Registration Dates

Registrations open on the dates listed on the Event Pages. Please check each program for specific registration information. No early registrations are possible. Registration is done by credit card through our website. Because many of our retreats are quite popular, we encourage you to register for a retreat that you wish to attend as early as possible.

Payment for Retreats

To be registered for a retreat, the online registration form must be completed and applicable fees paid using our secure online system. We are unable to accept personal checks for retreat payments. Payment is due in full at the time of registration.

Registration Notification

Once you have completed your initial registration, you will receive an email confirmation with a receipt from the Registrar. If you do not receive an email confirmation after completing your registration, remember to check your spam/or promotions folders on your email program for Pundarika communications first. If you do not see your confirmation in those folders, please contact the Registrar (time is needed for payments to clear). We have found that foreign credit cards can take longer to clear, so please allow one full working week for this.

Buddhist Monastics

If you are an ordained Buddhist monk or nun, it is our policy that there is no tuition fee to attend a retreat. You are responsible for your lodging and meals. You must meet the basic eligibility requirements listed in the retreat description. Please email our registrar with your name and the retreat you wish to attend and your qualifications for the specific retreat you are registering for.

Full Retreats and Waiting List Policy

If a retreat is full, a waiting list will be enabled on the program page of that retreat. As openings occur, individuals will be contacted by the Registrar in the order in which they joined the waiting list to see if they still want to attend.

If you are on the waiting list and have been contacted by the Registrar because a spot has become available for you in the retreat, you will have one week to respond by registering for that retreat. If you have not responded within a week, your spot will be given to another person on the waitlist. Since each retreat has limited space, and we are trying to fill each space in a timely and equitable manner, we need to know within a week whether you plan to attend or not.

Membership Policy for In-person retreats

Pundarika Membership comes with a discount for in-person Crestone retreats, depending on the level of membership that you sign up for. Please have your discount code ready when you register so you can apply it to your tuition fees.

Your membership discount code will also afford a discount for in-person Garrison Retreats, although the discount will only apply to the Pundarika Tuition ($400), and not to the room and board fees charged by the Garrison Institute.

More information about Pundarika Membership.

Drop-ins and Full Retreats

We book all in-person events to maximum capacity through our online registration process. However, if you would like to drop in for the final day of a teaching with Rinpoche – the ‘heart ceremony’ – please email the registrar. We aim to help people connect with Rinpoche and will do our best to accommodate you.

On-site Payments

During in-person retreats, there may be an opportunity to purchase items, such as chant books, katas (blessing scarves), photographs, or other items, as well as offering donations. For these on-site purchases we can accept checks (personal, travelers, or money orders) and credit cards.

Purpose

The purpose of our cancellation policy is to acknowledge that retreatants’ future plans can change unexpectedly and at the same time protect Pundarika Foundation from costs it incurs due to commitments to various vendors and payment for support staff time.

Policy 

• Full payment of all retreat fees is due at the time of registration.
• For Crestone retreats, if you cancel before August 1st, 2025, you will receive a full refund minus a $50 cancellation fee.
• For Crestone retreats, if you cancel on August 1st, 2025 or afterwards, refunds will only be given based upon individual circumstances. Whether to offer a full or partial refund will be at the discretion of the Director and Registrar.
• For cancellations of retreats held at the Garrison Institute, you are beholden to their cancellation and refund policy – CLICK HERE 

Procedure

Cancellations must be requested by contacting the Registrar by email – registrar@pundarika.org.

Refunds through PayPal will be credited to the same credit card with which your retreat fees were paid. Once the cancellation period is over, refunds are not possible and forfeited funds are considered “fee-for-service” payments (according to IRS) and are not considered eligible for tax-exempt status. In other words, they cannot be considered donations.

There are three types of retreats that Rinpoche offers: open, intermediate, and advanced, each with different qualifications.

Open Retreats

Open, foundational, six or seven-day retreats are open to everyone with no prerequisites for attendance. These include the Crestone Open Retreat and the Garrison Open Retreat.

