![]() ![]() These self-guided retreats (which you do need to register for, though you can often do so “on the spot”) allow you to spend a couple of nights in a Lodge room or a tent, and create your own delicious itinerary of meditations, Yoga classes, talks/lectures (as available), hiking, reading, journaling and whatever else it is that is most fully going to nourish your soul. If one day doesn’t seem like quite enough, consider doing a two or three-day “Retreat & Renewal” program. ![]() You can also bring a picnic lunch/dinner, to enjoy on a picnic table in SMC’s “downtown” area, though spreading out a blanket in one of the meadows is ~ for land-preservation reasons ~ not permitted. Tea, fruit & bread are available all day long, free of charge. Vegetarian & non-vegetarian options are available. ![]() The dining hall (or tent, depending upon the season) serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, all of which are available to visitors at a reasonable cost ($7 per meal, last time I was there). And if Yoga asana is your thing, you’ll almost certainly be able to drop in on one of the classes offered on a regular basis to SMC staff members: just ask! For those with more modest hiking aspirations, and a desire to learn a bit more about the plant, mineral & animal kingdoms found in the SMC valley, guided tours of the land are often available, conducted by one of Shambhala Mountain Center’s land stewards. Fanning out from the Ridge Trail are more trails leading into National Forest land âÂ?¦ so if you wanted, you could hike for the majority of your day. It will take the average hiker 3-4 hours to make the entire loop, though it’s possible also to just do a section of it. Getting from the parking lot to the Stupa is itself a decent hike (20 minutes to a half-hour âÂ?¦ though alternative transportation is available for those who need it), but if this isn’t enough hiking for you, don’t worry! The “Ridge Trail” is a beautiful, in places quite rugged, hike around the rocky perimeter of SMC. Before or after you visit the Stupa, be sure to stop in to the Visitor’s Center and watch the Stupa video, which is chock-full of interesting information. The Stupa is open for visitors at any time of the day, with guided tours offered daily (usually in the afternoons). The Great Stupa of Dharmakaya That Liberates Upon Seeing is the largest and most elaborate stupa (architectural tribute to a great Teacher who has passed, in this case to Trungpa Rinpoche) in North America, and an absolute “must-see.” It is located at the confluence of three valleys, is built to last 1,000 years, and features a forty-foot gold-plated statue of Shakyamuni Buddha. If you’re coming just for the day, there are still many wonderful things available to you. The length of these programs ranges from three days to a month or longer, and pre-registration is almost always a requirement. These offerings include Yoga & Qigong intensives, Native American Vision Quests, Dagara Grief Rituals, Jewish Meditation retreats, and many others. This coming September will witness the first visit to SMC by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.Īlong with its extensive Buddhist offerings, Shambhala Mountain Center each year hosts teachers from a wide variety of other contemplative and indigenous traditions, with the aim of supporting mutually-enriching dialogue between the world’s great mystical traditions. Toward this end, SMC each years hosts dozens of well-known and lesser known Eastern & Western Dharma teachers: Khenpo Tsultrim Gyampso Rinpoche, Mingyur Rinpoche, Tsoknyi Rinpoche, Tulku Thondup, Reggie Ray, Khandro Rinpoche, Pema Chodron, and Thich Nhat Hanh are just a few among the very impressive array of Teachers whose Presence has graced this mountain center. Its primary mission is to offer retreats, classes & lectures related to Buddha Dharma. If you’re a Boulder resident without a formal connection to Shambhala or other Buddhist communities, you may not have heard yet of this wonderful place, or realized all that it has to offer, to Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike.įounded in 1971 by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche (a Tulku/reincarnate Lama of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism, and creator of Shambhala International), the Shambhala Mountain Center is located in a high mountain valley (elavation 8,300 feet) just north of Colorado’s Poudre Valley, near Red Feather Lakes and about an hour west of Fort Collins. If you’re a Shambhalian, it’s likely you’ve already experienced the pleasures of Shambhala Mountain Center: the aspen groves and ponderosas the gentle creek and clear water of Lake Shunyata the meadows scattered with wildflowers and grazing deer the ridge trail with its stunning views of snow-capped peaks and of course the Great Stupa of Dharmakaya. ![]()
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