Arrival & Departure Days:

Saturday arrivals only during weeks we are open for Personal Retreats. Departures are Monday through Friday. We are now waitlisting for overnight stays in 2025. To be added to the waiting list, please fill out the registration form and indicate which week to list you for. If you would like to be notified for ANY OPENING, please check the appropriate box on the form.

July 26-Aug 1 – WAITLISTING
August 9-15 – WAITLISTING
August 23-29 – WAITLISTING
September 6-12 – WAITLISTING
September 20-26 – WAITLISTING
October 4-10 – WAITLISTING
October 18-24 – WAITLISTING

Length of Stay:

One week Saturday to Friday. Guests requesting to stay less than the full week must stay for two night minimum. Priority is given to guests staying for the full week. Longer stays require special permission from the senior monastic.

Prerequisite:

Prior overnight visits to Birken, or at least (1) five-day residential retreat elsewhere. Meditators new to the monastery with less than the listed experience require special permission from the senior monastic.

Birken Calendar:

Please consult the dates above, or the Birken Calendar to determine a suitable period of time for your Personal Retreat.

Guest Guidelines: 

Prior to registering for a Personal Retreat, please make sure you have read the latest version of our Guest Guidelines outlining our daily schedule, monastery etiquette, and other guidelines applicable to your stay. All guests are expected to abide by the Eight Precepts outlined in our Guest Guide.

Contact with “The World”:

In order to safeguard the retreat environment at Birken, guests do not have internet or cell phone access at the monastery at any time. There is no cell signal at Birken. Guests are not permitted access to Birken’s wifi network at any time (including to initiate two-factor authentication requests), so there is no way to check personal email. Please finalize your worldly affairs and travel arrangements before arriving. It is expected that you will reside on the monastery property throughout your stay and not leave the premises to make phone calls or run errands, etc. You may provide the monastery’s email address to loved ones back home, for emergencies only: bookings@birken.ca

Helping Out:

It is customary for all guests to help out with light chores around the monastery throughout their stay. Guests are assigned yogi duties, which assist the stewards in the running of the monastery.

Transportation:

Please plan to arrive at Birken sometime between 1:00–4:00pm to be present for the Teatime orientation with Ajahn Sona at 5:00pm. Prior to registration, you must determine how you plan to arrive and depart, and include this information on your registration form (please wait to finalize your transportation arrangements until the Birken Office has confirmed your booking). Please note that Birken no longer provides rides from Kamloops or maintains a rideshare board. Visit Getting Here for more details. The office cannot arrange rideshares on the way in, but can help on the way out.

Illness Policy:

If you are ill, or recovering from an transmittable illness immediately before your visit (i.e., cold, flu, COVID), please cancel your Personal Retreat. The ability for Birken to remain open for guest visits is directly related to our keeping colds and flus out of the resident community.

Cancellations:

Last-minute cancellations are burdensome to the monastery and prevent other guests from the precious opportunity to visit. Please notify us as soon as possible if you need to cancel your visit. Those who cancel at the last minute or leave the monastery prior to their scheduled departure date, may be subject to restrictions on future visits. Illness cancellation is OK.

Registration Info:

2025 Personal Retreat Registration Form

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Personal Information & Contact Information

Name*

First

Last

Age*

Email address*

Phone*

Mailing Address

Street*

City*

Province/State

Please selectNot ListedAlbertaBritish ColumbiaManitobaNew BrunswickNewfoundland & LabradorNorthwest TerritoriesNova ScotiaNunavutOntarioPrince Edward IslandQuebecSaskatchewanYukonAlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict Of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming

Postal Code/Zip

Country*

Please selectCanadaUnited StatesAfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua And BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBosnia And HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBrunei DarussalamBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCongo, The Democratic Republic Of TheCook IslandsCosta RicaCote D'IvoireCroatia (Local Name: Hrvatska)CubaCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEast TimorEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland Islands (Malvinas)Faroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrance, MetropolitanFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard And Mc Donald IslandsHoly See (Vatican City State)HondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIran (Islamic Republic Of)IraqIrelandIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKorea, Democratic People's Republic OfKorea, Republic OfKuwaitKyrgyzstanLao People's Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyan Arab JamahiriyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacauMacedonia, Former Yugoslav Republic OfMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesia, Federated States OfMoldova, Republic OfMonacoMongoliaMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNetherlands AntillesNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarReunionRomaniaRussian FederationRwandaSaint Kitts And NevisSaint LuciaSaint Vincent And The GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome And PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSlovakia (Slovak Republic)SloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia, South Sandwich IslandsSpainSri LankaSt. HelenaSt. Pierre And MiquelonSudanSurinameSvalbard And Jan Mayen IslandsSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyrian Arab RepublicTaiwanTajikistanTanzania, United Republic OfThailandTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad And TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks And Caicos IslandsTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuelaVietnamVirgin Islands (British)Virgin Islands (U.S.)Wallis And Futuna IslandsWestern SaharaYemenYugoslaviaZambiaZimbabwe

Emergency Contact

Name, phone number, and/or e-mail address of emergency contact. This should be someone that you are NOT travelling with. By filling in this information, you give Birken permission to contact this person if there is a concern for your welfare while you are here.

