Southern Dharma Retreat Center

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Welcome Home

Southern Dharma Retreat Center offers rustic and intimate teacher-led retreats grounded in Buddhist practice traditions with a unifying thread of meditation, contemplation, and silence.

2026 Schedule Preview

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Newsletter

The Southern Dharma Newsletter is a great way to keep up with our Center,
hear about upcoming programs, and stay connected with our community.

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Southern Dharma offers meditation retreats and programs from a variety of lineages in Buddhist and related traditions.

Staff had a wonderful time yesterday at blueplumhu Staff had a wonderful time yesterday at blueplumhum in Johnson City, celebrating the consecration of their Buddha image through an Eye Opening Ceremony with Shugen Roshi of Zen Mountain Monastery. And what a sweet surprise to see that John Orr was teaching a separate event in the very same building!
Set your intentions for the year ahead. ✨ Registr Set your intentions for the year ahead. ✨

Registration for our 2026 Retreat season opens tomorrow, January 1st, at 2 pm! Whether you are looking to deepen your practice or begin a new journey, we have a variety of multi-day retreats designed for all skill levels.

Visit the link in our bio to browse the upcoming schedule and prepare to reserve your space. We look forward to practicing with you in the new year. 🙏
Haven't registered yet for Lama Rod's daylong retr Haven't registered yet for Lama Rod's daylong retreat? No problem! Join us tomorrow to explore the Four Sweet Liberations, practices and frameworks for liberation through leisure, beauty, opulence, pleasure. 

➡️ REGISTER ON SITE! Walk-ins are warmly welcomed.

When: Saturday, Dec. 13th | Walk-in Registration runs from 9:00 - 10:00 AM

Where: Land of the Sky UCC (15 Overbrook Pl, Asheville, NC)

Cost: Sliding Scale ($25 – $75)

Firestorm Books will be vending during the lunch break!
Traditional practice leans into striving for simpl Traditional practice leans into striving for simplicity and letting go of material goods, renouncing all of the pleasures of the world. Strong feelings can arise as practitioners work to address craving and attachment in a world of consumerism and materialism, especially in the face of rising prices and less assistance with basic needs. Enter the Four Sweet Liberations:

Leisure. Beauty. Opulence. Pleasure.

Join teacher Lama Rod Owens on Saturday, December 13 for a daylong retreat on the Four Sweet Liberations.

➡️ Tap the link in bio to register! 

📍 Asheville, NC | Dec 13, 2025 | 10 am - 5 pm
Nourishing Our Refuge Today, Giving Tuesday, we c Nourishing Our Refuge

Today, Giving Tuesday, we celebrate Dāna, the practice of generosity that has kept Southern Dharma a refuge for nearly five decades. As the Buddha taught, generosity opens the heart—and we are overflowing with gratitude for our community!

This winter, we are giving back to the land and the lodge that have held us all:

✨ RENOVATIONS ARE BEGINNING: We are launching substantial updates to the lodge bedrooms, bathrooms, and living spaces, ensuring comfort and longevity for future generations of practitioners.

🙏 YOUR SUPPORT MATTERS: Help us keep the momentum going! We were thrilled to match the recent $10,000 gift, and every dollar you give supports these critical facilities and grounds renewals.

THREE WAYS TO HELP TODAY

GIVE: Make a donation to help us broaden access while maintaining our intimate, rural retreat setting. 

SHARE: Take our 5-minute survey to guide our renovation priorities.

PLAN: Mark your calendar! Registration for our 2026 retreats (including new 10- and 14-day programs) opens January 1st at 2 PM!

➡️ Access all three links in our bio!

Thank you for your presence, your practice, and your care.

#GivingTuesday #SouthernDharma #Dāna #Generosity #MeditationRetreat #Mindfulness #Nonprofit
Southern Dharma is deeply honored to host Lama Rod Southern Dharma is deeply honored to host Lama Rod Owens—Black Buddhist Southern Queen, renowned author, and leading voice in contemporary Dharma—for a Daylong Retreat on December 13th.

A teacher standing at the intersection of social change, identity, and spiritual practice, Lama Rod’s work centers on freedom, radical self-care, and self-expression. Come out and connect!

When: Saturday, December 13, 10 AM – 5 PM
Where: Land of the Sky United Church of Christ
Cost: Sliding scale $25 – $75
To register and find more information, please visit the link in our bio.

