Find monasteries, retreats, and paths to stillness

The North American seat of the Dalai Lama's personal monastery, in the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Monks rotate in from Dharamsala, and the public is welcome for evening meditations, classes, and seasonal retreats.

A Camaldolese Benedictine hermitage perched in the Santa Lucia Mountains above the Pacific. Guests of any faith stay in simple rooms or hillside cottages for silent retreats, joining the monks for daily liturgy and the Hours.

Home to the Maronite Monks of Adoration, a Catholic monastic community in the Eastern Maronite tradition. Individual men and small groups of men are welcome for silent retreats in the guesthouse, joining the monks for the Divine Office, Mass, and adoration in a secluded setting without cell or internet access.

An Athonite Greek Orthodox monastery in the Sonoran Desert, founded in 1995 by monks from Mount Athos. Open to visitors at no cost during set daytime hours, with overnight pilgrim guest houses by arrangement and a welcoming but strict rule of conduct.

Founded in 1905, the oldest Orthodox monastery in North America, tied to the Orthodox Church in America and its seminary. Long a destination for pilgrims, it is best known for its large annual Memorial Day pilgrimage.

The first Zen monastery established outside Japan, founded in 1967 and run by San Francisco Zen Center. The remote Ventana Wilderness valley opens to guests each summer for hot springs, zazen, and teacher led retreats, then closes for intensive monastic practice. Its parent center also streams dharma talks and online practice.

A Western Zen training center on 220 forested acres in the Catskills, founded by John Daido Loori and home of the Mountains and Rivers Order. Resident monastics and lay trainees host meditation retreats and introductory programs for people of all backgrounds.

A Thai Forest Tradition monastery on 250 acres of northern California woodland, in the lineage of Ajahn Chah. It is a working monastery rather than a retreat center, welcoming day visitors and short guest stays that share the community's daily rhythm of practice and work, all free of charge. Evening chanting and Dhamma talks are open and livestreamed.

A Theravada forest monastery and meditation center in the West Virginia hills, founded in 1982 by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana. It offers regular silent meditation retreats, cabin and dorm housing, and a path for lay residents and those seeking ordination, supported entirely by donation.

The oldest working Trappist monastery in the United States, founded in 1848 and home to Thomas Merton for 27 years. Its guesthouse welcomes men and women of all faiths for silent, unstructured retreats, with hours of prayer and miles of wooded trails open to guests.

A Trappist monastery on a former plantation along the Cooper River north of Charleston, founded in 1949 by monks from Gethsemani. Guests join the community for silent meals and seven daily prayer services, and the public gardens and grounds are open to day visitors.

A Trappist community in the hills of central Massachusetts, known for its Trappist Preserves and liturgical vestments. The abbey welcomes guests for contemplative retreats shaped by its life of silence, prayer, and work.

A Benedictine archabbey in southern Indiana, founded in 1854 from Einsiedeln in Switzerland and home to a seminary. The Archabbey Guest House offers monk led retreats year round, the public is welcome at the Liturgy of the Hours, and the monks support those discerning a monastic vocation.

A Benedictine abbey on a hilltop butte in Oregon's Willamette Valley, founded in 1882 by monks from Switzerland. Its Saint Benedict Guesthouse hosts individuals and groups, and visitors come for the Alvar Aalto library, the museum, and the chance to pray the Hours with the community.