The Monastic Academy for the Preservation of Life on Earth (MAPLE) offers modern monastic training to develop a collective that can resolve the crises of the digital age.

We use traditional structures from Buddhist monasteries as well as engagement with global crises to develop mental clarity and ethical behavior. Based on the clarity and ethics developed from this spiritual practice, we strive to collaboratively discover a way to scale wisdom and compassion through emerging technologies for the benefit of all beings.

We are a full-time residential community with monastics, staff, and villagers, some of whom have committed their lives to MAPLE’s mission. This is different from your typical retreat or Dharma center.

People can visit us as a guest, participate in one of our rigorous silent awakening periods, or join our elite 1-3 month training program — a pre-requisite for longer-term residency in our community. All programs are by application only.

Scroll down to get a sense of a typical day at MAPLE, or click here for a deeper analysis of our worldview and theory of change.

What does a modern monastery look like?

The Monastic Academy is a residential contemplative training center striving to address the existential risks to life on Earth. Each day is a mixture of intensive meditation practice, physical labor, intellectual study, non-profit work, and community involvement. We start early, end late, and train six days-a-week, year-round.

In any given week, we are observing either a work period (a “Responsibility Week”) or a retreat (an “Awakening Week”).

Responsibility Weeks

During Responsibility Weeks we meditate for several hours a day and strive to maintain clarity while running the non-profit, engaging with community members, and deepening our collective intelligence.

We begin with chanting and meditation at 4:40am each morning, followed by an hour of exercise and silent breakfast. From there, we move into service work until lunch.

During this work period the responsibilities are divided amongst various teams. The majority of community members do physical labor to maintain the buildings and grounds, while some work on more complex tasks like scaling the Dharma and running the administration. Rotating people through different positions of responsibility and power is an essential part of the training model.

After this period of service, we come together for another meal ceremony to silently eat or discuss current events. We do chores together after lunch, and then have a few hours of free time to practice on our own, spend time together, or stay abreast of the world.

In the evening we rotate between various activities. This includes more service work, intensive practice, dharma study, or lectures on the world situation, such as our Buddhism for AI series.

We then enter into meditation at 7:00pm each evening, followed by chanting, which ends around 9pm.

Daily Schedule

Responsibility Weeks

Awakening Weeks

During Awakening Weeks we single-pointedly strive to advance our spiritual practice and breakthrough to enlightenment for the benefit of all beings.

The Awakening Week container is strict and uncompromising. By upholding a standard of excellence and not catering to individual preferences, the container creates optimal conditions for developing the mental clarity and ethical behavior needed to become a trustworthy guide for our world in crisis.