About the BMCM

The BMCM is a 501(c)(3) religious nonprofit. (The term “religious nonprofit” is an administrative category. Passage meditation is for everyone, whether you come from a major faith tradition, are “spiritual but not religious”, are agnostic, or atheist.)

All of our work is made possible by donations. While income from books and retreats covers a portion of our costs, everything we do depends on the generosity of those who benefit from Easwaran’s teachings.

Our headquarters was acquired in late 1969 and is located in the small town of Tomales, in Marin County in Northern California.

The property is 251 acres of what was formerly a dairy farm, and we continue to be surrounded by dairy ranches. For nearly 50 years, we have been transforming this property into a well-managed combination of pastureland and woods. We have refurbished a number of old buildings and built new ones that function as our workspace.

We also have an active ashram community who live here full-time, with an extended ashram community of meditators living in the neighborhood.

We are always delighted when people express an interest in Easwaran and his work. The best way to learn about Easwaran's work and the BMCM is by attending a retreat in Tomales, which will include a tour of the BMCM. Please see our retreat calendar  for dates.

If you are unable to come on a retreat, we can provide a short tour if it is arranged a few days ahead of time. Tours will be scheduled during the week, Monday–Friday between 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m., or on Sunday morning between 10:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m. We are closed on Saturdays. We regret that we cannot accommodate drop-in visits.

Please call us at 707 878 2369 or email us to make an appointment. Our postal address is:

Blue Mountain Center of Meditation
PO Box 256
Tomales, CA 94971 USA

Our logo is a South Indian temple lamp. “Little Lamp” is the pet name given to Easwaran by his spiritual teacher, his grandmother. The South Indian temple lamp on our logo is a representation of the lamp she used in her daily worship.

Easwaran named his organization the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation after the location of his home on the Blue Mountain, or Nilgiris, in South India.

Similarly, the BMCM publishing arm is called Nilgiri Press.

Easwaran believed in providing resources to anyone who is interested in his method of meditation freely and “with an open hand”. We are guided by this principle in all our offerings.

We offer a wide range of free resources on our website – instructions in passage meditation, instructional webinars and follow-up courses, passages for meditation, the Blue Mountain Journal published three times a year, membership in our worldwide virtual fellowship community (eSatsang) and many others.

We also offer scholarships and financial aid for our in-person retreats.

We have one center worldwide, the BMCM in Tomales, California, from which we reach and support our audience.

The BMCM is organized into a number of departments. Each department takes responsibility for carrying out specific activities such as instructional programs, keeping Easwaran’s books in print, or interacting with our donors. Much of our ongoing project work is performed by cross-departmental teams that include staff and volunteers.

Representatives of the BMCM’s instructional programs and publishing activities are longtime meditators who have received many years of training in Easwaran’s teachings.

All departments and teams report to the President’s Office (PO) headed by the President. The PO in turn reports to the Board of Trustees.

Our audience is growing both in the US and internationally. We have an audience of about 20,000–25,000 who are engaged and communicate with us on a regular basis.

Our publishing department, Nilgiri Press, sells roughly 100,000 of Easwaran’s print books, e-books and audiobooks each year, and sales are growing by about 5% annually.

Our programs department offers more than 20 in-person retreats each year, together with an increasing number of webinars and online programs.

Our international audience is drawn from over 40 countries and is about 30% of our total audience.

The BMCM engages in short-term and long-term strategic planning based on our vision for the year 2100:

“Eknath Easwaran is a living force, changing lives to build a better world.”

We regularly review our activities to ensure we are meeting the needs of our audience and keeping Easwaran's message active and alive for future generations.

The BMCM is guided by eight Foundational Principles on which we base all our activities. The Foundational Principle on governance states that the Board of Trustees is responsible for the overall governance of the BMCM. Operational responsibility lies with the President’s Office which reports to the Board of Trustees.

