I went on a silent retreat here, and even the monks were talking quite loudly outside the meditation hall during a meditation!!! my eyeballs were literally shaking with rage! read more

Bhavana Society - Creepy Guanyin - Buddhist Temples Near Me - High View, West Virginia

As a former novice monk from Bhavana Society, I very much recommend if you want to practice meditation in the Theravada tradition. It is fairly ascetic and I recommend getting familiar with the rules and getting used to skipping evening meals. My experience there has laid the foundations the best parts of my life. read more

Quiet, reflective and reverent. This meditation retreat is nestled in the back country of West Virginia. You have to call in advance but it is worth the visit for the day or a multi day retreat. You spend so much time pleasing others, why not take a money to treat yourself. read more

I attended my first retreat here this week, a Metta Retreat. I don't write reviews often, but considering the extreme range of ratings here on Yelp, I figured I'd experience the retreat then come back and give my thoughts. I've attended three 10-day Goenka retreats over the last six years and participated in a meditation group regularly in Pittsburgh for a few years, so while I'm not a hardcore practicing Buddhist, Buddhism isn't new to me either. In that sense, I found my retreat at Bhavana to be the most authentic Buddhist experience I've had. There are no monks in the Goenka retreats. The junior monk at Bhavana is very relatable as he left lay life just three years ago. The senior monk has a rather popular book. I came across it in 2012 when I started meditating, and didn't realize this monk had written it until the middle of the retreat. Like another reviewer on here, it was a surprising synchronicity. The center itself is beautiful and peaceful. As someone who has lived 90% of his life in cities, I wouldn't call the environment dangerous, but rather: "nature"... There were bees around, and during the retreat a wasp's nest was relocated away from the main building by someone who knew how to handle them. The most danger I felt was when walking to my cabin at night, I decided to use twilight instead of a flashlight to navigate and risked getting lost in the woods by my own doing. I'm not a fan of bees, but they were less troublesome than my iffy navigation. I also did not get a business vibe. Of course, my experience was from the visitor side and not the resident side, so maybe there is more to witness behind the scenes. I do sense that residents could become very busy during retreats (8+ hours), as even the junior monk was frazzled by bringing all the events together for the retreat. But if one is overworked, I don't think it would be wrong to establish some boundaries either. A visitor volunteer doing dishwashing at this retreat had to stop for her back, and the monk just asked someone else to volunteer in her place. As a retreat visitor, I particularly valued contributing an hour of service during the retreat. I was in the kitchen. It wasn't a meditative place at all, but there was something to be said in terms of mindfulness for seeing the vegetables I slice end up in the meal that forty people ate at lunch. At the Goenka retreats, you either sit, or you sign up to serve with some sitting. No middle ground, so I haven't served at one of them yet. Dana (donations) was mentioned a few times, but not in a pushy way. It was noted that all our meals were because of prior generosity, and that if we wanted to donate, "The box is over here or you can do it online." That was about the extent of the discussion of money and business at the retreat. Dana was mentioned more generally during the Dhamma talks, since it's a principle the Buddha taught anyway. The main thing I value about Bhavana is their adherence to the original, early texts of the Buddha. I don't pay much attention to the different sects (apparently Bhavana is Theravadan), but their teachings have a purity. The Dhamma talks weren't about ideologies and commentaries that came after the Buddha, but about exactly what the Buddha stated. So while my Goenka retreat experiences were very beneficial, this is the closest I've gotten to the Buddha himself and his teachings. It was also a retreat on metta (cultivating loving-friendliness), and focusing on that has left a major impact on my life. I found some of Bhavan's tax documents on ProPublica (https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/521272299). Anyone who understands them could come to their own conclusion. (I don't understand them, so am not coming to a conclusion!) Operations, maintenance, and construction is about the most that this money could go toward anyway, I think? The monks occasionally travel to teach at other places, so I'm sure flights etc are paid for. My opinion is there's only so far monks can go in running a monastery like a business. Getting more money to construct more cabins etc does not seem detrimental. You can't really fault people if they decide to donate a lot of money either. One man at the retreat talked about pay-for-meditation retreats (like the more secular Insight ones) and how he was put off by them, and how *they* felt too business-like. He said he donated to Bhavana at the end of every year. I'll donate when I can too. I'm sorry for the other reviewer's experience. Maybe they were present during a particularly busy and chaotic time. Based on my experience, I know I'll be going back. read more

