Spring Retreat
April 7-13, 2025, Benet Hill Monastery, Black Forest, CO
Springs Mountain Sangha Announces
Registration for our Spring Residential Meditation Retreat
At Benet Hill Monastery, Colorado Springs
April 7-13, 2025
With Sarah Bender, Roshi
Registration link:https://forms.gle/ZK5UeUt2x4qZmfvZ9
As Spring opens its arms to us, we open, too! We come together to enter a period of silence for days of shared meditation, koan practice and the experience of stepping away from our usual busy lives, among the welcoming pines of the Black Forest.
Awakening happens.
Retreat registration will open on Tuesday, January 7th at 4pm. Registration link will be sent via email at that time.
PROGRAM
Our retreat day runs from 5:25 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and includes periods of sitting and walking, Dharma talks and discussion, movement meditation, individual meetings with a teacher, vegetarian meals, rest, and walks outside. Ours is primarily a silent retreat. Some previous experience with meditation is necessary. We do our best to make the retreat accessible to people with special physical needs.
LOCATION
Benet Hill Monastery at 3190 Benet LN, Colorado Springs, CO 80921.
More information is available at https://benethillmonastery.
RATES
The cost of this retreat is $975 per person for in person residential attendance. This rate includes accommodations and meals.
This retreat is also available as a commuter retreat with limited camping opportunities, though the camping weather will probably be cold in early April. The cost for campers or commuters is $490 per person. This rate includes meals.
If you need financial assistance, scholarships are available; please ask! We are anticipating requests for scholarships, so if you are able to pay a bit more to support someone else attending, that would be hugely appreciated. See the registration form to make your payment choice.
Registration will initially open to full time participants. If you are interested in part time participation, please contact the retreat registrar, Frank Actis: frank.actis@gmail.com to be placed on a waiting list if space permits.
DUE DATES
The retreat will be limited to 17 in person participants, registration will be taken on a first-come-first-served basis.
- Registration and full payment are due by March 21st. If you need an extension, please contact the registrar.
- Scholarship requests are due with registration; please ask!
- In order to complete registration, a deposit of $100 is due when you submit the registration form; your registration is not complete until you have made the deposit. If you need additional time to pay the deposit, please contact our registrar to discuss details.
CANCELLATION POLICY
- Up to March 1 we can refund your deposit or payment in full (minus paypal fees if payment was processed through paypal)
- From March 1 – March 20, we are able to refund all but $50 of any deposit or payment
- After March 21, we cannot guarantee a refund
PAYMENT PARTICULARS
The registration and payment due dates are listed above. When you make a payment, please indicate that it is for the retreat.
- Payment may be submitted via PayPal here:
https://www.smszen.org/
- Checks may be sent to:
Springs Mountain Sangha
P.O. Box 2613
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
ACCOMMODATIONS
The retreat will be hosted in Abrahaven and Pinehaven at Benet Hill. Most rooms are double rooms with jack and jill restrooms.
COVID CONSIDERATIONS
Due to the frequently-changing trajectory of COVID and other illnesses, our protocols may need to change as our retreat date draws closer. We have high hopes for not needing a mask-wearing mandate for our time together in the meditation hall. The conditions that will support a mostly mask-free retreat will require your careful observance of protocols. We anticipate asking everyone to take a rapid test within 24 hours of the start of the retreat. We’ll be announcing any additional protocols prior to the close of registration (March 21st). If you have concerns regarding COVID protocols, please contact Frank Actis at frank.actis@gmail.com.
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Registration is taken on a first-come, first-served basis, and will be secured once we receive your deposit or payment in full.
If you have untreated mental health challenges, we ask that you contact Sarah Bender, Roshi at sembender@gmail.com to set up a brief conversation before completing your registration.
A copy of your responses to this form will be emailed to the address you provide below.
Please direct any questions about registration or the retreat itself to our Registrar, Frank Actis at frank.actis@gmail.com.
We look forward to practicing in community with you!
SPECIAL NOTE
If this will be your first time attending a Springs Mountain Sangha retreat, please contact the Registrar, Frank Actis at frank.actis@gmail.com. He will arrange for you to speak with a teacher before registering.