2027 Margha Program: Natural Meditation

The 2027 Margha Program: Natural Meditation is a year-long Himalayan Buddhist meditation course led by Lama Liz Monson of Natural Dharma Fellowship, based in Springfield, New Hampshire. It is open to newcomers and seasoned practitioners alike, and offers a structured sequence of meditations adapted from traditional Himalayan Buddhist training. Participants can take part online or in person.

Margha means "path" in Sanskrit, and the practices taught here also form the ground for the Vajrayana and Dzogchen paths. This year's focus is Natural Meditation, with essential instruction in shamatha (calm abiding), vipashyana (insight), and open awareness. The curriculum alternates each year with a Bodhicitta focus, and the two may be done in either order.

What to Expect

The heart of the program is a monthly meeting with a small group that stays together all year. Each group is guided by a pair of Margha Mitras, spiritual friends and mentors, who introduce the practices in interactive sessions. Groups meet online, and one in-person group meets in northwest Philadelphia. Most sessions run about two hours, in the evening or on a Sunday afternoon, and the online groups are spread across several days of the week so you can choose one that fits.

Around those meetings, the program offers:

- Mitra-guided sessions every Thursday evening, alternating between meditation practice and text study
- Three individual conversations with your group Mitras over the year
- Guided meditation audios, online resources, and readings from assigned texts
- Unlimited access to recordings through a personal dashboard

Two hybrid retreats anchor the year, a winter retreat and a summer retreat, each lasting seven days. You can attend at Wonderwell Mountain Refuge or by Zoom. They offer spacious practice time and live teachings from the lamas on all the practices of the Natural Meditation year. Participants are strongly encouraged to attend, though teachings and instructions from the retreats are made available on each person's dashboard.

The books for the year are The Magic of Awareness by Anam Thubten and Crystal Clear by Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche.

About Lama Liz Monson

Lama Liz Monson is a Lama, Managing Teacher, and Spiritual Co-Director at Natural Dharma Fellowship. She guides this year's Margha curriculum and, with visiting lamas, transmits the teachings at the program's retreats. The program's teachings were originally crafted by Lama Willa Blythe Baker, a meditation teacher at the fellowship who also teaches in its Natural Freedom Dzogchen Program.

The Setting

Natural Dharma Fellowship is a community in Springfield, New Hampshire, and its retreat center is Wonderwell Mountain Refuge. The fellowship describes its approach as natural meditation, inspired by the natural world. The two retreats can be attended on site or online.

Before You Go

No previous experience is required. The program welcomes beginners and long-time practitioners, and the small-group format is meant to give everyone steady peer support.

The program fee is offered on a three-tier sliding scale, with monthly installment plans available. Financial aid is available for anyone for whom the lowest tier is still out of reach, and the fellowship's aim is that no one is turned away for lack of funds.

The program fee does not include on-site costs for the retreats at Wonderwell Mountain Refuge, or the fees for the online part of the hybrid retreats. Required books, generally two per year, are also additional.

Some groups may be full. If a group is closed, the organizers ask that you join the wait list rather than select it. If you already have a Natural Dharma Fellowship user account, register with the same email you use to log in to your dashboard. If not, an account will be created for you from your registration address.