter your full name.

Long Term Retreat at CCR North America – Miyo Samten Ling Hermitage

The Environment for Solitary Retreat at Miyo Samten Ling

The Application Process

The Application

APPLY NOW

Part 1: Contact Information

Emergency Contact

Part 2: Meditation and Study Experience

Part 3: Plans for Practice

Part 4: Environment

Part 5: Psychological Health

Part 6: Physical Health

Part 7: Practical Considerations

Part 8: Our Community Commitments to Courtesy and Respect

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