The Barre Center for Buddhist Studies is pleased to support the inaugural Contemplative Semester — a 14-week residential immersion into the depths of the human experience for young adults. Drawing from Buddhist wisdom and meditation practice as the foundation, you will have the chance to deeply connect with yourself, others, and the earth as you explore your unique path to greater peace, love, joy, and purpose.
“The times are urgent. Let us slow down.”
Bayo Akomolafe
The Contemplative Semester is possible only because of donors like you. Every gift makes a difference, no matter the size, and will have a life-changing impact on those unable to participate without your help.
Meditation
Through Buddhist mindfulness and compassion practices in our daily schedule and on periods of silent retreat, you’ll cultivate a clear mind, an open heart, and finer self-awareness to help you meet the beauty and challenges of these times.
Community
Together, we’ll co-create the beloved community we want to see in the world. Through small groups, relational practices, cooperative living, and time to play, you’ll be invited to know and be known by your peers on a profound level, building an intimate community and lifelong friendships.
Earth Connection
We’ll explore what it means to be part of nature, to see ourselves as nature, and to meet the challenges of the Anthropocene from connection and care.
Purpose
Get the space and time to discern what’s yours to do in the world, and leave ready to step into a powerful life of love and leadership.
And yes…there will be dance parties!
Program Information
Learning Outcomes
What You Leave With
Students of The Contemplative Semester graduate with:
- An understanding of core Buddhist philosophical frameworks and their application in the modern world
- A depth of experience with mindfulness and compassion meditation practices
- Insight into your own mind and mental habits that cause happiness and suffering and tools to reduce stress and self-regulate the nervous system
- An ethical framework to live a joyful, meaningful life
- Tools to discern, from a deep inner place, what is yours to do in this world; a working statement of what your life is in service to and what most deeply motivates your spiritual practice and vocational life
- A deeper connection with the natural world through an embodied sense of interdependence and clarity on the challenges we face in the anthropocene
- An integrated understanding and practice of Nonviolent Communication (NVC), restorative justice, and other compassionate communication and conflict transformation tools
- The tools to participate in and facilitate collaborative decision-making and group organization through Sociocracy
- 3.5 months of experience living in an intentional, cooperative, ethics-based community
Program Curriculum
A Path of Liberation
The Contemplative Semester is rooted in ancient Buddhist philosophy and practice, applied to what it means to be a young person alive today. The 14-week curriculum is structured around the Noble Eightfold Path that countless human beings have traveled to transform anxiety and suffering into happiness, peace and freedom. For 1-2 weeks each, we follow the below path factors in order, through direct and embodied exploration:
- Wise View
- Wise Intention
- Wise Speech
- Wise Action
- Wise Livelihood
- Wise Effort
- Wise Mindfulness
- Wise Concentration
In deeply learning this path, we engage in four weeks of silent meditation retreat interspersed throughout the semester, as well as daily periods of silent sitting and walking meditation practice during off-retreat days. Core topics branching out from this that we explore through experiential inquiry include: nature awareness, mindful communication, creative expression, ethical leadership, and collaborative community building.
Daily Experience
Your Daily Experience
Morning Practice
The day begins with mindful movement, qi gong, or yoga, and sitting meditation in Noble Silence.
Breakfast, Cooperative Work, and Open Time
Noble Silence continues through midmorning, with space to savor breakfast, journal, do any other morning rituals you may have, and cooperatively care for our space.
Experiential Learning
The day’s main learning session, based on the particular Path Factor of the 8-Fold Noble Path we are on that week; can include guided sitting and walking meditation, group and 1-1 discussion, lecture, writing exercises, and time outdoors.
Lunch and Open Time
Connect with peers over locally sourced lunch inside or outside on the hilltop; take time for yourself to read, go on a hike, or rest.
Small Groups
Your small group is your little family for the whole semester; composed of 7 other students and two staff mentors, this is your squad! Get really real together, process your meditation experiences, know each other deeply, laugh, and play.
Dinner and Open Time
Peer-led Workshops
Do you love D&D or jam sessions? At night? Dance parties? Nail salon? This is your time to choose your own adventure, to lead or be led by your peers in any group activity you can imagine.
