Everyone has their own idea of paradise
For those searching for a rural Vermont retreat center, Karmê Chöling nestled amongst 500 acres of gently rolling countryside is ideal. Here you can find meditation intensives, basic Buddhist intro classes or short and long term meditation retreats.
Connect to the natural environment
This Northeast retreat center is immersed in lush forests, clear streams and open meadows. From the renowned rich autumn colors of New England to the deep quiet of winter to the vibrancy of life all around in spring and summer, this land gives rise to magic in all four seasons.
Places for Quiet Contemplation
Just walking on the land, one feels an appreciation for the environment. There are many places that provide an opportunity to take a quiet moment and connect back to one’s surroundings.
Contemplative Places
For Quiet Reflection
The Organic Garden
You can make your way to Karmê Chöling’s abundant one-acre Organic Garden. The Organic Garden has its own summer volunteer program and provides over a hundred varieties of herbs, flowers, and vegetables. Fresh organic produce is available to all who join us for a meal, including people who come for Day Visits, guided group retreats, residential retreats and more.
Learn more about The Organic Garden
Koi Pond
Just outside the Main House is our koi pond. In winter time the pond freezes over in sub freezing temperatures. Spring through fall is when it receives frequent visits from a variety of birds and waterfowl. This is also when the brightly colored koi can be seen.
Kyudo - Traditional Japanese Archery
Kyudo is one of the mind/body training paths available at Karmê Chöling. Its archery range, the Kyudojo, is just down the hill from the Main House.
Pictured in the foreground is the ‘Father Stone’, a traditional element of the Kyudojo.
Japanese Style Rock Garden
Stop by our Japanese-style Rock Garden. Built in the courtyard of the Main House, it is a quiet place for a moment of rest or contemplation.
Learn more about The Rock Garden
The Purkhang
The Purkhang is the structure that was used to cremate the body of Chögyam Trungpa. Located in the upper meadows, it continues to stand as a memorial to the founder of Karmê Chöling.
Learn more about The Purkhang
Kami Shrines
There are three Kami shrines on the land. Kami is the energy that evokes a sense of wonder and awe in the human heart. Karmê Chöling's Kami shrines are adopted from a Shinto tradition, and relating to them is intended to promote a sacred outlook on life and the world. If you would like to make offerings to the shrines while you are here, check in with the Retreats Department.
The Stevens River
Stevens River is the stream that runs through Karmê Chöling’s land. It has many moods throughout the year, ranging from a lively river in the spring, to a trickle in the fall, to an unseen but still heard presence under snow and ice in the winter.
Walking & Hiking Trails
If you are feeling adventurous and want to explore The Land in depth, there are 6 wooded hiking trails. These range from gentle to vigorous and will take you from the low areas around the Main House to the highest peaks on Karmê Chöling’s land.
View our Hiking Trails Guide
Ripened by several generations of practitioners and blessed by many great teachers for fifty years, the land at Karmê Chöling remains a constant source of wakefulness and delight for our worldwide community.
Ticks at Karme Choling
A Proactive Approach to Tick Management
With predictions for an active tick season this year, we launched a tick remediation plan in June. We're taking a two pronged approach: "tick tubes" and beneficial nematodes. Both help to reduce tick populations across the land while staying true to our commitment to environmentally safe stewardship.
The first approach is "tick tubes." This uses cottonballs treated with permethrin and places them where mice will find them. The mice use the cotton and basically medicate themselves and their nest. As they are the primary hosts of young deer ticks, this approach has been shown to reduce local tick populations by up to 90%. Neither the mice nor the wildlife that feed on ticks are harmed by this method.
The second is the application of beneficial nematodes, microscopic organisms that naturally seek out and eliminate ticks. Research from Cornell University has highlighted their potential as an effective, eco-friendly alternative to chemical pesticides. Beneficial nematodes pose no known risk to people, pets, groundwater, or pollinators. We offer a big thanks to Greg McNally, who came and spread the nematodes on the land for us!
After exploring numerous options, these two methods stood out as the most effective and practical solutions for the scale of the land we steward. We are excited to put them into action and help make Karmê Chöling more comfortable for all who visit.
Ticks and their environment:
Walking the fields and forests around Karmê Chöling can be a delightful meditation, yet you may also encounter disease carrying deer ticks.
Most ticks on this land are dog ticks, aka wood ticks. They do not carry Lyme or other diseases. Dog ticks roam around mostly in sunny and semi shaded areas, for instance around the Karmê Chöling buildings and river meadows.
Disease carrying deer ticks, on the other hand, require a shaded environment with at least some moisture. They are found deeper in the woods and around stone walls.
To be completely safe:
Spray your clothes with PERMETHRIN (a botanical made from the chrysanthemum
plant). You can find the permethrin spray bottle in or outside of Karmê Chöling's mudroom.
Place your shoes, socks, long pants and shirt OUTSIDE on the ground, spray all exterior sides and let dry for two hours.
The spray will remain effective for 5 weeks.
DO NOT SPRAY permethrin on your bare skin.
Helpful hints for in general and when not using permethrin:
- Avoid walking through tick infested areas: tall grasses, shrubs, the deep wood.
- Avoid sitting on the forest floor, fallen trees or stone walls.
- When hiking, stay on the paths and avoid brushing up against plants
- Clothing:
- Wear light colored clothing for easy tick detection.
- Wear long-sleeved shirts and pants.
- Wear closed shoes.
- Tuck socks and shirt into your pants.
- Apply special tick repellant (botanical or DEET) to exposed skin.
- Check for ticks on your clothes regularly while hiking.
- After visiting ‘tick country’ check your body thoroughly, perhaps with the use of
a mirror or the help of a friend's eye. - Ticks especially like warm hidden areas of your body:
- armpits
- groin
- back of the knees
- Tiny tick nymphs often hide between the toes and around ankles.
- After visiting the outdoors: place your clothes in a warm dryer machine for 15 minutes. (dries and thus kills the tick)
A little about Karmê Chöling …
Karmê Chöling is a Buddhist meditation retreat center founded by Chögyam Trungpa, a Tibetan lineage holder. Established in 1971, it is one of the oldest retreat centers in the US. It has become part of a global movement and community of meditators working together to build enlightened society.
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