2027 Margha Program: Natural Meditation

Registration will open at 12:00 noon ET on Saturday, Oct. 24.

The meditation techniques developed in our Margha Program are immediate, beneficial supports for navigating everyday challenges. These practices are also woven through and provide the ground for the Vajrayana and Dzogchen paths. In fact, the word Margha means “path” in Sanskrit. This is a path of shared experience and growth. This path is open to everyone and is intended for newcomers as well as seasoned practitioners who are looking for a structured program to learn, progress, and deepen in a sequence of profound yet accessible meditations adapted from traditional Himalayan Buddhist training.

Guided by a team of NDF teachers and Margha Mitras (spiritual friends/mentors), participants spend a year in live monthly, online or in-person meetings bonding within a consistent small group. Within these core groups, peers offer invaluable support for each other as they explore the practices and teachings, have the opportunity to enact qualities of heart, and deepen in the understanding of the gem that is spiritual friendship. Two hybrid retreats, weekly meditation sessions and text studies, and three individual conversations with Mitras connect the full Margha sangha (community) with deep practice guided by a wide range of voices and experience.

The Margha curriculum alternates year-to-year between focus on Bodhicitta and Natural Meditation and may be completed in any order. Many students return to multiple cycles of this biennial rhythm, a testament to the profoundness and freshness of these teachings. Meditation practices are introduced by the Mitras during monthly, interactive meetings and are supported by online resources, including guided meditation audios, and readings from assigned texts. A curated selection of suggested resources also complements the teachings. Three times a year members are invited to meet individually with their group Mitras as a way to provide individual support and address questions related to the practices.

The 2027 Margha Program centers on the profound exploration of Natural Meditation. Under the guidance of Lama Liz Monson, the Margha curriculum presents an accessible yet profound distillation of classical Himalayan Buddhist methods. We invite participants into a structured journey of practice, contemplation, and study designed to gently reveal the luminosity of intrinsic wakefulness and our inherent buddha nature. Within this framework, students will receive essential instructions in shamatha (calm abiding), vipashyana (insight), and the practice of open awareness. (In alternating years, the program focuses on Bodhicitta, guiding practitioners to awaken innate qualities of compassion, love, equanimity, and sympathetic joy for all beings.)

For more information, visit this page about the Margha Program. Below are details regarding logistics and how to join.

MONTHLY GROUPS AND MITRAS
If a group is marked closed, please do not choose it. Email margha@naturaldharma.org to be put on the wait list.

• Remote 1: 1st Tuesday, 11:30 am-1:30 pm ET (Roxy Broadbent, Judith Coleman)
• Remote 2: 1st Monday, 6:30-8:30 pm ET (Philip Osgood, Alex Marie)
• Remote 3: 1st Sunday, 6:30-8:30 pm ET (Erica Zinter, David Bayer)
• Remote 4: 1st or 2nd Sunday, 6:00-8:00 pm ET (Tom Farkas, Josh Cohen)
• Remote 5: 2nd Monday, 6:30 pm-8:30 pm ET (Jan Cook, Alan Tuttle)
• Remote 6: 1st Sunday, 6:30-8:30 pm ET (John Rott, Bill Kennedy)
• Remote 7: 1st Sunday, 7:00-9:00 pm ET (Elisse Ghitelman, Bob Horowitz)
• Remote 8: 1st Monday, 7:00-9:00 pm ET (David Bayer, Jean Fazzino Lain)
• Remote 9: 1st Sunday, 6:30-8:30 pm ET (Jean Fazzino Lain, David Martin)
• Remote 10: 1st Sunday, 4:00-6:00 pm ET (Judith Coleman, Betsy Black)
• NW Philly (in-person only): 2nd Sunday, 3:30-5:30 pm ET (Lisa Joy Tuttle and Alan Tuttle)

The Margha program is designed to provide participants with a comprehensive  format to encourage a deep dive into Natural Meditation. 

The monthly groups hold space of shared knowledge and specific practices. The Mitra group leaders generously offer each Margha participant 3 individual interviews throughout the year-long program.

In addition, Mitra-guided sessions are offered every Thursday evening and focus either on meditation practice or text study. 

The books for the 2027 Natural Meditation year are: The Magic of Awareness by Anam Thubten and Crystal Clear by Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche.

All Margha participants are strongly encouraged to attend the Margha Retreats which are offered as hybrid, at Wonderwell Mountain Refuge and online via Zoom. Retreats allow spacious practice time and provide live teachings from our Lamas for all the practices included in the Margha Natural Meditation year. There is no real substitution for attending the retreats, however, teachings and meditation instructions provided during the retreats are made available for all Margha participants on their personal dashboards.

Winter retreat is scheduled for January 11-17, 2027. Summer retreat is scheduled for July 5-11, 2027

WHAT DOES IT COST?

It is Natural Dharma Fellowship’s aspiration that no one be turned away from our programs and retreats because they are unable to pay the full cost. The Margha Program is offered with a three-tier sliding fee scale so you may choose the amount that best fits your budget: Monthly installment plans are available if you wish to budget the fee over the year.

• May All Beings Benefit: $600/year ($50/month) – supporting access for all and general support for NDF operations, including the care and development of the Margha Program.
•  A Middle Way: $420/year ($35/month) –covering the base cost
• Held in Sangha Loving-Kindness: $300/year ($25/month) – offering ease when financial resources are limiting

If the lowest payment level does not fit your financial situation, please do not hesitate to request financial aid. Email register@naturaldharma.org for scholarship options. This is a simple process and does not require extensive information. 

The program entrance fee does NOT include the cost of on-site retreats at Wonderwell Mountain Refuge in Springfield, NH or the online component of these hybrid retreats. The cost of required books, generally two per year, is also additional.

USER ACCOUNTS & RESOURCES

NDF offers unlimited access to recordings, which are accessed in your user dashboard (more information about user accounts provided in a pre-retreat letter). If you have a user account, please register with the same email you use to log into your dashboard. If not, an account will be created for you using your registration address.

Availability will vary depending on the type of event and the backlog for our precious resource volunteers. Thank you for your patience.

Wonderwell Mountain Full Calendar.