Bedditation
Get cozy and ready for bed with loving-kindness meditation, gentle singing, and chanting.
Campus Life
Rural Cooperative Living
The Contemplative Semester takes place at Potash Hill, a rural campus on the southern foothills of Vermont’s Green Mountains. Forty of us—30 students, 10 staff—will live and practice together cooperatively, co-caring for the space and land we will call home. We’ll each contribute to our community, taking turns cleaning and cooking nourishing, local meals sourced from the Brattleboro Food Coop for one another. Much like a college campus, students will each live in a dorm room or small apartment shared with a roommate and hopefully new life-long friend on the path.
FAQs
Is the campus ADA-accessible?
Yes! All buildings at Potash Hill comply with the ADA standards for accessible design.
Will I be able to leave campus? If yes, how often?
We want to be intentional about creating a sense of community and a container that also allows everyone to feel autonomy and choice. Students will be able to leave campus as the schedule allows, including on weekends and holidays. We will ask you not to leave campus during retreat weeks. We will have a system of letting staff know what days you plan on leaving campus.
Can I come for only part of the Contemplative Semester?
No. We ask all participants to commit to the entire semester.
Are there prerequisites i.e. prior meditation or retreat experience required?
No, though some experience with mindfulness meditation is recommended!
How much silence will there be?
The Contemplative Semester balances deep silent meditation experience with verbal connection, community building, and learning through dialogue. We engage in 4 separated weeks of silent meditation retreat over the course of the semester. In addition, each off-retreat week includes a full day of silent meditation practice and each off-retreat day includes a period of 2-3 hours of silent meditation practice.
What is the policy around phones, computers, and other tech use?
Participants will be completely without phones or computers for the first week of the semester. This is intentional - we want to support you to get to know each other and settle deeply into the space and the meditation practice. After the first retreat week, we will have a community conversation about device agreements and etiquette, which the group will have a chance to create themselves. Phones are never permitted during programming time or on retreat.
Will partners, family, or friends be able to come visit me?
Yes, there will be days when friends and family will be welcome on campus. We won’t be able to accommodate overnight guests.
Will there be “class work,” such as reading or writing assignments? Or is the learning just practice-based?
Yes, there will be a few reading, writing, and creative assignments scattered throughout the semester that are flexible enough to meet a diversity of learning styles. The Contemplative Semester is primarily a chance to get in touch with more intuitive and embodied ways of knowing; the volume of reading and writing assignments will *not* be as intense as a typical college semester.
What support will there be on campus in terms of mental health and wellness?
One of our core full-time faculty is a licensed therapist and will be supporting students' individual mental health as needed. Additionally, all participants will be in small groups with two mentors that meet regularly each week to support their well-being; students also have a scheduled 1-1 support meeting with their mentor once a week.
However, this is not an in-patient mental health program. We do not have the capacity to support young people who are actively suicidal or in ongoing mental health crises.
Will I be asked to take the “Mindfulness Trainings” for the whole 14 weeks, i.e. no substances and or sex for the whole time?
Creating a safe and caring community through ethical trainings is an essential part of our program.
During the four retreat weeks over the course of the semester, we will ask you to commit to the following agreements during meditation retreat periods:
Knowing how deeply our lives intertwine, I undertake the commitment to:
Protect life
Speak truthfully and kindly
Take only what is offered to me
Abstain from drugs and alcohol
Remain celibate
When we are not on retreat, we ask participants to commit to the following agreements around drugs, alcohol, and intimate relationships:
Knowing how deeply our lives intertwine, I undertake the commitment to:
Protect life
Speak truthfully and kindly
Take only what is offered to me
Not harm myself or others with drugs and alcohol
Use my sexuality wisely and protect relationships
We require participants to abide by the legal requirements around drug and alcohol use: not using illegal substances, and not using any drugs or alcohol for participants who are under 21.
What are the qualifications of Contemplative Semester teachers and mentors?
