Cutting Through the Root of Suffering, with Anam Thubten

Six-Day Chöd Healing Retreat in Downtown Boulder

March 1 - 2: Cutting Through The Root of Suffering: Weekend Retreat ONLY
March 1 - 6: Cutting Through the Root of Suffering:  Full Six-Day Retreat with Additional Teaching and Practice

No Prerequisites Required

Location: Boulder Shambhala Center, 1345 Spruce St., Boulder

Chöd is a Tibetan Buddhist practice designed to facilitate healing on multiple levels. Its ultimate aim is to free our consciousness and psyche from the grip of mental patterns that perpetuate suffering. In Tibet, Chöd is practiced individually or offered as a healing ritual by yogis or spiritual masters.

The word Chöd, meaning “cutting through,” invites us to journey deeply into our psyche, confront our habitual patterns, and release our attachment to them. This transformative practice fosters inner liberation, resolving conflicts within ourselves and in the external world, allowing us to live with greater freedom and joy.

Chöd practice is particularly relevant to us in times of confusion and chaos. Over the course of six days, Anam Thubten will offer Chöd healing through guided meditations and teachings. Anam Thubten will be present at each session of the Six-Day Retreat.

At this retreat, Anam Thubten will transmit a simple, non-elaborate form of Chöd healing practice without instruments or liturgy. It also includes sessions of silent meditation.

Recommended reading for this retreat: Into the Haunted Ground, by Anam Thubten

Retreat Options: Choose One

• Weekend Retreat
  • When: Saturday and Sunday, March 1 - 2 (9:45 a.m.–5:35 p.m.)
  • Where: Boulder Shambhala Center
  • Cost: $200 (please consider making an offering to the scholarship fund to support others who cannot afford the full cost of retreat)

• Full Six-Day Retreat
  • When: Saturday to Thursday, March 1 - 6  (9:45 a.m. - 5:35 p.m.)
  • Where: Boulder Shambhala Center
  • Cost (Choose your level of support): Benefactor — $600; Subscriber — $500; Basic — $400

We kindly ask that you fully commit to the event or retreat option you choose. This commitment is important for several reasons:

i. A meditation retreat is a transformative process. Participants are invited to make a sacred commitment to attend the entirety of their chosen option — whether it’s the weekend retreat or the full, six-day retreat — to honor and trust this process.

ii. Once a retreat begins, a sacred container is formed, created by the collective good intentions of all participants to be fully present. This mutual presence supports and uplifts everyone involved.

Thank you for reflecting on this commitment and its significance for both you and your fellow participants. If you have questions or need to adjust your participation, please contact the Retreat Coordinator, Tasha Medley, at tashamedley@yahoo.com.  

About Anam Thubten

Anam Thubten grew up in Tibet and at an early age began to practice in the Nyingma lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. He is the founder and spiritual advisor of Dharmata Foundation, teaching widely in the US, Europe and Asia. His many books include Embracing Each Moment, No Self, No Problem, and The Citadel of Awareness. He currently resides in the San Francisco Bay Area. Through sharing his wisdom and personal experience on the spiritual path, Anam Thubten brings alive the timeless teachings of Buddhism.

How to register 

Participants may choose to attend the Weekend Retreat only or the Full Six-Day Retreat       

• Weekend Retreat:
  • Click the “Get Tickets” button (top-right corner on a desktop)
  • Choose "Weekend Retreat" from the ticket options.
  • On the registration page, enter 1 in the box next to Retreat Registration.

• Full Six-Day Retreat
  • Click the “Get Tickets” button (top-right corner on a desktop)
  • Choose your level of support:
    • Six-Day Benefactor — $600
    • Six-Day Subscriber — $500 
    • Six-Day Basic — $400
  • On the registration page, enter 1 in the box next to Retreat Registration.

Sliding Scale:

• Financial assistance is available for both retreat options on a first-come, first-served basis. If you require support, please contact our volunteers at dharmata.colorado.events@gmail.com. We ask that participants engage in a conversation with the registrar to determine the appropriate level of discount.  
• The cut off date for sliding scale is Friday Feb. 21 at 8 a.m

Registration Deadline: March 1 at 8 a.m.

Please note: Essential information will be emailed to you after you register. If you do not receive a confirmation email as part of your registration, please check your spam folders, then contact one of the volunteers at dharmata.colorado.events@gmail.com.

This retreat will not be recorded.

Daily Schedule and Preparation

The daily schedule will be 9:45-5:35.

Dana and Scholarship Donation

There will be a chance to offer dana, a financial gift in gratitude to the teacher, at the end of the retreat.

As part of registration, you are also invited to make an offering to the scholarship fund to support others who cannot afford this retreat. Your generosity is most appreciated.

Questions?

There are hotels, restaurants and Airbnb’s (as low as $50 per night if shared) in the surrounding downtown area. See our Frequently Asked Questions documents for answers to most common questions. You can reach the volunteer coordinators at dharmata.colorado.events@gmail.com.

Bonus Losar Event

On the Friday evening before the retreat, you are invited to join Boulder Shambhala Center and Anam Thubten at community-wide Losar feast practice of the Sadhana of Mahamudra, written by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. You can register through the Boulder Shambhala Center below:

https://boulder.shambhala.org/program-details/?id=778962

In Tibetan culture, the New Year, or Losar, is a time to gather with loved ones and celebrate togetherness. Beyond its festive aspects, Losar carries a profound spiritual significance as a moment of inner rebirth — a deep, authentic experience of releasing old habitual patterns and reconnecting with the enlightened, primordial essence of our being. 

Anam Thubten will offer a teaching to inspire and guide everyone in welcoming the New Year with this spiritual and transformative perspective.