The times are urgent; let us slow down.

- Bayo Akomolafe

Save the date! The next CS will take place fall, 2028 in Vermont.

Our next offering is Interdependence Lab, an almost month-long of meditation, relational practice and creative expression on the land at Earthdance in June, 2027.

Five young adults smiling and standing behind a table with three trays of baked pasta, inside a wooden restaurant or café with a chalkboard sign in the background.

Interested in mindful living & learning in community?

Get updates on the Fall ‘28 Contemplative Semester!

Cultivate authenticity, courage and peace in yourself and the world.

A group of young people sitting on grass in a circle outdoors, with trees and houses in the background. One person in the center is speaking, using hand gestures.

These times are calling us into new (and ancient) ways of being. CS will support you to:

  • Slow down to listen to your inner guidance

  • Find presence, ease & balance inside yourself

  • Take back your attention & cultivate a more mindful relationship with tech

  • Navigate uncertainty with resilience & inner peace

  • "I learned in ways that I did not imagine that I would. I learned that life can be a practice. There is a way to relate to my life from a balanced place, which is amazing to actually try out. I didn't expect how much I would actually embody and learn practices in my daily life."

    Josie, 21 - CS ‘24 alum

  • "I can truly say that CS is the best thing I’ve ever done in my life. There are truly no words to express my gratitude and how incredible it’s been for me. It’s given me life in the sense that it’s given me community, an entirely new toolkit for how to move through the world, and a basis of care, compassion, strength and authenticity to guide me. "

    Maia, 20 - CS ‘24 alum

  • "I have never seen so many people change so drastically in such a short amount of time. In three months being here the shift to confident and happy and outgoing was insane to watch happen and I’ve watched it happen in myself."

    Zoe, 18 - CS ‘24 alum

  • "This has been the best experience and place to learn more about myself than anywhere else. Anyone able to get this much direct exposure to meditation and this kind of community for this long is extremely fortunate."

    Oliver, 20 - CS ‘24 alum

  • "My anxiety about where I am in life, the decisions I need to make, and where I should be has lessened as I spend more time in the present. I hope to continue developing this mindset moving forward and to remind myself that it’s okay for things to be as they are right now."

    Elaina, 20 - CS ‘24 alum

People sitting on cushions and meditation benches on the floor in a room with large windows, indoors, meditating.

What is the Contemplative Semester (CS)?

CS is a land-based, 3-month immersion in contemplative wisdom, community living and earth connection for young adults where we cultivate the roots of peace and thriving together so we can go out and help build a more peaceful, loving world.

  • A Holistic Curriculum integrating Buddhist, Quaker & other contemplative wisdom, mindfulness meditation, Nonviolent Communication (NVC) & earth connection

  • 4 Weeks of Meditation Retreat interspersed throughout the semester, guided by beloved Buddhist teachers

  • Living in Community based on collaboration & shared ethics

  • College credits offered and optional

  • CS is an educational non-profit sponsored by the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies

What will I learn?

At CS, you learn and practice how to…

Find Peace Within Yourself

  • Integrate Buddhist wisdom & meditation into daily life

  • Rebuild your attentional capacity toward deeper focus

  • Work skillfully with strong emotions & habitual thoughts

  • Reconnect to a sense of belonging with the Earth and more-than-human world

  • Discern & embody your deepest values & purpose

  • Develop a resilient heart & mind that can face anything

Two people practicing yoga outdoors, one doing a handstand and the other doing a handstand with legs up in a V-shape, on a grassy lawn under a partly cloudy sky.

Build Peace Together

  • Access & speak your truth

  • Listen deeply to others with care

  • Skillfully navigate conflict & power dynamics

  • Respond to the polycrisis of ecological, social & political breakdown with compassion & wisdom

  • Apply Buddhist ethics and nonviolence in communication, relationships & issues of social change

People sitting on grass and stone benches outdoors in front of a white house, surrounded by trees with fall foliage, during daytime.

Check out Interdependence Lab, our next program offering in June, 2027.

For questions, email Shea@ContemplativeSemester.org.

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