Offices Closed for Winter Retreat
January 1 – April 15, 2023

After a busy year of work projects, the Birken offices are now closed for our annual Winter Retreat, the time of year when monastery duties wind down and a more tranquil atmosphere infuses each moment. The monastics and residents turn their attention towards personal meditation practice amidst a landscape of snow and all encompassing silence.

As a result, we will not be responding to emails until mid-April. Information regarding 2023 Personal Retreats, Day Visits, Dana Meals, and Scheduled Retreats will be forthcoming in mid-April, see below for details.

Birken’s Re-opening

After a three year closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as renovations on the building and grounds, Birken Monastery plans to re-open to the public for retreats and visits beginning May 1, 2023.

We will begin with the return of our annual Pacific Hermitage 14-day Retreat, which happened annually for over a decade before the pandemic closed our doors. This is a closed retreat, specifically for the supporters of the Pacific Hermitage and not open to the public, however….following this retreat, we hope to restore the opportunity for both formal retreats and informal visits to the monastery, beginning in late spring 2023.

Precise details of our re-opening will be available following our Winter Retreat.

Weekly Livestream Returns

After a month hiatus for our Seven Factors of Enlightenment Virtual Retreat, Ajahn Sona’s Weekly Livestream Q&A resumes on January 15 at 4pm PST on the Ajahn Sona YouTube Channel.

Take the poll…How many of the 37 Requisites to Enlightenment did Ajahn Sona mention during the Seven Factors of Enlightenment Retreat?