#RadicalSelfCare #Dharma #BlackBuddhist #Asheville #SouthernDharma
It can be hard to balance time off work for both r It can be hard to balance time off work for both retreats and the holidays. 

But this year, on the weekend before Thanksgiving our staff are hosting our Fall Work Weekend! It runs from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon November 21 - 23, accommodating our working sangha members. It  will be a weekend held in noble silence with opportunities to practice together in sitting periods, working meditation sessions, and walking meditation through our wooded trails. 

Take the time you need to connect with yourself and the natural world before the holidays are in full swing. Registration and more information in our bio!
Join us next weekend for our second annual communi Join us next weekend for our second annual community picnic! 🧺 

📅 October 19 from 12 - 4pm

📍 215 Dharma Path, Hot Springs NC

🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 Children and well-behaved dogs are welcome

🖋️ Find more info and register through the link in our bio
Join us next month for a young people's retreat on Join us next month for a young people's retreat on The Four Great Efforts.

In our daily lives, effort often looks like striving: pushing to achieve, succeed, or prove something to others. But in Buddhism, the most powerful effort we can make is internal. It’s the effort to develop a mind full of ease, kindness, and gentleness.

This retreat will take place in noble silence, offering an environment conducive to deep practice. Daily activities will include meditation instructions, Dharma talks, mindful movement, silent sitting and walking meditation, and group interviews to support your practice.

All experience levels welcome, 35 and under.
Join us in welcoming Cory Adams as Southern Dharma Join us in welcoming Cory Adams as Southern Dharma Retreat Center's new Executive Director.

Cory officially begins her time as part of the SDRC team today. Cory will be joining us onsite at Southern Dharma on October 19 for our second Annual Community Picnic to welcome her into her new role. Come out and celebrate with us!

Read more about Cory in our recent newsletter and register for our community picnic through our website. (Links in bio)
We may not recall the date or time grief set upon We may not recall the date or time grief set upon us, but the slow spin of seasons can echo hurt back to us. Anniversaries reside in our nervous systems: Whether it’s a flower smelled the day before the storm and now returned to bloom, or a tree whose leaves were just beginning to redden before they were stripped completely in the forced winds of the hurricane, the world marks time for us and our bodies recall the season of pain. 

For those of our sangha residing in the region and all of our local community members, we wish you peace, wellness, and solidarity through community on this difficult day.

Twelve months since the storm, many needs are still not met. People remain displaced, waiting for housing to be rebuilt. Whole regions are left with few resources to tend to the many scars Helene left. 

On this day of remembrance, we want to uplift and thank the many organizations who are still diligently rebuilding towns, creating affordable housing, and advocating for those most vulnerable in the community.
Mark your calendars! Lama Rod is returning to Ashe Mark your calendars! Lama Rod is returning to Asheville to guide a daylong retreat.

🗓️ December 13, 2025
📍 Land of Sky UCC - 15 Overbrook Pl, Asheville, NC 28805

Retreat info and registration details to follow! 🙏
➡️➡️➡️ Space available! "In a world that feels in ➡️➡️➡️ Space available!

"In a world that feels increasingly heavy with fear, division, and uncertainty weighing on our hearts—it is more important than ever to remember the deeper truth: liberation is not just resistance, it is a frequency, a state of being, and a path we must walk together."

Join us in exploring the state of liberation from September 16 - 21 with teacher Spring Washam. We have space available for retreatants in the Lodge, on our tent platforms, and in our furnished canvas tents. Link in Bio!
Take the time to just breathe. #meditation #retrea Take the time to just breathe. #meditation #retreatcenter #southerndharma
We're Hiring a Part-Time Retreat Cook! Are you a p We're Hiring a Part-Time Retreat Cook!
Are you a passionate cook with a love for vegetarian and vegan cuisine? Southern Dharma Retreat Center is looking for a Part-Time Retreat Cook to join our small, close-knit team.

You'll be responsible for preparing delicious and nourishing meals for 25-40 retreatants, and supervising a small team of volunteers. This unique opportunity includes on-site room and board on work days, and the chance to attend retreat sessions.

We are looking for someone with:

- ServSafe certification and professional cooking experience.
- The ability to prepare vegan and gluten-restricted meals.
- A calm and kind demeanor, with respect for diverse spiritual traditions.

