News from Dakini Ranch

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[dakiniranch]

Project days with Lama Ole. June 8th-12th

Hello friends of Dakini Ranch! A couple weekends ago we had the tremendous opportunity to host Lama Ole at Dakini Ranch for the first time! It was such a blessing to have the Lama spend a few days at a place that is so near and dear to his heart. Lama Ole just completed his North America tour from Chicago to San Francisco, which included a stop at Dakini Ranch to experience the land with his students and spend time on several dharma projects. He also gave a public lecture in Saguache, Colorado, the 500-person town down the road from Dakini Ranch. 

The weekend was a big milestone for Dakini Ranch. For the first time we were able to invite a large group of friends from around the world to experience the power Dakini Ranch holds. It was a fantastic weekend spent meditating and strengthening connections with each other. All of the work we have been doing together for so long to create the conditions that would support a dream weekend like the one we had was realized and experienced in full force. Thanks to everyone that came to experience the land! We are looking forward to seeing your faces again and making wishes that you bring friends with you.

[dakiniranch]

We closed out April with huge steps forward: the bathroom has a totally new style, the same for the kitchen and living room! Thankfully through many hands these past weekends we were able to get a lot of things done. Thank you to all the people who showed up to support Dakini Ranch. Also a big thank you to our 4 German visitors for their help. Of course there is still a lot to do for our big days in June. Please come to Dakini Ranch, if you want to be part of the work, meditation, and joy!

[dakiniranch]

April started with some amazing activity that continued throughout the whole month. Here are a few pictures from the beginning of that work. It was a truly inspiring to see everyone joyfully working together to repair the deck, setup the wood stove, gut the bathroom, replace the kitchen floor and in general making the cabin more hospitable. Friends from the local region and the national sangha came together to make light work of the myriad of repairs and improvements. Thank you all for your hard work!

[dakiniranch]

DR 2015 by Dakini Ranch Via Flickr: Dear Friends, please enjoy this inspiring video about our beautiful retreat land Dakini Ranch!!!

Reposting this on our blog for those of you who don’t use Facebook :-)

Also mark your calendars. We have many project weekends planned for Lama Ole's visit in June. Please join us!

April 8 - 10 • Work week - Cabin / Campus infrastructure

April 30 - May 1 • Statue Filling weekend in Salida CO

May 13 - 15 • Salida Lecture / Work weekend - Campus infrastructure/ build up

June 3 - 7 • Final Build Up

June 9 - 10 • Project Days at Dakini Ranch

June 11 • Public Lecture in Colorado near Dakini Ranch with Lama Ole Nydahl

Please RSVP to [email protected]

[dakiniranch]

It was an explosive weekend out on the ranch this past 19th and 20th of March. Several friends came together to work on the wood stove, the chimney, removing the kitchen tile, repairing the floor and gutting the bathroom for renovations. It was joyful activity combined with really hard work and everyone did an amazing job. We powered through everything on the list for this weekend in the finest style. Of course we also celebrated Lama Ole's birthday and took time for group meditation!

[dakiniranch]

Over the March 12th weekend, we continued our previous work and set up the old kitchen cabinetry in the barn. First we needed to create a foundation and a little floor space. Thankfully our salvage efforts from the winter yielded this perfect pallet floor. 

In addition we purchased some used 55 gallon drums to use it as trash bins for upcoming events. They still need to be bear proofed and cleaned but they are an excellent find.

Several friends followed this all up with an amazing work weekend over the 19th and 20th so stay tuned for the next blog post coming soon...

[dakiniranch]

Spring is coming and we took it to heart by starting the season at our lovely Dakini Ranch over the March 5th weekend. After planing and budgeting during the winter, the region decided to remove the old kitchen and replace it. So time to spring clean the kitchen and get the old cabinetry out. We are looking forward to seeing all the new improvements scheduled for the next few months.

[dakiniranch]

The Austrian Diamond Way Teacher Klaus Kaltenbrunner and his lovely wife Andrea gave several lectures on Buddhism in the Denver Diamond Way Center. As part of their trip they visited the Dakini Ranch Retreat Center with friends from Denver, Madison and the Heartland Retreat Center. Luckily the mild February this year made this day-trip possible and a great time was had by all.

We are all looking forward to the upcoming months when we meet again at Dakini Ranch for more meditation, activity and fun. 

[dakiniranch]

Thank you to all who responded to our recent Dakini Ranch Match Challenge. We have already raised $10,830!

For those of you who might have missed it: Dakini Ranch received a very generous match donation to help prepare for Lama Ole's visit in May 2016...All donations up to $20,000 made to Dakini Ranch will be DOUBLED. 

Inspired? Here is a link to the donation page: https://horatio.herokuapp.com/forms/11

Want to keep track of the progress? http://diamondway.org/dakiniranch-match/index

Also check back in our our Tumblr, Facebook and Twitter sites and we will keep you updated.

