
An Invitation to Individual Solitary Retreat at Ser Chö Ösel Ling
Our Sangha is so blessed to have a spiritual retreat center available where practitioners can enjoy a quiet, undisturbed environment to focus on spiritual growth. We offer retreats of varying lengths, focusing on different aspects of Buddhist teachings, both in a group setting and personnel practice. Between group retreats we are open to individuals staying to experience solitary retreat either in the cloisters or a self-contained cabin when available. There are two types of personalized retreats at SCOL, Personal Practice and Individual Retreat. The difference is:
Personal Practice Retreats are scheduled events 3 or 4 times a year and offer a chance to do your own practice within a supported setting with others on the same schedule. Retreatants only come together for meals provided by SCOL and for evening aspirational practice. Each person has their own practice plan and can determine the length of stay. Every spring we offer month-long Personal Practice when you can stay up to 4 weeks or just a weekend.
Individual Retreat is an opportunity for self-supported solitary practice where retreatants bring and prepare their own food and set their own schedule. This type of retreat is best suited for those with group and personal retreat experience with a solid background in Buddhist practice.
Creating a retreat plan with a Dharma teacher is highly recommended. Lama Eric Triebelhorn states: “In the beginning, gaining retreat experience in a group setting provides support in many ways. But having done a few of these, doing an Individual Retreat at SCOL, though perhaps challenging in positive ways, can be very rewarding, empowering, and an important step for deepening one’s practice.” To design a retreat plan, you can reach out to Lama Eric by making an appointment here, or to Lama Kathleen at .
SCOL has several weeks and weekends available in November and December 2025 for Individual Retreat. We invite you to SCOL to enjoy late fall or early winter in this setting where so many retreats have blessed the land for over 20 years. More information about Individual Retreats can be found on our KCC webpage. If you are interested in scheduling, registration is through contact with Vicki Fields, , not through our website.
“In our modern lives, it is rare to experience the kind of freedom of “nothing to do”, to not be interrupted, to eat only when you need to, to walk when you feel the urge, to practice with the sunrise, the sunset, wind, the stars.”
– Lama Kathleen Benz
