A bright window beneath the green trees;
jade palaces and vermilion towers can't compare with it.
​(Zen Ancestor Shitou's "Song of the Thatched Hermitage")

Bright Window Hermitage is a Buddhist practice place  for solitary meditation retreats, group retreats, and Dharma study, in the Santa Lucia Mountains near Carmel Valley, CA. Retreats at the hermitage are especially for those who already have an established meditation practice and want to deepen their practice in a more focused and silent environment.  The hermitage relies solely on the support of donations to offer these programs. ​

Kokyo Henkel and Shoho Kuebast are the caretakers of the hermitage, and are in long-term semi-retreat while living there. Kokyo also travels around the country to lead Zen retreats at various temples, and Shoho is a relief chaplain at Stanford Hospital. They are both ordained priests in the Japanese Soto Zen lineage and also practice within Tibetan Nyingma lineages. Listening and contemplating, each in their way, they are dedicated to actualizing Buddha Nature and invite others to join in this humbling, challenging and joyful endeavor for the benefit of all.

Bright Window Hermitage is a non-profit 501(c3) organization, tax ID 33-1584915. 
​All donations are tax deductible and deeply appreciated as this practice place continues to be developed.