Contact Name*

Contact Phone*

Contact E-mail*

Relationship to you*

Medical Policy

By accepting a retreat space at Birken, I acknowledge that Birken Monastery is not responsible for my medical care or expenses. Birken is far from services, and stewards are unable to provide medical care. In the event of an unexpected medical emergency, Birken residents will use their best judgement based on the situation, which could include communicating with the listed emergency contact, or calling emergency services. I attest that I either have health insurance, or the resources to provide for myself in the event of a medical emergency. Note: guests from other provinces or countries are not covered by BC Medical Services Plan, and are responsible for researching/obtaining the appropriate travel insurance, or paying out of pocket for medical expenses.

I agree to the Medical Policy as listed above.

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Personal Retreat Request

Available weeks for Personal Retreat*

Retreatants MUST arrive on the first date listed of chosen week (Saturday), and must stay at least two nights. Preference will be given to guests able to stay the full week Saturday-Friday.

July 26-August 1 - WAITLISTING

August 9-15 - WAITLISTING

August 23-29 - WAITLISTING

September 6-12 - WAITLISTING

September 20-26 - WAITLISTING

October 4-10 - WAITLISTING

October 18-24 - WAITLISTING

ALL WAITLISTS - please notify me about any openings in 2025

Please check the appropriate box for any week of personal retreats you would like to be considered for. Please do not check a box unless you know you are available for retreat that week.

If you checked multiple dates above, please rank your preferred dates in order

Are you able to stay for the full week checked above? (arrive Saturday, depart on Friday)*

Yes

No

Required minimum visit two nights. Priority will be given to guests who can stay the entire week.

Indicate departure date(s) below*

Arrival policy*

I understand the policy on arrivals (see below)

I understand that to be selected for a personal retreat, I must arrive on the first day of the week selected above, and that I must arrive by car or cab. I understand that there are no pickups and dropoffs in Kamloops by Birken stewards, and that Birken does not have the capacity to assist with rideshares.

Expected Arrival Time*

Please arrive between 1-4pm on Saturday.

Expected Departure Time*

Arriving/Departing By*

Please selectCarTaxiDropped off/Picked Up

Have you visited Birken previously?*

Yes

No

Please list prior visit dates and length of each visit.*

Have you attended a Residential Retreat of 5 days or longer at another monastery/retreat centre?*

Yes

No

Please list where, and dates and length of each visit.

If you have not attended a residential retreat of of 5 days or more, please list your meditation and Dhamma experience. (Note: Those without overnight retreat experience MUST fill this section out for consideration)*

Generally, we require retreatants who have had some overnight retreat experience. However, if you have meditation experience outside of overnight retreats (i.e. meditation group, internet Dhamma group, day retreats, etc), please list it here. A senior monastic will review people in these circumstances.

If you are interested in participating in work service beyond your scheduled retreat, check the box below

IF YOU HAVE VISITED BIRKEN IN THE PAST, we may be able to allow you to stay up to one week beyond your scheduled retreat to help us with tasks around the monastery. Check this box if you would like to be considered to stay up to two weeks. All requests will be reviewed by a senior monastic. Not all requests will be granted. You must be signed up for a formal retreat to extend a retreat. Note that outside of formal retreats, the schedule is open and each guest will be assigned 2-3 hours of yogi duties per day.

I request to stay longer than my retreat week

If you have pratical skills to offer, please let us know (kitchen, gardening, carpentry, plumbing, computer/IT, etc). We may or may not be able to use your skills during your visit, but it is helpful to know!

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Accommodation & Special Needs

Room Request*

Main Guest House

Kuti (Cabin with no electricity/running water/flush toilet)

Please note that kutis are rarely available. Most guests will be assigned to the main house. Particular room requests inside the main guest house are not permitted. We ask all guests to accept whatever accommodation is provided with a sense of contentment and gratitude.

Do you snore?*

Yes

No

Don't know

Do you have any serious medical condition?*

Yes

No

Please tell us about any conditions that might affect your participation in the monastery schedule, activities, yogi duties, guidelines, adherence to the Eight Precepts, etc.

If YES, please give brief details.*

Please let us know if your condition is controlled by medication, stable or unstable. We also need to know if it is likely to cause you a problem while you are here and whether you anticipate needing any kind of special support during your visit.

Do you suffer from any kind of mental illness?*

Yes

No

Please tell us about any conditions that might affect your participation in the monastery schedule, activities, guidelines, adherence to the Eight Precepts, etc.

If YES, please give brief details.*

Please let us know if your condition is controlled by medication, stable or unstable. We also need to know if it is likely to cause you a problem while you are here and whether you anticipate needing any kind of special support during your visit.

Have you had any recent problems with drugs or alcohol?*

Yes

No

If YES, please give brief details and confirm whether you have been abstinent from drugs/alcohol for at least six months.*

Additional Information?

If you have any additional information that you would like us to know, please list it here.

Guest Guidelines

The Birken Guest Guidelines can be found here.

I have read the Birken Guest Guidelines*

Yes

No

I agree to abide by the Eight Precepts while I am a guest at the monastery*

I agree to abide by the Eight Precepts

I agree to abide by the Seven Precepts, but have a medical need for food in the evening, identified below

I would like to request a non-food related exception from the Eight Precepts, explained below

If requesting an exception from the Eight Precepts, please provide more details*

All guests must abide by the Eight Precepts during their stay at the monastery. In exceptional cases (e.g. if you have hypoglycemia or diabetes), you may request an exception from the Eight Precepts to have a light evening snack. These exceptions must be approved by the Abbot prior to your visit and will be acknowledged in your booking confirmation.

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