Intermediate Retreats

The requirement to attend an intermediate retreat is to be a student of a Vajrayana and/or Dzogchen master. Having received pointing out instructions before is not a requirement. This is the typical level of the Deepening Our Meditation Practice series of online streamed teachings.

Advanced Retreats

These retreats require you to have attended at least one In Person Open Retreat with Tsoknyi Rinpoche (online retreats are not sufficient). You will have received the pointing out instructions before because you have been to an Open Retreat. Since Tsoknyi Rinpoche has developed much of his own terminology and teaching pedagogy, a combination of the traditional Dzogchen teachings informed by his extensive experience in the West and through study of the western mind, students who have not attended an Open Retreat before are often unclear about the subject matter.

In the past, simply receiving the pointing out instructions from any Dzogchen master was considered sufficient to meet this criteria. While receiving these instructions is helpful and invaluable overall, again, we have found that confusion about teaching terminology and subject matter makes it difficult to follow one of Tsoknyi Rinpoche’s advanced retreats without prior experience with his teachings. The word “advanced” in the context of this retreat should not be understood as a judgment of experience or attainment of any given meditation practice, but rather simply as an expansion of topics introduced in the Open Retreats. 

Please contact the Registrar if you have any questions.

Overview

In order to make the Dharma accessible to as many people as possible, Pundarika offers scholarships to our in-person retreats. We do our best to accommodate everyone who would like to attend an in-person retreat but need financial assistance to do so. However, our ability to offset costs via scholarships is dependent upon the number and quantity of scholarships that are requested, as well as us having the funds to help everyone in need.

If you are interested in donating money to assist in spreading the Dharma by funding scholarships, please contact James at james@pundarika.org.

In general, scholarships are awarded for the following reasons::

• Serious or life-threatening medical problems causing financial hardship;
• Currently enrolled students in a higher education or professional training program without the resources to pay in full;
• Other serious financial need.

Scholarship applications will be reviewed by a scholarship committee made up of Pundarika staff. The committee will consider the information you submit, whether you have received a scholarship in the past, and also the overall scholarship budget of the organization for this retreat.

The scholarship application process is slightly different for Crestone and Garrison retreats, read on below for particular information.

Crestone In-Person Retreat Scholarships

If you wish to apply for a scholarship for either the Open or Advanced Crestone Retreats, you will register for the retreat as normal. When choosing your payment option, choose “Scholarship,” and pay the minimum $50 tuition fee for the retreat. Registering in this manner will reserve your spot in the retreat.

Once you are registered for the retreat, the registrar will contact you and ask you to fill out the scholarship application. Your application will be considered and we will let you know whether you have received a full, partial, or no scholarship, after which you will be asked to pay the remaining balance due (if there is one). The status of your scholarship in no way impacts your enrollment in the retreat itself, only the amount you will need to pay.

Scholarships for Crestone retreats are only offered for the tuition fee, and are not offered for lodging, travel, or food during the retreat.

Garrison In-Person Retreat Scholarships

The scholarship application for Garrison retreats is a bit different than for the Crestone retreats. 

To apply for a scholarship to Garrison, please email Andy at registrar@pundarika.org. 

The deadline for Garrison scholarship applications is May 25th, 2025, if you want your application considered before registration opens. 

We will send you a scholarship application and will consider your request. If you are awarded a scholarship, you will receive a coupon code to use at registration checkout on the Garrison Institute’s website. 

Scholarship applicants for the Garrison retreat will still need to register for the retreat with the Garrison Institute, and will still need to be accepted into the retreat based upon a first come, first served process. Receiving a scholarship does not guarantee your spot in the retreat, so be sure to register in a timely manner. You will also need your coupon code to receive your scholarship discount, which is why it is important to contact us before registration opens.

Depending on the total amount of scholarship funds we have at our disposal and the number of applicants, scholarships for the Garrison retreat may apply to tuition as well as the room and board fee.

Online Streamed Retreats

The price of online streamed retreats is charged at a sliding scale based upon what you can comfortably afford, and thus scholarships are not awarded for these programs.

