Monastic Academy

What Monastic Academy does

Monastic Academy for the Preservation of Life on Earth (MAPLE), operated by the Center for Mindful Learning, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2011, is a residential Buddhist training organization headquartered in Lowell, Vermont (751 Page Road) with a supplementary California branch called Oak. Its core offering is a rigorous three-month initiatory training cohort combining merit training (physical labor, community work) and wisdom training (silent meditation retreats), with a 4:35 AM wake-up cadence, daily sits, and 1:1 interviews with the teacher. The organization also runs an AI Fellowship, week-long silent Awakening Weeks, an annual Vision Quest wilderness rite of passage, guest stays, and events, all delivered on a dana (voluntary generosity) basis with accommodations and two vegan meals daily included.

The underlying offering is not a technology platform but a structured contemplative curriculum adapted from 25 centuries of Buddhist monastic tradition, led by head teacher Soryu Forall, who trained for a decade in Asian monasteries under Shodo Harada Roshi and also incorporates Abenaki, Lakota, and Din\u00e9 Native American traditions. There is no proprietary technology stack; the digital surface is limited to a Substack blog, MAPLE Tales publication, YouTube channel, and a website for application and payment forms. Business model mechanics are entirely donation-driven: post-program dana gifts, foundation grants (1440 Foundation, Vermont Community Foundation), and modest guest stay/program fees. Customer segments are individual practitioners, with a sub-segment of AI-and-technology-oriented participants drawn to the AI Fellowship; there is no enterprise or B2B revenue. Distribution is exclusively direct application to residential programs at the Vermont center, with no digital product sales.

Name

Monastic Academy

Legal name

Center for Mindful Learning

Website

https://monasticacademy.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Monastic Academy for the Preservation of Life on Earth (MAPLE) is a Vermont-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit offering residential Buddhist monastic training, including a three-month initiatory cohort, silent retreats, vision quests, and an AI Fellowship, serving individual spiritual practitioners on a donation-based (dana) model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contemplative Spiritual Training

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Religious Orders & Monastic Communities (Monasteries, Convents) (BPAGAJAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Buddhist Monastic Universities & Dharma Colleges (EDAHAKAK), Guided Meditation Instruction (1:1 & Group) (HSADAJAA), Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD)

Keywords

• Buddhist monastic training
• Meditation retreats
• Residential spiritual programs
• Contemplative education
• Silent retreat programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Lowell

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Dana (Voluntary Generosity): Program is offered on a dana basis, a Buddhist virtue of generosity where participants make gifts to the organization after their training period. Living accommodations and two vegan meals are included.
2. Grant Funding: The organization receives grants from foundations including 1440 Foundation and Vermont Community Foundation. Center for Mindful Learning is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
3. Guest Stay and Program Fees: Fees for service guest stays, coworking stays, retreat stays, shuttle services, resident training fees, and resident vehicle usage are collected through a payment form.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Monastic Academy operates a residential Buddhist monastic training center in Northern Vermont offering a 3-month initiatory training program that combines merit training (physical labor as practice) with wisdom training (silent meditation retreats). It also runs an AI Fellowship exploring the intersection of Buddhism and artificial intelligence, week-long Awakening Week silent retreats, annual Vision Quest wilderness rites of passage, and short-term guest stays — all on a dana (voluntary generosity) basis.

Product overview

Monastic Academy offers residential Buddhist training programs centered on the integration of awakening (meditation, insight, wisdom) and responsibility (leadership, service). The core offering is the 3-month initiatory training program combined with specialized programs including the AI Fellowship, Awakening Week silent retreats, Vision Quest wilderness rites of passage, and guest stays. All programs are offered at their Northern Vermont center on a dana (generosity) basis, with living accommodations and vegan meals included.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Three-Month Initiatory Training Period

Quantifiable outcome

• Trainees report transformation in leadership capacity, emotional intelligence, practical skills, and spiritual realization

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Sogenji Temple / Shodo Harada RoshicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSoryu Forall's primary teacher. He regularly travels to Japan to spend time with Shodo Harada Roshi at Sogenji Temple. This relationship provides authentic lineage connection and ongoing spiritual guidance for the organization's training programs.
• Lakota, Diné, and Abenaki Native American TraditionssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSoryu Forall and vision quest leader Darren Silver have been mentored in Native American earth-based traditions including Lakota rites and rituals. These traditions are integrated into the training curriculum.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Esalen Institute: Iconic Big Sur retreat center offering residential workshops, contemplative practice, and personal-growth programming; comparable to MAPLE as a residential retreat organization integrating contemplative practice with leadership/human development, though secular rather than explicitly Buddhist.
• 1440 Multiversity: Large California-based learning and retreat campus founded by the 1440 Foundation (a MAPLE grant funder); offers workshops, wellness retreats, and personal development programming on a fee basis — comparable as a multi-program contemplative learning center, though significantly larger and more commercial.

Direct peers

• Shambhala Mountain Center: Large contemplative retreat center in Colorado offering residential meditation retreats, contemplative trainings, and guest stays; comparable to MAPLE as a residential spiritual retreat center with multi-program offerings.
• Dharma Drum Retreat Center: Chan Buddhist retreat center in New York affiliated with Dharma Drum Mountain, offering residential meditation retreats, training programs, and guest stays; comparable to MAPLE as a residential Chan/Zen training center serving Western practitioners.
• Insight Meditation Society (IMS): Long-running Vipassana/Insight retreat center offering residential meditation courses and teacher trainings; comparable to MAPLE as a residential Buddhist training center serving serious practitioners on a donation/dana basis.
• Green Gulch Farm (SFZC): Working farm and Sōtō Zen practice center under San Francisco Zen Center offering residential practice periods, work-practice, and guest accommodations; comparable to MAPLE in combining physical-labor-as-practice, residential Zen training, and guest stays.
• Tassajara Zen Mountain Center (SFZC): Historic Sōtō Zen monastery in California offering residential training periods (angō/sesshin) and guest stays under the San Francisco Zen Center; comparable to MAPLE as a Western Buddhist residential training monastery with guest accommodations and intensive practice periods.
• Spirit Rock Meditation Center: Major Insight Meditation retreat center in California offering residential and day-long silent retreats, teacher training, and community programs; directly comparable to MAPLE as a residential mindfulness/Buddhist training organization.
• Plum Village: Global Zen practice community founded by Thich Nhat Hanh operating monasteries and retreat centers worldwide with residential mindfulness programs; comparable to MAPLE as a residential Buddhist community offering structured practitioner training on a donation basis.
• Barre Center for Buddhist Studies (BCBS): Tibetan-tradition Buddhist study and retreat center affiliated with Naropa University; offers residential and online study programs, meditation retreats, and practitioner training; comparable to MAPLE as a residential training center for serious lay practitioners.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/monasticacademy
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCQ5BkNQgJJnml0KA-4hJ8ZQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/monasticacademy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/monastic-academy-for-the-preservation-of-life-on-earth

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Monastic Academy