Stronghold Meditation Center

Offering beautiful, very affordable and serene space for solitary and small group meditation retreats.    

All retreats are by application only. 

Upcoming:   Tucson Community Meditation Center presents:

October 5-11 -    7 day Silent Retreat with Upasaka Culadasa

Accommodations:
Prices include accomodations and vegetarian meals for the 7 day retreat

A “Dharma-tory Yurt” is available with participants sharing semi private, sleeping space with a restroom a short walk away   - $350 per person

Additional limited, shared space in the main house is also offered, with preference given to our elders or those who need an attached bathroom. -   $540 per person

Trailers offering more privacy are available, with restrooms facilities nearby - $400 per person

Small Group:
The small group size of a maximum of 12 retreatants, provides opportunity for more personal attention and an intimate atmosphere. 

Service Dana:  A sign-up sheet for daily tasks, approximately  20 minutes per day will be posted.  This allows for the smooth operation of the retreat with minimal  expense.  Additionally, bell ringing sign up sheets will be posted. 

Meals:  Meals are vegetarian with an abundance of fresh foods.  In accordance with meditation traditions, no supper/ evening meal will be served but abundant snacks and left-overs will be made available.    Dairy products and wheat products will be served on the side.  If you have a special diet, please inform us upon registration. 
 
Noble Silence   Silence will be observed throughout the retreat buildings, including meals.   Except for Q & A sessions and private interviews. 

Arrival:   Please plan to arrive on Monday, October 5,  between 8 am and 10 am.  It is important to arrive in time to settle in before the meditation orientation begins at 11 am. Breakfast is not provided, but a light lunch will be available at noon during which logistics and site orientation will conclude.   Newcomers MUST arrive in time to attend the orientation and other instructions prior to the formal beginning of the retreat at 3:00 pm.

If you wish to attend this 7 day retreat, please request an application form and practice guidelines to be emailed to you. 

Nestled in the tranquil Dragoon mountains, your secluded 15-acre retreat is surrounded by 10,000 acres of the untouched beauty of Coronado National Forest. Overlooked by picturesque Rockfellow Dome, you are treated daily to blue skies and spectacular star-filled evenings.

Your host, John, is an experienced meditation teacher who has been practicing meditation for almost 35 years. He teaches weekly meditation classes at Tucson Community Meditation Center and at his home in Cochise Stronghold Canyon. His principle teachers have been Upasaka Kema Ananda and the Venerable Jotidhamma Bhikku, who were themselves trained in both the Theravadin and Tibetan Karma Kagyu Buddhist traditions as a part of the lineage of Karma Tenzin Dorje Namgyal Rinpoche (also known as the Venerable Ananda Bodhi). John has also practiced under the guidance of Jack Kornfield, Shinzen Young, Sayadaw U Vivekanda, Allan Wallace and others.

Meditation is a science that transforms into mystical experience. The perspective of meditation as a science is one that emerges when one explores the many various techniques of different traditions. John has devoted himself to the practice and science of meditation for many years. He is usually available and very happy to provide meditation instruction, advice or assistance at any time, but only upon request. Our purpose is to support, not to intrude.