Welcome to The Surmang Kagyu Retreat Center

    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.

     

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    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

     Trungpa Rinpoche 1986

    What does it mean to join the Surmang Kagyu order?

    I read the page, but what's a Ngakpa?

    I googled it but hearing it from you would be more true, I think.

    Hi Skai,

    Ngakpa— is essentially a tantric lay practitioner. What does that mean?

    First, you aren’t a monastic— not a monk.

    Tilopa, Naropa, Marpa, Milarepa— they were all nakpas. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Trungpa Rinpoche and Osel Tendzin were all nakpas.

    What does it mean to be a Tantric Practitioner?

    You are a disciple of a guru and a lineage— that is a continuous transmission. Mind transmission. It is referred to as a “mind transmission” because in the vajrayana there is something that you receive or recognize which we call “adhistana”— “jinlap.”

    That is vajrayana language. It is the same realization the Tilopa had— and all the rest of them.. including the Buddha.

    If you read the biographies of Marpa and Milarepa given by Trungpa Rinpoche or “The Rain of Wisdom” translated by him— you will get an idea of what this path is about.

    Vajrayana is called “The Path of Skillful Means. — we go through a lot training and practice within the atmosphere of this lineage of transmission to recognize and then bind ourselves to this transmission. We recognize it as a particular quality. It is like walking into the shrine room here and noticing the atmosphere. That “atmosphere” is what we call jinlap. It is the vajra nature of your consciousness.

    Tantric discipline follows “view, method and conduct.” These are embodied in a relationship between the vajra master and the disciple. Student is too weak of a word for this type of connection. Disciple.

    Being a member of the Surmang Kagyu Order — one engages the gradual and sudden path to complete realization. We follow the path Trungpa Rinpoche established in America for people of our karma. That is the kagyu tantric path; the shambhala terma; or revealed teachings of terton— treasure finder— Trungpa Rinpoche— which is a Dzogchen thing.

    Studying Trungpa Rinpoches pith oral instructions within the sacred atmosphere— the practice mandala— at DMC is really the method. The realization is “non reference point experience” which is the dharmakaya. And the view is the primordial ground— this present moment. Whether we consider that confused or enlightened.

    To be a member of the Surmang Kagyu Order— which is something I made up and is not a legitimate thing at all— creates the boundary of discipline that allows you to enter properly the path to enlightenment.

                                     

                                                                                                           

           

      
                                                                                                                                                                                      

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