Location and Parking

The Crestone retreats are held in the Yeshe Rangsal Teaching Tent located on the Yeshe Rangsal land in Crestone, Colorado. The parking lot for the Yeshe Rangsal retreat land is at the Stupa of Enlightenment located off Camino Baca Grande in the Baca Grande Subdivision of Crestone.

SEE A MAP OF THE RETREAT PARKING AREA

To locate Crestone via Google maps, please click here.

Please park in the parking lot at the Stupa for all teachings, meditations, and every other time you are visiting the tent. Shuttles are available for those who are unable to walk uphill to the tent.

Shuttle Service

For students with physical limitations (which may make it difficult to walk to the tent from the Stupa parking lot), we will arrange a shuttle for check-in for both retreats. Dates and times for the shuttle will be announced. The shuttle will run from the Stupa parking lot to the tent. The shuttle will return to the Stupa parking lot after Rinpoche’s teaching.

Additionally, for students who have difficulty walking, a shuttle from the Stupa parking lot to the tent site will be available for all of the teachings. More details will be provided at orientation.

Check In

Check In is from 3 – 4 p.m. MDT on the opening day of each retreat at the Yeshe Rangsal Teaching Tent.

Seating

Seating inside the tent is first come, first served, and seats are generally reserved for the entire retreat. The only seating spaces that can be reserved in advance of Check In are for those with medically related needs. Please email the Registrar if you are in need of a particular seating arrangement.

Pundarika provides zafus, zabutons and chairs for use at the retreat. Due to limited space in the tent, please do not bring your own chairs or cushions.

If you have a medical need that requires special seating, please email the registrar well in advance of the retreat, so that we may accommodate you. This does not include those who need hearing assistance.

Orientation and First Teaching

Orientation will begin at 4:30 p.m. and end at approximately 5:00 p.m. Rinpoche will give the first teaching from 5:15 p.m. to approximately 6:45 p.m. Students should be settled in their seats by 5:05 p.m.

Retreat Schedule

Retreats are often 6 or 7 days in length. They consist of one 2 hour dharma teaching by Rinpoche and four (4) sitting periods per day, or two 1-1/2 hour dharma teachings by Rinpoche and three (3) sitting periods per day. Retreat schedules will be emailed after registration. During all retreats, small groups meet with Rinpoche to address students’ questions, especially as they apply to practice in our daily lives and retreat.

Silence

In-person retreats are usually held in silence, beginning on the second day. The exact start time of the noble silence is declared by Rinpoche. Silence stretches across the entire Yeshe Rangsal property, including on the access roads, the trail, the stupa and shrine, and the parking area. Please respect your fellow retreatants by maintaining this silence.

If you must communicate during the retreat, please use a notepad and pen to write a note, provided in the South Foyer by the bulletin board. If you must speak, please walk all the way out beyond the gate in order to do so.

Hearing Assistance

Pundarika provides hearing devices for those who require hearing assistance. These are earbuds and radio transceivers that pick up on a radio broadcast of the teachings in the tent. While most people find these work great, they must go in the ear, so those with hearing aids sometimes have problems. If you have hearing aids and anticipate needing extra volume to hear, please bring a pair of over the ear headphones, which we can plug into our radio devices. Unfortunately, Pundarika does not have over the ear headphones to lend out.

Cell Phones

Please turn off your cell phone when inside the teaching tent for all retreat functions, including teachings, recaps, and meditation. Silent or vibrate mode is not enough, as vibrating cell phones are still a great disturbance to meditation practice. Additionally, we have had issues in the past with cell phone signals interfering with our microphones and speakers, creating unwanted feedback.

Audio and Video Recording

Individual recording of retreat teachings is not permitted. Recordings of teachings are made by the Pundarika Foundation, and are available during the retreat to registered participants on the Program Page. A month or so after the retreat has ended, the recordings will be posted to the Membership Library, where they can be viewed as often as wanted through the Membership Program.

Medical

Please refer to Health Services in the Crestone area.

Pets

The retreat environment does not allow pets.

