The History of Drala Mountain Center
The History of Drala Mountain Center
In the high valley of Red Feather Lakes, an hour northwest of Fort Collins, Colorado, a retreat center took shape at the turn of the millennium. What began as Shambhala Mountain Center in 2000 has evolved into Drala Mountain Center, a 600-acre sanctuary where contemplative practice meets the stark clarity of mountain air at 8,600 feet.
Roots in the Shambhala Lineage
The center's founding grew from the Shambhala Buddhist tradition established by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, a Tibetan meditation master who brought Tibetan Buddhism to the West in the 1970s. Trungpa Rinpoche's teachings emphasized "basic goodness"—the idea that human nature is fundamentally awake and enlightened—and developed what he called Shambhala warriorship, a secular path of bravery and mindfulness applicable beyond traditional Buddhist frameworks.
When Shambhala Mountain Center opened in 2000, it joined a network of centers and practice communities worldwide rooted in this lineage. The location itself spoke to the tradition's values: remote enough for genuine retreat, elevated enough that the body registers the thinning air as reminder of effort and attention.
The Great Stupa and Physical Development
The center's most visible landmark, the Great Stupa of Dharmakaya, rises 108 feet from Marpa Meadow, its gilded spire catching afternoon light against ponderosa pines. The stupa—a traditional Buddhist monument symbolizing enlightened mind—became both architectural anchor and spiritual center for the property. Around it, the infrastructure of contemplative life developed: yurts and lodges for housing, meditation halls for group practice, a dining hall for vegetarian meals served family-style, and dirt paths threaded with prayer flags connecting the scattered buildings.
The scale of the land allowed for variety in practice. Month-long silent retreats called dathün could run through harsh Colorado winters. Weekend programs could accommodate families. Practitioners could choose between the intensity of shrine room sessions and solitary walks through high meadow where ravens circle and the Milky Way emerges most nights.
Programming and Evolution
From its earliest years, the center balanced traditional Shambhala Buddhist offerings with broader contemplative programming. Core practices included shamatha meditation and walking meditation in morning sessions. More advanced practitioners could receive vajrayana empowerments, participating in the tantric practices of Tibetan Buddhism. Teachings on Shambhala warriorship drew both committed Buddhists and those seeking secular wisdom about courage and presence.
As the center matured, programming expanded beyond strictly Buddhist frameworks. Yoga intensives found a home alongside meditation retreats. Leadership trainings emerged, weaving contemplative practice into group facilitation and organizational development. Family programs acknowledged that spiritual life doesn't exist separate from the complexities of relationships and child-rearing.
A Name Change and Its Context
The most significant shift came in 2022, when Shambhala Mountain Center became Drala Mountain Center. The name change reflected broader turbulence within the Shambhala community. While the center maintains its roots in the Shambhala Buddhist lineage and continues to honor Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche's teachings, the rebranding signaled institutional evolution—a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit navigating its own identity amid changing contexts.
"Drala" itself comes from Shambhala vocabulary, referring to elemental energy or presence beyond ego. The term suggests encounter with natural wakefulness, often experienced in mountains, winds, and undomesticated places. The renaming thus preserved connection to tradition while establishing some distance, creating space for the center to define itself on its own terms.
The Center Today
Today, Drala Mountain Center operates as an independent retreat facility offering diverse programming rooted in contemplative practice. The altitude still announces itself—breath comes short, especially for newcomers. The stupa still catches afternoon light. Between formal sessions, practitioners still walk meadow paths or sit in silence while the wind moves through pines.
The center continues to serve both long-term Buddhist practitioners and those newly curious about meditation. Lodging options range from shared dormitories to private cabins, accommodating various budgets and needs for solitude. The remote location remains central to the experience: far enough from city light that the night sky offers its own teaching about vastness and perspective.
In a landscape where spiritual communities nationwide reckon with institutional history, leadership accountability, and evolving relationships to tradition, Drala Mountain Center sits at the intersection of continuity and change—600 acres of high valley holding space for the practices that brought people here, and for whatever comes next.
