About the project

We aim to establish the first Diamond Way retreat center in the eastern region of North America as a hub for lay Buddhist practice. Sustained by the friendship and joyful effort of our sangha, this project is a living expression of the 1,000 year-old Karma Kagyu transmission and the activity of our root teacher, Lama Ole Nydahl.

The Northeast Retreat Center project emerged from the collective wishes of our regional sangha. Although present for quite some time, these wishes were formally expressed during our first regional vision meeting over the weekend of August 14, 2009 at our interim retreat center in Naugatuck, Connecticut. Over thirty practitioners representing all the centers and groups in the Northeast came together to lay the groundwork of our vision for future activity, including the establishment of a retreat center.

The center will not only be a refuge for short-term retreats, but also the home of a vibrant community of dedicated lay Buddhist families and individuals who remain fully engaged in daily life.

The center will offer:

• A beautiful place with grounds and facilities to support individual and group meditation retreats.
• The infrastructure to host meditation courses with teachers and Lamas of the Karma Kagyu lineage.
• A central location for regional sangha activity where experiences can be shared and friendships deepened.

Scouting Criteria

The retreat center should be located within:

• a commutable distance of a major urban area (up to about an hour)
• a distance of 200 miles from New York City
• 30 minutes from a town, school, shops, etc.

Features:

• Preferably 25 or more acres but not less than 20.
• The capacity to support a meditation hall, houses, retreat huts, etc. (at least 4-5 buildings).
• Privacy and space: ideally adjacent to state-owned preserved land that cannot be sold and developed.
• The capacity to accommodate two or three families living there full-time.
• Preference for a parcel with available adjacent land that sangha members can purchase.