Shasta Abbey - Mt Shasta, California

Greg L.

Good place with two dozen serious and friendly male and female monks in residence. Be sure to look carefully at their website and call or email them before visiting. (Currently closed to visitors on weekdays and occasional weekends.) Introductory retreats can be a great way to start learning about Soto Zen, a religion for adults as they say. A longer Abbey stay like I did can teach you a lot about yourself and IMHO help out your everyday life. Do yourself a favor and visit.

Gwen

Shasta Abbey is sometimes called "the best kept secret" in Northern California. I have visited the Abbey three times in the past two years, and each visit has offered profound opportunities to learn and practice Buddhism within the Soto Zen tradition. This is a working monastery, in two ways: it is a place for active training of monks and lay Buddhist practitioners, and the training involves "working meditation," as well as seated (zazen) meditation and ceremony (chanting scriptures, bowing). Working meditation is a core part of Soto Zen, together with zazen and Buddhist ethics ("Precepts"). I have found this active form of meditation a helpful way to learn how mindfulness can transform my approach to ordinary daily tasks (washing dishes, cleaning, interacting with other people). The monks are excellent teachers and provide spiritual counseling and guidance on how to meditate and how to understand Buddhist teachings in a concrete, practical way.

Jude S.

The monks here mean well but have had some problems over the last few decades. They have a great library of talks and live talks on zoom.

briantravelman

I don't know why this place is on Google Maps. This is a private community where people live, and it's not open to the public, except on Sundays under special circumstances. IE, you need to call ahead of time and get permission to be there. You can't just show up unannounced and snoop around.

While the nuns who approached us were polite and understanding, we wasted time and gas specifically to see this place. We also have the added embarrassment of having been kicked out of a monastery.😂

Todd C.

I've been a part of the Abbey since 2000. It's a wonderful place to learn about Buddhism and be supported in one's life journey.

Creighton D. I.

They were in retreat when passing, but that's okay cause I'm not a Buddhist monk anymore. Three years' wasted/time spent learning skills that I use daily.

Tyler M.

A pure land existing within the human realm. Truly a great place for training. I feel safe and I feel I can trust the monks who live here.

Forrest M.

No where to go, thousands of miles from home, and coming to terms with something that happened to me a few nights prior while in the desert of Nevada, I found myself standing outside of the gate of the Abbey asking to come in. A kind women greeted me at the gate and I was blessed that the Reverend had the time to spare to be there for me in my time of need. I will never forget the few afternoon hours I spent at the Abbey, or the talk I had with the Reverend, on that warm June afternoon. When I left, I felt ready and prepared to face the days to come.

Arigatou Gozaimasu