Retreat information - Group and individual retreats...
Group retreats
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Group retreats at Furnace Mountain provide participants with an opportunity to pursue spiritual inquiry in an environment of silence, stillness and collective effort.
We ask retreat participants to hold four agreements: Be still Be silent Don’t look around Do your best During a retreat the participants sit, walk, work and eat together in silence. The teacher(s) leading the retreat will give encouragement through a talk each day, and participants will have the opportunity to attend private interviews with the teacher(s). Interviews are a time to consult about one’s practice, ask questions about Zen meditation and take up koan inquiry. Some people, including those who have been practicing on their own for some time, may find the retreat schedule - including maintaining silence and physical stillness for long periods - challenging. Retreat participants see, over and over, the mind’s incessant activity. |
Everyone is asked to make a great effort to sit still, attend sessions no matter how tired, and to continually give their best to staying present.
Some previous experience of sitting meditation is therefore helpful. If you have any concerns, or believe you have a pre-existing physical, emotional or psychological issue that could impact your ability to participate in the retreat, please email our office account and ask to speak to our guest master.
Retreats vary in length from 1 to 90 days. Day long retreats are non-residential.
Participation in retreat is by application only.
Please click on this link for more information about the registration process & retreat fees.
Some previous experience of sitting meditation is therefore helpful. If you have any concerns, or believe you have a pre-existing physical, emotional or psychological issue that could impact your ability to participate in the retreat, please email our office account and ask to speak to our guest master.
Retreats vary in length from 1 to 90 days. Day long retreats are non-residential.
Participation in retreat is by application only.
Please click on this link for more information about the registration process & retreat fees.
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Daily Schedule during Zen retreats:
5:30 Wake Up 6:00 - 8:00 Chanting, Sitting and Free Walking 8:00 Breakfast 8:30 - 9:30 Work Period 10:00 - 12:30 Sitting, Dharma Talk and Free Walking 12:30 - 1:00 Lunch 1:00 - 2:30 Lunch Clean-Up and Free Time 2:30 - 4:30 Sitting and Interviews 4:30 - 6:00 Personal Practice Time (Yoga, Walk...) 6:00 - 7:00 Dinner (optional light meal) 7:00 - 9:00 Chanting, Sitting and Free Walking 9:30 Retire Our 90-Day-Retreat follows a different schedule, including longer work periods in the morning & afternoon and more personal practice time. |
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Travel:
Traveling by bus:
Please check for bus services to Lexington, KY or Winchester, KY.
Please contact us ahead of time to arrange for picking you up from there.
Night time shuttle service by Furnace Mountain Zen Center are not available.
There is a fee for this service.
Traveling by car:
After you are fully registered you will be mailed directions on how to get to the Zen Center.
If you have space in your car, we encourage you to share your car with other retreat participants.
Traveling by airplane:
Please contact us before booking your flight to arrange shuttle service from/to the nearest airport (LEX - Lexington Bluegrass Airport).
We are not able to pick you up from any other airport, and we might not be able to pick you up if you haven't coordinated with us ahead of time. Night time shuttle service by Furnace Mountain Zen Center from or to the airport are not available.
There is a fee for this service; car rental and Uber are available at Bluegrass Airport. The airport is about an hour drive from the Zen Center.
Venue:
Furnace Mountain occupies 800 wooded acres in the foothills of the Appalachians. There are a number of buildings on the property:
The Tea-House (providing the administrative center and some accommodation), a number of cabins providing accommodation, and a Meditation Hall modeled after the traditional Korean post-and-beam style. The buildings are linked by trails rather than paved roads.
Traveling by bus:
Please check for bus services to Lexington, KY or Winchester, KY.
Please contact us ahead of time to arrange for picking you up from there.
Night time shuttle service by Furnace Mountain Zen Center are not available.
There is a fee for this service.
Traveling by car:
After you are fully registered you will be mailed directions on how to get to the Zen Center.
If you have space in your car, we encourage you to share your car with other retreat participants.
Traveling by airplane:
Please contact us before booking your flight to arrange shuttle service from/to the nearest airport (LEX - Lexington Bluegrass Airport).
We are not able to pick you up from any other airport, and we might not be able to pick you up if you haven't coordinated with us ahead of time. Night time shuttle service by Furnace Mountain Zen Center from or to the airport are not available.
There is a fee for this service; car rental and Uber are available at Bluegrass Airport. The airport is about an hour drive from the Zen Center.
Venue:
Furnace Mountain occupies 800 wooded acres in the foothills of the Appalachians. There are a number of buildings on the property:
The Tea-House (providing the administrative center and some accommodation), a number of cabins providing accommodation, and a Meditation Hall modeled after the traditional Korean post-and-beam style. The buildings are linked by trails rather than paved roads.
Accommodation:
Retreats at Furnace Mountain are residential (day-long/beginner retreats being the exception) – accommodation is provided in simple but comfortable single-sex shared rooms (1-3 persons per room). Bedding is supplied.
Organic, vegetarian meals are provided and included in the cost of the retreat. We serve simple meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) prepared freshly every day. As much as possible we use produce from our own gardens and substitute with products/produce from our local Coop.
Retreats at Furnace Mountain are residential (day-long/beginner retreats being the exception) – accommodation is provided in simple but comfortable single-sex shared rooms (1-3 persons per room). Bedding is supplied.
Organic, vegetarian meals are provided and included in the cost of the retreat. We serve simple meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) prepared freshly every day. As much as possible we use produce from our own gardens and substitute with products/produce from our local Coop.
Please bring:
A towel, personal toiletries and any medicines, an alarm clock, a flashlight, comfortable clothing, insect and tick repellent, a waterproof jacket and outdoor shoes or boots – the trails and paths around the property can be muddy in wet weather.
Sitting cushions and mats, as well as chairs are provided in the temple, but please bring your own cushion or bench if you have particular needs.
Please wear subdued colors (black, brown, blue or grey) in the temple and dress modestly – no shorts, tank tops or tight yoga wear.
No perfumes, after-shave lotions or essential oils.
A towel, personal toiletries and any medicines, an alarm clock, a flashlight, comfortable clothing, insect and tick repellent, a waterproof jacket and outdoor shoes or boots – the trails and paths around the property can be muddy in wet weather.
Sitting cushions and mats, as well as chairs are provided in the temple, but please bring your own cushion or bench if you have particular needs.
Please wear subdued colors (black, brown, blue or grey) in the temple and dress modestly – no shorts, tank tops or tight yoga wear.
No perfumes, after-shave lotions or essential oils.
Individual retreats
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We welcome practitioners who would like to undertake individual retreats at Furnace Mountain.
Those interested are welcome to visit and stay at Furnace Mountain outside of retreat times, by prior arrangement, and participate in the daily practice and work life of the community. For those who wish to undertake a solitary retreat, the Hermitage provides complete seclusion. It is situated in an isolated part of the property, perched on a large rock high above a steep-sided valley. The accommodation is basic: one-room, with no running water or electricity, but with a wood-burning stove for winter heat. |
Retreatants can spend their entire retreat in the Hermitage, or may choose to join the community for morning and evening practice in the Meditation Hall.
For those interested in a solo retreat with less basic accommodation we offer our monks cell, with private bathroom and shower close to the meditation hall.
As with group retreats, individual retreats are by application only. If you are interested in doing a solo retreat, please apply here.
For those interested in a solo retreat with less basic accommodation we offer our monks cell, with private bathroom and shower close to the meditation hall.
As with group retreats, individual retreats are by application only. If you are interested in doing a solo retreat, please apply here.