The 2019 Profound Treasury Retreat West will once again be held at the beautiful Blazing Mountain Retreat Center in Crestone, Colorado. This retreat is a companion program to the Profound Treasury Retreat held every summer in Saco, Maine. (Click here to learn more about the Maine retreat.) The format combines meditation practice with the study of The Profound Treasury of the Ocean of Dharma, the three-volume set of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s comprehensive teachings on the three-yana journey.
Led by Judy Lief (editor of The Profound Treasury) and other senior students of Trungpa Rinpoche, these retreats are infused with the spirit of beginner’s mind, where curious students can come together to explore, question, and learn from each other, regardless of age or experience level.
The theme of this year’s retreat is Joy, Humor, and the Challenge of Meditation: Meditation Teachings of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche.
“The sitting practice of meditation is regarded as one of the most profound and fundamental disciplines you could ever achieve. By doing this practice, you find that you become less crazy. You begin to develop more humor, more relaxation, and ultimately, more mindfulness.”
— Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
Meditation practice is the tool that awakens an intuitive and direct approach to the dharma, or the Buddhist teachings. It is a way of cultivating awareness, kindness and openness. In the Profound Treasury volumes, Trungpa Rinpoche gives extensive teachings on meditation. Reading what he has to say is like sitting down with a master as he gently reveals layers and layers of meaning and understanding as well as simple practical advice.
This retreat is an opportunity to deepen your experience and understanding of meditation, whether you are a relatively new practitioner or you have been meditating for many years. The retreat schedule includes periods of group meditation and guided practices, a main class exploring subtleties of the meditative journey, and small group discussions in a supportive community of both experienced and newer practitioners.
This retreat is for meditators of all ages and traditions who are interested in studying and practicing the Buddhist teachings as presented by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Younger./.newer students who have a meditation practice and want to learn more about Trungpa Rinpoche’s teachings are especially invited. Participants will have an opportunity to deeply engage this rich material in a contemplative atmosphere that includes both practice and study. Our text will be Volumes One and Two of The Profound Treasury of the Ocean of Dharma.
Judy Lief has been a teacher and practitioner for over 35 years, and continues to teach throughout the world. Ms. Lief was a close student of Ven. Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, who trained and empowered her as a teacher in the Buddhist and Shambhala traditions. Ms. Lief is an author and editor of numerous books on Buddhist meditation and psychology including Making Friends with Death: A Buddhist Guide to Encountering Mortality. Her articles have appeared in The Shambhala Sun, Tricycle, O Magazine, Buddhadharma, and The Naropa Journal of Contemplative Psychotherapy.
Located in Crestone, Colorado, the Blazing Mountain Retreat Center is the retreat home of the Dharma Ocean Foundation. Nestled at the base of the stunning 14,000 foot Sangre de Cristo mountain peaks, the 16 acre facility bordered by greenbelt and protected land includes a 24,000 square foot Shrine Hall building and a 24,000 square foot Residence Hall building. The two buildings combined create a completely self-contained retreat container, allowing the practicing community of each program to share the richness of life together while in retreat.
The center has been called one of the most beautiful retreat facilities in North America, and its remarkable atmosphere evokes the ancient pilgrimage sites of old, inviting all who come here into a deep exploration of contemplative practice. The construction of the center, which reached completion in 2011, was done in close collaboration and consultation with the local community, various ecological conservancy foundations, and with deep respect for the ancient indigenous traditions of the San Luis Valley.
To learn more about the Blazing Mountain Retreat Center, click here.
To Apply:
To apply for the 2019 retreat, please click here.
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