This is a great fit for someone interested in working in a mindful and peaceful environment. The position pays $17 per hour and is 24 hours per week.

To apply, please send your resume and cover letter to work@southerndharma.org with "Retreat Cook Part Time" in the subject line. We can't wait to hear from you!
Join us for a transformative New Year's Retreat wi Join us for a transformative New Year's Retreat with Fresh Lev and Eve Decker focused on mindful awareness, wisdom teachings, and building a supportive community. Ready to step into the New Year feeling centered, connected, and truly renewed? We can't wait to share this special time with you!

Learn more and register here: https://southerndharma.org/retreat-schedule/1516/buddha-dharma-and-sangha-engaging-in-refuges-for-these-times/
🍂 Fall is calling! We're thrilled to announce our 🍂 Fall is calling! We're thrilled to announce our incredible lineup of Affinity Sangha Retreats at Southern Dharma Retreat Center this autumn. From exploring liberation with Spring Washam to finding refuge with La Sarmiento and Em Morrison, and so much more – there's a unique path for everyone.

Swipe through to see all the details and mark your calendars! Find more info on our 2025 Retreat Schedule, link in bio.

#SouthernDharma #RetreatCenter #AffinitySangha #Mindfulness #Meditation #Buddhism #Dharma
Lend a hand for Dharma! 🙏 We're gathering the comm Lend a hand for Dharma! 🙏 We're gathering the community to help maintain West Road and the Dharma Path. Your efforts ensure safe and peaceful retreats for everyone. Join us for a day of silent work, good company, and giving back. Lunch is on us! 🛠️🌿 

Find more details and sign up through the link in our bio! 

#SouthernDharma #RetreatCenter #CommunityService #MindfulWork #Dana #DharmaPath
🌳🦌🦋 The animals are leading the way to the Lodge 🌳🦌🦋 

The animals are leading the way to the Lodge for our first day of retreat with Rupert Marques.

#meditation #ecodharma #wildlife #appalachia #meditationretreat
Ever wondered about the power of meditating togeth Ever wondered about the power of meditating together? 🤔

Discover Insight Dialogue at our upcoming relational meditation retreat! This unique practice brings together wisdom teachings and spiritual friendship to amplify mindfulness and illuminate a path to clear understanding.

Through noble silence, mindful listening, and conscious dialogue, you'll explore the expansive capacities of your heart and mind, transforming reactivity into insight. Suitable for all, no prior retreat experience advised.

Ready for a deeply connective experience? Learn more at the link in our bio.

#InsightDialogue #RelationalMeditation #MeditationTechniques #MindfulCommunication #SpiritualDevelopment #GroupMeditation #Retreat
Our search for concurrent positions of Retreat Cen Our search for concurrent positions of Retreat Center Director and Executive Director is underway! If you or anyone you know is considering either position, we encourage you to apply.

If you do not know of anyone directly, consider sharing the positions with your social and business networks to help us reach the widest possible breadth of candidates.

More details in bio!
Registration is now open for our New Years Retreat Registration is now open for our New Years Retreat! 

During this New Year’s Retreat we will create refuge in our practice together, focusing on mindful awareness, wisdom teachings, and a community of practice and support.

We’ll experience meditation (both silent and guided), talks, songs, and practices all in support of our clarity and resilience as we move into the new year.

Find more information at the link in our bio under "Retreats for 2025." 

#meditation #buddhist #retreats #newyearsresolution
The Buddha’s path to liberation is designed to hel The Buddha’s path to liberation is designed to help us face the full experience of embodied human life. Through deep practices of mindfulness, concentration, and emptiness, we can cultivate clear states of mind that naturally allow inner leave and insight to emerge.

Join us with Lisa Ernst on retreat from July 9 - 13 to access teachings to bring acceptance, patience, and love for yourself into the process of practice.

Link in Bio!
#buddhism #meditation #retreatcenter
You heard that right! We are seeking candidates f You heard that right!

We are seeking candidates for either role with strong Dharma or contemplative practices, skills in strengthening systems to achieve greater impact, commitments to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion, and ethics of spiritual hospitality.

Want to help us find our future leadership? Spread the word and share this post to your community! 

#dharma #buddhadharma #silentretreats #executivedirector #nonprofitleadership #nonprofitorganization #nonprofitsofinstagram

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1661 West Road
Hot Springs, NC 28743
828-933-3021

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