Karmê Chöling : Meditation Retreat Center

MINDFULNESS PRACTICE

All levels of meditators welcomed!
This half-day meditation retreat is an opportunity to "just sit" and steep in mindfulness practice. The main practice will be sitting meditation known as shamatha or peaceful abiding. We will alternate periods of sitting with walking meditation and brief Dharma readings. This is an opportunity to deepen your meditation and be able to practice with a community of meditators. Deepening in mindfulness meditation is appropriate for beginners to experienced meditators.

Beginning meditation instruction available
If you are new to meditation or have questions you would like to ask a meditation instructor, we will provide meditation instruction apart from the main group. With meditation instruction we give detailed directions on both basic sitting meditation and a "zen-style" walking meditation technique. We will talk a little about the view and understanding of meditation as well as go over some "best practices". This will provide you a good foundation on which to base an ongoing, consistent meditation practice at home. You'll have the opportunity to ask any meditation questions you might have in this instruction period.
You are welcomed and encouraged to join the main group in the shrine room afterwards.

## General Schedule

• 8:45: Arrive at Karmê Chöling and settle in
• 9:00 - 9:30 Beginning Meditation Instruction in an instruction room

OR

• 9:00 – 12:30 Community meditation practice in the shrine room. You don't need to stay for the entire period but can leave if you need to during the walking periods.

These morning sessions will include:

• Opening chants
• Mindfulness meditation sitting practice
• Walking meditation
• Selected readings
• 12:30 – 1:00 pm Lunch (by donation of $15) This is a great time to socialize and get to know the group of people you've been practicing with!
• Afternoon practice - space is available if you would like to continue meditation practice on your own.

This program is offered free but we do need you to register
Registration is needed so we can anticipate how many will be here, the number of people who will need instruction, who will stay for lunch and so on.

The 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.

AN EXTENDED SILENT MEDITATION RETREAT

Early spring is a beautiful time to give yourself an intentional pause—a chance to step out of familiar routines and into a space of renewal, reflection, and quiet restoration.
As winter softens and the first hints of spring emerge, the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont takes on a brightness and subtlety all its own. This transitional season naturally invites us into nowness where the present moment is complete, vivid, and inherently trustworthy. In silence, we learn to meet each moment directly, without rushing past it or holding it at a distance.
Throughout this ten-day retreat at Karmê Chöling, you’ll gently disconnect from the noise and demands of daily life. Free from constant stimulation, you can settle into a slower rhythm and use the tools of mindfulness to explore your moment-to-moment experience. This spacious environment supports the cultivation of calm, clarity, and an authentic sense of presence.
Nestled within the returning light and crisp air of March, the landscape surrounding Karmê Chöling becomes an ideal companion for this transformative journey.
Join us for this time of silence and stillness. Rediscover your inherent clarity and resilience—return refreshed and confident to your daily life.

General Schedule

• 7:30 am Optional sitting
• 8:00 Breakfast
• 9:00 Morning Session
• instruction and practice
• (mid-morning break)
• 12:00 Morning Session Ends
• 12:30 lunch
• 1:00 ROTA (light service task)
• 3:00 Afternoon Session
• 4:00 Tea Break
• 4:30 Afternoon Session Resumes
• 6:00 Afternoon Session Ends
• 6:30 Dinner
• 7:30 Optional sitting

Devotion and Crazy Wisdom

Practicing the Sadhana of Mahamudra

On the 39th anniversary of the Vidyadhara Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s death and parinirvana, we will gather to practice The Sadhana of Mahamudra, one of his most profound treasure texts. He received and wrote this text while in retreat in Bhutan in the fall of 1968. The liturgy brings together the power of heartfelt devotion and compassionate wrath or crazy wisdom. Seven years later, at Karmê Chöling, Trungpa Rinpoche taught a seminar on the Trungpa tulkus and the Kagyü lineage. In that seminar, he talked about how the Kagyü lineage constantly encounters and at times even invites mishaps.

In this weekend, we will practice sitting meditation, compassion practices, and chant The Sadhana of Mahamudra each day. There will be talks with discussion as well as small group discussions. We will explore Trungpa Rinpoche’s life story surrounding his receiving this text in Bhutan and returning to Scotland to teach, as well how he worked with his own mishaps. Finally, our ultimate focus will be on how we work with mishaps in our own life and community.