A Residential Training and Retreat Center in the Practice Lineage of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche
Surmang Kagyu Retreat Center is a small, independent meditation center founded by direct students of Vidyadhara Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and the Vajra Regent Osel Tendzin.
We engage the authentic meditation practices and view of the Maha Ati and Mahamudra schools of Tibetan Buddhism.
We apply the pith instructions taught by Trungpa Rinpoche, Osel Tendzin, Khenpo Gangshar Wangpo and Jamgon Kongtrul of Shechen in our training. We consider Trungpa Rinpoche's transmission of this lineage to be a unique and complete transmission of the Surmang Kagyu and Shambhala lineages to the west and we maintain those transmissions here for those who would like to engage them fully.
Trungpa Rinpoche's lineage is known as the "Practice Lineage." This refers to the fact that we resolve the view not through intellectual study but through the actual practice of meditation. We offer a lot of practice retreats including two month-long dathuns per year. There currently is no other center in the United States offering the one month dathun retreat created by Trungpa Rinpoche.
Surmang Kagyu Retreat Center is not open to the general public. It is a retreat center for members of the Surmang Kagyu Order. To enter into training at DMC all applicants, whether they have previous training or not, must first successfully complete a weekend program called "Touch and Go" which is an introduction to Trungpa Rinpoche's teachings on meditation practice. These are held regularly throughout the year. Continued training at DMC is dependant on the students interest in entering the Surmang Kagyu Order. We are not a generic Dharma Center.
For further information please call Tashi Armstrong at (207) 442-9299 or (207) 607-3392.
"Before I got here, over at my house, we discussed the corruption that is taking place around the buddhist world. And we concluded that the most critical one was that even Tibetans do not sit. Even the highest people who are reputed to be good sources of inspiration do not sit. Supposing communist China had not invaded Tibet-- quite possibly we would then have no way of presenting the real buddhadharma in this country. Buddhism would be dead, having perished in its own graveyard. So from that point of view, we have a lot of responsibility to practice the real buddhadharma as the Buddha taught it and as the lineage has described it-- that without the sitting practice of meditation, nothing can happen.
So the sitting practice of meditation is very basic and very simple. I do not want to indulge you people at this point by giving you a whole discourse on how to meditate, how to do the whole thing. I think you know that already. And if you don't, too bad. You should know more. And if you want to know more, sit more....
And sitting is very dull. It does not say very much. There are no encounter groups taking place. Nothing of that nature is happening at all. It is very ordinary and very simple. And because of that it is so highly precious. Precious. It seems to be the best idea that mankind ever came up with. And the first person that came up with that idea was Buddha himself. We feel very grateful to him that he came up with such an idea--it is a fantastic thought. Not only was he enlightened, but he was more than enlightened. He was an enlightened practical person. He knew how to handle us--even in the 20th century. So his logic never dies. It is an important thing. I have nothing more to say than that at this point."
Trungpa Rinpoche 1975 Seminary
