Dear Beloved Community,

Due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak across the Globe, including the state of New York, Blue Cliff Monastery is closed to the public. There are no plans for retreats at this time in the summer or the fall. We will continue to review and update this decision as the situation evolves. Please continue to check our website for updates. You can also sign up for Blue Cliff newsletter announcements.

It is uncertain how this virus outbreak will develop and what the US and New York departments as well as the international health institutions will recommend. We will do our best to inform everyone of any further developments as soon as possible.

Looking Deeply

We recognise that, as a spiritual community and a place of refuge, we have a social responsibility to protect the wellbeing, safety, and happiness of our visiting guests and residential community.

At Blue Cliff, we create precious conditions for communal togetherness, including shared meals and shared accommodation—living together as a spiritual community of over 30 monastics and a number of long term retreatants. These are valuable experiences that allow us all to feel part of the human family, and to build connections, trust, and closeness. Unfortunately, in the current situation, this communal aspect of Blue Cliff makes us unusually vulnerable to the transmission of this virus. Furthermore, on Days of Mindfulness and retreats many friends come to participate and they share close quarters or seating arrangements for long sessions like Dharma Talks and meals. 

Non-local Collective Practice

As a community we are taking this opportunity to pause and reflect on the state of our planet and the reality of our interbeing. Over the next two months, our sangha of 30 monastics and lay long term retreatants will be continuing to live simply, reducing unnecessary travel, and continuing our studies, training, and practice, as well as our mindful work to prepare Blue Cliff for re-opening in the summer months. Although presently conditions are not sufficient for us to welcome you here to practice with us this spring, we hope that you will have a chance to make the most of the situation to take time to pause, slow down, and simplify your lives, taking opportunities to rest, spend time in nature, and take care of yourselves and your loved ones.

Always Connected

Aware of the importance of supporting and nourishing our collective practice in these challenging times, we encourage you to continue your practice of mindfulness at home, with your local sangha or with an online sangha. Please visit the home page of our website for a link to our live stream meditations and practices. In our international community we are exploring online ways to continue to share our teachings and practices with all of you. You may like to download the Plum Village App (with guided meditations, relaxations, and teachings) and follow our Plum Village Youtube channel. To be notified about online Dharma teachings and webinars, visit the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation and sign up for their newsletter.

We send our thoughts and prayers to those around the world facing suffering and difficulty in these moments, and look forward to the chance to welcome our wider community back to Blue Cliff in the near future. May all of us as a species use this opportunity to wake up to our shared humanity, our shared vulnerability, and to nourish our compassion and tolerance, and not our fear and discrimination.

A lotus for you,

The Monks and Nuns of Blue Cliff Monastery, New York, USA