Karmê Chöling

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Originally known as "Tail of the Tiger", Karmê Chöling is a Buddhist and Shambhala retreat center in Barnet, Vermont that was founded by the Tibetan Buddhist meditation master and scholar Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and his students in 1970. Trungpa Rinpoche is widely regarded as one of the first Buddhist teachers to introduce Buddhism to North America in the 1970s. After Karmê Chöling, Trungpa Rinpoche went on to found a network of centers first known as Dharmadhatus, part of the larger organization called Vajradhatu, and currently known as Shambhala International. Karme-Choling continues to offer extensive meditation programs and retreats in the Buddhist and Shambhala traditions to hundreds of students each year.

Facilities at the retreat center include over 600 acres (2.4 km²) of wooded land, seven meditation halls, a zen archery range, an organic garden, dining facilities, single and double rooms, dormitory housing, and seven retreat cabins. The center also houses visitors and staff in tents on wooden platforms in the warmer months of May through September.

In addition to hosting a wide-range of retreats, seminars, and workshops on meditation, gardening, archery, and theatre, resident teachers include Acharya John Rockwell, Acharya Michael Greenleaf, Acharya Arawana Hayashi, Benoit Cote, and Suzann Duquette.

Karmê Chöling is affiliated with Shambhala International, led by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche a holder of the Karma Kagyu, Nyingma, and Shambhala Buddhism Lineages. The current director of Karmê Chöling, Jane Arthur, took office during a formal ceremony held in October 2006.