Southern Dharma, 1661 West Road, Hot Springs, NC (2026)

05/08/2026

You know who we love? Our friends!

We want to send out big cheers into the universe for Keith Felicity, who has been one of Southern Dharma's constant and kind faces for the last three years.

Before Keith Felicity passed on the tie-dye baton as the Retreat Center Director to our wonderful Donna Blagdan (pictured here) they were ordained as Reverend Keith Felicity through 's Teacher Empowerment Ceremony.

And this month, they begin their clinical pastoral education at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill!

This will be their first internship as part of their Interreligious Chaplaincy Program at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities, which they anticipate graduating from with their MDiv in December.

Have you had the chance to meet Keith on retreat? Send some mudita their way!

05/04/2026

Pro tip: You don’t actually have to be "Southern" to find your Dharma here. 😉

We took a look at our 2025 numbers and—wow. We welcomed 662 of you from 33 different states! From our neighbors in North Carolina to our long-distance friends in California and New York, our 2025 retreatants proved that the trek to the mountains is always worth it. We’re so grateful to be a destination for practice, reflection, and community for folks all over the country.

Where are you joining us from this year? 📍

**Edited with updated numbers and states included!

04/16/2026

Fresh Spaces, Same Sacred Stillness ✨
We are overjoyed to finally share the results of our recent renovations at Southern Dharma Retreat Center!

While the heart of our practice remains rooted in silence and simplicity, we’ve spent the last few months mindfully upgrading our facilities to better support your journey inward. From refreshed practice spaces to cozy, updated accommodations, every hammer struck and brush moved was done with your comfort and contemplation in mind.

What’s New?
Enhanced Living Quarters: Subtle improvements to ensure your rest is as restorative as your practice.

Sustainable Upgrades: Practical improvements to our historic buildings to ensure we remain stewards of this land for years to come.

Enhanced Airflow: New, quiet ceiling fans installed on the third floor and in all second-floor bedrooms to keep your rest cool and tranquil in the mountain summers.

Whether you’re a longtime sangha member or considering your very first silent retreat, we can’t wait to welcome you "home" to these renewed spaces.

Ready to see for yourself? Check out our upcoming retreat schedule at the link in our bio and be among the first to experience the "new" Southern Dharma.

04/04/2026

🌸 Spring is here!

The days grow longer as green crawls up these mountains, and there’s a renewed sense of energy everywhere we look. It’s the perfect time to shake off the winter chill and start dreaming of sunshine, connection, and deep breaths.

While we’re soaking up every bit of the spring bloom, we’re already looking ahead to those long, golden summer days. There is no better time than now to give yourself something to look forward to.

✨ Join Us for a Summer Retreat!
Whether you’re looking to find your flow in nature, deepen your practice, or simply unplug from the digital noise, we’ve designed these retreats to be your ultimate summer sanctuary.

Reconnect: Step away from the "busy" and back into your body.
Restore: Enjoy guided sessions, nourishing food, and fresh air.
Renew: Return home with a clear mind and a full heart.

🔗 Visit southerndharma.org to browse dates and register.

03/28/2026

For Women's History Month, we asked some of our teachers what wisdom they carry from other women teachers in the world -- Here is a collection and celebration of that wisdom.

Who are the women teachers who have helped you on your path?

03/09/2026

✨ Find Your Seat: April Retreats at Southern Dharma
Register now to claim one of the remaining spots for our upcoming April retreats! Whether you are just beginning your journey or looking to deepen a long-standing practice, we have a space held for you in the quiet beauty of the mountains.

🗓️ Upcoming April Programs:

Vibrant Sky: The Practice & Vision of Open Awareness
Teacher: Jogen Salzberg
Dates: April 2 – April 5
Level: Open to all skill levels

We are One, We are Whole
Teacher: Rev. WonGong So
Dates: April 10 – April 17
Level: Open to all skill levels

The Intuitive Heart: A Meditation Retreat for Experienced Meditators
Teacher: David Chernikoff
Dates: April 29 – May 3
Level: Experience required

🌿 Join Our Community
At Southern Dharma Retreat Center, we believe these teachings should be accessible to all, which is why financial aid is available for these programs. If what you see is insufficient, please email [email protected] so we can find a way to get you on retreat!

🔗 Ready to join us? Click the link in our bio to register today!