Our diverse group of teachers and mentors has decades of experience teaching mindfulness and working with young people; many of them are leaders in the growing field of mindfulness education. They bring years of personal mindfulness and meditation practice into their roles as mentors, modeling authenticity, compassion, ethical conduct, and respect for the young people they work with. They also bring work and life experience as educators, therapists, wilderness guides, lawyers, youth workers, activists, parents, and more. Biographies for our teachers can be found on the home page.
Can you accommodate participants with food allergies or special dietary needs?
We can accommodate common food allergies and dietary needs (such as gluten-free diets, lactose intolerance, peanut allergies, and vegetarian and vegan diets). If a participant has a very specific food need that is challenging for us to accommodate, we may ask them to bring some of their own food to supplement the options provided.
What if I am currently 17 and will turn 18 during the semester, or am currently 25 but will turn 26 during the semester?
We prefer if students are already 18 by the beginning of the Contemplative Semester. However, if you are a 17-year-old who turns 18 during the semester, your application is strong, and you are a great fit for this program, you will still be considered. As long as you begin the program as a 25-year-old, turning 26 over the course of the semester is okay!
Application Information
The Contemplative Semester is open to 18-25 year olds.
There are no pre-requisites (some exposure to mindfulness meditation is helpful).
The in-person dates for The Contemplative Semester are September 8 - December 15, 2024.
This is a fully IRL program with no remote or part-time options available.
The Contemplative Semester takes place at Potash Hill, a rural campus on the southern foothills of Vermont’s Green Mountains. Much like a college campus, students will each live in a dorm room shared with a roommate and hopefully a new life-long friend on the path.
Tuition: $13,400
Your tuition goes toward the cost of room & board at Potash Hill, a living wage for our staff (teachers, mentors, and on-site chef), and program expenses like insurance, materials, etc. The tuition does not cover travel to and from Potash Hill, though we may have carpools set up at a later date!
Scholarships
We are committed to making The Contemplative Semester accessible to people who would not be able to attend without financial support. We offer need-based scholarships, with several reserved for BIPOC folks with a financial need. If you need scholarship support to attend this program, you will receive a link for that form via email after filling out the standard application.
Deposit and Tuition Deadlines
- To confirm your spot, a nonrefundable deposit of 20% of your tuition fee is due two weeks after acceptance.
- If you apply after July 1, your deposit is 50% of your total tuition fees and is due 1 week after your acceptance.
- Your full tuition amount is due August 1.
Refund Policy
- Any tuition paid before July 1 is subject to an 80% refund upon early withdrawal.
- Any tuition paid between July and Aug 1 is subject to a 50% refund.
- Participants who withdraw after August 1, including those who withdraw from the program early, either by choice or by dismissal, are not eligible for refunds.
- Any tuition money forfeited will be donated to The Contemplative Semester scholarship fund.
Application Deadlines:
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Early Application Deadline: April 15, 2024 - while we accept applications on a first-come-first-served rolling basis, all applications received by this date will be prioritized.
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Applications Close: July 1, 2024
Step 1: fill out the Contemplative Semester application.
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Applications are open! And accepted on a rolling basis.
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We have 32 spots in our program and offer them on a first-come, first-served basis; after all spots are filled, accepted students will be offered spots on our waitlist.
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We value authenticity — there is no need to pretend to be perfect! We want to know you as your whole self.
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The application form is hosted by the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, so fear not if you see their logo — you are in the right place.
Step 2: fill out the scholarship application, if applicable.
- We are committed to making the Contemplative Semester accessible to folks who would not be able to attend without financial support. We offer a limited number of need-based scholarships, with several scholarships reserved for BIPOC with financial need.
- If you requested a scholarship in your initial application, you will receive an email with a link to a short scholarship application form after we receive your application.
Step 3: schedule & have a video call with us.
- After submitting the application, you will hear back from us within 2 weeks.
- If it seems like a fit, you will receive an email to schedule a 45-minute Zoom call with 2-3 Contemplative Semester staff members. This is a chance for us to get to know each other better, and for you to ask any outstanding questions you have!
You will be notified of your acceptance to the Contemplative Semester within 2 weeks of your video call!
Please email us with questions at contemplativesemester@gmail.com.