Karmê Chöling Shambhala Meditation Center

Meditation | Culture | Community

Nestled in the beautiful green mountains of Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, Karmê Chöling offers contemplative programs to inspire wisdom and compassion in our everyday lives. As part of the global community of Shambhala we are dedicated to awakening our human hearts with kindness, bravery, and genuine dialogue.

With an array of accommodations, elegant meditation halls, an abundant organic garden, and a warm, inviting residential staff, you will find an ideal setting to explore what it means to be fully human while deepening your connection to the earth, yourself, and society.

About Shambhala

Shambhala is a global community with over 200 meditation and retreat centers around the world. As one of it’s four largest rural retreat centers, Karmê Chöling brings together people of all ages and from all walks of life who are interested in exploring our minds, transforming our experience, and awakening our potential for enlightened society.

We offer a path of meditation practice and contemplative arts oriented towards modern life. Our communities around the world cultivate kindness, bravery, and genuine dialogue. Our vision is to inspire compassionate, sustainable, and just human societies.

We work on ourselves in order to help others, but also we help others to work on ourselves.

~ Pema Chödrön

Dathüns and Weekthuns

Dathüns and weekthüns are in-depth retreats and a powerful introduction to and deepening of mindfulness-awareness meditation. They are offered multiple times throughout the year as one-week, two-week or month-long group retreats.

During these programs, the practice of mindfulness goes beyond sitting on a mediation cushion; every aspect of daily life becomes part of the mindful discipline of rediscovering the present moment and our own hearts and minds.

August 24, 2018

Update from the Executive Director

Karmê Chöling is committed to providing a safe place for people of all backgrounds, genders, race, age and physical ability, free from harassment, mistreatment and discrimination. We do not condone such harmful behaviors by any leader in Shambhala, including the Sakyong. We support and certainly call for the third party investigation report to be made public in its entirety, protecting the names of the victims. Read more…

July 20, 2018

Investigation Into Sexual Misconduct

For some months now, in the context of the Buddhist Project Sunshine, allegations of sexual misconduct have been brought against some individuals in Shambhala including, most recently, our main teacher, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. Read more…

November 2 - 8

Making Your Way Back Home - Shambhala Training Levels IV - V *

with Shastri Bill Brauer

The last 2 of 5 levels of the Heart of Warriorship, a seminal path of training rooted in the ancient meditation practices & wisdom teachings of the Shambhala tradition & created for the challenges of our modern, everyday existence.

November 2 - 9

The Four Dignities - The Shambhala Sacred Path *

with Shastri Donna Williams

The warrior, having learned to rest in basic goodness, rouses energy to engage with the larger world guided by the teachings of the four dignities (Meek, Perky, Outrageous, and Inscrutable).

November 15 - 23

Weekthün: A Week of Meditation

with Shastri Bill Brauer

Open to everyone - beginners to advanced practitioners! Expand your understanding of your mind, emotions, and heart in this deep meditation retreat.

November 16 - 20

Mudra Space Awareness

with Rupa Acharya Suzann Duquette

Unlock your inherent freedom and create a radical shift in your understanding of the mind/body relationship to space.

November 24 - 29

Joining & Embodying the Circle: Mindfulness-Based Training in the Way of Council

with Acharya Fleet Maull

This retreat and training is ideal for community leaders interested in leading from a place of awareness and resilience and facilitating resilience, healing, peacemaking and social cohesion in their organizations and communities.

Mukpo Institute

Karmê Chöling is host to Mukpo Institute, a three-month path of practice, study, and community. The program focuses on putting your practice and study into action every day as you engage... Continue reading
Meditation

The following will guide you through the basic technique of meditation and how to prepare a place to practice at home. You will also find additional resources and a listing... Continue reading
Samadhi Cushions

Samadhi Cushions and Store was started by students of the late Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, founder of Shambhala. They have been making and selling quality cushions for practitioners of meditation since 1975. Their cushions... Continue reading