Month-long Residential Retreat 2027 - Sacred Mountain Sangha

This in-person retreat is open to experienced practitioners by application only. This page is for all those accepted into the program to register and submit a deposit. 

Being Dharma, the monthlong residential retreat, is presented by Sacred Mountain Sangha and Big Bear Retreat Center. If you have any questions regarding the application process, please email info@sacredmountainsangha.org. For more about the retreat, visit the full description here.

Registration closes on [March 23, 2027]. If joining after this date, please contact us.

ACCESSIBILITY

Big Bear Retreat Center is committed to belonging and accessibility. Please review our FAQs for more detailed information on accessibility to our campus and programs. 

Location – Big Bear Retreat Center sits at an elevation of 7,000 ft in a small mountain community in Big Bear Lake, California, which is about a two-hour drive from Los Angeles.

Physical – We recognize disability as a valued aspect of diversity. Please contact us to share your specific needs so we can make your retreat as comfortable as we can. 

Financial – We recognize that economic opportunity is not equal for all. For those seeking financial assistance, scholarship opportunities are available as part of the application process.

ABOUT THIS PROGRAM AND TEACHERS

This month-long retreat, offered in collaboration with Sacred Mountain Sangha, weaves together teachings from the Theravada and Mahayana traditions in a graduated sequence of practice. Alongside familiar samatha and vipassana work, retreatants will encounter less familiar forms — mantra, devotional bowing, ceremony, and Kuan Yin’s Chan practice of “returning the hearing.” Though these methods come from different lineages, they converge as skillful means arising from one mind, guiding us home to our innate, intuitive wisdom.

Given its depth and duration, this retreat is best suited to experienced practitioners — as a guideline, at least three completed 10-day retreats with Kittisaro and Thanissara or Insight teachers, along with a genuine openness to the devotional and ceremonial Kuan Yin Dharmas. If you haven’t practiced with Kittisaro and Thanissara before, we recommend sitting with some of their teachings beforehand to feel into the resonance. This is a monastic-style container, and candidates must be able to commit to attending the retreat in full.

WHAT TO EXPECT ON THIS RETREAT

For this monthlong retreat, we will be offering special accommodations to support long practice on the land:

• Private room accommodations for everyone (by default, everyone will be provided with single occupancy rooms – contact the teaching team directly for any roomshare requests and approvals).
• Laundry during the month will be coordinated and available.

General Flow of Retreat:

• Arrive and settle: Silence will start on the opening night.
• First section: Theravada section: Samatha/Vipassana.
• Second section: Kuan Yin Dharmas section, holding mantra, cultivating Brahma Viharas and blessings.
• Integration: A few days of integration.
• The retreat finishes after breakfast on the final day.

Learn more ABOUT RETREAT & SEE A SAMPLE SCHEDULE.

GENEROSITY: Retreat Pricing and Teacher Dana

Sacred Mountain Sangha and Big Bear Retreat Center are partnering to present this month-long retreat, and both organizations are dedicated to providing financial assistance to those who need it.

Our tiered pricing model is based on trust and shared responsibility. We invite you to consider your income and financial circumstances and choose the level that genuinely reflects what you can contribute. By choosing a higher rate when you are able to do so, you help sustain the center’s basic operations and create greater access for yogis who require financial assistance. Scholarships are also available as part of the application process.

Registration fees for this retreat cover the costs of developing and offering BBRC programs, including lodging, meals, and staff compensation. Teacher compensation is not included in your registration fees — we price programs to be as financially accessible as possible. In keeping with tradition, the teachers of this retreat offer their teachings without set fees. There will be an opportunity to offer teacher dana (donation-generosity) at the retreat’s close. Learn more about dana here.

Deposits, Payment Plans, and Cancellation Policy:

Please note the following:

• Upon approval, applicants receive a link to register with BBRC.
• A $500 deposit is due upon registration to hold your spot. Unconfirmed places will be offered to the waitlist.
• Payment plans are available at all registration levels, with full payment due by December 31, 2026. Registrations made January 1, 2027 or later require payment in full. For other arrangements, contact guestservices@bigbearretreatcenter.org.
• Specific retreat requests can be submitted upon registration.
• Cancellations are subject to BBRC’s policy below.
• Month-long retreats require significant advance planning and often have limited spaces. Your registration allows us to commit resources, staffing, and accommodations for your stay.

If you need to cancel, the following policy applies:

1. More than 12 weeks before the retreat: Refund less a $250 administrative fee
2. 8–12 weeks before the retreat: Refund less the $500 deposit
3. 4–8 weeks before the retreat: 50% refund of all payments made. If place is filled from waitlist, refund less the $500 deposit
4. Less than 4 weeks before the retreat: No refunds. If place is filled from the waitlist, refund less the $500 deposit

In cases of serious illness, medical emergency, death in your immediate family, or significant travel disruption due to natural disasters or severe weather, BBRC may refund your payments, retaining a $250 fee to cover administrative costs already incurred.

HELPFUL LINKS ABOUT BIG BEAR RETREAT CENTER

Accommodations

Meals

Preparing for your retreat

Getting to BBRC

Rideshares and Shuttles

A PLACE OF WELCOME AND BELONGING

Our intention is to be as accessible as we can, even in ways that we may not be aware of yet. We hope this is a space of inclusivity where people feel welcome and held. For us, it is a practice of consistent attunement, presence and care for our community. However you identify – race, gender, sexuality, disability, mental health, and so on – it is our wish to meet your needs for belonging.

Please consider this about our environment:

– The center is on a hill with outdoor walkways between dining, gathering, and residential spaces.

– We are located at an elevation of 7,000 feet in a ski town in the mountains of Southern California.

– We experience weather of all four seasons.

– We are located about 2 hours from Los Angeles and near 3 major airports.

– We are commitment to everyone’s mobility needs. Please contact us about ADA accessibility.

HEAR MORE FROM PAST GUESTS

Big Bear Retreat Center is exceptional in every way. The accommodations are outstanding, food exceptional, staff very responsive and helpful and the teachers are always so loving and knowledgeable. Just a top notch retreat experience!! – Sheila

I love Big Bear Retreat Center. It’s my dharma home away from home. Everything about it – staff, teachers, food, accommodations, setting – is exceptional. A true gift to the community!!

Big Bear Retreat Center is indeed a refuge. A safe space to open your heart. – Laura