03/02/2026

We honor the life of Venerable Dr. Pannavati Bhikkhuni, Maha Theri, beloved co-founder of Heartwood Mandala monastery in Hendersonville NC and teacher at Southern Dharma Retreat Center. To commemorate her, we offer a reflection from her student, Brian Silva:

"Our dearest teacher Venerable Pannavati, left her body on 2/26/2026 at 1:30pm EST. Her monastics, two lay residents and Kaye, her devoted Kappiya and friend, held vigil for her from 9am that day through her transition. Venerable Pannavati has been my wife Nancy and my teacher for many years. Venerable was one of the first African-American Theravada nuns in the United States. During her service to the Dharma Veneralbe made numerous trips to India lending support to the Dalit, a cast often called untouchables. Venerable worked hand in hand with them to improve their living standards and teach the Dharma. She and others ordained some of the very first bhikkhunīs of Thailand. In recent years Venerable Pannavatti has been dedicated to helping bring her teacher H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III’s writing to our country.

Words will never explain how she impacted all our lives and touched our hearts. Her joy was contagious and her fearless compassion paved the way for so many people. She was a true kalyanamitta and her favorite thing to do was to give a Dharma talk! Everything that she did was for the Dharma and for saving sentient beings."

02/26/2026

Interested in becoming more involved with Southern Dharma?
We are now accepting applications for two new positions on our staff!

Southern Dharma Retreat Center is a rural mountainous retreat center, where staff and volunteers live and work together. Staff support one another along the Path through spiritual community and friendship, operate and maintain the Center, provide for guests, and conduct retreats.

We are an intentional community of practitioners who also work together. In addition to our work duties and daily personal life activities, all staff here at Southern Dharma abide by moral and ethical precepts, offer hospitality and service to our guests and extended community, and work to create a diverse and inclusive culture that supports and protects all sentient beings.

Southern Dharma could be described as “rustic” and because of this, residents and staff members who enjoy creativity, curiosity, and self-agency in working environments have a smooth time integrating into our community, and we particularly encourage applicants of diverse or marginalized identities to apply.

02/14/2026

Do you want to experience true love?

“If you cannot transform and take care of the suffering in you and in the other person, that is not true love."
— Thich Nhat Hanh

This Valentine's Day, give the gift of a retreat to your loved one (or yourself!) in honor of the divine abodes of true love, the Brahma Viharas: Loving Kindness (Metta), Compassion (Karuna), Sympathetic Joy (Mudita) and Equanimity (Upekkha).

"Romantic love, if you are successful, will cultivate a lot of loving kindness and compassion. And very soon, your love will be all embracing. The other person will no longer be the only object of your love because your love will continue to grow and embrace all of us. Happiness becomes limitless, and that is the love of the Buddha. If it is true love, it will continue to grow and include not only humans but also animals, plants, and minerals. That is great love, maha karuna or maha maitri. That is the love of the Buddha."
— Thich Nhat Hanh

02/07/2026

📿 Have you journeyed to see the Monks Walk for Peace? Send us your pictures and we will repost them on our story February 10 - 11 to celebrate their arrival in Washington D.C.! 📿

This week, monks from Huong Dao Temple in Fort Worth arrive to the capitol on their pilgrimage for peace. To use board member Stephanie Swann's words, "They are demonstrating, in the most ordinary way possible, what it looks like to live a peaceful life. Not as an idea, not as a slogan, but as a practice."

As they've traveled across the south, they have lived a question that frequently arises at Southern Dharma: What does it mean to offer dharma in the southern United States? Facing both celebration and condemnation, their journey has created an opportunity for thousands to experience mindfulness practices for the first time. They have inspired countless practitioners--some from Southern Dharma--to join them in their march toward the capitol, even if just for an hour or a day.

Here are a few photos taken by Southern Dharma friends and family across Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. We offer heartfelt prayers of gratitude and metta to them as they near their destination, and send out blessings to the greater ecosystem of dharma in the south. May all find wellness, freedom, and peace! 🕊️

02/04/2026

You heard that right!

We are currently seeking a Retreat Center Programs & Communications Manager to join our community beginning on March 1, 2026. This position collaborates closely with our Retreat Center Director for all aspects of retreat-related logistics, and provides support to Southern Dharma’s RCD and Executive Director (ED) with broader communications and marketing.

Southern Dharma Retreat Center is a rural mountainous retreat center, where staff and volunteers live and work together. Staff support one another along the Path through spiritual community and friendship, operate and maintain the Center, provide for guests, and conduct retreats.

Full-time staff benefits include 100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance, paid time off, housing for on-site staff, food, and the opportunity to sit in on retreats.

Southern Dharma is committed to creating an inclusive community of individuals of different backgrounds, gender identities, races, sexual orientations, abilities, and ages.

Are you interested or know someone who would be a good fit? Find more information and the full position profile at

Southern Dharma

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