Latest News

Please check back for information about pricing and registration.

In these dark days, when our world is facing tremendous challenges, the question of how to respond to the suffering we see and experience is front and center. Warfare, violence, violations of human rights and decency, together with the breakdown of our ecosystems, biosphere, and the life-sustaining cycles of our planet, have catapulted us into a realm of suffering and fear that is at the least, overwhelming and paralyzing, and at the worst, devastating to the survival of the human and non-human races.

What tools can we draw on? What ways of being, acting, and attending can we access to discover the resilience and compassion we need to grow into this time?

If these concerns keep you awake at night, this retreat is for you. Join Lama Liz and Matt as we explore the phenomena of crazy wisdom as a way of being and acting so powerful that it “opens the door of confidence,” “destroys the mountain of conceptualizations” and “radiates the intense heat of compassion” beyond all limiting thoughts and fears. Together, we will examine how our innate “crazy wisdom” provides us with deep insight into the nature of reality, freeing us to dance with love in the charnel ground of our own grief, fear, and despair.

By exploring the diverse manifestations of the “wildness” of our innate being, we discover that we do not have to be hemmed in by the dualistic frameworks we ordinarily inhabit for understanding self and other, and for acting effectively in the suffering world. Instead, we are free to access the innate kindness and powerful expressive love, the wildness of compassion unleashed, that is our birthright.

To prepare for this retreat, please consider acquiring and reading Lama Liz’s new book, Tales of a Mad Yogi: The Life and Wild Wisdom of Drukpa Kunley (Shambhala, 2021).

Here is a wonderful interview with Lama Liz Monson, speaking on “Understanding Crazy Wisdom in Vajrayana Buddhism” on the Noble Mind podcast platform. Lama Liz speaks about her motivation and process in writing this book and her understanding of how crazy wisdom can be useful in our own practice today.

This retreat includes the transmission for and in-depth instructions on the Sadhana of Mahamudra, a practice treasure text revealed at Takstang (Tiger’s Nest) in Bhutan by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche that focuses on the powerful form of Guru Dorje Trollo as the embodiment of crazy wisdom. This profound practice enacts the energy of crazy wisdom as a meditation designed to catapult the practitioner into the vastness and clarity of the mind’s essence, the true nature of things as they are.

TYPICAL RETREAT SCHEDULE

(All times are Eastern time zone)

First Day — Opening session begins around 7:00 pm.

Full-Day Schedule — Morning meditation 7:00 am; Breakfast break 8:30-10:00 am; Lunch break 12:00-2:00 pm; Dinner break 5:30-7:00 pm.

Last Day — The closing session typically ends around noon followed by lunch for residential retreatants. Online-only closing sessions may occur after a lunch break.

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 by then. 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 this email address in your Contact or Safe-Send list to make sure you receive our emails:

PROGRAM COST

It is Natural Dharma Fellowship’s aspiration that no one be turned away from our teachings and retreats because they are unable to pay the full cost. In order make our courses affordable for all who wish to attend, we are offering a three-level fee structure that takes into account people’s differing financial circumstances:

• Benefactor – for those who can afford it, this fee level helps provide support for those with limited financial resources and assists with the care and maintenance of Wonderwell Mountain Refuge
• Course fee – for those who can cover the basic cost of an online retreat or course
• Supported – for those with limited financial resources or recent financial hardship

The pricing options for a particular retreat are based primarily on its length and are intended to give you an idea of what it costs to offer that retreat. The amounts listed are suggestions. You may write in any amount that fits your financial situation. Any amount offered above the Course Fee level will be considered a tax-deductible donation and will be acknowledged as such.

USER ACCOUNTS AND RESOURCES

The user account feature of our website provides a secure place where materials from your retreats can be posted and accessed. If you don’t have an account already, you’ll want to set one up as soon as you register.

• If you haven’t already created an NDF user account, please visit our website to Create an account as soon as possible.
• User accounts are manually synced after the retreat. Please be aware that this does not happen automatically with registration. It is a separate, manual operation.
• Resources and Recordings: The retreat resources and recordings will be available in your user account. Recordings must be edited before they are posted. We appreciate your patience!  You will receive an email letting you know they are available in your dashboard.  If you have any questions about resources and recordings, please email .

Please visit the Technical FAQ page on our website for useful information about user accounts, helpful tutorials, as well as answers to many other questions. You can contact  with questions about your user account.

Wonderwell Mountain Refuge Full Calendar