NDF Retreats
Khandroling Retreat Center
Park of the Dakas/Dakinis
Bless me, and others like me, to remain in mountain solitudes
where contemplation blossoms.
~ Shabkar
About the name
Khandroling means Garden of the Dakinis. In the Vajrayana, a “khandro” — sky traveler or dakini — is a person who is awake, who takes refuge in the free, unfettered, sky-like nature of mind. “Ling” means garden or park. When you put these two words together, there is the sense of sky and earth uniting. In addition to this meaning, khandro [the third of the “Three Roots”] also means the Sangha: both the inner sangha that is the awake nature of each us, and the outer sangha of our treasured relationships with one another on the spiritual path. Khandroling is the garden where the sangha gather
The Vision
For so many of us, sacred places, sacred spaces, temples and the vast ‘temple’ that is the natural world have moved us to discover the inner world, the vastness of our awareness. The quality of space - wherever we are in space - affects the quality of our minds, of our resilience and of our compassion.
For those of us who have done long, or even shorter retreats, something is clear: When you move the mind and body into a space of silence and solitude, things happen. With good guidance and inner work, we are compelled to see our inner world more clearly. When we give ourselves the space to renew, we can meet the outer world with greater love, strength, wisdom and compassion.
Khandroling Retreat Center will provide space for collective and individual retreating, a place for sangha to gather for both short, weekend retreats, and also for long, deep meditation retreats. It is envisioned to be a sacred space for inner work, for our sangha and for our individual practice: a place for the building of sacred relationships and for the development of inner strength, compassion and wisdom.
What kind of property will we look for?
To serve these functions, the property that NDF purchases must meet a few criteria. Ideally the property will:
- Be within a 3 hour drive of Boston
- Have ample acreage, for the privacy needed for deep retreats
- Be surrounded by land that is unlikely to be developed, preferably National Forest or State Park land
- Have a reliable water source: well
- A septic field or good drainage
- At least one building suitable to house a few people, including space that could be used as a meditation hall [a barn or outbuilding for example, or one floor of a house]
- Potential to develop an environmentally sustainable model of living
- Zoning conducive to the building of meditation cabins, and land conducive to cabins [not too steep]
- Natural beauty
These are the “external criteria”. There are also internal criteria — an intangible set of variables: sacredness, expansiveness, a peace-inducing quality, power. These things cannot be measured but can be felt.
Our short-term goals
At the moment, our short-term goal is to raise $200K to make possible a down payment on a property. Our model so far has been one of making the opportunity to give quietly available, a model that we feel is sustainable and in line with Natural Dharma’s emphasis on organic growth.
How to contribute?
Making the existence of such a retreat center will be possible only through the sustained interest, vision and generosity of Natural Dharma’s members and supporters. If you are drawn to deep retreat practice, and interested in a place to do communal and personal retreats, please consider a donation, small or large, to the cause of purchasing property for Natural Dharma’s Retreat Center. Every contribution will help make the Garden of the Dakinis becomes a reality
Click DONATE to make a donation in support of Khandroling Retreat Center
Eco-friendly retreat cabin sketch courtesy of David Allen Ekstrom