Drala Mountain Center facts for kids
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| Predecessor | Vajradhatu |
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| Formation | February 2000 |
| Type | 501c3 educational non-profit |
| Location | |
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Formerly called
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Shambhala Mountain Center |
Drala Mountain Center (DMC) is a special kind of non-profit organization that teaches people. It was first started in 2000 as the Shambhala Mountain Center. In 2022, its name changed to Drala Mountain Center.
This center is a spiritual retreat place. It is located on 600 acres of land in a valley. This valley is in the northern Colorado Rocky Mountains. The center offers many programs. These include Shambhala Training meditation, yoga classes, and leadership training. They also have programs for children and longer retreats.
Many visitors come to Drala Mountain Center to see the Great Stupa of Dharmakaya. A stupa is a special religious building. This one holds the remains of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. He was a Tibetan teacher who started the spiritual path that Drala Mountain Center is part of.
The center has faced some challenges in recent years. These include a large forest fire, the COVID-19 pandemic, and organizational changes.
Contents
History of Drala Mountain Center
The land where Drala Mountain Center is located is in the Red Feather Lakes area of Colorado. It covers 600 acres (about 2.4 square kilometers). This area is in the foothills west of Fort Collins.
Early Beginnings: Rocky Mountain Dharma Center
The land was first developed in 1971. It was called the Rocky Mountain Dharma Center. Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche founded it. His organization, Vajradhatu, operated the center. The center has about 35,000 square feet (3,250 square meters) of buildings. These buildings are used for meditation, talks, programs, and places to stay.
Becoming Shambhala Mountain Center
In 2000, the original Vajradhatu organization was renamed Shambhala International. At this time, the retreat center became a separate non-profit organization. It was named Shambhala Mountain Center. This new center was independent.
The Great Stupa of Dharmakaya
In August 2001, a very tall stupa was completed. It is 108 feet (33 meters) high. It is called the Great Stupa of Dharmakaya. Building this stupa took 14 years. Work began after Trungpa's death in 1987. It is known that Trungpa's remains are kept inside the stupa. This follows a tradition in Tibetan Buddhism.
Caring for the Forest
Starting in 2017, Shambhala Mountain Center worked with a local conservation group. They aimed to restore 118 acres of forest. The goal was to make the forest like it was in the mid-1800s. This helped increase the variety of plants on the forest floor. It also made the forest more resistant to fires.
Recent Challenges and Changes
In 2018, the center faced some difficulties. There were reports about the behavior of some leaders in the larger Shambhala organization. Shambhala Mountain Center stated that they supported those who spoke up. They also said that the main spiritual leader, Sakyong Mipham, would not teach there until certain steps were taken.
In December 2019, a teacher at the center behaved inappropriately towards a student. The center quickly responded by dismissing the teacher. They also apologized to the student for what happened.
Impact of the Cameron Peak Fire
In the fall of 2020, the Cameron Peak Fire caused damage. It burned 14 buildings at Shambhala Mountain Center. However, part of the fire stopped on the center's land. This was because of the forest management work they had done. The estimated damage to the center was about $2 million.
Becoming Drala Mountain Center
In October 2021, Shambhala Mountain Center became fully separate from its previous parent organization. It created its own board of directors to manage itself.
In February 2022, the center changed its name to Drala Mountain Center. The new name comes from the Tibetan Buddhist word "drala." This word means "energy beyond aggression." On February 28, 2022, Drala Mountain Center filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. This was due to the challenges it had faced, including the fire and the COVID-19 pandemic.
