Blue Cliff Monastery

Blue Cliff Monastery is a mindfulness practice center and monastic training center founded by the Vietnamese Buddhist monk, author, and peace activist--our beloved teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh.
Blue Cliff is a place to quiet the mind, look deeply, and enjoy the wonders of life within and around us through the practices of sitting meditation, walking meditation, mindful eating, deep relaxation meditation, and sharing togetherness.

I had the honor of enjoying Blue Cliff Monastery (BCM) for an entire week during July 2022. Leaving the material world of NYC, and stepping into the spiritual realm of BCM was the exact inner-nourishment I needed which coincided with a major, positive transition in my life at that time.
While at BCM, you live the monastic schedule of the monks/nuns, which includes morning and evening sitting meditations, walking meditations, and work meditations on a daily basis. Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner are delicious, vegan, and in of themselves a meditation. And there are Dharma talks (i.e. Buddhist teachings) once a day.
And while there is ample time for silent meditation and reflection, it's not a completely silent retreat. For example, about 20 or so minutes into mindfully eating your meal in silence, the monks ring a bell which indicates that you may speak with those next to you if you desire. The hope though is that the conversation itself is mindful as well. I appreciated being able to mindfully converse a bit, because it gave me an opportunity to share my experience, learn from others, and make some wonderful connections.
However, outside of all of the spiritual growth I obtained from the meditations and Dharma talks, what I truly appreciated is how personable and kind the monks and nuns were. I not only got to have deep, spiritual conversations with the monks, I even got to sing with them! One of my most treasured moments was jamming with a monk on a guitar around a bonfire, under a full moon, belting at the top of our lungs. A very magical, unexpected moment indeed.
I received so much spiritual expansion out of this experience, (e.g. I now turn my meals into an opportunity for spiritual practice...as opposed to mindlessly inhaling my food in front of Youtube) that has significantly improved my "worldly" day-to-day life. But the greatest take-away was how much love and compassion I received from both the monastics and the lay-persons who were in attendance that week. And now, no matter how chaotic the worldly energy in NYC gets, I know that deep within myself lay the strong roots of compassion and love nourished by Blue Cliff Monastery.

One of my favorite places to go to relax and to be in nature. The Sangha(monks) are always very welcoming, the Dharma talks always insightful & lunch is always delicious. I usually go there at least every three months when they’re open. This was my first visit in almost 2 years since Covid and it was so wonderful to finally be back!! It is donation based so please make a donation of $15-$20.

Absolutely amazing. Such a beautiful and tranquil place to spend the day in meditation and contemplation. The monks and nuns were so kind and peaceful.You can truly feel Thich Nhat Hanh's presence everywhere and in everything I Iook forward to going back.