Children At Retreats

Given the intensive nature of these retreats (silence for six or seven days, extensive daily sitting meditation practice requirements, and attending all teaching sessions, which can be 3 to 4 hours or more each day), children are not allowed at these retreats. If a young person is 16 or over and can fully commit to the requirements as noted above, they can attend as a registered retreatant.

Groceries and Restaurants

Retreatants need to provide their own food at retreats in Crestone. There are two grocery stores in Crestone – the Elephant Cloud and the Crestone Mercantile – which will meet anyone’s grocery needs. However, as they are in a remote town, prices tend to run high, and so stocking up at a larger grocery store in Salida, Alamosa, or even Denver on your way to Crestone is something to consider.

Crestone also has two restaurants, a brewery, a diner, and a coffee shop. These can be found on any mapping software, or just by driving or walking around the small downtown.

Retreat Attendees will be required to read and initial that they agree to the General Release and Waiver when they register for the retreat.

General Release and Waiver

I am aware that Retreat affords an opportunity to deepen my meditation practice and Buddhist studies, but I may also face physical, emotional, psychological, and/or spiritual challenges. It is my sole responsibility to determine my fitness for Retreat and whether it is appropriate for me. If I have questions or concerns about any physical or mental health issues that might affect my ability to engage in Retreat, I will consult with my physician, psychologist or other health care professional before completing this agreement.

I represent to the Pundarika Foundation that I have a current medical insurance policy with coverage limits that are sufficient for any health emergency that might arise during or as a consequence of this retreat. I agree that I am solely financially responsible for any and all emergency response interventions.

I hereby fully waive and release the Pundarika Foundation from any and all claims for property damage, personal injury, illness, or death that may result from any activities or conditions while in Retreat. Those activities and conditions may include, but are not limited to: extended periods of sitting meditation; physical isolation; walking and hiking in sandy and hilly terrain in intense sun, strong winds, wet or icy conditions; encountering wildlife that may include deer, coyotes, elk, fox, bears, mice, or mountain lions; mosquitos and other biting insects. I acknowledge that there may be dangers and risks associated with the activities described above which are understood by me.

I fully assume the dangers and risks, and agree to use my best judgment while engaging in those activities. I further agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Pundarika Foundation, its employees, agents, officers, from and against any and all liability incurred as a result of or in any manner related to my participation in Retreat activities.

Coronavirus and Other Infectious Diseases

I realize and understand that the conditions related to Coronavirus disease (CV) are constantly changing.I will do my best to adhere to the guidelines and protocols set by Pundarika Foundation during my time in Crestone, knowing they may not be sufficient, and that I may catch, be infected by, or transmit, CV while traveling to Crestone, participating, or traveling home, and I understand and accept that risk solely as my own. I further agree that Pundarika Foundation and Participants are not responsible for my health or safety regarding CV, or capable of fully protecting me from CV, and that any medical or other costs and health or other repercussions resulting from my participation are fully my responsibility. I further agree to do my best to protect myself and others by adhering to the guidelines and protocols Pundarika Foundation requires during my activity there.

Media Release

The teachings of Tsoknyi Rinpoche will be recorded.

The Pundarika Foundation may:

(a) Use, reproduce, exhibit, distribute, broadcast, digitize or edit my contribution to the Retreat or make derivative works thereof by any method and in any media, whether now existing or later created (including by digital or interactive media transmission);

(b) Record my contribution or participation in the Retreat in photographs or on videotape or audiotape and make transcripts based on the recording of the Retreat for any of the purposes set forth above; and

(c)  Use my name, likeness, and voice in connection with any use of such photographs, videotapes, audiotapes, transcripts and materials, including uses in connection with the Retreat.

I acknowledge that I will not be compensated for my participation in the Retreat or for any uses made of the Retreat or for any recordings or publications of the Retreat.

I understand that the Pundarika Foundation owns all rights in the Retreat including the copyright.

Transportation and Ridesharing

Crestone does not have local public transportation.

If you are driving from Denver or other places, please consider offering a ride to fellow retreatants through our rideshare board. You may also request a ride using this link.

View the Ride Share Page.

