A Buddhist community dedicated to the joy of awakening

Natural Dharma Fellowship and Wonderwell Mountain Refuge

Covid Policies & Procedures

Wonderwell is now open for in-person retreats and events.

Need Technical Support?

Tutorials, FAQs, & info about the website, user accounts, and resources.

2023 Margha Program

2023 Margha Program registration will be
October 8–30, 2022

Volunteer Opportunities

A precious and valued way to support Natural Dharma Fellowship

WHO WE ARE

Natural Dharma Fellowship

Lama Willa Blythe Baker

Founding Teacher, Spiritual Co-Director

Lama Liz Monson

Spiritual Co-Director, Managing Teacher

OUR RETREATS & COURSES

Explore Meditation, Awareness & Awakening.

Why Would Anyone Watch the Mind? An Introduction to Meditation

Kathe McKenna

October 12, 2022 - November 16, 2022

Residential – Mountain Colors, Valley Echoes: Engaging the Environment as Buddhist Practice

William Edelglass

October 21, 2022 - October 23, 2022

Residential – Contemplative Caregiver Retreat

Megan Carnarius, Anne Giesen, Ellen Knapp

November 11, 2022 - November 13, 2022

Residential — Awakening from the Sleep of Unawareness: A Retreat for Beginners

Kathe McKenna

December 2, 2022 - December 4, 2022

Onsite at Wonderwell Mountain Refuge

Come deepen your practice in solitary retreat.
Experience the peace and tranquility of Wonderwell and explore your inner nature amidst the spacious beauty of mountains, sky, and forest.

Come Practice with Us

In addition to our Retreats and Courses, here are other some ways to learn, study, meditate and participate.

Open Practice Sessions

Monday Night Meditation

Weekly, 5:00-6:30 pm ET. Guided meditation, Dharma talks, and time for conversation, led each week by NDF Dharma Teachers. Open to all—please join us for inspiration and community.

Tuesday Night Meditation

Weekly, 7:00-8:30 pm ET. Everybody welcome! Guided meditations, Q&A, and discussions offer an opportunity to find connection and support for natural meditation practices.

Weekly, 10:00 am–12:00 noon ET. Led by both senior NDF Dharma Teachers and by visiting teachers, weekly sessions to gather for guided meditation, Dharma teachings, Q&A. Once a month Dharma Dialogues takes place in this time slot.

Our Programs

Margha Program

A thorough distillation of traditional Tibetan Buddhist training, you will learn a series of contemplative practices to deepen in love, self-compassion, compassion for others, wisdom, sympathetic joy and equanimity.

Vajrayana Program

These practices work with the principal of pure vision, in which we embrace ordinary thoughts and emotions as the unlikely catalysts to recognizing that our nature, and the nature of others, is love and wisdom inseparable.

EcoSattva Council

This council considers the issue of planetary climate change. As a practice, it builds insight, trust, and community between participants, and the potential for creative collaboration and action.

Latest Dharma News

From the Kitchen: Our Take on A Green Curry

September 28, 2022 No Comments

By Peter Blank (with Natalia) I’ve made some bold claims about food here before, like my feelings on the virtues of Indian curries and their magical powers, but I should

September 2022 Newsletter

September 5, 2022 No Comments

Click here to read the September 2022 Newsletter from Natural Dharma Fellowship and Wonderwell Mountain Refuge. Contents: Friendly Faces Sundays with NDF in September Welcome to Karen Kharitonov, Online Programs

From the Kitchen: Indian Curry Dinner Party

August 30, 2022 No Comments

By Peter Blank (with Natalia) I try not to get too enmeshed in opinions, either my own, or other peoples, but I will admit that when it comes to food,

August 2022 Newsletter

August 5, 2022 No Comments

Click here to read the August 2022 Newsletter from Natural Dharma Fellowship and Wonderwell Mountain Refuge. Contents: Sundays with NDF in August Upcoming courses and retreats now open for registration “From the

What People Are Saying

Lama Willa and the Sangha have created a beautiful and secure outer refuge where one can find the inner refuge to realize the secret refuge. Actually what has really happened at Wonderwell is incalculable and inconceivable.

Wonderwell is emerging as one of the leading retreat centers in the United States, with great natural beauty, a caring and capable staff, deep programs of contemplative training, and thoughtful engagement with the environmental and social issues of our time.

Wonderwell’s commitment to an embodied approach to Buddhism resonates so deeply with what I’m trying to share with the dharma community. It’s a special place, a refuge in the increasingly disembodied world we all live in, a sanctuary for real sanity.

I had a threshold experience while staying on solo retreat over Halloween 2019. Spending suspended time while gazing at the mountains and sky, exploring the books in the library and sitting, just sitting, either in the meditation room, porch, or private suite. There was a shift in the old reality, and what an elegant place to experience that.

Excellent retreat. Went for five days. It was my first retreat and other more experienced people told me later that they also thought it was excellent. Beautiful meditation room and thoughtful teachings. Well organised with good food, accommodation and lovely staff.

I never imagined that a remote workshop over multiple days could be as impactful, energetic, and engaging as an in person event. But this is exactly what happened with the Natural Dharma Fellowship retreats this summer with events that were forced online. Having my teacher projected on a screen, as if looking at me directly, relaxes and opens my heart up.

A Welcoming Community

We recognize that all people hold unexamined beliefs, assumptions, fears and prejudices about others, and especially those who seem different from themselves. These beliefs are a great source of suffering for individuals and societies. We welcome people of all races, cultures, ethnicities, sexual orientations, gender identities, classes, religions, abilities and ages. We are committed to providing a safe place for all people to explore the dharma and awaken to their true nature.

A Statement on Racism in America

Silence in the face of oppression is complicity.

The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Aubrey, Eric Garner, and many others are part of a systemic injustice in our country that is rooted in centuries of white supremacy, slavery, segregation, and white privilege.

This is a collective trauma that affects us all. No one is more affected by this trauma than People of Color.

We stand by those peacefully protesting this injustice.
We affirm that Black Lives Matter.

Ways To Show Your Support

Become a Member

Membership in Natural Dharma Fellowship is an expression of deep gratitude, commitment, and support for our ongoing work and mission.

NDF Members:

For more information or to become a member:

Make a Donation

Your generosity makes a difference!

A gift to Natural Dharma Fellowship and Wonderwell contributes to our important work – providing access to Buddhist teachings, connecting people with their innate wisdom and compassion, and cultivating ethical behavior for healing in our fractured world.

Please consider making a donation today.
The amount of your gift is unimportant – it is the spirit of generosity that matters.