About us
Karmê Chöling is a residential meditation retreat center situated on 500 acres of beautiful countryside in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. With the Green Mountains as the backdrop, the land is enriched by rolling meadows, woodland walking trails, and a one-acre organic garden.
Originally home to the Abenaki people, the land was turned into a dairy farm before it became our retreat center. We have six meditation halls, bright and open common spaces, a range of living quarters for full-time residential staff and program participants, along with seven rustic cabins in the woods for solitary retreats.
We are a global community of meditators, spiritual practitioners, and people who believe that human beings are basically good. This nature can be brought into daily life so that it radiates out to family, friends, community, and society. We are committed to creating communities where we support one another on our spiritual paths and celebrate life’s journey together, and to creating a society that brings out the best in each of us.
Our Center brings together people from all walks of life to learn, through the practice of meditation, to be kind to ourselves and others. The center continues to offer programs for both new and experienced practitioners, with a community life rooted in meditation practice as a foundation for fostering enlightened society.
The first land center established by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Karmê Chöling has served the international Shambhala community for 50 years. Upon his passing, leadership passed to his son, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, and recently to the Shambhala Board.
The Karmê Chöling community values respect for all individuals; regardless of meditation experience, age, race, gender, ethnic background, sexual orientation or identity, capabilities, politics, religion or occupation.
In this time of great difficulty for ourselves, society, and the planet, our Center promotes teachings across many faiths and traditions, that can help us show up with fearlessness and gentleness and to meet the challenges brought on by the chaos of our world.
Upcoming events
6
Sunset Social with David Roth Vermont Senate Candidate
Karme Choling, 369 Patneaude Lane, Barnet, VT, USJoin us for an evening of community, conversation, and celebration as the sun sets over Karmê Chöling.
What to Expect:
🌸 Garden Tour Wander through our organic gardens as the light turns golden, with the Northeast Kingdom's mountains as a backdrop.
🤝 Meet David Spend time with Vermont Senate candidate David Roth and connect with fellow Vermonters over shared conversation about the issues that matter to our communities.
🎶 Dance Party Unwind with cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, and live music by Tritium Well as the evening winds down into a celebration.
About David Roth
David Roth is running for Vermont Senate (Caledonia) with a simple promise: be heard, expect results. This event is a chance to meet him directly, ask questions, and hear his vision for the district.Note: Karmê Chöling does not endorse David Roth or any other political candidate. We are making space available as part of our commitment to civic engagement and to serving as a gathering place where community members can meet candidates, ask questions, and participate in public life. We are open to hosting similar gatherings for other candidates.
Information and Registration: https://www.karmecholing.org/program/david-roth-sunset-social
1 attendee
10-Day Silent Meditation Retreat
Karme Choling, 369 Patneaude Lane, Barnet, VT, USA 10-day silent meditation retreat at Karmê Chöling in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, offering formal Shamatha-Vipashyana training in a residential, tradition-based setting.
This September, Karmê Chöling will hold a 10-day silent retreat built on two things: real silence, and a place that knows how to hold it.
Most of us are carrying more than we realize. This retreat is a chance to put it down for a while — to sit, walk, breathe, and let the mind settle into something steadier than the noise it's used to. Some come with years of practice behind them. Some are just beginning. Both are welcome here, held by the same clear structure, the same quiet land, the same teachers.
Participants spend full days in silent sitting and walking meditation, supported by experienced instructors and a simple, unhurried daily rhythm — with nowhere else to be, and nothing else to do, but this.Shamatha & Vipashyana Training
The retreat is built around two practices, one supporting the other:
- Shamatha (Calm Abiding): Training attention to settle — steadying a busy mind and building a foundation of stability.
- Vipashyana (Insight Meditation): Practices that build on that stability to look clearly at thought, habit, and emotion, opening the door to lasting clarity.
Shamatha comes first here, as a foundation. This keeps Vipashyana grounded, rather than stirring up more than a practitioner is ready to meet.
Information and Registration: https://www.karmecholing.org/program/10-day-silent-simplicity-retreat
1 attendee
Sadhana of Mahamudra Practice
Karme Choling, 369 Patneaude Lane, Barnet, VT, USThe Sadhana of Mahamudra was written by Chögyam Trungpa Rinopche, with the intent of overcoming the physical, psychological and spiritual obstacles that materialism poses to us in this modern age.
Through relating with the vibrant imagery presented in the Sadhana, as well as actively participating in the chanting, visualization, and recitation of mantras, we invoke a basic sense of sanity and clarity. When we commit to this wakefulness it profoundly impacts not only our meditation practice but our everyday lives and the broader world around us.
Join the Karmê Chöling household for the Sadhana of Mahamudra during our evening practice session on the new moon. The sadhana takes most of the hour with an abbreviated list of closing chants at the end.https://www.karmecholing.org/program/sadhana-of-mahamudra-practice-june-2025
1 attendeeSadhana of Mahamudra Practice
Karme Choling, 369 Patneaude Lane, Barnet, VT, USThe Sadhana of Mahamudra was written by Chögyam Trungpa Rinopche, with the intent of overcoming the physical, psychological and spiritual obstacles that materialism poses to us in this modern age.
Through relating with the vibrant imagery presented in the Sadhana, as well as actively participating in the chanting, visualization, and recitation of mantras, we invoke a basic sense of sanity and clarity. When we commit to this wakefulness it profoundly impacts not only our meditation practice but our everyday lives and the broader world around us.
Join the Karmê Chöling household for the Sadhana of Mahamudra during our evening practice session on the new moon. The sadhana takes most of the hour with an abbreviated list of closing chants at the end.https://www.karmecholing.org/program/sadhana-of-mahamudra-practice-june-2025
1 attendee
Past events
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