Authentic Presence
2-Week 
Retreat
RetreatA two-week meditation retreat offered in partnership with The Wisdom Seat, the Open Heart Project, and Drala Mountain Center
Authentic Presence
Open Detail
Authentic Presence:
Reawakening Spiritual Confidence
dates:
July 1 - 14, 2023
tuition:
Tuition + 13 Nights
faculty:
registration instructions:
Check in takes place from 2– 5 pm on your program start date. All participants and volunteer staff must check in at our Guest Services cabin. Please arrive before 5 pm to check in and settle into your accommodations. Your program begins with dinner, followed by an orientation. The Guest Services cabin closes at 5 pm after which no one is available to provide information or orient you to your accommodations. This program formally ends on the second to last day with the final day being a departure day only with no formal programming. Further specifics regarding your program's schedule will be available upon arrival. If applicable, you will receive an email from the program coordinator in the week prior to your program with any additional information you may need.
register now
Features:
01 Formless Meditation
How can formless meditation help us rediscover our natural confidence?
02 Offering Compassion
How can we skillfully offer compassion, wisdom, and dignity to a world in need of our help?
03 Wisdom Of A Broken Heart
Why is the “wisdom of a broken heart” so central to the practice of meditation?
04 Socially Responsible Gesture
Is meditation a “socially responsible gesture”? and if so, why?
05 Threefold Boredom
What is “threefold boredom” and how can it help tame modern-day speed and aggression?
Retreat
Faculty
01 Michael Carroll
Michael is the co-founder of The Wisdom Seat and is the author of Awake at Work, The Mindful Leader, Fearless at Work and Mindful Leadership Training and consults with corporations on bringing mindfulness into the workplace. Michael began practicing meditation in 1976 after receiving instruction from his first teacher HH Dudjom Rinpoche, graduated Buddhist Seminary …
02 Susan Piver
Susan Piver is the New York Times bestselling author of many books, including the award-winning “How Not to Be Afraid of Your Own Life”, “The Wisdom of a Broken Heart”, “Start Here Now: An Open-Hearted Guide to the Path and Practice of Meditation”, and “The Four Noble Truths of Love: Buddhist Wisdom for Modern Relationships”…
03 Loden Nyima
Gelong Loden Nyima is a fully ordained Buddhist monk. He lived at Gampo Abbey from 2009 – 2017 where he practiced intensively, completed a cycle of advanced studies (Shedra), and served in various roles including as a senior teacher. He now lives at Drala Mountain Center where he serves as Resident Teacher and a founding …
Profound Spiritual Paradox…
Our modern life presents us with a profound spiritual paradox: while we build remarkable technology, impressive resources, and growing prosperity, we also encounter a world filled with numbing devices, growing anxiety and distressing poverty.
Inspiring Human Connection
We build fresh, inspiring human connections around the world via social media, yet we are haunted by incessant digital reminders to become a better version of ourselves — faster, smarter, richer, better looking, and more productive. We humans are building a miraculous world, yet, somehow, we find our confusion, fear and anxiety blossoming as well.
Exploring such a paradox need not be so distressing, however. In fact, maybe such circumstances are inviting us to reawaken our spiritual confidence. Drawing on the profound Mahayana tradition of the Bodhisattva
In this two-week retreat, we will practice formless meditation intensively, exploring techniques passed down through Mahayana Buddhism and the teachings of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche.
Participants can expect a deep, contemplative environment, focused primarily on six to eight hours of daily meditation practice with supportive talks and interviews. There will also be time for rest and connecting with nature.
Refuge and Bodhisattva 
Vows will be offered.
COVID
Mitigation
DMC and the teachers are committed to the health and well-being of all involved in this retreat. As COVID mitigation is a dynamic situation given new variants and developing treatments, we will determine our retreat protocols in consultation with medical professionals as the time of the retreat draws near.
We will communicate those protocols in advance of the retreat. We can share now that the retreat is scheduled to be held in an open-air tent, which we hope will preclude a need for masking during talks, discussions, and meditation practice.
Housing Option
Please note that the retreat’s ultimate mitigation protocols may be stricter than DMC’s center-wide protocols in place at the time of the retreat. Accordingly, during the retreat you may come into contact with others who are not subject to the same protocols. Please keep this in mind if you select a shared housing option.
Please review and understand before visiting.
INFO
Session
On March 16th, Susan Piver hosted an Info Session on Meditation Retreats. In this one-hour online info session, Susan discusses the dynamics of a meditation retreat with Drala Mountain Center resident teacher, Loden Nyima, and fellow teacher Michael Carroll. Enjoy this replay and explore the purpose and meaning of taking time away from everyday busyness.
HEART
Gift
Toward the end of your retreat you will be asked if you would like to make a heart gift to the teachers. In Shambhala and other wisdom cultures, people often make heart gifts to those who have made receiving precious teachings possible. The heart gift is purely optional and based on personal inspiration and gratitude. The amount is not important, just your inspiration to give, connect, and explore the cycles of generosity and offering. Gifts can be made by cash, check or paypal.
Partners:
