
Residency at Mountain Cloud
** PLEASE NOTE: We are currently in the process of updating this page with 2025 details. Please email our Senior Resident, Grant, at residency@mountaincloud.org if you’d like to learn more about joining us in the new year!
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.
This year, we are excited to feature a special Ecodharma residency month in May with guest teacher David Loy. The weekly schedule and events for this month will differ from our regular residency schedule. Please see the May 2025 Ecodharma Residency page for more details.
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.
Logistics
Our center has capacity for six residents, making for a uniquely personal experience.
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.
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.
About Scott Thornton

Scott Thornton directs the Mountain Cloud Residency Program and is an authenticated Assistant Teacher in the Sanbo Zen lineage.
Since 2000, Scott has been a student of Ruben Habito Roshi at The Maria Kannon Zen Center in Dallas, TX. He has also been a Clinical Psychologist for 34 years. His first career was in Theater, and he is still an active singer/songwriter and performer.
Scott joins residents most mornings for sitting and breakfast, leads the Wednesday Book group and Sunday Intro to Zen classes, and sometimes offers the Wisdom Wednesday or Thursday Dharma Talk. He is available to provide guidance and addresses questions about Zen and your residency experience. He co-facilitates the Monday “Logistics & Integration” meetings and offers each resident weekly 1:1 sessions, or Dokusan*. You can schedule your Dokusan time directly with Scott during the morning schedule.
Learn more about Scott through his interview with Richard McDaniel about his journey into meditation.
Accommodations and Pricing
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.

