Welcome to The Mountain Hermitage
OFFERING BUDDHIST RETREATS IN TAOS, NEW MEXICO
The Mountain Hermitage is dedicated to the inner cultivation and outer manifestation of concentration, wisdom, lovingkindness, compassion, and peace. This home for long-term spiritual practice, grounded in the principles of Theravada Buddhism, is based in the quiet and beautiful mountain area of Taos, New Mexico.
Many Mountain Hermitage retreats are for experienced Dharma practitioners; however, the Hermitage is now offering some week-long retreats open to both beginning and experienced students. All retreats are held in appropriate rented places in and around Taos. The small group size at Hermitage retreats (usually a maximum of 18 students) helps create a more intimate experience and easier access to teachers.
The Mountain Hermitage extends a special welcome and has established a scholarship fund to support Buddhist monks and nuns and lay Dharma teachers, as well as multi-cultural practitioners and other Dharma students who without scholarship aid would not be able to attend Hermitage retreats.
All who come to practice at The Mountain Hermitage will be honored and supported in their quest to awaken to the deepest truths and to manifest these truths in their daily lives.
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Latest News, Dharma Talks, and Reflections on Practice
A JATAKA TALE: The Baby Quail Who Could Not Fly Away
Once upon a time, the Enlightenment Being was born as a tiny quail. Although he had little feet & wings, he could not yet walk or fly. His parents worked hard bringing food to the nest, feeding him from their beaks. In that part of the world, there were usually...
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“Making mindfulness of the body our friend”
So many of us live in our heads. When we are caught up in the world of thoughts, emotions and fantasies, believing their content and taking them personally, we experience the corresponding suffering that they bring. One way to support ourselves not to suffer in this...
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Interdependence Always Arising
Find a comfortable place to sit on a cushion on the floor or in a chair. Gently close your eyes & bring your attention to the direct sensorial experience of your breath for a few moments. Now visualizing or sensing an enormous jeweled net, a net of boundless...
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“Reflection on Gratitude”
Gratitude is a quality and virtue that is like a hidden treasure. It is a spiritual force that brightens our existence and leads to inner harmony. Gratitude can bring an incredible amount of joy into our lives. It makes us happy. As a beautifying quality of the heart...
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Judith Lief on “Starting on the Path of Fear & Fearlessness”
It helps to explore how we can work with fear from the point of view of the path, the student’s journey. How do we walk the path of fear? Fear is not a trivial matter. In many ways, it restricts our lives; it imprisons us. Fear is also a tool of oppression. Because of...
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Ajahn Sumedho on “An Awakened Response to Violence: Natural Purity of the Mind”
(In 1999, when this dharma talk was given in Spirit Rock Meditation Center, the U.S. military was bombing Yugoslavia. We have substituted Ukraine for Yugoslavia in the text here, to make the article more relevant to today’s circumstances.) Those who live in awakened...
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