Drala Mountain Center

11/15/2025

Thank you for a fantastic Autumn Season! A huge thanks goes out to all the incredible retreat leaders, retreatants, Dralanteers, and DMC staff who made this year such an incredible period of , , and present joy. As we look toward the slower winter months we can proudly say that this year has had so much to offer - and we're looking forward to what is yet to come as well.

What's your favorite moment? Were you able to visit the ? We can't wait to hear all about it!

11/14/2025

Today is !

Kindness, compassion, and mindful action are some of the cores of our community, and often also at the core of what our teachers present on retreat - but it means something a little different to everyone.

What does kindness mean to you?
What experiences do you have where kindness made all the difference? Your own kindness or the kindness of others - either one!

11/13/2025

Last night was lucky enough to be in the band of visible over Colorado!

It's not often that the are visible this far South, but it's been a fantastic year. Last night's show though - it was the best one yet. Here are some of the best photos of the auroras from staff here. Just a touch of .

11/12/2025

Thank you to all our Veterans this veterans day. Thank you for your service, for the dedication it takes to serve, and for all that came with that service.

Being a soldier is an interesting topic in Buddhist and broader contemplative circles. So much of our culture revolves around calls to compassion and peace, but it's critical to also acknowledge the importance of military service, the ways military service can center compassion and dedication, along with many other characteristics held dear in the contemplative world.

So while this is a complicated day for many, including many of our veterans, it is with gratitude, understanding, compassion, and care, that we say Thank You this Veterans Day.

11/11/2025

Recently Judy Lief and Larry Mermelstein got together to give an interview about preserving legacy, 📿 's teachings 🔆, and the retreats they both lead here at to preserve and pass on those teachings.

Check it out!

11/11/2025

11/07/2025

Martha Bonzi passed away on October 29, shortly before midnight at the age of 89. For decades, during Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s life and continuing after his passing, Martha has been an extremely generous patron of the dharma and Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s teachings and vision. All her contributions are too numerous to list. Martha made the first large and transformational endowment to Naropa that established it as a viable centre of learning. She purchased the building that became the Halifax Shambhala Centre and established both Gampo Abbey and Milk Lake Retreat Centre in Nova Scotia through her generous donations. She was also the first and incredibly important, loyal patron of the Nalanda Translation Committee.

It's not an exaggeration to say that Martha, to a large extent, changed the lives of all Shambhalians and the course of the dharma in North America through her generous donations to Shambhala over many years.

We send our deep and heartfelt condolences to Martha's children, Helen, Sally, Judy, and Ned, as well as her many grandchildren and wider family.

To read the obituary and tributes to Martha on The Chronicles Project, visit https://www.chronicleproject.com/the-passing-of-martha-bonzi/

11/05/2025

Today is the Full Moon, the Beaver Moon - and also the biggest Super Moon of 2025. If you have a chance, step outside, particularly around moonrise (here in Colorado that will be around 4:40 pm) to have the best chance of seeing it at it's biggest and brightest.

Here at we practice the Sadhana of Mahamudra in the on , according to the teaching of the , Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, who is also the Sadhana's author. It's meant to be a time of particular openness, a gap that the practice helps us access and feel.

What about you? Have you practiced the Sadhana of Mahamudra? What was your experience? Will you be practicing the Sadhana of Mahamudra today? Do you have a different full moon practice?

This photo was taken on March 13th at the Great Stupa, just before the eclipse.

11/04/2025

Do you find yourself wondering what the natural world has to teach you?

Often when we talk about being in nature or even gardening or just being outside we talk about the benefits, the relaxation, and how time outside can boost our physical and mental wellbeing. What we don't talk about are all the ways the world can teach us, the lessons it has, and the practices that are inspired by nature.

If you want to learn more about the ways nature can teach us, and support our contemplative paths, our Online retreat, Nature as Guru might just be the retreat for you. Now 50% off, join teacher Mary Paffard in an exploration of the hidden wisdom of the natural world, and how you too can tap into it. Register here: https://www.dralamountain.org/program/o-ng1125-online-nature-as-guru/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSKdJQrU2wc

Program Dates & Times: November 7th | 5:30 – 7:30 pm November 8th | 10:00 am – 12:00 pm / 2:00 – 4:00 pm November 9th | 8:00 – 10:30 am This weekend will invite you to dissolve the separations that many of us feel between ourselves, our lives and the natural regenerative worlds we [...]

10/30/2025

Who knew yesterday's could last almost until ? Up next are the dynamic trio, Calcifer (Orange, 2 year old) (yes, that is a reference) Onyx (Tuxedo 2.5-3 year old) and Jasper (Tabby, 8 year old).

These three certainly like keeping their humans on their toes. Jasper first came to Colorado after being rescued just before a hurricane hit the coast of Texas. He's been somewhat bomb-proof ever since, but loves a good cuddle and is never shy with his meows of command!

Onyx is a local rescue, and this dapper gentleman is the sweetest boy. A little shy at first, he's started to learn a little from Jasper's imperious nature, but he's first and foremost a cats cat and is the first to start a rousing chase across the whole house.

Calcifer is a bundle of mischief and chaos wrapped in a too-sweet candy coating. Prone to encouraging his humans to sleep late by cuddling in the early morning, Calcifer has a ready purr, a happy nature, and is never happier than in a lap. Or possibly chasing his older brothers across the room and causing new kinds of chaos!

10/30/2025

Continuing our for yesterday's , up next is Zoro, beloved cat of Robbie, our executive director. Zoro may be one of the original , here's his unique story from Robbie:

"On a freezing December day over twelve years ago at Drala Mountain Center, staff member Zane Edwards discovered a large tuxedo cat meowing outside the trailer offices, hoping to come in from the cold. Zane posted a photo of him on Facebook, asking if anyone could take him in. The moment I saw it, I knew he was my next cat. When I brought him home, we discovered he had a microchip linking him to Parker, Colorado—but his previous owners said he’d been missing for a long time and gladly relinquished him. That’s how Zoro came into our lives. Since then, he’s been a remarkably healthy, social, and endlessly funny cat—an affectionate companion and a clever hunter who keeps life interesting."