• Food is not eaten after 12 noon each day. Only tea, juice or soft drinks are consumed after noon. (An evening meal for medical reasons must be approved at the time of registration.) The meals that residents prepare are vegetarian.
• All overnight guests/retreatants/residents must be 18 or older or accompanied by their parent or guardian. (except for the Youth Retreat)
• Abstain from killing, stealing, committing any sexual activity, lying, gossiping, slandering, and using harsh language.
• Arrive at Bhavana before 4 PM if you are coming for any overnight visit outside of formal group retreats or by 4:30 if this is your first retreat.
• All formal retreat participants should arrive before 5 PM on starting date. Do not be late.
• Retreats end after lunch on the last day.
• If you have medical needs relating to your sleeping accommodations, such as indoor plumbing or electricity, please let us know.
• You may not use a telephone during retreats. When not in retreat, you may use the telephone for a short message using your credit card or by calling collect. Limit your calls to no more than five minutes.
• E-mail and internet access is not available at any time.
• The Bhavana Society is not to be taken as a hotel or recreation center. It is purely a place for serious meditation and Dhamma study.
• Avoid all physical contact except in emergencies.
• Laundry facilities are only available for those who stay at our center ten days or longer.
• Men should not enter women’s dwellings and women should not enter men’s dwellings, even for loading and unloading vehicles.
• As a matter of respect and etiquette, it is considered inappropriate to point the soles of one’s feet toward a monk, nun or Buddha image. Accordingly, please be aware of your posture in the meditation hall: do not stretch legs out toward the altar and do not lounge or sprawl on the floor.

1. All guests are expected to participate in the 5:00 am and 5:30 pm meditation as well as the devotional service and any other activities daily.
2. All guests will be expected to participate in up to five hours of work each day.
3. Non-retreat visits are limited to 7 (six nights, seven days) days.  To stay longer, please submit a residency application.
4. You may make arrangements to come early or stay after a formal retreat if there is space available.

Experienced meditators can come to the Bhavana Society for an intensive personal meditation retreat. These specific guidelines must be followed.

• Retreatants must have completed at least one ten-day retreat at the Bhavana Society.
• Retreatants are expected to observe strict silence except in an emergency, in case of sickness, or in order to talk with a teacher.
• Retreatants will be given 2-3 hours of work each day. Instructions for the work will be given before your retreat period begins.
• In addition to your own meditation, you are required to attend two hours of group meditation a day (in morning and evening).
• Interviews with a teacher must be requested and scheduled prior to the beginning of the retreat period.
• Because you will likely be the only one here on silent retreat, be aware that others will be talking. If you want to avoid hearing people speak, we recommend that you stay away from the main building.
• Do not leave the center until your retreat period ends. Once you leave the Bhavana Society premises, we will consider your intensive practice terminated.

To register for a personal retreat, use the Visit Registration.