First Visit There are four ways to come to the Abbey for the first time: having a tour of the grounds, attending a Sunday festival, coming for meditation instruction, or participating in an Introductory Retreat.
Abbey Tours Groups, as well as individuals, are welcome to come for a tour of the monastery grounds. Regular scheduled tours of Shasta Abbey are available on Tuesdays and Thursdays when the Abbey is open at 10:30. The tours last about an hour and a half and include the guest house, kitchen, Buddha Hall, and Stupa plus the grounds. After the tour the gift shop is open. If you would like to attend please contact the Guest Office atguestmaster@shastaabbey.org or by phone at 530-926-4208 ext. 305. For the tour it is recommended that you wear shoes that can easily be removed and put on. Tours start at the visitor's gate which is gate 4 and has a call box. It is best to park outside and walk in. Tours can be arranged at other time if the regular times do not work for you.
Sunday Services Sundays offer several opportunities to visit the Abbey.
We provide Meditation Instruction at 9:30 a.m. on Meditation Sundays. Please call the Guestmaster if you are planning to attend.
We usually have a festival ceremony at 10:30 a.m. that involves incense offering, chanting of scriptures and singing invocations. After the ceremony there is a Dharma Talk, followed by an informal social tea. You are welcome to come to the whole of our Sunday events, as well as any of them individually. Please contact the Guestmaster if you will be coming to a Sunday service so we can provide a brief tour and orientation for you.
Meditation Instruction Meditation instruction is offered most Saturdays at 2:30 p.m. in the Guest House. Included is time to meditate, as well as to ask questions on this form of practice. We are most grateful if you let the Guest Office know you are planning to attend.
Introductory Retreats Introductory Retreats begin to provide some answers to the questions that bring us to Buddhist practice. These retreats offer an introduction to the Serene Reflection (Soto Zen) practice in a monastic setting. They provide down-to-earth suggestions for taking this practice into one's daily life outside the monastery gates.Please go to Introductory Retreats for more information.
... and we must always share everything we have with others. It is an act of charity to build a ferry or a bridge and all forms of industry are charity if they benefit others.