
Residency at Mountain Cloud
Flexible Immersion for Lay Practitioners
Mountain Cloud Zen Center is a space for practitioners, seeking to deepen their relationship to zen practice.
Perched on the outskirts of Santa Fe, New Mexico, Mountain Cloud is an adobe Zendo offering common areas for meditation, outdoor trails for contemplative walks, and an array of private accommodations. The residency program embodies the ethos that spiritual awakening is a daily practice that invites all individuals, and that one can deeply embrace their practice without having to abandon the ordinary facets of life.
Under the direct guidance of Sanbo Zen teacher Scott Thornton, our residency program is designed to be approachable for practitioners at various levels of experience, and structured to allow participants to seamlessly integrate their Zen practice into their existing routines.
Scroll down for more information and an initial intake form to indicate your interest. Please direct any inquiries to our Senior Resident Grant Goulet at residency@mountaincloud.org.
What Makes Our Residency Unique

- Our center has capacity for six residents, making for a uniquely personal experience.
- As a lay practice lineage, our residency is uniquely flexible, with a morning block followed by self-directed afternoons. This is a great schedule for meditators at various levels of experience and with a variety of intentions for this time.
- All are welcome. Ours in an interfaith practice that emphasizes the power of sitting over strict forms and ritual.
- Meditate and Study with our Assistant Sanbo Zen Teacher in 1-1 sessions. Our Teachers are a regular presence in the Zendo — joining community breakfasts and leading weekly talks.
Our residency operates in monthly units but you are welcome to stay for multiple months. If you’d like to stay less than one month, you might consider a personal retreat instead. Each month of residency is a little different because of our retreat and event schedule. Residents receive courses and retreats as a part of their residency fee.
Due to the size of the program, residents are responsible for their own meals and transportation. Mountain Cloud Zen Center is a 15-minute drive from the Sante Fe town square and about 12-minutes to the nearest grocery store.

“Prior to the MCZC EcoDharma offering, worry—about the climate crisis, for instance—came easily. Amazingly, this event became a haven for me, whether I was in the Zendo or outdoors on the land. My anxiety transformed into vivid, grounded interconnectedness. Deep interactions with teachers, plus informed talks, helped me see and hold things differently. It’s a truly fresh way to be engaged and connected with the world just as it is. Many thanks, Mountain Cloud!” – Tim Schieffelin
Schedule
Residency at Mountain Cloud provides an immersive Zen experience that includes:
- Morning block includes Zazen, community breakfast, Samu (work-practice), and a variety of discussion group opportunities
- Weekly Dharma talks and evening meditations
- Monthly retreat — a daylong, weekend, or weeklong
- Weekly practice guidance with Sanbo Zen Teacher Scott Thornton
- An open schedule for other work, personal projects, and community


January: 30 Days of Zen + Zazenkai (Daylong Retreat)
February: Weekend Sesshin + Zazenkai
March: 6-day Sesshin (Silent Retreat)
April: 30 Days of Zen + Zazenkai
May: Ecodharma Residency (includes Zazenkai, Weekend Sesshin, and a 6-day Sesshin)
June: 5-day North American Sanbo Zen (NASZ) Sesshin
July: 30 Days of Zen + Zazenkai
August: Zazenkai
September: 6-day Sesshin
October: 30 Days of Zen + Zazenkai
November: Weekend Sesshin
December: 6-day Sesshin







