August 5-29 | Hurleyville, NY
Village Dharma
What to ExpectVillage Dharma is a month-long residential program of the Hurley House Project in Hurleyville, New York.
It combines the structure of a Buddhist monastery with the warmth of a community gathering — a temporary “village” where people can live, practice, work, and rest together.
The rhythm of our days will be consistent and intentional: morning sits, communal meals, evening practice, and time for bringing your own personal projects or remote work. Tibetan Buddhist teachers Lama Lekshe and George Draffan will offer teachings, interviews, and presence throughout the month.
The program is designed to give participants a taste of collective, contemplative life without requiring prior experience or long-term commitment.
Come for a few days, a week, or the whole month! Food and lodging is provided.
Note that this an event by the Hurley House Project, and is not a Dekeling event.
❋ Flexible StructureA combination of group activities and free time, and participants are welcome to bring their personal projects or remote work (Wifi available)
❋ RetreatsThere will be one full week of structured, silent retreat: August 14-20, broken up into two parts (see more info on the retreats below.)
❋ Access to TeachersIn the spirit of villages in Buddhist countries, teachers will be available for informal instruction and activities.
❋ A Supportive SpaceOur events prioritize comfort, safety, and respect—so you can show up as you are and fully engage in the process.
Village DharmaImportant Dates
In addition to the general daily schedule of Village Dharma, here are important dates to keep in mind.
August 3Lama Lekshe in NYC
August 5Village Dharma Begins
August 21Family & Community Weekend
August 8-9Retreat (Part 1): The Alchemy of Interconnectedness
August 14-16Retreat (Part 2): The Space of Becoming
August 17-20Ancestor Ceremony & Practice Teaching
“Restore and Reflect” Weekend
August 22-23Full Moon Ceremony & Tsok
August 27Village Dharma concludes
August 29Special Events
Throughout the month of Village Dharma, there will be a few special retreats and weekends. Click the event to see the full description.
Retreats
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This three-day silent retreat begins with a single question: What happens when we stop working so hard to hold ourselves together?
Buddhist practice points toward something most of us have glimpsed, but rarely trusted; that the presence of other beings, the natural environment, the elements, and the ground and sky are a river of energy that we can embody if we decide to. When we settle enough to notice this, the body relaxes. The mind opens into its natural state. The exhausting effort to strive and perform begins very slowly to ease.
Over three days of silence, meditation, dharma teachings and discussion, we’ll cultivate the capacity to rest inside interconnectedness rather than struggle with its apparent complexity. This is a practice for a lifetime, but it begins just like this, with a simple intention to awaken.
This retreat welcomes both new and experienced practitioners.
Part 1: Space of Becoming (Aug 14–16) — Standard $250 / Supporter $500 / Sustainer $750
Part 1 + Part 2: Alchemy of Interconnectedness (Aug 14–20) — Standard $500 / Supporter $750 / Sustainer $1,000
Note: Part 1 is required to attend Part 2
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In Tibetan, a ‘bardo’ is the space between: no longer this, not yet that. We move through bardos constantly: between sleep and waking, between one chapter of life and the next, between a breath and the one that follows. Most of us move through them unaware.
Without practice, these thresholds can be disorienting. There is nothing in the world that lasts forever, and nothing in this world that is, on its own, ultimately reliable. And yet inside that same groundlessness is something else: possibility, vitality, and the actual experience that things are not as fixed as we think.
In this four-day retreat, we’ll work with the bardos as a living practice; learning to meet these thresholds without flinching, and to find in them not fear, but ease. This retreat draws on classical Tibetan Buddhist frameworks and is designed for practitioners who want to explore in more depth.
This retreat is a continuation of August 14–16. Full attendance at that retreat is required to join this one.
Part 1: Space of Becoming (Aug 14–16) — Standard $250 / Supporter $500 / Sustainer $750
Part 1 + Part 2: Alchemy of Interconnectedness (Aug 14–20) — Standard $500 / Supporter $750 / Sustainer $1,000
Note: Part 1 is required to attend Part 2
Other Events
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During the first full weekend of the program, August 8-9, we’ll host an open Community Weekend. All are welcome, including kids and families!
Activities during this weekend will include:
An intro to Village Dharma talk by Lama Lekshe
Community meals + group projects on the house and garden
This weekend will also offer a traditional Buddhist blessing ceremony for new babies and families.
There will be no cost to participate during the day. Overnight stays require booking a room - kids stay free.
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This weekend will prioritize slowing down, resting, and restoring — a gentle and open flow with lots of nourishment, and without the boundaries of a retreat.