Huge thank you to all who made this possible.

[dakiniranch]

Happy New Year from Dakini Ranch!

This weekend was an impromptu Meditation Retreat on DR. With the short winter days and no running water everything was back to basics again. This didn’t stop us from enjoying three wonderful days and nights on the land. Freezing temperatures presented a small problem, but nothing a portable propane heater couldn’t solve. This way we could meditate comfortably in the Gompa even when the daily average temperature outside was just 12°F.

The snow covered countryside dampened out all noise to create a beautiful silent wonderland. The inspiration was overwhelming!

While sad to end the retreat and leave Dakini Ranch, we were over joyed to see an exquisite sun halo!

[dakiniranch]

Early December (5th) in spite of the snow fall we hosted yet more visitors to Dakini Ranch. This time they came from New York and Germany.

The extra hands made quick work of refilling our electrical trench line. Now safely buried below ground we have an electrical line between the propane generator and our cabin. Next project: building a generator housing to keep the noise down.

Thank you all who made this possible!

[dakiniranch]

This weekend (November 21st), Dakini Ranch hosted visitors from Germany and Switzerland. Inspired through all the activity and stories of the land, they both ventured out despite the cold. We are just on the cusp of winter here and it is bitterly cold at night. None the less our friends decided to stay for one night at the cabin. 

In addition to just enjoying the space, we also worked on cleaning up the kitchen and trenching more electrical lines. The cabin’s kitchen is now prepared to renovations scheduled for later this winter and early spring. Further, the electrical line is now trenched all the way from generator to cabin and we started back filling already. Hopefully we can complete this project before the trench is covered in more snow.

It is truly a blessing to be able to host people here and see how much it inspires them. Now our friends continue on their journey from Dakini Ranch to Las Vegas where more friends from all over the world will come together. All are looking forward to listening to and meditating with Lama Ole Nydahl, our teacher and great inspiration for Diamond Way practitioners.

[dakiniranch]

This past weekend (November 7th) we started digging a 12 to 18 inch deep trench from the future generator pad to the cabin. This trench will secure the cabin’s power lines. Hopefully we will get this done before the big snow comes into the valley. We had a really great time with Sasha, who shared with us the inspiration he received through staying at Dakini Ranch for a two week long retreat! It was truly a blessing to share the time, stories and dharma.

May this be one of the first of many many more retreats to come at Dakini Ranch.

Thank you all for making this possible!

[dakiniranch]

A quiet weekend this past weekend (Oct 31st) but amazing none the less. Saturday we emptied out another truck load of garbage from the barn. Throughout the previous week, our intrepid retreat guests had organized the tool/work area side of the barn so it seemed fitting the clean the other side of the barn. Plus it was a great excuse to try out the new truck with the old trailer and learn how to backup with a trailer full of trash!

Sunday on the other hand was all about meditation. We were interested in trying out this fantastic Mahamudra meditation spot. Well ... “trying out” for some of us and “returning to” for others. Along the way we saw the ruins of an old miner’s(?) house and plenty of wide open spaces. It was quite a climb to the top but the trip was well worth it. This is definitely a spot to come back to frequently. For all those thinking about doing a retreat here: bring hiking shoes and we’ll make sure you get to see this wonderful view.

[dakiniranch]

It seems that our two friends from New York are having an amazing time! They found this fantastic spot high up in the mountains with breathtaking views. The weather was cloudy and cold this afternoon, but it didn’t stop us from meditating anyway. Mind is Space! This is one of the best spots on earth to practice Mahamudra. Come and find out for yourself!

[dakiniranch]

Andy and Sasha from NYC are currently on the Ranch on retreat. Hopefully they are having a very fulfilling time. We had an outstanding weekend (October 24th) at the ranch to kick off their retreat. Not only did we get a lot of work done (more digging, excavating, and firewood cutting) but we all had an excellent time together. 

We now have a frost free hydrant installed off the commercial cistern system, so we can now draw water from the well year-round! Contractors on site and visiting soon will help finalize the plans for bathroom/kitchen facilities and water lines. More details to come soon. 

Continuing our fire prevention efforts we chopped up quite a number of dead trees. This is something that will be an ongoing project but is also very necessary maintenance.

Interior cabin work and plans are also progressing. The updated plans for the loft look amazing! Hopefully we will have one or more friends visiting soon to put those plans into action.

Thank you all for a wonderful weekend!

[dakiniranch]

Kicking off October with a flurry of activity: cleaning, digging, drywalling, road building, wood cutting, and meditating! Fall might be in full swing but activity on the ranch is ramping up. We only have a few more good weekends before the snow starts to hamper progress. 

The water line trench has made its way to where the kitchen entrance will be! We now actually have a road to the future kitchen and dining site which will have a beautiful! Also our cabin loft is undergoing an amazing transition. The mudding/taping is almost complete and furnishing plans are already underway.

Fantastic work all around!