Foundations of Meditation II: Deepening the Path

Foundations of Meditation II: Deepening the Path is a Buddhist meditation retreat at Drala Mountain Center in Red Feather Lakes, Colorado, in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. It is made for practitioners who already have some basic meditation experience and want to turn toward the deeper teachings of the Buddhist path. Where the first Foundations retreat focuses on how to practice, this one gives more attention to understanding the teachings. The faculty includes Dr Nashalla Gwyn Nyinda.

What to Expect

The retreat runs over a long weekend, from a Thursday arrival to a Sunday departure. Check-in is at the Guest Services Cabin between 2:00 PM and 5:00 PM, followed by orientation and dinner, and the program begins that evening. Friday through Sunday are the main retreat days, with extended meditation sessions, dharma talks on introductory Buddhist teachings, and periods of post-meditation practice. Departure is at 12:30 PM on Sunday.

The themes are suffering, impermanence, emptiness, and compassion, approached as direct insight within practice rather than abstract philosophy. Teachings may include the four noble truths, the changing and conditioned nature of experience, and the cultivation of compassion as an expression of wisdom. Silence plays a stronger role than in the first retreat, and the periods of silence increase, so that experience can mature beyond the formal session and into the rest of the day.

The retreat invites a shift from meditation as a method for calm toward meditation as a path of transformation. As clarity deepens, the heart tends to open, and practice becomes less about self-improvement and more about understanding our shared human condition.

About Nashalla Nyinda

Dr Nashalla Gwyn Nyinda (TMD Menpa, MA Acu, LMT) began studying Tibetan Medicine in 1999 as part of an Interdisciplinary Studies BA at Naropa University, completed in 2001. At the request of her root lama, Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, she pursued advanced Tibetan medical studies in Nepal and at the Chagpori Tibetan Medical Institute Clinic in Darjeeling.

The Setting

Drala Mountain Center sits near Red Feather Lakes, Colorado, and offers several kinds of lodging, all with healthy meals and drinks included:

- Dormitories: gender-segregated rooms with beds for up to seven or eight people, and a shared bathroom with shower stalls down the hall.
- Monk Rooms: private rooms in the same hall as the dormitories, with a bed, bedding, closet, large window, desk and chair. The bathroom is shared.
- Single and Double Rooms: private rooms with a dresser, closet, and an attached three-quarter bathroom (toilet, sink, shower).
- Junior Suites: a queen-size bed, desk, dresser, closet, sitting area, and a private bath with a bathtub.
- Car Camping: five primitive parking spots in the Rigden parking lot, with access to the bathhouses in Rigden Lodge and to meals. There are no water or electric hookups for RVs.
- Off-campus: participants who stay elsewhere, such as at a bed and breakfast, nearby camping, or at home, pay for meals and use of the facilities by the night.

Meals are vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free friendly. Extra nights can be added at half the nightly rate.

Before You Go

This is an intermediate-level retreat. Some basic meditation experience is expected, and it suits those ready to engage the Buddhist teachings more directly. It is taught in English.

Tuition is free, as with Drala's other Foundations programs, and the program includes lodging for the retreat nights. Also included are all meditation sessions and dharma talks, all meals and beverages, access to the retreat facilities, and use of the bathhouses. Transportation to and from the center is not included, and you should bring your own personal supplies and toiletries.

If this session does not fit, the same retreat is offered several more times through the following year.