Our foundational principle on organizational values and work culture makes it clear that Easwaran’s teachings are at the heart of the BMCM and are reflected in all our activities and relationships. All core roles in the organization are held by longtime practitioners of passage meditation. We actively embrace a culture of teamwork, collaboration, and consultation.

The President, assisted by colleagues in the President’s Office (PO), is responsible for implementing the strategic vision and for the day-to-day operational activities of the BMCM. These include providing direction and resources to department and projects, interacting with our audience, financial management, and the business continuity of the organization.

Our President is David Bishop.

The PO assists the President in carrying out his/her duties in managing the operations of the BMCM. Currently the PO has four members, David Bishop, Joan Barnicle, Madison Nichols, and Satish Kappagantula. All of them are longtime meditators who have extensive experience in business management, finance, development, technology, and strategic planning.

Trustees provide oversight to the organization as well as long-range planning, including our three-year strategic plans, which guide our work. Christine, Easwaran’s wife, has played an active role as a Life Trustee and Easwaran’s representative, appointed by him 25 years ago. She has been instrumental in developing our Foundational Principles and ensuring the BMCM remains a viable organization well into the future.

Our Trustees are Christine Easwaran (Life Trustee), David Bishop, Joan Barnicle, Satish Kappagantula, Madison Nichols, Diana Lightman, Nick Harvey, Sultana Harvey, Julie Maclean, Terry Morrison, and Beth Ann O’Connell.

Our Foundational Principle on Easwaran and his audience states that Easwaran is the only spiritual teacher and spiritual director of the BMCM in perpetuity. We endeavor to carry his message into the world as authentically as we can so people can connect with him directly and find support in his written and recorded teachings.

In addition to Easwaran’s books we have nearly 4000 of his recorded audio and video talks. The BMCM is committed to making these teachings available via a Digital Library. Selections of these talks are available and more will follow.

 Finally to quote Easwaran himself: “to those who have faith in me, I shall continue to guide them.”

1. The Blue Mountain Center of Meditation was founded in 1961 by Sri* Eknath Easwaran to carry his teachings into the future. As a spiritual organization, all of our efforts are in support of this goal. 
   
2. Sri Easwaran is the only spiritual teacher of the BMCM in perpetuity. In all our endeavors, we are dedicated to carrying his spiritual message into the world as authentically as possible so people may encounter him directly through his written and recorded teachings. 
   
3. All BMCM publications authentically represent Sri Easwaran. The BMCM publishes Sri Easwaran as its only author. 
   
4. The BMCM provides instruction and spiritual support only in Sri Easwaran’s eight-point program of passage meditation. All of our instruction is based on his written and recorded words and is presented by authorized representatives of the BMCM who are longtime practitioners of passage meditation and have undergone rigorous training. 
   
5. The BMCM preserves a comprehensive archive of Sri Easwaran’s written and recorded words for use in authorized BMCM activities. 
   
6. The BMCM is responsible for maintaining at Ramagiri Ashram the pattern of life established by Sri Easwaran to demonstrate daily practice of his eight-point program of passage meditation. The four touchstones of the day – morning and evening meditation, spiritual fellowship of the evening meal, and viewing of Sri Easwaran’s talks together – preserve the essentials of his way of life for realizing the Supreme Goal. For ashram residents this is the primary purpose of their lives. 
   
7. Sri Easwaran’s teachings are the heart of our organization, and we reflect those teachings in all our activities and relationships. All core roles at the BMCM are held by dedicated practitioners of passage meditation. We actively embrace a culture of teamwork and consultation. 
   
8. The Board of Trustees is responsible for the overall governance of the BMCM, and assumes the responsibilities of the Life Trustees after their time. The President’s Office reports to the Board and is responsible for all activities and divisions of the BMCM, including Ramagiri Ashram. The BMCM’s governance structure upholds our foundational principles through regular oversight of written policies, plans, and procedures at all levels of the organization.

*Sri (pronounced Shree), as in Sri Easwaran, is used in India as a respectful form of address.