Blue Cliff Monastery is a 80 acre (0.3237488 km²) Buddhist monastery located in Pine Bush, New York

Pine Bush, New York

Pine Bush is a hamlet located in the Town of Crawford, and Shawangunk, New York, in Orange/Ulster Counties, New York, U.S., roughly coterminous with the 12566 ZIP code and 744 telephone exchange in the 845 area code Pine Bush is a hamlet (and census-designated place) located in the Town of...

. It was founded in May 2007 by monastic and lay practitioners from Plum Village

Plum Village

Plum Village is a Buddhist meditation center in the Dordogne, in southern France. It was founded by Vietnamese monk Thích Nhất Hạnh, and his colleague Bhikkhuni Chân Không, in 1982.-History:...

 in France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

.

The monastery

Monastery

Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...

 is under the direction of Thich Nhat Hanh

Nhat Hanh

Thích Nhất Hạnh is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet and peace activist who now lives in France. Born Nguyễn Xuân Bảo, Thích Nhất Hạnh joined a Zen monastery at the age of 16, and studied Buddhism as a novitiate. Upon his ordination as a monk in 1949, he assumed the Dharma name...

's Order of Interbeing

Order of Interbeing

The Order of Interbeing, or Tiếp Hiện in Vietnamese, was founded between 1964 and 1966 by Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh. Tiếp means "being in touch with" and "continuing." Hiện means "realizing" and "making it here and now." "Interbeing" is a word coined by Thich Nhat Hanh to represent...

 in the Vietnamese Zen tradition. Blue Cliff Monastery follows the same practices and daily schedules as its root monastery Plum Village and its sister monasteries Deer Park Monastery

Deer Park Monastery

Deer Park Monastery is a Buddhist sanctuary in Escondido, California. It was founded in July 2000 by monastic and lay practitioners from Plum Village in France....

 in Escondido, California

Escondido, California

Escondido is a city occupying a shallow valley ringed by rocky hills, just north of the city of San Diego, California. Founded in 1888, it is one of the oldest cities in San Diego County. The city had a population of 143,911 at the 2010 census. Its municipal government set itself an operating...

 and Magnolia Village Practice Center

Magnolia Village Practice Center

Magnolia Village Mindfulness Practice Center is a retreat and practice center located in Batesville, Mississippi. The grounds are located near Memphis, Tennessee. The center is part of the Order of Interbeing and practices in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh, who visited Magnolia Village in...

 in Batesville, Mississippi

Batesville, Mississippi

Batesville is a city in Panola County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 7,113 at the 2000 census.-History:The Land upon which present day Batesville is situated originally belonged to a Chickasaw Indian called Ish-Sho-Nu-Nah...

.

Blue Cliff Monastery was created when the monastics moved from Maple Forest Monastery

Maple Forest Monastery

Maple Forest Monastery is part of Thich Nhat Hanh's Order of Interbeing and a men's monastery. Established in 1997, after the donation of a property in Woodstock, Vermont. The governing body for the monastery is the Unified Buddhist Church. They are closely in touch with Plum Village for resources...

 and the Green Mountain Dharma Center

Green Mountain Dharma Center

Green Mountain Dharma Center was founded in April 1998 and is located in Hartland-Four-Corners, VT. As of 2006, 6 nuns and 3 monks are in residence there. Recently, the GMDC has been developing in a new direction by becoming a Fourfold Retreat and Practice Center for the teachings of Thich Nhat...

. In 1997 Maple Forest Monastery was founded in Woodstock, Vermont and a year latter Green Mountain Dharma Center was founded in Hartland, Vermont

Hartland, Vermont

Hartland is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,223 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 45.2 square miles , of which 45.0 square miles is land and 0.2 square mile is water...

. Maple Forest was the monks residence and Green Mountain was the nuns residence. On May 2007 both centers moved to Blue Cliff Monastery.

The Monastery is located in the lush green Hudson Valley of New York (one hour and 30 minutes away from NYC). Inside the property there are two ponds and a creek, and out of its 80 acres 65 are forest. Visitors are welcome to practice mindfulness with the fourfold community of monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen. Typically days of mindfulness are held twice a week (Thursdays and Sundays). Retreats are held frequently throughout the year.

See also

• Buddhism in America
• Buddhist monasticism
• List of Buddhist temples
• Timeline of Zen Buddhism in the United States
  Timeline of Zen Buddhism in the United States
  Below is a timeline of important events regarding Zen Buddhism in the United States. Dates with "?" are approximate.-Early history:* 1893: Soyen Shaku comes to the United States to lecture at the World Parliament of Religions held in Chicago...