The Residency Team

Scott Thornton (San’un-ken) is a Teacher in the Sanbo Zen lineage and a Teacher and Residency Advisor at Mountain Cloud. Scott provides practice guidance to residents and leads our weekly Book Group, monthly Aging Buddhas gatherings, and weekly Intro to Zen classes.
Scott and his wife, Guiding Teacher Valerie Forstman Roshi, came to work at Mountain Cloud in July of 2022. After an early career as an actor and singer, he turned to Clinical Psychology, a profession he has worked in for over 45 years (and from which he plans to retire in early 2026), though he still enjoys the occasional singer-songwriter gig! He began meditating on his own for 12 years before joining The Maria Kannon Zen Center in Dallas and beginning Koan study with Ruben Habito Rōshi in 2000. He continues his training with Henry Shukman Roshi.
Learn more about Scott through his interview with Richard McDaniel about his journey into meditation.
Grant Goulet is our Senior Resident and Campus Operations Manager. Following several years of online practice with Mountain Cloud, while based in Detroit, Michigan, Grant joined the Residency program in January 2024, and, since May, has enjoyed the role of Senior Resident, providing operational management of on-site programs, assisting with facility and grounds caretaking, and leading hospitality for guests.
Grant is deeply interested in the supportive tripod of spiritual, philosophical, and scientific disciplines, with particular emphasis on metaphysics and the nature of consciousness. After several years of self-directed inquiry and contemplative practices, Grant was drawn to Zen through the writings and talks of Alan Watts, and has since deepened his appreciation for the tradition as the “the sword so sharp it cuts two into one.” Prior to taking up residency at Mountain Cloud, Grant utilized his PhD in Biomedical Engineering as faculty in academia, and executive leader in industry.
Off the cushion, Grant can be found running wild in the mountains around Santa Fe, taking pictures, writing down his philosophical musings, and traveling around with his partner, Kayla, and their dog, Maple, in their tiny house on wheels.

Guiding Teacher Valerie Forstman

Valerie Forstman is an Associate Zen Master of the Sanbo Zen lineage and our Guiding Teacher here at Mountain Cloud. Her first teacher, with whom she continues to work, was Ruben Habito Roshi. Since 2003, she has also trained under the guidance of Yamada Ryoun Roshi, current abbot of Sanbo Zen.
Valerie came to Mountain Cloud with a shared vision of the core of the Zen path, a way of coming home to who we truly are. In keeping with the Sanbo Zen tradition, this path or ‘way’ may include koan training, “just sitting” practice, or simple breath awareness practice, all of which funnel into what it means to undergo the immense change of heart implied by the term “awakening.” What a joy and what a rich process it can be, not just to taste this, but to embody it and live it out in lives of compassionate service.
As Guiding Teacher, Valerie is responsible for the quality and integrity of Zen offerings at Mountain Cloud. She offers dokusan to over 50 students a week and runs our sesshin and zazenkai. Alongside her guiding work at Mountain Cloud, Valerie leads sesshin (intensive Zen retreats) annually at two Zen centers in Germany.
Residents get to connect with Valerie most Thursday evenings for the Dharma talk and Tuesday mornings when she’s there for dokusan (1-1 practice guidance).
Outreach and Communications Manager Abby Shepard
Abby Shepard (she/they) is the Outreach and Communications Manager and Ecodharma Programs Manager at Mountain Cloud Zen Center. They’re also a community organizer and musician. Since encountering mindfulness meditation in 2018, Abby has been passionate about weaving the practice into various areas of engagement, from community organizing to music to program management. They are a 200-hour certified Skill in Action yoga facilitator, and her practice spans multiple lineages in Yoga and Buddhism including Theravada, Zen, and the Eight-Limb Path of Yoga.
Residents often see Abby onsite on Thursday evenings for the Dharma talk and on Sundays, with the occasional appearance for a morning sit and tea.

Accommodations and Pricing
Our monthly residencies start at $900 per month. Residents participate in retreats occurring while they are onsite and surcharges are added to cover the meals and teachings provided during retreat. We will provide additional information on what pricing will look like for the month(s) of your stay during the interview process.
In accordance with MCZC’s values, all residents are expected to adhere to the organization’s equity and inclusion principles, as well as follow the and COVID-19 Protocols.
Application
Please fill out the initial intake form below to share a bit about yourself. A member of our team will follow up with you to schedule a one-on-one interview to answer questions you may have and ensure this residency is a good fit for you.