I have been on retreat at Bhavana many times. It is very rare to receive teachings from the authentic Pali suttas and to have them explained by such brilliant monks who have worked for others their whole life. the place is rustic and they are very short handed the last few years. They still manage to serve 2 healthy meals every day and to take care of the needs of the people on retreat. The accommodations are a bit rough but not like camping. The bathrooms and showers are in great shape. And it is all run on donations. They dont charge a specific amount for the week, they just ask that you donate what you can. Now where else would you experience that? read more

This place contributed to my Awakening in such a necessary time over a year ago. I was so broke I couldn't even donate and they actually wanted me to stay longer when I tried to leave lol , They weren't business oriented at all! I got to cook vegan cornbread for them and it was called Divine! One of the best experiences of my life, i received a book by bahnte g called mindfulness 7 years prior to going here. I never read it and was given the same book here at the center to find out the man who started the monestary wrote it... Talk about spiritual steering, Syncronicity. There were so many blessings. What a treat to have also been the only person there amongst the 6 present monks... It was Divine indeed to experience. Will be returning at least twice this year. Blessings read more

This experience was life changing. Have done this a few times. If you want to rid yourself of dukka, this will jumpstart it for you. I learned how to look within myself for validation. One of the most difficult but freeing experiences I have had in this life was attending bhavana retreats. read more

I live in Fairfax Northern VA and have come to Bhavana Society for the numerous times for free formal and self retreats for the past 20 years. When I was stressed out from work or brokenhearted from personal relationships, I was always welcome there for self retreats on the weekends. I felt it was home for me where I could be myself and healing my heart. They are so kind and generous, no pressure to donate anything, just help with some chores around there in the morning. Bhavana Society have healed and saved many of us... I read a review and rating of a formal cook and I don't know this individual but the review is negative...I only can clarify that when was at Bhavana's at the end of 2019, there was a cook who had severe depression issue and viewed everything so negatively. One's view toward life could be a reflection of one's own life. Just want to speak the facts and help others understand. read more

I have attended a retreat here & disagree with the monastery being business oriented; perhaps I had a different experience than the other person; There was no pressure for anything other than becoming familiar with the Buddhist way of life. It was refreshing & I am going back again next month. There are few comforts, but it was a nice change of pace. Lots of meditation, silent retreat was fabulous to become centered; great Dharma talks, question & answer periods on the Dharma talks; fabulous food!! I feel bad for Loi L. that this person felt it to be a waste of time. In any case, I am excited to becoming more centered in my practice of Buddhism. They do not charge a dime for attending the retreats that they give, and they only ask for donations.....and don't pressure for that I would say that they do have to operate so it's okay for them to ask for donations. If I am willing to go for a week to be housed, fed, and taught about something that has the potential to change my life, I would think it appropriate to at least contribute to their operating expenses. I would imagine that any organization that is conducting retreats would of course want their wealthy clients to donate more....I don't see anything wrong with this. With Metta!! :) read more

Bhavana Society is operated in the traditional fashion from Buddhism's earliest days, subsisting entirely on donations. Retreats are free to attend (registration opens 30 days before the start date of the retreat) and they remind folks that they may support the place through dana or generosity. Not pushy at all. I don't know where the negative reviewer below got his ideas, but I have attended many retreats at Bhavana, mingling with people of all stripes and classes from around the world. There has never in my view been any focus on wealthy donors -- far from it, as I have seen. I have also known many residents there and there is to be sure a lot of work keeping a monastery going with so many acres and cabins and a big wood heater that needs constant feeding in cold months. But the monks are rooted in teaching meditation based on the Buddha's own teachings (a surprisingly rare thing among the many retreats offered on the American scene). I know they are looking for more residents, too, if folks are looking for a monastery work experience. The 90-year-old abbot, Bhante Gunaratana, is still going strong though slowing down a bit as to be expected. Check out his classic book on meditation practice, "Mindfulness in Plain English." read more