The Diamond Path in a World on Fire (Online)

This is the ONLINE component of the hybrid retreat. If you’d like to register for the RESIDENTIAL component, please click here.

In this annual Vajrayana retreat, we will explore the particular power of the Vajrayana to directly address and transform our relationship to the chaos and disruption that are unfolding so rapidly and devastatingly on the current world stage. Centuries ago, the Buddha prophesied that the time of the Vajrayana was coming, a time when the emotions of sentient beings and the conditions in which they are living would require an alchemy forceful enough to allow us to ride the waves of our energies back to their source – the deep waters of compassion within. As the Buddhist teacher, Pema Chodron, has said, “bodhisattvas are forged in the fire,” and our world is on fire.

The skillful means of the Vajrayana are the vehicle we need now to learn how to live with and for each other, with love and care, thereby discovering our capacity to act effectively in the world from a place of resilience, kindness, and openness. By training to relax and remain aware through all the upheavals we encounter, we fortify our ability to find freedom in the realities of change and dissolution. We discover that at the heart of being human lies our natural condition – naked, aware, and fully responsive to life as it is.

Please join us to:

• Deepen your Vajrayana practice in community with Vajra siblings
• Engage in group textual study as contemplative practice
• Integrate tantric practice into our daily lives

To help us to explore these practices and teachings more deeply, this retreat will include Dharma talks, practice sessions, ritual practice, breakout groups, and close reading sessions of the essential practice handbook, Creation and Completion by Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche. Practitioners should plan to purchase this text before the retreat.

In addition, Lama Liz will offer transmissions to those who are ready to move on to their next stage of practice. She will also meet with those joining the path to introduce their practice for the coming year.

Practitioners should plan to purchase this text before the retreat: Creation and Completion by Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche.

This retreat is open to NDF Vajrayana practitioners enrolled in the 2025 program and those who have been approved to start the path in 2025.

Typical Retreat Schedule

(All times are Eastern time zone)

First Day —Orientation at 6:45 pm. Opening session begins around 7:00 pm.

Full-Day Schedule — Morning meditation 7:00 am; Breakfast break 8:00-9:30 am; Lunch break 12:00-2:00 pm; Dinner break 5:30-7:00 pm.

Last Day — The closing session typically ends by 12:00 pm.

These times are just for reference. An expanded schedule will be provided in pre-retreat information emailed during the week prior to the event.

Zoom Link

The Zoom link will be sent several days before the retreat to all those registered. If you register after that date, you’ll receive the link with your confirmation email shortly after submitting your registration. If you don’t see an email from Natural Dharma Registrar or Wonderwell Mountain Refuge, it may have mistakenly gone to your spam folder or to Promotions or Updates in Gmail.

Important: Please put these this email address in your Contact or Safe-Send list to make sure you receive our emails:

• register@naturaldharma.org

Program Cost

Our program fees provide essential support to our non-profit operations and NDF’s mission to spread the Dharma in accessible, relevant, and creative ways. Our goal is that no one misses out on our events due to lack of funds. Thanks to our generous donors, we are able to offer tiered pricing and additional support to fit varied financial situations: 

• May All Beings Benefit! *– supporting access for all and general support for NDF operations
• A Middle Way – covering the base cost
• Held in Sangha Loving-kindness – offering ease when financial resources are limiting

If the lowest cost tier creates an obstacle to your attendance, please see our financial support options on the registration page. The process is simple and does not require extensive information. Financial aid is immediately approved using discount code options that allow you to contribute the most you are able while honoring your particular resources.

* The difference between the May All Beings Benefit! tier and the Middle Way tier will be considered a tax-deductible donation and will be acknowledged as such in writing. Contributing at this level helps us offer financial aid to other participants. Thank you!!

Access to Recordings

NDF offers unlimited access to recordings, which are available 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.

Natural Dharma Fellowship Full Calendar