Foundation for Enlightened Society

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Who: a non-profit run by younger practitioners in the lineages of Chögyam Trungpa.

Goal: transmit these linages to future generations.

How: supporting advanced training and teaching opportunities for newer students.

Advised by: Judy Lief, Larry Mermelstein, Valerie Lorig, Jon Barbieri.

We serve: newer and/or younger practitioners, as well as anyone who has felt excluded from the Shambhala community. But all are welcome!

Major Initiatives

  1. Teaching Mentorships, led by Jon Barbieri and Valerie Lorig.
  2. Holding the Community: regular events and gatherings, as listed below.
  3. Materials Drive: receiving, organizing, and passing on dharma materials, especially from older practitioners to newer ones. See donate.
  4. Dharma House: Establish a residential practice center to intensify training for residents and give visitors a taste of a Shambhala Household; inspired by Marpa House and KCCL.

Regular Events

  1. Warrior Soirées - quarterly social events that showcase Shambhala culture (in Boulder - open to all)
  2. Ngöndro practice (hybrid on Sundays, requires pointing out instructions)
  3. Werma Sadhana practice (hybrid on the 9 days, requires reading transmission)
  4. Vajrayogini study group (in person on Saturdays, requires abhisheka)

To learn about our events, please sign up for our mailing list.

Completed Programs

  1. Grief on the Path of Dharma: this was a hybrid program, held at the Boulder Shambhala Center about love, loss, death and grief featuring Miriam Tarcov, Jon Barbieri, Bryan Welch, and Colin Stubbert, moderated by Judy Lief. It was attended by about 100 people.
  2. Seminary Transcript program: We received many boxes of Vajradhatu Seminary transcripts and delievered them to participants in the 3 Yanas Retreat at Drala Mountain Center, where they were joyfully received by participants.
  3. Abhisheka preparation: We helped students prepare for the 2024 Vajrayogini Abhisheka in Halifax with Ringu Tulku by arranging reading transmissions, hosting group ngöndro practice, and generally providing fellowship during the challenging work of the preliminaries.
  4. Rabjam Rinpoche venue team: We ran the security and venue team for Rabjam Rinpoche's 2023 visit to Boulder (hosted by Rimé Society), providing protector training for about 10 volunteers and hosting around 600 guests.

Subscribe to learn about upcoming events

Practices

Board

  • Nick Urban,
    President
  • Derek Wolter,
    Secretary
  • Bert Fitzgerald
  • Abbey Fox
  • Colin Stubbert
  • Laura Viviana

Staff

  • Colin Stubbert,
    Program Director
  • Joshua Andert,
    Program Developer

Volunteers

  • Angela Hadley,
    Discussion Group Coordinator
  • Graham Navin,
    Vajrayogini Coordinator

Advisors

  • Judy Lief
  • Larry Mermelstein
  • Valerie Lorig
  • Jon Barbieri

Donate

FES is a 501(c)(3) public charity.

You can donate online via Paypal or Venmo, or you can mail us a check.

Donated materials or checks may be dropped off in person or sent via US Postal Service to:

Foundation for Enlightened Society
1345 Spruce St
Boulder, CO 80302

Certifications

GuideStar Seal