George Draffan will lead qi-gong sessions and meditation in the woods. There will be lots of space for personal activity and easy socializing. The evenings will be for songs, soaks in the hot tub, and the sauna.
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On this night the Village Dharma community will gather for Tsok — a Tibetan Buddhist “feast offering practice” in which food, drink, and song are shared as offering to the awakened energies of the tradition. Rooted in ancient indigineous ritual, Tsok is a practice of accumulation and purification: merit is gathered, obscurations are cleared, and the bonds of sangha are deepened through collective prayer, chant, and communal feast. No prior Buddhist background is required — only a willingness to arrive with sincerity and an open heart.
We time this gathering with the full moon, recognized across traditions as a moment when awareness is heightened and the boundary between ordinary and sacred grows thin.
The ceremony will be led by Lama Lekshe and free of charge. We ask that folks bring an offering.
Daily Schedule
Outside of the silent retreats, our days will offer a combination of suggested and optional community activities, plus open time for working on personal projects and co-working. While still a work in progress, here’s what a typical day at Village Dharma might look like:
8:00-9:00amBreakfast
9am-NoonLunch
1:00-1:30pmCollective cleaning
Morning meditation & service
6:30-7:15amMovement practice – self or group-led
7:15-8:00amMorning session: personal time or communal activity
Noon-1:00pmAfternoon session: personal time or communal activity
1:30-5:00pmDown time. Rest, walk, swim, nap.
5:00-6:00pmDinner
6:00-7:00pmEvening Activity
7:00-8:30pmEvening meditation & chanting
8:30-9:30pmPricing
We, at the Hurley House Project, attempt to make Village Dharma affordable for everyone, while also making it sustainable. Please contribute at the rate that you are able to support our efforts! All contributions include all food and lodging.
Daily
Subsidized $75 / Standard $125 / Supporter $200
Weekly
Subsidized $500 / Standard $750 / Supporter $1,000
Monthly
Contact Village Dharma Program Coordinator Thomas Walker to discuss: walkerthomas121@gmail.com
Work-Trade and Scholarships
There are also work-trade opportunities and full-scholarships available! Please contact Thomas if interested.
Teachers
Teachers from Dekeling will be present for the duration of the retreat.
The spirit of Village Dharma is to create a temporary Buddhist community where teachers are woven into the fabric of daily life, available to support ritual and practice, but also to be present for the rhythms of everyday — like in a traditional Buddhist village in Tibet or Nepal.
About Lama Lekshe
Lama Lekshe is a Buddhist teacher trained in two Tibetan lineages: the Karma Kagyu and the Shangpa—a transmission tracing its origins to the enlightened females Niguma and Sukhasiddhi. Lekshe has trained continuously in India, Nepal, and the United States for more than thirty years, completing a fully cloistered traditional three-year retreat in the US in 2018.
She is the Resident Lama of Dekeling in Portland, Oregon, where she leads weekly practice, retreats, and several years-long training programs. She is a mother, a writer, and a poet, and is known for a teaching style with precision, warmth, and humor. She can often be found in New York, enjoying the creative energy of the dharma friends in the city and the Catskills.
About George Draffan
George Draffan is a Seattle-based teacher of the Buddha-Dharma with a passion for bringing traditional teachings into the activities of daily life. He is currently an Associate Teacher of Dekeling. George has practiced qigong for many years. His practice of embodied movement has been deeply influenced by physical labor, mountain hiking, and the gentle therapy of Feldenkrais. Other influences for which George is grateful include the mountains, rivers, and wildlife of the Pacific Northwest. Poetry: the ecstatic all-embracing empathy of Walt Whitman. The heart-breaking and heart-affirming humanity of the poet Tu Fu. Songs of realization from the Buddhist and Taoist traditions. The Stoic philosophers who, like the Buddha, challenge us to use our potential to free ourselves from self-imposed confusion and struggle.
Location
Village Dharma will be held at the Hurley House in Hurleyville, New York.
The Hurley House Project is a non-profit endeavor aspiring to create a community in the Lower Catskills.
The organization has two-parts to its mission. First, it aspires to nurture and inspire new forms of collective living. We do this by hosting community gatherings and events, with an emphasis on personal healing and collective connection.
The Hurley House also offers space as a resource for underserved communities in New York, including a partnership with All Kings, a NYC-based non-profit dedicated to the growth and empowerment of formerly incarcerated men.
Since the founding in 2024, the Hurley House has hosted retreats with Lama Lekshe and other members of the Dekeling sangha, and is excited to support the continued emergence of an east coast sangha.