Summer Dathün: Meditation in Action with Acharya Gaylon Ferguson and Shastri Ethan Nichtern

"Dathün is a pivotal point in one's life, where the profundity of the teachings soak into our core. It is the time and opportunity for us to change, develop and mature." -- Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche

Dathün is a month-long group meditation retreat for both new and experienced meditators. This dathün will focus on developing a deep understanding of shamatha, or “peaceful abiding” meditation. This practice allows us to “turn our mind into an ally,” rather than struggling with ourselves in daily life. It encourages us to appreciate being precise and simple in the present moment. Shamatha is the basis of all other practices in the Buddhist and Shambhala traditions.

Please note that dathün is a practice intensive, and can be challenging for some. Every year new practitioners not only complete this retreat at SMC, but find it to be a life-changing experience. Giving oneself the opportunity to engage with practice and one's own bravery and basic goodness is a rare and beautiful gift which can also have elements of intensity and "edge." Happily, dathün participants receive tremendous support and guidance from highly trained and experienced teachers and meditation instructors.

The program will include talks by a senior teacher, individual meditation instruction, guided sessions of meditation to deepen the practice of shamatha, and contemplative meditation to develop insight and open the heart of compassion.

This retreat can be done in its entirety or taken in weekly segments. However, we do ask that, if you are entering the dathün at the beginning of Week 3 you have already completed a weekthun before, and have been trained in oryoki. If you have never participated in Dathün, and only wish to do one week, we would like to ask you to start at the beginning of Week One, so that you can be properly trained in the forms, with the rest of the participants.
Open to all.

No prerequisites


Acharya Gaylon Ferguson, PH. D. is a senior teacher in the Shambhala tradition; a member of the Naropa University's core faculty and author of, Natural Wakefulness: Discovering the Wisdom We Were Born With.

Ethan Nichtern is a Shastri in the Shambhala tradition, and the founding director of The Interdependence Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to Buddhist-inspired meditation and philosophy, integral activism, mindful arts and meaningful media. He is the author of One City: A Declaration of Interdependence (Wisdom Pubs).
Follow Ethan at:
http://www.ethannichtern.com
http://www.twitter.com/ethannichtern
http:/www.facebook.com/ethannichtern

Extend Your Stay. We are offering a 25% housing discount for additional nights. Come early and relax before your program starts or stay an extra day or more after this program to savor your retreat experience.

Partial scholarships are available. Click here for an application.

Please arrive between 10am and 4pm. Early arrival is encouraged. No program activities are scheduled for the departure day. View Detailed Program Information.