Personal Retreats
Individual Silent Retreats
Personal Wellness Retreats
Solo Meditation Retreats
I think it helps to have a structure ... [Karmê Chöling] is saturated with Dharma.
Sarah Smith
Why Take A Retreat
At Karmê Chöling?
Your inspiration has plateaued and you need to be re-energized
You’re looking for the structure and discipline needed to strengthen your mindfulness meditation, which is provided by community, while still having the flexibility and freedom to create your own retreat.
You are going through a big life change and you need a moment to breathe and reflect
You’ve found yourself on the cusp of one of life’s big transitions. Perhaps you have a big choice to make, a big change to accept, or a big lesson to learn. Whatever it is, you find that one phase of your life is ending while the next is beginning. You need a peaceful place to clear your mind and contemplate your next steps forward.
You’re curious about what it would be like to live at Karmê Chöling
You’d like to experience more of the land and community through a Personal Meditation Retreat before you decide to join our Residency Program.
You’re tired of feeling trapped by your habitual patterns
You need to stabilize your mind and strengthen your self awareness. This allows you to see the mental patterns that create dissatisfaction with your life and to address them.
You want to reconnect with the land, practice & community of Karmê Chöling
Karmê Chöling is your home-base, where you can gather yourself and redirect your life. You know when it’s time for you to return and recharge at Karmê Chöling before heading back out into the world.
A 50 year tradition
Supporting meditation practice
Possessing a rich history, Tibetan meditation masters and great scholars alike have taught meditation intensives at Karmê Chöling. It has truly earned its reputation as a center for deep retreats.
“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.”
~ Heraclitus
After a personal meditation retreat, you see and live your life a little more clearly, your new understanding revealing itself slowly, like a flower furling open.
Taking a personal retreat
At Karmê Chöling
Settle into the peaceful rhythm of Karmê Chöling's Buddhist Vermont retreat center and embrace the forms that support meditation and contemplation
What To Expect?
During A Retreat At Karmê Chöling
MENTORSHIP
Receive formal Buddhist sitting meditation instruction
from a mentor or teacher throughout your retreat as you need. This is an opportunity to discuss questions that may have arisen for you during your Buddhist sitting meditation or personal retreat.
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DHARMA TEACHINGS
Attend programs, workshops and dharma talks
from Karme Choling’s experienced teachers.
Gain access to 50 years of Karme Choling’s archives and library materials. Read and watch 50 years of dharma material in the form of books, recordings and talks in our community library.
COMMUNITY
Join our daily community sitting meditation, available twice a day.
Attend one of our book groups on meditation, dharma, and mindfulness.
Find inspiration within a community of meditation practitioners. Become energized in your own practice as you walk your spiritual path amongst a community of like-minded individuals.
Learn More About:
Custom Retreats
Mindfulness / Contemplative
Custom Retreats at Karmê Chöling
Silent Retreat
- Basic Buddhist sitting meditation
- Self-Guided 'Noble Silence' week
Personal Meditation Retreat
Deepen your practice and understanding of material from either a Karmê Chöling program or from other program you have attended.
Contemplative Arts
- Ikebana
- Miksan
- Calligraphy and
- Other contemplative Arts
Mind/Body Disciplines
- Yoga
- Tai Chi
- Qigong
- And others
Vajrayana Practices
- Ngondro
- Sadhana
- Other Vajrayana practices
Kyudo Retreats
If you bring your own yumi and ya, you can have the use of our azuchi practice range
Meditation Support
For Retreatants
Virtual Tour
Of Karmê Chöling
Amenities Available
For Retreatants
A little about Karmê Chöling
Karmê Chöling is a Buddhist meditation retreat center founded by Chogyam Trungpa, a Tibetan lineage holder. Established in 1971, it is one of the oldest retreat centers in the US. Situated in beautiful Vermont, it is also the first of Shambhala’s four long term retreat centers. From its start as a center for meditation retreats in New England, it has become a global movement with a community of meditators working together to build enlightened society.
Cost & Fees
Build the retreat you want for the time you want
In-house Retreat Fee: $10/night per person plus accommodations
Retreat Payment includes:
- Room with shared bath
- Breakfast, Lunch, Tea, & Supper
- Utilities + wifi
- Amenities
- Regular meetings with meditation instructor
There is an additional cost for office space.
Feel free to reach out to our Personal Retreats Coordinator at personnel@karmecholing.org with any questions you have concerning custom retreats
Learn More About:
Accommodations, Food & Office Space
FAQ
For Personal Retreats
Yes we will support you in your silent practice. We are not a silent household, although retreatants have very successfully done silence retreats in the midst of our boisterous community.
No, not at all, though you will need to be comfortable living within a Shambhala Buddhist community. We engage in chanting before sitting meditation sessions, which some people don’t care for and opt out of.
You need to be proficient enough in your contemplative/mindfulness practice in order to be self-directed for your retreat.
We usually ask of retreatants that they have:
- Completed at least one week of silent, group sitting meditation in a retreat setting
- Established a daily meditation practice of at least one year
If you are new to meditation and want to do a meditation retreat we would invite you to try one of our Guided Group Retreats first.
No, you can decide your level of engagement and set your own practice schedule, which can include joining household practice or not.
We recommend at least five days, although people have successfully done weekend retreats.
We have seven indoor meditation rooms and we are often able to assign retreatants one of them to practice in. Some people prefer to practice in their private room.
We recommend setting aside this time for practice. We understand however, you may need to telecommute for work.
You can use your private room. We also have a zoom studio which can be scheduled and we have private office space for rent.
This is a possibility. Please contact our Retreat Director to discuss this.
Even the Buddha went on retreat
At some point, we all have to walk away from the busyness of our life in order to penetrate the surface of our mind
Support your journey of self-discovery and reflection by joining us at Karmê Chöling. The forms and structure we maintain are the result of 2500 years of Buddhist knowledge and tradition, and point to the fundamental nature of mind and our connection to the world.
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