Because Crestone is located in a relatively remote area of Colorado, it is very helpful for students to use the Rideshare board as a resource for transportation to Crestone. You can either view available rides or create a posting to “add a journey.”

Please consider offering a ride to other travelers, either from the airports in Denver, Colorado Springs, Albuquerque, or from other locations in the Rocky Mountain area. 

For those of you taking a bus from Denver to Moffat, the drop-off point for Crestone (the bus does not go into the town of Crestone), and who need transportation between Moffat and Crestone, please contact Windhorse Taxi Service at  keithchd@gmail.com, or call or text 719-480-5127. Proprietor: Keith Conway.

Local rideshare for rides to and from the teaching tent will be arranged at check-in and by the Retreat Managers at orientation.

Flying

Denver International Airport (DEN) is a 4-1/2 hour drive north of Crestone. Denver flights tend to be less expensive and involve fewer connections than other airports.

Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ), NM is a 5-hour drive south of Crestone.

Denver Air Connection flies from the airport in Denver to Alamosa (ALS), CO, a one-hour drive south of Crestone. While there are not many flights each day, and probably not too many cars available for rent in Alamosa, this option is much faster and more convenient than driving from the Denver airport.

Little Stinkers Taxi service in Alamosa can take you from the Alamosa airport to Crestone. 719-589-2500

Driving

Many people choose to drive to Crestone for the retreat, which affords the convenience of having a car while you are here. There is no public transportation around this spread out, rural community, so having a car is very convenient for getting to and from the Yeshe Rangsal land each day, as well as getting groceries. Crestone is in the heart of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, so the drive from anywhere is beautiful with plenty of great mountain views. With the exception of afternoon thunderstorms, the weather in late summer is generally benign, so drivers need not be concerned about heading over mountain passes or encountering snow. 

• From Denver it is a 4 to 4.5 hour drive to Crestone.
• From Albuquerque it is a 5 hour drive to Crestone. 
• From Alamosa it is a 1 hour drive to Crestone. 

Mapping software on your phone or through the car’s inboard system will take you straight to Crestone, so writing out directions are probably not useful. Please email the registrar if you have questions.

Bus Service

From Denver to Crestone

Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) offers rail service on the University of Colorado A Line that will take you from Denver International Airport (DIA) to Denver Amtrak Union Station (DEN) to connect with the Alpine Express bus. Cost is $10.50 one way. Travel time to Union Station is 37 minutes. Tickets can be purchased at the vending machines located at the RTD Customer Care Counter, which is in the center of the airport on Level One. Tickets must be purchased before proceeding to the train platform, also on Level One. There are no vending machines on the train platform. Please allow enough time to claim your baggage, purchase your rail ticket, board the train, and arrive at Union Station before the Alpine Express bus departure at Union Station at 1:55 p.m. For information about RTD’s rail service from DEN to Union Station, visit: http://www.rtd-denver.com/app/route/A/schedule?direction=westbound

Alpine Express (970-641-4111) operates the bus line from the Denver Amtrak Union Station to Salida, Colorado on the Crested Butte-Denver Line. The Alpine Express departs daily from the Denver Amtrak Union Station at 1:50 p.m. and arrives in Salida at 5:05 p.m. The cost is $29. You may pay $29 directly to the driver in correct change, or you may book and pay here. https://www.amtrak.com/home.html Choose Denver, CO Union Station (DEN) as your point of origin and Salida, CO (SLD), as your destination. Please note this is an Alpine bus operating between Denver and Salida, not an Amtrak train.

The Bustang Bus will meet the Alpine bus in Salida daily at 5:05 p.m., arriving in Moffat at 6:08 p.m. The cost is $7 and must be paid to the driver in cash, with the correct change. Let the driver know that your destination is Moffat. The Alamosa/Pueblo Line runs between Salida and Moffat. https://ridebustang.com/alamosa-pueblo-schedule/

For the trip from Moffat to Crestone, taxi service is provided by Windhorse Taxi Service, call or text 719-480-5127 or email keithchd@gmail.com.

