It was in the year 2000 that OM C. Parkin bought the dilapidated manor house, with its 9,000 m² of wooded parkland, about an hour from Hamburg. His intention was to give spiritual seekers and his own students a permanent place to learn and to live out the ONE teaching, but no one had any idea that the ruin would one day become a modern monastery.
After a challenging construction phase, the completely restored manor house, which was financed exclusively by donations, opened its doors in 2010.
Over the years, it has expanded to offer a wide variety of services for people who seek retreat, silence and contemplation. Serving a charitable purpose, it is open to everyone, regardless of their particular confession or tradition.
The Spirit of the Gut Saunstorf Monastery
The spirit of the Gut Saunstorf Monastery is based on three pillars: the impersonal teacher, the teaching and the community.
In OM C. Parkin you can meet an impersonal teacher and spiritual master. He has transcended the limitations of the ego mind, and accompanies his students and other seekers on the inner path to realising their own full human potential. In the monastery he gives Darshan or retreats, holds lectures and speaks at conferences, or makes his visionary abilities available during nights of mediumistic healing.
The timeless teaching, the Perennial Philosophy, which is independent of religion, culture or belief, is the basis of the monastery’s offers and events. It is the core of every wisdom tradition and can be found in the writings of Christian, Islamic and Jewish mysticism as well as in the teachings of Gautama Buddha.
The monastery is supported and run by a community, the Sangha, which currently consists of about 60 people. What they all have in common is the desire for truth and self-realisation, and the willingness to take responsibility for their own suffering and to support each other on the inner path.
In this sense, the Gut Saunstorf Monastery is a non-denominational place of inner training, study, introspection and lived spiritual community.
What is a Modern Monastery?
A monastery is a sacred space of retreat and silence, of contemplation and seclusion from the world. In the traditional sense of ora et labora, work and study are not separated from each other. These monastic traditions are respected and preserved – but free from any separating or antiquated confessional structures. This way the modern monastery becomes a nexus of spiritual tradition and enlightened contemporary life. It combines Eastern and Western spiritual traditions and thus becomes a place of inner union and lived spirituality.
Possibilities of Being Here
There are different ways to spend time at the Gut Saunstorf Monastery.
Time Out: Simply Be a Monastery Guest
If you long for silence and contemplation, you can simply spend some time out as a monastery guest here, in the midst of nature and close to the Baltic Sea. The well-balanced catering is vegetarian and certified organic. You are free to participate in the daily meditations or the meetings of the open sangha, to get support from a therapist for your inner processes or simply to spend time with yourself in silence. You can use the spa area for relaxation, float in the samadhi tank or retire to the chapel for meditation. The monastery also offers regular retreats and silence weeks.
Come as a Karma Yogi or Volunteer
Tending to the maintenance of this special place and ensuring its preservation calls for a lot of nurturing and care. For this, we also depend on outside help from people who support us through their efforts. As a Karma Yogi or a volunteer, you can work here for different periods of time in various fields of activity and also be part of the community.
Darkness Retreat
A special way to benefit from the monastery is through the use of our dark rooms. Darkness retreats have a long spiritual tradition and represent an ancient method for finding truth. In the absence of external stimuli, perception intensifies, consciousness can clear up and deep processes of realisation become possible.
You are warmly invited to get to know this Place of Stillness and to make use of it for yourself. We look forward to meeting you!
