“Our purpose is to create a world in which the powerful are wise, and the wise have power.”
– Soryu Forall
Leaders Who Transform the World
The Monastic Academy is an unusual and groundbreaking organization that brings the power of education and non-profit skills together with the wisdom and compassion of a monastery.
By combining a deep and rigorous training aimed at classical enlightenment with the tools to effect societal change, we cultivate wise, powerful, and loving leaders who are an unstoppable force for social and environmental peace on Earth.
What does this look like?
We are a residential, non-profit, contemplative training center. Each day is a mixture of dedicated contemplative practice, non-profit work, relational skill-building, buildings and grounds maintenance, and community involvement. We start early, end late, and work six days a week, year-round.
Our Axioms
What’s the Problem?
Our environmental and social ecosystems are in peril. From social inequality to biodiversity loss, from the loneliness epidemic to global warming, it has become increasingly clear that our current way of doing things is unsustainable. We have become that which is destroying the world, and we are falling victim to our own greed. The consequences are vast, and the risks existential.
What’s the solution?
First, we must be willing to believe there is a way forward. Only then do we become willing to change our lives. There is a way to live that acknowledges our deep interconnectedness and refuses to sacrifice long-term sustainability for short-term gain. This takes courage, determination, and love. It requires us to look at and overcome the seeds of hatred, greed, and ignorance rooted in our minds through diligent and continuous practice.
“Another world is not only possible, she is on her way.
On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.”
– Arundhati Roy
At our center in Vermont, residents train to become the kinds of awakened leaders our world desperately needs. We are planning for exponential growth, expanding as quickly as we grow leaders.
We host guests for day trips, overnight stays from a night to a few weeks, and retreats. We also host co-working guests through our residential membership program for 1-3 month stays.
Our training draws strongly from the Buddhist tradition and integrates modern practices for interpersonal growth, emotional processing, and building community.