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Solitary Cabin Retreats

What To Know

Greetings from the Retreats Team!

Thank you for your interest in doing a solitary cabin retreat at Karmê Chöling. This page answers a number of questions you may have about doing a solitary retreat at Karmê Chöling. Please take a few moments to review its contents.

Details on Solitary Cabin Retreats at Karme Choling Meditation Retreat Center, Vermont

Our Retreat Cabins

Info Pages

  • Arrival - Departure
  • Food During Retreat
  • What We Provide
  • What to Bring

Write a Retreat Schedule

Write your retreat story

Costs & Fees

Refund Policy

Retreat FAQs

Application

Book a Retreat

Our Solitary Retreat Cabins

Yeshe

Tibetan: Primordial Wisdom

Yeshe, a solitary retreat cabin at Karme Choling Meditation Retreat Center, Vermont

Spacious, airy and bright, Yeshe is surrounded by gentle young trees, saplings and raspberry fields at the edge of a small glen. It is out from under the forest canopy, yet hidden from view. The cabin has big windows, a skylight and a beam ceiling. With ample sky energy and faraway views, Yeshe is a wonderful setting for a spacious retreat.

Vaishravana

Mythical King and Guardian of the North, Bestowing Prosperity

Vaishravana, a solitary retreat cabin at Karme Choling Meditation Retreat Center, Vermont

Also known as Jambhala or Kubera

This roomy cabin is located in the forested lower hills surrounding the main building. In summer time, Vaishravana is shaded by a canopy of tall deciduous trees, among them several gnarled old maples. It is surrounded by lush fern, mossy logs and boulders, and a brook running by that carries cool “sky water” from the upper Retreat Area. The entrance to the cabin is near a parking lot, but the cabin feels remote nonetheless. The interior is more modernly furnished than other cabins. The set up of shrine, kitchen and sleeping area is nicely balanced and the many large windows add to its spacious atmosphere.

Nirmanakaya

Sanskrit: Body of the Buddha

This tiny cabin features large windows along its porch, looking out into a bowl-shaped glade, which has a peaceful and protected atmosphere; so much so, that groups of deer frequently sleep close by the cabin. It is located near the Retreat Road, but hidden from view, in short walking distance to the meadows surrounding the Purkhang, the stupa-like monument in the upper Retreat Area. From Nirmanakaya, one can easily walk down to the Main House, if need be.

Great Eastern Sun

This cabin is perched on a steep wooded slope in view of the Purkhang. Although it is one of the smaller cabins, the interior feels particularly harmonious, with the shrine featured prominently and the kitchen and bed tucked into their own niches. Surrounded by tall oak and maple trees, with a craggy, dark rock formation looming in the back, it is shaded and cool in summer. During the winter it feels protected in its elevated location. Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche's mother, Lady Kunchok, always chose this cabin for retreat while she lived at Karmê Chöling.

Dhritarashtra

Mythical King and Guardian of the East, Leader of Celestial Musicians

Dhritarashtra, a solitary retreat cabin at Karme Choling Meditation Retreat Center, Vermont

Traveling uphill on the Retreat Road, then following a winding trail deep into the woods, one passes several spiky old pine trees that seem to stand guard over the remote site of this cabin. Dhritarashtra stays cool all summer long, but a gap in the tree line opens into a sunny glen, visible from the porch. The cozy interior resembles that of the Great Eastern Sun cabin, symmetrical and well-designed.

Cabin Information

For Going Into A Solitary Retreat

Food to take on a solitary retreat cabin at Karme Choling meditation retreat center Vermont
Arrival / departure information for solitary cabin retreatants at Karme Choling meditation retreat center Vermont
Supplies included in a solitary retreat cabin at Karme Choling meditation retreat center Vermont
What to bring on a solitary cabin retreat at Karme Choling meditation retreat center Vermont

Write a Retreat Schedule

Advice For Going Into Solitary Retreat

Writing a retreat schedule for a cabin retreat at Karme Choling meditation retreat center, Vermont

Whether its your first solitary retreat or you consider yourself an old hand, it’s important to have clarity about your intentions on retreat.

Alexander deVaron, a senior teacher in Shambhala and a longtime solitary retreatant, encourages retreatants to establish a vision of what they want to do each day in retreat.

Read Full Article Sample Schedule

Cost & Fees

Create the retreat you want for the time you want

Solitary retreats cost $30 to $55 a night, depending on how long you stay, plus a $150 Retreat Area maintenance fee that pays for upkeep of roads, roof repair, trimming trees and retreat vehicle maintenance.

What We ProvideFood During Retreat

Feel free to reach out to our Retreat Master at retreats@karmecholing.org with any questions you have concerning the retreat cabins.

Retreat Cabin Pricing
Number of nightsCost per night
5-6 nights
$55/night
7-10 nights
$45/night
11-28 nights
$40/night
29-56 nights
$35/night
57+ nights
$30/night
Length-of-Stay Sample Prices
NightsPer nightCostMaint. FeeTotal
5
$55
$275
$150
$425
10
$45
$450
$150
$600
20
$40
$800
$150
$950
40
$35
$1400
$150
$1550
80
$30
$2400
$150
$2550
FAQs for residency at Karme Choling meditation retreat center, Vermont

FAQ

Solitary Retreats

Deer at Karme Choling Meditation Retreat Center, Vermont

Application Process

For a Solitary Cabin Retreat

Application
Please fill out our Solitary Cabin Retreat application to help us determine a cabin most suitable to your practice. We recommend you book your retreat three months in advance so that you get retreat dates you want.

Deposit
To reserve your cabin retreat we require a deposit of 50 percent of the retreat fees at least two months in advance.
Full payment is due by arrival day.


How to pay a deposit:

  • Send a check to: Karmê Chöling registration, 369 Patneaude Lane, Barnet, VT 05821.
  • For credit card payments:
    call registration at 802 633 2384 Mon & Wed 1-3pm, Sat 10:30am-12:30pm
  • For PayPal, send payments to bookkeeping@karmecholing.org with your name, phone number and retreat dates.
  • For questions, email retreats@karmecholing.org

Cancellations and Refunds:

Embarking on a solitary retreat is a serious and powerful undertaking. Carefully consider your motivation and commitment before booking one. Please read our Cancellation/Refund policy.

Book a Retreat


Endlessknot

A 50 year tradition

Supporting meditation practice

For 50 years, practitioners of the Shambhala and Buddhist traditions as taught by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, as well as other traditions, have come to Karmê Chöling’s beautiful retreat environment to deepen their understanding of mind through solitary meditation retreat.

The land and retreat cabins have been blessed by many great teachers — among them, the 16th Karmapa, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche and Namkha Drimed Rinpoche — and have been ripened by the practice of generations of retreatants.


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