Finding an inner place in the outer world

We welcome you to create your personal retreat in the simple and concentrated atmosphere of our monastic Zen Practice Center.

Our Summer Volunteer Program runs from mid-May until the end of September. Throughout the Summer we will open our facilities to welcome external retreat leaders and their groups. The volunteer program offers room and board in exchange for helping with our Summer Guest Season.

Residents join the daily life of the monks and teachers at CMZC. Our daily schedule includes meditation, time for self-guided study, communal meals and work periods. There are also Dharma talks and Question and Answer sessions.

To be a student at CMZC means to join the resident monks and lay practitioners in following the schedule completely. This includes meditation and work periods, talks and discussions, and community meals.

We are committed to ensuring that those who wish to practice at Crestone Mountain Zen Center can do so. Anyone who is interested in coming here to join programs or events, but needs support to do so, can apply for financial assistance.

Varying in length between 2 and 4 days, a Zazenkai is a silent weekend retreat.

This retreat invites you to dive deeply into the ancient wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita, "The Song of the Soul," a story woven with the pain of human separation, the struggles of war and family, and humanity's attempts to control the natural world. Through this timeless narrative, we will explore profound teachings that illuminate the way to living an awakened life.

Embark on an ecstatic and transformational week-long immersion into the Yoga of Sound with Sheela Bringi, Brent Kuecker, and Puja Singh. Ground in the power of your voice, launch or refine your harmonium & chant practice, and sink into sublime sacred sound spaces in compassionate community.

Crestone Mountain Zen Center will provide lodging and meals for participants in Tsoknyi Rinpoche's Advanced Practice Retreat in Crestone

Humanity Shared invites you to spend 5 days in the beautifully held, intentional and serene environment of the Crestone Mountain Zen Center. Immerse yourself with mindfulness, movement and emotional wellness practices that promote vitality and well-being. Will you regret it a year from now or will it have helped catapult you to your next right place?

We invite you to join us for our September  Zazenkai (sitting intensive).

In these days together we will practice aikido and zazen, and take part in community life at the Crestone Mountain Zen Center.

We invite you to join us for our October  Zazenkai (sitting intensive).

During the Work Week, the Sangha comes together to harvest and winterize the garden, complete fire mitigation, make improvements in landscaping and buildings and to prepare the campus for our Fall Guest Season.

Rohatsu Sesshin' ('Shakyamuni Enlightenment Day, Heart/Mind Practice') is the traditional December, 'Seven-day Meditation Intensive' of sitting and walking meditation, three-bowl (oryoki) meals, daily Dharma talks, and personal interviews (dokusan) with the teacher.

Please send us your post office mailing address if you would like to be on our physical mailing list.