For the Return Bus Service to Denver

The Bustang Bus stops in Moffat at the Moffat Town Park, 5th & Reynolds at 6:45 a.m. and arrives in Salida at 7:45 a.m. The cost is $7 cash paid to the driver in correct change. In Salida, transfer to the Alpine Express bus to Denver Union Station arriving at Denver Union Station at 10:50 a.m. Pay $29 cash to the driver in correct change or you may book and pay here. https://www.amtrak.com/home.htmlThe University of Colorado A Line, RTD train will return you to Denver International Airport. https://www.rtd-denver.com/app/route/A/schedule?direction=eastbound

Windhorse Taxi Service at 719-480-5127, keithchd@gmail.com, offers service between Crestone and the Alamosa Airport. Little Stinkers Taxi (719-589-2500) out of Alamosa also offers service between Crestone and the Alamosa airport. Cost is approximately $95 per trip.

Retreatants are responsible for securing their lodging. Pundarika Foundation provides this list as a reference only. It does not endorse any of the lodging providers listed below. It does not visit each lodging physically and does not perform background checks on potential lodging providers or landlords. Lodging already listed with AirBnB will not be duplicated on this list.

If you wish to explore sharing an accommodation with others coming to Crestone for retreat, place an Ad here: HOUSING & RIDE SHARE

Rooms in Private Homes

Private room in Friendly Buddhist practitioner ‘s home available in quiet neighborhood. Women preferred but no one turned away. Comes with your own refrigerator. Coffee and toast breakfast provided. Excellent Internet service. $70 per night. Contact Sandia (719) 588-4884 

Rental Agencies

Airbnb

There are over 100 available places for rent on Airbnb, at generally pretty affordable rates. CLICK HERE

VRBO

Vrbo has about 40 listings in the Crestone area, although the prices seem a bit higher. CLICK HERE

Electrum Amor Rentals

Offering accommodations for all situations. Retreats or vacations. “I have single to multi-family spaces such as yurts, rooms or houses available at any time. Prices from $50 to $100 per night located in downtown Crestone or private retreat housing. Monthly and weekly discounts are available. Call and let me know what you’re looking for @ 719.588.2114 or mail to: globalspirit13@gmail.com.

Crestone Lodging 

Crestone lodging is a premier resource for travelers and vacationers to find clean and luxurious accommodations in Crestone Colorado.  Our properties are clean, tastefully furnished and full of amenities, for a welcoming and comfortable stay. Contact Erin, at erin@crestonecasitas.com (website: Crestone)

Lodging in Spiritual Centers

Chamma Ling

Solitary retreat center in the Tibetan Bonpo tradition. We have three individual occupancy cabins, renting for $560 per week, and one double occupancy cabin at $665 per week. The cabins each have a full bath and a full kitchen. Retreatants are expected to provide their own meals. For more information, please view their website.

Crestone Mountain Zen Center

(719) 256-4692;  The Zen Center offers its monastic practice environment to support Pundarika retreatants in their silent practice. The Zendo can be used for meditation and the Dome for chanting and personal practice. We offer a variety of single and shared occupancy, ranging from $75 for camping to $190 in the Hillside Cabin.Accommodations 

The Zen Center is well known for its delicious vegetarian and organic cuisine. All prices include three meals per day. Even if you don’t stay with us, it’s possible to join us just for the meals by purchasing a meal plan in advance.

Vajra Vidya Retreat Center

Our contemplative retreat environment is ideal for supporting practitioners who come to Crestone to receive teachings. Our Traditional Buddhist Shrine Room is always open for meditation practice. Our prices range from $95 – $105 per night depending on private or shared bath and includes 3 vegetarian meals per day. 719-256-5539 vajravidyacrestone@gmail.com

Camping

Camping facilities and RV parking are not available at the Crestone retreat venue. 

If you wish to camp during the retreat, the closest National Forest Campground is the North Crestone Campground. Spots cannot be reserved online, and are first come, first served. Spots cost $10 per night. 

There is also free dispersed camping on National Forest land along Galena Ave in Crestone, heading up towards the mountains on the road to the Willow Lake trailhead. These are unsecured and unguarded campsites.